You’re in the right place if you want to…

• learn what it means to be a proud witch

• understand how to use marigold and calendula magically and medicinally

• discover how the tarot can show up in your life

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To start off the show, we look at our Tarot Card for the week and we look for moments that relate to this card in our daily lives.

For this week, we chose the Five of Wands. The theme of this card is different perspectives competing for attention. 

There was a caption for this card that said, “stupid tent!” and anyone who has put up a tent for camping can probably relate, especially if a bunch of people are trying to put it up together. There’s usually someone barking orders, someone who is angry due to frustration, some joker who’s trying to lighten the mood, and some anxious person who wants everyone to get along.

Working together as a team is a challenge, especially if there are “too many cooks,” so to speak. What would be more effective here is for each person to put down their stick and then each go one at a time sharing the plan for action. When there are too many people trying to take the lead, it’s helpful to let everyone share and decide on how to proceed as a group.

You can hear Erica’s and Maggie’s stories related to the Five of Wands by listening to the episode.

Here’s why we’re proud to call ourselves witches.

1. WITCHCRAFT IS A DOORWAY

I see witchcraft as an entryway into something bigger. When each of us starts on this path we all have a certain area of focus. I started through my interest in crystals and through energy work, others may come in through astrology or tarot or herbalism or any other number of interests. But what unites us all as witches is the use of magic and how our intuition and self knowledge expands. 

It goes beyond pretty pictures and shiny tools and leads us into the everythingness, the nothingness, the wholeness, the universe. We step into this space where we have direct access to our inner wisdom and the wisdom of the collective unconscious. We begin to reclaim our power, knowing that we can solve any problem that arises. Witchcraft is a doorway.

2. WITCHCRAFT CONNECTS US TO NATURE 

When I (Erica) first started looking at the wheel of the year, I made the discovery that the summer and winter solstices and fall and spring equinoxes were sometimes call mid-summer, mid-winter, etc. It started me thinking that if these are considered “mid season” to our ancestors it doesn’t really make sense that in our modern world we call the solstices and equinoxes the “first day of a season.” I started thinking about the ebb and flow of the seasons and, for example, if we shift our thinking to say spring starts on February 2 with Imbolc then that encompasses all the start of spring joys that we see. The crocus, new buds, tiny grass blade, leading up to the height and most powerful moment of spring, the “springiest” time happening on the equinox.

It gave me a different perspective on the changing of the seasons and totally changed the way I structure my year.

Journeying into witchcraft helped me (Maggie) remember my place in the world. It reminds us that we are all in this together and none of us is above the laws of nature. 

When I broke my back I couldn’t go to work. I could barely move. All I could do was set up a yoga mat in my front lawn and lay flat looking up at the sky. Obviously I had a ton of time to meditate, but more than that I connected to the Earth in a new way. 

For the entire Spring season I went outside and watched how the earth changed from bare winter branches and yellowed grass to little green buds that blossomed pink and purple before transforming into vibrant green leaves that shaded the new carpet of grass. This corresponded to my healing as well. By the time summer rolled in I was not one hundred percent healed, but I was good enough to move almost normally. There is scientific monitoring, which felt cold and detached and then there’s spiritual monitoring, which helped me remember that I am not only mortal and fragile but also part of this world.

3. WITCHCRAFT IS ACTIVISM AND COMMUNITY

Witches have always been activists and witchcraft has always been a political movement. Sometimes the government reacted to powerful women by calling them witches and sometimes women turned to witchcraft in reaction to oppression. 

Being a proud witch means you are connecting with your ancestors in a very meaningful way. You are honoring their struggles that designed this world for you and you are facing new challenges to leave a better world for future generations.

One of my favorite songs is “God Help the Outcasts” from Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame. In it they talk about helping the poor and downtrod, the unlucky and hungry. It has resonated with me for a long time because witches are often viewed as the outcasts of society. They are also the ones that stand up to injustice and help those that are “unhelpable”. And unfortunately, throughout most of our history, that led to them being arrested, beaten, and even killed for their efforts.

It is important to understand that heritage and to continue to honor our ancestors’ fights by standing up and being allies for the marginalized people in our current times.

This post is brought to you by Marigold and Calendula

• MEDICINAL - some Marigolds are fine and some are toxic so it’s better to specifically use Calendula if you plan on using it in an infusion, tincture, or salve. Marigolds are good for keeping bugs away. They are also companion plants to other vegetables; particularly tomatoes and peppers. Calendula has great antiseptic, anti-bacterial, and anti-microbial qualities. It cleanses wounds, reduces inflammation, promotes healing, stimulates circulation. Good for almost any ‘accident’, minor cuts, scrapes, burns, acne, rashes, broken bones, considered a heal-all herb; fungal infections such as athletes foot and thrush; diaper rash and sore nipples from breastfeeding; can be combined with Vitamin E and rubbed on pregnant bellies to help prevent stretch marks

• MAGICAL - Air and Fire, the Sun, Leo, and Active Energy; The bright orange and yellow petals a reminiscent of the sun which is why is can be used to represent the sun in magic workings for warmth, creativity, passion and other purposes that fall within the sun’s dominion. It also resemble a lion’s mane, hence the correspondence with Leo energy and all things associated with Leo: drama, glamour, pride, confidence. Marigold attracts respect and admiration; Death and spirit work; encouraging spirits to find their way home; Calendula Marigolds are often part of funeral floral arrangements, grave wreaths and other forms of remembrance; Luck; Love Spells; Dreaming; Protection

Send us a voicemail

We play one listener voicemail on each episode of Talk Witchcraft, with a few exceptions. To send us a voicemail, record a voice memo on your phone and email it to welisten [at] talkwitchcraft [dot] com. Please keep in mind that we only choose voicemails that are two minutes in length or shorter (even if they’re great!).

What we’re looking for in a voicemail

• Share from your personal experiences (especially experiences that we could never have) and use that to illuminate the zodiac season or theme in new ways.

• Ask questions of Erica and Maggie, so we have an opportunity to respond meaningfully to your voicemail during the podcast.

• Use one of these prompts: Is there something happening with you and your life that aligns with the current zodiac season or a Tarot card? How do your experiences show us something new about the magic, something that we haven’t talked about so far?

• Send a voicemail even if you’re behind on the podcast. If your voicemail is about a previous episode, zodiac season, or tarot card; that doesn’t mean we won’t choose it!

Tips for recording a great voicemail

• Make sure you’re somewhere quiet.

• Plan what you’re going to say ahead of time, because two minutes goes quickly.

• Opt for talking freely based on a bullet pointed list rather than reading word-for word from a script.

• Let us know if you’d prefer to remain anonymous.

Wait, don’t go yet!

Thanks for hanging out with me today. If you’ve enjoyed this post of Talk Witchcraft, I invite you to check out mumblesacademy.com.

Mumbles Academy is the place to be for intuitive souls at any stage on their WitchPath. Whether you are a Wildling at the very beginning of witchcraft journey and looking for a safe learning environment, a Creator who is already committed to their practice and wants to develop their witchcraft skills even more, or a Sage who full of wisdom already and is ready to share that with others, Mumbles Academy was designed for you.

With monthly masterclasses and live Q&As, an extensive archive of courses and training, and a supportive community to help you along the way with encouragement and advice, Mumbles Academy is the perfect place for you to be as you as you continue on your WitchPath.

Now it’s your turn!

What is the best advice you can give when starting out and how do you stay connected with your practice?