Pagan Coffee Talk
Pagan Coffee Talk is a modern paganism & witchcraft podcast exploring spiritual practice, community, and clergy experience weekly. Each episode invites listeners into candid, grounded conversations about what it really means to live, practice, and serve within today’s diverse pagan paths. Whether you’re a long‑time practitioner or someone newly curious about earth‑based spirituality, the show offers a welcoming space to learn, question, and grow.
Hosted by experienced pagan clergy, Pagan Coffee Talk blends humor, honesty, and hands‑on wisdom to demystify the realities of practice. The podcast dives into topics such as ritual structure, magical ethics, coven dynamics, and the lived experience of serving a community—always with a focus on accessibility and authenticity. You’ll also hear discussions on the challenges of modern pagan leadership, the evolution of contemporary witchcraft traditions, and how practitioners can build sustainable spiritual habits in everyday life.
Listeners searching for “practical pagan spirituality for beginners” or “real‑world witchcraft guidance from clergy” will find the show especially valuable. Episodes often highlight the difference between pop‑culture witchcraft and grounded, lineage‑informed practice, helping listeners navigate misinformation while strengthening their own spiritual foundations. The hosts also explore seasonal observances, ancestor work, devotional practice, and the importance of community support within pagan traditions.
Pagan Coffee Talk isn’t just a podcast—it’s an ongoing conversation shaped by real questions from real practitioners. By sharing personal stories, hard‑earned lessons, and thoughtful commentary, the hosts aim to foster a sense of connection and clarity for anyone walking a pagan path. Whether you’re brewing your morning coffee or settling in for evening reflection, this podcast offers insight, companionship, and a deeper understanding of modern pagan life.
A special thanks to Darkest Era for the use of their songs: The Morrigan, & Poem to the Gael. Check them out at http://darkestera.net/.
Pagan Coffee Talk
Why Worship Still Matters In Modern Pagan Practice
Ever feel like the modern craft is all technique and no heart? We go straight at the trend of magic without worship and make a case for bringing devotion back to the center of pagan practice. Not as dogma, but as a chosen relationship that gives your days rhythm and your community a pulse you can actually feel when you step into circle.
We talk about why group ritual hits differently than any thread or feed. Real faces, shared breath, and the subtle cues of being in the same room create clarity and connection that social media can’t replicate. From coffee-shop meetups to full moon rites, embodied practice helps us listen better, correct faster, and carry each other through the hard parts. When worship becomes a habit, magic stops being a shortcut and becomes a companion.
We also talk about our feelings dealing with the Lesser Banishing Pentagram Ritual. Is it taken out of context or is it used as it was meant to be?
Along the way, we share practical strategies for making time when life is loud: five-minute meditations, small consistent devotions, and monthly touchpoints that actually stick. We challenge myths about covens fueled by TV and remind you why the most effective spell for your life will usually be the one you cast yourself—because you carry the will, the nuance, and the consequence.
If this resonated, tap follow, share with a friend, and leave a review to help more seekers find the show. Your practice matters, and your presence changes the room.
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Welcome to Taking Coffee Talk. If you enjoy our content, please consider donating and following our socials. So what is it? Here here lately, lately, as in I don't know, fast past ten, fifteen years. Right. It seems like no one wants to worship as part of their practice. That they just they're more focused on the magic.
SPEAKER_01:Seems like it.
SPEAKER_02:Right? Right. Which is essentially what most people are referring to as witchcraft at this point. Yes. It's strictly the magic. There's no religion. There's no worship behind it.
SPEAKER_01:Nope.
SPEAKER_02:Why?
SPEAKER_01:You got me. I mean, first and foremost, we're a religion.
SPEAKER_02:Well, to us we are. Yeah. I mean And I guess that's where it makes it kind of difficult for us to kind of see how can you have one side of this and not have the other. Because for us, they're so entwined.
SPEAKER_01:Right. I mean, you don't get away from ritual, you don't get away from prayers, you don't I don't I don't see how people don't do this stuff. I don't mean I mean I again, like you said, I it's it's our viewpoint on this, but I don't see why in the world you don't want to be in ritual.
SPEAKER_02:I don't know. I mean, I I I'm I'm certainly a believer that to walk a certain path, right? To walk a magical path, as and I'm not talking magic, but magical as in the pagan path, right? Whatever part of that path it may be. But to walk this path, I don't think worship is necessary for everybody. It is for me.
SPEAKER_01:I d I think it's more prevalent, it's more useful to people than they actually think. They want to I think a lot of people want to think religion is a anarchist something authoritarian thing coming after you. I I I don't know how to explain it. I don't know where everybody got this idea of this, besides from well, the way the Christians did stuff for a while, whereas, you know, you you you did their way or you don't at all.
SPEAKER_02:Well, and I I think that kind of comes from most other religious sex, is that it's pretty much this is how you do it, and this is what's required of you.
SPEAKER_01:And I mean if if if that's the problem, craft don't work that way. Crafts have never worked that way.
SPEAKER_02:Well, not for me, and I don't worship because I feel like I have to. I worship because you want to. Because I want to.
SPEAKER_01:Right. You you need that part in you. I I think humanity needs religion in their life.
SPEAKER_02:I think so. And I think however you however you need to define that for your path, that's up to you. But I just I feel like it's necessary.
SPEAKER_01:Doing the rituals, I believe, help us connect better to the gods, help us connect better with each other. Right. All right. Again, here's the reason why in the world group ritual is great. We need that connection. We need to actually be physically in front of people and doing this. This is we need to get away from the TikToks, we need to get away from the social media, we need to meet back in person again as a society. We need this in our lives.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and I I completely agree with that. Um and what what makes me agree with that, and where I believe you're seeing all of this, is that when you look at social media, there are so many people who are reaching out for answers. Right. Right, but they're not meeting with anyone, they're not going places, they're not doing this, and or they're just reaching out to social media for their answers. Whereas people, if we get together, we can actually have a conversation.
SPEAKER_01:There's an energy that you can't get through social media. There's a connection that happens when you're in the same room with someone that you don't necessarily get if they're on the other side of the world. Absolutely. All right, it's just not the same. I don't know how how else to explain it.
SPEAKER_02:Well, it's not because you're not seeing facial expressions, you're not getting real-time feedback on your conversation. No. Right? So I could say something to you on a social media platform. I could say something to you, and then I might have to wait two or three days to get a response from you.
SPEAKER_01:Right. Or or you or you have a problem with the whole entire you email someone and you've tried your best to make it sound as clear and precise as possible. And somebody reads something the wrong way or something and thinks you're, you know, yelling at them when you're not doing it that way.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, or you're being a dick of it.
SPEAKER_01:Or something, and you're really not, and it that whole entire conversation then changes when you're actually sitting in front of someone. Absolutely. Because you happen to be in a bad mood when you read that email, read that post, whatever.
SPEAKER_02:And so guess what? You projected that feeling, that emotion onto someone else. Right. Whereas if you're face to face, you can't do that. You well, you might mistake what somebody says, but it's easy to say, can you clarify that? Yeah. Because this is what I heard. Right. I don't know if that's what you were trying to say or not. Right. And then you can.
SPEAKER_01:We're back to it. I'm only responsible for what I say, not what you hear.
SPEAKER_02:Right. Right. It's back to basic listening and conversation skills.
SPEAKER_01:Yes.
SPEAKER_02:And I think we're losing a lot of that because of social media.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:But if we can get together, and it doesn't even have to be I mean, it could just be we're gonna meet at a coffee shop.
SPEAKER_01:Wait when your when your whole religious experience for a whole entire year is done through one gather or one event, yeah. There's a problem.
SPEAKER_02:And the rest of the time is spent on social media.
SPEAKER_01:The rest of the time is spent on social media or casting, or just or like you said, just casting spells.
SPEAKER_02:Right, just working magic.
SPEAKER_01:And not doing the religious side of this.
SPEAKER_02:I think, yeah, I think you lose something in the process.
SPEAKER_01:I mean, don't get me wrong. Ritual baths are wonderful and blah, blah, blah.
SPEAKER_02:But they serve their purpose. They serve their purpose, but But it's not the end-all be-all.
SPEAKER_01:No. And it doing that in and of itself is not necessarily it's the beginning of a ritual, not the ritual itself. Right. So come on. Then what do you think about these people who uh just come home and do the oh god, the uh oh the lesser banishing? Do the lesser banishing, and is this any spiritual connection or see, I don't know. But then I I have problems, I have problems with the concept of the lower banishing and people just coming high casting circle for no reason and just hanging out.
SPEAKER_02:I can I I can see I can see the purpose behind it, but I think that the way it's being used for a lot of people is not in the context that it was meant to be used.
SPEAKER_01:It's like more people are using it like a drug or alcohol or I guess something.
SPEAKER_02:I guess. But in but I'm kind of like you. I don't I've tried this and I've I I spent some time really delving into this, and you know, I even took time and modified it to more pagan deities. Right. Um, you know, I'd I I worked with this for a while.
SPEAKER_01:Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_02:My biggest problem is there's no way to dissipate it.
SPEAKER_01:No.
SPEAKER_02:So you've created this sacred space that you're just leaving there.
SPEAKER_01:Yes.
SPEAKER_02:There's no way to take it back up.
SPEAKER_01:No.
SPEAKER_02:And when you're in Not according to the ritual itself. No.
SPEAKER_01:No, I mean we l again, this is the whole concept of the agrarian field.
unknown:Yes.
SPEAKER_01:That we keep on casting circle and we don't you even though we in our tradition are able to take up our circles, there's still residual energy. Residual energy left over that accumulates in these houses and stuff like that. We call it an agrarian field. It makes casting circle a whole lot easier in future events. Yes, it does. It makes magic and other things easier because you have access energy in one spot. Right. Now, again, you're doing this out in the woods or something. I'm sorry, I I I see these as beacons to other entities that live out there that going, ooh, look, there's energy we can munch on. Right. So I if if you're doing that, is that all you're doing is just keep on just leaving these little dots.
SPEAKER_02:Those little hot spots.
SPEAKER_01:These little hot spots everywhere. I don't know. Um But is this a ritual? Is this any any spiritual connection?
SPEAKER_02:I I In a way it is.
SPEAKER_01:I mean, because the way I'm looking at it is you're you're you're doing the lower banishing ritual, then turn around and watching TV. Yeah. You're not actually you're not actually doing this and sitting down and meditating or praying or working with the gods.
SPEAKER_02:No, and and while you you can absolutely you can and probably should, but most people don't. No. And like you said, they're just you know, oh well, okay, there's a movie coming on. Let's let's sit down and watch that.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, let's let's let me do my lower banishing, let's sit down and watch a movie.
SPEAKER_02:Um I in all honesty, there's there's more to that that most people don't know. Right. Most of us don't know because we don't follow, like, you know, I I believe that's part of the Golden Dawn tradition. Yeah. Most of us don't follow that tradition. Most of us know very little about the Golden Dawn in all actuality. There's plenty of books you can read. Right. But without being part of that, you don't really know the context behind that ritual. True.
SPEAKER_01:I mean, it might have a different meaning for them. And a different use use, but I don't know if I qualify that as an actual religious experience.
SPEAKER_02:I mean, does it work? Yes. I just I don't know. I just I'm like you, I have I have a slight bit of an issue with it.
SPEAKER_01:I mean, it's easier for me to meditate and just go hang out on the astral plane. Absolutely. And get a and and talk to deity and commune with them. Absolutely, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:You know, throughout the day and not really So I I don't see where I would think, see, I would think, and again, I haven't I've done research into this, but I haven't done excessive research. I will freely admit that. But I would think that this the that the lesser banishing ritual, pentagram ritual, would be something that we you would do to create a shield.
SPEAKER_01:See.
SPEAKER_02:So if you're going in to do, I don't know, let's go extreme. You're doing an exorcism. I think you would use this to create a shield around yourself. You see where I'm going with, like I said, that's an extreme thing.
SPEAKER_01:Well, again, in in our tradition, we actually believe the circle, once it's cast and fully up, that it becomes its own separate world. Absolutely, yeah. Separate from this world. And that everything inside there is happening in a different frequency, realm of existence, distance, or something like that that brings us closer to deities. So that's where in the world our view changes a little bit to where in the world you want to show up the full moon. You want to be there. This is this is the height of her energy, of the goddess's energy. So we're we're we're doing this at the full moon. Right. So we can get a bigger taste of it. So what would be the reasons not to? I mean, I've never I've never asked these questions to these people. What's your reasons for not doing ritual?
SPEAKER_02:Even your own private little rituals, I I don't Well, I think if you're not following any type of deity, if you're not following a god or god and or a goddess, or some type of or some type of tradition. Right. If you're not following any of that, then you don't really have a need for that. But I think even if you're not following that line of thought, you would still think, okay, you as most pagans believe, the full moon has a lot of energy to it. Yes. So you would still want to connect to that. And again, the best way I can I can see to connect to that is by ritual.
SPEAKER_01:Right. Rituals with and again, I'm still stressing this ritual with other people. I understand solitaries are out there, they might do their ritual all by themselves. All right. And I give them credit for that. All right. Back in the day when I was solitaire, it it's hard to do that.
SPEAKER_02:It is. It takes some dedication to really do that on a regular basis.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. But it's also hard to sit there, and I know how life is. It's easy to sit there and go, I got this to do, this to do, that list gets longer and longer, and it's easy to put off. Okay, I can put this ritual off. I really, you know, I don't have to go to full moon tonight.
SPEAKER_02:Right.
SPEAKER_01:I think this is where this all starts.
SPEAKER_02:Perfect example of that. There's a guy at work, he has anxiety. Uh-huh. Right. He goes, he he does what he needs to, whether it's through medication or therapy or or whatever. And we've had an issue at work, and I talked to him and I was like, dude, you need to, you know, have you tried meditation?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:If not, just you know, five minutes a day. Just he's like, Well, for me, sitting still doesn't work. And I'm like, dude, meditation comes in many forms. And he was like, Well, I used to run. I was like, perfect. Because that will put you in a state of mind while you're doing it.
SPEAKER_01:Right.
SPEAKER_02:And he was like, Well, yeah, it actually did. And I was like, Okay, that's meditation.
SPEAKER_01:Yes.
SPEAKER_02:You need to get back into that, and you know, it'll help you.
SPEAKER_01:I don't think so.
SPEAKER_02:And he was, and his his excuse was, well, I drive an hour back and forth to work. My kid, one of my kids goes to school in Raleigh, which is two hours away. Right? Another kid does this after school, has this and that. Right. And I'm like, okay, but those are excuses.
SPEAKER_01:Those are excuses.
SPEAKER_02:And he's like, Well, I don't have the time. I was like, no, you just need to make time the time.
SPEAKER_01:You just need to manage your time better.
SPEAKER_02:You know, and just because you like to do extremes doesn't mean that going on a run for 30 minutes a day won't help. Right. And he's like, but you know me better than that at this point. He's like, you know, I get upset because I'm only doing two or three miles. And I'm like, but that's better than nothing. Right. Use it to your advantage. One mile is better than nothing.
SPEAKER_01:During my electronics classes, I kept on telling my, I kept on telling my teacher over and over, an amp is an amp. One amp is better than no amps.
SPEAKER_02:Exactly. All right. I mean. So, but yeah, that's that's that whole mindset. It's life gets in the way.
SPEAKER_01:Right.
SPEAKER_02:And somehow or another we've gotten into the mindset that if life gets in the way, I don't have time for this.
SPEAKER_01:Or if we didn't get this started, you know, if we didn't do this when we were younger, we shouldn't, we don't need to do it now. Right. So I that to me still gets me of because I'm like you, you know, a dollar is better than no dollar. I I don't know how else to explain that.
SPEAKER_02:So I you know, I just I think as far as that goes, we just we need to get out of the mindset that I don't have time for this.
SPEAKER_01:Right. You need to make time for it.
SPEAKER_02:We can we can make time.
SPEAKER_01:Yes.
SPEAKER_02:You know, I get up, you know, I work eight hours. I go back to the house, I stay up a couple of hours, two, two, three hours, then I go to bed. I sleep my eight hours, I get up. I still have four hours before I go to work. Yes. I have plenty of time to meditate, I have plenty of time to collect myself and get myself together, get myself ready for work. Edit any audio, editing audio, going to the gym, whatever. I I have I have time.
SPEAKER_01:You just gotta make time to do it. I mean, again, again, you just said it. To me, going to ritual is kind of like going to the gym. You know, you you know you need to do it, so you gotta sort of get yourself into that habit. Once you're in that habit, you're golden.
SPEAKER_02:Right. You know, for s and for some people, it's gonna be more of a challenge. Right. You know, to me, ritual, even when I first started going to rituals, it was it was an experience. It was something I wanted to do.
SPEAKER_01:Well, see, I think a lot of people, a lot of people do might start off real good like that. But as soon as that first hiccup happens. Oh, yeah. Again, it's that, hey, it's the beginning of the year, I'm gonna make this New Year's resolution, I'm joining a gym. Within the first three months, you've done quit going.
SPEAKER_03:Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_01:You know, so again, I still think there's a little bit of that too there. Absolutely, yeah. All right. And you you you people want to give up stuff just because there's one stumbling block.
SPEAKER_03:Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_01:All right, or one hoop they have to jump through. Depending on the type of person I am, trust me, I know about freaking jumping through freaking hoops to get anything freaking accomplished. Right. All right. Trust me, that one hoop is a whole lot easier.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Compared to some of the other ones that are out there.
SPEAKER_02:And sometimes you're gonna wind up feeling like you're in a dog and pony show, but yeah. But it's what you put on yourself.
SPEAKER_01:Well, there's a saying that Lord men beat into our heads over and over again. That is when your religious life is in order, everything else seems to fall into place a whole lot more easier. And the more I keep on seeing that, the more I see people's lives straightening out faster for them.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I mean, we've we've seen it firsthand with our students, we've seen it firsthand with our with ourselves. Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_01:It just it works. It does. Once you start practicing, once you start doing this, it's just I I don't know how else to explain that. Life just seems to get easier. It does. All right. You're like,
SPEAKER_02:There's not going to be challenges.
SPEAKER_01:There's always going to be challenges.
SPEAKER_02:Nothing's perfect. But things do seem to the path seems more clear.
SPEAKER_01:Yes. And when you do run into those hiccups and stuff, they seem to be easier to clean up or fix or get things back on track.
SPEAKER_02:Or work around or whatever you got. Whatever. It does. It just it seems easier.
SPEAKER_01:It does. So I it it might just be us, but it could be. You know. But again, I'm still back to I would rather somebody be a part of any religion than no religion. Are you with me?
SPEAKER_02:I mean, ideally you want it to be a religion that Well I di ideally does.
SPEAKER_01:No, no, I wouldn't want it. No, I want it to be my tradition and blah, blah, blah. I'm not gonna lie about it, but but I know that's not reality.
SPEAKER_02:Well, I mean, in my opinion, it's it's more of you want it to be a religion that that does something for you. For you. That's beneficial for you.
SPEAKER_01:Right. I mean, I d my religion's beneficial, and yes, I would love everybody to practice it, but I know it's not going to happen.
SPEAKER_02:No. Well, I mean, we've we've long said it's never been for the masses. No. But I mean, it's why we teach, it's why we do this podcast. It's, you know, we believe in what we're doing because we we live it.
SPEAKER_01:Part of this was done to combat the problems I see in the pagan community about people getting down on covens. Well, yeah. And the religious side of this. All right. Everybody wants to bash us, then the covens and stuff. And there's nobody out there going, no, y'all, we're not like y'all think we are. All right. I'm sorry, the TV shows and the movies have ruined the whole coven thing. Y'all want to believe that crap, but not us.
SPEAKER_02:Well, I mean, it wasn't it wasn't too long ago we we we got an email from somebody wanting to know if we cast spells with the coven. It's like, no. No, not really.
SPEAKER_01:That's not what we do. No, I mean, if I need to cast a spell, I'm I'm gonna cast my spell for myself. Right. All right. Clip note right here, right? The best spells that will work the best for you were cast by you, not someone else. Right. There's a long con on that. Yeah, absolutely. On to get y'all there, and you know, basically you sit there and you literally you you do a spell for 'em. When they don't work, then you have them interact in the spell. Then you finally get them to the point where, okay, now here, now you're just gonna do the spell yourself and you're gonna leave me alone. Right. Because that's the best way to get it done. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02:Because only you know your situation.
SPEAKER_01:And you're the only one that's gonna pull up those emo enough emotion and enough will to cause those changes. Right. All right, but those changes have to happen with inside you just as much as outside. Absolutely. What what what's that line? If you cannot find uh within, you will never find within. I'll never find it without, yeah. So I I think that's enough. Let's get some more coffee.
SPEAKER_02:Thanks for listening. Join us next week for another episode. Pegan Coffee Talk is brought to you by Life Temple and Seminary. Please visit us at Life Temple Seminary.org for more information, as well as links to our social media Facebook, Discord, Twitter, YouTube, and Reddit.
SPEAKER_00:We travel down this trodden path, the maze of stone and mire. Just hold my hand as we pass by a sea of blazing pyres, and so it is the end of our days to walk with me till morning breaks, and so it is the end of our days to walk with me till morning.
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