Chats

I’ve been hearing a lot for the past year or so from people interested in witchcraft, paganism, and magical practice who have questions, and aren’t sure how to move forward.

Sometimes they’re stuck in the search process and don’t know how to get past their stuck. Sometimes they aren’t sure how to make sense of sources that say very different things. Sometimes they just want more context about something, a chance to ask a question a book can’t answer. Making connections across different resources can be particularly challenging.

I also know a lot of people who are trying to find ways to make their practice more sustainable, incorporating adaptations to make it more accessible for their needs and wants. (And as someone with chronic health issues, I want that too!)

I don’t have all the answers, but I have a lot of ideas and knowledge and a fair bit of experience.

More to the point, I’m a librarian as well as being a priestess and witch. I spend my professional life helping people figure out how to learn more about a range of topics, and I spend a lot of my witchy life doing the same thing. I’d love to help you with some of that.

This project:

Once a month (through at least April 2022), I’m setting aside an hour for a live call (via Zoom) where I’ll talk about a topic and tackle some questions people have shared. This is a trial run, so we may adjust some things as we go.

Access to the call, submitting a question, and the audio recording/transcript are all free (no cost). There are some options for support if you’d like to help me free up more time and energy for this project (read on for those details).

The calls will be on the second Saturday of the month at 4pm Eastern United States time. You don’t need to be on the call to have your question answered, but I’m hoping at least a couple of people will show up and chat! I’d love something that’s got some interaction.

After the call, I’ll share an audio-only version (for people who prefer to listen to information) and a transcript (for people who prefer to read, or who want to be able to jump to a particular question or topic easily) with anyone who is registered for the call and also anyone who supports me via Patreon. 

The transcripts are being human-created from the captioning thanks to a friend, so they won’t be immediate – you’ll get the recording and the transcript at the same time.

There will also be a Discord server (link coming when I send out the first call information) where people can hang out and chat about related topics. 

What kind of questions are fair game?

I’m open to discussing a wide range of topics under these two broad categories. Questions can be fairly general (without personal examples). It’s also fine to share some specifics if you’re comfortable. Examples of questions I’m comfortable tackling in this context include:

I’m getting started, but I’m overwhelmed. Questions about how to find out about different paths or practices, make sense out of some of the interrelationships.

Where can I go to learn more? Questions about finding resources on specific topics, learning more about working with groups or teachers (in a variety of settings: informal online spaces, in-person spaces, workshops, courses, group work, covens, etc.)

How do I figure out this author / teacher / reader / group leader’s background? This can be particularly complicated for these topics and communities. I’ll talk about clues you can look for, and some things that might be warning signs.

These sources conflict, how do I sort that out? Tools for looking at different sources, figuring out more about where that information came from, and how to evaluate which option is best (either in a more analytical sense, or in the sense that it’s best for you.)

What kinds of things should I be exploring if I want to develop my practice or learning in this direction? I might suggest some specific books, or I might suggest strategies for figuring out what those resources might be.

I’m interested in these things, but I’m not sure if they fit together / how to put include them in my practice. Discussion about what kinds of practices can overlap or work together, and which ones might not (or at least be more challenging.)

I have some specific accessibility / disability / chronic health needs, how could I adapt things? These might cover issues around tools you can’t use safely (candles, incense, fragile objects), planning (fatigue and energy, focus, time sense), limitations for raising energy for magical work (what method might work well for you), sensory issues (vision or hearing limits), or other related topics. I don’t have all the answers, but I do have ideas and experience figuring out options that work for people with a variety of needs.

I have limited time / energy / quiet time, how do I build a practice I can keep up with? Whether your time is limited because you have a lot of commitments, you have kids, you have chronic health stuff, a family member who needs assistance, there are a number of sustainable practices you can build into your life, and I’m glad to suggest some things to try.

Other questions along these lines. If you’ve got a question that seems relevant, feel free to ask so long as it doesn’t fall into the categories below.

Questions I’m not tackling:

Nothing harassing, abusive, or dismissive of me, other participants, or other people in general. Hateful comments, bigotry of all kinds, threats, and related comments make learning and interacting in good faith impossible, and will be moderated. (This can range from a warning/removal of the comment to removing someone from the space, depending.)

No questions about medical or legal issues. I’m a librarian, not a doctor, lawyer, or other professional. While questions about adapting practices to your needs are fine, anything that gets into specific medical needs will get a “Go talk to your doctor about this.” and the legal equivalent. (As appropriate, I may suggest something specific to ask about or terms that can help with more information.)

Direct instruction in spellcraft, ritual, magic, or related topics. I’m glad to talk about how to learn these things, but many of them take time to learn and involve specific choices about ongoing practice, ethics, and what your personal priorities and values are. In other words, I have my librarian hat on for these calls and conversations, not my coven leader hat.

Explain why these two authors disagree or Tell me what you think about this specific book/author/tradition. I read a lot, but I definitely haven’t read everything, even within fairly narrow ranges of our community. (There are just plain a lot of books.) It’s fine to give me examples from multiple sources, but I’m going to focus on techniques for evaluating them or integrating them into a practice, not on a deep analysis of a single work or author.

How this works:

There are two ways to get a link to the call registration:

• Back my Patreon at any level (starting at $1).
• Subscribe to my newsletter (free)

Two weeks before the call I’ll send out a note in both these places with a link where you can register for the call and a form where you can submit questons. 

Once you register for the call, you’ll get a reminder. Don’t worry if you can’t make it – that’s where the audio recording and transcript come in. 

My Patreon and newsletter will also get a link to a Discord server where you can chat with other people with similar interests, ask researchy questions, share interesting resources, and so on.

Is there a cost?

No cost. You can ask questions, get access to the call information, all for free.

However! My time and energy are often limited. Backing the Patreon at any level will help me free up some of my resources to spend more time on this particular project. That might mean being able to spend longer on calls, being able to answer some questions in text between calls, or other goodies depending on interest.

You can also make a one time donation via Ko-Fi if you’d rather do that.

Questions? Reply to this email, message me via Patreon, or you can use the contact form on my website. 

Hope to see you and your questions in October!