In this episode of The Sacred Places Podcast, we travel into the heart of the Appalachian Mountains with author and folk magic practitioner Leah Middleton, also known as @TheRedheadedWitch. Leah’s new book, Magic from the Hilltops and Hollers: Folk Witchery, Superstitions, and Healing Practices from Appalachia, is a beautiful tribute to the living traditions, ancestral wisdom, and land-rooted spirituality of Appalachia, and today she invites us into that world with her.

Leah shares how growing up in the mountains shaped her spirit, and how getting her driver’s license felt like gaining a magical key that opened the door to hidden dirt roads, secret trails, and sacred places only the land itself could reveal. We talk about hiking as a mystical initiation, a journey that mirrors the archetypal Hero’s Journey; how each path, ridge, and quiet overlook becomes a teacher; and how nature can hold us, challenge us, and transform us if we choose to walk with presence.

We also explore a powerful and emotional topic: grieving with the land. Leah discusses her experience after a devastating hurricane tore through her hometown, and we speak about what it means to mourn the earth the same way we mourn the people we love. As I say in this episode, the land has a way of instigating shadow work. Sometimes it opens a doorway into the parts of ourselves we’re meant to meet, heal, or reclaim.

Whether Appalachia is your home, your heritage, or simply a place your soul feels drawn toward, I hope this episode brings you closer to the wisdom of the land and the magic that lives in mountains, memory, and myth. If this spoke to your spirit, be sure to like, comment, and subscribe, it helps this sacred work reach more seekers walking their own path!

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This podcast episode was edited by Jordan, a cohost from The Astro Study Room
https://www.instagram.com/theastrostudyroom

Music: Tribal Wind - SergePavkinMusic
Music Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWe5Z7qISMQ