Deities, Shadows, and Soulcraft: A Conversation with Raven Digitalis

Raven Digitalis shares his journey as a witch, author, and practitioner exploring the intersection of Eastern and Western mystical traditions while embracing shadow work and devotional practices with deities.

• Author of multiple books including the shadow triptych and empath series with various publishers
• Defines witchcraft as self-determination, pursuit of knowledge, connection to nature, and curiosity
• Works primarily with Bastet of ancient Egypt and the Hindu trinity of Shiva, Shakti/Durga, and Ganapati/Ganesha
• Emphasizes incorporation of music as a magical tool for motivation and ritual work
• Advocates for service as a central but often overlooked aspect of magical practice
• Discusses entheogenic substances as valuable tools for ceremonial magic and personal revelation
• Recommends maintaining spiritual protection against unwanted spirit attachments
• Suggests staying curious as essential advice for new witches exploring their path

For signed books, tarot readings, spell kits and more, visit ravendigitalis.com or find Raven on social media platforms @ravendigitalis.

Chapters

• 0:04 Introduction to Raven Digitalis
• 6:06 Defining Witchcraft and Personal Practice
• 12:02 Working with Deities and Daily Devotions
• 15:30 Self-Confidence as Magical Focus
• 21:37 Music as a Magical Tool
• 30:20 Entheogens and Shadow Work
• 34:07 Building Community and Solitary Practice
• 43:56 Embracing Curiosity as a Witch
• 1:03:18 Spirit Attachments and Magical Protection

Transcript

Kimothy: 0:04

Welcome back to Your Average Witch, where every other Tuesday we talk about witch life, witch stories, and sometimes a little witchcraft. This week I'm talking with Raven Digitalis, a witch currently living in Montana. We talked about working with deity, having curiosity, and shadow work. Now let's get to the stories. Raven, hello, welcome to the show!

Raven: 0:26

Hello, Hey, it's great to be here. Thanks for having me on.

Kimothy: 0:30

Thanks for being here. Can you please introduce yourself and let everybody know who you are and what you do and where they can find you?

Raven: 0:39

But of course. I am Raven Digitalis and I'm an author with Llewellyn in Minneapolis, St Paul, and with Cross Crow Books in Chicago and now recently with Moon Books, a division of Collective Inc which is in London, UK. And so since 2007, I've been writing books about different subjects, all of them magic-oriented, occult-oriented. My two primary subjects that I write about, or have written about at least, are shadow work and empathy. So I'm most known for my shadow series and my empath series, which I call trilogies or triptychs. I like to call them triptychs and get very artsy like that. But you know, the Shadow triptych are the books Gothcraft, which was my first one, which is a look at Gothic culture and the of goth culture with pagan spirituality and magic, and then the second one in that series is called A Witch's Shadow Magick Compendium and that's magic with a ck, and that one got reprinted for 15th anniversary edition on Cross Crow books. It was on the well and originally revised, expanded. It's about three times better than the one from 2008. So that came out a few years ago, which is Shadow Magic Compendium. And then the final one in that series is a Gothic Witches Oracle deck. So this Oracle deck just got released as of this recording.

Raven: 2:20

So that is a collaboration with an artist that I've just adored forever. Well, since I was a little teenage goth witch at 17, his name is John Santerineross and he's a photographic artist hailing from New York City and his work is just dark and spooky and deeply meaningful. I actually connected with John originally as a teenager when I was involved with expressing myself through photographic black and white art and I was like, hey, can you give me some advice? And when I reconnected with him a few years ago with a couple of years ago really, with a project in mind for the oracle deck, he's like yeah, I remember you, let's collaborate on this project. It amazing, I'm so honored and, he said that he's been approached like couple dozen times to do tarot and oracle decks and I never felt right until this one and I'm just so happy with how they turned out. They're very spooky, there is nudity and it's photographic. It's not for kids. It's not because of the nudity, Skyclad is great, but because of the spooky nature of the cards. It's definitely an adult deck. So, yeah, that's the Gothic Witches, oracle.

Raven: 3:37

Then the other series, like I said, is the Empath series, the Empath Trilogy. So that began with the favorite book that I've ever written so far, which is called Esoteric Empathy, A Magical and Metaphysical Guide to Emotional Sensitivity, and that took actually six years off and on to write. Then after that was The Everyday Empath, which is a smaller book that's for everyone, it's not just for witches and pagans and things. That's an everybody kind of deck. Excuse me, or not deck, but book and that one got translated into Spanish and also into audiobook. And the third in that series is called the Empath's Oracle Deck. So that's my other deck of cards and they're just gorgeous.

Raven: 4:29

It's a collaboration with an artist who paints only in acrylic and it's very abstract, psychedelic, deep, rich, intricate art and his name is Konstantin Bax and Konstantin is from Berlin, germany. He lives in Hamburg now. So that was just such an amazing collaboration. I'm very happy with the Empaths Oracle and how that turned out. So those are my trilogies. So you can also find me online under my website, ravendigitalis.com one word, that's Raven, like the bird, digitalis, which is the Latin name for the foxglove plant. Or you can find me on Facebook, instagram and YouTube. I don't do much on YouTube and pretty soon I'll be on Blue Sky, but they're all under ravindigitalis as one word. So folks can reach out anytime for signed copies of books, tarot readings, spell kits, all sorts of stuff. But my website explains all that Raven digitaliscom

Kimothy: 5:38

Great. So what does it mean to you when you call yourself a witch? 

Raven: 5:49

That's a good question. So for me, the word witch is something that I really prefer and hold on to, even above pagan and occultist, which are also true. I just love the word witch, especially because it's a reclaimed term, but kind of like queer you know there have been many terms that have been used over time in negative contexts and which is one of them but you know it means something new and powerful. Now, the word witch represents self-determination, the pursuit of knowledge, the connection to nature, the reverence of nature and the pursuit of wisdom, because you know, we are perpetually students in this world and you know, even teachers and gurus are also students, everyone's a student. So I think it's that curiosity and even the mystique of the term, because of course we're all familiar with hollywood witchery portrayals which can be really fun, and you know it doesn't have to be a fantastical fantasy kind of term, but I think it's one of self-empowerment, the pursuit of wisdom. How do you feel about the term witch.

Kimothy: 7:25

I just kind of get technical with it. So everything is made up of energy and witchcraft is just figuring out ways to manipulate that energy.

Raven: 7:38

Love it.

Kimothy: 7:39

It's probably the most brief one I've done so far, the most brief way of saying what I feel about it. So I'm proud of myself.

Raven: 7:52

Right.

Kimothy: 7:53

And then I ruin it by this extremely long explanation about oh yay, I was short and brief.

Raven: 7:59

Anyway, you know, sometimes we need that brief explanation because we'll get asked, well, what does this mean? By someone who has no idea. So we have to summarize it, we have to have those go-to summaries to be like, yeah, that's your elevator pitch, my elevator explanation on what I think witchcraft is. I love it.

Kimothy: 8:22

Can you introduce us to your practice?

Raven: 8:26

Well, for 16 years I co-operated a pagan temple, a multicultural temple, and that was my practice for that duration. But that came to a close four or five years ago and at this point I'm solitary in my practice and I keep my tools at a minimum, just what I need for functioning operation, for spellcraft, for ritual observances. So I like to be in tune with the lunar tide more than anything and really follow the moon. I think the moon has huge impact in our lives and the moon is just directly connected to mysticism because she's so beautiful and subtle and mysterious and there are all these esoteric associations with moon as a planet. And that's something we can just connect to visually and track in our almanacs and our calendars and see which phase the moon is in and how we can align our magic and just our intentions throughout any day, day by day, with the lunar cycle of course, see which sign the moon is in at any given time and feel the impact of that role. New moons and full moons being the most powerful, I think, but also eclipses those are fascinating. But anyway, for my personal practice currently, I was working with Hekate for a while but I haven't worked with Hekate for a while. But I haven't worked with Hekate for a couple years now but I might again soon if the call continues.

Raven: 10:12

But Bashtet, I work with every day, goddess Basht of ancient Egypt and me and my cat Catskills, my familiar. He and I do gratitude prayers every day with Basht. And I also work, most prominently, with the Hindu Holy Trinity family of Shiva and Shakti, aka Durga, or Devi and Ganapati akha. So Ganesha is the holy child, mythical offspring of Shiva and Durga, shakti, parvati, and represents the full union of the masculine and feminine energies and so many other things. Ganesh and Bashta both have helped carry me through the darkest times of life and the greatest times and continue to. So that's who I work with the most when it comes to deities.

Raven: 11:12

And you know I just do solitary personal observances at this point of the Sabbaths and the Esbats and Hindu holidays, certain Hindu festivals I like to observe. I consider myself a Sanatani or an American Hindu as well as a witch. So I just love the bridge of Eastern and Western mysticism. They really complement each other. So that's where my heart I have a Hindustani heart really, and my practice is afoot in both worlds, the East and the West. Mystical, of course.

Kimothy: 12:00

Would you say you do very much spell work?

Raven: 12:02

At this point as far as intentional spells go like ritualistic, full-on spellcraft a couple times a month for different purposes. You know, I even made a vision board recently which my sister-in-law helped influence. She and my brother and niece and nephew are now living here in Missoula, Montana, where I'm stationed at the moment, recalibrating after Hawaii. I'm looking at Seattle for the future, pacific Northwest, somewhere when time, finances, synchronicronicity, all that aligns. Anyway, my sister-in-law was like, hey, let's have the family come over and everybody make a vision board. And I was like you know what?

Raven: 12:53

I wrote an article about how vision boards can be used as magical tools not too long ago and I was like you know, I haven't made a vision board for like four years, and so we all got together. It was really fun and cut out lots of magazines, had lots of markers, artistic supplies and you know I brought hoodoo supplies and like gemstone chips and glue and things like that to, you know, full on gemstones and roots and herbs and hoodoo powders to add to the vision boards. So I was like let's make a super magical. And you know I'm going to the vision boards with band, band, oil and different magical things. It was really fun.

Raven: 13:42

And so now I've got this new vision board and so during my daily practice excuse me which is every morning after coffee and shower, I'll do yoga and meditation for around 20 minutes usually, unless I have a little longer to do. And part of that includes prayer to Shiva, Shakti and Ganesha and Bastet, and then also invoking energy from my vision board. So I have that in a prominent place in front of my yoga mat, not too overwhelmingly in front of it, but at a spot where I can look up, look at the intentions align with that and so far it's working wonders. It's a great magical tool and doesn't have to be a new agey practice, you know.

Kimothy: 14:37

I don't think I've ever done one.

Raven: 14:39

I recommend it. They're fun and they can include sigils and, like I said, herbs and stones, things cut out from magazines, things printed out from online Magical ink you know writing different things and words, things that like with sigils. Maybe only the one who makes it knows what it means. So they can be really fun, powerful, magical focal tools.

Kimothy: 15:08

Maybe one day.

Raven: 15:09

I think you should. It's hard for me to sit down and do stuff. Life happens, but if you approach it like a spell it might be a little easier.

Kimothy: 15:26

Can you compare and contrast your biggest motivator in your practice versus your biggest struggle?

Raven: 15:35

Well, I suppose my biggest motivator is at the moment excuse me, at the moment, my biggest motivator in spellcraft is self-confidence, because I've lacked that a lot throughout my life, even through writing, even though I'm a fabulous leo if you know I'm gonna overcompensate. Be like, yeah, so that's a fabulous Leo, but I, you know it's self-confidence has always been a struggle and it's getting better and better. I went through some very dark years recently and have come out of them pretty well, thankfully, through magic and support. For many, many folks and spirits and my kitty cat familiar Catskills and confidence is just something that I'm holding on to. I've been doing a lot of work in the sacral chakra, the second chakra which is connected with self-confidence, and so is the third one, the solar plexus, and doing things like this, like chatting in an interview. You know I've done this, I've done interviews, I've done chats, podcasts, video and audio things like that since 2007, since my first book came out. But I still have anxiety and confidence issues. So I work with some herbs and natural medications and then, of course, meditation and prayer and Reiki practice, which I'm now certified in, which is great. That was a recent thing. So integrating these practices.

Raven: 17:16

My witchcraft is focused on self-confidence, but I am especially during my tarot reading sessions and anything public the more confidence, genuine confidence, that I have, the more I can help uplift others. So what it's all about to me, that's the other thing about the term witch. I think it's greatly about service. So there's the aspect of witchcraft and witchery that's personally empowering, but then there's the aspect of service and doing good for others and that's something I think could use a bit more emphasis in the craft is service, volunteer work, donating financially if someone's able, just helping others with no expectation of return, that kind of thing. And I have found that the more service that I do but not at anyone's expense, including my own, on any level then the more empowered I feel and the more confident I feel. So that's been. You know, confidence has been the biggest challenge and it's the biggest focus in my craft right now.

Kimothy: 18:34

I like that. I haven't asked the question like that before. It's there, it's always been two separate questions. So it's interesting that you just took it and ran with it and it's the same thing, happy to hear it. What's something you wish more people asked you about?

Raven: 18:53

You know, I just like listening more than talking. Again, maybe I'm going against my Leo fabulosity, but I like listening more than talking about myself. Usually you wouldn't know that from my posts online because it looks like I'm very self-important. I'm like, hey, I'm doing this, I'm doing this, got this book coming out, this book coming out.

Kimothy: 19:20

Well, that's what they're for.

Raven: 19:21

That's what they're for. Yeah, it's social networking for a reason. Yeah, we can curate our presentations to the public, so, but I'm so thankful to have trusted friends and family and a wonderful therapist and folks that I can talk to about personal matters as well. So it's one of those things where my public face is not something that's false or a facade or a mask. It's just a part of me. You know, Raven Digitalis apparently is my brand. So this is something that I allegedly do. This is something I did not realize until just like five, six years ago. You know, I was talking to some business-minded folks because I'm just not business-minded and they're like yeah, so your brand is Raven, to Show I'm like it is. I thought that was just me. I'm like oh, I guess I am my brand. So it's weird. It's kind of like when Lady Gaga's asked or anybody like so who is Stephanie really versus Lady Gaga? She's like you know we're one and the same. There's just certain it's just different aspects of the self.

Kimothy: 20:49

And you know that's magic too. Well, what I would like to know is what do you like talking about? What do you want people to ask you about? What are you into?

Raven: 21:03

For the longest time I would say music. You know, I was a DJ for 19 years, so I would love to. I love talking about music. That's always fun. Not just goth music, but so many different varieties. Music is just so sacred and special to me. You know, the first card in my Gothic, which is Oracle deck, is about healing with music, because you know, that's the foundation of that subculture and many other subcultures. It's not just looking amazing and the aesthetics that's a great part of it but it's really a musical and emotional subculture. So, yeah, music has always held a special place in my heart.

Kimothy: 21:53

Well, now that makes me wonder about this next question what is your favorite tool? It does not have to be a physical object, it can be a song, or it can be like your altar, or mine is my actual entire studio. What's yours?

Raven: 22:11

Oh hey. Yeah, your studio. I love that Sacred space, right.

Kimothy: 22:16

Yep. And my delicious tools.

Raven: 22:21

Absolutely Well. Like I said, my kitty cat is my number one. He's actually my registered emotional support pet, and he is black cat, five years old, one eye, clipped ear, no teeth, no balls. He's a very magical creature and very cozy and snuggly. We help each other in life and so he's my greatest comrade right now non-human comrade, in addition to the gods, of course.

Raven: 22:57

But as far as tools, again, music is just such a prominent tool. I was talking to my friend, Jerry Abstract in Portland. He's a dear friend of mine. He's a musical producer, creates fantastic IDM, which is called intelligent dance music, which is a type of electronica, and he does other genres ambient and techno and things also. But I was talking to him when I had my own apartment and was living alone in Hawaii for like six months.

Raven: 23:37

I had my own apartment, it was just me for the first time in my life living alone, just me and the kitty cat, and I was like Jerry, what can I do? Like? I was like you're a bachelor, what? What do you advise? What do you advise me to do to kind of feel better and get motivated through the day? He's like put on music, just put it on and I'm like, okay, you're right, duh, of course I should put on music. So now I I pick a certain genre of music depending on what I'm doing on any given day, and just put it on, and it is massively conducive. So it's like yesterday, for example, I had 15 book orders to package and I was like, okay, I can't just listen to down tempo and like piano music right now. This is not working. So I'm like let's do some psytrance and put it on really loud. It's like boom, boom, boom, motivation, motivation, boom, boom, boom. And I'm like, yeah, get her done, get her done. So I got her done.

Kimothy: 24:44

I'm interested, I actually do. Hmm, how do you use it in your magic, in your magical practice? I know that on Thursdays, my group of friends, we work together, we work with Jupiter, and so I have a phrase that I sing every Thursday as part of my little ritual that I do individually. I have not done it for the group but do you do anything like that?

Raven: 25:22

Well, I have to say that's a lovely devotion to Jupiter, and it would be to Mercury too, or to Venus, yeah, I guess to a lot of different planetary bodies and deities, music singing is a great offering. Yeah, I love that. It's a devotional. Yeah, it kind of reminds me of when I'm observing Hindu festivals, like the festivals for Ganesh and for the great goddess Durga Shakti. Those are nine or or ten day festivals, so I'll do fasting during that whole time and just have a little vegetarian Indian food at night, no intoxicants, all that stuff. And I will integrate bhajans, which are sacred songs in Hinduism, to the deities, which are sacred songs in Hinduism to the deities, which is a form of devotion that you'll see in Hindu temples.

Raven: 26:18

I've been to India a couple times and was able to experience that in person as well, and also at Hindu temples in America that I've been to. They're big on bhajans, big on singing. Some regions of India and Indian diasporic areas have gharb dancing and the gharb is g-h-a-r-b or gharb or gharba is dancing and singing, and this is all to celebrate deities and turnings of nature, like the hindu cycle, is lunar, based lunar calendar, as are most, if not all, asian calendars, and that is definitely a devotional that I like to do, but you know, you're kind of making me think maybe I should do it more often, like Monday is the day of Shuba, I think Thursday is Ganesha's day, I'm not sure. Anyway, music. 

Kimothy: 27:35

That would be funny if it was.  For me. I mean for me personally. Because that's the one Hindu deity who I sort of, I'm into.

Raven: 27:44

Yeah, I think a lot of people are, because Ganesha is just so approachable, loving, non-judgmental safe. You know, Ganesh is very safe. It would be funny if that was the Thursday one For me. I mean, it looks like it's actually Wednesday because of the planet Mercury.

Kimothy: 28:12

I just researched it.

Raven: 28:12

Nice.

Kimothy: 28:13

Yeah, that's another good day. Maybe I'll think of a different song. Yeah.

Raven: 28:19

Yeah, I mean there are very simple songs, like I love to perform, the Arati song. And the Arati in Hinduism is the rituals where the flame is waved in a circular, you know G, a solo clockwise pattern toward the Murchie or the statue of the deity or a representation of them, and traditionally, during the waving of the flame, a different song is sung. So for Ganesha it's Jai Ganesha, jai Ganesha, jai Ganesha Deva, mata Jaki Parvati Pita, maha Deva, which means praise, praise, ganesh. Your mother is Parvati Durga, your father is Lord Shiva. Very simple and fun.

Kimothy: 29:14

Sweet what's something you wish was discussed more in the magical community?

Raven: 29:20

Magical community, you know, I think what I was talking about earlier about service as part of the craft, which a lot of activist traditions are all about. It just depends on the tradition or system or the approach, but service towards others is huge. I think that needs to be emphasized more as devotional craft practice Because, you know, as within so without. And another thing that I'd like to see integrated more in witchcraft and paganism is the use of entheogens and entheogenic psychedelic substances in ceremonial settings. I know for me personally, psilocybin, the magic mushroom in ceremonial settings, has given me so much gifted, so much healing energies of rebirth and also visions of what to do. You know I I became an author because of a mushroom trip and during that trip it I got to see in my mind's eye a lot of elders and teachers and who are writers, pagan writers, and the message was this is your path. Also was to become a writer, and so that's where that came from. And so many other things in my life were inspired by visionary entheogenic ceremonies and journeys in safe settings and intentionally ritualistic settings. So I wish that was explored a little bit more in the craft.

Raven: 31:22

And actually, I just finished a book two days ago, my 11th book. God or don, oh my gosh. So the Shadow Work book is all I can say. It's coming out winter of 2025-26. And it's a book about shadow work, and one of the rituals in there discusses entheogenic use. I hesitate to say drugs, because that implies more recreational use and there's nothing wrong with that if someone's safe and healthy about it, but I think that's something that deserves a little bit more attention. The mind-altering plant medicine.

Kimothy: 32:09

I think we need to be in a different country to have that really work too well.

Raven: 32:15

Yeah, we do have so many limitations here. But there are different psychedelic and entheogenic facilitators that are trained, often trained in other countries through lineages, who facilitate these ceremonies for folks, and these are in most cases protected by certain religious freedom laws, especially if the group is non-profit or is registered as a church in the states. So it's slowly becoming more accepted and is non-profit or is registered as a church in the States. So it's slowly becoming more accepted and acceptable. And that includes in the scientific community the research of MDMA, ecstasy, ketamine.

Kimothy: 33:06

That's what I'm really, I'm really interested in that.

Raven: 33:11

In the scientific studies.

Kimothy: 33:12

Mm-hmm, because I think once it's more accepted there, then it can eke its little roots out into other things.

Raven: 33:23

Yeah, I totally agree. Absolutely, Yep, we cannot disregard science.

Kimothy: 33:48

Science is part of the craft, after all. Let's say how have you taken steps to build community near you, in-person community, have you done anything like that?

Raven: 34:01

Well, like I said, I cooperated at a multicultural pagan temple for 16 years. So we had really strong community there and I was hosting ceremonies, rituals for up to 50 50 people, five to 50 people usually at a time, and I was deeply involved with that as a priest. But at this point I'm more solitary. So my connections at this point are through my tarot readings, through consultations, spellcraft, consultations remotely or in person. See, I've been doing the hermiting thing since coming back to Montana after Hawaii, not to the extreme, I mean, I was for a little bit there, but now I'm getting a little bit more brave and getting out a little bit more. So community is super important for me. At this point I'm not really too focused on it. I kind of did my time quite a bit and got some burnout occur because of that. But I'll slowly reintegrate, especially if and when I move to the Pacific Northwest. Then I'd like to engage in more community involvement again. But I'd rather not be the host. I still do pride rituals. 

Kimothy: 35:30

I super, don't want that.

Raven: 35:32

Right, you know, because I was the host for so long in my temple. But now I'm just taking more of a solitary role. But even tomorrow I'm doing a hand parting ritual, 23 years after a hand fasting that I did for a couple. So I'll still do private ceremonies like that.

Kimothy: 35:54

That's interesting. I haven't heard that before.

Raven: 35:58

Hand parting, you know.

Kimothy: 35:59

Yeah.

Raven: 36:02

It's the divorce of hand fasting.

Kimothy: 36:05

That's what I figured. But I've not heard it. That's interesting.

Raven: 36:10

Right and I've never done one before. Everyone well, not everyone that I've had past it, most people that I've had past it have stayed together, but some have not. And you know, for some, for many couples if they well, I don't not even just couples, they could be more than one, more than two people. Um, for many lovers that get hand-fasted, they'll renew or not renew their vows after a year and a day.

Kimothy: 36:41

Yeah.

Raven: 36:42

And that's where it is. But you know, you can do one 23 years later too, if things just don't work out. And that's okay. Life changes. People change.

Kimothy: 36:53

I think it's kind of sweet If they're willing to do that. It sounds like it's at least semi-amicable, so I hope it is.

Raven: 37:00

Right.

Kimothy: 37:01

I hope everything works out in a pleasant way for everyone.

Raven: 37:06

I think it will, and it's really good for people to acknowledge change, even if it's uncomfortable.

Kimothy: 37:12

Yeah.

Raven: 37:14

And that's a mark of self-awareness To be like. You know this didn't work out. Things have changed, things are different and that's okay.

Kimothy: 37:22

Yeah, I'm not the same person. I was 23 years ago. Good night.

Raven: 37:26

Right, but 23 years ago we thought we would be the same.

Kimothy: 37:30

Yep.

Raven: 37:33

Yeah, I found that my core hasn't changed. My ethics have never changed, even since the time, you know, when I was a teenage witch and I'm 41 now, which I never thought I would be either my ethics just haven't changed. I've never cursed anybody. I can, I know how to very damn well if I had to, um, but I have alternatives for that, for example, um. So you know, my core just hasn't changed. There's so much about me that has changed, but there are some things that never will.

Kimothy: 38:24

Sorry, that made me ponder. Yeah that's right I was thinking about. Well, not directly, but it just reminds me of the Myers-Briggs where they say, regardless of people's opinions of the validity of the test, but they say if you answer it honestly, it should be the same, no matter where you are in your life when you take it.

Raven: 38:54

Interesting. You know I've never taken the Myers-Briggs test. It's been recommended.

Kimothy: 39:05

I took it a long time ago, like in my early 20s, and then I took it again, I think in my late 30s, and they were the same and I was a very different person. And I'm a very different person now, but I think I'm still INFJ.

Raven: 39:22

Yes, so almost everyone I talk to is like I'm INFJ, I'm like cool. So is everybody I talk to, which means I probably am too.

Kimothy: 39:37

It's fun. Even if you don't want to do anything with it, it's fun. It's a fun thing.

Raven: 39:44

You know, I'll make a note of it, I will perform that and you can do that online, is that right?

Kimothy: 39:49

Think about the three biggest influences on your practice, whether it's a person, or a book, or a scientific theory, whatever. Whatever these influences are, thank them for the way they influence you and your practice.

Raven: 40:19

You know, something that I do every day are gratitude prayers with Goddess Bash, and I do that with my familiar cat skills. So in those gratitude prayers we give thanks to family and friends. I also personally give thanks to family and friends. I also personally give thanks to the readers of my books. And so if I had to pick three influences obviously Catskills, my baby and, like I said, my readers and my family. Very grateful for all those things I count those gratitude prayers every day. I think everybody should incorporate gratitude practice. It doesn't have to be a new age thing, it's about giving back. It comes back to that service energy I was talking about. If we give that gratitude and those good vibes, we're giving energy of service. And this year, the magic hoodoo vision board, is because  of course, we witchify everything, don't we?

Kimothy: 41:43

I mean how can I not?

Raven: 41:46

yeah, exactly, it's all witchcraft bitches. Yeah, it's just like about keeping up trajectory, certain vibrational frequencies, if you want to use that terminology.

Kimothy: 42:06

I think it also especially right now in this stupid hellscape we seem to be in. I think it's important to remind ourselves that there are things to be grateful for.

Raven: 42:18

Absolutely yeah, the political hellscape and the billionaire takeover is scary, it's fucking terrifying, fucking, terrifying.

Raven: 42:30

And I'm very honored to have joined yesterday in a conference on zoom with Starhawk and Oberyn Zell Ravenheart and all these different pagan leaders who are working on both magic and activist petitions activist petitions networking together in solidarity to fight oppression and Christian nationalism, which, of course, has nothing to do with Jesus. Jesus was awesome. Jesus was one of us. It's like if he existed. But I digress. Yeah, so we got to all stick together.

Raven: 43:16

Yeah, you're right, there are things to be hopeful and grateful for and we can't. You know, like RuPaul said, we can look at the darkness and acknowledge it, know that it's there, but we can't fall into it or else we'll become it. And that's part of shadow work, witchcraft is. So that's part of why I write about shadow work is because that's an element of witchcraft and really any spiritual practice worth its salt is doing the hard work. And shadow work isn't just about our inner demons and traumas and hindrances and challenges. It's also about working with the shadow of the world, the shadow of nature, even the, even the other world, the goat, the gastroplanes, the realm of ghosts and disincarnate spirits, deities. I think this is all related to shadow work. Anyway, I'm giving, I'm revealing too much about my next book, so I'm going to stop myself right there because I'm not allowed to do it.

Kimothy: 44:23

You're telling everybody the secrets.

Raven: 44:27

Well, if they tune in, they're special and they get special secrets?

Kimothy: 44:34

What advice do you have for a new practitioner? 

Raven: 44:35

Actually, I just wrote a list. I was approached by this website called shepherd, which sounds very christian but it's not, uh, shepherd.com, I think or .org But if somebody looks up Raven Digitalis article five best books for beginner witches, I think is what it's called. That's one of the articles I did, and then the other article that they asked me to do was five best books for newly realized empaths. So I made those lists recently.

Raven: 45:15

I love books and videos as resources for people that are learning, and podcasts and you know things like this. It's about taking in and seeing where we fit in. But in order to do that, we, the the seeker, should do away with prejudice and I don't mean that they're being bad and being prejudiced, but it's about conditioning Social conditioning, religious conditioning, familial conditioning from the family Thinking outside the box and From the family Thinking outside the box. And Curiosity Is One thing that we should never do away with. We should always.

Raven: 46:04

I had a yoga teacher say this once in a Kundalini yoga class. At the very end she said stay curious, everyone stay curious. I'm like wow, and that 10 years ago that really stuck with me Because that relates that curiosity is non-judgmental, it's like you know. I'd like to learn more about this, I'd like to study this, curious about life, curious about having been conditioned in a certain way, believing a certain thing. Whose beliefs are these really? Are they mine? You know, staying curious is staying innocent. We can be protected and maintain a level of innocence at the same time. Innocence doesn't mean naivety, necessarily it can, but we don't have to be naive in order to be curious. So I would advise all spiritual seekers, especially newbies, to just be curious and just learn as much as possible and see what resonates and what fits in to one's own practice, because we are all so unique and there is many different views about the divine as there are people alive. Everyone has a different view, different relationship with the divine, and it's a beautiful thing.

Kimothy: 47:27

I like that advice.

Raven: 47:28

Thanks.

Kimothy: 47:29

I follow that advice.

Raven: 47:32

Thank you.

Kimothy: 47:35

So, now that you've seen what it's like to talk with me, who do you think would be fun to have on the show? Who should I ask?

Raven: 47:46

You know I just mentioned the pagan activists. I think more folks that are involved with political activism in the us would be excellent to have on the show to give those viewpoints. It's not to say that every witch in America or pagan in America is liberal, but it's kind of hard not to be because we're so very open-minded and tend to be accepting where others are not. So we are overwhelmingly a liberal population. It doesn't mean we're Democrats necessarily. I consider myself independent, lean toward Democrat. I think there are crooks in every position of power. Doesn't mean they're all crooked. I was team Bernie. I still am team Bernie, bernie Sanders for the longest time. But I think if we can listen to the elders and activists within witchcraft communities, whether it's reclaiming tradition, fairy tradition, dianic tradition, there are a lot of folks from that branch, especially that focus on activism and political awareness and coming together. So I think I would suggest during these next four years or whatever, I don't want to think about it.

Kimothy: 49:23

This next period of time. We're not going to talk about that.

Raven: 49:28

Which won't last forever. Yeah, I think the more unity that we can create as witches and pagans and occultists against socio-political evils, the better, so that we can stick together. It's very easy, as you know, to get discouraged and feel like we have nothing to offer or that we can't influence change in any way, but it's really the opposite. We are here to help create change, obviously starting with the self, but then it extends to others, to the world. Everything that we do every day is significant, but then it extends to others, to the world. Everything that we do every day is significant. There are significant ripples, ripple effects of all of our actions and thoughts. And you know, even the word karma is Sanskrit and just translates simply as action. The word action equals karma, that's it. So what we do cycles into the universe, karma, that's it. So what we do cycles into the universe.

Raven: 50:30

I don't believe in the law of three as as Wicca originally defined it. That was. I'd have to ask my friend Sorita about the origins, about that. But I believe in the law of equal return and I'm off on a tangent I'm, I they'll like.

Kimothy: 50:48

Every force has an equal and opposite force, situation. Yeah, me too. I'm not a law of three person I don't remember what is it? Second law of thermodynamics yes that, that yep, yes all about that too.

Raven: 51:04

Yeah.

Kimothy: 51:04

Balancing the science with, with metaphysics, yeah, yep well, is there anything else you wanted to bring up? Any questions you had for me, anything going on with you that you want to talk about?

Raven: 51:17

I'm curious about your original introduction to witchcraft and which kind of fields of study or tradition you got involved with originally in your path.

Kimothy: 51:31

I was obsessed with the moon as a small child. Witch yeah, the word witch never really came up until I took it on myself. But when I was growing up my mom was a cop and I'm still ACAB, people, but my mom was a cop and she would say, yeah, I can, that person. She would tell me when things were about to happen, like somebody's about to get hit by a car, and then it would happen. And that was not my favorite, but she would say that when she was on patrol she would be behind people and she would start to smell alcohol and then she would watch them and then she would see them doing things.

Kimothy: 52:20

Or when she would work in loss prevention. She could spot a shoplifter coming in the door to the point that people would stop making bets with her. Her co-workers wouldn't make bets anymore because she always won. And she also knew I was pregnant before I knew I was pregnant when I was a teenager.

Raven: 52:46

Wow.

Kimothy: 52:48

Which could be just her knowing. I don't know. Maybe she knows, you don't know your freaking body as a teenager. You're a lunatic on hormones, so who knows? But anyway, so I grew up with that and I'm pretty sure that I have gotten some of that because I know there are things I know that I shouldn't know, and so I grew up with those sorts of things happening. And then I experimented with Wicca and I experimented with, like traditional magic, Traditional witchcraft with the big T. But realistically, I grew up in Virginia and like right on the outskirts of Appalachia, and that is sort of that kind of make do with what you got. Go outside, find what you need to to work with. That's. That's what I do if I need something and I wander around until I find something that says, hey, this is what you can use me for in your problem, and I pick it up and I do it.

Raven: 53:52

It's very crafty, super crafty, do you hang up chicken feet?

Kimothy: 54:01

No, Just because I don't want to deal with chicken feet.

Raven: 54:04

Oh come on, where's your sense of adventure?Kimothy: 54:09

I don't like trying to, killing chickens is… I don't like it.

Raven: 54:14

You know, I raised chickens for eight years.

Kimothy: 54:17

I don't want to clean chickens. I don't enjoy doing that. It's just gross.

Raven: 54:24

Yeah, I know I've slaughtered quite a few chickens. When I, for eight years I raised chickens, at one point had a pig, big pot, belly pig, not for food or anything you know. And now my diet is predominantly pescatarian and if I eat meat which I never will during a Hindu festival day or a fasting day or something if I eat non-seafood meat and seafood too, I make sure that it's humanely sourced. The more local and natural, the better. Still, since I was 16, up until now, I still think factory farming is horrific, evil, animal torture and I won't support those industries.

Kimothy: 55:17

Yeah, I have two roosters that I need to butcher and I just don't want to.

Raven: 55:23

I'd help you if I was there.

Kimothy: 55:25

It's no fun, that would be so great yeah it's no fun I just don't want to deal with the plucking or the skinning. Either one, I just don't want to.

Raven: 55:37

Put on music, put on drumming music, and they're going to fence the fosters.

Kimothy: 55:40

It's not like the first one where I was like I'm going to murder you because he kept attacking, he made me bleed more than once. These are just some dudes hanging out.

Raven: 55:53

Yeah, you know, that reminds me of how the roosters that I would slaughter they were all asshole roosters Really, really mean.

Kimothy: 56:00

It's way easier when they're assholes.

Raven: 56:03

Yes, it certainly is, Except for one of them. One that we got at the temple just given from. A farmer said hey, I don't want this one. I felt really bad after slaughtering it because I was, like you know, that was a more gentle rooster and I kept that rooster in my prayers for years after that and I kept his head in a jar with salt on the fire altar, you know, and I can say that witchy shit here, but I wouldn't tell normal people that I have.

Kimothy: 56:39

I have a rooster skull in a jar in my office. 

Raven: 56:42

okay, okay, I'm in good company.

Kimothy: 56:45

It was a nice one. He, he, it was a bantam and he just, Yeah, he just, I think the bigger. I think he got into a spat with the bigger one who was just like oh oops, you're dead oh yeah, the pecking order yeah that's why I can't I didn't see anything happen before then or otherwise, I would have separated them.

Kimothy: 57:08

It's not like it was an ongoing thing, I just suddenly it was suddenly it was a thing yep, it happens now.

Raven: 57:16

That's why I can't stand the term alpha male, and because lord, because in packs of-

Kimothy: 57:22

Because it’s bullshit.

Raven: 57:25

It is bullshit. Yeah, they. Yeah. There's no alpha wolf. That's a myth. They work together. The only place where there are alpha males are in, you know, chicken flocks. So basically you're calling yourself a big chicken, asshole chicken, big dick, big cock, mean cock.

Kimothy: 57:45

This is the weirdest second half of an interview.

Raven: 57:50

Let's get it weird. Anybody got a joint.

Kimothy: 57:53

The only time I talked this much about chickens was with Byron Ballard.

Raven: 57:59

Oh, Byron, hey Byron. So as for lovely listeners, hi listeners. You can go jump on my website ravendigitalis.com. That's Raven like the bird and digitalis like the foxglove plant, and you can look me up wherever books are sold. I've got 10 books out and an 11th one coming. The 11th one's with my original publisher, Llewellyn.

Raven: 58:32

The brand new books that I'm super stoked about that are just coming out right now in addition to the Gothic Witches Oracle are two books with Moon Books Collective Inc in London which I feel really fancy working with. They're really everyone's just wonderful to work with at all my publishers. But one is called Magic for Empaths. It's a mini book part of a Pagan Portal series and so that's just a little one coming out. It's kind of like an addendum to my Empath series, I consider it.

Raven: 59:07

But the one that I'm most excited about brand new, hot off the press is called Black Magic 13 Tales of Darkness, horror and the Occult. It's my first ever fiction project. I have a short story in there and it's along with 12 other authors, including Storm Constantine who passed away Just a wonderful, renowned author. She was on board with the project when it was conceived after my Gothcraft book was released, which was 2007-2008. So this book has been gestating for 17 years and it's just incredible to see it in print. It was rejected by many us publishers because of the content. There's um, scary content, violent content, erotica, um, including homoerotica. So it was amazing to have a publisher in London pick it up and it just turned out better than I could have possibly imagined.

Raven: 1:00:08

So, yeah, that's the new fiction one for those who prefer reading short story horror stories.

Raven: 1:00:12

It's called Black Magic and again, that's listed on my website and wherever books are sold and anybody can feel free at any time to contact me for arranging a tarot reading. I've been a professional tarot reader for 16 years and I exclusively use the Thoth deck, or Thoth deck, which is by Alistair Crowley and Lady Frida Harris. And I also have a new service, now that I've become fully trained in all three levels of Reiki practice, is that I also offer a service which is very unique, where I will give a tarot reading to somebody, followed by a Reiki session 45 minutes and then another 45 minutes, and that can be remote or in person, and that's a really fun service. And then the other service I'm offering also you can see on my website are personal customized spell kits where I write the spell for the person after a consultation on the phone, and then mail the ingredients and figure out the best time to perform the magic and help folks with their personal spellcraft. 

Kimothy 1:01:30

I like that last one.

Raven: 1:01:32

Yeah, it's really fun to do and it feels just like with readings and with writing. These are all very fulfilling things that I'm so honored and blessed to be able to focus on, because it makes me feel good about myself when I can help others and it's a mutual thing. It's like it's a mutually beneficial thing. All these services and to me I think that's the essence of witchcraft is just helping make the world a better place.

Kimothy: 1:02:01

So the last two things I ask of my guests are number one please recommend something. It doesn't have to be witch or magical related at all. Whatever new thing, it doesn't even have to be new. Whatever you're into this week, recommend it.

Raven: 1:02:15

Tori Amos, my favorite musical artist of all time. I've seen her in concert many times, as many times as possible. It's a spiritual experience. Tori Amos continues to shine. Her music, her art is just terrific Deep and touching and mystical and abstract and poignant. So I encourage everyone, especially empathic witches, highly empathic witches to check out Tori Amos and look through her musical catalog and music videos and records throughout her career from the 90s to today.

Kimothy: 1:02:57

What a good rec.

Raven: 1:02:59

She carries me through life.

Kimothy: 1:03:03

The second thing is please tell me a story. It could be a story you heard as a child and loved, or it can be something ridiculous that happened to you in real life. I just like stories, stories are fun.

Raven: 1:03:18

You know I'm not a very good storyteller, but one thing that I've found interesting that's a I've experienced a few different times is that I'll there are a few occasions where I've actually had spirits attached to me. So people should be very careful about external entities attaching to them. One time when that happened I I was on book tour Back in 2008,. I was in Eugene, oregon, and I write about this actually in my Esoteric Empathy book, which is my favorite book that I've written. So I have a number of empathic anecdotes in there, different stories.

Raven: 1:04:07

So what happened was I did a book signing, did the author event, and the person who was going to tour, guide me and take me around Eugene afterward got sick and had to bail. So I just walked around downtown, had a drink, just walked, and then I found myself walking in this very desolate area and it's just, you know, no buildings, no people. It just felt really off and I didn't think much of it at the time, just kind of made my way back to my hotel and after this book tour I kept feeling this presence on my left shoulder, and I'm not good at perceiving spirits. I think it's because I'm highly empathic. If someone's highly empathic, they're usually less psychic and less prone to mediumship and sight of the other world, or at least for me that's the case.

Raven: 1:05:07

So I just kept feeling this warmth on my left shoulder and it felt like a full body kind of warmth and I just kind of, you know, would sage myself or whatever, ring some bells, brush it off, just in case.

Raven: 1:05:21

But then it just kept growing stronger and for two weeks, two weeks weeks later, it was just constant warmth on my left shoulder and it felt like somebody was resting their head on my shoulder and then I just got it. So I went and sat with that and meditated and was like, okay, what the hell's going on, what is happening? And then I got a vision, um, my mind's eye about that time in Eugene, walking around that strange area, and I was like, oh my God, I picked up a spirit from here, and so the spirit started responding and tried to merge with my body and it was a female spirit I think it was a ghost who saw my light or whatever, and held on and it was like she would put her arm around my back and it felt like she was trying to come into my body and do the whole walk-in bullshit.

Kimothy: 1:06:26

I hate everything you're saying right now.

Raven: 1:06:33

And so I did a big ritual and sent her on her way and I said, you know, commanded the spirit away. And I said you go to the light, you go find the light, you are dead, you're not going here. This is me, define the boundaries, blah, blah, blah. And then it was done like that. So I'm just, you know, saying that as a little warning, just everybody, keep aware, especially while fascism and all the isms are on the rise in America you're listening from the USA. Just be aware that different people have different spirits attached to them and different areas have different spirits and they can often be attracted to it. So keep yourself cleansed.

Raven: 1:07:13

This also happened briefly. Well, once at a casino a couple years ago, and then again downtown somebody tried to sell meth to me. I'm like, no, it's not my thing, thanks. And they just kept hanging around me. And then that evening I was just overwhelmed with this presence. It's out of nowhere this grief and this craving, and I'm like, oh, this feels so icky and just had to cry and then take a shower and salt and all the magic stuff and get it off. So, everybody, keep yourself cleansed, keep yourself safe.

Kimothy: 1:07:55

I bet there are some hungry spirits in a casino.

Raven: 1:07:59

Yeah, indeed, there are.

Kimothy: 1:08:03

Well. Thank you for being on the show and for talking to me.

Raven: 1:08:12

Oh yeah, it's great to be here. I'm very comfortable talking with you. Good, it's really fun. Good, I like good conversational banter and this is how we grow. Yeah, this is how we grow and I hope the listeners like it too.

Kimothy: 1:08:33

Me too.

Raven: 1:08:35

And anyone can reach out to me anytime. It's funny when I respond to somebody's email and they're like oh my God, I never thought I would hear from somebody so famous. I'm like I'm not that famous, that's really sweet, but I'm really not that famous. But it's really nice for my Leo ego to hear that I'm like oh thanks, well, here, let me send you an autographed bookmark or something. That's sweet.

Kimothy: 1:09:02

Well, everybody be, sure to go to ravendigitalis.com and check them out, and I will see you out there, okay, bye!

Raven:1:09:11

Blessed be.

Kimothy: 1:09:13

Raven, would you like to craft a spell with me?

Raven: 1:09:22

 I'd love to.

Kimothy: 1:09:24

So first let's figure out what we want to do.

Raven: 1:09:33

Mm-hmm. Well, my trip has been confidence lately and I am thinking protection might be good on your end considering the vibes in the country and world. What are you feeling?

Kimothy: 1:09:58

Honestly, I'm up for some confidence. You just said confidence and not competence, right?

Raven: 1:10:04

Yep confidence we're competently confident indeed.

Kimothy: 1:10:10

Okay, cool. So without getting up or going, I don't know how you work. I do tend to have physical things a lot of the time.

Raven: 1:10:19

Without getting up or going anywhere.

Kimothy: 1:10:24

What do you have around you that you can use?

Raven: 1:10:28

Well, I've got the four traditional Wiccan tools or ceremonial weapons, which, of course, come from earlier Hermeticism [fades out]

Kimothy: 1:10:37

To hear more of the members-only episode, head over to crepuscularconjuration.com. The Monthly Magic tier will give you access to the Monthly Magic Marco Polo group, the private Facebook group and access to the written monthly spells. There's also Crepuscular Conjurations giving you bonus podcast episodes, coloring pages, guided meditations, spellcrafting videos, printable downloads and a lot more. The free Witchy Wonderment level will give you a little sample of everything I just mentioned. You can also visit my shop, Clever Kim's Curios, to get spell boxes, one at a time or by monthly subscription, intentional handcrafted jewelry that I make especially for witches, and handmade altar tools. You can even listen to the full Your Average Witch podcast library, including show notes and transcripts. Check it out at crepuscularconjuration.com. Thanks for listening to this episode of Your Average Witch. You can find us all around the internet on Instagram, @youraveragewitchpodcast, facebook.com/groups/hivehouse, at www.youraveragewitch.com, and at your favorite podcast service. If you'd like to recommend someone for the podcast, like to be on it yourself, or if you'd like to advertise on the podcast, send an email to youraveragewitchpodcast at gmail.com. Thanks for listening and I'll see you next Tuesday.