In this episode, through the lenses of animism, ecology, and magic, I explore the wasp queen as a powerful figure of embodied sovereignty, instinctive leadership, and creative structure.

We’ll start with natural history, honoring the form and function of the paper wasp, before moving into magical uses, energetic symbolism, and ways to work with abandoned nest materials and the deeper symbolism of nest-building.

I’ll also offer six suggestions for working with the wasp queen's energy, including boundary magic, manifestation, emotional regulation, and more.

Along the way, I’ll share personal reflections on growing up close to the land, challenging our cultural ideas about so-called pests, and the lessons we miss when we only value cute charismatic creatures.

Tune in and learn why the Wasp Queen isn’t a pest; she’s a Priestess!

To find me outside of this podcast:

Instagram: @liminal_witch_podcast and @chthonicstar

BlueSky: @chthonicstar.bsky.social

Facebook: Chthonic Star

Join my Facebook Group (free): Liminal Witch Community

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Patreon: patreon.com/ChthonicStar

Website and 1:1 Services: www.chthonicstar.com

Not everything begins the moment we notice it. Some things are already in motion, deep below the surface, waiting for the right conditions to emerge.

Right now, beneath the soil, billions of seeds rest in a state of dormant liminality, holding their potential until the time is right. Before they can break through, they first form an embryonic connection to the underworld, anchoring themselves in the depths that will sustain their growth.

 In this Liminal Short, I explore the journey of seeds, the force they exert just to breach the surface, and what they reveal about tending to our own transformation. If your goals feel stalled or stuck, maybe they aren’t stagnant—maybe they’re waiting for you to ask: What do they need to come out of dormancy?

And for some? That moment won’t come until fire clears the way.

🎙️ Tune in and let me know—what seeds are you tending this spring?

To find me outside of this podcast:

Instagram: @liminal_witch_podcast and @chthonicstar

BlueSky: @chthonicstar.bsky.social

Facebook: Chthonic Star

Join my Facebook Group (free): Liminal Witch Community

Join my email list (all magic, no spam!): Chthonic Star Email list

Patreon: patreon.com/ChthonicStar

Website and 1:1 Services: www.chthonicstar.com

Animism isn’t just for those living deep in the wild. It exists everywhere - woven into the cracks of the sidewalks, humming in the steel of skyscrapers, lingering in the materials that shape our daily lives.

In this episode, we explore animism in a modern world dominated by concrete and consumerism. What happens to the spirits of place and substance when forests are cleared, mountains are hollowed out, and rivers are rerouted? How do we honor the essence of objects that have been displaced, transformed, or repurposed? Whether you live in a city, a suburb, or a rural landscape, the spirit of the land is still speaking, waiting for acknowledgment.

This episode is for those who want to deepen their awareness of the materials they interact with daily, for those who feel disconnected from nature due to their surroundings, and for anyone seeking to build an animistic practice that aligns with the realities of modern life.

You are already in relationship with the world around you. The question is - how will you engage?

To find me outside of this podcast:

Instagram: @liminal_witch_podcast and @chthonicstar

BlueSky: @chthonicstar.bsky.social

Facebook: Chthonic Star

Join my Facebook Group (free): Liminal Witch Community

Join my email list (all magic, no spam!): Chthonic Star Email list

Patreon: patreon.com/ChthonicStar

Website and 1:1 Services: www.chthonicstar.com

2025 carries the potent energies of the Snake, the Hermit, and the Number 9. 

Three powerful symbols of transformation, introspection, and closure. This is the year that unrolls an introspective 'red carpet' for those willing to dive deeply and finally hear their own unfiltered truths.

The Snake invites you to shed what no longer serves you, the Hermit calls you to hold your own lantern and find wisdom in the quiet, and the Number 9 dares you to close old chapters with courage. Together, they create a superpower for honesty, growth, and radical alignment with your truest self.

This episode is for those who are done with old cycles, who are ready to choose themselves, and who are willing to step into the mist with only their own light to guide them. The work you do this year will decide whether the Wheel of Fortune turns in your favor in 2026, or drags you through the same, worn-out, tired cycles.

Give this a listen and let's dive in together!

To find me outside of this podcast:

Instagram: @liminal_witch_podcast and @chthonicstar

BlueSky: @chthonicstar.bsky.social

Facebook: Chthonic Star

Join my Facebook Group (free): Liminal Witch Community

Join my email list (all magic, no spam!): Chthonic Star Email list

Patreon: patreon.com/ChthonicStar

Website and 1:1 Services: www.chthonicstar.com

Your name isn’t simply a collection of letters and pen strokes. It is a powerful sigil that you infuse with your energy and intention every time you replicate it, consciously or not. 

It is an invocation and a summoning of YOU. 

In this short, I explore how the simple act of writing your name can become a mindful ritual, where each stroke of your pen is an opportunity to infuse a moment or a document with specific energy as well as control how you are perceived by the world. 

In a way, your name is sort of your own secret magical weapon because you can do this any time, any where, without having to be openly magical in front of whomever you're with. 

The act of writing your name is a potent form of discrete spellcasting that can evoke real, tangible results, and can be catered to fit each unique moment of replication.

 🎙️ Tune in today and let me know what you think in the comments!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This episode is the first of many "shorts" which I've decided to call Liminal Shorts instead of Daily Shorts. "Daily" is too much of a commitment for me right now. :) But these should be at least weekly, if not more frequently, in addition to my longer episodes. They will likely be short shower thoughts or occasional divination for the collective. 

Please like and follow and leave comments about what you want to hear!

To find me outside of this podcast:

Instagram: @liminal_witch_podcast and @chthonicstar

BlueSky: @chthonicstar.bsky.social

Facebook: Chthonic Star

Join my Facebook Group (free): Liminal Witch Community

Join my email list (all magic, no spam!): Chthonic Star Email list

Patreon: patreon.com/ChthonicStar

Website and 1:1 Services: www.chthonicstar.com

Fear of judgment has a way of pulling you under, whispering every reason to stay small, stay silent, and stay invisible. It convinces you to wait - until you’re “ready,” until it’s “perfect,” until the risk of rejection magically disappears. 

Spoiler alert: it never does.

What happens when we let the fear of judgment dictate our choices? We hand over our power. We dim our voice for people who wouldn’t do the same for us. We hesitate, overthink, and stall, feeding the very forces or people that keep us stuck. And some of these energy vampires thrive on our hesitation. They drain us, knowingly or not, using our doubt to fuel their own comfort.

But what if, instead of waiting, we just did the thing? What if we let go of the need for approval and stepped forward—messy, imperfect, and free?

If fear has been keeping you small, if you’ve been feeding people who don’t feed you back, this episode is for you. It’s time to take your power back.

🎙️ Listen now. And then? Do the damn thing.

To find me outside of this podcast:

Instagram: @liminal_witch_podcast and @chthonicstar

BlueSky: @chthonicstar.bsky.social

Facebook: Chthonic Star

Join my Facebook Group (free): Liminal Witch Community

Join my email list (all magic, no spam!): Chthonic Star Email list

Patreon: patreon.com/ChthonicStar

Website and 1:1 Services: www.chthonicstar.com

February is a strange month. It's half-asleep, half-stirring, caught in the space between winter and spring. The surface can look frozen, empty, motionless.  It can feel like a graveyard of New Year’s resolutions, the world outside sucked dry of color. A restless, dragging energy, like a slow trudge through dirty snow before spring.

But let’s challenge that.

Because while February might feel like a void between winter and spring, we like voids here in the Liminal Witch podcast. We celebrate them. We thrive in them. Because, voids are, what? you guessed it: liminal spaces.

It’s a month between pulses. A month of preparation, but without pressure. A threshold month. The point between winter and spring, where everything - the land, the spirits, even you - is stirring beneath the surface.

In this episode, I unravel the deep liminal energy of February. A month that many make the mistake of overlooking in their rush toward spring. If you want to work with the deep and introspective power of this month instead of resisting it, this one’s for you. 

To find me outside of this podcast:

Instagram: @liminal_witch_podcast and @chthonicstar

BlueSky: @chthonicstar.bsky.social

Facebook: Chthonic Star

Join my Facebook Group (free): Liminal Witch Community

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Patreon: patreon.com/ChthonicStar

Website and 1:1 Services: www.chthonicstar.com

What does it mean to be liminal? To tap into in the spaces between? To float around the edges of what is known and what is waiting to be discovered?

If you feel drawn to liminal spaces - if you come alive in the hush before a storm, love to steep in the glow of twilight, are drawn the pull of an untouched path or feel the intense and sometimes intimidating power when looking into a dark forest or a deep cave - you are already sampling liminal energies. 

In this episode, I discuss the power of liminality, the energies of transition, and what it means to embrace the in-between in my practice.

To find me outside of this podcast:

Instagram: @liminal_witch_podcast and @chthonicstar

BlueSky: @chthonicstar.bsky.social

Facebook: Chthonic Star

Join my Facebook Group (free): Liminal Witch Community

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Patreon: patreon.com/ChthonicStar

Website and 1:1 Services: www.chthonicstar.com

Welcome to the Liminal Witch Podcast! A space for those who walk the edges, dance in the thresholds, and find magic in the spaces between. I’m Summer Star - an eco-conscious witch in Salem, MA, ritual goods crafter, intuitive reader, business owner (Chthonic Star), and someone who finds refuge and power in liminality. If you're like me and you feel like your practice doesn’t fit neatly into one category or tradition, or if you feel pulled to the provocative edges of the unknown, then this podcast is meant for you.

In this episode, I dust off my mic and introduce myself and the intention behind this podcast. 

To find me outside of this podcast:

Instagram: @liminal_witch_podcast and @chthonicstar

BlueSky: @chthonicstar.bsky.social

Facebook: Chthonic Star

Join my Facebook Group (free): Liminal Witch Community

Join my email list (all magic, no spam!): Chthonic Star Email list

Patreon: patreon.com/ChthonicStar

Website and 1:1 Services: www.chthonicstar.com