Down at the Crossroads

Latest Episodes:

DatC #078 - The Witching Herbs with Harold Roth Apr 09, 2017

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, artist, alchemist, and leading authority on plants and herbal magick, Harold Roth to the discuss his new book The Witching Herbs: 13 Essential Plants and Herbs for Your Magical Garden, as well as his online store Alchemy Works which has been in business for over seventeen years. Along with our discussion we do an immense amount of laughing as we talk about his experiences with running a magickal business, his art, his thoughts on Andrew Chumbley as well as his thoughts regarding esoteric scholarship and the translation of older texts and manuscripts. Harold was a great guest and we certainly hope that you appreciate such an unexpected and enjoyable time as you learn another reason why we can't have nice things.

Harold Roth is a leading authority on plant/herbal magic. His new book, The Witching Herbs, is an in-depth exploration of 13 essential plants and herbs most closely associated with witchcraft―13 because it's the witching number and reflects the 13 months of the lunar calendar. The plants are poppy, clary sage, yarrow, rue, hyssop, vervain, mugwort, wormwood, datura, wild tobacco, henbane, belladonna, and mandrake. - The Witching Herbs

Featured Songs:

"Dove of Mine" by Eliza Rickman
"Down to Sea" by Elephant Revival
"Fire in the Head" by Sharon Knight
"Frau Erde" by Faun
"Scent of Your Skin" by Sharon Knight
"Scarborough Faire" by Damh the Bard
"Willow's Song" by The Familiars
"Wytch's Brew" by Omnia

Links:

DatC #077 - Love Magic with Lilith Dorsey Feb 19, 2017

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, filmmaker, and voodoo priestess Lilith Dorsey to talk about her experiences as a professional reader and witch as well as to discuss her new book, Love Magic: Over 250 Spells and Potions for Getting It, Keeping It, and Making It Last. Along with her book we also discuss her Patheos blog: Voodoo Universe, as well as the challenges she has faced through her involvement with Voodoo and Pagan communities and some of the misconceptions about Voodoo which she still deals with to this day.

Based on years of magical experience and prodigious research, Love Magic includes sections on such topics as self-love, marriage, fertility, erotic adventures, the ethics of love magic, and more. The spells are drawn from a wide diversity of magical traditions and focus on an equally diverse situations. There are spells for finding love, keeping love, and healing yourself so that you are ready for love. The book also includes rituals for invoking goddesses of love. Dorsey considers and discusses all facets of the romantic experience. - blackbrigit.com

Featured Songs:

"Odal" by Wardruna
"Legba's Feast" by Vodun
"Hourglass" by Bekah Kelso (The Green Album)
"La Sirene" by S.J. Tucker
"The Morrigan" by Zoe Eliza
"Bloodstones" by Vodun

Other Books by Lilith Dorsey:

Links:

DatC #076 - Tarot for One with Courtney Weber Jan 31, 2017

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 Wiccan priestess Courtney Weber to discuss her new book Tarot for One as well as our time together at FaerieCon, the tarot deck she created Tarot of the Boroughs, along with some of the tips and tricks she's learned over the years to running a coven. Courtney offers her insight into being a Priestess, her love of certain eighties movies, and further evidence that she's not afraid to have a good time. This was a great discussion with Courtney as it was nice to speak with her for the first time since meeting at FaerieCon.

Courtney Weber is a Priestess, author, and activist. She is the author of "Brigid: History, Mystery, and Magick of the Celtic Goddess" and "Tarot for One: The Art of Reading for Yourself (both through Weiser Books)." She is the producer and designer of "Tarot of the Boroughs": A contemporary Tarot deck set in NYC, composed of original photography. Courtney is on the board of Solar Cross Temple. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and cats. www.thecocowitch.com

Featured Songs:

"Down to Sea" by Elephant Revival
"Wolf an Dro" by Omnia
"Maker of my Sorrow" by Eliza Rickman
"Rootless" by S.J. Tucker
"Sea Song" by The Owl Service
"Bridge of Birds" by The Familiars
"Movements in the Sky" by Church of the Cosmic Skull
"Condemned to Fire" by G00dewyfe

Stores Mentioned:

Other Links Mentioned:

DatC #075 - Tales of the Fantastic Judika Illes Jan 13, 2017

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 beloved author and witch Judika Illes to speak about The Weiser Book of the Fantastic and Forgotten: Tales of the Supernatural, Strange, and Bizarre, her Big Book of Practical Spells, as well as folklore, dealing with strangers, and the value of a good story. Our conversation with Judika started back when we were having technical difficulties so the first part of our discussion cuts off at a weird point and for that we apologize. Because of this we rescheduled with her, fixed our technical issues, and tried to continue the discussion where we left off. All in all it was a great time despite the difficulties and we hope that you enjoy it.

Judika Illes is an independent scholar, educator, and author of several books of folklore, folkways, and mythology about the subjects of magic, the occult, divination, diverse spiritual traditions, witchcraft, and the paranormal. She is the author of four popular encyclopedias: The Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells, The Element Encyclopedia of Witchcraft. The Encyclopedia of Spirits, and the brand new Encyclopedia of Mystics, Saints, and Sages. Her other books include Pure Magic, Magic When You Need It, and The Weiser Field Guide to Witches as well as The Weiser Field Guide to the Paranormal (published under the alias Judith Joyce). - JudikaIlles.com

Featured Songs:

"Untamed" by Ill Wicker
"Luna" by Omnia
"Solstice Night" by S.J. Tucker
"Scarborough Faire" by Damh the Bard
"Melusina" by Sharon Knight
"Creator Destroyer" by Wendy Rule
"Twa Corbies" by Horse Cult
"The Golden King" by Witchwood
"Witch's Cross" by Woodland
"Seven Veils" by The Nathaniel Johnstone Band

Links Mentioned:

DatC #074 - The Charming Deborah Castellano Nov 15, 2016

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 witch, glamour magick muse, shop owner, blogger, and author Deborah Castellano to talk about her path as a witch, fancy dancing, glamour magick, working with life partners, and more. Tara and I had a great discussion with Deb, all while testing a new recording setup for the show and seemingly discussing everything under the sun and moon. Deborah will be having her first book published through Llewellyn in August of 2017, Glamour Magic: The Witchcraft Revolution to Get What You Want (available for pre-order from Amazon) and we thought now would be a great opportunity to sit down and chat with her for a spell. We hope you enjoy it.

Writer. Crafter. Glamour Girl. Celebrated romance and occult writer Deborah M. Castellano is a published author, blogger, and frequent contributor to many publications of erotica and Pagan literature and essays. In addition to her own forthcoming works both fiction and non, Ms. Castellano will be featured in two Llewellyn annuals in 2015 and 2016. She founded her artisan craft shop, The Mermaid and The Crow in 2010. - deborahmcastellano.com

Featured Songs:

"Wolf an Dro" by Omnia
"Let the wind blow" by Wendy Rule
"Movements in the Sky" by Church of the Cosmic Skull
"Witches' Rune" by S.J. Tucker
"Ghost Town" by Captain Crimson
"Girl into Devil" by S.J. Tucker
"Porcelain Princess" by Sharon Knight
"Raido" by Wardruna

Links Mentioned:

The Mermaid and The Crow
Charmed I'm Sure
Glamour Magic: The Witchcraft Revolution to Get What You Want by Deborah Castellano (available for pre-order)
Grove of the Other Gods

DatC #073 - Getting Shady with Shadowbwoy Sep 25, 2016

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 with folk magick practitioner and YouTuber Shadowbwoy from the YouTube channel MrShadowbwoy to discuss his path, his thoughts on witchcraft and his experiences as a witch and a YouTube personality. We have a fun conversation with him and were much appreciative that he was happy to come on the show as Tara and I have enjoyed his channel for some time. George, as he is also know as, has certainly helped to inspire many practitioners into finding and forging their own way down the crooked path.

I am a practicing witch and have been practicing and raised in witchcraft and the occult since i could walk. This is a channel for Witches and warlocks of the Traditional craft, i also practice Hoodoo and Rootwork, this channel shows you 'How to' perform certain magical acts and also has my own personal views and opinions on the craft in general. Feel free to email me questions and i will make a video for you to help the best i can and SUBSCRIBE :) I dont bite :D - About MrShadowbwoy on YouTube

Featured Songs:

"On My Way To Somewhere" by Eivør
"Morning Fire" by Horse Cult
"Hunter" by Pandemonaeon
"The Winnowing" by Swallows
"Witches' Reel" by The Familiars
"Scarborough Fair" by Damh the Bard

Links Mentioned:

DatC #072 - CUUPS and The Glowing Green Bird with John Beckett Jul 05, 2016

Show notes

Hello and thank you once again for joining me 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 CUUPS officer, Druid, and Patheos blogger John Beckett to discuss his work and experiences with the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPS) as well as a recent blog post he wrote titled "The Otherworld is Bleeding Through" which touched upon real life otherworld experiences and dealing with them as people of the 21st century.

I grew up in Tennessee with the woods right outside my back door. Wandering through them gave me a sense of connection to Nature and to a certain Forest God. I'm a Druid graduate of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, the Coordinating Officer of the Denton Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans and a former Vice President of CUUPS Continental. I've been writing, speaking, teaching, and leading public rituals for the past eleven years. I live in the Dallas – Fort Worth area and I earn my keep as an engineer. - Patheos: About John Beckett

Featured Songs:

"The Battle of Evermore" by Finvarra
"1157 (Till It's Over)" by S.J. Tucker (from The Green Album)
"Hourglass" by Bekah Kelso (from The Green Album)
"Point of You" by Elephant Revival
"The Swing" by Eivør
"How Can We Believe We Own It All" by Damh the Bard (from The Green Album)

Links Mentioned:

DatC #071 - Modern Fortune Teller, Fiona Benjamin Jun 19, 2016

Show notes

Hello and thank you once again for joining me 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 the Modern Fortune Teller herself, Fiona Benjamin to discuss her background as a magickal practitioner and a professional Tarot reader. During the discussion we learn about some of Fiona's history as well as talk about Shenism and the African Tribal Religion known as Quimbanda which Fiona is an initiate of. To close we talk about her business website ModernFortuneTeller.com and some of the issues with running an online occult business and how to be a good online customer.

Featured Songs:

"Maker of my Sorrow" by Eliza Rickman
"Devil's Nettle" by Horse Cult
"The Call of the Mountains" by Eluveitie
"On My Way to Somewhere" by Eivør
"We are Shangri-La" by S.J. Tucker
"Stones" by Tara Rice

Links Mentioned:

DatC #070 - Asfidity and Mad-Stones with Byron Ballard May 31, 2016

Show notes

Hello and thank you once again for joining me 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 joins us as we sit back down with the Appalachian Hillfolks Hoodoer herself Byron Ballard where we seemingly discuss everything under the Sun and Moon except her recent book Asfidity and Madstones, a further ramble through hillfolks hoodoo. The rabbit trails are strong with this one, but the conversation we have is not to be missed. Tara and I catch up with Byron as we also discuss her book, social media, and some of the current issues in the Pagan community.

Featured Songs:

"Down to Sea" by Elephant Revival
"Witch's Cross" by Woodland
"Porcelain Princess" by Sharon Knight
"Baba Yaga" by The Nathaniel Johnstone Band
"Dream of Mississippi" by S.J. Tucker
"Long Black Curl" by Tuatha Dea

Links Mentioned:

Past Episodes with Byron

DatC #069 - Hedge Witchery with Juniper Jeni Apr 26, 2016

Show notes

Hello and thank you once again for joining me 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 we meet Juniper Jeni to discuss her experiences as a witch, Hedge Witchery, and The Witches' Sabbat, a yearly event that takes place in Ontario just outside of Ottawa which she teaches at and even helps to organize. For those long time listeners of this podcast, Juniper was the co-host of the former Pagan podcast Standing Stone and Garden Gate and she has been on her path as a witch for twenty years. During our discussion Juniper offers up her insights and thoughts in regards to witchcraft and being witch as well her approach to Hedge Witchery and what it is, and to close we learn what's in store this year for the Witches' Sabbat.

The purpose of the Sabbat is to provide a forum where practitioners and other interested persons can come together to learn and share information relating to non-Wiccan witchcraft and its associated practices. This is achieved in part by performing rituals and workings to facilitate each individual's personal experience of these practices, be they newcomers or experienced witches. This is also facilitated by discussion, story telling, and teaching each other. The weekend consists of rituals, discussions, workshops, a potluck with stone soup feast, and much more. Together we build a relationship with the land, create a stang for the main ritual, tell stories, hang out around the fire pit, and most importantly: learn, share and grow as Witches. - The Witches' Sabbat

Featured Songs:

"No Harm" by Tara Rice
"Morning Fire" by Horse Cult
"Maker of My Sorrow" by Eliza Rickman
"Hunter" by Pandemonaeon
"Free" by Omnia
"Gibu" by Wardruna

Links Mentioned:

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