Blog Post 12 – Podcast Recommendations

Hi everyone,

This is a just a little post to recommend a couple of new(ish) podcasts out there in the magical podosphere.  I have a fairly long commute to and from my day job, plus I spend a lot of time searching for new blogs and podcasts that I think have good magical information in them.  Sometimes I get lucky and find great sites/shows like these:

1)       Media Astra ac Terra – This podcast is hosted by Oraia the Sphinx, and it is designed as a three-part-show.  The first part focuses on astrology and astronomy (the “Astra” part), the second is all about gemology and mineralogy (the “Terra” part), and the third is a “main topic,” usually related to something magical.

Now, normally, I’m not big on astrology or gemology.  I think astrology has some interesting points (and we’ll get into that whenever we get around to the lore surrounding “planting by the signs”), but I definitely don’t make a major point of studying it.  And I’ve never had a strong connection to gem-or-crystal magic, though I believe Laine has some proficiency in that area.  Yet Oraia’s fantastic show is presented so well that I find myself learning about both in spite of myself.  And her third section has yet to disappoint me.  Her evaluation of magic and its place in the world is incredibly well thought out, and often presented with painstaking research to back it up.  Even though I sometimes interpret things differently than she does or don’t come to the same conclusions, I still am riveted by her show.  I cannot recommend it highly enough.

2)       Standing Stone and Garden Gate – This incredibly informative podcast is hosted by Dr. Brendan Myers and his partner, Juniper (a frequent commenter here at New World Witchery).   The show is divided into several parts:  an introduction featuring an incense and beverage of the week; a Bardic Arts section with poetry or music; a Standing Stone section in which Dr. Myers discusses philosophy from a Pagan perspective; a Rants, Raves, and Reviews section in which the two charming hosts give their opinions on books, culture, events, etc.; the Garden Gate section in which Juniper discusses practical aspects of witchcraft and hedgewitchery; and an Ask Dr. Expert segment in which a question or topic is discussed at length, usually citing sources or with a guest lecturer.

The show is definitely a long one (with that much material, it has to be—and after our recent hour-plus podcasts I certainly can’t throw stones), but it’s always interesting, and the hosts keep the pace up throughout the entire podcast.  My favorite segments tend to be the Garden Gate and Rants/Raves sections, but I find that I listen with great attention to the other sections, too.  I even find myself talking back to the iPod sometimes, because so much of the show feels like a conversation with wise, jovial teachers.

In the interest of fair disclosure, I should probably mention that Laine and I have been interviewed for an upcoming episode of this show, and that Juniper and Dr. Myers will be guest on one of our future episodes as well.  They are great to talk to and we were honored to be invited on their show (though I’m fairly sure I rambled a good bit more than I do when I have a script and notes in front of me).  It was a fantastic conversation, so be on the lookout for it sometime soon.

Well, that’s about all for today.  Kveldrida, I promise I’ll be listening to your podcast soon, too, so don’t feel left out since I didn’t mention you today!

Thanks for reading!

-Cory