That Witch Life – A Podcast on Living as a Witch in Today ...



(Intro music) 20 years ago, three young friends realized they were witches. They scattered to different parts of the world following magic andspirit. Now, they're back in their hometown to share what they learned. Welcome to That Witch Life podcast. Your home for living as a Witch in today's world.Courtney 0:48 Hi, everybody. Welcome to That Witch Life podcast. I'm Courtney. I am hosting this special bonus episode. The self isolation-slash-social distancing, Witchcraft episode which is new to all of us. And I am joined remotely by Hilary. Hilary 1:06 Hello! Courtney 1:07 And Kanani. Kanani 1:09 Hello! Courtney 1:10 And this is really weird because normally the three of us get together and we record in Hillary's basement and it usually starts with us having lunch, bitching about people we don't like, gossiping about people we haven't seen in a while, and then usually saying something really dirty. And then we eventually find ourselves in the basement recording this and now we are sitting in each of our respective homes. I would be lying if I would say I'm not a glass and a half of wine into the evening. I don't normally drink wine in a week night but it is the apocalypse and my husband brought home a really really nice bottle from Elk Cove vineyards, which I happen to know is one of Kanani's favorite places to drink wine, so I felt it was appropriate. So sorry everyone if things get a little loopy. Anyway, we're releasing a bonus episode because this is a time of global crisis Kanani 2:07 Life sucks right now. Let's just say it.Courtney 2:14 But I was actually talking to Kanani today and we have something to confess on the show is that this is all her fault. Because honestly, this is everything she's ever wanted. Not only permission but orders by an authority where she doesn't have to talk to anybody for six weeks.Kanani 2:31 Yeah, right now people are the asshole if they ask me to leave my house.But I just had this vision of like the fairy godmother coming and sitting down to Kanani and saying, "I will give you one wish, but there will always be a twist.' And Kanani said, 'I don't want to talk to people for six weeks.' She said, 'Okay. I will give you what you wish for. But then you have to homeschool your children.' Yeah, I didn't ask for that shit. Hilary 2:54 And then she was like, "Oh nooooo." This is bullshit. Courtney 3:00 She called me She's like, 'Yeah, I'm trying to get them to learn. Oh, God...' It was actually really funny like, this is what you wanted. It's also your worst nightmare, which is basically how magic works. You get what you want. And then there's a caveat. And so Kanani is the illustration. She doesn't have to talk to anyone, but then she has to homeschool. So her greatest wish and her worst nightmare all at the same time, thanks to a global pandemic. You're welcome, says COVID-19.Kanani 3:24 Yeah, except for now I have to talk to everyone all the time. I just am not allowed to leave my house. Because my phone doesn't stop ringing, my texts don't stop going off, and my email won't stop going off. But I don't get to leave my house.Hilary 3:39 It's called Do Not Disturb mode.Kanani 3:42 All I can say is Dairy Queen. I'm sorry. I did my best to keep you in business all these years.Hilary 3:50 Oh my god. What if they all shut down forever? You will not survive.Courtney 3:55 I thought about that today cuz they have closed all...we're in Oregon and all the restaurants have been closed by order of the governor for what is it three weeks? A month?Hilary 4:06 I think it's until April. I think it's three weeks. But then the thing is though, but actually Dairy Queen might still be okay because pickup and delivery Kanani 4:19 They have the drive thru.which is how Kanani deals with Dairy Queen, anyway. She doesn't go inside.Hilary 4:25 Literally the Dairy Queen is less than a block from my house and she gets in her car to drive through the drive-thru. We don't have to worry about her going to the store, that's for sure.Kanani 4:40 Yeah, okay, speaking of stores. So I had this total first world problem this week and with this whole, honestly, I've had really complicated feelings about this whole situation because to be honest, I am at heart an introvert. I would rather just be with my books and my pets and my husband and not leave the house ever. But just because of life and my upbringing, I'm dragged out and need to be social. So there's this permission of 'Oh, I can stay home. Well, this is great!' At the same time, it's been really frustrating because my husband's birthday is tomorrow. And weeks ago, I got us a reservation at this restaurant we've been wanting to try for a really long time. And it was kind of like after 911 when I was on the East Coast, and I wanted to come home and and I was so ready to be home. And I saw that the stuff and I'm all, "They're not going to cancel the flights, are they? I'm not going to be stuck on the East Coast, am I?" And I was totally stuck on the east coast. It was the same thing. I was like, "Well, they're not going to close the restaurants are they? I mean, they're ending the concerts, but they're not going to close the restaurants are they?" And then, you know, Sunday get a call from the restaurant or they said, "Yeah, we're closing for the next few weeks. So I'm sorry, your reservation's canceled." So I was going to go to the store and pick up materials to make my husband's very favorite chicken dish. It's like okay, 'Well, I can't take him out. I'll at least cook for him.' Oh my god. It's like anti-Soviet Union propaganda at the Safeway. There is no chicken. It's all gone. Everyone's like, "Oh my god, COVID-19, the apocalypse buy all the chicken and all the bread and the pizza crusts, for some reason." It's like we're I mean, yes, of course, we know the toilet paper is all gone. But then all of a sudden, the chicken is all gone and the bread and the pizza crusts. I'm like, "What the..."and it was 630 in the morning, y'all. I went to the grocery store at 630 in the motherfucking morning to try to get the stuff and the line of course was all the way across the store. So I ended up being in line for like 45 minutes and there was nothing on the shelves and there was just like, "yeah, no chicken today. No chicken tomorrow, maybe chicken on Wednesday. I don't know." And I'm like, this is this is really weird. And I normally consider myself like an anti capitalist. You know but anything that's latent in me, like, comes out, it's like "THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE. WHERE'S MY CHICKEN? WHERE'S MY BREAD?" So it's it's just been a thing but at the same time I'm I'm actually enjoying that I don't have to be anywhere. Like I said some things are frustrating and I'm honestly very concerned about, you know, the people in my life like I can't see my parents for the next few weeks because they're in that risk factor age. And yeah, and the one person who has died in Oregon so far from this virus is in their county and so I'm just like, "Guys, I'm not gonna see for a few weeks, we're just going to hang out." But it's also been really nice to just focus on the tasks immediately ahead of me and, you know, get my house in order. And, you know, but at the same time, it's, it's, it's, it's just weird, you know, it's just a weird frickin time. It's weird recording with you all remotely and not being in Hillary's basement. And it's weird the way all of a sudden, Facebook has said Started censoring everybody's posts about the virus. This like happened tonight. I don't know what the deal was.Hilary 8:06 Well, so here's something weird. I've also been noticing posts like, on Instagram and Facebook both been censored. So yeah, it's kind of crazy. I was like, 'What?' Things that like are surprising to censor. I mean, like certain things you would assume Yes. Right? Because there's a lot there's a lot of sharing of misinformation so like, right, but but like general news articles off of like credible news sources are being censored, which is weird.Kanani 8:36 Strange. I think it's that they're trying. It's like Facebook has suddenly figured out "Oh, let's be responsible." So they're being like Uber responsible. So now they're like the overzealous bus monitor in fourth grade, that's like commenting if you're, you know if your backpack is sitting on the seat and not on your lap, and so something likes being ridiculous where in the past it was just, you know, basically like Lord of the Flies that sort of thing. Yeah, but Kanani, this has like impacted you most directly because you have the small humans that you're supposed to be dealing with. So what's your life right now like as in this this time of self quarantine? I am sitting in the pajamas that I put on this morning. I am drinking vodka in my 7-up. And life has pretty much been an awful dumpster fire shit show for about the last three to four weeks. And I am honestly barely barely hanging on. So, I'm happy that we're putting out a podcast for people because I have a feeling that there is a lot of big, frankly, a lot of my stress and the issues that I've having, I'm lucky enough It's not directly impacting me, my husband, my children, per se, it's family members that we have, that are in literal Dire Straits right now, that are in horrible, horrible positions. And it's awful. And we're limited to how much we can help. And it adds incredibly to our stress level. And, you know, we've got two kids now who aren't going to be going to school for at least another six weeks, and we're trying to figure out the homeschool program that the school is trying to do, which every day gets a little bit easier, but we're trying to figure that out. Meanwhile, I mean, I'm very grateful because I'm still working, I'm able to work from home. But that means that while I'm trying to deal with all of this, I'm also trying to hold down my full time job. Yeah, and to turn off the ones And try and work is really, really hard. And I'm really lucky that I have, you know, good work support system and things like that. Because I'm, I'm at that point where it's like, I just want to start laughing uncontrollably, because otherwise I'm just going to absolutely fall apart. Like there's just, and we and the saddest part is we're actually in a fairly good position. I can work from home, so I still have a paycheck. We have other family members who have already been laid off, they will not have a paycheck. My husband is a teacher. And so he is not working so he can be home to help with the kids with the homeschooling while I'm trying to work, which is amazing. So a lot of people are trying to work from home while the other person is still trying to work out of the house. And we have to wonder kind of what's going to happen with his job with all the stuff that's happening. And so financially, we're not super impacted yet. And so I think about the immense amount of stress that I'm under, and everything that's happening right now. And then I think about the people who literally have lost their job and I don't I don't even know. I don't even know how they do it because like I said, I'm, I'm barely hanging in there as it is. And I feel like we're in a relatively stable situation, all things considered, despite what's going on with many members of our extended family, which we're also trying to help and and be a part of. So I mean, my heart is just breaking for so many people because it's just it's it's a surreal nightmare. It just is.Hilary 12:45 Yeah, it's, I definitely have a lot of friends and close friends that have already been impacted and laid off and, I mean, they're taking all the right steps to get whatever assistance is available to them, but it's not what what their paycheck is you know, so It's, it's definitely a time that I think is super challenging. I feel very fortunate also to be able to work from home. It has been totally crazy. I run an office facility. So I'm trying to do all the emergency preparedness around COVID-19 has like just literally been all day every day trying to, like, make sure that we're all set and we're following all the protocols, you know, so it's, it's definitely been chaotic, and I still have to go in occasionally to check on things. But, you know, I feel very fortunate that, you know, there is some work that I can do from home to keep me busy, so that I can continue to be on the payroll, you know, but But, yeah, I mean, it's, it's a, it's definitely challenging. And, you know, I know a lot of my co workers have kids And a lot of my friends that are working from home have kids and you know companies, people are, I feel like are being understanding because these are like unusual circumstances, but it's a challenge. I mean, I know that they struggle to balance that. So, you know, I really like honor you for how much you've had to deal with, Kanani, and you know, like continuing to do such a good job with your kiddos at home.Kanani 14:24 Yeah, we talked about having home economics class at my house this week where I could teach her daughter how to make a chocolate fudge cake. But now we're reconsidering because there's a likelihood that I've been exposed to the virus just through a couple of different circumstances. So we're playing that by ear, deciding if that's a good idea or not so you know, it's and I'm in the same boat that both of you are I know I work from home. So this has been it's not been a big switch for me, but a number of my Plans got changed. And you know our the episode we released earlier this week we were talking about PaganaCon and then Between the Worlds, these two big witchcraft conferences that were scheduled, and they've been canceled. I was actually supposed to be in New Orleans over the weekend for my day job and I was going to get to see Aesha Rasheed who we had interviewed back in December and I was so excited to see her and I was supposed to see Najah Lightfoot another one of our guests. I was going to see her in April in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. And all of those those things had been cancelled. You know, it's, I think what I, I try to keep going back to and this is just where as Kanani would say, I'm a totally creepy nerd. One of my favorite things to research when I'm bored on the internet is the bubonic plague of like the 14th century in Europe. Just I don't know, I love plague stories and epidemics. And you know, the movie outbreak and the book, The Stand like those, that kind of stuff. So now I'm living through the things I've always been fascinated by in the morbid sense. And one thing I remembered is it doesn't matter where your ancestors come from. Every single person who is alive is the descendant of somebody who survived some sort of pandemic or epidemic somewhere because epidemics, pandemics, whatever you call it are part of human experience. They're part of the lifecycle of this planet. And so every single person that's that's alive right now, has, has ancestors, plural, not just one, who survived that. And it's like, we're in the best position right now to get through this because of the information circles that we have because we are able to communicate things so quickly. And because we do have these very efficient systems that put this stuff in place so that we can be aware of what the virus can do, who it's going to affect the most and how to avoid it. Whereas in many other cultures, and previous generations, they didn't have that information. Right? And so we're really, I that's what I remember when I start to get frustrated and down is like, you know, I go back 1000 years in my ancestry and somebody is surviving something like this, but with a lot less information and a lot fewer antibiotics. So that's, that's what I'm thankful for. And I'm also just in a lot of awe by how every single person on this planet right now that we're in connection with is, is making some kind of sacrifice, you know, I was actually had a conversation with one of my friends in Ireland who was, you know, frustrated by, you know, the challenges of homeschooling saying things that were similar to what Kanani is doing. So on the other side of the world, they're dealing with that too. And we're all doing this because we want to protect our elders and the most vulnerable people in our communities. And it's, it's really a beautiful thing. It's it's truly when you step back and look at it that way, as scary as this time is, and as frustrating as it is, and how boring it is, it's also really beautiful. And so I'm thankful that I can witness an epidemic from this lens, and not from the lens of a 13th century, 14th century peasant in Germany.Hilary 18:20 I think we're, I mean, I've been really like, I think the sense of community that I've seen pop up, you know, I'm in a number of community groups locally, and also, like, you know, still kind of involved with community groups that are abroad. And I see all of those people coming together in many different ways, like offering to go shopping for the elderly, offering to help, you know, with kiddos, you know, all sorts of kind of really amazing offerings by a community and I think it's how we're going to survive this together. And I think, you know, I was saying today, you know, it's like, all of the steps that we're taking by isolating and social distancing is really to protect those that are most vulnerable, especially since some people are totally asymptomatic and can spread the virus so you know, it's like, I thought about that a lot like, you know, do I even, you know, do you even want to interact with people that are that are vulnerable? Probably. I mean, I have been avoiding anyone I know that is, is vulnerable because I've had to be out there doing some work stuff in the community and in my workplace. So it's just I think that everything that we're all doing collectively and can continue to do to protect those that are most vulnerable right now is huge. And I think the the outpouring of community and the community outreach that is happening within both neighborhood communities, online communities, international communities of just supporting one another. I was on a like 10 person video call with a bunch of composers and musicians that obviously had to cancel all their shows. I had to cancel a huge show that I had booked in LA. And you know, so we're all kind of in the same boat and immediately we were like, "Okay, what if we put this track together? Do you want to build something on this track? Let's make some music together, let's do something let's let's have find a way to connect creatively and community-wise with one another while we have to stay in our homes. So I've been really just kind of blown away by how much people have offered each other and really checked in on one another. And I think I agree with you, Courtney, that that were this isn't just us experiencing this on our own. This is like everyone globally, experiencing the same thing really shows us that we're all connected much more than we think. You know?Kanani 20:57 yeah. So one thing I would I would love to have each of you talk about for a second is we've talked about the the frustrations and the inconvenience of this time, but it'd be really wonderful to hear what each of you are doing personally and magically to occupy this time or to take care of yourself. So what are you up to these days to make this time worthwhile and bearable?Hilary 21:31 So first of all, I have a problem with herbs, I've realized. As I've been looking through, I was like, this is a good time to create spells. Um, like I've said, a number of times, I'm sure I do a lot of candle magic. I also do a lot of Bath magic. Um, and so like I actually started kind of looking yesterday started looking through some of my herbs going "Why should I go get this?" to "what what do I need to get" and I was like, "Stop it, Hilary."Kanani 22:03 Were you panic buying magic supplies? Hilary 22:06 I mean I thought about it. I like literally was like "Well..."Courtney 22:10 Did you clear the shelves at The Raven's Wing?Hilary 22:16 No I mean I wanted to support local magic stores, one, but also I was like "Wait. Before you go out and like panic-buy magic supplies, like you have so much shit in your house." So I started going through the herbs that I have in like, excess like just extraordinary excess and was like, "What am I even talking about? I have all these things that I've collected to do spells with to make things with. What the hell am I talking about going outside to go get something or like ordering it online or whatever." So although I have to say Erica at Q Meb is there doing like pick out like, order and pick up orders where you can just drive byCourtney 22:58 Drive-thru magick supplies? Does she have a Drive Thru window at her store, now? Hilary 23:01 I mean they're basically doing drive thru magic supplies, so it's a real danger for me because on an ethical level I don't feel like I'm going out there and exposing people and on a personal level my need to buy...You know I'm a Taurus, I'm like "collect things! things! things!" you know? so it's a danger but I started going through my herb cabinet and was like "man there's so much stuff in here that I could I could do bath mixes with for ritual bath magic that I could add to some of my candle magic that I could burn a lot of those a lot of the herbs I have are that can be used in smoke cleansing." So I mean, I've just been trying to focus on a couple of things I think for me what it when I am, I'm a very social person. So for me, this is like a difference in life, you know, and, and so I really like taking my time. I had started doing some some online classes just on herb work and so I was like what better time to catch up on that just to kind of expand my knowledge of magical herb use and and then just creating products that I can share. I also felt like what a good time for me to focus on the you know, writing some spells or putting together some herb mixes that I can share with our listeners and our community that they can use during this time so for me it's really like studying, learning, and then trying to actually utilize this like insane amount of supplies that I have rather you know, that I that I have that I think I always have nothing but I actually have quite a lot of stuff. Courtney 24:42 It's such a good good opportunity to get in touch with what you have, like get in touch with your stuff. You're stuck at home! Get in touch with your stuff. What about you, Kanani? What have you got going on?Kanani 24:53 Well in trying to not just run away from home now that apparently that's not an option anymore. At least for the time being.Now breaking the law is no longer just frowned upon by society. It's actually really exactlyCops will actually bring me home and be like, "No, you have to stay there." I actually so I have some I have some resource books. I'm the I'm the nerd tonight. I have some resource books. And I actually re-picked up a book that I it's, it's the one it's the one book in my house that is like, you can tell it's been read 20 times and it's called "Quiet Mind, Fearless Heart: The Taoist Path Through Stress and Spirituality."Courtney 25:39 So when are you going to read that book?Kanani 25:40 I am reading it again for the 8,000,000th time and I am, honestly? I am just trying to cope. At this point. A few weeks ago, we found out that we had two very important family members That both needed to find new housing within a very short period of time. And that is not easy. And it is not inexpensive. And that was about a week after they started talking about the whole coronavirus thing about how things might start shutting down and things of that nature. And so I was already on edge and concerned. I hear a lot about you know, what's going on things from the CDC. And so I was already very nervous and anxious and then I had, knowing all this is going on, I had two family members that very quickly needed to find new homes. It has already worked out for one which is awesome. It is it is still a process for another. And at that point I was so on edge I just literally I ran into my closet and I grabbed a candle and I just carved the Ever Living fuck out of it and, you know rubbed it with some Peaceful Home Oil and some other things I had and just at that point, I was just so overwhelmed. I was just like, I can't hang on to this. And so I put it all into the candle and just, you know, ask for help ask for, you know, guidance for these people to be able to find solutions and resolutions in a positive way for them. And, as I said, one of those situations resolved literally the next day. Yeah. And the other is in the process of resolving itself and hopefully in a in a positive way. And my daughter, you know, it's funny, my daughter is she thinks this is the greatest thing that's ever happened. Because we're always home together, the four of us, and so that's amazing. And because I had an inkling that this whole school shutting down thing was gonna happen. We actually bought her a laptop. Because In my head, I was like, if this happens, she's gonna need her own laptop because I need mine for work. I work from home. And my son will also need something. And we we luckily also have a desktop. And so we're going to need at least three computers going every day. So my daughter has a laptop. So we're always together and now she has a laptop. So she just thinks like, all the stars have aligned and this is just like her magical time.She's probably running the CDC by now. Courtney 28:30 Aw.....Oh, she just she thinks this is just like she just keeps telling me She's like, "I can't believe I have a laptop Mom. This is so cool. This is so nice." And but at the same time, what's funny is she came to me tonight and she said, "Mom, I've noticed I'm not sleeping well. I can't sleep." and and I looked at her and I said, "well why do you think that is?" And she said, "I don't know." Since this started happening a few weeks ago, there's been a lot of, you know, stress and stuff. They started sharing a room again, which they've done their their whole lives. And then they kind of started getting independent and sleeping in separate rooms. And then I noticed about three weeks ago now they're always in the same room again. And I just, you know, I'm fine with that. And so I said, "Well, is it because you know, your brother's with you? Is he keeping you up?" And she's like, "no, I love having in there." She's like, "it's not him." And then she kind of pointed to like the room and around way with her arm and said, "it's not this." she's like, "this is awesome. I just can't sleep." And I know her and how she behaves in the past. And this is what she does when anything stressful is happening in our family. Like if my husband and I are dealing with stuff between each other, if we have stuff going on with family and the kids don't necessarily know but my husband and I are kind of stressed out. She knows she doesn't know why. But it affects her and I can see the effects on her even though she doesn't, she doesn't get it or understand what's happening. So this was the first time that she was old enough to actually verbalize it to me. And so I got out some other books that we're going to be listing for people. And I'm going to start doing meditation with the kids again. I have some excellent books. One is "Starbright: Meditations for Children. Simple visualizations to help children sleep peacefully, awaken creativity, develop concentration, learn to quiet themselves." Another book that's just called "Teaching Your Children Meditation." And then a book I also like, that's called "A Handful Of Quiet: Happiness and Four Pebbles," and that's also kind of a very, very Taoist nature. Oh, and then another one, "Sitting Still Like A Frog: Mindfulness Exercises For Kids." That one actually comes with a DVD....Kanani 29:08 Which is really awesome. But um, you know, that's one of the hardest. That's one of the hardest things when you're dealing with something like this is because, you know, you're not only dealing with your own your own stress, the stress of you know, your partner and the stress of extended family. But a lot of times the kids pick up on that stress and they don't even understand they don't even know it. They just know that something feels unsettled. And so we're going to start doing some mindfulness exercises, some meditation exercises, kind of as a family. We actually printed out it's really funny the COVID-19 daily schedule that people will probably have seen around on Facebook. That shit is on my fridge. Like we're living by that schedule. And the first day was an absolute shit show. My husband and I looked at each other like "this is not helpful. This is not gonna work." And then today was the second day we did it. And it was much better. And part of it was, we would look to it like, "oh, what are we supposed to be doing at this time?" So I can tell it's a good thing. And it helps because it was so much weighing on your head and your heart. It's so nice to not think. You know what I mean? Just be like, "what is the paper telling me I have to do? I'm going to do what the paper tells me to do." And so that's been slowly getting positive. So I'm going to start working meditation into our routine. And at this point, I'm really focused on one, getting back into routine because I think that's really tough on all of us, especially people when you're out of routine. And so I'm trying to add meditation to that and I'm also just trying to add self care. And so I've been taking a lot of baths just to try and relax and regroup. I have been burning candles like a crazy person, I have so many candles going right now. And I've been burning a ton of incense, I'm running out of incense, which is starting to give me anxiety, but that's okay. I'm just trying to be calm. And I keep reminding myself that it's not going to be like this in six months. It's not going to be like this in a year. And so I'm just more at this point focused on "let's get a good routine going." And then I'm going to start planning fun things that I know are coming up this summer, fun things for my birthday in the fall, some fun vacations we were going to maybe do next year and just kind of start looking forward to things. And so right now I'm just kind of, you know, trying to settle back into routine and work with the kids on trying to because like I said, even though my daughter like, she thinks she's walking on a cloud right now, there's clearly something unsettled in there. And so I'm, you know, just working on that. And this is a hard time. It's a hard time for a lot of people. And I think it's, you know, it's kind of funny. A bunch of mom friends and I were posting about how, you know, making jokes about how this homeschool stuff is just bullshit and garbage. And it's just like, "Oh, my...kill me now." And we're making jokes about it. And then, you know, Moments later, the governor declares that School's out for six weeks. And all of the suddent the funny, humorous, jokey comments are like, we're like, womp womp.....Courtney 34:50 I couldn't even make fun of you when you call me today, and I always make fun of you. I was like, "Oh. uh...."Hilary 34:56 I'd love to piggyback on the mindful meditation for a second. With a recommendation, I think your book recommendations are amazing. And also, Powells Books Online is still filling orders. So if you're struggling to find orders on Amazon or anywhere else, that's a good resource. We can put that on the website in a way to support a smaller business. But as far as mindful meditation goes, there is a website called , and they are doing free daily community mindful meditation sessions through June in response to COVID-19. So if you are if books aren't your thing, and like visuals, there'll be an instructor there guiding you. If that's an easier thing for anyone. That's another good resource for mindfulness.Courtney 35:53 Yeah, I mean, for me, I'm trying to use this time as an opportunity and there's been a number of writing projects that I've been neglecting. And so I'm reminding myself that if I don't take advantage of at least some of this time, that I'm going to regret it later on. So I've been focused on that. One of the things that I'm trying to do is actually work on my Irish language skills, which are garbage. But there are some free classes on a website called Future Learn. And one of them is learning Irish. So I'm working on that which is great since I write about Irish mythology, it'd be good for me to know a little more about the language. And so one of the things that we wanted to offer tonight to our listeners is some other resources that are either free or low cost that are online. So if you are stuck at home and you're starting to despair, usually at the very least to distract yourself if not to you to use this time to either develop an interest or deepen your magical practice. So I'm going to list a couple of these things and again, all of these links will be on our website at . So, one of them Benebell Wen, who we interviewed last summer, she has a whole YouTube series, which is an introduction to Taoist occultism. There's also Reflections Mystery School is all online which focuses on magical and personal evolution of the soul. Basic witchcraft and also astrology and Tarot classes you can get on Sacred Mists. I actually teach a spellcraft class on there, so that's another option for you. I highly recommend the Irish Pagan School, especially if you're interested in Irish Celtic mythology. This has some really wonderful resources. Some of them are free. Some of the classes have a modest cost, but it's it's all very scholarly information, most of it taught by native Irish sources, so I highly recommend going there. A couple of weeks ago, we interviewed Queen Auset-Heru and she has just been putting out video after video of relationship advice and it's all really hilarious. So whether or not you're on the market, it's just a really really good thing to watch. Oh, by the way, speaking of relationship stuff, I forgot to tell you guys about the trashy Netflix recommendation I have. I've already binged it. It was really great to watch during this time: "Love Is Blind." Hilary 38:27 I already binged it! Courtney 38:28 You watched it? Oh my god. It's so bad. Kanani, you have to watch it.Hilary 38:32 It's so bad, Kanani! First of all. I watched this with my roommate and we watched it. I think all in one go or very close to all in one go. It's amazing.Courtney 38:48 The premise of it is that they brought in what 12 different people, six men, six women all very hetero-bore-ative. Anyway, they never see each other. The people who are men are all like in one area of the house. And the people who are women are on the other area of the house. And they go on these dates in these pods where they don't actually see each other and they talk to each other. And then they're supposed to fall in love on these dates. And actually, a number of them ended up proposing to one another without actually having seen each other. This is after like a week going into these pods and talking to people and they know each other for the first time until they're engaged.Kanani 39:32 That is creepy!Courtney 39:37 The first time I watched it, I got really angry, I'm like, "Oh my God, they are manipulating these poor people. They're they're forcing them and they're like, you know, messing with their emotions." And then of course, I watched the next episode, and then I'm hating myself. And then I watched the next episode and then I turn around and I've seen all 11 episodes.Hilary 39:54 So favorite line in that is, "Jessica is a Mess-ica."Courtney 40:02 It's so bad and they don't really know until they're at the altar in their wedding clothes and their $10,000 wedding gowns if they're actually going to say "I do" or not. So it's high drama. It's total oh god it'sHilary 40:16 you know, it actually was kind of nice because I think, it was something that I could just turn my brain off on like I think like, during you know, with work and everything and just the general state of the world that everything we're all going through, like I found it really nice just to check out for a second.Courtney 40:36 Oh, for sure, cuz I usually listen to political podcasts all day long while I work or witchcraft podcasts all day long. And this time I turned off all my podcasts, and I put on the mindless garbage of "Love is blind." It is on Netflix. Highly recommend if you need a mental rinse, watch the show.Kanani 40:54 My metal rinse is what I'm calling "The Weiner Show." And my husband and I have been watching. I think it's Netflix.Courtney 41:03 Wait, "The Weiner Show?" That's not what it's called. Kanani 41:05 No, no, it's either...I can't remember if it's Netflix or Amazon, but it's a four part documentary on Lorena Bobbitt.Courtney 41:13 Oh my god, I have to see this. Kanani 41:15 Yes. And so my husband, he started calling it "The Weiner Show" because I was calling it "The Weiner Show." So I think we're three episodes into "The Weiner Show" and it's like fascinating.Courtney 41:25 Oh, that is totally my jam is true crime from the 90s. That is my favorite: the OJ Simpson trial, the Tonya Harding thing, and now the Lorena Bobbitt...Okay. "The Weiner Show."Hilary 41:37 just want to throw this out there though like huge trigger warning for that documentary for people for domestic violence.Courtney 41:45 Obviously trigger warning because something happens to somebody's pee pee. I'll just let you know that.Hilary 41:49 No, it's less about that but trigger warning because the domestic violence and abuse that she experiencedKanani 41:58 so there's the thing. A lot of people didn't really follow the story. And so when you hear some lady just chopped this guy's wang off, you think well, it's because he's a lying, cheating no-good. Well, it actually wasn't because of infidelity. It was because of sexual and domestic abuse.Hilary 42:17 Yeah. It is a very, it's a it's fascinating and I think it's a really good documentary, but like it is, it is a hard watch if you are a survivor of sexual assault or domestic violence. So just big, big, big, big trigger warning. I think it's a beautifully done documentary, but I don't want anyone to go into that unprepared.Kanani 42:36 So you watched "The Weiner Show?"Hilary 42:38 I mean, I don't want to call it that because I think the the subject matter is so is so sad. And so intense. But yes, I did watch "The Weiner Show."Kanani 42:48 We can all call it that. That's fine.Courtney 42:50 I have to go watch "The Weiner Show." Well, if you're interested in like getting into stories that are more in depth, another really great listen During this time is called "You're wrong about." It's a podcast it's been on for about two years. And they go into stories like this like this. Kanani, I was telling you about this they did a whole episode on Anna Nicole Smith. And you were on Team Pro-Anna Nicole Smith when everyone else was making fun of her you would always stop them and say "Do not make fun of her. That woman is a heartbroken, heartbroken person and bad things have happened to her." Well they went into that and basically proved you right. Kanani 43:27 And I listened to that because you told me about that and I freakin love that show.Courtney 43:32 It's so good! So they have like the Jonestown Massacre episode again, major trigger warning but you know, we always talk about like, "Oh, these people were all crazy to drink the Kool Aid" but it's actually a really tragic story about a number of people who were held against their will and forced to do horrible things like oh my god. So definitely another really great podcast to binge is "You're Wrong About." and also we're happened to be on her side because the host is from Portland, and She also went to the same college that I did so yay Pacific Northwest so another really great thing. Um, and they also have a two part Tonya Harding special which of course is the reason I started listening to it because anything about Tonya Harding, I will stop what I'm doing and listen to it. Oh my god, speaking of reality shows...did I ever tell you guys that I was interviewed, like I've been interviewed for reality shows a number of times when I lived in New York and once I actually auditioned for one? Did I tell you that?Kanani 44:12 I remember that.Courtney 44:27 Yes! No, they were doing this. This is like, why I know reality TV is horrible and terrible. Horrible. Yeah, so they were trying to do this reality TV show about Tarot readers. And so they brought me in and I missed like the first audition, I guess, where basically they brought in a bunch of Tarot readers and gave them all champagne and made them drink a lot and then filmed them individually trying to get them to talk terribly about each other. But I knew all these women and they were all super nice. And I just knew what happened is they probably all got tipsy and started saying "I think that she's really Pretty. I really like her..." and they tried to do the same thing to me as they were interviewing me and they're like, "So what do you think of amber? Do you think she'd steal your boyfriend?" Kanani 45:10 I would be the star of that fucking show.Courtney 45:13 No, you wouldn't. You'd get up and walk away. I know you. I know you because they looked at me they're like "so what do you think of amber?" And I said, "I think she's she seems nice. I don't know. I don't really know her that well." And they're like, "Well what if she steals your boyfriend?" I go, "Oh no, he is she's totally not his type. He is not into that like he really that her voice is too squeaky he would leave the room." Like they were so disappointed that I just was not playing into it and they like teased my hair really big and they said my makeup was not right. And so they put all this this this heavy eyeshadow on me and put me in this really ridiculous black dress. And then they like, this was in this this rehearsal hall, and they went next door and picked up this woman who I guess was in an acting class. And they drag this poor woman in and made me read her Tarot and I'm sitting here reading her Tarot and I'm actually giving her some like looking at this and it The truth is that she I don't remember exactly what the reading was but I was it was there was something serious in there and I was trying to talk to her about it like "hey, you know you can get past this, blah blah blah," and they kept being like, "so what does it say about her ex boyfriend, huh? Is her ex boyfriend coming back?" I'm like "no, no, no, no, she's done with that. So anyway..." and then they just kept trying to like coach me. They were trying so hard! So nevertheless, I did not get picked for that reality show. I don't think it happened. Because honestly the Tarot reading community is very supportive. Maybe they went and started making Long Island psychic or something. I have not seen it but whatever they like it was just that's why when I watch reality TV I'm looking at it going, "Oh my god. I know what's happening behind the scenes" because I've seen it they're trying so hard to make people hate each other. Kanani 46:51 Well, there's a reason that in the house they're always half-drunk and there's booze everywhere. Like that is incredibly intentional. Yeah, like if they only knew how much money they could save on booze by having me there because I will talk shit about everyone and I don't need to have a drop of alcohol in my system.Courtney 47:07 You know what? That's actually such a lie because you do not talk shit about anyone except to us. You are like so tight-lipped. Kanani 47:17 But if I had a camera in front of me? Oh, you could bet your sweet ass I would. Courtney 47:22 No. I'm calling bullshit. I think if they looked at you, you'd be like, "Don't ask me about that. Don't involve me with your horse shit." You just walk out. You'd be like, "don't get me involved."Kanani 47:31 You think so much nicer of me. I love that.Courtney 47:35 All right, well, whatever. Hilary's like, "I'm staying out of this one."Hilary 47:42 I'm sorry. What were you saying? Kanani 47:44 Right?Courtney 47:46 So a couple more recommendations for those who are trying to get do some witchcraft work during this time away. There is a witchcraft writer named Gede Parma who is in Australia, and they run a course on ecstatic witchcraft. Of course, we have The House of Twigs run by our friend Erica Fortner, who has lots of online resources. Fantasia Crystals based in Phoenix just launched a blog that has lots of articles on how to do different spells. And then if you want to get super nerdy, but Morgan Daimler, who we're interviewing in a couple of weeks, posted an article called "Magic in the Middle Ages" via the University of Barcelona, which I'm going to geek out on. Yeah, and be sure to check out some of our other witchcraft podcast friends, "The Southern Fried Witch Podcast," I could listen to her all day, super comforting Alabama accent, so we'll definitely bring down the angst in the house. Same thing with New World Witchery. Super laid back Witches, like will absolutely make you feel so much more at ease no matter what is going on. They could talk about the bubonic plague, apocalypse Chernobyl and I'd be like, "Well, that's nice." So and then some other like "The Fat Feminist Witch", which is one of our personal favorites. She's awesome, super informative. It will keep you super, you know, mentally charged for hours. And then "The Modern Witch Podcast," which is run by Devin Hunter, who we will also be interviewing in a couple of months. A couple of new ones, "The Hoof and Horn" podcast that just came out. And that one's run by a couple of witches out in the Midwest. They talk about magic, but also pop culture. And then "The Blackthorn Grove" which is the brand new podcast by Amy Blackthorn, who we just interviewed. So I've got a couple of non witchcraft podcasts in addition to "You're Wrong About." The "Toasted Sister Podcast," which is solely Native voices. I definitely recommend that one. A lot of artists and chefs they talk a lot about food, which is one of the reasons I listen to it, because anytime someone's talking about food, I'm there. And then another one which is I think is really important. Right now is "How To Survive The End Of The World," which is one run by adrienne maree brown. And she talks about focusing on the concept of Apocalypse using the writings of of Octavia Butler, and she recently put out an episode which is about some of the practical tools you can use to help your community right now as we're going through a little mini apocalypse. So those are Coco's resources and y'all will be busy for at least a week. So Kanani, what other television shows are you watching right now? Because I know you're not only watching "The Weiner Show." Kanani 50:38 I'm not just watching "The Weiner Show." Hilary 50:39 Oh my God. Can you not call it that? Jeez, Louise. God, you guys are the worst.Courtney 50:46 I know. Kanani 50:47 It's true. Um, let's see. I'm trying to think of what I've been watching lately. Everything is just upside down right now. We've been doing....every Friday we usually have family movie night. And so since this has been going on, in an effort to kind of make things fun, we've had family movie night every every night. So last night I watched Ant Man and tonight I watched Ant Man and The Wasp. So my life is very Marvel centric right now but I'm watching you know lots of the...one of the cool things that Disney did was they released Frozen 2 three months early.Courtney 51:29 I want to see it! I'm gonna watch that later.Kanani 51:32 You will love it, because it's all about nature spirits. Earth, air, fire, water. And so knowing all the kids would be home they release or a lot of children would be home they released it three months early. So that was very cool. Other services are doing stuff like that, which I think is neat.Hilary 51:51 Yeah, I think Universal was doing something like that, too. Kanani 51:53 Who? Hilary 51:54 Universal.Kanani 51:55 Yeah, so they're gonna release I think on they're gonna start releasing their movies that would have gone to theater where you can rent them from home.Courtney 52:04 Okay!Kanani 52:06 Because you won't be able to go to the theater. So I thought that was very clever. So we're just starting to, you know, kind of like I said, everything's just kind of upside down right now. So I'm, I'm kind of wanting to find some things that I can binge watch. I, I had this idea because now that I have Disney Plus, I have Hulu, and I'm like, "Oh, I can finally watch Handmaid's Tale." And then I was like, "No, that's not a good idea. I'm not financially, ehr, I'm not emotionally stable enough.Hilary 52:34 Definitely not.Courtney 52:36 But it loses all of its actual intellectual meat after season one. I know you saw season one, but Season Two and season three were like, "Oh, no! Look at the terrible things that are happening to the white ladies! Ahhh!!!" Kanani 52:48 I didn't quite finish season one. But I had heard that from other people that pretty much after season one, it's pretty much done. Yeah.Hilary 52:55 Season One is definitely the best also like but I mean the even even In Season two and three, I've watched all three seasons. Even in season two, there's three right? Am I right? Courtney 53:06 There's three seasons. Yeah, I think I just I couldn't take it anymore. I was so mad at Serena joy. I'm like, "You are a terrible character." It's okay if you're a terrible person, but a good character like a well written character. Oh, no, I can't I can't deal with a bad character. Kanani 53:21 I might just need to like go back and just start watching Ab Fab videos.Courtney 53:25 Yeah, that's fair. I think watching Ab Fab videos is fair. And also you should be watching "Love is Blind" so that you can like be distracted. Hilary 53:34 Oh, my God.Courtney 53:36 You have to watch it. Kanani, you have to watch it. It's so bad. It's good. Kanani 53:43 I would never I would never ever date someone that I couldn't see. I would never.Hilary 53:49 You would think that but all these people went into this thinking the same thing and...Kanani 53:53 It's because they gave them money. I mean, don't be, don't get me wrong. If you gave me $10,000, I'd probably do it, too. I'm sorry to my husband.Courtney 53:58 You know, what it said to me was that, you know, so often people start chatting with someone online or they start texting and they don't meet for a while. And they start to build up in their mind who this person is just based on their correspondence. So honestly, this kind of stuff happens all the time not necessarily getting engaged, sight unseen, but people build up relationships with someone that they just don't see in person. And then when they see them in person, or they interact with them. It's just not right. Kanani 54:29 Exactly. That's exactly exactly the reason why it just aggravates me Just the thought of it. Because there were times and the little snippets of windows that I've been single, where I would do that. Someone would introduce someone and they'd be like, "Hey, you guys should talk!" and I talk and you'd be like hitting it off. And you're like, "Huh, this is kind of cool." And you meet them in person and you're like, "Oh, nooo...."Hilary 54:53 Are you talking about that one 48-hour window one time that you were single?Kanani 54:57 I think it was I think it might have been 51 hours...but!Courtney 55:01 It was closer to 72. You guys are being dramatic.Kanani 55:04 It was closer to 72.Courtney 55:07 Well, Hilary you were gonna recommend some musicians people should check out.Hilary 55:10 I do have some musicians people should check out so, and I'm here in Portland, Oregon, we have a performance artist named Sariah. He does throat singing like Tuvan throat singing. Um, and he he is also phenomenal, very meditative music very just I think he brings so much power and energy into everything he does. So I would definitely check that out. I will plug so I've been working on this music project for quite some time. We had this big LA show on the 27th that we had to cancel obviously due to the COVID 19 precautions but the artists that I've been working with on this project in LA is called Cellista. She has an album that came out this year called "Transfigurations." It's really beautiful it it approaches A lot of social justice issues specifically around affordable housing and displacement. The music is incredible. I've been really lucky to be able to go do live shows with her. There's also another beautiful singer on the album. So definitely check them out. And then this is a total throwback, but I'm a big Dead Can Dance fan.Kanani 56:21 Love them.Hilary 56:22 I love everything that can dance but Lisa Gerard and Peter Borg put together an album called duality. I think it came out and like I want to say like 98, 99. It is gorgeous. It is also very meditative, like really beautifully done music. And I highly recommend if you if you need to just check out for a minute and be kind of transported to another world. That album is is worth a listen as a throwback.Courtney 56:49 I wanted to wrap up with reading something from Rachel Pollock's "Tarot Wisdom: Spiritual Teachings and Deeper Meanings." There is a card in the Tarot called The Hermit, which we're all definitely experiencing right now. So I wanted to read Rachel's reflections. And so I'm offering this as an invitation to a meditation for our listeners. So if y'all are listening, take a second and get comfortable and we'll read in bring us into the space of The Hermit: "Let's state the obvious, first. The Hermit means being alone, whether by choice or circumstance, a person goes through a period either literally alone or emotionally apart. What does alone mean? People sometimes make a distinction between aloneness and loneliness. Presumably we choose the former and suffer the latter and hope that the choice will always be ours. almost anyone in a long term relationship will enjoy occasional times when their partner goes away and they can do the things they want: Make noise at all hours, eat things the partner hates or simply rediscover who they are outside the relationship. Very few, however, would want to give up the relationship entirely for the sake of permanent alone time. When I travel, I happily can go days without talking to anyone. At home, I enjoy seeing friends. I know someone who will spend days in the house not answering the phone, or even listening to the messages, but she gets frustrated on planes if she sits next to a person who doesn't want to talk. If someone asks the Tarot, "Will I find my soulmate this year?" and The Hermit appears, disappointment will be the likely result. But if a person asks, "What do I need in my life right now?" The Hermit may excite may excite with his possibilities. And even if the question becomes "What do I need to find my soulmate?" The Hermit may suggest a useful quest for self acceptance. But is this all The Hermit means to be alone? The image and its history reveals a web of ideas. When I was a child, I read everything but I loved fairy tales best of all. In college, when I needed to specialize in some aspect of literature, I chose King Arthur for didn't those stories resemble fairy tales with knights and wizards and castles that vanished in the morning and a golden Chalice that healed the sick? I soon noticed an interesting literary device. Merlin acted as Arthur's tutor, although often playing tricks on him a playful Hermes as a Magnus Hermes. And when someone else Lancelot, for example, needed instruction or magical information, a hermit would appear to reveal the necessary truth. I began to imagine the Arthurian Woods filled with wise old hermits dressed in long ragged robes and carrying stout staves. They were always old and always wise. Where did this image come from? To some extent, actual models existed. People who abandon ordinary social involvement to devote themselves to meditation in prayer. Most went to monasteries, but a few probably took their chances on their own. At the same time, the image the idea of a hermit exists among many cultures. The Hindu god Shiva lives in a dark cave until the time comes to destroy the universe. shamans go off for long periods to draw visions to themselves. A great Eskimo shaman, told an explorer that he would go on the ice for days without food or shelter, because solitude and suffering open the human mind. Is this then the hermit a shaman on a vision quest. Since he holds up a lantern, we can say he has found his vision and now uses his knowledge to light the way for others. When the hermit appears in the reading, we need to ask if he signifies the querent or someone who will serve as a teacher or a guide. And then The Hermit shines a light for us, but only if we climb high enough to see him, for he dwells on a mountaintop. And we need the commitment and courage of strength to reach a level where we can see the hermit's Lantern, the shining tribe, Taro shows the hermit himself on the path, he has left the ordinary world behind and mounted a hill of meditation, where he will step through dark doorway. On the other side, he will find a lantern left by previous hermits. We make the commitment in the darkness of our ignorance and only when we do so, what we discover the light is waiting for us. There's an old Sufi joke that speaks to these issues and The Fool's relationship to The Hermit. A man walking down the street in ancient Baghdad sees a Nasruddin, The fool of many such tales, searching the ground under a streetlamp, asked what he is doing. Nasruddin answers, "I lost my keys and I need them to get into my house." Bending down to help, the man says, "Where exactly Did you drop them?" "Oh, over on the next street," Nasruddin answers. "Then why are you searching here?" "Well, the lights better," he said. Maybe The Hermit tells us that before we can search through the keys, we need to climb through the darkness into the genuine light. Unless we hold the light of love and passion, all our attempts at knowledge or meditation, or sacred truth becomes a lantern that gives off no illumination, no warmth on that lonely mountaintop. We must become the images we must turn ourselves into fire." I must say I didn't read the entire section just sections of it. So I really encourage people to go back and check out the "Tarot Wisdom" and read the entire section on The Hermit because I feel it's really poignant right now given what we're going through. So we're also putting out a call if any of our listeners want to share what's going on with them in their part of the world. How is this coronavirus affecting you and what you are doing either personally or magic, magically, to combat it, to email us at ThatWitchLifePodcast@. There's also a message submission form on our website. Also on our website, you can find all the links to the things that we mentioned tonight. And, you know, just hang in there guys, we will come back with more bonus content. And so we can try to be with you a little more often, as we're trying to get through all this.Hilary 1:03:27 I think that you know, hang in there everybody. We know this isn't easy. You know, we're available on Facebook, we're available on Instagram, we're available at . Reach out to us via email. You know, we're here to support you and we appreciate all the support that we get from our community as well. Kanani 1:03:49 And just everybody take care of, you know, take care of yourself, you know, try and enjoy some time with your family. I think this is a really, really important time to be focused on self care. And I think it's also, you know, a good reminder of how we are all one community, and how important it is to kind of look after each other and be there for each other. And I think this further proves the point that we need those around us to be okay, just as much as we ourselves need to be. Okay. So we do, I'm excited that we're going to bring some bonus content just so that people can kind of, you know, get a distraction from the craziness that's happening and kind of, you know, understand that. We get it and we're in it too, and, you know, we're here for you guys to answer questions if you have questions that come out and just kind of to share with you what we do on our journeys.Courtney 1:04:50 Alright, friends, until then, Blessed Be. We'll see you next week. Kanani 1:04:54 Blessed be, Witches!Hilary 1:04:57 Blessed be!(Exit Music) 1:04:57 Join us on the first and third Monday of the month for magical tools, tips and stories about living as a witch in today's world. Find us at for archived episodes or to ask your burning questions for us to answer in a future podcast. So mote it be!Transcribed by ................
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