Are We Witches?

It's almost Halloween! And for our second annual Halloween special, we've got a costume reveal that leaves one of us delighted and the other genuinely disturbed.

Then we're diving into Disney's 1993 cult classic, Hocus Pocus, to find out how much real witchcraft history and folklore is hiding beneath all that glorious camp.

But first, in How's Tricks, there's a potentially haunted house, some much-needed good news for podcast familiar, Otto, and a financial plot twist.

Want to see our Halloween costumes? Watch the full video episode on YouTube

Sources for Who? What? Witch? Where?

Classen, C. (2005). The witch’s senses: Sensory ideologies and transgressive femininities from the Renaissance to modernity. In D. Howes (Ed.), Empire of the senses: The sensual culture reader (pp. 70–84). Berg.

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Follow us on instagram at arewewitches and write to us at arewewitches@gmail.com

Any problem you want a magical solution for, please write in for a bit of advice and a magical prescription. It's important we practice as much as possible to get our witchy credentials! We also want to hear how your spells are going, so please write in if you have practiced any magic mentioned in the show.

We are new to this community and these practices. All advice, tips and feedback will be gratefully received. After all, it takes a village to raise a witch.

Blessings to all those that rate & review (5 stars only, please
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lisa's tricks are running dangerously low, but fortunately Sarah has a plethora to share! From mysterious spider encounters that might just be messages from the universe, to magnificent Scottish mushrooms, and some very exciting news about a new familiar, Sarah's cup runneth over.

We also revisit our conversations about witchy fashion and narcissism, with a beautiful tartan honouring Scotland's accused witches, and some uncomfortable questions about spiritual superiority. Can even refusing to hex someone give you an inflated spiritual ego?

Plus, a little tarot guidance, financial anxieties and dreams of lottery wins as we count down to our Halloween special!

The Witches of Scotland Tartan - thanks to Georgie for sharing!

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Follow us on instagram at arewewitches and write to us at arewewitches@gmail.com

Any problem you want a magical solution for, please write in for a bit of advice and a magical prescription. It's important we practice as much as possible to get our witchy credentials! We also want to hear how your spells are going, so please write in if you have practiced any magic mentioned in the show.

We are new to this community and these practices. All advice, tips and feedback will be gratefully received. After all, it takes a village to raise a witch.

Blessings to all those that rate & review (5 stars only, please
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, Lisa and Sarah ask when self-empowerment becomes self-importance. They get into spiritual superiority, manifestation, main character syndrome, glamour magic, and what happens when the algorithm starts masquerading as an oracle.

Plus, lunar periods, suspiciously accurate horoscopes, Margaret Murray (again), and a cleansing ritual for when someone has really pissed you off.
Can we believe in signs, synchronicities and magic without assuming the universe revolves around us?

Sources for Who, What, Witch, Where?

Dixon, L. J., Hornsey, M. J., & Hartley, N. (2023). The secret to success? The psychology of belief in manifestation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672231181162

Lange, J., Crusius, J., & Hagemeyer, B. (2016). The Evil Queen’s dilemma: Linking narcissistic admiration and rivalry to benign and malicious envy. European Journal of Personality, 30(2), 168–188. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2047

St. Lawrence, E. (2024). The algorithm holy: TikTok, technomancy, and the rise of algorithmic divination. Religions, 15(4), 435. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15040435

Vonk, R., & Visser, A. (2021). An exploration of spiritual superiority: The paradox of self-enhancement. European Journal of Social Psychology, 51(1), 152–165. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2721

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Follow us on instagram at arewewitches and write to us at arewewitches@gmail.com - we love hearing from you!

We are new to this community and these practices. All advice, tips and feedback will be gratefully received. After all, it takes a village to raise a witch.

Blessings to all those that rate & review (5 stars only, please!)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For our sixth instalment of Tarot Vin, we’re pairing The Hierophant with Grenache and asking the cards about the collective.

It turns out the Hierophant has quite a bit to say about it. And, as things get a bit tipsy after a couple of glasses, Lisa and Sarah have a lot to say, too.

Grab a glass, pull up a chair, and join the circle.

Many thanks to Julie Albin for her Tarot Vin workbook which we continue to drink our way through, and to Labyrinthos for their tarot card interpretations.

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Follow us on instagram at arewewitches and write to us at arewewitches@gmail.com - we love hearing from you!

We are new to this community and these practices. All advice, tips and feedback will be gratefully received. After all, it takes a village to raise a witch.

Blessings to all those that rate & review (5 stars only, please!)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lisa has a confession: she came dangerously close to breaking the Are We Witches? strict no-hexing policy.

It all started with a mean joke that left her furious, embarrassed and stewing for days. Even Sarah’s first reaction suggested that perhaps, just this once, a tiny bit of magical retribution might be justified.

So, how close did Lisa actually come to casting a hex? Listen to find out.

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Follow us on instagram at arewewitches and write to us at arewewitches@gmail.com - we love hearing from you!

We are new to this community and these practices. All advice, tips and feedback will be gratefully received. After all, it takes a village to raise a witch.

Blessings to all those that rate & review (5 stars only, please!)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.