157: The Secret to Powerful Spellwork - Using the Alpha Brain State in Witchcraft

In this guided meditation, Laylla leads you into an alpha brain state, the in-between space where your mind quiets and becomes open, focused, and receptive to magick.Inspired by Laurie Cabot’s Crystal Countdown Meditation from The Power of the Witch, this adaptation is designed to help you enter an alpha brain state for meditation, spellwork, and energy raising.You’ll move through breathwork, body awareness, and a gentle inward descent, shifting out of everyday mental noise and into a calm, receptive state where you can connect with your inner power and surrounding energy.Use this meditation before ritual, during spellwork, or anytime you want to access a deeper state of focus and relaxation. With regular practice, it becomes a reliable way to enter the alpha state on purpose and strengthen your magickal work.Meditation begins at 1:17Got a question? Send the witches a message here!Support the showWant to send us a letter? Witchy things to review?Our mailing address is changing!Stay Tuned!Email: [email protected] FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website

Most spells don’t fail because you lack power, they fail because you’re casting from a mind that won’t let the magic take hold. On this episode, Laylla gets practical about what actually makes spellwork land. Tools, intentions, and the words of spells are important, but your will and ability to gather energy is what powers the spell. And the place to find and work with that energy is within your mind in the alpha state.Laylla talks about what an alpha brain state really is from both a scientific and magical perspective, and why it’s the sweet spot for raising and directing energy. This is the space where your mind quiets, your body comes online, and your intention stops getting tangled in doubt.The guided meditation Laylla references is from Laurie Cabot’s Crystal Countdown Meditation in The Power of the Witch, a book that Chelle often talks about as her introduction to witchcraft and one that also sparked Laylla’s path into hypnosis and interest in alpha states and their uses in spellcraft and magick.In this episode she'll explain how alpha differs from your everyday thinking state, how it connects to the subconscious, and why that matters for everything from visualization to manifestation. You’ll hear how hypnosis fits into modern witchcraft, why your subconscious behaves more like a toddler than a scholar, and how to work with it instead of against it.This episode is about learning how to shift your internal state on purpose so your spells feel real, embodied, and effective. If you’ve ever felt like your magic looks right but doesn’t quite click, this is the missing piece.Got a question? Send the witches a message here!Support the showWant to send us a letter? Witchy things to review?Our mailing address is changing!Stay Tuned!Email: [email protected] FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website

We're in the wild stretch of the Wheel where nothing is settled and everything is becoming. In this episode, we walk the space between Ostara and Beltane, that muddy, electric season of storms, sudden growth, and untamed energy. It’s not gentle, and it’s not meant to be.We talk about working with that chaos instead of trying to tame it. Reclaiming the feral parts of yourself, listening to the pull of change, and learning how to shape all that restless momentum into something that can actually take root and grow. Laylla shares a tarot spread created for this in-between season, and we give a magickal twist to spring window cleaning along with other everyday practices to help you stay connected to your craft as the weeks unfold.From tarot to home energy work, land connection, and simple everyday practices, this is about living your craft in real time, not just on the holidays.This is magick between the spokes. Where the work happens. Where your magick lives every day.Got a question? Send the witches a message here!Support the showWant to send us a letter? Witchy things to review?Our mailing address is changing!Stay Tuned!Email: [email protected] FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website

Spring is here… but what, and when, exactly are we celebrating?In this episode of Back on the Broomstick, Laylla and Chelle take a deep look at the sometimes confusing relationship between Ostara and the Spring Equinox. Are they the same holiday? Two separate observances? Or two different ways of looking at the same turning of the Wheel?Chelle believes the Spring Equinox should be honored as a moment of balance, when light and dark stand in perfect equality. For her, it is a sacred astronomical turning point that invites reflection and grounding. Ostara, by contrast, represents the broader season of spring that unfolds afterward; the weeks when the earth fully awakens, flowers emerge, and life visibly returns. By separating the two, she creates space to honor both the stillness of balance and the joyful momentum of the growing season.Laylla brings the Wheel of the Year perspective, arguing that modern paganism intentionally weaves solar events and seasonal shifts together into a living spiritual rhythm rather than treating them as completely separate observances. In her view, the Spring Equinox acts as the doorway between seasons, its a liminal threshold where winter releases its hold and the growing year begins. Because the Equinox is a precise celestial moment experienced across the entire planet, she sees it as a powerful communal touchpoint, a shared sky-event that pagans everywhere can honor together. From there, the spirit of Ostara unfolds as the season itself in the gradual greening of the land, the returning birds, and the first flowers that appear at different times depending on where you live. In this way, the Equinox becomes the moment we step through the doorway together, while the weeks that follow invite us to celebrate the unique way spring arrives in our own local landscapes.Rather than a debate about who is “right,” the witches explore two powerful ways of working with the magic of spring: honoring the Equinox as the precise celestial turning point that brings the community together, while embracing the unfolding signs of spring; the first flowers, the returning birds, the thawing earth, as personal and local rituals that deepen our connection to the land.Along the way, Laylla and Chelle share how they personally celebrate the return of the light with simple seasonal practices. Laylla also shares an Equinox tarot spread designed to help you find balance between light and shadow at the turning point of the year.If you’ve ever wondered how history, modern witchcraft, and lived seasonal magic all fit together, this conversation offers thoughtful perspectives, practical inspiration, and a reminder that the turning of the Wheel is something we feel in our bones as much as we mark it on the calendar.So grab a cup of tea, step outside into the changing air, and join us as we explore the magic of Ostara and the sacred moment when light and dark meet in perfect balance.Got a question? Send the witches a message here!Support the showWant to send us a letter? Witchy things to review?Our mailing address is changing!Stay Tuned!Email: [email protected] FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website

The hosts of BotB explore one of the most asked questions in modern witchcraft: Who is psychic? And the answer might surprise you… it’s probably everyone.Instead of treating psychic ability like a rare supernatural power, this episode looks at it the way many witches actually experience it: as a natural form of expanded perception that can be practiced, strengthened, and understood. The witches break down what psychic abilities really are, how they show up in everyday life, and why so many people have intuitive experiences without realizing that’s what they are.They talk about the different ways psychic perception can appear, including the well-known “clairs” like clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience, and claircognizance, as well as common intuitive experiences like sensing the energy in a room, getting a sudden gut feeling, noticing synchronicities, or having meaningful dreams.From there, the episode explores how witches actually discover their intuitive strengths. That includes paying attention to patterns in your own experiences, experimenting with tools like tarot and divination, and using practices like dream journaling and meditation to tune into subtle signals from the subconscious mind. You’ll hear practical techniques for strengthening intuitive awareness, including meditation, grounding, energy sensing exercises, and dream magic practices designed to encourage intuitive dreams and improve dream recall.Psychic ability is about learning to listen to the awareness that was already there, So whether you’re already comfortable with your intuition or you’re just beginning to wonder if you might be more psychic than you thought, this episode offers a grounded, witchy look at developing your inner senses and learning to trust the quiet signals of intuition.Previous Episode on Psychic AbilitiesGot a question? Send the witches a message here!Support the showWant to send us a letter? Witchy things to review?Our mailing address is changing!Stay Tuned!Email: [email protected] FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website

Spring doesn’t arrive politely, and neither does real change.In this episode, we’re talking about Ostara as it actually feels in your bones, not just the pastel version with bunnies and eggs. We explore the equinox as a hinge point, the only time when light and dark are truly balanced, and why that balance creates tension, storms, and movement. From ancient equinox observances aligned to the sun, to the modern Pagan celebration of Ostara shaped by the Wheel of the Year, we unpack where this sabbat comes from and what it’s asking of us now.We share a couple of easy & witchy ways to prepare for the season, including an Ostara egg spell where hidden sigils are revealed in dye and old stress is literally smashed and returned to the earth. This is about messy becoming, cracking shells, and walking straight through the storm toward what you actually want.If you’ve been feeling restless, scattered, or called to finally start something you’ve been planning since Imbolc, this one’s for you.Got a question? Send the witches a message here!Support the showWant to send us a letter? Witchy things to review?Our mailing address is changing!Stay Tuned!Email: [email protected] FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website

On this episode, the witches sit down with Jane Matthews, Director of the World Divination Association, rune reader, author, medium, and teacher whose work weaves ancient symbols into modern, embodied magic.Jane joins Chelle and Laylla from Northern Ireland to talk Ogham, sigils, and practical divination, and how these systems help us reconnect with our own inner wisdom. We chat about learning to actually trust your intuition, reading tarot or runes for everyday mundane stuff just because you can (and because practice builds relationship), and even pulling cards or staves about something that already happened yesterday as a way to sharpen your symbolic language and spot your own patterns. Naturally, this leads to journaling about it. And somewhere along the way, Laylla uncovers an unexpected connection between Ogham and The Rocky Horror Picture Show… yeah, we don’t fully know how that happened either.Jane is the author of Sigils: A Tool for Manifesting and Empowerment and her new Ogham deck and guidebook Ogham: Divining in the Celtic Way comes out March 2nd, 2026If you’ve been curious about Ogham, sigils, or working with symbols as living allies in your craft, this conversation is a beautiful place to begin.Jane MatthewsOgham: Divining in the Celtic Way (25-Card Deck and 192-Page Guidebook)World DivinationGot a question? Send the witches a message here!Support the showWant to send us a letter? Witchy things to review?Our mailing address is changing!Stay Tuned!Email: [email protected] FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website

On this episode we’re sitting down with Molly Donlan. Witch, energy worker, certification collector, and co-host of Demystify Magic. Molly is also celebrating the release of her brand new book, Mundane Magic: A Lazy Witch’s Guide to Hacking Your Brain, Building a Daily Practice, and Getting Stuff Done. This conversation drops February 13th, just days before her book hits shelves on the 17th, which is the perfect moment to talk superstition, Friday the 13th vibes, and how to turn everyday life into spellwork without burning yourself out. We even have a game show where Laylla quizzes Molly and Chelle on their Friday the 13th superstition knowledge, equal parts chaos, laughter, and witchy trivia. Molly shares how she went from skeptic to someone who found a grounded blend of magic and science that actually works. Her approach is practical, trauma-informed, sensory, and surprisingly hilarious. We talk about transforming chores into enchantment, paying bills like it’s a ritual, vacuuming like it’s a clearing spell, and why “stirring your tea with intention” is just the beginning. Her work grew out of her own ADHD practice and the real-life problem areas her audience brought to her, starting on Instagram as a way to be witchy every single day without it becoming another item on a guilt list. We also get into brain hacking, and the magic of engaging the senses to regulate your nervous system, and a mood elevating meditation involving a surprising kitchen utensil that will absolutely make you laugh and accidentally fix your mood. If you’ve ever struggled with consistency, motivation, executive function, or feeling like you’re failing at your practice, this episode is for you. This is magic that meets you in the laundry room, at the sink, in the middle of a messy day, and whispers, “You can work with this.”Molly's WebsiteReiki classes with MollyDemystify Magic PodcastTHE BOOK!!Got a question? Send the witches a message here!Support the showWant to send us a letter? Witchy things to review?Our mailing address is changing!Stay Tuned!Email: [email protected] FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website

What if someone had pulled you aside when you first started practicing and told you the stuff that actually matters?In this episode, we’re sharing five things we truly wish we’d known at the beginning of our witchcraft journeys. Not the aesthetic advice. Not the influencer version of magic. The real lessons you usually learn through trial, error, and the occasional smoke alarm.We talk about grounding (both the energetic kind and the nervous system kind), why you should stop waiting to feel “ready” and just do the spell already, how much stuff you really don’t need, and why unlearning old programming is just as important as collecting new knowledge. This is an episode about permission. Permission to be imperfect. Permission to rest. Permission to change your mind. Permission to make mistakes and keep going anyway.Whether you’re brand new to witchcraft or decades in, consider this a cozy check-in from two witches who have definitely learned some things the hard way.Grab your tea. Let’s talk.Got a question? Send the witches a message here!Support the showWant to send us a letter? Witchy things to review?Our mailing address is changing!Stay Tuned!Email: [email protected] FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website

In this episode we’re settling into that long, liminal stretch between Imbolc and Ostara. The snow is still hanging around, the days are technically getting longer but it doesn’t always feel like it, and seasonal cranky shut in disorder is very real. This is a quiet and often deeply cold time of the year, where hope flickers but hasn’t fully taken shape yet. That’s exactly why we’re focusing on everyday magick. The simple, doable, low effort kind that helps you keep going when getting out of bed already feels like a heroic act.We share some of our favorite mundane spells that gently weave magic into the rhythm of daily life. Morning candle work for setting one small intention. Decluttering spells that help reset the energy of your space when the vibes are off. Bag and wallet magic to make room for abundance. Even the humble act of making your bed becomes a spell for nervous system care, protection, and coming home to yourself at the end of the day. This isn’t about doing everything. It’s about doing one thing with presence.Chelle also brings forward a tarot thread she’s been holding for this season, a simple and reflective way of working with the cards as we move from Imbolc’s inward spark toward Ostara’s outward growth. Think less pressure, more conversation with the cards. Tarot as companion, not assignment.We also talk about how to work magic with your houseplants during this time of year. From tending them as living spell anchors to using them as allies for growth, renewal, and intention setting, especially when the outside world is still frozen. Your plants know spring is coming, even if the ground hasn’t caught up yet. There’s wisdom there.This episode is for anyone who feels tired, restless, or quietly hopeful. For witches who want to stay connected without burning themselves out. For those of us who need reminders that small rituals matter, and that light returns slowly, but it does return.So grab your tea, check in with your plants, and come sit with us for a bit. We’re getting through late winter together, one simple spell at a time.Got a question? Send the witches a message here!Support the showWant to send us a letter? Witchy things to review?Our mailing address is changing!Stay Tuned!Email: [email protected] FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website