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(RNS) — It’s a superb time to be comfortable and comfy — particularly in case you’re the Comfortable Cozy Witch herself, Jennie Blonde.
Blonde’s “Comfortable Cozy Witch Podcast” received excellent podcast of the 12 months on the 2022 Witchcraft & Occult Media Awards, or “Witchies,” hosted in November by Trendy Witch. Across the identical time, it hit No. 1 amongst Spotify’s faith and spirituality podcasts in america and United Kingdom, a class dominated by Christianity, together with messages by standard preachers like Joel Osteen and day by day Bible studying podcasts.
The previous 12 months additionally noticed the discharge of her guide “Fireplace & Dwelling Witchcraft: Rituals and Recipes to Nourish Dwelling and Spirit” and the continued recognition of her Comfortable Cozy Witch account on Instagram, the place she shares soft-hued photographs with “cozy methods to attach” to the sabbats and seasons, amongst different issues.
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The success of the podcast, “an audio model of a grimoire,” which she began close to the start of the pandemic, got here as a shock to Blonde since, she stated, she solely releases episodes sporadically, doesn’t actually know the best way to edit audio and hasn’t hosted any company — aside from her canine sometimes barking within the background.
However, she stated, her message of nourishment and self-care seems to be resonating not simply with different witches, however with all individuals “who wish to discover just a little bit extra magic of their on a regular basis.”
“Till not too long ago, I really feel like most individuals would hear the phrase ‘witch’ or ‘pagan,’ and they’d run the opposite method, due to what they’ve been taught via their beliefs,” she stated.
“And I needed to create this setting the place individuals felt welcomed. ‘Witchcraft’ will not be a scary phrase.”
Blonde, who identifies as a home and fireside witch on her web site, talked to Faith Information Service about her podcast, why she believes witchcraft is grounding and what it means to be a comfortable, cozy witch. This interview has been edited for size and readability.
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The place did the thought to be the Comfortable Cozy Witch come from?
My sort of follow may be very a lot centered on the fireside and residential — methods to nourish my household via meals and thru safety, methods to nourish my residence and the animals in my residence. My follow may be very a lot centered on all the things that makes me really feel heat and comforting inside.
I really feel like there’s this stereotype of paganism and stereotype of witchcraft that you just see from, sure, social media and also you see from the media on the whole — this darkish aesthetic, conjuring all of those scary issues — however my follow has all the time been very comforting in nature to me.
In order that’s how I got here up with it. I’m only a comfortable, cozy witch. My concept of witchcraft is to sit down within the morning with a comfortable cup of tea or espresso and meditate and do some journaling and pull some tarot or oracle playing cards and do some small rituals because the seasons change all year long. It’s all about being heat and comforting and comfy in my follow, discovering magic within the on a regular basis, little issues.
What’s fireside and residential witchcraft?
It’s discovering small, tangible methods to connect with my follow each day. It’s a one that finds magic within the on a regular basis, whether or not that’s packing my son’s lunch and saying a blessing over his peanut butter and jelly sandwich or whether or not that’s cleansing my home and asking Hestia or Brigid, who’re goddesses of home life and fireside and residential, to observe my home and shield my residence as I’m cleansing and including corresponding oils and herbs into what I take advantage of to scrub. It’s somebody who stirs heat and luxury into my morning cup of tea via honey and thru just a little pinch of cinnamon. And it’s somebody who honors the pure cycle of the Earth and the pure cycle of life and honors the altering of the seasons.
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How are all of the mundane issues in on a regular basis life magical, or how can individuals deliver magic to these issues?
For me, I believe lots of magic is in intention and setting intention round no matter it’s that you just’re doing — being intentional with decisions you make, with what you set in your recipes, with the way you adorn your property.
I begin my morning with my morning ritual. I’ve my espresso or tea. Bringing magic into that have is being very a lot within the current. After I add my cinnamon, I’m stirring it in 3 times, stirring it clockwise, which is inviting in heat and safety and positivity as a result of cinnamon is related to these issues. As I’m stirring that into my espresso, I’m simply considering to myself, you already know, ‘That is going to be a terrific day.’ After which I stir in my honey. Similar factor: I invite in sweetness and kindness for my day.
Though some individuals won’t see that as magical, per se, to me, that’s magic. That’s magical — ritualizing a few of these issues, not going via my morning in a routine method, however in a extra ritualistic method, inviting these qualities into my day, into my life.
Lots of people consider magic, too, with tarot playing cards and all of that. I pull my playing cards, and my journaling is reflecting on how the playing cards that I’ve pulled apply to my day, and it makes me go be just a little introspective. Possibly I’ve only a very rosy, rainbow-and-butterfly strategy to magic, however, to me, that’s magical.
These little, tiny touches — selecting out issues to embellish my home. Lanterns characterize mild and hope, so the very first thing you see in my home is a lantern as a result of I would like individuals to come back in. I would like them to really feel welcomed and heat and that this can be a hopeful, blissful place. All of those little touches, to me, are bits of magic as a result of there’s intention behind them.
Self-care comes up quite a bit in your guide and Instagram posts. Are you able to clarify how self-care is magical and a part of what it means to be comfortable cozy?
First, if we aren’t caring for ourselves, how can we look after these round us? I all the time come again to that after I take into consideration self-care and the guilt so many really feel over permitting themselves time to loosen up, take a shower, binge on a favourite cozy (or not cozy) present.
And self-care isn’t nearly these ritual baths, and leisure time; self-care additionally offers with our psychological and bodily well being as nicely — letting our our bodies transfer and join with nature via a stroll outdoors, permitting our minds to decelerate in self- or guided meditation, for instance. I discover grounding myself via meditation or aware motion or connecting to nature to be important to my self-care and magical follow as a result of the idea of any magical working is grounding.
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