University of British Columbia scholars Sabina Magliocco and Kyle Frackman Discuss Witchcraft (and Tofu)
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Witches remain compelling because their meanings adapt to the cultures around them, University of British Columbia scholars Sabina Magliocco and Kyle Frackman explain in an October 21 interview titled “Witchcraft is like tofu’: From folklore to TikTok,” subtitled “why witches still matter
From political resistance to folklore icons like Baba Yaga, two UBC experts explain why witches continue to capture the public imagination.”
Magliocco compares witchcraft to tofu, absorbing its surroundings’ flavors. Today, those include consumer aesthetics and resistance to threats against women’s autonomy. Frackman emphasizes the witch’s flexibility as a symbol of changing social anxieties.
The scholars distinguish religious Witchcraft, including Wicca, from nonreligious magical practice and focus primarily on witch aesthetics. Magliocco notes the appeal of welcoming communities for LGBTQ+ people, opportunities to reconnect with ancestral practices, and practitioners’ substantial engagement with scholarship. Frackman highlights the attraction of constructing spiritual identities outside established orthodoxies.
Both caution against romanticizing historical witch trial victims as empowered rebels. Those accused were frequently vulnerable people with little protection. Accusations reveal how societies project fear onto outsiders and police belonging.
The interview also explores Baba Yaga, whose frightening presence in Russian folklore coexists with wisdom and transformative power. Her stories convey expectations about work and maturity, while contemporary adaptations reshape her significance. Across these examples, the scholars present witches as revealing figures through which societies express fears, enforce boundaries, and imagine alternative forms of agency.
Orionids are on tap
Image credit: NASA
EARTH (most of it) — The Orionid meteor shower is lighting October’s skies as Earth passes through debris left by Halley’s Comet. According to NASA, the shower is active from October 2 through November 7, with peak activity around October 21–22. Visible from both hemispheres, the Orionids typically produce 10 to 20 meteors per hour under dark skies.
The shower is known for its speed and brightness. Orionid meteors enter Earth’s atmosphere at approximately 41 miles (66 kilometers) per second, sometimes leaving glowing trails that persist for seconds or minutes. Occasional bright fireballs add to the display. Their apparent point of origin, called the radiant, lies just north of Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion.
Although exceptional displays have produced 50 to 75 meteors per hour, those historical outbursts are not the typical expectation. Moonlight also affects visibility: in 2026, a bright waxing gibbous Moon interferes with viewing during much of the night, making the darker interval after moonset and before dawn particularly valuable. Check local moonset times when planning an outing.
For the best chance of spotting meteors, choose an open location away from city and street lights and watch between midnight and dawn. Bring a blanket or reclining lawn chair, and allow approximately 15 to 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust. No telescope or binoculars are needed. Take in a broad expanse of sky rather than concentrating directly on Orion; meteors can appear well away from the radiant. Clear skies, darkness, and patience offer the best viewing conditions.
A Full Moon in Taurus
TWH — Our friend, Witch and astrologer Susan Levitt shared her insights on the Full Moon in Taurus, arriving October 25 at 9:12 p.m. Pacific Time, and the overlapping Mercury and Venus retrogrades.
In Levitt’s interpretation, Taurus brings attention to Mother Nature and the practical foundations of daily life: health, possessions, finances, security, and comfort. The Full Moon and the waning weeks that follow offer an opportunity to tend to these matters. With Taurus ruled by Venus, she also encourages readers to beautify their surroundings. Venus remains retrograde until November 13, making this a time to reassess, refresh, and restore balance to the beauty in our lives.
The final Mercury retrograde of the Fire Horse year runs October 24 through November 13, overlapping with Venus retrograde. Levitt connects this period with the Earth Dog lunar month, whose associations with honesty, loyalty, and integrity underscore the importance of sincere communication. With Mercury retrograde in Scorpio, hidden information or unresolved concerns may surface. Its squares to Mars and Jupiter in Leo could heighten defensiveness, making patience and direct conversation especially valuable.
The Full Moon’s opposition to the Sun in Scorpio and Venus in late Libra may highlight differences between feelings and actions, particularly when keeping the peace means setting emotions aside. Squares involving Pluto in Aquarius could bring difficult choices concerning shared resources, attachment to possessions, or spending. Levitt suggests considering what is sustainable and what has become too costly to maintain. She also recommends a substantial clutter-clearing effort during the overlapping retrogrades.
A supportive trine between Mars and Saturn in Aries offers a steadier influence. Financial and material concerns can be approached patiently, without demanding immediate resolution. Small, deliberate efforts can contribute to a larger plan, helping create practical, lasting solutions.
Cherry Hill Seminary panel explores death ministry and death positivity
Cherry Hill Seminary’s live Coming to the Center series will explore death ministry and the death positivity movement on Sunday, October 25, at 4 p.m. Eastern Time.
The discussion will feature experts from the seminary’s new program, The Mortal Threshold: A Certificate in the Ministry of Death and Dying. Panelists Matt Ricke, Max Sovine, Silent, Asherah Parramore, and Salicrow will join moderators Megan Rose, Deirdre Rogers, and Margo Wolfe.
The conversation will examine how death ministry supports dying people and their loved ones, helps communities reclaim meaningful rituals, and challenges cultural attitudes toward mortality. Participants will offer a glimpse into this deeply human work and its potential to change how people understand and experience death.
The event is open to anyone considering a path in death ministry, curious about the death positivity movement, or seeking a more thoughtful relationship with mortality.
Visit Cherry Hill Seminary’s website for more information and the Zoom link.
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Community Announcements
Hekate’s Sickle Festival Returns This November to the Salish Sea for a Three-Day Rite of Devotion, Mystery, and Community
The Aquarian Tabernacle Church (ATC) announces the return of Hekate’s Sickle Festival, a three-day Witch Retreat devoted to Isis, Hekatean practice, sacred arts, and community ritual, to be held November 6-8th at Camp Moran State Park on Orcas Island, Washington.
Set amid evergreen forest and wide water views in the San Juan Islands, Hekate’s Sickle Festival invites practitioners, seekers, and dedicated devotees to step into a concentrated weekend of ritual, teaching, devotional practice, and fellowship. The festival’s programming centers on reverent engagement with Hekate through guided rites, workshops, and community spaces designed to support both newcomers and long-time practitioners.
“While the amenities of the hotel are comfortable, Witches want to be in the wild woods, under the moon, with firelight, and drums,” said Belladonna LaVeau, Archpriestess and CEO of the Aquarian Tabernacle Church. “Hekate’s Sickle is a witch retreat, dedicated to magic, deepening your connection with deity and each other, so we can return to our lives strengthened by shared mystery and sacred work.”
Register now, as space in the camp is limited and spots are filling up fast. The Weekend Registration is all-inclusive; we feed you and give you a bed in the camp cabins for the weekend for only $299.
A Festival Designed for Real Bodies and Real Lives
ATC acknowledges that rustic state-park lodging can be a barrier for some attendees. The park does not have ADA-compliant facilities in the cabins. In response to community feedback, ATC is highlighting nearby off-site lodging options that offer a higher-comfort environment while keeping attendees close to the heart of the event.
- Doe Bay Resort (approximately 12 miles from Camp Moran): https://doebay.com/
- Rosario Resort (approximately 9 miles from Camp Moran): Rosario Resort | 1624 Rosario Road, Eastsound, WA, USA https://www.rosarioresort.com/
Because November is a quieter season in the San Juan Islands, these properties may be open to negotiating rates, and ATC can help coordinate pickup and drop-off between the festival site and either lodging location.
Registration
Registration is open now, and discount tickets are still available for a limited time.
- Register: http://sickle.atcwicca.org
About Aquarian Tabernacle Church
The Aquarian Tabernacle Church (ATC) is a 501(c)(3) religious organization serving a broad Pagan community across the United States, Canada, and South Africa. ATC supports spiritual education, seasonal festivals, devotional practice, and community-building through local branches and online resources.
“Bring us Witches with agency. Bring us transformation. Bring us rot and bloom.”
California — Coreopsis Journal has announced an international call for submissions for Spellbound, the first volume of a planned three-book fantasy anthology inspired by The Coven, a series of paintings by Ukrainian fantasy artist Inna Vjuzhanina.
Vjuzhanina, who lives and continues to work in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, created The Coven as part of what organizers describe as her personal spiritual and artistic journey. She is collaborating on the anthology with the team behind Coreopsis Journal. The project is being published by an independent Canadian publisher, with the first volume planned for 2027.
Each of the three proposed volumes will feature nine of Vjuzhanina’s paintings accompanied by original fiction and poetry inspired by the artwork. For Spellbound, writers select one of nine paintings and create a work in which the depicted Witch is essential to the story. The figure may be interpreted broadly—as protagonist, antagonist, deity, familiar, machine, memory, place, or something else entirely—but editors emphasize that the work should not function without the Witch at its center.
Submissions are open to writers worldwide. Fiction of up to 15,000 words and poetry of up to 50 lines will be considered, along with shorter and flash fiction when appropriate to the selected artwork. The project offers a token payment, with organizers hoping to increase compensation through fundraising.
An optional priority-reading process is available for Ukrainian and Ukrainian-diaspora writers and writers currently living in or displaced from war zones.
Editors say they are particularly interested in imaginative, emotionally engaging work featuring Witches with agency and transformation. They will not consider work relying on ethnic stereotypes, pseudo-Slavic caricatures, stock portrayals of Witches as evil hags or seductive villains, graphic sexual content, sexual violence, or gratuitous violence. Writers drawing upon living cultures or traditions outside their own are asked to approach the material with research and care.
Submissions for Spellbound close December 1 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
More information, the nine paintings, and submission instructions are available from the Spellbound project at Worldsmyths. Questions may be directed to publishing@worldsmyths.com.
And they shared some Magical Music to write by …
EarthSpirit Announces Fall schedule
WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS — The EarthSpirit Community has shared its calendar of rituals and gatherings for the remainder of 2026, beginning with an Autumnal Equinox Ritual and Sacred Land Walk near EarthSpirit’s home in western Massachusetts.
Twilight Covening, EarthSpirit’s annual intensive spiritual retreat, will take place October 9–12 in the Berkshires. The community will return to Glenwood on October 25 for an Ancestor Ritual and Sacred Land Walk from 1 to 5 p.m., including a ritual walk at 1 p.m. and an Ancestor Ritual at 3 p.m.
EarthSpirit’s Samhain Ritual is scheduled for Friday, October 30, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the Williamsburg Grange in Williamsburg, Massachusetts. The community will close its 2026 seasonal ritual calendar with its Yule celebration. Specific details below:
Ancestor Ritual and Sacred Land Walk
October 25, 2026, 1 – 5 pm
at Glenwood, EarthSpirit’s home in western MA
Ritual Walk at 1 pm, Ancestor Ritual at 3 pm
EarthSpirit Samhain Ritual
Friday, October 30, 2026 7:30-9pm
Williamsburg Grange, Main St, Williamsburg, MA
EarthSpirit Seasonal Rituals in Williamsburg:
Yule – December 19
Events and Announcements
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More Events at our new Events Calendar
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Deck: Ghosts & Spirits Tarot, by Lisa Hunt, and published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
Card: Ace of Pentacles
This week could very well offer new opportunities for adventure and exploration. However, it is likely to require tapping into that inner wildness we all carry within us—no matter how deep we have buried it. There is also the potential for ideas—new or long-held—to begin to pay off and actually produce substantial and viable increases in material resources.
In contrast, being distracted or simply not paying attention to what is happening is liable to result in missing a major opportunity. Also highlighted is the need to be thorough when it comes to new offers, particularly those that involve investment. All that glitters is not gold, and without a healthy dose of pragmatism when it comes to monies, financial loss is looming on the horizon.
Boys and girls of every age
Wouldn’t you like to see something strange?
’Tis the season—and with the 2026 midterm elections approaching, witchcraft has found its way into campaign attacks. In Kansas, a Republican candidate described his opponent’s family TikTok jokes as “demonic stuff.” In Florida, a Republican advertisement is using a Democratic candidate’s creative writing about spellcasting to portray her politics as bizarre.
Kansas: Republican candidate describes opponent’s TikTok videos as “demonic”
Kansas State Capitol Building, Topeka [Aviper2k7, Wikimedia Commons, CC 3.0
According to the article, his comments referred to humorous videos posted by Holscher’s 20-year-old daughter, Maddie. One featured music from Wicked, while another showed Maddie waving her arms around her mother with a caption joking about casting a spell to secure her election. Holscher previously described her daughter’s videos as goofy expressions of affection.
Maddie responded to the accusations with another joke, posting a childhood photograph of herself and her sibling dressed as witches for Halloween and suggesting they had been practicing since elementary school.
The report presents Masterson’s remarks as an effort to turn lighthearted family videos into allegations of sinister activity during a competitive campaign.
Florida: Republican advertisement targets candidate’s writing about witchcraft
The Old/Historic Florida Capitol Building in the foreground. The New Capitol is visible in the Background. [Public Domain CC0
The advertisement also criticizes her progressive endorsements and opposition to school vouchers. The article reports that Aman’s campaign priorities include reproductive rights, Medicaid expansion, property insurance regulation, and opposition to voucher expansion. Prater, a longtime public school educator and administrator, emphasizes affordability, insurance reform, and career and technical education.
The report does not include a response from Aman to the advertisement or establish her religious identity. Its account concerns Republican characterizations of her published writing, rather than evidence that she identifies as a Witch or practices a particular religion.
Aman has not responded to the advertisement or stated her religious identity. The Wild Hunt welcomes Aman’s comments.
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