The Witch Wave – Details, episodes & analysis

This season finale of The Witch Wave features Suranne Jones, the award-winning English actor, producer, and series creator. She’s been nominated for several awards for acting and won a BAFTA for her starring role in the hit series Doctor Foster: A Woman Scorned. Some highlights from her decades long television career include starring roles in Gentleman Jack, Vigil, and Scott and Bailey, and she’s also appeared in such British television intuitions as Coronation Street and Doctor Who. She’s currently in production on a new Netflix thiller series called The Choice, which sees her starring as the British Prime Minister opposite Julie Delpy’s French president, so look for that in 2025. Suranne also has an illustrious theatre career, and has starred in such plays as Frozen, Orlando, and Beautiful Thing.

As producer, Suranne runs the TeamAkers Productions company with her husband Laurence Akers, and it’s this company that is responsible for the new docuseries, Suranne Jones: Investigating Witch Trials(which features our own Pam Grossman!) The series is currently airing in 2 parts on the UK’s Channel 4 on June 23rd and June 30th, and if you missed the first part not to worry as both will be streaming on the Channel 4 site as well.

On this episode, Suranne discusses what compelled her to make a witchcraft documentary, her personal relationship to magic, and the shapeshifting abilities that she brings to the craft of acting.

Pam also talks about why historical witch hunts are relevant to this present moment, and answers a listener question about revealing her witch self on a date.

Our sponsors for this episode are Ritual + Shelter, Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, Nicole Marxen, BetterHelp, Snowy Owl Tea, Liza Fenster’s COMMUNION course, Sphere + Sundry, and The Queer Witches of Maude’s Paperwing Gallery

We also have brand new print-on-demand merch like Witch Wave shirts, sweatshirts, totes, stickers, and mugs available now here.

And if you want more Witch Wave, please consider supporting us on Patreon to get access to detailed show notes, bonus Witch Wave Plus episodes, Pam’s monthly online rituals, and more! That’s patreon.com/witchwave

Cat Willett is a Brooklyn-based artist. She has written, illustrated, and published two full-length books. The first is The Queen of Wands: The Story of Pamela Colman Smith, the Artist Behind the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck. Her newest book, Women of Tarot, An Illustrated History of Divinators, Card Readers, and Mystics is out next week. Cat is fascinated by tarot as a facet of art history, and her work aims to elevate the women behind its evolution. She’s dedicated the last few years to telling these magical stories in her published books, both of which feature her own research and gorgeous artwork.

Cat also makes illustrated comics about parenting, motherhood, gender, and animals, and she is a regular contributor to The Washington Post. Other clients and publications include The New York Times, Apple, Doc Martens, the Museum of Arts + Design, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and she is available for select freelance work and projects as well.

On this episode, Cat discusses visionary tarot artists such as Pamela Colman Smith and Lady Frieda Harris, the illuminating power of illustration, and the divinely feminine history of divination.

Pam also talks about tarot’s impact on the arts, and answers a listener question about witchly concerns regarding a religious pre-school.  

Our sponsors for this episode are Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, Sphere + Sundry, BetterHelp, The Queer Witches of Maude’s Paperwing Gallery, and Snowy Owl Tea.

Please consider donating to Pam’s fundraiser for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund

We also have brand new print-on-demand merch like Witch Wave shirts, sweatshirts, totes, stickers, and mugs available now here.

And if you want more Witch Wave, please consider supporting us on Patreon to get access to detailed show notes, bonus Witch Wave Plus episodes, Pam’s monthly online rituals, and more! That’s patreon.com/witchwave

Dr. Amy Hale is an Atlanta-based writer, curator, critic, ethnographer, and folklorist, who focuses on esoteric history, magic, art, culture, women, and Cornwall.

She has written widely on the surrealist and occultist Ithell Colquhoun, and in 2009 she received a grant from the Paul Mellon Foundation for her research. Her biography of Colquhoun, Ithell Colquhoun: Genius of the Fern Loved Gully (2020) is widely praised, and is just one of many ways that Amy has helped amplify Ithell’s impact on art and magic. Her newest book, Sex Magic: Diagrams of Love, Ithell Colquhoun is out this week from Tate Publishing, and A Walking Flame: Selected Magical Essays of Ithell Colquhoun is coming out from Strange Attractor later this year.

Amy is also the editor of numerous other collections including the groundbreaking Essays on Women in Western Esotericism: Beyond Seeresses and Sea Priestesses. And she has contributed essays for Tate, Burlington Contemporary, The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, and many more.

And if that wasn’t enough, Amy is currently a curator and host for the internationally beloved London-based Viktor Wynd’s Last Tuesday Society lecture series. She has been featured on BBC Radio Cornwall and the BBC World Service, and is a regular guest on a variety of podcasts, lecture series, and conferences including the Occult Humanities Conference at NYU.

On this episode, Amy discusses the visionary art and sex magic of Ithell Colquhoun, the power of alternative depictions of divine union, and the energetic connections between color, body, and the land.

Pam also talks about radical reimaginings of the lovers archetype, and answers a listener question about keeping a long-term love flame lit.

Our sponsors for this episode are Ritual+Shelter, Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, The Love Witch, BetterHelp, Woodland Magic, and Sphere + Sundry

We also have brand new print-on-demand merch like Witch Wave shirts, sweatshirts, totes, stickers, and mugs available now here.

And if you want more Witch Wave, please consider supporting us on Patreon to get access to bonus Witch Wave Plus episodes, Pam’s monthly online rituals, and more! That’s patreon.com/witchwave

Chelsea Wolfe is a musician with six critically acclaimed full-length albums under her belt. Though her sound spans various genres from goth rock to electronica to folk melancholia, what remains consistent is her romantically dark witchy vibe and lyrics that seem sprouted from a surreal and mysterious mindscape.

On this episode, Chelsea talks about her technique of channeling songs, the ways she uses place as muse, and the part witchcraft plays in her creative practice both onstage and off.

Pam also discusses the importance of costume and alter egos whether on Samhain or year-round, and answers a listener question about being a skeptical witch.

Our sponsors for this episode are Weiser Books, Modern Women, Dr. Oristano, Sacred Wheel, and Sacred Space Foundation.

Surprise! It’s a Witch Wave bonus episode to tide you over until our Season 3 return on October 30th.

This is a live episode: a conversation between Pam and Spolia Tarot’s Jessa Crispin and Jen May, recorded at Catland Books this summer.

Jessa Crispin is the founder and editor of Bookslut.com and Spolia magazine. She is the author of The Dead Ladies Project (The University of Chicago Press), The Creative Tarot (Touchstone), and Why I Am Not a Feminist: A Feminist Manifesto. She has written for many publications, some of which are still in existence.

Jen May is an artist whose illustrations and collages have been featured in such outlets as New York Magazine, Catapult, and The Toast.

On this episode, Jessa and Jen discuss the tenuous relationship between creativity and magic, the ubiquity of the terms “witch” and “feminist,” and their collaboration on the Spolia Tarot and their new zine, Screaming Women.

Pam also reads an excerpt about art witches from her new book, Waking the Witch.

Our sponsors for this episode are Weiser Books and the Mystical Menagerie Market.

Julia Pott is an animator and illustrator and the creator of the show Summer Camp Island on Cartoon Network. Her award-winning shorts such as Belly, The Event, and My First Crush have played at festivals worldwide including Sundance, SXSW, and Tribeca. She’s also done animations for bands including Bat for Lashes and The Decemberists, and brands such as Oreo and Toyota. Julia was named one of the “10 Animators to Watch” by Variety in 2017, and she was a staff writer for the legendary animated series, Adventure Time.

On this Season Finale episode, Julia discusses the bewitching feelings of childhood, the ways that comfortable spaces can conjure risky ideas, and the very real magic that inspires her seriously whimsical work.

Pam also talks about the importance of maintaining the childlike wonder of summer, and answers a listener question about how to stay protected from spooky spirits.

Our sponsors for this episode are Blessed Be Magick, Charming Disaster, and Mithras Candle.

This is a special crossover episode between The Witch Wave and the Missing Witches podcasts in celebration of Pam’s new book, WAKING THE WITCH: REFLECTIONS ON WOMEN, MAGIC, AND POWER.

Missing Witches is a research-based, feminist, occult storytelling podcast that goes looking for the witches we've been missing throughout history, and then shines the light on contemporary witches, too. This episode begins with Pam interviewing Missing Witches co-hosts Risa Dickens and Amy Torok, who are both artists, musicians, writers, and witches based outside of Montreal. Then the tables turn, and Pam answers questions from them about her new book.

On this episode, Pam, Risa, and Amy discuss how they each came to explore the witch archetype, the importance of maintaining the magic of youth, and the rise of intersectional feminist witchcraft.

Pam also talks about being guided by the goddess Artemis during a big life change, and answers listener questions about how to find a deity to work with.

Our sponsors for this episode are Weiser Books, Fat and the Moon, and Mithras Candle.

Jessica Lanyadoo is an internationally renowned Astrologer, Psychic Medium, Tarot Reader, and Animal Communicator who has been working to help people help themselves in one on one consultations since 1995, and by writing her weekly horoscope since 2003. She is also the host of Ghost of a Podcast, and co-hosts TLC’s digital show Stargazing on Facebook Watch. She is currently the resident astrologer for Girlboss (USA), and Chatelaine (Canada), and she has been the astrology columnist for various publications, including The Hoodwitch, Target, Martha Stewart's Body and Soul Magazine, On Our Backs Magazine, Glamour Magazine, and Rookie.

On this episode, Jessica discusses the truth and misconceptions about astrology, cosmic destiny versus self-determination, and how to engage in contemporary divination with compassion and justice for all.

Pam also talks about learning to choose love over fear, and answers a listener question about witch imposter syndrome.

Our sponsors for this episode are Blessed Be Magick, DeerWomen, and Mithras Candle.

Mya Spalter is the author of Enchantments: A Modern Witch's Guide to Self Possession, a wonderful witchcraft how-to book. Mya is longtime employee of New York City's oldest occult shop also called Enchantments, where she’s worked on and off since the year 2000. In addition to that, she writes poems and stories about science and mystery, and she infuses everything she does with wit, heart, and smarts.

On this episode, Mya discusses what it’s like to be a professional witch in a retail environment, the importance of pop occulture, and ways to make magic with whatever you have at hand.

Pam also talks about the magic of frivolity and answers a listener question about how to get back into a ritual routine when time is tight.

Our sponsors for this episode are Phoenix & Lotus, Health Witch, Hag Swag, and The VeraMeat Podcast.

Mallory Lance is the editor-in-chief of Ravenous Zine, which aims help to people foster more feminine wildness and witchy wonder in their lives. She is the founder and creative director of Ravenous Media, through which she also produces events about crafting and conscious collaboration, and she’s begun work on a documentary series about women who cook with fire. Mallory is also a chef, food stylist, and creator of magical feasts, and her various projects has been featured in Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29, and many many more.

On this episode, Mallory discusses the feral feminine, sustainable vitality, and the ways in which covens can teach us how to be more mindful and interconnected global citizens.

Pam also talks about Beltane sensuality and answers a listener question about crafting a pregnancy ritual.

Our sponsors for this episode are Blessed Be Magick, Hag Swag, and Mithras Candle.