Stars, Spells and Final Farewells

In episode 11 we start a series of episodes that will be dedicated to Revolutionary Witchcraft. In this upside-down world we live in we can find ourselves feeling helpless and we are not, we can also find ourselves numb and that is a dangerous thing. I want to feel empowered and impactful as well as making sure I am taking care of myself and finding balance. This series will pull inspiration from the book Revolutionary Witchcraft by Sarah Lyons, Hexing the Patriarchy by Ariel Gore and Light Magic for Dark Times by Lisa Marie Basile as we explore our power as witches and our history of revolution. Welcome to Witchcraft and Activism episode 1!Links Episode 2 Stars Spells and Final FarewellsRevolutionary WitchcraftHexing the PatriarchyLight Magic for Dark Times To find me (Britt)  https://www.goldenthreadalchemy.com/or https://www.instagram.com/goldenthreadalchemy/or https://goldenthreadalchemy.substack.com/Check out The Witch and The Shopkeep, Tales from the window seat podcast Music provided by purple planethttps://www.purple-planet.com

Episode 10! We’ve made it into double digits! In this episodeI have the honor of having my long-time friend, mentor and spirit mama Elaine Paurel join me to discuss one of our favorite sabbats, Ostara. Elaine is an eclectic witch that grew up curious about spirituality and luckily was pretty muchencouraged to explore. Elaine fits the bill as one of the “witches among us” because she infuses her practice into her everyday life. Elaine is from San Francisco and has lived in Vallejo (my hood too) for many moons raising her sons here in a lovely old farmhouse with a beautiful black walnut tree thatanchors many of our outdoor sabbat circles. She works with our local medical school students as a professional patient helping them in real world scenarios to grow their interpersonal skills and pushes them to be better doctors.I hope you enjoy our chat about what it means to be a witch in todays world and how we honor the rebirth of spring. The wheel keeps turning and with it brings us hope.To find me (Britt)  https://www.goldenthreadalchemy.com/or https://www.instagram.com/goldenthreadalchemy/or https://goldenthreadalchemy.substack.com/Check out TheWitch and The Shopkeep, Tales from the window seat podcast Music provided by purple planethttps://www.purple-planet.com

Episode 9 of Stars Spells and Final Farewells brings us a fast-paced conversation about all things witchy and the ins and out of deathcare or “after” deathcare really. I had the opportunity to sit down with my friend Jessica Cocar who is one of the “witches among us”. Jessica has been a practicingCeltic Witch since age 11 getting her initial education at the local library’s small “New Age” section and then, like myself, finding family and community at the local Red Raven shop in Vallejo, CA.A self-proclaimed “Creepy little girl”, Jessica was alwaysfascinated with the darker themes in life which eventually led her to her calling as a mortician. She has worked in the funeral industry since late 2019 right as the Covid pandemic began which was an exhausting way to break into theindustry especially while attending mortuary college full time. Jessica has been a licensed embalmer for 3 years and her love of science and beauty has helped her hone her craft in restorative work. She is a dedicated and driven woman, and, in this episode, we discuss her witchy youth, how her practice supports her in her work and the daily challenges and joys of helping people cross the veil while keeping our humanity, honoring traditions and staying grounded.I really enjoyed this chat, it isn’t everyday I find other witches willing to talk about death and dying!To find me (Britt)  https://www.goldenthreadalchemy.com/or https://www.instagram.com/goldenthreadalchemy/or https://goldenthreadalchemy.substack.com/Check out TheWitch and The Shopkeep, Tales from the window seat podcast Music provided by purple planethttps://www.purple-planet.com

Blessed Imbolc! The wheel turns and spring is coming! In this episode we touch on the folklore of this ancient Celtic holiday and the roots of the modern Groundhog Day. Trying to stay sane in what feels like an insane time to be alive without going numb and how a rogue wave of grief brought me back into feeling my aliveness. This episode is meant to remind us of our humanity through experiencing our own pain and joy while being available to others on their own journeys. Being numb is a choice…try to make good choices. To find me (Britt)  https://www.goldenthreadalchemy.com/ or https://www.instagram.com/goldenthreadalchemy/ or https://goldenthreadalchemy.substack.com/ Check out The Witch and The Shopkeep, Tales from the window seat podcast Music provided by purple planet https://www.purple-planet.com

Episode 7 of Stars, Spells and Final Farewells is here! I had the pleasure of spending time with my friend Rachel White, the Skeptical Shaman of TOTEM Readings discussing the volatile year of the Wood Dragon and her thoughts on the coming Wood Snake year. The Wood Dragon year was one of intense vertical growth, and we are all feeling the change fatigue that goes along with the many revolutions we’ve been through personally and collectively. My biggest take away from our chat is Rachel’s advice that we all need to grieve. “Please f**king grieve!” The upcoming Wood Snake year presents us with a lot of death energy, the shedding of things literally and on an energetic level and we need to detox!  Even good change is exhausting on our systems and without grieving and taking time to process we can become accusatory and inflamed. I am guilty of this myself, and this conversation did give me perspective on my own processing, and I hope gives you some food for thought as well. Known as “The Skeptical Shaman”, Rachel White is making waves as an unusual spiritual practitioner. Blending more than 20 years of corporate experience with a deep knowledge of the World of Woo, Rachel’s fresh, pragmatic and inherently practical take on spiritual and personal development is a hit among the “spiritually homeless”. Rachel is the host of TheSkeptical Shaman podcast, the Owner of TOTEM Readings—her Austin, TX-based spiritual practice-- the author and publisher of the TOTEM Tarot Deck and the TOTEM Flower Essence Deck, and the purveyor of TOTEM Flower Essences on her TOTEMReadingsATX Etsy Shop. She is also the author of the TOTEM Readings Substack, an engaging community that challenges preconceived notions of what it means to “be spiritual”. Rachel works with clients in-person and remotely, offering one-on-one psychic services and tailored Spiritual Transformation Coaching and Business of Woo Mentoring programs. Links: Website: https://www.totemreadings.com TOTEM Flower Essence Deck: https://a.co/d/8NEZKgC TOTEM Tarot Deck: https://www.amazon.com/TOTEM-Tarot-Deck-Rachel-White/dp/0578980126 TOTEM Readings ATX Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TotemReadingsATX Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/totemrach   To find me (Britt)  https://www.goldenthreadalchemy.com/ or https://www.instagram.com/goldenthreadalchemy/ or https://goldenthreadalchemy.substack.com/ Check out TheWitch and The Shopkeep, Tales from the window seat podcast Music provided by purple planet https://www.purple-planet.com

Happy New Year! In this very short episode, I just wanted to wish y’all a happy new year, share a very personal story that gave me an opportunity to pause, shift my perspective on life and remind you all to keep dreaming, dream wide awake!!   To find me (Britt)  https://www.goldenthreadalchemy.com/ or https://www.instagram.com/goldenthreadalchemy/ or https://goldenthreadalchemy.substack.com/ Check out TheWitch and The Shopkeep, Tales from the window seat podcast and visit the Joint’s online Mercantile too! Music provided by purple planet https://www.purple-planet.com

Episode 5 of Stars, Spells and Final Farewells is here! I am super excited to have two of my mentors and friends, “The Ravens”, Kathy and Jeani Kyair on as my first interview for the pod. Jeani and Kathy have been practicing pagans for much longer than the 20 years we’ve been friends, and, in this episode, we talk about Yule traditions, being (pagan) women in a patriarchal world and what is in a name anyway? Kathy and Jeani have married (literally) their separate traditions together to create special rituals for the sabbats and you can thank them for the returning of the sun after every winter solstice as for many years they kept vigil all night to welcome back the light! They are part of the witches among us, and I hope you enjoy our laughter filled and informative chat.   To find me (Britt)  https://www.goldenthreadalchemy.com/ or https://www.instagram.com/goldenthreadalchemy/ or https://goldenthreadalchemy.substack.com/ Check out The Witch and The Shopkeep, Tales from the window seat podcast and visit the Joint’s online Mercantile too! Music provided by purple planet https://www.purple-planet.com

Episode 4 of Stars, Spells and Final Farewells is here! This episode we talk about spellcasting and working with the moon. We cover perfectionism, getting started and a couple of books I continue to reference when working with the moon. Even practiced witches can find value in going back to basics sometimes! MoonSpells by Diane Ahlquest EverydayMoon Magic by Dorothy Morrison To find me (Britt)  https://www.goldenthreadalchemy.com/ or https://www.instagram.com/goldenthreadalchemy/ or https://goldenthreadalchemy.substack.com/ Check out TheWitch and The Shopkeep, Tales from the window seat podcast and visit the Joint’s online Mercantile too! Music provided by purple planet https://www.purple-planet.com  

In this episode I talk about the Taurus full moon and the energies of this Venus ruled sign and how it lends itself to current events in the world. Then we tap into some potion (tea) making and collective grief. We explore 4 herbs for protection, heart opening and soothing the nervous system. Collectively the US has been having a very intense week and I’m erring on the side of self-care, regrouping and channeling hard emotions rather than diving into my poison garden books, it wasn’t easy, but I know without tending to our emotions they can get away from us.  Please don’t forget to like, rate and subscribe! Thanks! Practical herbal tea blends you can make at home, follow modernfloki on IG Wild Medicine by Shelby Bundy and Kate Belew from Tamed Wild Plant Witchery by Juliet Diaz The School of Evolutionary Herbalism- this is where I am studying Astro-herbalism and they offer tons of herbal courses and info, check them out at their website and on IG Totem Flower Essences on Etsy I get a lot of my herbs online at Mountain Rose Herbs I trust them and their products   To find me (Britt)  https://www.goldenthreadalchemy.com/ or https://www.instagram.com/goldenthreadalchemy/ or https://goldenthreadalchemy.substack.com/ Check out TheWitch and The Shopkeep, Tales from the window seat podcast and visit the Joint’s online Mercantile too! Music provided by purple planet https://www.purple-planet.com

In this episode we discuss Samhain, what it is and a few ways to celebrate with a big focus on honoring and working with our ancestors. The modern Halloween does have some traditions that carried over from the old Celtic celebrations of Samhain but there is more to the holiday and acknowledging the turning of the wheel of the year our current “trick or treating” and pumpkin carving. We are cyclical beings after all and working with the seasons of the year brings us closer to nature and the natural world. Please enjoy and like, follow and share if you enjoy the pod! For an easy guide on creating an ancestor altar, you can check out my article here For Patti Wigington’s book, Badass Ancestors and more on her, here is the link to her website. To find me (Britt)  https://www.goldenthreadalchemy.com/ or https://www.instagram.com/goldenthreadalchemy/ or https://goldenthreadalchemy.substack.com/ Check out TheWitch and The Shopkeep, Tales from the window seat podcast and visit the Joint’s online Mercantile too! Music provided by purple planet https://www.purple-planet.com

Welcome to episode one of Stars, Spells and Final Farewells! This episode you get to know me and my story a little more and learn about the magic of Scorpio. Transformative Scorpio season is a time to go deep and I’m thinking a good time to meet your inner witch and astrologer. Maybe even get more comfortable with death and grief, it is the season of death and rebirth after all. Please don’t forget to like, subscribe and share this with your homies, it really helps me out a lot. Here are some links from things I covered in the episode One of my very oldest friends of 36 years, Ron Rash is an amazing artist and tattoo artist, my brilliant husband knows to get my birthday and Yule gifts from him, check him out here.  https://www.ronrash.com/ BefriendingDeath is an insightful course by my friend Eileen and I encourage everyone to take it, it’s not a Death Doula course it’s for anyone exploring their own relationship with death, has aging parents they aren’t sure how to talk to about their wishes or someone just interested in learning more about cultural practices around deathcare and normalizing conversations. If reading this made you feel some type of way, check it out! To find me (Britt)  https://www.goldenthreadalchemy.com/ or https://www.instagram.com/goldenthreadalchemy/ or https://goldenthreadalchemy.substack.com/ Check out TheWitch and The Shopkeep, Tales from the window seat podcast and visit the Joint’s online Mercantile too! Music provided by purple planet https://www.purple-planet.com

Welcome to the new podcast from The Witch from the The Witch and the Shopkeep, tales from the Window Seat pod. Stars, Spells and Final Farewells will dive into Astrology, everyday magic, witchcraft and compassionate end-of-life care. Join us as we work to demystify these practices and learn practical ways to tap into the magic that surrounds us everyday.