Back on the Broomstick: Old Witchcraft, New Path

• 138: Deity Series - The Horned God of Witches, The Father/Warrior God

  In the second installment of our seven-part series on the Aspects of Deity, the witches turn their attention to the God in his middle face: the Oak King, the Father, the Warrior, and the beating heart of the Sun at its height. This is the God in his full maturity; strong-backed, green-crowned, and alive with the fierce joy of summer.Laylla and Chelle unpack where this Father/Warrior archetype comes from in modern witchcraft, tracing the Oak King’s tangled roots through folklore, Wicca, the Horned God mythos, and the ever-evolving Wheel of the Year. From the midsummer battle with the Holly King, to his role as the wild consort of the Goddess, to his deep connection with the turning of the seasons, the witches explore how this bright, solar force shows up in myth and in lived witchcraft today.They also dig into the bigger question: what does sacred masculinity look like for witches who grew up with Christian Father-God baggage or pop culture’s devil-horn stereotypes? The Oak King reminds us that strength can be tender, that passion can be holy, and that the body, sweating, laughing, loving, and alive is a temple all its own. He’s the god of green forests and hot sun, the Witch-Father who guards the boundaries of the land and teaches us to walk them with courage.Join us for stories, lore, laughter, and a whole lot of leafy green energy as we meet the God in his middle face,; the Oak King in all his vibrant, responsible, moss-scented glory.Got a question? Send the witches a message here!Support the showWant to send us a letter? Witchy things to review?We have a mailing address!Back on the BroomstickPO Box 106Salem MA 01970Email: [email protected] FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website

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• 137: Deity Series - The Young God

  In this first episode of a brand-new seven-part series, Laylla and Chelle begin their exploration of the Aspects of Deity. Their discussion explores the living faces of the God and Goddess as seen through the Witch’s Wheel of the Year. This week, they turn their gaze toward the radiant Young God, the vibrant spark of life, desire, and potential who dances at the dawn of creation.Where did the idea of the Triple God come from? The Youth, the Father-Warrior, and the Sage? And how did this modern mythos take shape alongside the more familiar Triple Goddess? Join the witches as they trace the roots of this divine evolution, from the early works of Margaret Murray and Robert Graves to the writings of Janet and Stewart Farrar, and into the living, breathing practices of witches today.The Young God is the sunrise in human form. He is playful Pan, inspired Lugh, shining Baldr, the divine son whose growth mirrors our own cycles of becoming. Laylla and Chelle share their thoughts on what it means to work with this energy in the modern Craft: how witches can honor renewal, passion, and the power of beginning again; whether that means lighting your first candle of spring or stepping back into your own becoming after a long winter of the soul.So pour a cup of something bright, light your favorite incense, and settle in as we begin this journey through the sacred faces of the divine. The Young God walks among us. Will you answer his call?Got a question? Send the witches a message here!Support the showWant to send us a letter? Witchy things to review?We have a mailing address!Back on the BroomstickPO Box 106Salem MA 01970Email: [email protected] FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website

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• 136: Ghost Stories, Green Ladies, and Samhain Plans

  In true Halloween fashion, the witches are conjuring up some ghost stories! In this spirited episode of Back on the Broomstick, Chelle and Laylla share some of their favorite hauntings. Two of them were chosen to honor a fabulously witchy woman, Helen JoJo, who maintains their Facebook community. Chelle and Laylla absolutely love her witchy soul!Chelle shares stories tied to Helen’s home turf, including Ohio’s eerie Hopewell Cemetery and the elegant ghost known as the Lady in Green who haunts the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza. Laylla, of course, can’t resist a classic “lady in white” tale and brings us the legend of Resurrection Mary from Chicago; the quintessential vanishing hitchhiker ghost that never gets old.There’s also a little witchy rant as Laylla gets into the differences between a Bansidhe and your average haunted cemetery spirit (spoiler: they are not the same thing, folks). And the witches wrap up the episode with a peek into their upcoming Samhain plans.So light a candle, pour some cider, and settle in for tales of ghosts, grief, and the veil growing thin.Got a question? Send the witches a message here!Support the showWant to send us a letter? Witchy things to review?We have a mailing address!Back on the BroomstickPO Box 106Salem MA 01970Email: [email protected] FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website

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• 135: Samhain and Celebrating your Shadow

  This Samhain, the veil is thin and so is our patience. Join Laylla and Chelle as they throw open the ancestral gates and step boldly into the shadow with the Dark Goddesses at their side. From Hekate’s unwavering torchlight to the Cailleach’s icy wisdom and Baba Yaga’s bone-deep truths, this episode honors the sacred power found not just in grief and endings, but in rage, rebellion, and raw transformation.Our witches aren't here to pretty it up. They’re unpacking how rage can be a teacher, how darkness isn’t evil, and how goddesses like Lilith, Kali, Sekhmet, and Cerridwen invite us to reclaim the parts of ourselves we were told to fear. Expect myth, magic, personal reflections, and a spell to help you tap into your own dark fire.So light a candle, call in your fiercest ancestors, and step into the dark with us. The crone is calling, the cauldron is bubbling, and your power is waiting.Samhain EpisodesNever Again the Burning - by Gale Perrigo Hamby35: The Witch’s Lament: Finding Solace in Samhain’s Shadows84: Samhain Movie Magick or Just a Bunch of Hocus Pocus?86: Samhain ThrowbackGot a question? Send the witches a message here!Support the showWant to send us a letter? Witchy things to review?We have a mailing address!Back on the BroomstickPO Box 106Salem MA 01970Email: [email protected] FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website

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• 134: Amateur Ghost Hunting at the Haunted Fallbrook Cemetery

  In this haunted October episode, your favorite witchy besties try their hand at ghost hunting and bring along a very special gift! At CNY Pagan Pride, the witches were gifted a vintage Ouija board from listener Vik (thank you!). Naturally, they had to take it for a spin, and where better than one of the most haunted cemeteries in their neck of the woods (and a place Chelle has had some ghostie experiences in the past), Fallbrook Cemetery in Tioga County, Pennsylvania.Fallbrook cemetery is all that remains of a once thriving coal mining town. Now it's a well known haunted location, with more than its fair share of spooky stories. The witches share the eerie details of what happened from the moment they entered till the time they left and when Chelle's sweet love ignored their advice, and talk all things cemetery etiquette; whether you're ghost hunting, gathering spell components, or simply communing with the spirits who dwell there.This episode also has tips on what to do after visiting a place thick with spirit energy, from grounding and cleansing to offering gratitude and respect. So grab your travel altar and a pinch of salt, and join us for a walk on the witchier side of October.*Future Laylla note - the audio from the tape comes out as messy hissing when I try and convert it to something I can play here. Still working on it!Previous episode about Fallbrook cemetery (and a super cool ghostly skeleton story from Laylla) Episode 7: A Skeleton Looking for Love & Chelle's Cursed TripGot a question? Send the witches a message here!Support the showWant to send us a letter? Witchy things to review?We have a mailing address!Back on the BroomstickPO Box 106Salem MA 01970Email: [email protected] FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website

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