Back on the Broomstick: Old Witchcraft, New Path

When the bonfire burns low and the spirits are abroad, you’d better know your way home.

This Samhain, Laylla and Chelle explore the spooky traditions of Nos Galan Gaeaf, the Welsh eve of winter, Samhian here in the Nothern Hemisphere, and the magick we can draw from its folklore today. From encounters with Y Ladi Wen, the White Lady, to the fearsome tailless black sow, these stories have plenty to say about respecting boundaries, keeping your promises, and knowing when it’s time to leave.

With tales of ghostly encounters, bonfire divination, and a look at the Welsh Otherworld figure Gwyn ap Nudd, the witches find inspiration for modern spells to protect yourself and your home as the dark half of the year settles in.
Samhain is also a time to seek messages and glimpse what might be ahead. From marked stones in bonfire ashes to seasonal fortune-telling customs, the witches discuss divination woven into Welsh folklore and how those traditions can inspire our practices today. They also pull an oracle card for the holiday to see what guidance awaits as we enter the dark half of the year.

We talk so much about opening ourselves to ancestors and messages at Samhain. There’s just as much magick in deciding who gets an invitation, what deserves our attention, and when to close the door. Gather close, keep the hearth warm, and remember that a thinner veil doesn’t mean an open invitation.
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While we’re lighting candles for the ancestors, what magick can we make for those of us still on this side of the veil? This week, Laylla and Chelle are talking about Samhain for the living. There’s plenty of room at this season’s table for remembering the dead, but let’s also feed the people who are still here.

We’re exploring the magick of giving people their offerings while they’re alive, preserving the stories and traditions we love, and deciding which inherited patterns have followed us far enough. You don’t need children to leave a legacy, and you don’t need a message from beyond the veil to have a meaningful Samhain. The people you teach, the community you care for, and the kindness you put into practice all become part of what you leave behind.

As the Wheel turns toward the darker months, we’re tending the hearth, protecting our peace, and making room for endings that don’t come with a funeral. A friendship, an old belief, or a version of yourself you’ve outgrown can deserve acknowledgment, too. And you’re allowed to mourn what’s finished without immediately knowing what comes next.

Plus, we’re sharing a simple spell with candles, earth, and a little tombstone to hold a funeral for habits and ideas that have overstayed their welcome. Give them a proper send-off, then turn your attention to the life you’re still making.

This Samhain, honor the ancestor you’re becoming: choose one thing you want to be remembered for, one pattern that ends with you, and one thing you’ll nurture while you’re here.
28: Connecting with our Beloved Dead: Intro to Ancestor Work

This episode is sponsored by The Witches Moon
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Nobody has to be hexing you for your energy to feel completely wrung out. Sometimes you’ve just spent the day in a crowd, read tarot for a lot of people, or had so much fun you forgot to ground.

They’re talking psychic self-defense for situations that aren’t necessarily toxic, just draining. What magick goes into packing? How do you stay open to connection without taking on everything around you? And what happens when two experienced witches forget to follow their own advice about grounding? There’s an ocean reset, a lt of crystals, and a reminder that even the best adventures can leave you needing a little time to come back to yourself.

This week, Laylla and Chelle share how a last-minute trip came together in just three days and took them to Salem, Massachusetts, during October’s witch season. Between a visit to the Haunted Warren Museum, a stop at The Satanic Temple, reading tarot, and connecting with their people, there was plenty to keep their witchy senses busy.

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Back on the Broomstick
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Tioga, PA 16946
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Samhain is approaching, the nights are growing longer, and we’re making room for some powerful company. This week, Laylla and Chelle are talking about dark Goddesses, the pull toward Hecate and Lilith, and why Their energy feels especially relevant right now. When the world keeps asking us to be quieter, smaller, and easier to manage, there’s something deeply magickal about connecting with a goddess who encourages us to stand in our power.

Chelle shares her personal experiences with Hecate, while Laylla talks about her relationship with Lilith, reclaiming female power, and questioning the patriarchal perspectives that shape the stories we inherit. We explore what “dark” means in our spiritual practice and how these relationships can help us navigate endings, hold boundaries, and trust our own voices as we enter the season of the witch.

We’re also answering your questions about recognizing a connection, making offerings, beginning a devotional practice, and working discreetly while still in the broom closet. Whether you’ve walked with these powerful figures for years or are just getting curious, join us at the crossroads for a conversation about devotion, sovereignty, and the parts of ourselves we’re ready to stop apologizing for.
Laylla's List of Lilith Books
The Book of Lilith by Barbara Black Koltuv

Lilith’s Demons, by Julie R. Enszer

Lilith’s Fire: Reclaiming Our Sacred Lifeforce, by Deborah (D’vorah) Grennv- founder of the Lilith Institute

The Coming of Lilith: Essays on Feminism, Judaism, and Sexual Ethics, 1972–2003, by Judith Plaskow

The Lilith Question by Aviva Cantor Zuckoff (magazine article)
https://lilith.org/articles/fall-1976-29/
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Names have power, witches. But when someone knows yours, what do they actually have access to?

This week on Back on the Broomstick, Laylla and Chelle explore the folklore of true names, secret identities, and supernatural bargains, from Rumpelstiltskin toThe Wizard of EarthSea. Why do so many stories hinge on discovering a name, and how does that idea show up in modern witchcraft?

We’re talking about names as taglocks, the connections they create in spellwork, and why a “true name” might mean something very different from the one on your birth certificate. We also explore the power of choosing a name that expresses who you are or who you’re becoming, and why some names are shared freely while others are kept between a witch and their practice.

Then we get into warding your name. What exactly are you protecting, and how can you put some magick behind the boundaries you set? From private ritual names to the usernames we put all over the internet, there’s plenty to consider about who gets access to us and on what terms.

Plus, two simple spells: one to reflect unwanted energy directed at your name, and one to give your name a magickal cleansing. Because you can’t always keep your name out of someone’s mouth, but you can have a say in what power that gives them.
Got a question? Send the witches a message here!
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Want to send us a letter? Witchy things to review?
Our mailing address is:
Back on the Broomstick
PO Box 21
Tioga, PA 16946
Email: backonthebroomstick@gmail.com
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Back on the Broomstick Website