On this episode of the podcast we’re digging into the differences between “Paganism” and “Witchcraft.” While there is clearly a lot of overlap between these two umbrella terms, there are some important differences.

So, yeah, let’s talk about them.

Music: “The Man With One Eye,” “So I Said It,” “Untitled Nonsense” (Trae Dorn)

There are a lot of regressive ideas built into some forms of witchcraft when it comes to gender, and it’s about time we sat down and talked about it. On this episode of the podcast we’re talking about gender and witchcraft, and how gender essentialism is massively bull.

So, y’know, we’re keeping it light.

Music: “The Man With One Eye,” “So I Said It,” “Untitled Nonsense” (Trae Dorn)

On this episode of the podcast I’m answering questions sent in from listeners like you! I’m also doing it from a cabin in the Wisconsin Northwoods though, so there is no music, no second takes, and it’s been recorded on my iPhone.

Hopefully this doesn’t turn out terribly.

Last year one of the biggest hub bubs in the Witch community was Pinrose introducing a “Starter Witch Set” which was intended to be sold at Sephora stores. There was such an uproar from the Witchcraft community that Sephora ended up pulling the kits before they were ever able to reach consumers. But was this remotely a good thing? On this episode of the podcast Trae’s going to talk about the commercialization of Witchcraft… and how its pretty much okay.

For the most part.

Music: “The Man With One Eye,” “So I Said It,” “Untitled Nonsense” (Trae Dorn)

It’s generally accepted that witchcraft is “just a phase” for some people — that they’ll dabble a bit and then move on from it. I guess my question then is… is this actually a bad thing? Isn’t trying out stuff good?

I think it is.

Music: “The Man With One Eye,” “So I Said It,” “Untitled Nonsense” (Trae Dorn)

The Satanic Panic of the 70s, 80s, and 90s shaped the Modern Witchcraft Movement in a lot of unexpected ways. Its effects still ripple through a lot of our sources, so in this installment of the podcast we’re digging into this extremely weird part of American history.

It’s a bit of a doozy, after all.

Content Warning: This episode contains descriptions of alleged child sexual abuse

Music: “The Man With One Eye,” “So I Said It,” “Untitled Nonsense” (Trae Dorn)

The Wiccan Rede is the foundational moral principle of Wicca. As it’s one of the larger forms of Witchcraft practiced today, I thought we’d dig into it and understand where it came from, what it means, and why it’s important.

Also I spend a minute debunking the Law of Return/Threefold Law, so even if you don’t care about Wicca, you might find that bit entertaining. Like you can pull it out whenever some jackass on Tumblr tries to tell you that you’re “witching wrong” or some other bull. Just like blow their minds and stuff.

Music: “The Man With One Eye,” “Meteor,” “So I Said It,” “Untitled Nonsense” (Trae Dorn)

On this eighth episode of the podcast, we’re talking about good old Technopaganism. Well, “Technowitchcraft” is probably the better term, but I’m old and from the 90s. In any case, the point is that there’s a lot of ways that technology can be incorporated into Witchcraft, but there are a lot of questions we have to ask along the way.

Or something.

I don’t know. Here’s that photo of my desk I promised.

Music: “The Man With One Eye,” “An Experiment,” “So I Said It,” “Untitled Nonsense” (Trae Dorn)

On this episode of the podcast, the topic is the importance of accepting that we’re all ridiculous human beings and that’s it’s a good thing. Witchcraft should be done with a sense of play, and we should all keep that in mind before we take ourselves too seriously. Because when we take ourselves too seriously, none of us are remotely pleasant to be around. Doing witchcraft by rote isn’t the best idea, gatekeeping is bad, and there’s probably not a wrong way to do a spell. Unless you like light yourself on fire or something.

Try not to do that.

Music: “The Man With One Eye,” “So I Said It,” “Untitled Nonsense” (Trae Dorn)

How witches are represented on television and media has always been a controversial topic in the modern witchcraft community, and 2018 has seen several high profile series launch with the reboot of Charmed and the adaptation of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. In this episode, Trae looks at these new shows and how they represent witchcraft in popular culture — and how they fall short.

Music: “The Man With One Eye,” “So I Said It,” “Untitled Nonsense” (Trae Dorn)