The Witch Wave

Tere Arcq is arguably the world’s leading expert on the life and work of artist Remedios Varo, as well as a specialist in women surrealist artists overall. She was Chief Curator of the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico and director of an International Art Investment Fund. As an independent curator, she has creates and produces exhibitions in Mexico and abroad including including The Adventures of Women Surrealists in Mexico and the United States, an international project presented at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), The National Museum of Fine Arts in Quebec, and The Modern Art Museum in Mexico. She has also contributed to countless exhibitions, most recently as a contributing curator of the astounding Surrealism Beyond Borders show that is up now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through January 20th, 2022. Tere edited and wrote for the monograph The Five Keys to the Secret World of Remedios Varo, and has contributed to many publications on Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington, and other surrealist artists. With Susan L. Aberth, she wrote the book, The Tarot of Leonora Carrington. Tere has also collaborated in the production of documentaries and short films on artists, and she has also designed and organized specialized art tours for collectors. She is a frequent lecturer at museums, institutions, and universities worldwide. Tere has Masters Degree in Museum Studies and Art Management.On this episode, Tere discusses Remedios Varo's bewitching art, her magical friendship with Leonora Carrington, and her lifelong pursuit of occult knowledge.Pam also discusses why she claims Varo as a spiritual ancestor, and answers a listener question about finding a witchcraft routine.Our sponsors for this episode are Kate’s Magik, VERAMEAT, Mithras Candle, BetterHelp, and The Path 365

Lilith Dorsey hails from many magickal traditions, including Celtic, Afro-Caribbean, and Native American spirituality. They are the author of many books including Voodoo and Afro-Caribbean Paganism, The African-American Ritual Cookbook, Love Magic, Water Magic, and their newest book, Orishas, Goddesses, and Voodoo Queens: The Divine Feminine in the African Religious Traditions. Lilith has been a professional psychic for over three decades and since 1991, they have been doing successful magick and readings for patrons of their business. In addition to all that, they are also editor/publisher of Oshun-African Magickal Quarterly, and the filmmaker of the experimental documentary Bodies of Water: Voodoo Identity and Tranceformation. They were also the choreographer for jazz legend Dr. John’s Night Tripper Voodoo Show.Lilith’s formal education focused on plant science, anthropology, and film at the University of Rhode Island, New York University, and the University of London, and their magickal training includes numerous initiations in Santeria - also known as Lucumi - Haitian Vodoun, and New Orleans Voodoo.On this episode, Lilith discusses the feminine magic of African diaspora traditions, the true power of love spells, and how they blend the different spiritual strands of their multicultural lineage with care and respect.Pam also talks about Witches’ New Year and the new moon, and answers a listener question about heeding Hecate’s call.Our sponsors for this episode are Witch Baby Soap, The Pretty Cult, Kate’s Magik, VERAMEAT, The Many Moons 2022 Daily Planner, BetterHelp, and The Path 365

Happy Halloween and Blessed Samhain! We've got a special Witch Wave bonus episode to celebrate the release of the bewitching new book that Pam co-edited and co-authored: WITCHCRAFT from Taschen's Library of Esoterica series.On this episode, Pam speaks with Library of Esoterica series editor Jessica Hundley and series designer Nic Taylor about all of the art, writing, design, and magic that went into WITCHCRAFT.Jessica Hundley is a journalist, editor, and author of numerous books on music, film, counterculture and psychedelia. As series editor of Taschen's Library of Esoterica series, she has overseen and written for all volumes including TAROT, ASTROLOGY, and WITCHCRAFT. Her other books include The New New Age: Crystals, an acclaimed biography on country rock icon Gram Parsons, and an extensive overview of the photography of Dennis Hopper from Taschen to name but a few. Her interviews and articles have appeared in such publications as Vogue, Rolling Stone, NY Times, Mojo, and many others. She is also a creative director and filmmaker, who has collaborated with such artists and brands as John Legend, Pepsi, and Bonobos.Nic Taylor is the head of Thunderwing Studios, an award-winning Los Angeles-based creative studio founded in 2007 by Nic and his partner Jennifer Brandt-Taylor. They specialize visionary work with visionary people via a diverse portfolio of projects in publishing, music, film, fashion, food, interior design and cultural institutions. Some of their projects include design for the recent film adaptation of Emma directed by Autumn de Wilde and for gorgeous brands like Bellocq Tea and Rule of Three.Our sponsor for this special episode is VERAMEAT.

Lorraine Monteagut is a Cuban-Colombian writer born in Miami, Florida. She is the author of Brujas: The Magic and Power of Witches of Color. Lorraine holds a PhD in communication from the University of South Florida, where she began her research on bruja feminism and the reclamation of ancestral healing traditions. Inspired to the spiritual life by her great grandmother, who was an espiritista in Cuba, she facilitates astrology workshops and moon circles in her local community in Tampa, Florida.On this episode, Lorraine discusses the healing that comes with connecting to the magic of ancestors, the diversity of the Latinx witchcraft community, and how to decolonize spiritual research and practices.Pam also talks about the importance of honoring one’s own ancestral magic, and answers a listener question about spell-casting for a new home.Our sponsors for this episode are VVITCH Digital, Temperance Home and Bar, The Path 365 by Suzie Newell, Wishcraft Goods, Mithras Candle, BetterHelp, Swandy’s The Throne Room album, and The Spiral Bookcase

Heather Greene is the author of Lights, Camera, Witchcraft: A Critical History of Witches in American Film and Television. She is a freelance editor, writer, and journalist who has specialized in Witchcraft, Paganism, alternative religions, and other occult topics for over thirty years. She is the former managing editor of the Pagan news journal, The Wild Hunt, and her work has been published at such places as The Washington Post, Religion News Service, Patheos.com and Turner Classic Movies. She is also an acquisitions consultant with Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. Heather has B.A. in Film Studies and French from the Wesleyan University in Connecticut and a masters degree in Film Studies from Emory University.On this episode, Heather discusses the evolution of the witch in American cinema, bewitching television shows, and the everlasting influence of The Wizard of Oz.Pam also talks about the witch in pop occulture and answers a listener question about how to honor a deceased, serpentine familiar.Our sponsors for this episode are That Witch Life Podcast, VVITCH Digital, Temperance Home and Bar, Mithras Candle, BetterHelp, Lindsay Mack’s “Heart of Service” course, and Green Moon Apothecary

It's the Witch Wave Season 5 premiere! We are honored to have Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Neko Case join us.Neko’s seven solo albums include her 2006 breakthrough album Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, and her two Grammy-nominated albums, Middle Cyclone of 2009 and 2013’s The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You. Her most recent album, Hell-On, is a gorgeous sonic tapestry of such tumultuous topics as climate change, twisted fate, and heartache. In 2016 she also released a collaborative album with musicians k.d. lang and Laura Veirs called CASE/LANG/VEIRS. She is also a member of the critically-acclaimed band, The New Pornographers.Neko's music has been described as everything from country noir to art rock, but it transcends genre and soundscape. What is consistent are her signature brilliant lyrics which are full of sharp metaphors and enchanting mythological fragments, as well as her spectacular voice which cuts the air like a diamond. It's no wonder her career has spanned over twenty years - her songs are the stuff of legend.Neko also has a newly-launched Substack newsletter called Entering the Lung. In it she writes lyrical essays about her relationship to the natural world.On this episode, Neko discusses the influence of wildness on her music, her relationship to magical monstresses, and why she identifies as "she/sir."Pam also talks about Witches' Thanksgiving and answers a listener question about how to make physical exercise a spiritual act.Our sponsors for this episode are That Witch Life Podcast, Temperance Home and Bar, Lindsay Mack’s “Heart of Service” course, BetterHelp, Seagrape Apothecary, The Spiral Bookcase, and Jessica Globe Coaching.

It’s the Season Finale of The Witch Wave! Tia Cabral is a Bay Area-based musician who performs under the magical moniker SPELLLING. She released her first moodily mystical full length Pantheon of Me in September 2017 to rave reviews including being Bandcamp’s #4 record of that year, and she followed it up in 2018 with her critically acclaimed darkly sparkling album Mazy Fly released on Sacred Bones Records. On both of these albums, she draws from dream imagery and esoteric symbolism to tap into the ethereal realm of emotion and spirit all spiraling from a synthy sonic palette.Her brand new album, The Turning Wheel, marks a symphonic expansion for SPELLLING, with lush orchestral production that utilizes 31 musicians, and celebrates macrocosmic themes of “human unity, the future, divine love and the enigmatic ups and downs of being a part of this carnival called life. ” It feels very much like a Magnum Opus, and heralds a brilliant and bewitching music-maker at the height of her powers. The visuals for the album are maximalist as well with SPELLLING and co. donning elaborate costumes and metamorphic makeup. SPELLLING has toured with Boy Harsher and Amen Dunes and her live performances are regarded as revelations of spell and spectacle.On this episode, Tia discusses her magical music theories, divine influences from Kate Bush to Sun Ra, and how occult practices like tarot and alchemy helped conjure her new album, The Turning Wheel. Pam also talks about the sacred symbolism of the wheel, and answers a listener question about meeting the felines of her dreams.Our sponsors for this episode are Moon Dust Press, Witch Baby Soap, Motherland, BetterHelp, Mithras Candle, and Maude’s Paperwing Gallery

Haylin Belay is a sex educator and health promotion professional with a focus in reproductive justice and intersectional, holistic strategies for healing and care. With over a decade of hands-on experience developing award-winning health education programming and providing professional development for clinicians, educators, and activists, she has dedicated her life to teaching people of all ages practical skills for a healthier, more pleasurable life. In addition to her classroom work, she’s also a yoga instructor and spiritual coach, offering workshops, trainings, and one-on-one coaching from a trauma-responsive, integrated mind-body-spirit perspective – and as you’ll hear in our conversation two of her witchcraft workshops, Abolitionist Witchcraft at Catland and Pleasure Magic & the Inner Shadow at Seagrape Apothecary, are coming up soon.Haylin is the creator of the projects Sex Ed For All, My Feminism Involves Witchcraft, and Femiwitch, and she is a professional tarot reader and practicing witch. She also co-hosts a podcast, Emotional Labor, and is the host of Cosmopolitan web series How To Sex Toy.On this episode, Haylin discusses the power of pleasure, abolitionist witchcraft, and how shadow work can be the antidote to shame.Pam also talks about the solar magic of Summer Solstice, and answers a listener question about a disturbingly bewitching dream.Our sponsors for this episode are Moon Dust Press, Ritualist, Motherland, The Spiral Bookcase, BetterHelp, Mithras Candle and Seasonal Steep

Simon Costin is the Director of Britain’s Museum of Witchcraft and Magic as well as the director of the Museum of British Folklore. He has been at the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic for nearly a decade, and the museum itself is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. Simon is also a world-renowned set designer, who has worked with such luminaries as Alexander McQueen and Tim Walker, as well as clients including Valentino, YSL, Lanvin, Hermes, Coach, Tiffany, and that’s just the tip of the glittering iceberg. His work has also been shown in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the ICA, and many other places, and he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Arts by the University of the Arts London for his outstanding contribution to fashion and design.On this episode, Simon discusses the odd delights of running a bewitching museum, why to respectfully preserve the energies of supernatural objects, and the gifts of having a life in the arts (dark and otherwise).  Pam also talks about the magic of museums, and answers a listener question about the alleged evils of witchcraft.Our sponsors for this episode are The Four Elements book by Ivo Dominguez, The Pretty Cult, Maude’s Paperwing Gallery, BetterHelp, and Mithras Candle

Natasha Khan AKA Bat for Lashes is known for her critically-acclaimed songs about otherworldly love and witchy revelations. She has released five studio albums starting in 2006 with Fur and Gold, followed by Two Suns (2009), The Haunted Man (2012), The Bride (2016), and her most recent, 2019’s Lost Girls - and she has been nominated for the Mercury Prize three times. Natasha also released an album under the moniker Sexwitch in 2015, which is a collection of reinterpreted psychedelic 1970s folk songs from around the world, and is a collaboration between herself and the band Toy. She also has composed the soundtrack for the television show Requiem. In addition to her mythic and supernatural symphonics, she is also a filmmaker, fashion and costume designer, and visual artist, who brings her unbridled imagination to her videos and shorts, and has been brewing some feature-length projects as well. Be sure to check out the brand new Bat For Lashes Patreon where you can get all kinds of bonus materials and magic direct from Natasha herself. On this episode, Natasha discusses the importance of staying connected to childhood fascinations, the powerful pull of witches, and other inspirations for her sonic spells.Pam also talks about maintaining the wonder of witchcraft, and answers a listener question about how to complete a working of maternal magic.Our sponsors for this episode are Temperance Home and Bar, The Four Elements of the Wise book by Ivo Dominguez, Mithras Candle, Tarot for the Wild Soul, BetterHelp, Luna Lux Botanicals, and Seraphina Capranos