hey hey! Just popping into your podcast feed to remind you that registration for the last ever live session of Radical Runes closes at midnight on Saturday, February 3rd! You can register here: https://www.sirivincentplouff.com/shop/p/radical-runes-winter-2024 Radical Runes is a six week course in Nordic divination practices using the Elder Futhark…

Perthro is a mysterious rune that means luck, mystery, and the mead. In this episode of the podcast Siri covers the beauty of this rune in a solo-episode. We talk about the different soul parts, and how Perthro is connected with the Hamingja. This rune disappears in the Younger Futhark, which only adds to its mystery. We also discuss the sacred qua…

Happy Winter Solstice! Have a rerun episode! This episode was originally released on Dec 30 2020. Did you know there's no future tense in Old Norse? It's a huge part of why I (Siri) don't use the runes for predictive reading - instead, I use them for assessing the situation and figuring out what the best path forward is for me or my client. But the…

Welcome to the 2023 Halloween Werewolf Spectacular! There is a LOT of wolf lore in Nordic mythology and throughout folklore all around the world. I spoke with my friend Matt who has been obsessed with werewolves for most of his life. And at a certain point, doesn’t obsession beget expertise? So I decided to invite him on the podcast for a special w…

Today I'm sharing a conversation with my mentor Kari Tauring. She is the author of “The Volva Stav Manual,” “The Runes: A Deeper Journey,” and today we’re discussing her newest book: “The Day Begins at Sunset.” This is a collection of poems reflecting on the Primstav, an Old Norse calendar stick that helped people follow the seasons and the Saint D…

It's been one year since Cassandra Snow and I published "Lessons from the Empress: A tarot workbook for self-care and creative growth!" In celebration of the book's birthday, I invited a special guest host to interview Cassandra and I. Maria Minnis is a tarot reader and author of the forthcoming "Tarot for the Hard Work: An Archetypal Journey to Co…

Ren Zatopek is a heretical, hedgeriding witch of the Ced Tradition with more than fifteen years of experience working full-time as a spiritual guide, healer, and ritualist. She has a special interest in helping folks with exceptional intensity, sensitivity, and creativity explore the deeper, more troubling waters of witchery without losing their sh…

Eiwaz is the first tree rune in the Elder Futhark. It is a highly toxic tree that is used to both poison and heal, and is thought by many to be the tree that Odin hangs himself on to take up the runes. Learn more about this fascinating rune in today's episode! You can read a transcript of this podcast here: https://www.heathensjourneypod.com/episod…

Today on the podcast, Siri is in conversation with Ryan Smith, author of The Way of Fire & Ice: The Living Tradition of Norse Paganism, and Spinning Wyrd: Exploring the Nordic Mysteries. Expanding on the progressive ideas and practices in The Way of Fire and Ice, this next-step book teaches you how to tap into the forces of the Nordic cosmos. The g…

I am honored to have Tomás Prower as a guest on the podcast this week. When I started planning this season, I knew that I wanted to bring Tomás on. Tomás Prower is a graduate of the University of California: Santa Barbara with degrees in Global Socioeconomics and Latin American Studies. With fluency in English, French, and Spanish, he has worked fo…

In an episode that I didn't plan I swear, Siri discusses harvest festivals and the rune Jera. To Siri, Jera is not just about the year, but it is related to earth itself. This is a rune of appreciation of the gifts of nature, as well as of cultivation. The shape of the rune - two v’s turned on their side and intertwining - speaks to me of cycles. T…

Isa represents Ice: That which is frozen. It is a barrier. It is water that has become so still, it has been made solid. Ice is one of the elements that signaled the birth of our world. "Ice is hard and without motion. It constrains the movement of waters, but those who try to walk on it may find themselves moving out of control." - Diana Paxson, "…

After the storm, we must rebuild. After Hagalaz comes Nauthiz. In this episode, Siri explores the ways that the Nauthiz rune reveals what is truly necessary in our lives. Nauthiz, need-fire, rune of potential and action and making choices to get ourselves out of the direst of circumstances. Here is a YouTube video I found that provides a really nic…

Welcome back to the Heathen’s Journey Podcast! Siri took some time off to recalibrate and think through the direction of the podcast. We’re back now, in seasons! Each season we will be focusing on a major theme within heathenry and the runes. This season, we’re covering the second aett of the Elder Futhark through the lens of an Underworld Journey.…

Lex Ritchie returns to the podcast to talk about all things Underworld with Siri. They share wisdom from their wealth of knowledge about the Underwolrd, tell a queered version of the Persephone myth, and talk about the Underworld as a threat to capitalism. Lex Ritchie is a tarot reader and folk magician weaving spells for liberation, living in the …

Aidan Wachter has been actively involved in magical practice since the 1980’s. His work reflects a wide ranging, eclectic, and non-dogmatic approach with influences from many paths including witchcraft, folk magic, and chaos magic. His books focus on the practice of the craft as a learnable set of skills that can be developed rather than innate tal…

Cory Thomas Hutcheson is the cohost of the popular podcasts New World Witchery, Chasing Foxfire, and Myth-Taken: A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Podcast, and author of the book New World Witchery: A Trove of American Folk Magic. He has a doctorate in American Studies with specializations in folklore, religion, and ethnicity from Penn State. He is a cont…

Katy Swallow is a spirit worker, reader, mage and reiki practitioner, who tends to specialize in uncomfortable things. Death, grief, and intergenerational and ancestral trauma are her frequent companions. Her work can be accurately described as “navigating the lines between everything.” In this episode, Katy and Siri talk about their experiences wo…

While being incarcerated for her struggles with drug addiction, Awyn Dawn began to actively look for her spiritual side - and she found it in Paganism.By developing a profound relationship with the gods, Awyn gained greater clarity and a deep sense of peace. You can too with help from this empowering guide to starting and strengthening your spiritu…

Lex Ritchie is a tarot reader and folk magician weaving spells for liberation, living in the Great Black Swamp. They believe individual liberation and enchantment create collective liberation and enchantment. Lex helps witches connect to their power, agency and magic so they can make magic that makes change. In this conversation, Siri and Lex talk …

Wouldst thou like to live deliciously? Explore what joy and happiness mean in this episode. This is a solo episode in which Siri dives deep into the meaning of the Wunjo rune. Support me on Patreon Subscribe to the newsletter (click both "Coven Letters" and "Apothecary Updates" to be entered into the giveaway) Shop the apothecary --- Support this p…

I am so thrilled to finally be able to release this episode into the world! Eric Purdue has been working tirelessly on a new translation of the Three Books of Occult Philosophy - the first new translation in over 300 years. This edition corrects many, many mistakes and mistranslations, and will hopefully make this behemoth of a classic more approac…

After an unintended hiatus, we are back with season 2 of the Heathen's Journey Podcast. This week, we're talking about Gyfu, Mutual Aid, and Creating Reciprocal communities and what that means in 2021. Gyfu is one of my favorite runes, and I hope you enjoy it. Support me on Patreon Visit the Apothecary Sources: "The Runes: A Deeper Journey" by Kari…

Hot Queer Summer continues with Fire Lyte! Siri and Fire got a little ... enthusiastic in this episode. It is a huge topic in Fire's book, "The Dabbler's Guide to Witchcraft." Fire refers to this book jokingly as "the anti-beginner's book" specifically because he takes a scientific, experimental approach. In this episode, Fire and Siri discuss athe…

We continue our journey through the elder futhark with Kenaz. This is a rune of fire, truth, and in some ways - balance. Listen to the podcast episode to learn more about this rune, and to hear how it plays with other runes. Transcription: https://www.northernlightswitch.com/blog/heathens-journey-podcast-ep-21 Northern Lights Apothecary Needfire Ap…

Welcome to the extra special bonus episode of the Heathen's Journey Podcast! I had friend of the pod Minta Karlsson back to discuss Midsommar traditions in Sweden, Norway, and Finland. Hopefully this will serve as an inspiration as you are preparing your own Midsommar celebrations. We ramble into a lot of different topics, including folk magic prac…

Lara Veleda Vesta, MFA, is an artist, author, storyteller and educator transforming chronic illness into a path of healing and reclaiming. She is the illustrator of The Moon Divas Oracle Cards, author of The Moon Divas Guidebook, and the newly released Wild Soul Runes: Reawakening the Ancestral Feminine. Her research interests include ancestral con…

In this episode of the podcast, Siri is joined by Sara Axtell, a local leader in the heathen community in Minnesota. The conversation is wide-reaching and deep, and all centered around the idea of getting to know our natural, ancestral rhythms. This allows American heathens to unsettle themselves, and start to make reparations for the wrongs of our…

We continue our exploration of the runes with Raidho. Siri talks about the role of travel and chariots in Old Norse thinking, as well as the different soul parts that make up a pre-Christian Nordic concept of self. The Fylgja, or guide, is deeply connected with the Raidho rune. They are a part of the Nordic soul, and are often thought of as an ance…

Matthew Venus is a Folk Magician, Artist, Writer, and Witch based in Salem, Massachusetts. He is the owner and lead apothecary of SpiritusArcanum.com. In this conversation, we talk a lot about spirits, working with spirit familiars, and the spirits of plants. Venus has thirty years of experience with witchcraft and folk magic, and is a veritable we…

In this interview, I'm speaking with Lindy-Fay Hella of Wardruna and Johanna Elf of Cult Botanic. These two fantastic artists are collaborating on a new intention oil. Join us as we explore scent, memory, and Nordic herbcraft. I had such a lovely time speaking with these two about their deep relationships with the sensual and the magical, and I kno…

We're back to studying the runes in depth! In this episode, Siri talks about Ansuz and communication. They also discuss Odin at length - as it's nearly impossible to study the runes without also studying Odin. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/heathens-journey/support

You may know Marcus McCoy's work already - he runs the Trollcunning Forge, a blacksmithing studio dedicated to crafting beautiful occult wares. There are a lot of misconceptions about alchemy, including the idea that it was all metaphorical. It's not! In this episode, we go deep on magical practice, the blurry lines between folk and ceremonial magi…

Did you know there's no future tense in Old Norse? It's a huge part of why I (Siri) don't use the runes for predictive reading or fortune telling. My approach has shifted a lot since going deep in my relationships with the runes, and now I'm primarily using tarot for year-ahead readings. I like to take a very practical approach, using divination to…

Did you know that there are technically two full months of Jul in Norse tradition? There is so much to celebrate! In this episode, Kari and Siri talk about the different winter traditions, keeping time in an old Norse way, and the tension between joy and grief that accompanies this time of year. If you're interested in learning more about these tra…

Siri sits down with Cassandra Snow for a chat about what it means to queer your witchcraft. Cassandra is a queer tarot reader, writer, and witch who recently released "Queering Your Craft: Witchcraft from the Margins." In this episode, Siri and Cassandra talk a lot about how their personal witchcraft styles developed, how queer people can harness m…

This episode covers the necessity for secrecy in witchcraft, some examples of why you might want to keep your magic a secret. This episode also covers some psychic protection basics, as well as instructions on warding your home from negative entities or energies. Further Reading: “The Witch’s Shield” by Christopher Penczak “Psychic Self-Defense” by…

The Heathen's Journey Podcast is back from unintended hiatus! In this episode, Siri talks about pagan timekeeping practices and holidays. You *might* have noticed that this is the spookiest time of year, and many witches celebrate accordingly. Siri talks about Samhain, the Norwegian Primstav as a living relic of folklore, and Alfablot. So grab a cu…

The Radical Runes Course admissions close on Monday, September 14th at 5pm CST! This is the course I wish I'd had when I first started learning the runes. Radical Runes is a 12-week transformative journey through the Runes. This course is unlike any other runes course in that it is grounded in queer, leftist theory and practice. Register today! htt…

Hello I go by Siri now! Please use they/them pronouns to refer to me. In this episode, I come out of the gender closet, and relate that back to Uruz. I also talk about the rune Thurisaz, an intense one that many people struggle to work with. This is the introduction of aggression into the futhark, but it is also one of the most powerful runes we ca…

I interview Minta Karlsson about Trolldom and Needfire Wellness. In this interview, we talk about methods of folk magic, how to get started, as well as dealing with our complex understandings of our own ancestors as settler colonialists. We talk about how the privilege of traveling to our ancestral homelands has opened our eyes to what we’re missin…

Let's dive deep into the rune Uruz, its different meanings, and how we can gain strength from and persistence. In this episode, I talk about Audhumla, the Norse creation myths, and the meeting of fire and ice. Bonus: If you want to learn runes with me, I've got a class coming up on August 18th, 2020! Intro To Runes will give you a quick overview of…

And now for something a little different! In this episode, I interview author and friend Kelden about his new book "The Crooked Path: An Introduction to Traditional Witchcraft." We talk a lot about familiar spirits, traveling to the Pagan Otherworlds, and the distinction between Traditional Witchcraft and other paths. I know that this podcast is fo…

In this episode, I begin our journey through the Elder Futhark with Fehu. This is the first rune we encounter, and traditionally means wealth, property, or cattle. But what does wealth mean to the radical heathen? How can we know where to start with wealth when we have complicated feelings about it? Abbie dives into the many layered meanings behind…

In this episode, Abbie interviews teacher Kari Tauring (she/her). Kari is a Nordic folk musician, cultural educator, and spiritual leader, a staff carrier and horn prayer living in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. In this episode, we talk about the concepts of frith, grith, healing oorlog, and what it looks like to be a professional Volva. For more inf…

This week, I’m going to be talking about the history of white supremacist and Nazi appropriation of Germanic and Nordic symbols. This is at the heart of my work, and is a big part of the reason I write about the Norse path. I think it is a deep responsibility that we have as white people to understand our cultural lineage, and how we got to this pl…

Welcome to the Heathen’s Journey Podcast! Listen and learn more about the pod, then subscribe.--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/heathens-journey/support

Siri explores what heathenry is - how heathens define it, and what it looks like in belief and practice. This is essential as we move through the rest of this podcast, seeking Nordic wisdom and to live in the rhythm of the natural world. Books mentioned: "A Practical Heathen's Guide to Asatru" by Patricia Lafayllve "The Way of Fire and Ice" by Ryan…