While reading a post on The Wild Hunt I got to thinking about the wild world of self publishing and Witchcraft books. How does a new Witch know if a source is good or bad? How can they tell if it’s a genuine writer or a pen name optimized for SEO? Why is everything so frickin’ complicated?

Oh, and we now have merch.

Music: “The Man With One Eye,” “The Quest of Alomar/Open Skies,” “So I Said It,” “Untitled Nonsense” (Trae Dorn)

On this episode of the podcast we are talking about something this show rarely covers — actual practical spellcraft advice. Specifically, we’re just going to talk about candles. Yep, you read that correctly, this is twenty-something minutes of Trae talking about fricking candles.

It’ll make sense when you listen to it.

Music: “The Man With One Eye,” “The Quest of Alomar/Open Skies,” “So I Said It,” “Untitled Nonsense” (Trae Dorn)

I got a question in my inbox from a listener asking if whether or not knowing a lot of Wicca was created less than a hundred years ago made it feel less legitimate. It’s an interesting question, and whether or not something being more “established” makes it more “real” is something I thought we should tackle.

Also, there’s a tiny bit more of that interview with author Bree NicGarran from last episode that serendipitously applied (that was cut), so I’ve included it here.

Music: “The Man With One Eye,” “The Quest of Alomar/Open Skies,” “So I Said It,” “Untitled Nonsense” (Trae Dorn)

It’s that spooky time of year again. With Halloween and Samhain coming up in a few days, it’s time to talk about ghost stories again. This time around I’m joined by the author of Grovedaughter Witchery: Practical Spellcraft and The Sisters Grimmoire Bree NicGarran as we talk about our personal experiences with the paranormal. Like last year, this is an extended, hour long episode.

Oh, and I complain about deer for a minute in there. Because deer are annoying.

Music: “The Man With One Eye,” “The Quest of Alomar/Open Skies,” “So I Said It,” “Untitled Nonsense” (Trae Dorn)

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)