As above, so below is a common phrase in many Pagan & Witch spaces and can be seen as an assertion of inherent connection.  Join your host for a walk through its deeper significance, how it applies in a Heathen context, & more!

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I am teaching classes on Nordic Ritual and Inclusive Spirituality!  You can find out more and sign up at this link: http://www.onblackwings.com/classes

And we're back with more of "The Pagan Threat." In this segment, Ryan and El wade through Lucas Miles' takes on UFOs, trans people, how Pagans are taking over Christianity, and more!

Listen to Part 1 https://www.spreaker.com/episo... />
You can help support Cassandra Snow, one of the authors singled out by Lucas Miles, by going to their Patreon and signing up https://www.patreon.com/cassan... />
Want to support this podcast and my other work?  Sign up for my Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/c/wayw... or contribute to my KoFi here: https://ko-fi.com/ryansmithwfi

A new Evangelical hate screed called The Pagan Threat dropped last month with a foreword by the late Charlie Kirk. Joining the pod is author Elizabeth Sandifer for a dive into Lucas Miles' hot takes on Paganism, Christianity, Hazbin Hotel, and more!

Want to support this podcast and my other work?  Sign up for my Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/c/wayw... or contribute to my KoFi here: https://ko-fi.com/ryansmithwfi

For Spooktober, we will be doing a meditation which helps you commune with the dead.  It helps for this meditation to have a picture or possession of the dead you are seeking to connect with.

Lifting the Veil

I am teaching classes on Nordic Ritual and Inclusive Spirituality!  You can find out more and sign up at this link: http://www.onblackwings.com/classes

Want to support this podcast and my other work?  Sign up for my Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/c/wayw... or contribute to my KoFi here: https://ko-fi.com/ryansmithwfi

Valhalla is the most well-known of all the Nordic death realms.  For most of popular culture, it is a Viking Heaven that inspires violent, heroic deeds.  Join your host for a dive into Valhalla, what it is, what it isn't, and more!

In Their Own Words - Kash Patel & Valhalla feat. Heather Greene

I am teaching classes on Nordic Ritual and Inclusive Spirituality!  You can find out more and sign up at this link: http://www.onblackwings.com/classes

Want to support this podcast and my other work?  Sign up for my Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/c/wayw... or contribute to my KoFi here: https://ko-fi.com/ryansmithwfi

The Pagan, Heathen, and Witch movements may now be facing the greatest challenge in our young, vibrant history.  Join your host for a journey through why our movements have always been a challenge to Christian hegemony, how we might now be an explicit target for persecution, The Pagan Threat, and more.

Sources:

The Pagans & the Christians - https://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-37-the-pagans-and-the-christians--60874790
Number of Pagans in the US - https://www.newsweek.com/witchcraft-wiccans-mysticism-astrology-witches-millennials-pagans-religion-1221019
Pew Forum on Religion - https://www.pewresearch.org/religious-landscape-study/
The Federalist - https://thefederalist.com/2019/09/26/climate-worship-is-nothing-more-than-rebranded-paganism/
Charlie Kirk on Maui - https://www.mediamatters.org/charlie-kirk/charlie-kirk-blames-maui-wildfires-pagan-hawaiian-culture
The Pagan Threat - https://wildhunt.org/2025/09/the-pagan-threat-is-talking-about-us.html
Megyn Kelly - https://www.megynkelly.com/2025/09/23/megyn-kelly-reveals-erika-kirk-reaction-to-jezebel-curse-story-about-charlie-kirk/

Want to support this podcast and my other work?  Sign up for my Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/c/wayw... or contribute to my KoFi here: https://ko-fi.com/ryansmithwfi

Last week, FBI Director Kash Patel promised to meet Charlie Kirk in Valhalla.  Joining us today is journalist and author Heather Greene to talk more about what this suggests, why the far-right's understanding of Valhalla is rooted more in pop culture than myth or history, and more!

Lights, Camera, Witchcraft
Heather's Website
Witches Movie Coven

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Fascism is on the march so it's time to answer the question: what is it and where does it come from? Join your host for an explainer on fascism, its history, the realities of that movement today, and some tips for how to beat them.

Want to support this podcast and my other work?  Sign up for my Patreon here: www.patreon.com/waywardwanderer or contribute to my KoFi here: https://ko-fi.com/ryansmithwf

Joining us today is Ron Padron!  Ron is a gay Cuban-American hedge priest and ordained Pagan clergy. His focus is on queer-affirming spirituality & spiritual activism and his practice is a blend of folk Catholicism, Druidry and Witchcraft. He runs White Rose Witching, has published three books on rites, ceremonies, and magical resilience, and edits the ALTAR PUNK and PaganPunk Community Grimoire.

We talk about being Pagan clergy, ALTAR PUNK, the Community Grimoire, and more!

You can find Ron's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/whiterosewitching

Want to support this podcast and my other work?  Sign up for my Patreon here: www.patreon.com/waywardwanderer or contribute to my KoFi here: https://ko-fi.com/ryansmithwf

Lifting the Veil is a meditation that helps you shift your focus away from the pulse of day to day life & towards the presence of animistic entities & other than human intelligences that are all around us.  It works by giving your daily cares a means to manifest that is then easily dismissed, making way for reaching the Otherworldly all around us.

Want to support this podcast and my other work?  Sign up for my Patreon here: www.patreon.com/waywardwanderer or contribute to my KoFi here: https://ko-fi.com/ryansmithwf

There is little question that a militant, aggressive kind of Christianity is now on the march to domination.  If those of us, including the Pagan & Witch movements, wish to survive & overcome these times then we need to start asking what a world after Christian hegemony will look like.  Join your host for what this means for religion & society, how we might get there, and more!

In Defense of Puritanism by Atun-Shei Films
The Diggers from the Revolutions Podcast

I am teaching Intro to Nordic Paganism and Intro to Inclusive Practice remotely this September!  You can register by going to the Fire & Ice Teaching Collective classes listing at this link: http://www.onblackwings.com/classes

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The Vaettir are the animistic beings of Nordic spiritualities.  In this explainer, your host Ryan Smith introduces you to some of the core features of the vaettir, gives some examples of kinds of vaettir that exist in the Nordic world, and more!

Explainer 6 - Animism
Interview with Sif Brookes on Valkyries

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Reading Frigga's Loom is a meditation that helps you better understand how you are connected with others in the world and your relationship with wyrd, the force that unites and binds all things in existence.  It works by using images and symbols of connection to give shape to our relationships with other entities, forces, and institutions.

Link to the Calming the Sea & Sky meditation

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Let's talk about why my book, community, and tradition is so much about fire & ice. Join your host for a journey through two of the great cosmic forces of Nordic myth, the dialectics of creation, what ice & fire represent, and more!

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I am teaching an online workshop on Hexing & Warding next week on Tuesday, June 10th!  In this class, we'll be covering the basics of offensive and defensive magic, how these techniques can be used for direct action, why they may have more power than ever thanks to the widespread Christian Nationalist belief in spiritual warfare, and more!

You can register for this and other classes and workshops at the following link:

https://forms.gle/HWpi18JVyXjPHpkE7

Joining us on the show today is Malu Reynaud! Malu Reynaud is Brazilian and passionate about religion and spirituality. After a change in career teaching and practicing Law, she decided to pursue a master's degree in Religious Studies (University of South Florida), where she is a teaching assistant. She is currently focusing her research on Afro-Brazilian Religions and Spiritism.

We talk about Brazilian Spiritism, its relationship with Afro-Brazilian faiths like Candomble & Umbanda, the "Pope of Samba" Zeca Pagodinho's open incorporation of spiritism into his music, and more!

You can find Malu on Insight Timer here: https://insig.ht/vJJTe6odDTb

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Odin is one of the best-known of all the Nordic Gods.  Join your host for a dive into this mysterious, multi-faceted deity who often defies all attempts at definition.

Want to support this podcast and my other work?  Sign up for my Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/c/wayw... or contribute to my KoFi here: https://ko-fi.com/ryansmithwfi

Joining us on the podcast is Mhara Starling! Mhara was born in North Wales, raised on the Isle of Anglesey, is a native Welsh speaker, and has been practicing witchcraft from a very young age. Mhara is a celebrant and tarot reader who runs moots, gatherings & open rituals. She is the author of Welsh Witchcraft and Welsh Faires, has been featured on the BBC Wales documentary series Young, Welsh and Pretty Religious and is a prolific TikTok video creator.

We spoke about Welsh folk magic, why Welsh witchcraft is the tradition of cheese, tits, & toads, the myth, folklore, & history of Wales, Cerridwen, and more!

Want to support this podcast and my other work?  Sign up for my Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/c/wayw... or contribute to my KoFi here: https://ko-fi.com/ryansmithwfi

Reaching the divine is a meditation that helps the practitioner establish and reinforce their connections with one of the many Nordic Gods.  It works by tapping into the power of names, kennings, and symbols associated with each of the Nordic deities.  This meditation and supporting information for it can be found in Ch. 3 of The Way of Fire & Ice.

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Folk magic is easily the most widespread form of magic in human history. Join your host for a discussion of what folk magic is, black vs white magic, developing your own practice, and more!

Want to support this podcast and my other work?  Sign up for my Patreon here: www.patreon.com/waywardwanderer or contribute to my KoFi here: https://ko-fi.com/ryansmithwf