143: Winter Solstice Spells and Crafts from Yules Past, Present, and Future

While we’re lighting candles for the ancestors, what magick can we make for those of us still on this side of the veil? This week, Laylla and Chelle are talking about Samhain for the living. There’s plenty of room at this season’s table for remembering the dead, but let’s also feed the people who are still here. We’re exploring the magick of giving people their offerings while they’re alive, preserving the stories and traditions we love, and deciding which inherited patterns have followed us...

Nobody has to be hexing you for your energy to feel completely wrung out. Sometimes you’ve just spent the day in a crowd, read tarot for a lot of people, or had so much fun you forgot to ground. They’re talking psychic self-defense for situations that aren’t necessarily toxic, just draining. What magick goes into packing? How do you stay open to connection without taking on everything around you? And what happens when two experienced witches forget to follow their own advice about grounding...

Samhain is approaching, the nights are growing longer, and we’re making room for some powerful company. This week, Laylla and Chelle are talking about dark Goddesses, the pull toward Hecate and Lilith, and why Their energy feels especially relevant right now. When the world keeps asking us to be quieter, smaller, and easier to manage, there’s something deeply magickal about connecting with a goddess who encourages us to stand in our power. Chelle shares her personal experiences with Hecate, ...

Names have power, witches. But when someone knows yours, what do they actually have access to? This week on Back on the Broomstick, Laylla and Chelle explore the folklore of true names, secret identities, and supernatural bargains, from Rumpelstiltskin toThe Wizard of EarthSea. Why do so many stories hinge on discovering a name, and how does that idea show up in modern witchcraft? We’re talking about names as taglocks, the connections they create in spellwork, and why a “true name” might me...

Fall is here, whether the weather got the memo or not, and Laylla and Chelle are welcoming the season of the witch with a visit to a local Pagan Pride Day event and four spooky cemetery tales full of curses, cages, shocking encounters, and graves that are rumored to be alive with ghostly witches. The witches talk about going to CNY Pagan Pride Day on Saturday, September 19! Laylla and Chelle will be there with Back on the Broomstick and Crystal City Circle, helping lead this year’s main ritua...