Down At The Crossroads - Music. Magick. Paganism.

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers. I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I meet with author and artist of the graphic novel Witchbody, Sabrina Scott. During our discussion we talk about her background growing up as a Spiritualist as well as how she got into witchcraft, how she defines witchcraft, cultural appropriation, the hierarchy of being, purity politics, world views in witchcraft, and more. Sabrina was a great guest and as you can tell we really touch upon a variety of topics in this episode. (Click here for the complete show notes)

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers. I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I meet with author and Maid of the Clan of Tubal Cain herself, Shani Oates to talk about her thoughts on Traditional Witchcraft. During our discussion we go into how she got started on her path as well as debunking the myths about her background, her thoughts on the differences between Traditional Witchcraft and Wicca, Her avoidance of using the term witch, Robert Cochrane, the Clan of Tubal Cain, being a women in Traditional Witchcraft, and more. Shani was a great guest. We were very honored to have her on the show and we look forward to speaking with her again in the future. (Click here for the complete show notes)

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we cross paths with today’s most influential Pa-gans, occultists, and deep thinkers. I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I meet with Patheos blogger Elizabeth Graham to talk about their experiences growing up in a witchy family in New England as well as their paranormal encounters, their thoughts on witchcraft, leaving Wicca, their blog on Pa-theos, their involvement with the Temple of Witchcraft, and more. Elizabeth was a fun guest and they were just as delightful in person as they were in this episode. (Click here for the complete show notes for this episode)

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers. I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I meet with Jason Mankey to learn about his book Transformative Witchcraft: The Greater Mysteries available from Llewellyn. And along with that we discuss his Pagan witchcraft journey and what caused him to move away from his Christian background, his early Goddess practices and experiences as a witch, his thoughts on witchcraft and how it has changed over the years, the modern origins of witchcraft, inclusivity in Traditional Wicca, the future of modern craft, and more. Jason was a great guest and this conversation has great anecdotes and personal stories as well. “The rites and rituals of Witchcraft are life-changing experiences, but they are also st

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers. I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I meet with Aaron Oberon to learn about his book Southern Cunning: Folkloric Witchcraft In The American South available from Moon Books. During the discussion we touch upon Christianity and witchcraft, social media, his thoughts on witchcraft, initiation by spirit, the necessity and limitations of initiation in general, and his ideas surrounding folkloric witchcraft. This was a fun conversation and like we say by then of it, if your spirits don’t have a sense of humor, then you need some new spirits. *Visit official show notes for further show information

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers. I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I welcome Damh the Bard back to the show to discuss the second branch of his Y Mabinogi albums. During the discussion we talk about myth versus story, materialism, Science and Paganism, re-enchanting the world, his thoughts on how paganism exists in the UK and how it differs from the USA, and more. This is definitely an unexpected discussion, but it was certainly a great one to have. Admittedly we get a little political in the episode, but what do you expect with the bullshit going on in the world and damn it, sometimes, you got to get yelly. So, consider yourself warned. *Visit official show notes for more info  

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers. I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I welcome back Australian Visionary Songstress Wendy Rule to discuss her latest album, Persephone. We learn about the goddess herself and the story she is most associated with, while discussing the role she has played in Wendy’s life and career. All in all, it was fun conversation and certainly great to speak with Wendy once again. *Visit official show notes for further episode information.

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we usually cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers, but tonight that’s not happening because it’s film club time. I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I sit down with our good friend Nissa to turn our eyes and minds to Robert Eggers’ 2015 film The VVitch. That’s right, make some popcorn, secure your copy, sit down, get comfortable, lower the lights, and join us as we watch and discuss tonight’s movie. (Just an FYI, there were several audio issues with the recording and I tried to correct them as best as I could.) Please be aware that this episode does contain spoilers and we will be having a pre-movie discussion and then a post-movie discussion, however we won’t be watching the film during the recording of the episode, but we will b

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers. I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I speak with Mallorie Vaudoise about her background. How she got into Folk Catholicism and the magic and practices associated with it. How Catholicism exists in the USA versus Italy. Ancestor work and the all-important task of reclaiming the past in the new way. All in all, Mallorie was a delightful guest and we hope you enjoyed this long overdue conversation with her. Featured Music: “All Things Change” by Kan’Nal “Verd Min” by Eivør “Citrus Mistress” by POM “The Magician” by The Hills and the Rivers “Sea Song” by The Owl Service “Sway” by POM Links: Italian Folk Magic (website) Italian Folk Magic (Facebook) Naples is for Necromancers (Video Lecture

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers. I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I speak with witch, tea blender extraordinaire, and author Amy Blackthorn to discuss her book Blackthorn's Botanical Magic: The Green Witch’s Guide to Essential Oils for Spellcraft, Ritual & Healing. During our discussion we learn about her journey into witchcraft and her early experiences as a witch and how a blizzard helped her to start her business Blackthorn Hoodoo Blends, but we start things off with touching upon her successful Facebook page Witchcraft-Down & Dirty. It was great to finally have Amy on the show and we’re glad to finally get this conversation out to you. "Here is the first contemporary guide to the transformative powers of e

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers. I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I speak with witch, YouTuber, blogger, and now author Thorn Mooney about her book Traditional Wicca: A Seeker's Guide. During the discussion we touch upon her background as a witch, her thoughts on witchcraft, Traditional Wicca and being a practicing Gardnerian and High Priestess of her coven, Foxfire. We discuss the difference and alleged conflict between Traditional Wicca and Traditional Witchcraft. As well as the gate keeping that occurs online, how social media has shaped people's perception and other issues such as classicism, outdated information, the pursuit of knowledge, and personal growth. This is a very frank discussion about modern practice

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers. I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I speak with witch, animist, and textile artist Polly Lind to discuss her background in witchcraft and her wonderful art. Polly is a witch in New Zealand and is a Fabric Artist who makes modern tapestries, banners, and wall hangings that have been inspired by magic, mythology and ancient cultures from around the world. It was great to finally speak with Polly as she is not only an artist and a fun guest, but she also has background in religious studies. It was interesting to hear how the availability of books in New Zealand shaped the witchcraft and pagan communities there. Also, if you’re a Flat Earther, you’re probably not going to like our discussio

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers. I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I speak with talismanic jeweler, musician, and author Aidan Wachter about his work, music, and new book Six Ways: Approaches and Entries for Practical Magic. We learn about Aidan's origins, his beginnings with magick and jewelry making. Plus his relationship to groups and their nature and his music which not many people seem to know about. As we talk about his book -Six Ways- we learn about some of the stories behind the work and how it came to be. As well as explore his definition of magick, his approach to working with spirits, and what his current practice looks like. This was a friendly and fun discussion and we were extremely thankful to finally me

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we usually cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers, but tonight that’s not happening because it’s film club time. I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I turn our eyes and minds to Dario Argento’s 1977 film Suspiria. That's right, make some popcorn, secure your copy, sit down, get comfortable, lower the lights, and join us as we watch and discuss tonight's movie. Please be aware that this episode does contain spoilers and we will be having a pre-movie discussion and then a post-movie discussion, however we won't be watching the film during the recording of the episode. Featured Music "Devil’s Courtship" by Horse Cult "Silent Impulse" by Ill Wicker Links Trailer for Suspiria (1977) on YouTube Trailer for Suspiria (2018) remake on

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers. I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I speak with author, sorcerer, and teacher Jason Miller to discuss his recent book The Elements of Spellcrafting: 21 Keys to Successful Sorcery. However, we start the conversation with learning about his background (because oddly enough we never actually talked about it before) as well as ponder what his super villain name might be. While in our discussion of his book we explore his thoughts regarding enchantment and making your life more enchantable, the idea of harm none and magickal caveats in spellcrafting, substitutions in magick and in one's practice, the pitfalls of striving for absolute authenticity, his beliefs about magick and how he thinks m

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame, and we usually cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers, but tonight that isn't happening because it's minisode time! I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I sit down to discuss spell-work, favorite spells, spell mistakes, backfires, and even mishaps. Along with our main topic we'll be discussing updates regarding us, the show, our book, as well as reading listener email and during the episode we even make a quick phone call with Australian visionary songstress Wendy Rule to talk about her Full Moon Magic live stream concerts. All in all, it’s another good time and we hope you enjoy it. Minisode Topic: Spell-work How do you define/explain what a spell is? What are your favorite go-to “back pocket“ spells? What was your first spell? Sp

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers. I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I speak with author, artist, blogger, dancer, and designer Laura Tempest Zakroff about her new book Sigil Witchery: A Witch’s Guide to Crafting Magick Symbols, from Llewellyn. During our discussion we touched upon the relationship between art and magick, mark making, sigil creation, right and left brain thinking, the use of symbols in society and magick, and more. Laura was a fun guest as always and we were delighted to have her back on the show. Sigils are magical symbols that are designed to influence ourselves and the world around us. Tracing through history, art, and culture, this illustrated book offers an innovative and fresh approach to sigil m

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers. I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I speak with author and Wandering Witch herself Natalie Zaman about her book Magical Destinations of the Northeast available from Llewellyn. As with all new guests, we learn about Natalie's background, how she found her path, and what ultimately inspired her book as we explore some of the locations she visited while researching and what she experienced while she was there. All in all, this was energetic conversation about reclaiming your local landscape and gaining a new perspective on the sites and landmarks of where you live. Every state in America has sacred sites―places that change you, heal you, and make you feel alive. Magical Destinations of th

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers. I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I welcome Damh the Bard back to show to discuss his new album Y Mabinogi: the First Branch of the Mabinogion a wonderful bardic adaptation by Damh himself with new music created to build upon the story of the first branch. Along with exploring the creation and music of his new album we learn more about his background and his former life as we discuss pagan leadership and community. You might be as pleasantly surprised as we were. The Mabinogion (Welsh pronunciation: [mabɪˈnɔɡjɔn]) are the earliest prose stories of the literature of Britain. The stories were compiled in Middle Welsh in the 12th–13th centuries from earlier oral traditions. The two main

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame, and we usually cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers, but tonight that isn't happening because it's minisode time! I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I sit down to discuss the books which have inspired and influenced your paths as we read listener email. We also travel down the rabbit trails they evoke as well as reflect upon our recent journey to the realm of the fae to attend the International Faerie Convention itself, FaerieCon! This is a pretty goofy episode in all honesty. So, I guess we were still recovering from previous weekend when we recorded this. Minisode Topic: Listener email and reflecting on FaerieCon weekend. Featured Songs: "Gibu" by Wardruna "Satyros" by Faun Links: The Card and Vine Thunder Jay Studio "Y M