When I told friends we were working on a witch show for TTBOOK, I was most often met with a personal story. “Oh, I know someone who practices witchcraft.” Or “That’s great – I feel like we need more magic these days,” or, more times than I might have guessed, “You know, I’m a witch.”
In this week’s show, "Generation Witch," in time for Halloween, we take you from the 17th century witch hunt of Johannes Kepler’s mother, to the wide world of the history of magic, talking with an archaeology professor who thinks magic, religion and science compose the triple helix of our culture. We check in to the witches of the 1980s with a novel about an other-worldly field hockey team. And, we explore the interconnected witch world of WitchTok, talking with a thoroughly modern witch who’s active on TikTok.
Witches have been with us throughout time, but they’re even more visible today via the internet and social media. I also think we are hearing from more witches as people embrace living out loud, true to themselves. And, in the face of some harsh facts and realities of our time, what a great moment to seek mysticism, magic, and what’s beyond the merely possible.
–Shannon