BS-Free Witchcraft

When the publicist for Weiser Books reached out to the show asking if I wanted a review copy of Annwyn Avalon's new book "Celtic Goddess Grimoire," I don't really think they knew what they were getting into. Because I said yes. And this is my review. And this is not a good book.

Sometimes in this community folks have a habit of making things about them that… aren’t. So that’s what we’re addressing this time around. Because there are times where we need to step back and get some perspective.

One of the most frustrating conversations we keep having to have in the modern witchcraft movement is about cultural appropriation. And while we've repeatedly touched on this before, I've never focused an episode purely on the topic. So let's do that. Let's talk about exactly what it is and why it's such a problem.

A question that is significantly harder to answer than most people think is "What is Witchcraft?" This month I'm going to try to answer that, and if I fail you'll be at least as confused as I am by the end. And hey, isn't nice to do something together from time to time?

Combating misinformation has always been one of the primary missions of this show, and honestly? It just gets exhausting sometimes. Why are people in this community so willing to uncritically pass on bad information? Why can't people be bothered to do the minimum to verify what they're saying's correct? It's incredibly frustrating.

Last month Hex Positive 's Bree NicGarran joined Trae to take a look at the classic witch-centric movie Hocus Pocus (1993). This month, Bree's back to help review the 2022 sequel to that movie -- Hocus Pocus 2 .

It's time to dig back into the VHS tapes that you've shoved in a box in your basement (or just open Disney Plus), and talk about the classic witch-centric movie Hocus Pocus (1993). Hex Positive 's Bree NicGarran joins Trae this month for an indepth look at this Halloween movie... in November. But c'mon, we all know it's Halloween year round in these parts.

For the first time in five years, we're breaking the "Trae talks to someone about ghosts for an hour in October" pattern. Instead we're using this month and the witchcraft movement's obsession with Halloween to ask "why are we doing any of this stuff?" It should make sense in the end. I hope.

One of the most common descriptions of "witchcraft" you'll find out there will say that it's a "nature based" practice. That's also reinforced in so many witchcraft books over the last century, as well as in the current social media witchcraft circles. This episode is here to ask the question so many folks seem to be ignoring. Is it really ?

Variations of the phrase "There's No Wrong Way to Witch" get tossed around our community, and I think it's about time we discuss why we say actually say that. But beyond that, there are folks who try to twist the phrase to make it mean things it doesn't -- and we need to talk about how being valid as a witch doesn't mean you're not being a complete jerk at the same time. I use stronger language th...

It’s July! You know what that means — it’s time for our annual Q&A special! Where you the audience send in your questions for the show, so we don’t have to research anything for a month… or something. In this supersized episode, we talk about what you wanted to talk about, instead of this month’s random whim. I did so little work this month, I even copied that description from last year!

This month we're talking about a very important concept: doubt. There are times when we question our beliefs and our witchcraft, and why that's a good thing . Blind faith never helped anyone, and can actively harm you.

The Aquarian Tabernacle Church has announced a new accreditation program to "professionalize" Wiccan Clergy. They're not the first people to try and set something up like this, and they likely won't be the last. Is this a good thing? Is this a bad thing? Mostly I just think this is just a complicated thing.

This month we're talking about liminality and the spaces in between. The places that don't really seem to belong where they are, where that sense of unreality kicks in. Where we go to the edge of the firelight to the transition to the night. And how that all links into one of the most important, almost universal pieces of folklore: The Crossroads.

This month on the show we're answering a question I get a lot, and that's how do you celebrate the Wheel of the Year if you live somewhere that the natural cycles don't line up with a bunch of holidays put together in Ireland and Great Britain? How do you adjust and adapt your celebrations to fit in with the natural world around you? I mean, assuming you celebrate the Wheel of the Year to begin wi...

This month on the show we're going down a bit more of an unhinged rant than we've done lately, as we discuss "finger waggling," "sit at the foot of the great teacher" energy, and how maybe we shouldn't be letting certain dicks run stuff in the Witchcraft Community. Y'know, basic stuff that maybe we could all agree on if anyone thought about it for two seconds. Just, uh, something to think about.

This month we're taking a look at one of New Age spirituality's most toxic philosophies: The Law of Attraction. We talk about the history of it, where it came from, and how it's come back in a major way to a whole new generation as "Lucky Girl Syndrome." What sometimes looks like a harmless TikTok trend can actually be incredibly dangerous.

Back in September of 2021, we put out an episode all about Mabon and the person who named it, Aidan Kelly . This last October, just over after that podcast episode was released, Aidan Kelly reached out to me having listened to it and wanted to set the record straight. Thankfully he let me record the call for the show, and this is that conversation. Consider this episode a part two to that earlier...

This episode of BS-Free Witchcraft is actually a panel from CritWitchCon 2022 this last October. Spend an hour with Alex Wrekk, Bree NicGarran, Lozzie Stardust and myself as we talk about the history of modern witchcraft. Also you get to listen to me speed run like 130 years of history in under five minutes. It's a lot of fun, and I think you'll like it.

It's October, and that means we're in the spookiest of seasons! With that in mind we continue the podcast's long standing tradition of doing a ghost stories episode! This year Trae is joined by Jodie Haas, co-host and co-creator of Nerd & Tie Podcast Network Shows Cool & Unusual Punishment and Pour Man's History , as they take a moment to talk about the nature of "ghosts," the folklore t...

Consumerism has been a driving force in the witchcraft movement since the beginning, but in the age of social media it's only gotten more visible. Is this a good thing? I mean... no. No it's not. But we probably wouldn't be talking about it if it was, would we. Also, it's entirely possible that WitchTok hates poor people .

On this episode we're talking about the general tone of witchcraft discourse on social media, including Tumblr and TikTok. Is Witchtok the actual problem in our community, or is it just that the short form video format eliminates any possibility of nuance?

It's July! You know what that means -- it's time for our annual Q&A special! Where you the audience send in your questions for the show, so we don't have to research anything for a month... or something. In this supersized episode, we talk about what you wanted to talk about, instead of this month's random whim.

Can you believe we made it this long without doing an episode answering a question this basic? I mean, yeah, sure, I cover it a little in episode one -- but after running across something online, I realized I really wanted to do something more complete on the matter. So that's the question we're answering this month. Mostly. Sort of. You'll find out.

On this month's episode of BS-Free Witchcraft we're talking about political witchcraft. Should your witchcraft be political? What's the history of the modern witchcraft movement and political action? Should your political action end with your witchcraft? For that last one... the answer is no. It's a definite and clear no .