Gifts of the Wyrd

"Welcome to the Nine Worlds, home of Gods, Valkyries, Dwarves, and more!" promises MacMillan Publishsers about the latest series by my guest; author and artist George O'Connor. George created the 12 volume series The Olympians and just released Thor in October 2024, the second book of his series The Asgardians.

The first volume of The Asgardians series, Odin, was released in March 2024.

We talk about his process for bringing the myths of these two popular pantheons as illustrated storytelling.  It was a fun and interesting discussion to hear about George's interest with the Norse stories and how they have been a part of his life for so long and still inspiring ways to be told.  And it's always nice to get a behind the scenes scoop on how ideas come about, the creative process, and other bits of writing and drawing a graphic novel about such interesting characters and adventures. 

Both series' can be ordered through your local book store. Find out more about George's works at MacMillan Publishers. 

Follow George on Instagram at @thegeorgeoconnor and on his website for his upcoming webcomic and events.

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Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastr

Follow my channel on Instagram: @wyrdgifts1 Facebook: @GiftsoftheWyrd Email: [email protected]

Order The Christmast Oracle Deck created by me and artist Vinnora at https://feniksshop.etsy.com follow FB/IG: @thechristmasoracle

Please leave feedback on Apple and other podcast providers. This helps the podcast to be found easier.

Music.  Intro: Cooking with the Italians. Stingers: Mastermind & Feeling Happy. Royalty free music from https://www.fesliyanstudios.com  Please do not add this audio content to the YouTube Content ID System. I have used background music which is owned by FesliyanStudios.

Outgoing: The Northern Path by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution 4.0 Licesne https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

Logo Created by Xan Folmer. 

Logo based on the Vanic boar created by Vanatru Priestess Ember of the Vanic Conspiracy.

Studio recordings using Zencastr and Audacity.

Author Gunivortus Goos joins me to talk about the long awaited (by me especially) English translation of his book on Nehalennia.  The book is avaialable in German, Dutch, and now English.  The English title is: Nehalennia: Divine Lady of Prosperity, Trade and Safe Crossings.  It is now available via Amazon throughout the world and in Europe on BoD Buchshop. 

Nehalennia is a Dutch Goddess who was revered and honored in the area controlled by the Romans of the first - second centuries in what is now the southern west coast of the Netherlands.  After that time, Nehalennia was lost to the oceans and time and evidence was literally fished up in the 17th century in the form of votive stones, revealing an acitive practice of honoring her. 

Goos and I talk about Nehalennia, a bit about her origins,  about the process of researching and bringing the information together for the book, and about bringing in into an English version. 

The book has minor updates of new finds and information not in the German or Dutch editions.  Goos has many other books available on a variety of Gods, Goddesses, and topics which you can find more about at his website Boudicca. There you can find books in German and Dutch as well as other essays. Many are available via Amazon or in Europe via BoD. 

Goos has been on the podcast before to talk about his works: Mist Witches (episode 59) and Frau Holle and Germanic Magic (episode 41). 

If you want to learn more of the history that we know of about this obscure Dutch Goddess who now has a devoted following, have a listen and order the book. 

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Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastr

Follow my channel on Instagram: @wyrdgifts1 Facebook: @GiftsoftheWyrd Email: [email protected]

Order The Christmast Oracle Deck created by me and artist Vinnora at https://feniksshop.etsy.com follow FB/IG: @thechristmasoracle

Please leave feedback on Apple and other podcast providers. This helps the podcast to be found easier.

Music.  Intro: Cooking with the Italians. Outgoing: Commercial Bliss. Stingers: Biggest Smile & Emotion. Royalty free music from https://www.fesliyanstudios.com  Please do not add this audio content to the YouTube Content ID System. I have used background music which is owned by FesliyanStudios.

Logo Created by Xan Folmer. 

Logo based on the Vanic boar created by Vanatru Priestess Ember of the Vanic Conspiracy.

Studio recordings by Zencastr and Audacity.

It is great to have Amy Blackthorn on to talk about things botanical - brews, magic, and sacred plant magic. Amy us author of several books on botanical magic, including Blackthorn’s Botanical Magic, Blackthorn’s Botanical Brews, and Blackthorn’s Botanical Wellness. She is the founder of Blackthorn’s Botanicals. 

Her upcoming book Blackthorn's Book of Sacred Plant Magic is from Red Wheel/Weiser Books and scheduled for release in August 2024. Pre-order now with your local bookstore (if possible), Weiser's website, or online seller. 

Amy Blackthorn shows readers how to bring plant spirits into their daily spiritual practice with therapeutic access, subconscious learning, and divining skills that help them understand plant spirits on a deeper level. Using the power of scent, we can create a sense of the sacred in our daily lives. Part reference guide, part recipe book, and part ritual journey, it offers readers an in-depth exploration of the vital connection between scents and magical practice.

Links: 

https://amyblackthorn.com/

Blackthorns Botanicals

Sacred Space Conference

https://bookshop.org/

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Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastr

Follow my channel on Instagram: @wyrdgifts1 Facebook: @GiftsoftheWyrd Email: [email protected]

Order The Christmast Oracle Deck created by me and artist Vinnora at https://feniksshop.etsy.com follow FB/IG: @thechristmasoracle

Please leave feedback on Apple and other podcast providers. This helps the podcast to be found easier.

Music.  Intro: Cooking with the Italians. Outgoing: Commercial Bliss. Royalty free music from https://www.fesliyanstudios.com  Please do not add this audio content to the YouTube Content ID System. I have used background music which is owned by FesliyanStudios.

Logo Created by Xan Folmer. 

Logo based on the Vanic boar created by Vanatru Priestess Ember of the Vanic Conspiracy.

Studio recordings by Zencastr and Audacity.

Conversations With.... In this episode I invited a good friend to join me whom I've wanted to chat with for a while.  Hilary has been in the Heathen community in the San Francisco Bay Area for several decades. She is a seidhkona, rune worker, and Freya's woman. 

This is a casual conversation about her journey in Heathenry and her work in those areas.  Pull join us in our virtual seating area for this delightful time. 

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Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastr

Follow my channel on Instagram: @wyrdgifts1 Facebook: @GiftsoftheWyrd Email: [email protected]

Order The Christmast Oracle Deck created by me and artist Vinnora at https://feniksshop.etsy.com follow FB/IG: @thechristmasoracle

Please leave feedback on Apple and other podcast providers. This helps the podcast to be found easier.

Music.  Intro: Cooking with the Italians. Outgoing: Commercial Bliss. Royalty free music from https://www.fesliyanstudios.com  Please do not add this audio content to the YouTube Content ID System. I have used background music which is owned by FesliyanStudios.

Logo Created by Xan Folmer. 

Logo based on the Vanic boar created by Vanatru Priestess Ember of the Vanic Conspiracy.

Studio recordings by Zencastr and Audacity.

Life is pretty busy lately and it's made a bit of a challenge to book guests. So I took a couple books off the shelf that I've had for a while adn thought I'd have a little review/chat about them. 

Loki and Sigyn: Lessons on Chaos, Laughter & Loyalty from the Norse Gods  by Lea Svendsen. Llewellyn, February 2022. This captivating book takes you deep into the infamous legacy of Loki and the quiet power of Sigyn, the goddess of loyalty and compassion. As a controversial figure in Heathenry, Loki is often approached with trepidation. But this book introduces you to his true self: a trickster, but also a loving husband and creative problem-solver.

Elves, Witches, & Gods : Spinning Old heathen Magic in the Modern Day by Cat Heath, Llewellyn, 2021. Cat Heath has carefully pieced together and recreated Heathen magic techniques, and she shares the theories, skills, and tools you need to begin or deepen your own practice. This book provides explanations and hands-on techniques for galdr, seidr, fiber magic, herb craft, journeying, and going under the cloak.

Both books were received from the publisher for review. Comments reflect my own opinions.

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Follow my channel on Instagram: @wyrdgifts1 Facebook: @GiftsoftheWyrd Email: [email protected]

Order The Christmast Oracle Deck created by me and artist Vinnora at https://feniksshop.etsy.com follow FB/IG: @thechristmasoracle

Please leave feedback on Apple and other podcast providers. This helps the podcast to be found easier.

Music.  Intro: Cooking with the Italians. Outgoing: Commercial Bliss. Royalty free music from https://www.fesliyanstudios.com  Please do not add this audio content to the YouTube Content ID System. I have used background music which is owned by FesliyanStudios.

Logo Created by Xan Folmer. 

Logo based on the Vanic boar created by Vanatru Priestess Ember of the Vanic Conspiracy.

Studio recordings by Zencastr and Audacity.

The Cartomancer team: Amber Highland, Jaymi Elford, Saphira Stone

This episode is recorded during Women's History Month and I'm pleased to bring on to the podcast three incredible women who are the skillfull creators of The Cartomancer Magazine. 

Joining in are Publisher Amber Highland, Creative Director Saphira Stone, and Line Editor Jaymi Elford.   We discuss the history of the magazine and a lot of the behind the scenes of what goes into putting together each quarterly issue. 

And a lot of other fun and shenanigan discussions - as is normal when getting together with any of these three amazing people. 

Check out The Cartomancer Magazine for interesting and well presented topics on divination by many of the best in the divination community.  Including tarot, oracle cards, Lenormand, runes, ogham, and more. 

Women's History Month is a special month to celebrate the accomplishments of women throughout history and to support, collaborate, and celebrate all they do today.  But it is not only in March - do so all year round.   

Visit and subscribe to The Cartomancer Magazine here. 

Visit Saphira Stone's website for graphic design and more at Space Dragon Designs. 

Listen to Jaymi on her podcast Card Slingers Coast to Coast on Podbean. 

Follow The Cartomancer on Facebook and Instagram at: @thecartomancermagazine

#giftsofthewyrd #thecartomancer

Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastr

Follow my channel on Instagram: @wyrdgifts1 Facebook: @GiftsoftheWyrd Email: [email protected]

Order The Christmast Oracle Deck created by me and artist Vinnora at https://feniksshop.etsy.com follow FB/IG: @thechristmasoracle

Please leave feedback on Apple and other podcast providers. This helps the podcast to be found easier.

Music.  Intro: Cooking with the Italians. Outgoing: Commercial Bliss. Royalty free music from https://www.fesliyanstudios.com  Please do not add this audio content to the YouTube Content ID System. I have used background music which is owned by FesliyanStudios.

Logo Created by Xan Folmer. 

Logo based on the Vanic boar created by Vanatru Priestess Ember of the Vanic Conspiracy.

Studio recordings by Zencastr and Audacity.

We're honored this episode to have Erika Robinson join us to talk about Lenormand.  She is the author of The Language of Lenormand and Erika's Lenormand of Hope deck. 

Erika pulls out some tips for working with the Lenormand system from her book and the approach she took to writing it. Some very interesting information and process. 

We also talk about her Lenormand deck which was released in late 2023. This is an American Lenormand created for a modern audience in which the characters are "unapologetically Black."

Join us for an interesting discussion to inspire your interest in Lenormand. 

The Language of Lenormand is available from Weiser Books and your local or online book seller.

Erika's Lenormand of Hope deck is available from La Panthere Studio. 

Follow Erika on Instagram at: @divine_withme

Website: https://lenormandwitherika.com/

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Some tech difficulties in recording create some minor inconsistent audio levels. Not too bad, but apologies for any inconvenience in listening.   

Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastr

follow my channel on Instagram: @wyrdgifts1 Facebook: @GiftsoftheWyrd Email: [email protected]

Order The Christmast Oracle Deck created by me and artist Vinnora at https://feniksshop.etsy.com follow FB/IG: @thechristmasoracle

Please leave feedback on Apple and other podcast providers. This helps the podcast to be found easier.

Music.  Intro: Cooking with the Italians. Transition: Emotion and Mastermind. Outgoing: Feeling Happy. Royalty free music from https://www.fesliyanstudios.com  Please do not add this audio content to the YouTube Content ID System. I have used background music which is owned by FesliyanStudios.

Logo Created by Xan Folmer. 

Logo based on the Vanic boar created by Vanatru Priestess Ember of the Vanic Conspiracy.

Studio recordings by Zencastr and Audacity.

What If the Norse went aviking to the stars?

Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastr

Follow my channel on Instagram: @wyrdgifts1 Facebook: @GiftsoftheWyrd Email: [email protected]

Order The Christmast Oracle Deck created by me and artist Vinnora at https://feniksshop.etsy.com follow FB/IG: @thechristmasoracle

Please leave feedback on Apple and other podcast providers. This helps the podcast to be found easier.

Music.  Intro: Cooking with the Italians. Transition: Livin Funky. Royalty free music from https://www.fesliyanstudios.com  Please do not add this audio content to the YouTube Content ID System. I have used background music which is owned by FesliyanStudios.

Outgoing Music: Gjallar by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attibution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Logo Created by Xan Folmer. 

Logo based on the Vanic boar created by Vanatru Priestess Ember of the Vanic Conspiracy.

Studio recordings by Zencastr and Audacity.

A last minute idea for the holiday season, my friend Jenna Ball and I talk about Holiday (Christmas/Yuletide) themed decks for the season.  This is a totally last minute, unscripted, and loosely planned discussion about the tarot, oracle, and lenormand decks in our collections. And also a holiday rune set! 

Have a listen and we hope we inspire you to find new decks to enjoy in the season. 

Decks we talked about: 

The Christmas Oracle, by John Hijatt and Vinnora, available on Etsy

Yuletide Monsters Oracle by Madame Onca (She joined me on episode 70); available on Etsy

Yuletide Tarot by Kristoffer Hughes and Erin O'Leary Brown by Llewellyn (listen to episode 72 for interview with Kristoffer)

The Nightmare Before Christmas Tarot by Insight Editions

The Seasons Of the Witch Yule Oracle by Rockpool

The Yuletide Lenormand by Kendra Hurteau and Katrina Hill; available on gamecrafter.com

The Winter Waite Tarot by Tarot Collectibles

X'Mas Elf Red or Green by Deckstiny

Hello Winter by Midnight Oracle (apparently not in print)

Book: The Fright Before Christmas by Jeff Belanger

China plate runes by Forge of the Phoenix

Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastr

Follow my channel on Instagram: @wyrdgifts1 Facebook: @GiftsoftheWyrd Email: [email protected]

Order The Christmast Oracle Deck created by me and artist Vinnora at https://feniksshop.etsy.com follow FB/IG: @thechristmasoracle

Please leave feedback on Apple and other podcast providers. This helps the podcast to be found easier.

Music.  Intro: Holiday Hustle. Outgoing/transitions: The Night Before Christmas. Royalty free music from https://www.fesliyanstudios.com  Please do not add this audio content to the YouTube Content ID System. I have used background music which is owned by FesliyanStudios.

Logo Created by Xan Folmer. 

Logo based on the Vanic boar created by Vanatru Priestess Ember of the Vanic Conspiracy.

Studio recordings by Zencastr and Audacity.

As the 2023 holiday season is moving into full swing, I am joined by the joyful and delightful Kristoffer Hughes, certainly a helper of Father Christmas himself.  We talk about the beautiful Yuletide/Midwinter Tarot he created with the gorgeous artwork of Erin O'Leary Brown. 

This delighful and festive deck is sure to reach through the divinatory veil and bring forth messages of great meaning.  The deck includes images from folklore of Europe and a fully illustrated minor arcana adapting the Rider-Waite-Smith style to fit the wintery theme. 

With figures like the Mari Lwyd, Saint Nicholas, Krampus, the Ghost of Christmas yet to be, Father Christmas, and more, you are sure to experience a Yuletide inspiration to remember with your readings during the season and year round. 

Kristoffer explains his own experiences and inspirations that went in to crafting this tarot deck and we expand on a few of our favorite characters of the season.  Join us for a truly enjoyable chat. 

Follow Kristoffer on Facebook: @kristoffer.hughes and Instagram: @kristofferdruid and follow Llewllyn Books. You can get the deck from Llewellyn directly or from your favorite bookshop or seller. 

# # # 

Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastr

Follow my channel on Instagram: @wyrdgifts1 Facebook: @GiftsoftheWyrd Email: [email protected]

Order The Christmast Oracle Deck created by me and artist Vinnora at https://feniksshop.etsy.com follow FB/IG: @thechristmasoracle

Please leave feedback on Apple and other podcast providers. This helps the podcast to be found easier.

Music.  Intro: Holiday Hustle. Outgoing/transitions: The Night Before Christmas. Royalty free music from https://www.fesliyanstudios.com  Please do not add this audio content to the YouTube Content ID System. I have used background music which is owned by FesliyanStudios.

Logo Created by Xan Folmer. 

Logo based on the Vanic boar created by Vanatru Priestess Ember of the Vanic Conspiracy.

Studio recordings by Zencastr and Audacity.