Witch Wednesdays

I’m chatting today with author Shannon Knight all about her new book, Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow: Magickal Tools and Tarot to Confront Your Fears and Free Your Potential.Author Shannon Knight’s approach to shadow work is deeply rooted in secular, therapeutic, and psychological principles, but she recognizes the valuable role that magick, archetypes, and symbolism play in this process. Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow is unique to other books on the subject, incorporating the use of tarot as a prominent tool that serves as a method of self-reflection, offering a portal to our subconscious and helping us access parts of ourselves previously unavailable to us. The imagery and archetypes help facilitate a dialogue with our shadow, making it easier to converse with the repressed and hidden parts of ourselves.Knight reveals that to create harmony and reduce tension between the logical and mystical aspects of ourselves, we need to be curious about multiple ways of being. We learn by experimenting with how these impact us—for better or for worse—and then we figure out what to do with this information.Find the book and Shannon:Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow: https://redwheelweiser.com/book/dark-shadow-golden-shadow-9781578638925/Website: TheTarotDiagnosis.comInstagram: Instagram.com/TheTarotDiagnosisShannon Knight (she/her) is a queer therapist licensed in both Arizona and Florida, where she specializes in working with individuals and couples. Shannon received her BA in applied clinical psychology from the Florida Institute of Technology and her MS in mental health counseling from Johns Hopkins University. In her therapy practice, Shannon takes a psychodynamic approach with a person-centered focus on building strong client relationships and fostering a growth mindset that supports clients in becoming their best selves. Shannon enjoys the sacred nature of healing work while maintaining a sense of humor about the absurdities of human life. She is the host of The Tarot Diagnosis, a weekly podcast that highlights the intersection of mental health with the practice of tarot and self-inquiry to help listeners better understand themselves and those around them.

 Today I'm joined by author Sarah Potter to chat all about her new book, Sober Magic: Using the Tarot and Ritual in Your Journey Away from Drinking. In Sober Magic, Sarah shares how her background as a medium and Tarot reader led her on a transformative and lasting sober journey, morphing the traditional recovery journey into one of self-discovery, ritual, and empowerment. She offers a compassionate, spiritually grounded approach to healing that blends tarot wisdom with practical tools for living with clarity and intention. We chat all aboutHow tarot supported her recovery and self-love journeyWhy “sober curiosity” is growing among spiritually minded audiencesHow simple rituals can help anyone invite balance, self-care, and healing into daily lifeAnd much more!Find Sarah and the Book:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamsarahpotterBook A Reading: app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=21046179Substack: open.substack.com/pub/iamsarahpotterBuy Sober Magic: hachettebookgroup.com/titles/sarah-potter/sober-magic/9798894140711

Crystals are displayed prominently at virtually every witchcraft and metaphysical store; however, a comprehensive guide to their use in magic has been a missing element. Nicholas Pearson helps to remedy this with The Witching Stones, examining crystals, gems, and humble stones with the most ancient and powerful connections to magic. These magical stones number fourteen in all: flint, hagstone, ammonite, fossil urchin, salt, lodestone, lead, toadstone, amber, jet, cross-stone, quartz, moonstone, and emerald. Pearson explores the historical usage of these stones, as well as why they are associated with witchcraft, but also offers practical and accessible uses for the modern practitioner in the form of spells and rituals. He describes more than fifty spells, rituals, and recipes, from the basics of cleansing and consecrating your stones, to more advanced techniques like crafting lead curse tablets, blending incense and oils, and working lunar magic with moonstones.The Witching Stones focuses on the geology, history, and practical use of crystals and stones in magic. This book is an excellent how-to guide to the magical use of stones and crystals, suitable for beginners who don’t know what to “do” with crystals, as well as for the experienced crystal lover who seeks to take their practice to the next level. While many spell books feature the use of crystals within them, this is the first book to dive deep into the topic, exploring the mineral kingdom in the context of alchemy, talismanic magic, and Luciferian witchcraft.Find The Witching Stones and Nicholas:Book: https://theluminouspearl.com/books/the-witching-stones/Website: www.theluminouspearl.comInstagram: www.instagram.com/theluminouspearlAdditional Links: www.linktr.ee/theluminouspearl Nicholas Pearson has been immersed in all aspects of the mineral kingdom for nearly thirty years. As one of the leading voices in crystal healing today, he offers a unique blend of science and spirituality alongside a grounded, practical approach to working with crystals. He is a regular on the metaphysical circuit, frequently teaching and making appearances on podcasts and doing interviews.

Today I’m joined by author and content creator Niina Niskanen to chat all about a completely new topic to this podcast - Finnish folklore! We also chat about her upcoming Pagan Portals book, Soul of Vellamo: Journey with the Finnish Goddess of the Sea.Find Niina:Website: http://www.fairychamber.orgMythology Courses and E-Books: https://fairychamber.gumroad.com/Trailer for Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRBRMgBJkCo

The Apothecary of Belonging is a magickal journey through each of the four seasons with plant allies as our guides and companions. Alexis J. Cunningfolk explores how to know ourselves as land and as beings who deeply belong to the land and one another. Learn about the energetic foundations of traditional western herbalism that flow through the seasons within and around us and explore ways to map your inner landscape. Throughout, you will find methods for combining seasonal herbalism for physical vitality alongside magickal practices to support personal healing and community empowerment.Along with chapters exploring traditional western herbalism energetics, working with plant allies, and creating your own oracle of belonging, each seasonal chapter includes:An indications-based guide to plant allies for common ailments: twelve main seasonal allies and over seventy additional plants and herbs to build your seasonal apothecaryHerbal remedy suggestions for community clinics and household apothecariesSimple tea recipes to support your energyRituals for solo or community practice, including divination techniquesOpportunities for sacred inquiry through divination, journaling, and group discussionLunar blessings to support your remedy-making throughout the year Speaking to the common yearning for kinship and connection, The Apothecary of Belonging is a practical seasonal herbal, a book of magick, and a love letter reminding us that we can always find our way back home to each other.Find the book and Alexis:The Apothecary of Belonging: https://www.wortsandcunning.com/the-apothecary-of-belongingWebsite: https://www.wortsandcunning.com/ Alexis J. Cunningfolk is creating plant-led spaces of healing because none of us are meant to do this work alone. Practicing as an intersectional herbalist for over fifteen years and as a witch for nearly three decades, her work has led her around the country, presenting at various magickal, herbal, and academic conferences, as well as facilitating rituals for groups ranging from a handful of folks to hundreds. Alexis focuses on evidence-based and embodied plant healing while drawing on her experiences as a lesbian, a woman of mixed ancestry, and a third culture kid to create practices that help folks re-enchant their world and call themselves back home to their bodies.

Joined today by fan favorite Judika Illes to chat about her newest project, the Magic Spells Oracle deck!This beautifully illustrated deck is comprised of a 128-page guidebook plus 36-card oracle deck. The engaging full-color cards offer clarity and inspiration to focus your intention and rebuild your power, reconnect to the essence of nature, and rekindle the magic within. The accompanying guidebook outlines the framework for crafting your home altar and charging your oracle, learning how to read and find inspiration from the cards and their layouts, with each card guiding you through your personal journey of healing, magic, and wisdom. Find the deck and Judika:Magic Spells Oracle: https://redwheelweiser.com/book/magic-spells-oracle-9781578639229/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJudikaIlles/Instagram: https://instagram.com/judikaillesTwitter: https://x.com/JudikaIlles

Chatting today all about fortune telling with author Tom Benjamin!Historically, fortune tellers have always stood on the margins of society and been villainized by the Christo-Colonial powers that view divination as competition. The Modern Fortune Teller’s Field Guide takes a contemporary and engaged approach to divination, with a strong focus on social responsibility. Because fortune tellers can see the world as it is, we serve as a threat to structures that benefit from secrecy.The Modern Fortune Teller’s Field Guide is an essential guide to anyone seeking theory and history alongside divinatory knowledge. Though anyone today can pick up a pack of tarot cards or begin casting bones, fortune tellers have a responsibility in taking up that work to consider not only the forebears who suffered for that art—but also to understand the systems of oppression that impact our clients. Book: https://www.crossedcrowbooks.com/shop-crossed-crow-books/p/modernfortunetellersfieldguideWebsite: www.tombenjamintarot.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tombenjamintarotYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thefoolsjournal

Tarot Emblemata is a magical and mystical tarot deck based on the 1551 book of emblems by Claude Paradin. Renaissance emblems are intimate illustrations with accompanying mottos that allegorically and symbolically express sentiments, concepts, societal concerns, and parables. These Renaissance emblems are a didactic genre of interpretive art and, within them, author and creator Nitasia Roland has discovered that their enigmatic imagery and “mottos” correspond dynamically and align perfectly with the seventy cards of the Major and Minor Arcana of the tarot.Among the many ancient and iconic images this deck portrays—plumes, helmets, swords, gemstone rings, coins, wands, clouds, wreaths, flowers, animals, and trees—Roland sees the evolution of tarot’s wands, swords, cups, and coins, as well as evocative glimmers of the Major Arcana archetypes. Both secular and religious, Renaissance emblems were meant to crystallize virtue or vice and cover every sphere of early modern knowledge: ethics, natural philosophy, politics, science, religion, love, war, and everyday life, very much in the same way that modern tarot imagery provides insight and clarity today.The Tarot Emblemata deck will help readers expand on their path of embodiment, spiritual gnosis, inspired destiny, and empowerment. The accompanying guidebook presents tarot interpretations and elucidations on the symbolism of the emblems. Tarot Emblemata features a ribbon lift and gilded cards. It is an accessible deck for beginners and those familiar with the Rider-Waite-Smith system, while more experienced readers will enjoy a new and refreshing perspective. Find the deck and Natasia:Tarot Emblemata Deck: https://amzn.to/4mRCHWGWebsite: www.uraniapress.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nitasia_roland/ and https://www.instagram.com/urania_press/Nitasia Roland is a poet and writer of nonfiction with a focus on dovetailing the wisdom and practices of Western Esotericism, magic, myth, and mysticism. She resides in Maine, USA, surrounded by 75 acres of pastoral New England countryside. Nitasia works from home as an artist, independent researcher, editor, and indie tarot deck creator at her publishing company Urania Press. For her Interdisciplinary Master's Degree, she studied English, Poetry, Printmaking, Photography, and Design. In 2019 she received her MFA in Creative Writing. The current of Nitasia's Synchromystic path syncs a mélange of curios into a body of research, contemplation, and practice with poetic trance, synchronicity, Synthēmata & Symbola, theurgy, Hellenistic household worship, daimon & deity devotion, witchcraft, hedgecraft, divination, and ceremonial & planetary magic. 

Welcome to October! Kicking off one of my favorite months and a great season with Tahverlee: author, High Priestess, and Temple Keeper of Moon Temple Mystery School. Tahverlee is an expert in the ancient and modern practices of witchcraft, and we’re chatting all about the magic of October and the dark season ahead, including tips for changing up your daily practice to match the energy of autumn, ancestral outreach, dark moon magic, protection in working with spirits, cleansing, and so much more.Explore Tahverlee’s Work:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tahverlee/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@athena_in_my_bloodYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TahverleeWebsite: https://www.moontempleschool.com/our-storyTahverlee is the founder of Moon Temple Mystery School, guiding seekers through the mystical landscapes of witchcraft, empowerment, and transformation. She’s the visionary behind WitchFest, the largest event of its kind, where she inspires thousands to break free from limiting beliefs and embrace their inner magic.She’s also an accomplished speaker, social impact entrepreneur, and author. Her practical yet deeply mystical approach resonates with those seeking personal power and sovereignty in a world that often misunderstands the true essence of the witch.

Chatting today with Kashena Sampson all about music and witchcraft!Nashville artist Kashena Sampson will release her powerful new album, Ghost Of Me, on October 3rd. Born of shadow work and transformation, Ghost Of Me tells a testament of survival, personal discovery, and resilience. Rolling Stone has said her music evokes "the best of Seventies folk," and she has drawn a lot of comparisons to Stevie Nicks. This time, though, she digs deep beneath the surface to explore new territory, summoning her childhood influences (like Mazzy Star, Björk, and the Pixies).Besides being a singer-songwriter, Kashena is a tarot reader and practitioner - she was raised in a non-religious Jewish household with mother who taught her about Kabbalah and herbalism. The family didn’t have a television, so Kashena’s profound creativity blossomed at a very early age. Always drawn to witchcraft, her very first job was at an occult/esoteric bookstore. Her practice has been instrumental in her success on her sobriety path, and her commitment to shadow work has changed her life. Her songs are spell work, and her music is enchanting. Her album release is a lunar journey: the album and single releases are structured like a ritual under the phases of the moon - a cycle of letting go, calling in, and rising again. Find Kashena and Ghost of Me:Website: https://www.kashenasampsonmusic.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kashenasampson/?hl=en