The Smart Witch Podcast

In this episode we discuss the magick and power of the Virgo New Moon as an important astrological moment to work spellwork around our health and wellness, to create or restructure our daily routines and forms of self-care, and to edit and adjust the general flow of our lives and even to work sex magick around reclaiming our sexual autonomy. I also share my favorite crystal talismans for this new moon in particular, and share how you can work with them to create magick in your life. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/geT-bX, click here to listen to my episode on wardrobe magick: https://anchor.fm/ali-murray/episodes/Episode-22-Wardrobe-Magick-ei2ruh and send me an email at [email protected] with your questions, which I might answer on the podcast!

Happy Mars Retrograde as of September 9th! This masculine planet continues moving retrograde in Aries until early November and this episode is a modernized explanation of what you can expect from/how you can work with this significant astrological event both individually and as part of the collective. Subcribe to my weekly newsletter for free astro insight: http://eepurl.com/geT-bX and send me an email at thesmartwitchpodcast@gmail with questions or to request a future topic.

In this shorter episode we’re talking a bit about the devil card, which is actually one of my favorites! I share my interpretation inspired by Lindsay Mack (which is SO different than many of the more common, oversimplified, finger-wagging interpretations out there) and we spend a majority of the episode discussing WHY this card (and figure) is so misunderstood both in spiritual communities and pop culture. This organically leads to a short, seasonally appropriate discussion of Shadow Work and why I think this concept is also misunderstood at times and how, more importantly, we can actually work with the Devil (the card or the archetype) to liberate ourselves from shame and reach a greater level of self-acceptance. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/geT-bX and send your questions to: [email protected]

In this episode, we discuss how to get started with cultivating a relationship with the tarot that is actively helpful for your manifestation practice and everyday life, from supporting your decision-making to increasing your self-understanding. We talk about everything from the process of choosing a deck and how many decks you should have, cleansing decks, fear and anxiety around tarot, framing questions to set yourself up for clear answers, some of my favorite questions, what to do when you don’t understand the cards you’ve pulled as a response to your question, and how to engage with your readings interactively by layering other energy healing techniques onto your tarot practice. If you haven’t already checked out my tarot intro it goes well with this episode: https://anchor.fm/ali-murray/episodes/Episode-2-A-Gentle-Tarot-Intro-ed9vj4 and also, here is the link to subscribe to my weekly newsletter: tp://eepurl.com/geT-bX

In this episode I share my thoughts on a few different questions/topics including whether or not cusps might affect your experience of your sun sign, love spells and how to conduct them in a TOTALLY energetically clean way, and the difference between Opal and more common Opalite (they actually have nothing to do with eachother) which becomes a conversation about my feelings on man-made glasses as magickal tools in general. Send your questions to: [email protected] and subscribe to my weekly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/geT-bX

In this episode we discuss the energy of the Wiccan holiday Lughnasadh (or Lammas), which falls on August 1st. We talk about the energy of this day, what it means, the mythology, and how you can celebrate regardless of your current circumstance. In the second half of the episode I do a Lunasa/Full Moon reading for every sign around what you have cultivated and are receiving on the First Harvest — for the best interpretation consider the cards that showed up for your sun, moon and rising signs in relation to eachother. For a weekly tarot reading, astrology, crystal insights and other good info, subscribe to my newsletter: http://eepurl.com/geT-bX and e-mail me at [email protected]

Are the dates of all the zodiac signs wrong? Is Ophiucus the 13th sign? Are you really a Pisces? These and other common astrology questions and sources of confusion are fully addressed and explained in this episode. Not only do I answer these common questions once and for all, but I also explain where the misconceptions come from and why the scientific facts that lead to the frequent resurfacing of these rumors are actually unrelated to astrology (and clearly made up by those who aren’t familiar with it beyond their weekly newspaper.) We finish the episode with a reflection on another commonly asked question I receive which is: “is astrology real?” My thoughts on all of these deep topics will hopefully give you the confidence to level with/challenge even the most intelligent astrology denouncers and, more importantly, proudly enjoy a public practice. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for astrology throughout the week: http://eepurl.com/geT-bX and contact me at: [email protected]

In this episode we discuss how to look to your birth chart to access your ultimate parent vibe (regardless of whether or not you necessarily assume this role for anyone now) and, conversely, how we can look at the birth charts of our caregivers to make the most of, understand and make peace with their nurturing styles. Send questions or topics you would like covered to: [email protected]

In this episode, intended to serve as a baseline for further discussion on crystal magick in this podcast, we dive deeply into the concept and practice of working with crystals as tools for healing, magick and manifestation. We talk about how and why crystal healing is effective scientifically, how to cultivate a personal relationship with a crystal, where a beginner should start with building a collection and learning how to work with it, recommended books, and cleansing and “programming” your stones (how, when, why, and do we really need to do it?) **Note: you’ll notice that I use the words “crystal” and “stone” pretty much interchangably although this isn’t necessarily correct as a stone is not always a crystal (Jet, for example, doesn’t have a crystalline structure and isn’t a mineral but for all intensive purposes can be considered a “stone.”) Nonetheless, out of habit and for the sake of keeping things simple I will continue to interchangably use both words to refer to the same thing! Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for crystal magick sent right to your email every week: http://eepurl.com/geT-bX Send questions to: [email protected]

In this episode we talk ALL about house blessing/cleansing — how often we should do it, how to determine when it’s time, and how to decide what tools are best for your particular needs. We also talk about all my favorite tools for cleansing a space and how to use them in this way, from basic household items to moon water and essential oil blends or sprays you can make yourself. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for more tips on modern witchery: http://eepurl.com/geT-bX send questions to: [email protected]