E232: Samhain, Again: Thinking Back On How To Become Beloved Dead

I was wandering through past episodes, y'all, and came upon this one. It was released only twelve days before D-day in my own little life and here I was, worried about becoming something that my kids could hold onto when I left this place one day. Afterward, I faced the hardest struggle of my life.

For a long time, I thought I had failed them. After all: I was supposed to be the rock that they leaned upon, counted on, and here I was wandering the woods at midnight in full-on banshee wail. But tonight, just before I honor my own ancestors, dogs/cats/chickens, friends and even an ex-husband who was a damn fine man who couldn't fight his own demons long enough to stay here with us (he died in 2018), I ran into my own ghost. This is who I was, way back in 2023 before I knew how bad things could really get. And I leaned into that moment, hard, took her hand, and listened.

Sometimes, they can hear us if we whisper back. Strange, that time travel, but if you are a Witch: you already know this magic.

And so, I present to you my past self. Funny, I realize now, how shoddy the recording was (I got better at editing), how unprepared I was to face another "lopping off" of a branch, and how capable I would become at growing in strange shapes towards the moon.

I wish you the most blessed of Samhains, Batchildren. May we all accept our pasts, finally, as the ghosts of a life that changed course. May we listen to them, finally, and understand that we have done the best that we could with what we knew at the time. But more than anything, may we learn to listen to the whispers of our ancestors as we walk the long and rocky road of becoming the Beloved Dead.

Love y'all like chicken. Blessed Be.

Seba

To support this podcast and get access to exclusive content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

To purchase my book, Farmcraft: An Ecology of Witchfolk, go to one of the following (although it’s available elsewhere):

https://farmerish.net/product/farmcraft-an-ecology-of-witchfolk/

https://www.amazon.com/Farmcraft-Ecology-Witchfolk-Katharyn-Privett/dp/B0H864Z1WZ

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E231: Monster-Go-Away Spray: A Primer on Getting through the Fall of Capitalism and the Patriarchy

I think the title is doing the work of this one. Y'all, give it a listen. And fight the dying of the light.

Do it with glitter.

Love y'all like chicken,
Seba

To support this podcast and get access to exclusive content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

To purchase my book, Farmcraft: An Ecology of Witchfolk, go to one of the following (although it’s available elsewhere):

https://farmerish.net/product/farmcraft-an-ecology-of-witchfolk/

https://www.amazon.com/Farmcraft-Ecology-Witchfolk-Katharyn-Privett/dp/B0H864Z1WZ

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Seba O'KileyComment
E230: Adaptive Strategies for Winter Witchcraft

If you know me, you know how very much I hate winter. And so, my Witch's Duh was rough this week.

My ecology doesn't wait for me. I cannot hide, nor run, when things get wicked out there. And so, I'm adapting.

Love y'all like chicken,
Seba

Love y'all like chicken! Seba

To support this podcast and get access to exclusive content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

To purchase my book, Farmcraft: An Ecology of Witchfolk, go to one of the following (although it’s available elsewhere):

https://farmerish.net/product/farmcraft-an-ecology-of-witchfolk/

https://www.amazon.com/Farmcraft-Ecology-Witchfolk-Katharyn-Privett/dp/B0H864Z1WZ

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Seba O'KileyComment
E229: A Battle Between the Necrophages and the Messengers

Well, y'all, here we are at the Harvest Moon and I'm here for it. Usually, I resist the incoming chill with everything in my Aries heart, but this past summer was brutal. And so, I'm leaning in, hard.

There's been a shift here on the Covenstead: we have new ebony-feathered friends. They have been vying for position and appear to be quite serious about running off my beloved turkey buzzards (although, I've seen them resting atop the wood line, still on the property). Changes have always been hard for me, but y'all, this one is giving such the magical umph of prophecy.

And so, it's time. There's no more decay or death to eat, they've assured me. My little Witch ass is finally ready to ride.

Love y'all like chicken! Seba

To support this podcast and get access to exclusive content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

To purchase my book, Farmcraft: An Ecology of Witchfolk, go to one of the following (although it’s available elsewhere):

https://farmerish.net/product/farmcraft-an-ecology-of-witchfolk/

https://www.amazon.com/Farmcraft-Ecology-Witchfolk-Katharyn-Privett/dp/B0H864Z1WZ

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Seba O'KileyComment
E228: Coming Back For Your Favorite T-Shirt--Lessons From Charlotte's Web

Hey, y'all! I've noticed a bit of a contention on the interwebs that taking back your energy isn't copacetic workings. I'm here to disagree--but with science as my warrant. It's your energy, Batchild. Don't leave it. or your favorite t-shirt, in an abandoned house and jinx your favorite band. Grab the salt and make it a meal! We have new webs to build, after all.

Sorry that this one is a bit short--I'm cooking dinner for the fam tonight and may have whittled away at my day in the garden. Love y'all like chicken! Seba

To support this podcast and get access to exclusive content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

To purchase my book, Farmcraft: An Ecology of Witchfolk, go to one of the following (although it’s available elsewhere):

https://farmerish.net/product/farmcraft-an-ecology-of-witchfolk/

https://www.amazon.com/Farmcraft-Ecology-Witchfolk-Katharyn-Privett/dp/B0H864Z1WZ

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Seba O'KileyComment
E227: Real Practical Magic Questions

Hey, y'all! Tonight is question answering night. I've collated a handful over the years about witches from listeners, and while I can only answer them for myself, it was fun to think through.

So snuggle up on the porch and let's talk about familiars, curses, and other yummy concepts.

Love y'all like chicken,
Seba

To support this podcast and get access to exclusive content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

To purchase my book, Farmcraft: An Ecology of Witchfolk, go to one of the following (although it’s available elsewhere):

https://farmerish.net/product/farmcraft-an-ecology-of-witchfolk/

https://www.amazon.com/Farmcraft-Ecology-Witchfolk-Katharyn-Privett/dp/B0H864Z1WZ

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Seba O'KileyComment
E226: A Crafted Life: Resisting Capitalism in Small Places

Y'all, if you've listened to my moon walk over on Patreon, you already know that I'm quite busy right now fighting a predator in my community who is posing as a hero to DV victims. In the meantime, here are some small, simple ways to take back the Craft and make it more meaningful. Toward the end, I speak to spellcrafting and how to approach it from scratch. Hope it helps!

Love y'all like chicken. XOXO, Seba

To support this podcast and get access to exclusive content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

To purchase my book, Farmcraft: An Ecology of Witchfolk, go to one of the following (although it’s available elsewhere):

https://farmerish.net/product/farmcraft-an-ecology-of-witchfolk/

https://www.amazon.com/Farmcraft-Ecology-Witchfolk-Katharyn-Privett/dp/B0H864Z1WZ

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Seba O'KileyComment
E225: A Witch Integrity

Y'all, for a very long time I've struggled to explain this funny thing inside of me that demands authenticity, regardless of the cost. I've done my best at explaining that here tonight.

The Latin word "integritas" comes about as close as I can figure, but it has a lot less to do with morality than it does with maintaining a "wholeness," and in my case, my magic.

Snuggle in, Batchildren. Love y'all like chicken!

Seba

To support this podcast and get access to exclusive content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

To purchase my book, Farmcraft: An Ecology of Witchfolk, go to one of the following (although it’s available elsewhere):

https://farmerish.net/product/farmcraft-an-ecology-of-witchfolk/

https://www.amazon.com/Farmcraft-Ecology-Witchfolk-Katharyn-Privett/dp/B0H864Z1WZ

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Seba O'KileyComment
E224: Save the Vine or Let It Die--A Pumpkin Tale

Y'all, I simply cannot let it go. Sometimes, a Batchild will say something that hits deep and then? I'm on the porch talking to the trees for a bit, lol.

If there's anything that my Witch ecology has struggled to teach me, it's this lesson: sometimes, you have to let it die. That kind of acceptance changes everything, but it's not without the grinding of teeth that comes with letting go.

Snuggle up on the porch, Batchildren. Time for another story.

XOXO,
Seba

To support this podcast and get access to exclusive content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

To purchase my book, Farmcraft: An Ecology of Witchfolk, go to one of the following (although it’s available elsewhere):

https://farmerish.net/product/farmcraft-an-ecology-of-witchfolk/

https://www.amazon.com/Farmcraft-Ecology-Witchfolk-Katharyn-Privett/dp/B0H864Z1WZ

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Seba O'KileyComment
E223: Grandmother Spider, the Raconteur

I have a short story, y'all, and a reading to share with you tonight. As everyone knows quite well, orb weavers and I go way back. Tonight, one had a reminder for me.

Snuggle up on the porch. It's storytime.

Love y'all like chicken,
Seba

To read along with my essay, go to: https://farmerish.net/the-raconteur/

To support this podcast and get access to exclusive content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

To purchase my book, Farmcraft: An Ecology of Witchfolk, go to one of the following (although it’s available elsewhere):

https://farmerish.net/product/farmcraft-an-ecology-of-witchfolk/

https://www.amazon.com/Farmcraft-Ecology-Witchfolk-Katharyn-Privett/dp/B0H864Z1WZ

Read More
Seba O'KileyComment