183: Keep My Name Out of Your Spell - The Folklore, Magick, and Protection of Names

Names have power, witches. But when someone knows yours, what do they actually have access to?This week on Back on the Broomstick, Laylla and Chelle explore the folklore of true names, secret identities, and supernatural bargains, from Rumpelstiltskin toThe Wizard of EarthSea. Why do so many stories hinge on discovering a name, and how does that idea show up in modern witchcraft?We’re talking about names as taglocks, the connections they create in spellwork, and why a “true name” might mean something very different from the one on your birth certificate. We also explore the power of choosing a name that expresses who you are or who you’re becoming, and why some names are shared freely while others are kept between a witch and their practice.Then we get into warding your name. What exactly are you protecting, and how can you put some magick behind the boundaries you set? From private ritual names to the usernames we put all over the internet, there’s plenty to consider about who gets access to us and on what terms.Plus, two simple spells: one to reflect unwanted energy directed at your name, and one to give your name a magickal cleansing. Because you can’t always keep your name out of someone’s mouth, but you can have a say in what power that gives them.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:Back on the BroomstickPO Box 21Tioga, PA 16946Email: [email protected] FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website

Fall is here, whether the weather got the memo or not, and Laylla and Chelle are welcoming the season of the witch with a visit to a local Pagan Pride Day event and four spooky cemetery tales full of curses, cages, shocking encounters, and graves that are rumored to be alive with ghostly witches.The witches talk about going to CNY Pagan Pride Day on Saturday, September 19! Laylla and Chelle will be there with Back on the Broomstick and Crystal City Circle, helping lead this year’s main ritual, hosting a community table, and presenting workshops. Come say hello, join us in circle, and spend the day celebrating our wonderfully witchy community.Our spooky stories range from an accused witch escaping Sale, to the Catawissa caged graves to Shamokin’s Witch’s Hat monument, the witches share stories of restless spirits, whispered warnings, and a summoning dare with some seriously questionable consequences. But who were the people buried beneath these unusual monuments, and how did their resting places become the stuff of local nightmares?After the ghost stories, we turn to the history we can uncover, including grave robbers, grieving families, and the gap between what a monument means and what people imagine it means. We also discuss why these legends take hold, why women so often become the witches in someone else’s story, and how our expectations can influence what we experience.Plus, a grounding and centering practice for approaching spirit work with an open mind, clear intentions, and room for “I don’t know.”This episode is sponsored by our friends at The Witches Moon.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:Back on the BroomstickPO Box 21Tioga, PA 16946Email: [email protected] FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website

The Wheel is turning, the leaves are falling, and some of us would like to speak to a manager about summer ending. This week, Laylla and Chelle explore the magick of Mabon, the autumn equinox, and putting the garden to bed, including the things in our own lives we’re trying to keep blooming through sheer stubbornness.From the harvest we actually got to the seeds we absolutely don’t want to plant again, the witches get honest about manifestation, changing seasons, and finding balance without giving every obligation an equal piece of ourselves. There’s room for gratitude and grief at the same table, lessons from Persephone and Demeter, and a reminder that you don’t have to hate something to let it go.Along the way, we share simple seasonal magick for releasing what’s finished, protecting what matters, and tending ourselves through the weeks between Mabon and Samhain. What are you preserving for Future You, and what can you finally give permission to rest?We close the episode by pulling cards from the Motherpeace deck and The Oracle of Forgotten Witches for a little guidance as we move into the darker season.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:Back on the BroomstickPO Box 21Tioga, PA 16946Email: [email protected] FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website

The autumn equinox is here, the light and dark are balancing, and the witches are taking stock of what actually grew this year. In this episode, Laylla and Chelle talk about Mabon, Harvest Home, and why more modern witches are rethinking the language and traditions we use around the season.Then it’s time for gratitude, but not the sugary “everything happens for a reason” kind. This is gratitude with an attitude. The kind that honors what nourished you, what challenged you, what taught you where your boundaries are, and what you are very grateful to be leaving behind.The witches explore the growing trend of 30-day gratitude practices in modern Paganism and how to make them feel more magical, grounded, and reciprocal. Instead of simply listing what you are thankful for, what happens when gratitude becomes a relationship with the land, your home, your community, your spirits, and the everyday things that keep your life moving?Plus, some ideas for turning the weeks around the equinox into your own personal Harvest Home season by asking what you are gathering in, what you are sharing, what you are giving back, and what you are finally ready to compost.Because sometimes the harvest is abundance, sometimes it’s wisdom, and sometimes it’s realizing you absolutely do not need to plant that particular seed againGot a question? Send the witches a message here!Support the showWant to send us a letter? Witchy things to review?Our mailing address is:Back on the BroomstickPO Box 21Tioga, PA 16946Email: [email protected] FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website

Pull up a chair in the Solarium, pour something warm, and prepare for a very bookish, very witchy catch-up with Laylla and Chelle.This time around, the witches are flipping pages, checking the stars, and knocking a few titles off of their ever-growing magical to-read pile. They explore the music, folklore, and enchantment woven through Irish tradition in Draíocht Ceoil: The Sound of Magic in Irish Traditions by Geraldine Moorkens Byrne, then wander into the shadowy halls of the psyche with Aliza Einhorn’s Tarot of the Unconscious, a fascinating look at the connections between tarot, psychoanalysis, symbolism, and everything lurking just beneath the surface.They also crack open Patricia Telesco’s Your Book of Shadows and talk about what it offers witches looking to create a magical record that actually feels personal rather than like something copied out of someone else’s grimoire. Then it is time to consult the heavens with Wyatt’s Astrological Year Calendar 2026 from AstrologicalYear.com and Theresa Reed’s The Book of Astrological Returns, exploring how astrology can become something you work with throughout the year instead of something you only remember when Mercury starts acting suspicious.And because no proper Solarium gathering is complete without a little tea, Laylla and Chelle catch up on what has been happening in the wider Pagan community, including Beck Ravenswood’s ongoing fight against Pennsylvania’s old divination law and the larger questions it raises about religious freedom, fortune telling, and why laws written for another century are still haunting modern witches.There is also plenty of Pagan Pride Day talk, upcoming events, community happenings, books worth adding to your shelf, and the usual wandering conversations that happen when two witches are left alone with caffeine, new magical supplies, and opinions.Come hang out in the Solarium. The books are open, the tea is hot, and apparently Pennsylvania law still needs an exorcism.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:Back on the BroomstickPO Box 21Tioga, PA 16946Email: [email protected] FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website

The witches sit down with Patti Negri, the “Good Witch of Hollywood,” psychic medium, paranormal investigator, and author of Dollcraft: A Witch’s Guide to Poppet Magick & Haunted Dolls, for a conversation about what happens when witchcraft and ghost hunting collide.Patti shares her approach to paranormal investigation as a practicing witch, while the witches explore haunted objects, spirit communication, and the strange questions that arise when witchcraft and ghost hunting overlap.And apparently Patti didn’t come to the interview entirely alone.While recording, Laylla and Chelle noticed some unusual activity on Patti’s video, including mysterious orbs moving through the room and a few particularly intriguing moments involving the dolls behind her. Was it dust, light, camera weirdness, or did some of Patti’s otherworldly housemates decide they wanted a little screen time too?The evidence may be open to interpretation, but one thing is certain: Patti’s energetic dolls seemed very interested in being part of the conversation! So turn down the lights, grab your favorite protective charm, and listen closely. You never know who, or what, might be listening along with 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:Back on the BroomstickPO Box 21Tioga, PA 16946Email: [email protected] FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website

Welcome back, witches! Today we’re talking about Waste Not, Want Not Magick, because contrary to what the internet may have led us to believe, your spell does not require a pricey bank breaking crystal, a rare herb harvested under a blood moon, and a candle in a color that apparently only exists on Etsy, in order to work.Witchcraft has always been about working with what is around you. The herbs in the kitchen, the weeds growing through the cracks, the stone you found on a walk, the old key in the junk drawer, the candle stub you refused to throw away because, obviously, it still has at least one good spell left in it.In this episode, we’re looking at the magick already hiding in plain sight. We’ll talk about honoring the natural energies and histories of everyday objects, finding correspondences through intuition and observation, working with the land around you, and turning scraps, leftovers, broken things, and ordinary household objects into useful magical tools.Because being a witch is not about owning the most stuff. It’s about knowing how to see the spirit, purpose, and possibility in the stuff you already have.So grab your half-burned candles, your suspicious collection of empty jars, and whatever weird little treasures you’ve been saving because “I might use that for witchcraft someday.”Today is someday.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:Back on the BroomstickPO Box 21Tioga, PA 16946Email: [email protected] FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website

Laylla and Chelle sit down with Heathen practitioner, writer, teacher, and full-blown folklore nerd Ash Glasse for a conversation about what it means to practice Heathenry in the modern world.Ash is a spiritual leader for the inclusive Elk Ridge Kindred, serves on the Board of Directors for The Troth, and is a member of the Pagan folk band Kindred Crow. Together, the witches talk about the difference between reconstructing an ancient religion and creating a living spiritual tradition, working with Gods, ancestors, land spirits, folklore, magic, and the values that shape Heathen community today.They also explore some of the harder questions modern Heathens face, including inclusivity, ancestry, cultural identity, and the ways Norse symbols and traditions have been misused by extremist groups.Whether you already walk a Heathen path or you just want to know what exists beyond Thor, Odin, and a suspicious number of ravens, this episode offers a thoughtful, grounded look at a tradition that is still very much alive and evolving.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:Back on the BroomstickPO Box 21Tioga, PA 16946Email: [email protected] FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website

The front porch is more than a place for welcome mats, 'HARVEST' signs, and suspiciously loud wind chimes. It is the threshold between the outside world and the sanctuary of the home, making it one of the most important spaces for household protection, energy setting, and hearth magick.In this episode, Laylla and Chelle explore the superstitions and magical practices surrounding front doors, porches, entryways, and the paths that lead to them. They talk about brooms across the doorway and the many ways people have tried to keep harmful forces out while making sure good fortune stays inside.Whether your entrance is a sprawling farmhouse porch, an apartment hallway, or a single doormat outside your door, this episode offers practical ways to turn it into a magical boundary that welcomes peace, friendship, and abundance while firmly telling anything troublesome to keep moving.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:Back on the BroomstickPO Box 21Tioga, PA 16946Email: [email protected] FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website

Lughnasadh is a time to celebrate not only the first harvest from the land, but also the gifts, talents, and abilities you have cultivated within yourself. In honor of Lugh, a deity of skill, mastery, leadership, and craft, Laylla and Chelle explore the talents we are born with, the skills we have earned through practice, and the quiet forms of wisdom we often forget to recognize as magick.What have you been growing within yourself? Which abilities have ripened through years of practice, mistakes, persistence, and experience? The witches talk about honoring the work it took to become who you are, giving thanks to the people who helped teach and shape you, and remembering that your gifts can nourish both your own life and the community around you.From the overflowing abundance of late summer to the first whispers of autumn, this episode celebrates what is ready to be gathered, what still needs tending, and what should be preserved as seed for the future. Rather than focusing heavily on the history and lore of the sabbat, which we have covered in previous Lughnasadh episodes linked in the show notes, this year we are honoring Lugh by recognizing the skills and magick we have grown within ourselves.Join us between the spokes of the Wheel and take a moment to celebrate your own harvest. You have worked hard to become good at the things you do, witch. It is time to claim them.22: Magick of Lammas, the First Harvest72 The Witches Try: Corn Dollies and Poppets74: Bread, Brews, & Blessings: A witches Guide to Lughansadh125: Lughnasadh 2025 - Sacrifice is good and all, but have you heard of self-care?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:Back on the BroomstickPO Box 21Tioga, PA 16946Email: [email protected] FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website