Wayward Wanderer

The US election has happened and fascism won at the ballot box.  It's time to get to work on what can best sustain the Pagan, Heathen, and Witch movements in the days ahead and help build a better world for all.  Join your host for a walk through what can be done and where we can go from here. Want to support this podcast and my other work?  Check out my Patreon! You can also help out by schedulin...

How reality is made and functions is a central concept in every form of spirituality. Join your host for a journey into the intricate dance of creation and destruction that lies at the heart of Nordic myth! Want to support this podcast and my other work?  Check out my Patreon! You can also help out by scheduling a rune reading with Ryan!

Hey everyone I'd like to make some updates on what is coming from this podcast and let you all know about ways you can help support my work.  Please tune in to find out what's coming in 2025 for the Wayward Wanderer and more! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/waywardwanderer Calendly: https://calendly.com/ryan-fireandice/reading-appointment Classes: www.onblackwings.com/classes

On October 31st, Ryan hosted a livestream and Q&A with Shane Burley, co-author of "Safety Through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism" and author of "Fascism Today: What it is and How to End It", on antisemitism today, antisemitism in the Pagan community, and how Pagan and Jewish communities can resist the conspiratorial Right and rising Christian Nationalism through unity and...

Election 2024 is only days away and the choices couldn't be more stark.  Join your host for a walkthrough of what is at stake, why we need to reinforce the sandbags holding back the fascist flood, and more! Project for a New American Century: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/10/decades-after-9-11-what-became-of-the-uss Project 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bTpbDL5dcg Project Esther:...

Hey everyone I'm holding a special live online Q&A with Shane Burley this Thursday, October 31st at 5PM PST! Join me, the author of "The Way of Fire & Ice" and "Spinning Wyrd", for a live Q&A with Shane Burley, co-author of "Safety Through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism" and author of "Fascism Today: What it is and How to End It", on antisemitism today, antisemiti...

Many core Pagan and Heathen practices are often described as supernatural, but is that really the right word for what we do?  Join your host for a dive into the origins of the concept of the supernatural, what it implies, and how we could move beyond its logic of separation and isolation. Click here to schedule a rune reading with Ryan!

Ancestor veneration is a major component of modern Heathen spirituality and many forms of Paganism.  Join your host for an exploration of veneration for the dead, the foundations of ancestor worship in modern Heathen practice, how to deal with awful ancestors, and more! Click here to schedule a rune reading with Ryan!

I am taking a break from the usual programming to talk about mutual aid, disaster relief, and disinformation in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. * Mutual Aid * It Could Happen Here * Mutual Aid Disaster Relief * Appalachian Medical Solidarity * Appalachian Regional Commission Hurricane Helene Resources * Is Chimney Rock Being Bulldozed?

It's Spooktober, so let's start the month off right with a little explainer about death, dying, and the dead in Heathenry!  Join Ryan for a journey into the why, how, and what of death, dying, and the afterlife in Heathenry.  Highlights of this episode include a short trip through the Heathen hereafters, attitudes towards life and death, and dispelling any notion that your afterlife is a reward or...

CW: Extensive discussion of Neo-Nazi ideology and history, terrorism, and other political violence Joining us today is author and antifascist researcher Spencer Sunshine!  Spencer has a PhD in Sociology, has written extensively on the U.S. Far Right, and has a new book out with Routledge called Neo-Nazi Terrorism and Countercultural Fascism .  We talked all about the central figure of his work, ne...

These days, it feels like everything is in a state of crisis.  Join your host for a dive into how Nordic myth addresses the question of systemic crisis through the myth of Ragnarok, our present polycrisis, and whether we can avert the horrors of the Wolf Age and the destruction it promises. Hatian Community Support and Help Center: https://www.haitiansupportcenterspringfield.org/ Sources and links...

Joining us today is author Tim Rayborn!  Tim is a highly prolific author with a PhD from the University of Leeds who has published in history, mythology, and many other topics and has recently published a new book, Northern Mythology: Tales from Norse, Finnish, and Sami Traditions .   We talked all about it, what makes myth true and relevant today, and more! Want to support this podcast and my oth...

Want to know how Heathens celebrate holidays and why?  Then join Ryan for a journey into the why, how, and what of Heathenry's biggest holidays.  Highlights of this episode include a short trip through the Heathen calendar, some practice tips on doing feasting right, and giving a deeper understanding of the reason for the celebration of the seasons. Click here to schedule a rune reading with Ryan!...

Joining us today is author, Nordic witch, and folk magic practitioner Siri Vincent Plouff (they/them).  Siri is the author of the upcoming Queering the Runes  published by Weiser, co-author of Lessons of the Empress with Cassandra Snow, and host of  The Heathen's Journey  podcast.  We talked about their new book, gender in Nordic myth, runelore, and more! Want to support this podcast and my other...

The Pagan, Heathen, and Witch movements are very much products of a protest against the modern world.  Join your host for a journey through what modernity is, the place of the Pagan and Heathen movements in our present times, and what we can do to help sew the seeds of new possibility. Click here to schedule a rune reading with Ryan!

Joining us today is Witch, author and teacher Fio Gede Parma (she/they).  Fio is the author of the newly-released The Witch Belongs to the World , and a teacher in the Reclaiming tradition of Witchcraft.  We talked about her new book, The Witch Belongs to the World , the upcoming  Ecstatic Witchcraft , the relationship between Witchcraft and colonialism, and so much more!

Did you know there are Nordic Gods who stand apart from all the rest?  Join Ryan for an exploration of who the Others are and their strong ties to the most primordial of all forces in the Nordic cosmos.  Highlights of this episode include naming some of the more well-known of the Others, what they are associated with, and how the Others represent the forces that even other Gods heed and respect. C...

The words Pagan and Heathen mean a lot of different things.  In the mouths of modern Pagans & Heathens, they are badges of honor.  For Christians and religious conservatives, they are a shorthand for everything they see as sinful, degenerate, and unholy.  Join your host for a journey into their history, why they matter, and what they say in these times of increasingly aggressive Christian nati...

Joining us today is author and musician David Bramwell.  Bramwell is a co-creator and producer of The Wicker Man sing-along, the host of the podcast  Adventures in Nutopia , author of  The Cult of Water , and a member of the Order of Bards, Ovate, and Druids.  We talked about The Wicker Man and its enduring appeal, ecological spirituality, and more! You can find out more at www.drbramwell.com

Animism.  For some, it is a shorthand for spiritualities that worship what is in the world around them but there's a lot more to this concept than simply worshipping rocks and trees.  Join your host for a journey into what animism is, why it is relevant to Heathen practice, and what it says to a world facing climate crisis. Click here to schedule a rune reading with Ryan!

The shadow, in Jungian psychology, is all of the things about ourselves that we have repressed and refuse to acknowledge as being a part of who we are.  In the case of Heathenry, the core of our collective shadow is our movement's troubled, messy relationship with authority and how it is built.  Join your host for a journey into our shadow, what makes it tick, and how we can resolve these deep pro...

Welcome to the Vanir episode!  Join Ryan for a short journey through the Vanir's roles as Gods of the liminal, the mystical, and humanity's relationships with the natural world.  Highlights of this episode include naming some of the more well-known Vanir and what they are associated with, the Vanir and magic, and how the Vanir as best understood as deities of relationship and moving between worlds...

Abuse and the toleration of abusive practices in spiritual communities is a significant problem in Paganism and Heathenry, as has been especially shown with Diana Paxson's recent removal from the Troth.  Join your host for a journey through what enables abusive systems, their structures, and what brings about the institutionalization of abuse in communities.  https://wildhunt.org/2024/05/the-troth...

In this episode, your host guides you through the twisting paths of Nordic mysticism.  Along the way, you will learn why modern people engage in mysticism and how seiðr and runework, the two main forms of Heathen mysticism, work.