What is the relationship between witchcraft and astrology? Is there such a relationship at all? In this video, I talk a bit about the diverse practices under the umbrella of astrology, how they do (or don’t) relate to witchcraft, and why many witches seem to be turned off of astrology in general. I also talk […]
Read more "Video: Witchcraft and Astrology"Wiccan mythology (or at least, one strand of it) features a very specific kind of Goddess and God, and a particular understanding of the relationship between them. In this video, I talk about how this mythos is really modern in origin, how much of it can be traced back to James Frazer’s book “The Golden […]
Read more "Video: James Frazer and the Modernity of Wiccan Myth"In this video, I talk through the recommended reading list I give to seekers interested in Gardnerian Wicca. Different groups will have different recommendations, and some groups won’t have any suggested reading at all, but these are the texts that I, personally, think are the most helpful and informative for someone seeking traditional Wicca. The […]
Read more "Video: 13 Books for Gardnerian Seekers"In all the conversations people have about Wicca, it seems they’re often not working from a shared definition of what Wicca actually is–and that can be a source of confusion and problems. In this video, I talk through what I consider to be the six basic defining features of Wicca: -It’s a form of witchcraft […]
Read more "Video: What is Wicca?"Let’s talk about witch books! I talk through three of my favorite novels featuring witches and witchcraft. What are your favorites? Is there anything I’ve left off this list that should be here? Let me know!
Read more "Video: Favorite Witch Novels"Some rambling thoughts about a popular theological viewpoint in Paganism, which I term the “Pratchett-Gaiman” theology: The idea that we create the Gods through our belief in and worship of them. I understand why this theology is appealing, but it doesn’t quite resonate with me, and I try to talk through the reasons why. Be […]
Read more "Video: Do We Create the Gods?"I talk about studying the history of Wicca and Witchcraft, ideas that are now outdated, and why I think it’s still worth reading the books those ideas came from so long as we contextualize them as primary sources. The five books I mention in this video: The Secret Doctrine, H. P. Blavatsky The Golden Bough, […]
Read more "Video: Primary Sources for Witchcraft"My friend Shane just had gallbladder surgery, so I’m in New York this week helping take care of them. We made a (mildly clickbaity) video about “types” of witchcraft, the usefulness of taxonomies, and what a label can—and can’t—communicate about someone’s witchy practice. Check out Shane’s YouTube channel if you want to see more of […]
Read more "Video: Types of Witches?"I like to believe I’m a smart person. I think critically. I have a master’s degree in philosophy and I’m working on my Ph.D, and contrary to popular belief, academic philosophy is not, in fact, a free-for-all of sloppy thinking and vague bullshit. My discipline is overwhelmingly, exhaustingly oriented toward rigorously defined concepts and motivated […]
Read more "Ten Doubts About Magic"There’s a concept that floats around in the occult community, often called the “Magician’s Pyramid.” The concept, though not its name, originates in Éliphas Lévi’s Transcendental Magic: To attain the SANCTUM REGNUM, in other words, the knowledge and power of the Magi, there are four indispensable conditions – an intelligence illuminated by study, an intrepidity […]
Read more "The Circle, the Pyramid, and the Wiccan Temple"