Hey, y’all: thank you to everyone who reached out and sent good vibes during my illness. I recorded this several days ago—but today, I feel a bit more like myself again. It was pretty scary and knocked the literal wind out of me, my Craft, and my family. What mattered, in the end, was the manner in which my ancestors showed up and supported my spirit. Here’s how I was able to Witchify the most serious illness I’ve ever experienced—although, even here, I cannot find the words to express how crucial it is to “stay in contact” with our ancestors, rather than venerating them only at particular times of the year.
Even my familiar, Tituba, had a part in keeping breath in my body. I apologize for my absence and hope some of y’all are still around to join me on the porch! Blessed Be, Seba
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Well, y’all, I barely kept my rear out of the hospital. I’ve gotten Covid after escaping it for so long and it’s taken me out pretty hard. I thought I’d be able to podcast by today (eight days into the plague), but alas. This virus has me in its clutches still.
Read MoreHey, y’all! I’m back on the porch after a long week of micro-farming and ready to share the secret to growing the best damn veggies you’ve ever tasted. Along the way, we have a story or two—as usual. As great mysteries go, the one I fell headlong into a few years back should not have taken me by surprise. It turns out, there’s something to working with the land, rather than working the land. Somewhere in that journey, my little disinherited rear got adopted by the trees, the soil, the land spirits and all that reside here. I’ll talk more about that next week, but for today, let’s talk about how I came into my real inheritance and how Metallica (among other bands) changed my tomato/pepper game.
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I've had the worst damn month, y’all. And so, I did something happy. We, as Witches and Pagans, often separate Halloween from Samhain--and, I get that. But, Halloween made me who I am. It prepared me for Samhain as an adult, deepened that resonance and steadied me for my grown life as a witch. And sometimes, when I'm super sad, all it takes the whiff of a bonfire and some caramel to bring the magic back around. This episode meant something to me. And somewhere between recording it and publishing it, the light shifted toward fall. (It’s almost imperceptible, but I assure you: my friend Robin always notices it and heralds it in.)
Read MoreMore than anything, the poverty of my younger years taught me to see past material wealth. There was one woman who mattered in that lesson, who showed me the magic of making something good out of not much at all.
Read MoreMany weeks ago now, I saw an article on Patheos called "Remembering the Witch in Witchcraft" that really took off on social media. John Beckett, a Druid Priest and author in our community, jumped into the conversation and wrote a response blog to that original article (linked in the episode notes) and, well, I was still in a quandary about it all.
And so, I asked him onto the podcast. I respect John and wanted to think this out with him, especially as a Witch from the Deep South (John also has Southern roots). He was more than open to that and the resulting wonderful conversation gave me quite a bit of fodder to think through for the future. It was a chat worth having! Thank you, John.
Read MoreHey Y’all! Shannon (coven student and friend) and I did a deep dive on the origin of all things goddess, what we believe, and slipped (of course) into a conversation about gender fluidity. So snuggle onto the porch and let’s chat goddess worship!
Read MoreI've had done, as my ancestors would say, with the contention that effectual witches should have access to money. That's not the way the universe works--that's not the way witchcraft works. Here's my take on that. Write in and let me know your stance on this? seba@southernfriedwitch.com.
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Hey, y’all: a listener and patron of the podcast wrote in to further ponder the nature of secrets within the Craft, and so I’m doing a deeper dive today. While the line between what secrets we keep and what can be shared can, at times, be murky: there are some situations that are steadfastly dependent upon staying hushed up. Settle in on the porch and let me tell you a story about one that no longer needs secrecy, if my memory will let me. Sometimes, forgetting is part of the deal.
Y’all, today I’m reading a listener letter about forging connection to Nature from limited spaces, such as apartments in the city and the like. But, also, I wanted to delve further into the idea of Crafting within the in-between spaces of dark and light. It has always been evident to me that these binary concepts (good/evil, black/white) do more harm than good. And so, I’m telling a story about how wholly buying into either of those polarities can throw us horribly off balance. It’s untenable to live that way, and as a Witch, I cannot imagine reducing my Craft to mere bane or glitter.
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