Saturn Returns with Caggie - Magic, Witchcraft and how to work with the Seasons with Emma Griffin

Episode Date: October 28, 2024

Don’t miss this spellbinding episode that invites you to reflect on your own magic and harness the energy of the season. In this Halloween special of Saturn Returns, Caggie is joined by modern-day witch and spiritual guide, Emma Griffin. Emma is an eclectic, modern witch and intuitive channeller who was raised in a family of witches and mediums. Globally recognised for her profound understanding of witchcraft, seasonal living, and her intuitive abilities, Emma empowers women to transcend doubts, fears, and self‐sabotage; realign with their inner truth, power, authenticity, and purpose; and embrace a more enchanting life. Emma shares her journey into witchcraft and how she uses her gifts to help others embrace their inner magic and navigate life’s challenges. Together, they delve into the mysticism and misconceptions surrounding modern witchcraft, discussing the role of rituals, intuition, and the importance of reconnecting with nature’s cycles. Emma also introduces her new book, The Witch’s Way Home, Magic, Spells and Rituals to Lead You Back to Your Most Powerful Self - a guide to discovering your spiritual gifts and creating a life filled with magic, intention, and self-empowerment. Tune in as Caggie and Emma explore how embracing your inner witch can bring clarity, confidence, and connection, especially during times of transition. Happy Halloween!!

This is wonderful that we've picked up other things in different cultures like yoga, but in Britain we have this history of witchcraft and we should be actually using and celebrating that as well as bringing in other things like meditation and yoga. But we have this wonderful knowledge of witchcraft in our DNA. Hello everyone and welcome to Saturn Returns with me, Kage Dunlop. This is a podcast that aims to bring clarity during transitional times where there can be confusion and doubt. Today I am joined by someone that has recently come to my life because of this podcast and that is the wonderful Emma Griffin, who is a witch. And of course, it's Halloween week.

So I thought, well, we have to have Emma on the show. I think I first discovered her maybe a couple of years ago, started following her online. And then I listened to this podcast series that I believe the BBC did called, I think it was called The Witch. She had probably got this right before I started recording this. And then more recently, I read this book called Witches Why Women Are Still On Trial whilst I was on a road trip through Italy. So it's been very much sort of, I don't know,

in my sphere recently. And as some of you know and are coming on Thursday, we are doing a practical magic screening at Electric Cinema, which I am so excited about. And I'm sorry to say it has sold out, so there are no more tickets. But I've wanted to do that on Halloween for so long with you guys. And so I'm super excited. But back to this episode, Emma and I have this really beautiful conversation today and

she is a modern day witch whose presence blends the mystical with the deeply relatable. She's very known for her intuitive gifts and she's carved out a space for herself in the spiritual community, embracing her role as a guide in self-discovery and transformation. And she really practices this unique form of witchcraft which weaves together astrology, tarot and ancestral wisdom with a focus on personal empowerment and inner healing. And her work aims to demystify witchcraft and make spiritual tools accessible for anyone seeking deeper connections to themselves and the world around them.

So get ready, make a cup of tea or a cup of cocoa and get cozy and I hope that you enjoy this wonderful conversation around witchcraft as we go into, what do we say, witch season? The season of the witch. There we go, I got there in the end. And I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed this conversation with Emma, so I think you will too. Emma, welcome to the Saturn Returns podcast. Thank you for asking me. You've probably been following each other a while back, but you have been on my radar of dream guests for the show.

Thank you. And for the audience that might not be familiar with you and your work, would you be able to give a bit of an overview of who you are and what you do? Yeah, of course. My name is Emma Griffin and I am a professional full-time witch and I live in Cornwall with my family. I'm also an author as well and I get to help amazing people, mainly women, all over the world.

I love that and you say it with such conviction and authority. I love my job. Yeah, it just gives me like full body like yes, I love it. People often get quite uncomfortable when they have to say like who they are and what they do, myself included, so it's very nice. Yeah, I think so because you know, I don't know, it can be just a tricky one, but I always like hearing people speak in their own words but what for like people that might not be familiar with what being a full-time witch includes, what does that look like on a day-to-day basis? I'm so fascinated.

Well obviously I live my life as a witch and I only really came out to the world in I think it's at the end of 2020, really. So not that long ago. No, it's literally just blown up. But I kept my life as a witch very private because my mum said not to come out and not to say anything because you'll get judged and picked on. So you said you came out in 2020, but when did you know that you were a witch? I initiated myself at the age of, well nearly I was nearly 21 so I was 20.

What's a witch initiation look like? Well my mum was a witch so I was brought up in this magical household and My dad did spiritual mediumship and he traveled the world in the fashion industry. So he loved all different cultures and loved visiting like ceremonies and different altars and stuff like that. He wasn't really keen on witchcraft. He thought it was a bit scary, but my mum was a witch. So she taught me everything. And then I obviously learned stuff as well because I'm 48. So you learn stuff yourself and I'm a mum. And I went to a spiritual fair with my boyfriend, who is my husband. We've been together since I was 17. And this, I know he's lovely. I'm very blessed with my husband. I had a tar

read in and they said, oh, you won't be able to have children if you stay with this man. And at 19 years old, I was really broody. And I knew that not like it was my purpose, but I knew I had this desire to become a mum that was my everything. So it really did play on my mind. So when I got back I stole all my mum's witchcraft books and read this little paragraph thing and initiated myself under the full moon and just stepped in to go to have a baby. Because they told you that if you stayed with this man that that wouldn't happen. Yeah. And do you feel like your initiation into becoming a witch stopped that?

Yes, I mean, it's beyond magical because from that moment, I completely changed. And obviously I was very young before my Saturn return and I made my to bathe in things, drink things, all sorts of things. He'd just come home from work and I'd be like, I've got this brewing, I've got that brewing. And I just loved it. It felt like home to me. It took me nine months to fall pregnant, but my daughter now is nearly 25. And she's called Holly. She's also a witch. I had an astrology reading with this amazing astrologist and she showed me recently on my chart that Holly was destined to come in at that certain time on my chart and she's basically my legacy. So I was like this is all, it's the best spell I've ever done.

That is so beautiful. That is so powerful. Because for the audience that might be a little bit skeptical or have a sort of a feeling when they hear the word witch because of, I guess, the negative connotations that have been put against it and what exists in us as women as the sort of, oh no, resistance to owning that part of ourselves. Can we go back in time a little bit into the history

of witchcraft and actually what happened to women? Because it's one of those aspects that just gets sort of put under the carpet. I was just reading a beautiful book called Witches Why Women Are Still On Trial and it kind of was going back through the ages and I thought nobody knows about the stuff but it lives in us. I think everyone, you know, all genders are affected by the witch wound is what it's called because obviously in our DNA is this trauma our ancestors would have either witnessed it or heard about it so has this fear that ricochets into our life now and it's so sad and I'm on this like mission to try and bring witchcraft into the norm and make it more modern because yes it's wonderful that we've

picked up other things in different cultures like yoga but in Britain we have this history of witchcraft and we should be actually using and celebrating that as well as bringing in other things like meditation and yoga but we have this wonderful knowledge of witchcraft in our DNA. It's a real shame. And I think the movies has made it so scary. Like I know when I say to people, I had an electrician came in this room.

This is a room where I work, he put my altar behind me. And he said, what you do? That's what I said. I'm a witch. And he looked at me and laughed. And then he said, oh, so you're going to put hex on me or could you get my girlfriend back? And it has all this stuff in the mind that I think I do.

And I'm like, no, I really don't like that at all. It's very, very basic. Let's break down sort of where the, firstly, like how witchcraft used to be and how it was a day to day practice. And then perhaps we can go into what was done against witches. So traditionally, because it was it was very intertwined with health and where it was based by medical. Exactly. That I'm really interested in. So would you be able to share a little bit about that? Obviously it's little villages and stuff like that we have now and the women in the villages they would be helping other women with advice and that would

be a classist witchcraft because you're giving them advice. I mean, there's some really silly things that people were tried for. Like I think some one woman was in Aberdeen was whispering or just looked like she was saying something to a tree and someone walked past and went, oh, she's a witch. And then she was tried and sentenced for that. There were women that were midwives. They were all women that were working with herbs, like herbalists. I

think probably like 1% might have actually done witchcraft but even then that's not a negative thing or nothing to be scared about. And the attack was very much it was against older witches wasn't it? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean it was was against all of them, but particularly all of them, but particularly older women or women at my age, really from 40s to 60s to 70s, you know, who carried most of the wisdom and the knowledge. Yeah. Yeah. And do you think that's because it was seen as a threat? Yeah. I think women can't get too powerful can they? No! Well we are powerful anyway with these amazing creators. After there was the attack on witches what was actually happening? That's the scary part so when the witches were being tried and sentenced, whether they were drowned, hung, or put to fire, or whether they were tortured or killed. The other women, obviously you could hear

this from different villages, it all sort of word-of-mouth come down to their villages. So these women who are obviously friends, a sister, learned to live with each other, bringing up children, had so much fear inside their heart that they would out other women so that they would protect their children. And I think this fear has come into our society where some women don't like other women sort of succeeding or looking at it and we have this awful sort of bitchiness and fear around this and I think that's probably one of the worst bits and how it's really showing up in today. Like there's not enough space for all of us.

Yeah and we should be supporting each other, lifting each other up and helping each other like we did and our ancestors did before this. In the context of having children and raising a family, because I find that very interesting in terms of the way that it's become so medicalised and very cold, the whole experience, what would be some of the things that we could perhaps reclaim? I don't

know how you did it or have done it but I would love if you feel comfortable with sharing to share a little bit about a way of doing it in a sense that goes a bit more back in time. Yeah I mean I don't think I'm not a perfect mother. I don't think we can ever be. I loved my childhood. I loved the magic and fairy tale that my mum instilled into me. So when I had both my children, I really wanted to give them that. I did teach them about nature and I didn't have very much money. I didn't have all these things that probably society are pushing mums to have now. And I just did very basic things with them and made them actually focus and see the seasons. We're very lucky living in

the UK to see the seasons. so I made that really important to bring those into my children. Also little rituals of setting a table and creating a sacred space in the home so that they could see that it was safe. Your home is like a giant crystal that could radiate out all this love and nurturing to. So I showed them things like that and conversations around the table and to naturally slow down and to learn how to feel. So there's a lot of conversations ever since they were little

to how they were feeling and not to bypass anything. It's just little gentle touches that are free. And what about the actual birthing experience? Because I know we touched a second ago on how witches were midwives and that whole experience was very much held by women, for women, and now it feels a very different experience. Yeah, we've got so many tools around us. I think if I was pregnant now and going into labour, you could take into this ward all your crystals,

or you'll be able to make a sacred space. When I was 23, when I had Holly, and it was very medical and very, sort of, just didn't sort of fit with me or my beliefs at the time. I found it very difficult. And then three years later, I had my son, Harry, my mum was allowed to then come into the room to actually help me give birth, which was wonderful. But my mum was given a tarot reading at the end of my bed. What do you mean she was doing a tarot reading? Yeah, to the midwives. That sounds so wonderfully mad. What was your trying to give birth? Yeah,

literally, literally like the hour before my son came out, she was doing, tarried at the foot of my bed and then when his little, sort of, I think you call it crowning, it's a long time ago now, she sort of looked out the window because there's a storm and she said, oh my god, there's a rainbow that's just appeared. He must be out of Harry Potter. He must be magical. Which sounds like it would have been more familiar and made you feel more at home. Yeah, it did make me feel more at home. As much as it might have been distracting. Yeah, she was very different. Oh, she sounds wonderful. And then in time that you mentioned a second ago about teaching your children to work with the seasons, for those that feel the call to engage in these practices but don't know

where to begin, what are the simple steps that one can take? Perhaps someone's listening and they've got a very corporate job and it's very dominated by men and that they feel that this aspect of themselves has been totally suppressed or shut down. What can they do to start awakening the witch within? Like I said, being in England, we're so lucky to have the seasons actually around us and it's so obvious what's going on in the world. As we're obviously in the middle now of autumn you can see the leaves falling, you can see what nature is naturally doing. So when people say oh I don't have time to

focus or have time for myself, when you have that cup of tea whether you're at work or at home, why are you having that cup of tea? Just look at nature and ask yourself, well what is it showing me? How can I sort of step back? Maybe I should reflect it and look at what I've harvested from the summer. As the evening's getting darker, what do I need to do at home to give me the nurturing that I need to go through the winter. There's so many people don't like the winter, do they? And I love it because I know that that's that time where I can go into my cave and hibernate and rest

and maybe study or learn something new or ready, you know, come back out to the spring ready for the faster months. The world around us shows us this slowness, this slowing down, the recharging, and then speeding up to as we go into summer, to when we can go, right, this is what I wanna manifest, celebrate, be outside, and then cycles turns.

We can't just keep going, going, going. No, we cannot, but I find that really fascinating. But also it's the world around us, yes, in terms of nature. But I feel like the world around us that we have built tells us the opposite. That does tell us go, go, go all the time. And that's probably why people hate winter so much is because they're trying to keep up with this momentum and never give themselves a chance to slow down, to rest and restore. So one thing that I've been thinking about a lot at the moment is what would a world,

sort of utopian world look like where we actually live our lives in accordance with the season and working with the moon and giving ourselves that chance. Yeah it sounds like you are someone that actually does embody those practices. Have you found that challenging to get to that place? Yes because I have had, obviously this isn't been my actual career for most of my life. So I was a fashion photographer and I've worked in interior design and illustration and fashion design. So it's very fast. Creative

industries. Yeah, very fast. And I found it quite challenging to try and keep up with the fast speed of the world and also this this fight of trying to match this masculine energy where it's just not not me. No well we're always set up for failure because our hormonal cycles everything is totally different. Yeah and I feel as well that the more creative you are, I think, witchcraft or even not to have to be a witch, but living with the season helps us as creative souls as well, because it feeds us, it allows us to maybe sort of reflect and sort of brew something up during the dark months to actually then launch it into the spring and summer. So in a sort of working in that fashion, the time in winter is to kind of go inward

to sort of conceptualize things. And then ideally we want to sort of bring them to fruition in spring. Yeah, start bringing them out. So like February, end of February. Okay. And then summer months is sort of... Go, go, go. Okay.

Yeah, go, go, go. And then go back to start. So now, as we're going towards Halloween, we're now sort of reflecting of what we've actually learned from the summer, from those busy times, but also looking at how we're gonna help ourselves going through to the darker months of December. And what I really love about Yule, well, Yule is probably, I don't do all of the Sabbaths with my children,

but Yule has always been a family celebration that I have forced them. Even I tell them now they have to come round. When is it? It's the 21st of December. And what does that signify? It's returning of the light so it's a beautiful time where you can well how I do it I have a feast so just make a very simple dinner but I don't really like overhead lighting anyway, but I make sure the house is more candlelit, more fairy lights, it's perfect at this time of year.

And we sit in darkness all holding a white candle and we actually reflect and discuss what we've learned from the year, the whole year that's passing. And then we place our intentions into this white candle and light them together as a family and talk about what our wishes are for the following year to come. So it's really simple. Yeah it sounds beautiful though. What would you say for people, because I know a lot of people set their intentions in January and talk about sort of vision boards and stuff but is that then totally the wrong time to be doing it? Yeah. Yeah?

Yeah. That you're sort of setting yourself up for failure? Yeah, because you haven't got the energy. You haven't got the energy as a person. You haven't got the support, the energy of the world around you. So why would you in this dark room? It just sounds bizarre. Our ancestors would not do that. As the flowers start to bloom, that's when we should feel, okay, what do I want to grow? What is, you know, my intentions? I want to blossom now, not in January. Everything's asleep. So how do you prepare for the winter months?

I find it really exciting now. So October is really the month where I start planning what do I want to do? What do I want to put some time into? Is there a creative project I want to do? Is there a book I want to read? Is there decorating I want to do? I like decorating. I change the house. Just new things but more into the home, more to go inward. More sort of inward stuff, sort of home nesting. More self-care, more baking, soups, casseroles, some different recipes that I want to try, you know, things like that. Have you felt that you've had to adjust your perspective on success in order to lean into this way of being because even myself,

I'm like, that sounds beautiful but then I feel like we get bombarded with that where you're gonna fall behind, you need to keep pushing and then you go online and you see sort of all these things that people are doing and you constantly feel like you're falling short. Yeah I can understand that. I mean I have felt like that. I am obviously older than you and I think... It's all to do with, as a witch, you have to know who you are. So, I really do know who I am. And it's not like I'm fully healed or, you know,

constantly doing things like that. But so I don't have that I... Can I explain But so I don't have that I can't explain it. I don't have that fear, because I know I'm successful. This is not about materialistic or money. I'm successful because how I feel inside. So that's, I am known as mispositive, but that's how I am and it feels right for me. So I'm constantly checking in with my soul and believe that I am completely authentic because this is who I am. So I don't have that fear. Because I feel like so many people do the opposite is they feel like if they create the external facade that that will in turn make them feel fulfilled on the inside but it

doesn't work like that. It doesn't work like that at all and I think that's something that though I love people to go through because we have to go through those moments of the darkness to actually find who we are so it's part of our life lessons just that I've gone through a lot of them. Would you be able to share any? Yeah, yeah so my family were quite difficult to live with. Obviously my parents were classes different. My dad was like a failed gangster so it was very stressful at home. So I became like the mother of my family at 18. So I was very young with lots of responsibilities. So by the time my Saturn return came up, I was a young mum because I obviously held all that stress within me. I was this new

witch, new mum. I had a decade of different tumours. So I had cancer of my uterus, then I had cancer of the breast, and then the worst, I don't know if you get a worst one, but I did get a worst cancer of the thyroid. And at 34, they said I wouldn't really be here at 40. And I had young children. And my witchcraft came really into place because I believe I manifested to actually stay in this, not bypassing, but that's really a major awakening that I wasn't speaking my truth. Oh, wow.

So, at least that's when I started up a fashion photography business, because I thought, oh, I'm not gonna have that's when I started up a fashion photography business because I thought, oh I'm not going to have that so I'll start a business. So I thought I just, I wanted to find something in creativity that I would really thrive and love, not bypass it but just give me some focus. And then I put milestones on of my daughter learning to drive, my son going to prom, and all these things. And I still do put markers on to see how far I can go.

But then I got into a mission in 2019. And they were really surprised. And I do think that is because of my daily practice and the moments of pause and how I look after myself. It's not necessarily about fitness. It's about my mental state. So I've had that. And then in 2017, I had a near-death experience where I had pneumonia and I died for a minute

and 28 seconds in an ambulance. So I've constantly had these things of time is running out and I've got to do something, I've got to make use of it and then my dad died in 2019 and then my mum died in 2020 and then obviously my life has just gone so fast with wonderful opportunities and all these things to here to now. Thank you for sharing that. You're welcome.

So when you were 34, you said you were first faced with these health issues and you said that it was to do with you not speaking your truth. Yes, I mean all three tumors and I am sort of not obsessed with it but I find it very interesting where cancer forms especially in women because I do feel that's where we're holding all the pain and the anger and the hurt and stuff. And I feel because I spent so long of people-pleasing or putting my parents first or looking after my brother

or trying to fight in a corporate world and trying to prove that I was a good enough fashion designer or I deserve to be there or I never spoke my truth. I always held it back because that's all I learned how to do to fit into society. And then obviously it built up and built up and built up to this big lump on my thyroid.

And I thought, oh, it's absolutely nothing. But then when I realized that I might not survive, I remember having a cup of tea, watching my children play in the garden and I thought I'm now going to have to go through all these different treatments, lose all my hair, completely change who I am, but also try and be a mum to these two young children who were in primary school who didn't really understand at the time. And I just thought this is because I have held up held everything back. Because the minute I realized that you could, although I didn't have a thyroid

anymore, you feel this. It's like a like, you know, you take a lid off them, like lemonade or so you feel that pop, you feel this energy pop inside you when you realise what you've actually done to yourself and you think, oh, I should never have done that. But then when I look back at those times, I'm very grateful for that because without going through that, I would never be the woman who I am today. So I look at it very fondly because it's through that, it's the great life lessons that I've learned and it's destined for me to do that path. And you knew it sounds like very

instantly that that's what was happening and you knew what to do, what to do, what practice is to heal you. Yeah so when my mum got ill she was poorly for very very really really quickly and I was very surprised how quick it would be after losing my dad. And my pentagram was actually my mum's. And when I came in to look after my mum because she couldn't go to a hospice because of COVID, I thought I'd move in to her home and nurse and help her. Her home was just more comfortable. So I went upstairs and put the pentagram on. I haven't taken it off since. What's a pentagram?

This necklace. Yeah, this is my protection. So I literally put it on so I could help my mum. But I really thought I'm going to step up more. Because everything she was saying, that if I shared that I was a witch, I would be persecuted. I thought this is silly because that's not what I'm seeing from society. This community that I've grown on social media is so lovely. I probably only had two people ask me if I'm going to hurt an animal or I'm going to go

to hell. I only had two and that's not really that bad. It's funny. I mean, I feel like people just ask women that sort of thing anyway. Yeah, it must be, but I wanted to speak small. So what your mum warned you against wasn't your reality basically. Yes and because of my throat chakra I thought I really am gonna speak my truth and just share. Did you feel that what you weren't speaking was very much to do with your identity as a witch? Yeah, 50-50. 50 is a witch and 50 is a woman. Because I was a middle child, only daughter, and I think in the 90s, obviously, women had to fight still to get a certain job. It's still like that now, I'm sure. And I was constantly battling with men in the fashion industry to prove my worth, to prove my idea.

And it was really exhausting. The only time I felt okay to be a woman was when you're seen as a mum, because that's like your job. Even as a mum, I still see job even as a mum I still see this now there's such a pressure of you've got to do it this way and this way and this is a constant battle all the time and that proves more that you have to find out who you really are so that you can keep yourself grounded and not be not be blinkered but I like social media but...

Well you can get swept up in a sea of other people's opinions and everyone sort of throwing their advice and whilst it may come from a good place it might not be the way you wish to do things. Yeah it might not be your truth. What about the part as a witch was that simply not stating it and owning it? Yeah, because I saw when I was a teenager, I could see my friends reactions to my mum and they thought she was weird. So my mum would do a seance on a Sunday after a roast dinner. My mum would come into your bedroom where you had friends around for tea and start cleansing your room or ringing bells. I love the sound of your mouth. It's so funny because I had such a sort of normal upbringing. I'm like, this is the kind of household I would have felt part of.

We had lots of pets and we would walk our dogs and my mum would find roadkill. She'd literally put the roadkill under her head and go I'm gonna come back later to get them. So she'll go back and pick up this fox and then she'd boil the head, take the flesh off and then have this beautiful and honor. Yeah so she teach me. Yes I went on a fashion shoot once and there was this dead bat hanging in this barn, it was only a couple of years ago. And it was perfect, this beautiful little bat, but obviously it was just dead. So I said to the owner, may I take that bat? And she's like, yeah, if you want.

I had to go get a sandwich back, I was so thrilled, and I gave it to my mom, so she could, she would paint it, she was an artist as well. But when my mom passed and we cleared out her freezer, there was little mice like that frozen in the dead bats and little bits of ant in the freezer because she wanted to defrost them and paint them or honor them or that's what my mum was like.

So pretty wacky. Pretty wacky. Yes, I've inherited all her jars of insects and things. So I guess you didn't want to be seen in the way that your friends may have viewed your manga. It's the picking on, I think, is the... Yeah, of being different. Yeah.

But that hasn't happened to me. Which I've learned, obviously, over the years, that being different is your superpower. Yeah. And for anyone that's listening to this and has the feeling of, I know I'm not speaking my truth, what would your advice be? Because obviously you went through it in the most extreme way possible.

You need to feel your truth first. So journaling and getting it out on paper, pen and paper, not digital, so you can see it in black and white. And then read it and feel it. Once you've felt your truth, then you just need to speak your truth, but speak it from a pace of love. So it's not in anger, it's not in haste, it's not fast, it's you know it's your truth and you're saying it with love. So it's not as scary that makes sense sometimes you go you know we just blurted out well that's not really speaking your truth because do you really mean it? So we're taking that pause to actually this is my truth and I need to say it and then having

that superpower of it doesn't matter what somebody else if they don't agree with it because that's their stuff they're dealing with. As long as I say mine, then it's fine. I love that because it's kind of the intention it's coming from. Yeah, but we have to feel it first. And then I wanted to ask you in terms of, you spoke about having this experience with health and these issues and then the loss of your parents in quite quick timing. How has the life that you live and the practices that you stand by, how did that help with that process? If it did, I can

imagine that it would have brought some element of spiritual comfort. Yeah because we are going to go into woo woo stuff now but... Let's go, this is the right podcast! So I'd be, I mean most children, all children in fact, play with and talk to the dead. Okay so obviously I was doing this at the age of four and... What do you think all children do? All children do. Up to probably the age of seven or nine when we're programmed, mainly by school, but also our caretakers off, that's not the norm. You know, there's no two fairy or magic or they sort of bring us back down. My parents didn't tell me that that was wrong. My parents would discuss it with me. We would do Ouija boards.

We would do all these things to communicate to the dead in a very safe way. So I used to go to Hampton Court Palace with my gran on Saturdays and I remember tying my jacket around my waist, being really excited to run around because I knew I'd be able to play with the ghosts there. And I absolutely loved it. And that was one of my first memories of playing with ghosts. So nowadays, well, can I describe it?

We'll call it muggles. Okay, so normal people have muggles. If they don't believe in life after death, when our soul dies and goes to spirit world, it's really hard for them to learn how to communicate to their loved ones on the earth plane. My parents know that there is life after death. So when my parents passed,

they could communicate with me and give me a sign. So it's not so scary. So it actually helped with my grief because I can meditate, I can feel their presence. I can, you know, ask for a sign. And I actually was with my mom when she passed and you can see her going in and out of dimensions and experiencing the spirit

world. So it's very beautiful. So that also helps you with the actual passing of someone. That's really beautiful. I like the death. What are some of the ways that they communicate with you? What, spirit in general or? Spirit in general. I live next to a graveyard. Oh, wow. By choice? No, this is my mum's house and I wanted to move in because I wasn't ready to leave all of her plants and stuff, so I live in my mum's home.

And when I moved in here, I think it was like the first month, I kept hearing this man called William telling me to go to his grave, go to his grave, and I thought I really, I really don't, because I think spirits really are more chitter-chatter information. It's not really useful, it's just chitter-chatter. A spirit guide is different. So I said to my husband, I'm just going to go next door and find this grave, and he was like, okay, okay okay he's used to this. Walking around the grave, directed to the grave, found his grave, I honored his grave, I put in some flowers on it and I was speaking to him saying okay I found your grave, now leave me be and he just wanted to talk to me about these women in our village who actually made bread for people in the war and how wonderful it

was. I thought okay that's lovely. You've had this conversation and that was done, then he left me alone. Another time in this house, I was having my dinner with my husband and I could just suddenly hear somebody telling me that they've just passed with a blood clot. And I thought, okay, so I thought I need to talk to this person who's very distressed. I've got a chapel arrest at the bottom of my garden. So obviously they've just passed and mediums or people who are working with the dead have like a light on. So spirits know who they can speak to or who can actually pick up on their frequency. What do you mean? How can they know?

It's like your crown chakra is lit up. It's like a radio wave. So they would like look around and that person is more tuned. So they'll probably hear me. So because I'm so used to it, I know if there's a spirit around who wants to talk to me. I do this daily. And you don't ever find it scary? A few times. Share one of those. As this is going on on Halloween. I've got two. One scary and one not so bad.

One not so bad is I used to do little ghost tours. So I used to take a women's circle out on a ghost tour and we'd be out at midnight and we'd go to a woods and I was with another witch who would help me and I would call out the spirits that are in the woods. I literally asked them to come out but I would ask them to hit me, touch me or make themselves known. We would take photos on digital cameras, like the little 90s digital cameras. One evening I felt really sick. I was coming into these woods, only a couple of foot in, and I thought, well, this is not too good.

So I knew that there's not gonna be a nice experience. I was protecting myself. And then the people around me showed me on the backs of their cameras, you know, the film, the screen with that face, that mask. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, God. As they were showing me pictures of bushes

I could see these pictures of like that face everywhere and then we could hear horses and then I got punched Somebody else got kicked and we just had to leave and then we closed down and protect and So we've done that we're taking photos and I haven't got the images anymore. It was a long time ago, but we had all these different photos of things. But the most troubling one, obviously I work digitally all over the world on Zoom. And I had this client in a very difficult case, which I can't talk about, but her daughter was going through some really, really bad, dark mental health issues.

As this woman was talking, she was talking about the feeling in her flat and how the apartment felt, and she felt not quite right in this apartment. I could feel, normally I could feel things if I'm in someone's house, so this is the first time I felt it digitally. I could feel there was something wrong. As I was looking at her talking, I could see this figure

like getting bigger and bigger. And how I can describe it is like something out of an insidious film. The more she was talking about it, the more it was feeding this figure. And it was appearing and appearing and appearing and it must be like six, seven foot by this time. And I realized what I could see

and I was obviously really worried if I didn't want to worry my client, because she was completely unaware. And then she admitted that she could feel a presence and she was worried about it. And as I was trying to help her to do what she had to do, the energy came through and like, Liz, she put his hands around my throat,

which made me completely just cough and splutter. I left the, went into the hallway. My husband went upstairs, said, are you okay? I couldn't speak. Came back to my client and I said, I'm really sorry but I have to close, close this down and I'll email you. And he sought myself out. Three days later I had a claw mark around my neck. Yeah that's my worst. And that was all through the computer? Yeah. And what happened to her? She moved from the apartment. I had, she was in California so I couldn't go to her house or help her in her own home. Can you go and help get rid of that? Yeah. Yeah I don't advertise that

but I do do that. I told her what I wanted her to do and I said, you need to find a Catholic priest for this situation and she did and her daughter's in therapy and thank God that they're absolutely fine. But it actually showed me that this could be not necessarily don't have to be in the actual environment, Energy is energy. Yeah, because that's the thing about this sort of space and practice for, I don't know, charlatans kind of moving into it. How do you protect yourself from those?

Got to be, yes. I mean, because I'm working with it all the time, I have to open up, I have to cleanse after each client. I don't actually see many clients during the day because they would take too much of my energy. I have to constantly cleanse our own home. I have an Epsom salt bath most nights to make sure that I'm grounded. So I would never hold space if I felt unwell. You know, lots of people get drunk and play on a Ouija board. That's a no-no. I will do a Ouija board on Halloween with my brother and my family, but that's in a controlled

environment. But if anything awful happened in that, I know that I could sort that out. Yeah. And you mentioned a second ago about the difference between communicating with just spirits that are wanting to tell you that, I don't know, something about bread in the village versus spirit guides. Would you be able to share a little bit about spirit guides? Yeah, well, we all have different dimensions that we can work with within us and around us. And we have obviously the earth,

what we're on, the earthbound field. But then we have the astral, we have the universe, we have the spirit world, but we also have spirit guides. So the spirit world is really our ancestors, our loved ones. And I class that kind of information as switch the light off, don't forget to shut the door, blow the candle out, little jitter chatter and you're like, okay, okay. And sometimes they'll nag at me, take that off the radiator, take it off the radiator

and then repeat it. And I'm like, okay, I've taken it off the radiator. My husband laughs because he hears me talking to myself a lot where I'm actually going, okay. So it's just jitter chatter. My husband laughs because he hears me talking to myself a lot, where I'm actually going, okay, relax. So it's just this chapter. A spirit guide knows your path. So your spirit guide has chosen you because you're dealing with something.

So normally, because you're interested in Saturn return, your spirit guide will come in at very sort of different markers in your life and will be around that time in your life because obviously you're changing a huge chapter. Also, if you're changing like a creative project or complete different path, another spirit guide will come in because they can help you with that. So that's more of a directional guidance which I call the download. Is that different from family loved ones?

Do you think they can be one of the stronger? Yeah it's more bossy. Spirit loved ones, yeah they're more like, this is the path for you, stop fucking around. Yeah and then well the funny thing is they'll play with things. So like you hear it in your mind, you're like, probably not going to be able to do that, or I'm too old, too young, or cut pasta, go fit that in. Then suddenly Instagram will show you a message or you'll hear a conversation. You're like, no, that's definitely another sign and another sign. And then it's content in your face and that's your spirit guide. And how do people tune in a little bit more?

Present moment. Present moment. It's all about that daily practice, present moment so then you can feel the different dimensions. And it is wonderful connecting to the spirit world or your spirit guide but don't forget your soul knows you better because your soul has been with you many lifetimes before and knows where you're going in this lifetime so that's the best guidance. And how do we tune in with that? Same yeah if you ask your soul well if you place your hand, I do that a lot, you'll see that I constantly touch myself because it brings awareness back into ourselves. And I light a white candle every day because that signifies to my subconscious

that it's a sacred moment. And then I will ask my soul, how am I feeling? What do I want to do? And allow that wisdom to come. And the soul is more gentle than the spirit guide. The spirit guide will kick your ass where your soul is like, do this. That's so true. So then you'll hear, you'll start, once you start aware of these different dimensions,

you'll know those different frequencies, whether it's chitter chatter from your nan, this gentle loving wisdom from your soul, or this get up and do this from your nan, this gentle, loving wisdom from your soul, or this, get up and do this, from your spirit guide. And it's quite fun to hear all those. I always feel like I get some, like when, not always, but sometimes I'll ask them stuff and I can't hear anything. But I sometimes feel like I can hear my spirit guides talking with each other about me. Yeah, it's beautiful. It is because I think we can all be very, well, I can definitely get very heady, you know,

with my own chitter chatter and my own ego of thinking, oh, what should I do there? Should I do that? And it's like, there's a comfort in sort of surrendering to a higher power, you know, all the guidance that we can have. Yeah, and just listening and allowing your soul just to show you what you should be doing. Because your soul is the authentic voice, knows you better than your loved one or your spirit guide.

Because you've signed up with your soul for this life that you're living right now, so it knows where it's going. So I would listen to myself more than anything else. That's beautiful. Emma, thank you so, so much. You've shared so many beautiful things in this conversation. So thank you for your generous. You're welcome.

What are like the witchy practices that one can do? And what does Halloween actually mean to you? Halloween means to me to do a lot of divination, crystal balls scrying, tarot readings, wax scrying crying, as many ways I can connect to the dead as possible. I do this with my younger niece and nephew, so I do child type ones. Then when they're in bed, we would get together as a family and do wish board seances. And there's lots of tears and laughter. And it's just a beautiful way to honour our loved ones

and celebrate their lives so that we don't forget them. An ancestor altar for your children is a beautiful idea to do. You could during the day go for a walk and collect nature like conkers or leaves. Then you could have on your mantelpiece photographs of their Nan or Grandad or their dog or their cat, anything that's passed away that they're missing, light candles for each spirit and offer them a gift. So it could be a glass of red wine for your Grandad, it could be a cracker for your dog or the dog's collar or anything like that and talk about them, look at photographs, remember them with laughter and just have that moment to bring them forward.

That's beautiful. The final thing I wanted to ask you, we started talking about it before we started recording but what did you describe your dog as and familiar? Yeah, Walter, we've always had animals in our life and Walter is only four. And when my dad passed, just before I found out that my mom was ill, I said to my husband, I've got this real need to find this chihuahua. He said, Emma, we've got like six dogs. I'm like, what? I really need this. I had this dream of what he should look like.

So searching and searching and I found this lovely family and the lady said, yes, he's available. I turned to my husband and just cried. I said, don't say no, don't say no, I need to have this dog. He said, that's fine. Well, Walter came in. I know Walter from past life.

I've done past life work with him and Walter does all the magic with me. He literally puts his paws on my altar and I've got a full altar as well. Walter sees spirits as well and he meditates with me and he's by my side all the time. That is so beautiful. And that's called a familiar.

He's my familiar. So we have a soul bond. Oh, that is the sweetest thing. I know, I know. I have such, it's funny though, cause at the moment I've always loved cats, but at the moment my desire for a cat is turned into like a longing that is painful. My boyfriend doesn't like cats.

It's fine, my husband was allergic to cats. Don't worry, my mum, we had, growing up I had 50. He tried to claim he was allergic but he claimed like too late and I was like I know you're lying. Yeah he's lying and he can get over it, just needs to be with a cat more. That's how I did it with my husband. If you're longing and craving, like it's like a broody thing, but with a cat, then that's your familiar. So bring it in, allow that soul to come forward because it'll help you in your path. It might be that this animal is wanting to help you on something new. Same as me with Walter. Yeah, I believe that. It's time for you to get the car. It's time. It's decided. Oh, dear. Whatever. This has been such a joy speaking to you. Thank you very much. Thank

you. For those that wish to find you, where is the easiest place to find you and also your book? You can find me on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube at Emma Griffin Witch and my book is The Witch's Way Home which is due out on the 29th of October. It's the book I wish I had when I started The Path of the Witch but you don't have to be a witch to have this book. It's not a typical witch's book. It is a lot of shadow work and dimensions. And everything I've spoken about basically with you is in this book, but more so. Amazing. Thank you so much.

Thank you for asking me. Thank you. Thank you for listening to this episode. I hope you enjoyed it. I really felt as soon as Emma came on the screen, because we did this remotely, that it was like being, I don't know, she's just got this presence about her that just makes me feel like my soul is being hugged.

It's really, really lovely. And I actually did a guidance session with her yesterday, which again was just pure magic. I adore her. I think she's so enchanting and I just love how herself she is and how she owns the term witch and I loved all of her magical stories and I hope that it put you in the mood this week to be to embrace your inner witch. If you guys want to hear more from Emma she has a book that I believe is out this week which is The Witch's Way Home. Magic spells and rituals to lead you back to your most powerful self so go get your copy now and thank you so much for listening and as always remember you are not alone. Goodbye.