Heathen's Journey Podcast

It's been one year since Cassandra Snow and I published "Lessons from the Empress: A tarot workbook for self-care and creative growth!" In celebration of the book's birthday, I invited a special guest host to interview Cassandra and I. Maria Minnis is a tarot reader and author of the forthcoming "Tarot for the Hard Work: An Archetypal Journey to Confront Racism and Inspire Collective Healing." She is absolutely fantastic and we get to talk some juicy details about creativity, where we are now, and how it feels to be one year out from publishing the book. If you don't have your copy yet, you can buy "Lessons from the Empress" here **affiliate link** You can preorder "Tarot for the Hard Work" here **affiliate link** Support the podcast on Patreon Subscribe to the newsletter

Ren Zatopek is a heretical, hedgeriding witch of the Ced Tradition with more than fifteen years of experience working full-time as a spiritual guide, healer, and ritualist. She has a special interest in helping folks with exceptional intensity, sensitivity, and creativity explore the deeper, more troubling waters of witchery without losing their shit. She believes that a healthy, intentional relationship with trance is a great place to start, so she created the online Hedge+Riders Trance Training Ground as a place for folks to work on the kinds of wide-awake, walking, talking trance states that are most conducive to conscious spiritwork, spellcrafting, and ritual. + Ren offers accessible online training through renspiritwork.com + Folks local to Raleigh, North Carolina can email hello@renspiritwork.com for info on in-person gatherings. + Ren’s elders in the Ced Tradition teach out of The Green Man Store in Los Angeles, CA You can support this podcast on Patreon: http://patreon.com/heathensjourneypod Want more writing from Siri? Subscribe to the Troll-Brev Newsletter! Buy Siri's book and more at their Bookshop Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/shop/sirivincent...

Eiwaz is the first tree rune in the Elder Futhark. It is a highly toxic tree that is used to both poison and heal, and is thought by many to be the tree that Odin hangs himself on to take up the runes. Learn more about this fascinating rune in today's episode! You can read a transcript of this podcast here: https://www.heathensjourneypod.com/episodes/s2-e8-eiwaz-a-portal-to-the-underworld You can support this podcast on Patreon: http://patreon.com/heathensjourneypod⁠ Want more writing from Siri? Subscribe to the Troll-Brev Newsletter! Buy Siri's book and more at their Bookshop Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/shop/sirivincent⁠... Sources:  Boyer, Corinne. Under the Witching Tree. Troy Books, London. 2016. Smith, Ryan. Spinning Wyrd. Llewellyn Books, Woodbury, MN. 2023 Tauring, Kari. The Runes: A Deeper Journey. Minneapolis. 2015. Vesta, Lara Veleda. Wild Soul Runes: Reawakening the ancestral feminine. Newburyport, MA. 2021 Yew - Paradox. Tree Spirit Wisdom. ⁠https://treespiritwisdom.com/tree-spirit-wisdom/yew-tree-symbolism/#:~:text=In%20Norse%20mythology%2C%20the%20yew,nine%20nights%20and%20nine%20days⁠. Accessed on 4/27/23Carboplatin-Taxol page. National Cancer Institute. ⁠https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/drugs/carboplatin-taxol⁠. Accessed 4/27/23 Success Story: Taxol. National Cancer Institute. ⁠https://dtp.cancer.gov/timeline/flash/success_stories/s2_taxol.htm#:~:text=Taxol%C2%AE%20(NSC%20125973),as%20well%20as%20Kaposi's%20sarcoma⁠. Accessed 4/27/23

I am honored to have Tomás Prower as a guest on the podcast this week. When I started planning this season, I knew that I wanted to bring Tomás on. Tomás Prower is a graduate of the University of California: Santa Barbara with degrees in Global Socioeconomics and Latin American Studies. With fluency in English, French, and Spanish, he has worked for the French Government as a cultural liaison throughout South America with extended assignments in Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, and the Amazon jungle. Since then, he has been the External Relations Director for the American Red Cross of Nevada, LGBT+ Programs Director for entertainment productions in Los Angeles, and a licensed mortuary professional in California and Nevada. Currently, Tomás resides in Palm Springs, California, as the Director of Communications for the LGBTQ+ Center of the Coachella Valley. Link to the LGBTQ+ Center of the Coachella Valley Antiracist Heathenry Resources Support the podcast on Patreon

In an episode that I didn't plan I swear, Siri discusses harvest festivals and the rune Jera. To Siri, Jera is not just about the year, but it is related to earth itself. This is a rune of appreciation of the gifts of nature, as well as of cultivation. The shape of the rune - two v’s turned on their side and intertwining - speaks to me of cycles. This episode happens to come out on Mabon, and so of course Siri discusses harvest festivals and the deity Freyr. ** Buy "Lessons from the Empress: A tarot workbook for self-care and creative expression" Support the podcast on Patreon

Isa represents Ice: That which is frozen. It is a barrier. It is water that has become so still, it has been made solid. Ice is one of the elements that signaled the birth of our world. "Ice is hard and without motion. It constrains the movement of waters, but those who try to walk on it may find themselves moving out of control." - Diana Paxson, "Taking Up The Runes." Resources:  National Geographic video on singing ice Jonna Jinton's Atmospheric video of singing ice sounds Information About Lessons From The Empress Support me on Patreon

After the storm, we must rebuild. After Hagalaz comes Nauthiz. In this episode, Siri explores the ways that the Nauthiz rune reveals what is truly necessary in our lives. Nauthiz, need-fire, rune of potential and action and making choices to get ourselves out of the direst of circumstances. Here is a YouTube video I found that provides a really nice view on making needfire for yourself. Just be careful! Preorder Lessons from the Empress Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Fill out the sponsor interest form.

Welcome back to the Heathen’s Journey Podcast! Siri took some time off to recalibrate and think through the direction of the podcast. We’re back now, in seasons! Each season we will be focusing on a major theme within heathenry and the runes. This season, we’re covering the second aett of the Elder Futhark through the lens of an Underworld Journey. In this opening episode, Siri covers Hel, Hagalaz, and the Underworld. Browse the new Heathen's Journey Website: heathensjourneypod.com Support the Podcast: patreon.com/heathensjourneypod Preorder "Lessons from the Empress" and buy suggested reading here: https://bookshop.org/shop/sirivincentplouff

Lex Ritchie returns to the podcast to talk about all things Underworld with Siri. They share wisdom from their wealth of knowledge about the Underwolrd, tell a queered version of the Persephone myth, and talk about the Underworld as a threat to capitalism. Lex Ritchie is a tarot reader and folk magician weaving spells for liberation, living in the Great Black Swamp. They believe individual liberation and enchantment create collective liberation and enchantment. Lex helps witches connect to their power, agency and magic so they can make magic that makes change. They offer tarot readings and folk magical education and can be found online at thelexritchie.com, and on IG & Twitter @thelexritchie. Read the transcript on the Heathen's Journey Website Sign up for Lex's newsletter: https://artisanal-painter-6163.ck.page/eab4ed3ee9 Read Lex's blog posts about radical ancestor work: https://thelexritchie.com/2022/07/finding-magic-and-healing-through-ancestor-work/ Sign up for Siri's Newsletter: https://motivated-painter-7114.ck.page/8b3528173f Support the Podcast on Patreon

While being incarcerated for her struggles with drug addiction, Awyn Dawn began to actively look for her spiritual side - and she found it in Paganism.By developing a profound relationship with the gods, Awyn gained greater clarity and a deep sense of peace. You can too with help from this empowering guide to starting and strengthening your spiritual practice. Her book comes out in December and is available for pre-order now.  Support the podcast on Patreon Register for Creative Grimoiring on December 5: https://www.northernlightswitch.com/creative-grimoiring-december-5 Book your Year Ahead Reading: https://northernlightswitch.as.me/

Lex Ritchie is a tarot reader and folk magician weaving spells for liberation, living in the Great Black Swamp. They believe individual liberation and enchantment create collective liberation and enchantment. Lex helps witches connect to their power, agency and magic so they can make magic that makes change. In this conversation, Siri and Lex talk about ancestor work - including some ways for those who are new to ancestor work to get started.  Lex's Website: thelexritchie.com Instagram + Twitter: @TheLexRitchie More on the Viking calendar: https://www.vikingsofbjornstad.com/Viking_Calendar.shtm How to Host a Dumb Supper Support this podcast on Patreon

I am so thrilled to finally be able to release this episode into the world! Eric Purdue has been working tirelessly on a new translation of the Three Books of Occult Philosophy - the first new translation in over 300 years. This edition corrects many, many mistakes and mistranslations, and will hopefully make this behemoth of a classic more approachable for the modern occultist. Purdue has studied metaphysics and the occult and has practiced magic and astrology for more than thirty years, with a particular focus on practical folk and astrological magic. Through his lectures and writings on traditional astrology and talismanic magic, he has been a notable voice on the subjects of medieval astrology, traditional magical systems, and the legacy of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa.  Preorder your copy at the Northern Lights Apothecary Support the podcast! Become a patron on Patreon: patreon.com/heathensjourneypod

After an unintended hiatus, we are back with season 2 of the Heathen's Journey Podcast. This week, we're talking about Gyfu, Mutual Aid, and Creating Reciprocal communities and what that means in 2021.  Gyfu is one of my favorite runes, and I hope you enjoy it.  Support me on Patreon Visit the Apothecary Sources:  "The Runes: A Deeper Journey" by Kari Tauring Interview with Sara Axtell (episode 19) "Wild Soul Runes" by Laura Veleda Vesta "Taking Up the Runes" by Diana Paxson Norwegian Language Primstav Facebook page

We continue our journey through the elder futhark with Kenaz. This is a rune of fire, truth, and in some ways - balance. Listen to the podcast episode to learn more about this rune, and to hear how it plays with other runes. Transcription: https://www.northernlightswitch.com/blog/heathens-journey-podcast-ep-21 Northern Lights Apothecary Needfire Apothecary

We continue our exploration of the runes with Raidho. Siri talks about the role of travel and chariots in Old Norse thinking, as well as the different soul parts that make up a pre-Christian Nordic concept of self. The Fylgja, or guide, is deeply connected with the Raidho rune. They are a part of the Nordic soul, and are often thought of as an ancestor, and can often take the shape of an animal. Raidho invites us to move forward in both our mundane and spiritual lives. Let's explore our personal gnosis together, and get to know our motivations better with Raidho. Transcript: https://www.northernlightswitch.com/2021/04/28/episode-18-meeting-our-soul-guides-and-moving-forward-with-raidho/ Creating in Wyrd Times: http://cassandra-snow.com/tarot-class-registration Needfire Wellness (promo code heathenjourneypodden): https://www.needfirewellness.com/ Swamp Witch Stephanie (promo code heathen): https://swampwitchstephanie.com/

Matthew Venus is a Folk Magician, Artist, Writer, and Witch based in Salem, Massachusetts. He is the owner and lead apothecary of SpiritusArcanum.com. In this conversation, we talk a lot about spirits, working with spirit familiars, and the spirits of plants. Venus has thirty years of experience with witchcraft and folk magic, and is a veritable wealth of historic knowledge. I hope you enjoy this episode! Like, subscribe, and review <3 Sponsors:  Swamp Witch Stephanie Needfire Wellness

In this interview, I'm speaking with Lindy-Fay Hella of Wardruna and Johanna Elf of Cult Botanic. These two fantastic artists are collaborating on a new intention oil. Join us as we explore scent, memory, and Nordic herbcraft. I had such a lovely time speaking with these two about their deep relationships with the sensual and the magical, and I know you'll love it too. Check out Cult Botanic Check out Lindy-Fay's website here. Listen to her on the new Wardruna album here. Book a tarot or rune reading with me: northernlightswitch.com/shop Sponsors:  anchor.fm Swamp Witch Stephanie Needfire Wellness + Apothecary

We're back to studying the runes in depth! In this episode, Siri talks about Ansuz and communication. They also discuss Odin at length - as it's nearly impossible to study the runes without also studying Odin. 

You may know Marcus McCoy's work already - he runs the Trollcunning Forge, a blacksmithing studio dedicated to crafting beautiful occult wares. There are a lot of misconceptions about alchemy, including the idea that it was all metaphorical. It's not! In this episode, we go deep on magical practice, the blurry lines between folk and ceremonial magic, and the art of the forge.  Books and teachers for further research:  Robert Bartlett The Forge and the Crucible: the Origins and Structures of Alchemy by Mircea Eliade Ars Filtron by Daniel Schulke Rituals and Remedies by Kathleen Stokker Link to join my mailing list: https://bit.ly/2KDHZsK Support the podcast: patreon.com/heathensjourneypod Find me on social: Instagram: @siri.vincent.plouff Twitter: @northlightwitch

Did you know there's no future tense in Old Norse? It's a huge part of why I (Siri) don't use the runes for predictive reading or fortune telling. My approach has shifted a lot since going deep in my relationships with the runes, and now I'm primarily using tarot for year-ahead readings. I like to take a very practical approach, using divination to help me understand what the best actions to take are.  I hope you are staying safe and healthy. Book a year-ahead reading with me: https://northernlightswitch.as.me/ Join my Patreon: patreon.com/northernlightswitch