Circle Talk 4 Witches circletalk4witches

(CW: mental illness)

This episode we tackled a much-requested topic: mental health and the craft. How does one manage mental illness and Wicca? How much should a seeker divulge about mental health when approaching a coven? What about priesthood and coven leaders?

We dug deeper into the topics of healing and hexing - pins, poppets, pleasure and pain - this month: the roles they play (or not) in traditional Wicca, a smattering of history and lore, and some tried and true methods, too!

ail, and Welcome, everyone, to Season 3 of Circle Talk 4 Witches - it feels good to be back!
We kick off Season 3 by revisiting a core component of Traditional Wicca - Covens. We’ve touched upon the topic of covens before (Season 1 Episodes 6, 7, and 11), though in this episode, we want to talk more about leading a coven and coven mechanics. We address a bit of “how” to start a coven, a lot of “why” one might start a coven, some of the “yikes!” that comes along with running a coven and how to mitigate them, and touch briefly upon why a sturdy table is staple to the practice of the Wica 😛! Grab a cuppa, sit back, relax, and enjoy! Welcome to Season 3.

References:
Kate West’s The Real Witches’ Coven
Thea Sabin’s A Teaching Handbook for Wiccans and Pagans: Practical Guidance for Sharing Your Path
Starhawk’s Spiral Dance
Thorn Mooney’s Traditional Wicca: A Seeker’s Guide. Llewellyn Publications, 2018.
Alexandrian Wicca Seekers and Initiates (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/groups/278933458939644/
Gardnerian Wicca Seekers and Initiates (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/groups/gardnerianseekers/
British Traditional Wicca (Discord): https://discord.gg/rrXEJHA
Mandragora Magika (not vouched): https://mandragoramagika.com/
Reddit CovenFinder (not vouched): https://www.reddit.com/r/CovenFinder/

Notes:
The 5Cs of effective communication:
Be clear
Be concise
Be compelling
Be curious
Be compassionate

We went fast and loose for our season 2 finale, taking turns answering some questions and ponderings sent in by listeners. We had a nice time: starting cults, initiating our beds, discussing the sexiness of elders, and learning the definition of “hot take”.

References:
The Power of Ritual by Casper ter Kuile

Happy equinox! This bumper episode is a discussion of initiation: why do we make such a big deal about it, anyway? We also look at the different types of initiation, what you might find or expect, after effects and more.References:Alex Sanders, King of the Witches - June Johns (warning: shenanigans ahead)
The Witches’ Bible - Janet and Stewart Farrar
Traditional Wicca: A Seeker’s Guide - Thorn Mooney
High Magic’s Aid - Gerald Gardner

For our belated August cross-quarter episode we are continuing to explore different ways of doing “magic”. In this episode we discussed various means of creating and implementing your own spells. 
There are several external resources referenced, especially an article by Jenya T. Beachy, originally published in the author’s patheos blog “Dirt Hearth Witch” in 2015: Making It So: Seven Steps to Effective Spells.
Other references include:
The Witch’s Path: Advancing your Craft at Every Level by Thorn Mooney
Website: Astrology.com/tr
Six Ways: Approaches & Entries for Practical Magic by Aidan Wachter