"We're older, an' y'all, we're tired." "You were not there in 1998, sir!" 🙌🏼😂 True story. ❤

@OldManFerdiad

4 ай бұрын

Can confirm, GenX is very tired.

@MaryGraceFahrun

4 ай бұрын

@@OldManFerdiad Agreed. So very tired.

@jenniferballswitchhouse37

4 ай бұрын

This Boomer is very tired. 😂

@OldManFerdiad

4 ай бұрын

@@MaryGraceFahrun "You were not there in 1998, sir!" sent me 😂😂😂

@badwolftina8716

4 ай бұрын

@@jenniferballswitchhouse37 I was born in 1981, does that mean I'm a boomer or an early millennial? I get confused about these things. Either way, I'm tired! 😂

Obviously you have a life, and aren't obligated to make regular hour long videos... But I also would adore a Thorn podcast! Very excited to listen to this!

It can be frustrating how, especially as a woman, you’re never the “right” age on the internet. You’re either too young and no one respects or takes you seriously, or you’re too old and no one takes you seriously. I don’t think I’ve ever had the feeling that the age I am is the optimal age where I’m not somehow held back by it

I've joined so many FB groups trying to find some type of community, but all of them seem to be full of scammers and people asking for love spells and hexes over and over. It's exhausting. I'm also so tired of the beef between people on witchtok. Everyone is always attacking someone else.

This is what gets less views…. wow. This is one of the most delightful things I’ve seen on YT in a very long time. I wish more people still just got on and talked.

@hobbit_lilly

4 ай бұрын

i couldn't agree more with this

@vyvienn

4 ай бұрын

May I then recommend The Cemetery Witch and her Friday chats? Or Luna Leodrune, Ella Harrison, Beverley Butterfly or, in fact, any given number of content creators? This particular topic has been picked up by at least two others this week, EH being one of them.

@celestial_stuff

4 ай бұрын

@@vyviennThanks!

@justvibin9887

4 ай бұрын

I agree! No matter what the subject matter is, it’s all become mostly surface level, shallow information. I want to see people get more in depth and talk about their thoughts, ideas, theories fully.

I'm 61. I've been a practicing eclectic solitary pagan witch since the early 1980s (and started studying tarot and witchery in the 70s). I was looking at those Aol CDs in the mail and thinking, "Ugh, what is this newfangled gizmo now?" So when you said words to the effect of "we're tired and we know every new thing is not going to be revolutionary," I felt that so much. Aol annoyed me because it didn't explain itself on the label. I'd get those CDs, have no idea what it was for, and got annoyed at the idea of cold-mailing direct-marketing that required me to agree to take on a learning curve just to find out whether their thing was something I'd be interested in. That's been the model for every new internet thing since, and the value of the thing we have to learn to use gets smaller and smaller every 6 months. So, yeah, I don't have much of an online presence, and I lack motivation to fix that even though it is becoming a bit of a social issue. But then I look at the amount of nose-to-the-grindstone work it takes to be an influencer and how hard it is to be anything online if you're not an influencer, and my motivation gets even weaker. I just retreat back into my forest hut (i.e. city apartment) and read my cards and paint talismans, and let the world pass me by. But I really miss Ye Olden Tymes when I was part of a community - in person and in print - when I hung out at metaphysical shops, met people for drinks and circles, collected books and discussed them, read cards professionally. Oh, well. The world is a merry-go-round. I got off it at some point, and I'm still waiting for a horse to come around that I like enough to jump back on. I've watched several of your videos but never commented before. I wanted to comment on this because I think a lot of what you said is indeed wise and thought-provoking about the stresses of the online world. Re Mists of Avalon - I hope I don't forfeit my witch-card with this, but I've never read it. My great inspiration that set impossible ideal goals that I can never reach was the 1958 rom-com Bell, Book and Candle, because it really was a sort of idealized version of the city-witch world I experienced in real life. To this day, that movie makes me miss that reality so much that, if i could travel back to my own youth, I'm sure I'd be disappointed because there'd be no Kim Novaks or Jack Lemons, let along any Jimmy Stewarts. But there would be a few Ernie Kovacses, Elsa Lanchesters, and if I'm lucky maybe even a Hermione Gingold. Gil Holroyd (Kim Novak) was cool, but Mrs. De Passe (Hermione Gingold) was who I wanted to be when I got to be the age I am now.

"Because of the goddamn Mists of Avalon" is now going to be my blanket rationale for everything. Overslept? (grumble, grumble, goddamn Mists of Avalon . . .) Missed tax deadline? Mild indigestion?

@drawingKenaz

4 ай бұрын

And then she really did end up being terrible so we were right *cries*

@effythewild

4 ай бұрын

As someone who first read this book in the late 80s and who listens to this audiobook over and over again because it's so familiar that it lulls me to sleep, yes. This. *lol*

@mermaliade6631

4 ай бұрын

I loved Mists of Avalon, but goodness, MZB was a hot mess.

@dawnw9180

3 ай бұрын

Read the book and watched the movie. Always wondered why all 5 books didn't become films or a TV series but know nothing about the author

@tomzadvydas1758

2 ай бұрын

@@dawnw9180it’s not a pretty story. Mists absolutely changed my life and set me on my path but it’s a real case of separation of the work of art and the artist.

As a witch in her late 50s I really miss videos like this 🖤

@drawingKenaz

4 ай бұрын

I want to make more! This felt good.

This is so timely for me because recently I've decided to emotionally check out of the witch community. My own beliefs and practice are the same, but after decades of practice, I'm done with the community. Things have gotten so toxic, with all the focus on chasing clout, being superficial, and getting admiration/affirmation from strangers, not to mention so many seeming to think witchcraft is just a way to make a living. People aren't necessarily great in real life either but it's way easier to be nasty or fake online when dealing with thousands or millions. And the there's all the TERRIBLE scholarship or even hated of science. I've been thinking a lot of the saying "finding your people". My people don't seem to be making witch TikToks or witch podcasts etc etc. I'll still follow a few, like you Thorn, or watch videos with more meat, such as on topics like tarot, but I'm overall I'm moving on.

Im 54 this June, Im embracing my crone ❤ I love that some of the older crew are replying. I feel we have a different view point than those that grew up with the internet Great chat ❤

@wren1019

4 ай бұрын

how can someone who's 40 be old when i'm 58 and not old at all.

@KindrasJourney

4 ай бұрын

@wren1019 Crone is an attitude 😂 we're just that cool ❤️

I grew up in a witchy household. I've been seeking that 1999 witch forum vibe in the current internet and haven't found it. I still consume all this witch media because it is as close as I can get to that old feeling. My practice is lacking currently, but listening to all y'all is like going back to my youth.

@katraylor

4 ай бұрын

Forever seeking that particular joyful thrill I felt when I first discovered The Witches' Voice ;_;

KZreadr is the new “fire fighter” or “doctor” both my kids say they want to be KZreadrs and I tell them to learn to edit videos and their eyes glaze over…

@bjcwoneumann

4 ай бұрын

My kids do the same. I liken it to how we used to want to be movie stars or professional athletes. It's the age of desire of having wealth AND fame.

I am also an elder millennial and have seen the changes of internet over the years. This was really interesting to watch.

This is a great conversation. Thank you for offering your voice. It's so nice to pop on here and just listen to someone put forth a discussion without trying to sell me something. I'm all for the long-long form content. It's becoming a dying art.

@girlygurlbeauty

4 ай бұрын

If people just keep making it … it won’t just die off.

Was watching this video via my playstation but you made me break out the laptop to respond bc holy hell so many thoughts. I agree with so much of what you've said. I don't really make videos about witch things, but I am considering a video response with some of these thoughts. but for now... man i remember reading Teen Witch and all those Ravenwolf books. the fomo wasn't just of wanting a magical parent for me but of just having a parent that was open minded enough that i didn't have to be closeted. and i feel like that's another thing social media has changed to an extent. bc for me when I found witchcraft there was no social media - fb didn't even exist yet. so i had no safe space to express my witchiness. there was zero outlet for it. but now there is the option to be "out" online and not to family/meat space friends/coworkers, which is great! but i remember just desperately wanting to have a space to even talk about any of this. all this to say the idea of fomo being some how new or brought about by social media, or even the internet, is just so incorrect. and to talk about being a "content creator". you can argue that literally every single person who posts ANYTHING online is a content creator but you're creating that content. i post on instagram, right? that's content someone else is consuming. i post just what i feel like and just bc i enjoy posting, but arguably i am still on some level a content creator. but i would never want it as a job. for all the reasons you mentioned but mainly the tenuousness of it. and the marketing. gods i hate marketing. it's one of my big gripes with social media as a whole but that's another rant. (it boils down to algorithmic bullshit, in short.) I think one of the things that stuck out to me the most about what you said is how things will follow you even ten years later. i remember before i left twitter someone had dug up something on someone (i don't even remember what or who) from a literal decade ago and was trying to use that to get the person canceled. and my response was "dude that was ten years ago. not ten minutes ago. there's a big difference". ppl really aren't allowed to make mistakes or grow at all on the internet. one minor misstep and suddenly you're the worst person to exist. and i HATE it. the internet has brought us A LOT of good but also A LOT of bad. and the final thing i'll finish this novel of a comment with is that, these things are not by any means exclusive to the witchcraft community. it's true for the anime fandom, and lotr fandom, star wars, book circles, literally everywhere. and i'm sure you know this, but on the off chance someone else reads this i wanted to point that out as well. these are not just witch problems. they are human problems, and i genuinely think that everyone everywhere needs to address them so we can stop with all the bullshit. i'm over all the pointless/needless drama lol

@drawingKenaz

4 ай бұрын

I feel like I found you initially through a blog, so yes! I think probably we all are content creators, at least to some extent. You're so right about it being much bigger than the witchcraft community. I think it's just a consequence of how much of a role the internet plays in all of our lives, regardless of what our communities are! Always so glad to hear your thoughts!

@hobbit_lilly

4 ай бұрын

@@drawingKenaz I probably started interacting with you/commenting via a blog but I initially found you here on KZread. but for a long time I didn't comment on yt videos. don't ask me why, my brain just did not register that as a possibility lol speaking of blogs and how things come back 10 years later. for a long time I ran a blog called Odin Devoted. I stopped updating it YEARS ago but even to this day I'll get notifs of new ppl following it?? wild. anyway. likewise, always happy to hear your thoughts on things too!

You are by far my favorite witch on the internet. :)

@drawingKenaz

4 ай бұрын

💙🥰 That’s very kind, thank you!

Social media has definitely become a lot about people becoming workers for the app/site itself!

So, I'm one of those who listen and appreciate, and comment every so often and I have some thoughts - I'm almost 60 and have been practicing since the late 70s, and my relationship with the online spaces like youtube has really just been in the last 6 or 7 years. And I find it is a whole new layer to my practice. Fascinating, and entertaining and like finding a portal to a parallel universe or something. I have been a solitary practitioner, and mostly in the broom closet in a small fundamentalist Christian community, for basically my whole adult life, and the pagan/witchy/tarot-tube world feels like such a treat! I think that having a space where everyone can try things and make videos about aesthetics or sigils or candle dressing or whatever they are trying and experienced practitioners can also engage in these kinds of more reflective conversations is amazing. You are one of my absolute favourites to listen to, for sure. Thoughtful, wise, funny, and so genuine! so thank you for sharing your time and energy with us. 💕 Anyway, my actual comment - I totally felt it when you said we feel inadequate because of Mists of Avalon! 😂I read Mary Stewart's King Arthur trilogy over and over until the pages fell out and imagined myself with a cloak and wand and one ultra powerful book, living in a cave and starting fires with my mind.

I really like the thoughtful distinction between influencers and content creators. And conflating the two is exactly what has been causing many of us so much identity confusion! 😂😂😂 This was so good and thoughtful. I really enjoyed the walk down memory lane guiding us to where we are now in terms of social media witchcraft.

This is the kind of video I'm here for!

@drawingKenaz

4 ай бұрын

I'd like to do more like this, for sure! It's way more gratifying to just be real.

I started off as Wiccan around 30 plus years ago but quickly realized that I was just a witch, esp with things I did and practiced when I was young. Now, I try not to label myself other than I practice. And I like to listen to a wide variety of others and learn. Never stop learning. I didn't see or know a lot of what was on the net because I didn't have it.

Im so here for this yess - also I too had coffee hahaha

@drawingKenaz

4 ай бұрын

LIES. Tea of lies! 🤣

As a creator in the witchy space (I published a small small magazine for like 2 years) I had a small presence on social media 5kish on tiktok and the constant press to constantly upload, monitor preformance numbers, chip in on every single issue and problem at the time even if its the same thing we've talked about a hundred times over for like 20 years, general drama, the cults of personality... all of that lead to autistic burn out so so so bad that I havent really been involved in any of it for over a year. It made me hate everything and as someone on the spectrum the mask you have to wear to appear charismatic enough to suceed in these social media face and personality based spaces becomes way too heavy to bear.

@hobbit_lilly

4 ай бұрын

I really hate the idea that we expect everyone everywhere to have an opinion on everything. for awhile i didn't speak on the israel/palestine war bc i just did not have enough information/knowledge to be able to. and like i'm not someone with a large following, nor do i want to be. i'm just a person. if i felt pressure to speak on such things i can't imagine the pressure that Content Creators (like, ppl who have that as their job) feel. and i do understand that in some instances "silence makes you complicit", but we also absolutely need to allow space and time for people to adequately educate themselves before they speak about something. otherwise not only does misinformation get spread (which is horrible by itself) but then people get "canceled" because they genuinely didn't know better/different.

@IHeartGameplay

4 ай бұрын

@_lilly Yeah I have complicated feelings about that situation in general, I support Palestine whole heartedly but like, my other platforms have always been about political stuff kind of, I get why people like me have to say something but like the general person/ creator... just leave them alone. People want to hate people when its pretty preformative. They'll harrass and dox and cancel people before actually doing anything to support their causes themselves. My problem specifically reguarding to witchcraft was not the fact that people asked questions, but the fact that it is the same question over and over and over every single month. I wrote like 3 articles about sage, for example, as well as like a douzin videos on it including replies and yet people will demand you speak about what you have so many times over if they'd just pay attention or listen or GOD FORBID google it and listen to people with information not just the people you agree with. You also get cancelled for bs so often in these online spaces. I duetted a creator who was saying every single wiccan was evil, hated natives, and are all horrible people. I replied nicely that like hey, no thats not true and you shouldn't call an entire religion evil and what proceeded was months of harrasment from like big name creators taking this person's side as they waged a war against me saying that I sold white sage (I didn't, i litterally refer to above) because the website I ran that promoted creators had one creator that decided to add it to their online store. They combed through 3 years of my website, all vendors and creators that were premoted there to find the ONE that did something that I specifically wrote against neumerous times MONTHS AFTER adding them to our promo page. This person also attacked me for accidentally calling them "she" and when I explained I thought they were she because of how they presented and I apologized they HARRASSED ME INTO COMING OUT IN PUBLIC as nonbinary when I didn't want to and then claimed that I was lying about my identity to avoid "accountability" Turned out months later they were a pretentian lying about native heritage and ran a scam donation for the Mi'kmaw situation and was actively grifting and stealing funds. The internet it chaos lmao.

@hobbit_lilly

4 ай бұрын

@@IHeartGameplay jfc I'm sorry. I agree ppl need to read and research more. I understand if you read and then have a follow up question, but asking someone to repeat the same information multiple times over when it's very easily findable is not the vibes. also the idea of canceling someone bc something someone else did is ridiculous. as a neurodivergent person myself I've definitely gotten the "you're just making excuses" thing SO MANY TIMES when ppl ask why I did xyz. like pls. I'm not trying to use anxiety or adhd as an excuse. but I can't pretend they don't play a part in my life and behavior. if you didn't want to hear the truth why did you ask for it? sorry for rant, you just hit on a pet peeve of mine lol

@IHeartGameplay

4 ай бұрын

@@hobbit_lilly lmaoo I so get that. As an autistic person (just found out last month at like 28) I have always gotten in trouble for trying to explain myself. I've spoken to others and apparently most people when they do that are just lying and trying to make themselves look better. It is apparently a loosing battle.

@hobbit_lilly

4 ай бұрын

@@IHeartGameplay I actually highly suspect I'm autistic as well but have never been tested. I know some ppl lie and do use stuff as an actual excuse but to assume that literally everyone does - or that the person saying "I did x bc I was anxious" isn't also trying to hold themselves accountable - creates a whole other set of problems. did I avoid something bc of anxiety? yes. do I know I shouldn't have and think I should have to deal with the consequences of my avoidance? also yes. there's a big difference in that and someone saying "I shouldn't have to pay a late fee bc my anxiety made me miss a deadline". haha man I'm off on a tangent. sorry bout that

I feel this so hard lol. When I tell people I'm on witchtok, I tend to get a very similar groan. And like to some extent I do get it, like of course I can see the issues in the witchtok community, but I also think that it's ignorant to write off the whole platform because of a few bad eggs. There is still genuinely so much good stuff on there. And also, like yes as you said meet space is different and not entirely separate, but also I mean for a lot of people they don't get to have any meet space witchy friends or it's at least really hard. There is still a community that is worth having online, and the only way that we can make it better is by participating and... making... it... better........ anyway. as a fellow millennial, this video resonated for me and I kinda want to do this tag soon too.

I'm on the "not making videos" side of KZread, and as far as community goes, I don't comment as much as I used to because I found that often the comments that got replies were the ones who were other KZreadrs. I recognize their names because I do follow many. But unfortunately - and I get it, bc everyone wants to feel a part of the community and wants to chat with people they recognize - it ends up feeling like a clique and I'm not going to start making videos just to be able to talk with folks. I love the things you do and many of the creators I follow. And I realize that the bigger a channel gets, the more followers happen and the harder it gets to engage with everyone. Unless you can watch something the same day it comes out, as a viewer - and an unknown viewer without a KZread audience of my own - your comment, no matter how heartfelt or engaging, more often will get you a heart and a text from KZread saying, "Congratulations! Someone liked your comment." and then if you're REALLY lucky, someone will say "thank you." I appreciate your perspective of what YT used to be. I have joined various communities over the years - Discord, Patreon, FB groups, etc. and while I do believe it is possible to make true friendships, I haven't been able to do that recently (similar to your experience of more community "back in the day"), and I am not interested in devoting MORE hours of my life in front of a screen. A privilege, I know, that I am able to do other things, but because of this gratitude I have for having the ability to get up and walk away from it, I find I often do. Thanks for your thoughts. It's always good hearing from you! 🙂

Oooo… I loved forums. I remember , I think it was called “Wicca together” ? Later changed to One World I think. Could be wrong. Young 20 year old me going and quoting the rule of 3 and being completely annihilated by some more seasoned practitioners. Some of those people I stayed friends with for years! You really said it though, KZread and other platforms use to be a place to share and make friends. I miss those days of it. It felt like more of a community, more friendships were made. I also really liked how you stated that fomo was a thing way before social media! I remember having the same sentiments about Teen Witch. Great video

@drawingKenaz

4 ай бұрын

I got kicked off of my favorite forum on witchway dot net for swearing. :( I didn't mean to--I was quoting something I'd read lol. That was the end of forums for me! But yes, I miss them!

@ashandbone

4 ай бұрын

I was on Mysticwicks for a long while.

"When you keep a bank of that (gossip) just in your head to whip out, when you want to take someone down a peg. That's such a miserable way to live." 46:22 100% agree

Your hair is beautiful ❤❤❤❤❤

@drawingKenaz

4 ай бұрын

Thank you!

The problem I have with witchtok etc is the mass amount of dangerous information being accepted blindly as fact (see: reality shifting, etc.) and the fact that it's all about what to buy as a witch and never about the actual practice of being a witch. Back when I was starting with my craft almost 20 years ago, it was never about fancy altar setups and the materialistic side. Sure, you had to buy ingredients for spellwork if you wanted, but a lot of spells were done with simple pen and paper. Now it's all about "you need these crystals, you need these tools, you need these statues" and a lot of it on top of it is unpaid sponsorships to boot, especially in the tarot community with the constant deck hauls. Like everything else, it moved away from being a more helpful resource and into a circlejerk of materialism and misinformation. Ime, offline experiences with witches and spiritualists has been a lot more beneficial and worth the time. Like I'm sorry but I'm not going to listen to a 15-year-old who's been practicing for one month and then acting like they're an expert on the subject. Social media witchcraft spaces has become full of grifters, I've seen many popular pick-a-pile readers who mysteriously have the same types of cards for every reading and people pushing their services of doing spells for people. It definitely has moved toward marketing/education...but the education is often half-baked and it worries me that it's just blindly being accepted because newer witches don't want to put in the work to cross-reference or look up alternative sources. That's where going to in-person events with more experienced witches can really benefit people.

I lived the fomo of wanting to be SRW's teen witch children, and now I have my own little witchlets who are generally unimpressed with their witchy mom. I am *flabbergasted*. Thank you for this, it was so validating in so many ways.

@drawingKenaz

4 ай бұрын

Many of my covenmates over the years had children and practically all of them were *wildly* unimpressed by everything us weird old people were up to. 😂

I haven’t watched the video yet, but I just have to say that I clicked into this so fast and am so excited to hear your take on this. I’ve been watching your videos since 2012 when I first found witchcraft and appreciate you being on the internet so much. 💕

@drawingKenaz

4 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! I really appreciate that a whole lot. 💙

I've been around since 1999 and I feel that we (occult scene) have the same issues and the same discussions time and time again. First with Mirc then yahoo groups, myspace, facebook , insta etc... There's always someone trying to cancel someone else. Never ending witch wars and Ice wars and who's more powerful and more genuine. I made the decision to have a secret society of ONE along time ago and I don't regret it a bit.

Thorn, I've been a long time follower and watched, it's always a pleasure to watch a new video but this one was the best one yet.

@drawingKenaz

4 ай бұрын

That's so good to hear! This was the most satisfying video I've made in a long time, on my end!

It has been awhile since I have watched your videos. I was watching catch up on some older videos. I am taking to read at least a page for KZread Channel from a book. I am doing my second book my channel but in reality I am reading a 3rd book now and I haven't come to it yet on my channel. When my camera gets full I download it to my laptop. Thank you sharing this video. Stay safe and Blessed be.

I also love that you talk about people growing out of being witches… while I grew into Wicca. An aunt peaked my interest, tiktok sent me to your page… and then I hit the library (being an old school gifted kid it was hammered into us to always do our own research. And I’m still learning). Sadly I am a sole practitioner because finding a coven in the Deep South is not only difficult but something you have to be careful about. I can’t wait to read the new book.. and maybe grab a few extra copies for my parents. My children know and each is finding their own path, which I highly encourage. This whole video was extremely educational as an aspiring author.. wanting to write the flip side of how people went from “evil” to Christianity; how Christianity opened the door to me researching and finding witchcraft and Wicca along the way where I feel at home. Thank you Thorne! I know I have sent several replies to others that didn’t fall under the right comments as replies! Apologies!

@drawingKenaz

23 күн бұрын

You’re welcome! Lots of luck to you! 💙

Comment at 40:52: I had not considered "grifter" being used to mean "witch that i don't like." I think you raise a good point. Though I came close in one of my #OcculTea blog posts, I did comment that I had a hard time calling people "grifters" if they were just teaching a way of doing something different from my own way. After all, I'm not familiar with every witchcraft tradition out there (heck, I still have a ton to explore in my own), and some are guaranteed to see and do things differently from me.

Comment at 24:19: Glad it's not just me who longs for interaction. I know one of the things that makes it hard to keep going on social media is that sometimes I feel like I'm just "screaming into the void." (Okay, I try not to actually scream. If I was actually screaming, I could understand why no one talks back.)

So appreciative of your experienced content.

I'm loving all this #OcculTea content and it's a special treat to get a video from yourself.

Love this long video 💜

I think the expression is, 'Never meet your hero', I believe it means you will be sadly disappointed. On the topic of influencing and authority....you experienced a smidge of this in the 90s however, each generation can say the same. When I was in my early teens I heard my peers say they were going to Hollywood and become a movie star. The stars had the influence, and my friends saw the glamour, not all the hard work, that went into becoming 'big'. Same. Thank you for all the words!

@TheLakeWitchWriter

4 ай бұрын

I still wanna meet my hero, who is Michael the Archangel, and I wanna meet the god of my Ancestors, yet I haven't got any call from them. I guess I still can learn from what they are representing and also from their shadow self too, as every coin has two sides. Having role models and good examples is never truly that wrong, balance is the key, thanks for your inspiring words, sister (?), it was good to read your thoughts. :)

maybe we need to set up specific online zones.......a maiden one(for those loud,young ones), a mother one (the umpires of the witch world) and the crone one ( for when you want sage advice that isn't covered in B.S)......)))))))

This was so good. I found myself shaking my head in agreement throughout this video. You definitely have a beautifully wise and balanced point of view. ❤

@drawingKenaz

4 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! I confess to being a little nervous about posting this one! But I'm glad it's gone over well, and it felt good to speak about.

Great podcast - also loved your books - big thanks

Well said, and I'm here for it 🎉 thanks Thorn!

Direct, authentic, well spoken. That’s why I love your channel! And still no intro! 10+/10.

@drawingKenaz

4 ай бұрын

I’m both lazy and impatient. 😎 It has served me well. Thank you!

Watched a few videos of this tag & really appreciated this video particularly, you’re talking sense & really appreciate hearing someone with so much experience, thank you, lots to think about.

This is very thoughtful and all of your videos are. Thank you for posting 😊

I'm glad I finally found your youtube channel... you spill the tea very nicely!

A really wonderful video. I enjoyed listening to your perspective on these things, very grounded and sensible ❤️

What a great walk down memory lane. Thanks for this, I hope you make more videos like this soon.

This is so good! Thank you for sharing.

@drawingKenaz

4 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching!

Oh gosh the AOL cd’s!! I used to love those.. and then we got so many we used them as coasters and frisbees! I just am very thankful for you. I stumbled across you on TikTok and immediately followed because clearly you are not only well researched but you’ve helped me weed out so much of the “you need 2000 crystals and more herbs and mix them together”.. which sounds more like cooking than anything else. The educational and historical portions are so interesting to me. Thanks for that.. I’m 40 too and finished my masters in nursing not long ago. While learning about Wicca because all I have read really pulls me that way. I want to actually write a book about my own journey.. but it would most certainly be controversial and I’d need a pen name because my family are currently “waiting to hear trumpets” for the rapture. But somehow Wicca is craaaazy! Anyway, I love your content and your delivery. Please don’t go anywhere.

Oh I enjoyed this video by YOU. Hope you pop on more often.

This is a FANTASTIC contribution to the conversation and thank you for making it!

Thank you for this video Thorn ❤️ super refreshing to come across some real talk in my KZread feed ALSO super excited for your book 🥰

Yes! Reading is a social act! I defy one to name an act that is not social.

Thorn, it's always nice to hear your thoughts! ❤ Thank you for your many years of insights.

It’s great to hear the perspectives of those who’ve been online since the beginning of social media. Thank you!

Merry Meet. I am too from AOL Days. Oceanwynds. I’m looking forward to listening to you. Blessed Be

I can identify with so much of this, Thorn! Truly. I feel the same about what I watch vs what is popular on here now. I find myself quicker to watch astrological forecasts or homesteading things, as opposed to 'top 5 witchy tips for better living' or something. Listening to you talk about the old days of KZread really took me back. We came up in the same circle and it was very different. It was absolutely about 'proving oneself as a serious practitioner' back then, and about connecting with other witches, friends sharing with friends. It has absolutely shifted into more of a promotional vibe these days where folks are more so angling themselves as experts to get more followers or sales, which as you said... numbers don't always equal sales. But, oh how I miss video responses! They were my favorite. So many people from different walks of life sharing on the same topic. I also enjoyed how you specified the difference between a content creator and an influencer. And 1:05:40 sums it up perfectly.

Nice to hear from you again Thorn, hope the book is coming along nicely!

@drawingKenaz

4 ай бұрын

Working on the last round of copyedit queries now! I can't wait for it to just be done lol

The third part really hits home, I love your sober take on life, not even just witchcraft. You’re directing me to so many good knowledge and points of view. Thank you for all you do.

I love that you decided to do this tag! Your insights are thoughtful and interesting as always ❤

@drawingKenaz

4 ай бұрын

I just watched your video! I'm really glad you chimed in too (and *subscribed* heck yes)!

Thanks for talking about this question prompt! You made some really good observations and points. It also reminded me of being a teenager and ordering Scott Cunningham titles from the local bookstore. I used to be sooo nervous about the looks i would get there! The internet felt so exciting to me then. :)

Great vid; always love hearing your opinions, Thorn. I’ve lived a solitary practice for 35 years and agree with pretty much all you’ve said here.

Hi Thorn ❤Thank you for the long ass video lol 😂You made some really great points. I enjoyed your video very much. Much Love and many Blessings! Looking forward to your new book. ❤❤☮☮

This video popped up on my feed actually a great video to get to know you im old school and alot that you speak of i resonate with 💛👏🏽I subscribed

@drawingKenaz

2 ай бұрын

Thank you, Kimberly!

Glad to see you again 😊!

@drawingKenaz

4 ай бұрын

It feels good to post like this! Just long and unedited lol

this was so good, ty

For some reason, this video was recommended to me, and I really, really, REALLY enjoyed this conversation. This is why I started to watch KZread-videos to begin with, to enrich my life with interesting topics and conversations. Thank you so much ❤

I loved everything about this one. Your videos tend to be some of my favorites because you always get me thinking. This Gen X witch appreciated the trip down memory lane to the 90s

Loved this! I've been on my own weird journey with wicca since the late 90s and I really feel a lot of this. These kinds of videos are my favorite.

Hello. I related to so much of what you said. Beyond relating to what you said, I really appreciated your balanced and mature tone and approach to the three topics under discussion. This thoughtful video is the kind of "content" that attracts me. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

I'm one of those who've been following you since, at least, 2012. 😅 I love that your videos like this one are the ones YT decides that I need to watch. ❤

Hi Thorn. True! We do place a high premium on youth at the expense of other factors. Thanks for this deep dive, nice to see you.

I love the community around your channel. It reminds me of my msn group days from 2005.

@drawingKenaz

4 ай бұрын

Me too! I’ve been really lucky to attract a lot of good folks.

Thank you for the #OccultCoffee Thorn, this is the first video I've watched on this topic (and probably the last LOL). I especially enjoyed your part 3 and your words on FOMO and Imposter Syndrome, it felt like a balm and even something to come back to.

Always happy to see one of your long thought and practice videos pop up, especially hearing your discussion on grifting, beef, and just the reality of humans in any online/in-person community. Passive weaponising is the part that feels so impactful, instead of being realistic that we won't all get on and owning it differently. Not trying to affect others' opinions based on our own dislikes that have nothing to do with the person (witch) doing anything harmful is a great space to be in. I feel like it makes a difference. Paused moments in time that exist in a video/blog/book are weird because, as you say, people will compare five years ago to now without consideration of development, changes of opinions and just the reality we can be contradictory by nature, especially over time. Nothing remains "perfect" in time as it moves. Anyways, I appreciate hearing from you.

Loved hearing your perspective Thorn. It's so interesting how the human condition is essentially the same with much of the ways in which we respond to others with feelings of 'imposter syndrome' or a sense of inadequacy, or a need for approval, or community to connect with, but the medium that the media content takes the form of has changed so much in just a few decades. I remember trying to find witchcraft books before the internet or before my parents even had a pc and it was so hard - it was basically Scott Cunningham and Fiona Horne in my local witchy shop. And I was lucky cus I happened to grow up a place which was kind of known for being 'witchy', in England, so the fact that shop was even in my small town was amazing! In contrast, there is just sooooo much content available now on social media and so important to view critically and fact check. I definitely try to stay away from any drama on social media but also I've met some wonderful ppl in person, and I'm connected to some amazing ppl I never would have met without the internet, and I feel very grateful to have been able to hear the opinions and experiences of many diverse and varied people, and that is a wonderful thing about social media. I think I'm a millennial - born in 1986?! 😂

been following you on and off for a bunch of years now and i gotta say you don't ever seem to age, true witch genetics right there

Hi Thorn. I watched several of your videos tonight and read a number of books on different belief systems back in the 90's and beyond. Simple with a Nordic flavor works for me. It was refreshing to hear your videos. There must be a story behind the name Thorn. Thank you. Ransom

Comment at the end: An excellent video. There were so many other thoughts going through my head watching it, but I was trying not to (1) stop every thirty seconds or (2) flood your comment section. I'm glad finally got around to watching this and I'm glad you made it.

Thank you for sharing; I always enjoy hearing your thoughts. So. I was going to write a bunch but think I'll just put it over on my blog at some point. But I did want to mention a couple things. One, I feel grateful not to have found Wicca until I was in my early 30s (I'm in my 60s now) because by that time, I'd experienced tons life and just didn't feel inadequate or imposter or whatever, at least not in the witchy realm of learning and growing -- so I sympathize with how challenging it may have felt to people navigating that space while ALSO going through teens and YA crap. The other is, those life experiences pre-wicca also taught me not to put people on pedestals; having people to admire is one thing but all of us are human. So, I will close with one of my favorite quotes that you touched on in your great video: "Life is Change. Growth is Optional. Choose Wisely" by Karen Kaiser Clark. Blessed Be!

Thank you for the time stamps! I'm happy to watch long talky videos, I just like to know what I'm in for. I want to read the table of contents before I read the book, if that makes sense.

@drawingKenaz

3 ай бұрын

Happy to! It was just too long and I’m the exact same way. Just tell me about the thing I care about, already! 😂

Beautiful message

I love Video Response's. I think it was actually one of the best ways I discovered new Witchy and Magickal channels I liked. Definitely going to make a vr to #occultea on my channel too.

I've been on KZread for several decades and I remember and love how the old KZread used to be. I talk to friends Ive made back then from KZread about how much it has change. I love the long thought out videos and video responses and actually getting to know people. Just all the influencers today even on the side that I'm on more which is the Goth KZread community, it has become the same content and spitting out the same everything. I've been in the which KZread community for half as long more in the background but it's been the same for sure. I wish people would go back and focus on the real stuff

This was a fantastic watch. I'm so glad you made this. I couldn't agree more that the type of "how to" videos people are making don't nurture the creator and that can lead to burn out. I've felt that stress of burn out myself and I am a nobody. I think for me personally there is a huge hole of videos missing that I wish existed on the niche subject of Thelema. I have a list of topics I want to make presentations on and once I am done with that, then I plan on moving on and transitioning to a more blog style/chat type video.

@drawingKenaz

4 ай бұрын

You, friend, could never be a nobody. 💙 I look forward to seeing your body of work grow!

I have shared many of these experiences. I’m of a similar age, found witchcraft and paganism in the 1990s, have published some books and have been a content creator for a long time. You make so many good points. Thanks for sharing this important conversation ❤

Shout out to Walden’s books and malls and being a late 90s kid.

@BrekkeEl

4 ай бұрын

Livejournal. Our my teen feels were all over a livejournal.

Agreed. There are a lot of witch lifestyle ASMR aesthetic content creators, which are nice for what they offer. It's very relaxing and pulls you into a set they created while they softly speak poetically about their "witchy" life that day. It's more of a vibe of what people imagine witchcraft to be (but isn't based in reality lol we all have to work and pay bills in the mundane world, it sucks, but that's reality) and then there is practical applicable nitty gritty witchcraft content that actually teaches you something and helps progress growth. So you can either cosplay your practice or you can actually participate in your own practice.

Oh man! I really do miss how the internet used to be as far as community and friendships. I remember belonging to online pagan/witchcraft group. I loved that! I also remember being told I had to be initiated into a Wiccan Coven. I never did. I have always been on my own path. I have my own group/coven now, it’s so weird how everything has changed. I can totally relate to your words ♥️

I'm new to your channel because of the hashtag. I'm an old timer also going back to the mid 1990's. Things were a lot different back then and the only courses available were posted in newspapers, in metaphysical shops and word of mouth. Books also were the source of information without the internet and some covens would open their doors for the public to celebrate the Sabbats, Samhain being the big one. Internet witchcraft has exploded over the years and there are some really good content creators out there, but the one major glaring issue I see among the bigger channels is moving away from entry level witchcraft to intermediate and other branches within magick that absolutely require the foundation to move into, but some creators receive backlash, it's so sad. I'm happy I found your channel.

thanks for this video, ur face seems so familiar and warm

I live in the bible belt and literally your life can be destroyed if you’re out in the open about wicca so it’s nice to have a sense of community even if it’s mostly internet relationships with other wiccans

I remember finding Wicca in Walden books as well. that is such a cool memory. I was drawn to the Raymond Buckland complete book of witchcraft in the late 80s and then later his Scottish Witchcraft and seaxwicca books in the 90s. Seems like a lifetime ago now. Thanks for even just that memory.

When I saw you made an OcculTea video I immediately jumped on it! As interesting as it is to get perspectives from people more around my age like Ella, and people closer to my culture like Benebell, I also highly value someone a little older with more time and history in the craft sharing their opinions on what is going on in online witchcraft spaces. I find your comment on how witch spaces used to be able discussion/conversation rather than education/marketing to be so fascinating, since I never really got to experience that. I will say though, that feeling of wanting to be seen by community and taken seriously has never gone away for me. Though it’s moreso a matter of wanting to be seen by occult practitioners I considered to be “serious”, if that makes sense. In capitalist HK, I’ve met plenty of people trying to sell me their magical wares and almost no one who wanted a proper conversation on witchcraft. In that case, is it wrong to call them grifters? Semi-grifters? Either way, I feel alone. I wonder if this is me worrying about “doing things the right way with the right people”. Personally, I think it’s because internet denizens have learnt to greatly fear losing one’s reputation and being cancelled (especially for influencers and content creators who need that reputation to maintain their channel/sell their stuff/get sponsorships), and that this extends out to those supporting a cancelled being labelled as bad people. Hearing you discuss what youtube WAS like makes me yearn for that so much. I’d argue theres a spectrum between the audience of beginner videos and discussion videos. People who have a desire to learn more in depth eventually come to appreciate the less popular videos like these. Thank you Thorn for making this video. Really insightful

I love discussion tags. I wish there were more of them in the Witch community even if they are less popular overall. I love how you mention that people in leadership are still people. I help moderate a witch community and I think people forget that. They forget we're not omniscient or that we have bad days just like them, and therefore expect the world of us which is impossible.

Not on my bingo card for the day was hearing you quote my HPS 😂 Meg is a force, a myth, a legend. I love her so much and this video was great food for thought 🙏🏻❤️

@drawingKenaz

4 ай бұрын

She’s in my brain forever! You’re a lucky duck to have her as a HPS! 💙

@tiannasicilia4214

4 ай бұрын

Same! I am very grateful to her 🫶