Southern Fried Witch

Hey, y'all--sorry I'm a day late. I did go forth with the DV awareness event, it was incredible, I was triggered by my own event (ironic, that) but am still so happy that I did the work. Maybe someone out there will be more aware now . . .Either way, late yesterday was a rain shower, and it was the only time that I had to record. So, we begin with rain hammering around my voice and it comes back, briefly. My apologies if it makes it hard to hear.But snuggle up. This is a longer one and something I've been working with for a while. If we understand that land needs reparations, healing, and recovery after injury: how are we doing that magical work for ourselves?Love y'all like chicken, and thanks for understanding about my belated post. xoxo, SebaTo support this podcast and get access to exclusive content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

So, y'all: this one's long, almost double what I usually record and edit. But it was important. Last week, we talked about Cailleach handing over the reins to Brigid--and it's pertinent to this episode.I know you're tired. I know it's too much. But Brigid, spring, and the trees have our backs. Even if it's only a scream into the dark, or a big F-YOU to the ice that has frozen everything we loved about humanity, it counts. It's hard to believe, I get it.But the flowers are almost here. And we have to push up with them, somehow. Some way.It's what Witches do, hon.Love y'all like chicken,SebaTo support this podcast and get access to exclusive content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

Well, Batchildren. It's been a long ride, but here we are: episode 199. Holy crap. How did that happen? I remember when we started, all those years ago, when I had no idea why it would matter yet.We were all young and naive together. And it totally mattered.But here we are now, in the dead of winter, on a pivotal, magical evening: the night that Cailleach gives way to Brigid. Blessed Imbolc to all of you. Don't forget the oats for Brigid's cow, or your shawls and blessed beds, but while you are out there: don't forget her momma. Cailleach has cared for us all in this dark time, but more: she has shed blood for us.Love y'all like chicken, stay warm, SebaTo support this podcast and get access to exclusive content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

Y’all, this one was recorded as ice and freezing storms threatened my homestead. At the same time, other “icy” forces were raiding (and still do) in monstrous ways. As a Gen-X Witch, I was taught long ago what to do in cases such as these.Snuggle up on the porch and let me tell you a story (or three) about the magical effect of laughter upon a monster.Love y’all like chicken, SebaTo support this podcast and get access to exclusive content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

It's been a while, my loves, since I've done this level of work. I needed time, healing, and a space to breathe. You know, it's hard to determine the exact moment that will be safe enough to put weight on a previously broken bone, but I've done just that.And it held me. Welcome to the Year of the Horse. Let's ride, Batchildren.Love y'all like chicken,SebaTo support this podcast and get access to exclusive content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

I've thought on this one a while, Batchildren. When, how, and how loud do we stand for what is right? What does it mean for our Craft when we choose Sweden?Please snuggle with me on the porch for this one--I want your feedback.Love y'all like chicken, SebaTo support this podcast and get access to exclusive content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

I don't fully have my voice back, but I had something to say. Sometimes, we are very slow on the draw to cull our gardens--for reasons of love, familiarity, or even fear. But it's part of a very Witchy life, Batchildren. So, brave up, grab your spade, and do the work.Love y'all like chicken, SebaTo support this podcast and get access to exclusive content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

If you usually take your time listening to these episodes: shake things up and listen right now. It's almost over, and if you need a kairos moment, shake the dust off and click play. Love y'all like chicken! Seba To support this podcast and get access to exclusive content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

Hey y'all, I've been thinking about bones, the ones we work with, the ones we keep, and how that relates to Craft.The caretakers of these matter more than we think. Love y'all like chicken,SebaTo support this podcast and get access to exclusive content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

Winter is hard on this old country Witch, but it's a perfect time to put up a baneful box. When in an emergency, I don't always have time to source everything I need. That's where my emergency "kit" comes in fine and dandy. And in the dark nights? Why, that's the perfect time to prepare.Hang in there, Batchildren. We've got this. Winter has no choice but to be here, and eventually, will have no recourse but to leave.Love y'all like chicken, SebaTo support this podcast and get access to exclusive content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

Ah, how I would like to rest on my porch and not do this work anymore, but here it is: the process of reclaiming a name. I ran smack into myself (hypothetically speaking) on my way home from the courthouse the other day. It's my least favorite place to be, that construction of brick and mortar and legal moorings. But it was a good thing, that ride back to my little farm just before dark. Because, on the way, the past shook loose a little.Reclaiming, renaming yourself, that's some powerful Witch work. Snuggle in on the porch and let me tell you about the man that showed me how.Love y'all like chicken,SebaTo support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

Well y'all, if you listened to the porch chat from last night, you know where we are going. Do y'all have a journal like this? Sometimes, we need the notes, the thoughts, and the evidence of a spell.Oh and: promise to put up the recipe about Cowboy Candy tomorrow on Patreon. Love y'all like chicken!xoxo, SebaTo support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

I lost a true companion the night before Samhain. Here's to those dragons and beasties that walk with us on this journey.May they always be remembered for the magic they forged. And may we be awake enough to realize their purpose.XOXO,SebaTo support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

Well, y'all: my dad came to visit. It's been a very long time, but I was struggling with an essay for a magazine that asked me to write about winter. And then, there he was.I love y'all so much! Hope your Samhain goes brilliantly and that you never forget to get incredibly still and just . . . listen.xoxo, SebaTo support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

Hey, y'all. Snuggle on the porch for a chat about apply Swedish Death Cleaning (what an appropriate time of the year!) to our own broom closets. I was blindsided by my own lesson to a student--and had to apply it to myself.Love y'all like chicken,SebaTo support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

Hey, y'all. I'm being interviewed in a few hours by the Science Witch Podcast and one of their questions got my brain moving. Down the rabbit hole I went!Hope so much that you are harvesting what will nourish you and your Witchy soul.Love you like chicken,SebaTo support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

Just got off the interstate, y'all! My trip was . . . interesting. Sometimes healing means further surgery, but I'm on it.Also, I briefly embedded a statement on what's happening right now in our country. I did this on purpose, suddenly and in the middle of the episode. I'm sure y'all understand why.Love y'all like chicken,SebaTo support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

Hey, y'all. Come sit on the porch with me and let's chat about how we consider the place where our feet stand while engaging with our Craft.You know, the home-field advantage is real. Just sayin.Love y'all like chicken, SebaTo support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

I've been studying on this, y'all: making sacred places in my life to harbor my Craft through the darker days to come. In the past, I have put myself last as I built my store for winter. Let’s be honest: there were very few special places carved out just for me. Here in the last year of my fifties, something has shifted within me. Now, I know how critical those spaces, those harvests, truly are as a Witch. It’s almost time to ride, Witches. What have you put up for that journey?Thought I'd share, and as always: love y'all like chicken. SebaTo support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

'm whooped, y'all. It took me a week to release this, just struggling over how personal it all was and then I remembered: this is what we do.We all know that life moves on, sometimes brutally so, stealing away both youth and time. But there are things that folks should not to be able to take from you. I'm leaving in a few weeks on a mission to recovery a few of those buried treasures.And I've got a shovel.Love y'all like chicken,SebaTo support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

Witches, So Mote That Con 2025 is only a month away and you don’t want to miss this one because it is the LAST YEAR and it’s going to be AMAZING! On October 18th and 19th gather together to learn, to be in community together, and to spend time with this INCREDIBLE lineup of presenters. Michael A. Bryan, Rossa Crean, J. Allen Cross, Morgan Daimler, Monica Divane, and Dawn Aurora Hunt join That Witch Life Podcast's Courtney, Hilary, and Kanani and this year's Keynote MARA WILSON… yes Matilda, herself. There will be rituals, workshops, raffles, a live Q and A with MARA, and more magick than you can possibly squeeze into your cauldron! There’s still time to get tickets so head on over to www.thatwitchlife.com to get those tickets and avoid being haunted by FOMO! Hope to see you all there!

Hey, y’all. I’m fairly fed up with the onslaught of well-meaning folk who barrage me (and others) with the urgency of the act of forgiveness. In my experience, trauma requires quite a bit of heavy lifting, bloody labor, and the strength of the gods. In light of that load, I cannot imagine asking someone to also include the work of forgiveness, and all that such an act could entail.My question today is simply: is it a part of Witch culture to forgive? Or, and just stay with me for a moment: is it more Christian culture?These are the thoughts I’m ruminating upon today. Join me on the porch and let’s hammer this out, shall we?Love y’all like chicken, SebaTo support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

Y'all know that I really admire John Beckett, aka the author of Under the Ancient Oaks on Patheos. Often, something he muses upon fires up something in my own brain and I have to speak to it. His latest article "Sigil Magic: Did The Spell Work?" really hit for me. Of course, I took this a different direction (sorry, John, you know my wandering), but the question kept creeping up in my mind: how do we know if it could have?Join me on the porch, Batchildren, to think through the other side of this coin.Love y'all like chicken,SebaTo support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

Well, y'all, I meant to write about moon magic. But then, I turned on the mic and this just fell out of my soul.But, it’s relevant to where we are in this country right now, where I’ve been in my journey and battle against the patriarchy, and how its tendrils can slip around your life without much pomp or circumstance. It’s just insidious like that.Save a chicken, fry the patriarchy, Witches!!Love y'all like chicken! xoxo SebaTo support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

Sometimes, the price of "love" is too dear, Batchildren. What have we given up, as Witches?Hope y'all are okay tonight. I know how the cognitive dissonance between what we believed was real and what is showing up can make you feel crazy. Fight like hell, Batchildren, to find your ground.P.S.: Maybe, I hope, America will get her voice back one day.Love y'all like chicken, SebaTo support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

Y'all, I thought I was just doing a quick episode that would amount to not much, but I like this one. It's something I've thought about for a long, long time.Remember: don't strive for bippity, boppity, boo. Go for the long haul. Be the Witch you were born to be.Love y'all like chicken,SebaTo support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

Well, y'all, I got a listener letter from a Batchild. I hope they know how much I resonated with losing everything and having to rebuild. At the end of the day, turn to spiders, darling one.Love ya like chicken,SebaTo support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

Well, y'all: I'm canning and popping beans and am covered in sweat most days, but it feels like resistance to me. Y'all know my stance on this, but here's a little more about the magic of preserving the energy of Litha/Summer Solstice as the wheel begins to wane.Love y'all like chicken, SebaTo support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

Do we really get a do-over? And if we do, what do we lose? Sometimes, the universe knows exactly what she's doing.Snuggle in, y'all. Time to talk about the past, and how we are creating it with every flutter of our wings.(I meant to come back to this for more sound edits, but to hell with it. Raw work it is!)To support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

Snuggle in, Batchildren. We chatting about bravery in the face of monsters, finding protection in the most unlikely shapes, and forging forward in a storm. You are already brave enough, Witch.Special shoutout to my grandchild and my new best friend, a rat snake named Winifred.Love y’all like chicken, SebaTo support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

Trigger Warnings, all around: this episode is about abuse every single kind of it.My daughter has come home to heal. It's been nearly twelve years since I've wrapped my arms around her, but Mother's Day changed that. She is broken, bleeding, and in need of support.I will be posting her Freefunder here. She is the direct recipient--and she is more than worthy of support.I don't think I did her story justice in this podcast. My voice sounds strained, unlike myself, and for that I apologize. The emotions kept getting in the way, especially as I see a maternal story (curse?) being passed down to my daughter. It's not okay. And this is, most assuredly, a Witch issue, Batchildren.To support Fox on the long journey back to health: http://ffnd.co/9nD1yMTo support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

We've all done it, haven't we? Just went ahead with our normal warding practices, not one thought to whether or not they even could still hold water--much less, something nefarious.Snuggle in and let's chat about rotted boards, broken entryways, and our own complicity when it comes to protecting what we matters.Love y'all like chicken-, Batchildren.xoxo, SebaTo support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

Okay, y'all: Mandi wrote in and had the best question ever that focused (mostly) on what to do with offerings to ancestors/Fae/deities. It's one of my favorite topics, and y'all know we had to hit the dirt on this one.Settle in. And thank you, Mandi. :) Love y'all like chicken, SebaTo support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

So, many moons ago, I did an episode on getting back to the Witch body as a way to become more whole. Then, the other day on the phone with a Cauldron Level Batchild, I was asked: okay, well, what do we do when we've walked the steps to answer the call to action and need to get back to our body? To rest, to restore, what do we do?Damn, Beth. What a perfect question. I hope my answer isn't too shocking, or weird, but: it's what I do. And that's the only place I can speak from.I love this episode more than most. It mattered more than many. And I cannot thank you enough for asking it.Love y'all like chicken! SebaP.S. Get yor' ass outside and play, Batchildren. Do it like your life depends upon it. Because it does. :)To support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

This one is incredibly personal, to say the least. But we have become personal, Batchildren. So let's go.Wasted time is a real thing, no matter how much sunshine we try to pump up our own arse. It grieves me that I’ve done it, and this is what I’m doing to address that loss. I have one year left of my fifties, and I plan to shove as much joy as possible into it. Manifest something. Make it awkward. :)Witchify it. Love y'all like chicken,SebaTo support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

This is the last installment of "what to do if you are called to action." Plan, prepare, practice, then: JUMP. With every action, there is risk. Assessing that, accepting that, is critical in the fight ahead of us. Protecting what we love is worth it. And if energy only understands “go,” then what is our energy and where are we sending it?Love y’all like chicken.To support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

Hey, y'all, this is a long one. I met this listener at the Batchildren Ball several years back and she feels like family. So I gave it hell. She's a bit stuck, the way we all have been at some point in our lives, between potential paths to take. Thank you, K, for writing in!Find that fire, Witch. Then, add wood. Love, SebaTo support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

This is Part II of “Called to Action,” what do you do next? Learning to nurture sustainable energy sources is a no brainer, but for me, the last place I consider is myself. Snuggle up on the porch.Let's talk about the next step in preparing for what's to come. Love y'all like chicken, SebaTo support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

TW: Christian Trauma/Depression and Su**ide Hey, y'all: tonight I'm sharing the story of a very dear and wonderful young witch who struggled through quite the Christian quagmire to be where she is today. I'm honored to read that tale of survival, but want to make sure that all of you beautiful Batchildren are prepared: she shares stories of fighting to stay alive (s*#cide) and I will lean up against stories of SA in my own contextualization of it all. Be careful to take care of yourself first and assess whether you can listen to this one.And Dandelion: you are the fiercest flower to ever break through concrete. Love y'all like chicken,SebaTo support this podcast, keep it on the air, and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

I've seen the calls to action, far and wide, and am working on my own ways to be a part of the Witch's Resistance--as we all should be. But, y'all, the question I keep getting is: how do I even begin? Hold a sign? Join a local group? And the answer is, of course, yes.But to be a bit more specific: the way that I begin is always to sharpen my athame, my skill sets, and my methodology. And none of those moments are wasted, especially if we have a small window of time to ready ourselves. Snuggle in on the porch, Batchildren. This is a hard talk, but we need to have it.And get you a whetstone.Love you like chicken,Sebahttps://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

Y'all, Mother Nature just hates a blank space. She doesn't like being naked (shocking, I know) and will cover herself with whatever she can to heal Herself. We, even as Witches, are fond of carving voids (btw, did you know that the word "avoid" comes from this other lovely word?) whether we realize it or not.But, and this is a really cool "but": she loves the path of least resistance. It's the best resistance, of all--but it requires one hell of a dose of courage and constitution.Walk with me a little here? Would love to hear your thoughts on this one.Love ya like chicken,SebaTo support this podcast and keep it on the air and receive extra content, go to https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

We often forget that the whole reason for a harvest is in the reveling in it during Cailleach’s (the Celtic Winter Witch) long ride. Otherwise, what was it even for? I'm running around trying to prepare my little farm for 15 degrees, it turns out--something the Deep South is not prepared for, I assure you.And so, I turn to my dried herbs and teas, my pickles and pears, and revel in the harvest. Part of that is time relishing the friendships that sustained me, and giving back to them as well. You, Batchildren, are a part of that harvest.And I am part of yours.Stay warm, SebaTo support this podcast and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

So, you got a sign, you warded, and all is well . . . right?Not so much. Let's talk about what's next after we get signs, where the holes might be in our warding, and the importance of paying attention to the nuances therein.Love y'all like chicken! SebaTo support this podcast and get access to extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

I talked a bit about this the other night on my Patreon fireside chat, but of course, I ended up wandering a bit. While tradition may hold that Samhain is the Witch’s New Year, my question will always be: whose tradition? From what geographical location? Turns out, in the Deep South, Yule has always felt more aligned with my own Witch’s New Year.Y'all stay warm in this coming winter storm! Love y'all like chicken.To support this podcast and receive extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

I don't think I've ever been this raw while podcasting. It's been a long year for me, and for all of us I reckon. This is where I landed. I cannot thank all of those who held space for me, believed in me, and sent me so much energy and love.I'm still healing, but that's a good thing. Love y'all like chicken--and the moon and stars.SebaP.S. Try to say centrifugal force five times really fast. Now, do it with a Southern accent, lol.

I couldn't release the last one I did, y'all. It was a broken mess, and I worry that y'all can't handle much more of that. I saved it, so we will see if I ever get brave enough to put that out into the world.But this one is special, in more than one way. Around minute 22, my son let my grandbaby call me--and then, let me keep it in the recording. (Don’t have time to smooth it, so prepare for a sudden baby voice.) This is my heart, the soul that has kept me alive. And she was, indeed, wearing a "dwess."Blessed Yule. Please light the candle of your heart and stay. I know how hard it is--but there's magic still. Love y'all like chicken. SebaTo support this podcast and receive extra content, go to: patreon.com/southernfriedwitch

I know I'm not the only one who suffers in the winter (shoutout to my sweet Joanna). This is one of the ways that I cope: by giving a sh*t, even though it feels counterintuitive to where I am in the cold.Love y'all like chicken, SebaTo support this podcast and receive extra content from the porch, go to: https://www.patreon.com/c/southernfriedwitch

Hey, y'all! This one is a little longer than usual. I just started rambling about why I do what I do and this is what came out, a love letter to the land. I did this one on September 14th, right before my legal battle, and released it only on Patreon to protect my land and family. I won that battle. Love y’all like chicken!To support this podcast and receive extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/c/southernfriedwitch

Just rambling about how to survive the coming changes, y'all. Winter is all about planning the garden to come, reflecting on where we've been, and gathering the lessons together around our hearth fires to ponder and reflect.Love y'all like chicken, SebaTo support this podcast and receive extra content, go to: https://www.patreon.com/c/southernfriedwitch*I briefly mention the "Toilet Paper Plant" aka Plectranthus barbatus in this episode. I'm thinking of sending cuttings in the spring to anyone in the Familiar/Cauldron level, so remind me in March? To learn more about this wondrous plant, go to: https://www.robingreenfield.org/bluespur/

Y'all, I tried not to talk about it. I walked around the house, I screamed at the sky, just trying to get it out of me--but, it still came out. Don't listen if you're tired of hearing about it. The thing is: I just couldn't get past the covert narcissism of the asshats who did this. And so . . .I reckon I might lose some folks over this. But, this is where I stand. I figure, what the hell. Everything is burning, so will I.Be safe. Be Witches. Don't stop planting the seeds. And I love y'all like chicken. Seba