Magick & Alchemy

In episode 175 of the Magick & Alchemy podcast, hosts Kate Belew and Kristin Lisenby continue their series on Women in Art & the Occult, dedicating this chapter to Georgie Yeats and Sylvia Plath. Georgie was an author and medium whose journey with automatic writing began during her honeymoon with the poet and author W.B. Yeats. Over the next decade, she channeled messages from spirits who called themselves the “Instructors,” producing 50 notebooks and thousands of pages of writing and geometric designs on the occult nature of reality. Meanwhile, fellow author and mystic Sylvia Plath preferred the Ouija board to communicate with the spirit world. Although she was fiercely private about her magical interests, she relied on astrology, ‘homemade talking boards,’ and tarot cards as tools to guide her pen.
CW: Mention of Suicide
Sources & Shoutouts:
W.B. Yeats - Wikipedia
A Vision, W.B. Yeats
“The Vision of W.B. Yeats,” Gary Lachman
“Yeats and the Golden Dawn: Occult Poetry and Automatic Writing,” Nicole Lau
“The Tower,” W.B. Yeats
“Exploring The Occult Sylvia Plath,” Kalenna Fraga
“The Haunting Story Of How Sylvia Plath Died And The Tragic Events That Led Up To It,” Kaleena Fraga
“Uncovering Sylvia Plath,” Emanuela Borgatta Dunnett
Magic Maker, Pam Grossman
The Occult Sylvia Plath, Julie Gordon-Bramer
“Sylvia Plath And The Occult,” Terri-Jane Dow
“How Black Magic Killed Sylvia Plath,” - The Guardian
Join Tenth House Rising!

Tenth House Rising offers seasonal learning for those who seek meaning through myth, magick, and memory. Rooted in the rhythm of the seasons and inspired by the Wheel of the Year, each month brings a new theme that echoes the energies of the natural world. Learn more at TenthHouseRising.com.
For those who desire magick in the mail, you can also subscribe to the Tamed Wild Box, a monthly delivery of magic & earth medicine. Each box is crafted around a season and includes items for the earth-spirited and the lovers of all things mystical and natural. Deliveries can include crystals, herbs & teas, ritual tools, altar items, jewelry, essential oils & other lifestyle pieces. 
The Tamed Wild Box is a monthly offering of 5-7 items, chosen for the month and season we are in. Each delivery includes a box card that explains your items and a little ritual you can do with your new tools. You will also receive access to a monthly moon gathering, exclusive to box subscribers! 
Created by Tamed Wild.
Production by Julio Montero.
Music by Follow the Wind,
Taizo Audio

In episode 174 of the Magick & Alchemy podcast, hosts Kristin Lisenby and Kate Belew delve into the creative lives of magical women for their new series, Women in Art & the Occult. They open with the story of Hilma af Klint, a Swedish artist who explored Spiritualism, mediumship, automatic drawing, and the teachings of Rudolf Steiner and Madame Blavatsky in her work and creative process. Kate and Kristin also discuss Vali Myers, a bohemian artist known as the Witch of Positano. Vali was a maker and a muse, a painter and a tattoo artist, who was compared to the goddesses Artemis and Diana for her close relationship with animals and mountains, and for her wild nature.
Sources & Shoutouts:
Episode 144: Wyrd Women, Pt. 2
New Moon Magic, Amy Torok & Risa Dickens
Waking the Witch: Reflections on Women, Magic, and Power, Pam Grossman
Paintings for the Temple, Guggenheim, New York
“The Strange Afterlife of Hilma af Klint, Painting’s Posthumous Star,” Alice Gregory
The Spiral Dance, Starhawk
Just Kids, Patti Smith
A Lesson in True Bohemianism with the Witch of Positano
Bohemian like you: Vali Myers the Witch of Positano
Everything Shines in the Darkness: Sheldon & Diane Rochlin's Vali, The Witch of Positano - YouTube
Inside the remote Italian home of Australia’s bohemian high priestess
Photos: Revisiting Love on the Left Bank - Vanity Faire
Florence Welch on feminism, depression, fame
Vali Myers, the Witch of Positano - Tumblr
Join Tenth House Rising!

Tenth House Rising offers seasonal learning for those who seek meaning through myth, magick, and memory. Rooted in the rhythm of the seasons and inspired by the Wheel of the Year, each month brings a new theme that echoes the energies of the natural world. Learn more at TenthHouseRising.com.
For those who desire magick in the mail, you can also subscribe to the Tamed Wild Box, a monthly delivery of magic & earth medicine. Each box is crafted around a season and includes items for the earth-spirited and the lovers of all things mystical and natural. Deliveries can include crystals, herbs & teas, ritual tools, altar items, jewelry, essential oils & other lifestyle pieces. 
The Tamed Wild Box is a monthly offering of 5-7 items, chosen for the month and season we are in. Each delivery includes a box card that explains your items and a little ritual you can do with your new tools. You will also receive access to a monthly moon gathering, exclusive to box subscribers! 
Created by Tamed Wild.
Production by Julio Montero.
Music by Follow the Wind,
Taizo Audio

In episode 173 of the Magick & Alchemy podcast, hosts Kristin Lisenby and Kate Belew investigate the folklore, superstitions, and astrological significance of eclipses. Beginning with the myriad of eclipse mythologies from around the world, they consider the stories of monstrous Apep and heavenly Selene. They contemplate eclipses as omens, bolstering agents for medieval magicians, and course correctors for modern spellcasters. They also highlight the influence of these celestial phenomena on earth-dwellers, and how they deliver stories, guidance, and path-aligning magic.
Sources & Shoutouts:
Small Spells Deck by Tamed Wild
Episode 128: Spring Magick
History of Eclipses - NASA
Moon Lore, Timothy Harley
“Behold Rahu, the Beheaded Asura, and Other Eclipse Monsters of Yore,” Robert Lamb
Brewers Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, John Ayto
“Surprising facts and beliefs about eclipses during medieval and Renaissance times,” Sandra Knispel
Carl Jung, Letter to Horst Scharschuch, 1 September 1952, Letters, Vol. II
Astrology Is Real: Revelations from My Life as an Oracle, Robb Breszny
“Totality,” Anne Carson
Chani Nicholas
California Academy of Sciences supervisor Elise Ricard
Doug Duncan, director of the Fiske Planetarium at the University of Colorado, Boulder
The Astrology Podcast, Episode 215 
Join Tenth House Rising!

Tenth House Rising offers seasonal learning for those who seek meaning through myth, magick, and memory. Rooted in the rhythm of the seasons and inspired by the Wheel of the Year, each month brings a new theme that echoes the energies of the natural world. Learn more at TenthHouseRising.com.
For those who desire magick in the mail, you can also subscribe to the Tamed Wild Box, a monthly delivery of magic & earth medicine. Each box is crafted around a season and includes items for the earth-spirited and the lovers of all things mystical and natural. Deliveries can include crystals, herbs & teas, ritual tools, altar items, jewelry, essential oils & other lifestyle pieces. 
The Tamed Wild Box is a monthly offering of 5-7 items, chosen for the month and season we are in. Each delivery includes a box card that explains your items and a little ritual you can do with your new tools. You will also receive access to a monthly moon gathering, exclusive to box subscribers! 
Created by Tamed Wild.
Production by Julio Montero.
Music by Follow the Wind,
Taizo Audio

In episode 172 of the Magick & Alchemy podcast, hosts Kristin Lisenby and Kate Belew welcome back Shelby Bundy and Amanda Paulson! Shelby Bundy is the visionary and creatrix behind Tamed Wild, where modern magick meets ancient wisdom, and Amanda Paulson is a paranormal investigator and psychic medium based in the Pacific Northwest. In this conversation, the coven discusses the crossroads of magick and creativity, highlighting their literary muses and current works in progress. They talk about different writing methods and rituals, finding inspiration in unlikely places (bogs), and the areas of their craft they plan to explore more in depth.
To connect with Shelby, visit her website, subscribe to her Substack, and follow her on Instagram @themoonincarolina.
To learn more about Amanda, visit prettyfnspooky.com, look for her on Substack, and follow her online @prettyfnspooky.
Sources & Shoutouts:
Barabra G. Walker's recommended reading list
Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid (1975) - YouTube
Join Tenth House Rising!

Tenth House Rising offers seasonal learning for those who seek meaning through myth, magick, and memory. Rooted in the rhythm of the seasons and inspired by the Wheel of the Year, each month brings a new theme that echoes the energies of the natural world. Learn more at TenthHouseRising.com.
For those who desire magick in the mail, you can also subscribe to the Tamed Wild Box, a monthly delivery of magic & earth medicine. Each box is crafted around a season and includes items for the earth-spirited and the lovers of all things mystical and natural. Deliveries can include crystals, herbs & teas, ritual tools, altar items, jewelry, essential oils & other lifestyle pieces. 
The Tamed Wild Box is a monthly offering of 5-7 items, chosen for the month and season we are in. Each delivery includes a box card that explains your items and a little ritual you can do with your new tools. You will also receive access to a monthly moon gathering, exclusive to box subscribers! 
Created by Tamed Wild.
Production by Julio Montero.
Music by Follow the Wind,
Taizo Audio

In episode 171 of the Magick & Alchemy podcast, hosts Kate Belew and Kristin Lisenby interview Charlie Claire Burgess. Charlie is a queer and trans-nonbinary author and artist working at the intersection of spirituality and queerness. In this conversation, they discuss queer deities, word witchery as devotion, tugging on the threads of stories, and working with fantasy as a portal. Charlie gives advice on embracing the words "Word Witch" or "writer," and also speaks about creative rituals. They discuss tarot, the card of the year for 2026, and the importance of knowing how to fall and how to get back up to fight again.
To learn more about Charlie, visit their website, follow them on Instagram and Substack, and find their latest books and decks here.
Sources & Shoutouts:
Queer Devotion: Spirituality Beyond the Binary in Myth, Story, and Practice, Charlie Burgess
The Gay Marseille Tarot
“Learning How to Fall: Or, How Getting Relentlessly Thrown on My Ass Helped Me Learn to Love the Wheel” - Queerly Devoted Substack
Join Tenth House Rising!

Tenth House Rising offers seasonal learning for those who seek meaning through myth, magick, and memory. Rooted in the rhythm of the seasons and inspired by the Wheel of the Year, each month brings a new theme that echoes the energies of the natural world. Learn more at TenthHouseRising.com.
For those who desire magick in the mail, you can also subscribe to the Tamed Wild Box, a monthly delivery of magic & earth medicine. Each box is crafted around a season and includes items for the earth-spirited and the lovers of all things mystical and natural. Deliveries can include crystals, herbs & teas, ritual tools, altar items, jewelry, essential oils & other lifestyle pieces. 
The Tamed Wild Box is a monthly offering of 5-7 items, chosen for the month and season we are in. Each delivery includes a box card that explains your items and a little ritual you can do with your new tools. You will also receive access to a monthly moon gathering, exclusive to box subscribers! 
Created by Tamed Wild.
Production by Julio Montero.
Music by Follow the Wind,
Taizo Audio