Meredith for Real: the curious introvert
Each episode explores a taboo question or cultural blind spot with an expert who is themselves, a paradox -
Like the atheist doctor who studied near death experiences for 50 years (ep 224)
Or the deeply religious man studied by NASA who sees UFOs regularly (ep 261).
The mission is to inspire the kind of curiosity that looks for & celebrates nuance, because we all deserve a more curious future.
So tune in each week (new episodes every Monday) to question things like American individualism (ep 260), trigger warnings (ep 208) & circumcision (ep 178).
Still not sure where to start?
Other listeners loved ep 230 - Can a sexless marriage survive? and ep 237 - Black man who attends KKK rallies: race & friendship
Meredith for Real: the curious introvert
Ep. 311: Is Modern Day Witchcraft on the Rise? LSD, Feminism & Fungus
Is there an uptick of people claiming to be actual witches? When in history were witches NOT seen as evil? Is this commercialism packaged as a spiritual practice?
Julie Walsh, PhD, is the Whitehead Associate Professor of Critical Thought & Associate Professor of Philosophy at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Her primary research focus is on metaphysics & the ethics of human freedom in the early modern period.
In this episode, we talk about the historical origin of witches & word choice, the connection between female sexual satisfaction & witches, the 1400’s witch hunting manual & how time legitimizes magical practices
If you like this episode, you’ll also like episode 195: ROUNDING UP SUSPICIOUS WOMEN? THE AMERICAN PLAN
Host:
https://www.meredithforreal.com/
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Sponsors:
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00:00 — Generations of witches in pop culture
01:20 — First encounters with “I’m a witch”
02:10 — The word wicce and its earliest meaning
04:00 — Magic before evil: shifting definitions
05:00 — Witch as a living, changing word
06:10 — Salem isn’t the beginning
07:00 — The 1487 bestseller that fueled hunts
09:00 — Sex, power, and the devil’s contract
10:30 — Why ridiculous ideas still matter
11:30 — How witch manuals went viral
13:00 — From Europe to Salem: ideology travels
14:00 — What counted as a witch in 1690s Salem
15:00 — Tituba’s confession and survival strategy
17:00 — Executions, prisons, and spectral evidence
19:00 — How do you defend against a ghost?
20:00 — LSD bread or land grabs? Debunking theories
22:30 — Property disputes and colonial lawsuits
24:30 — From persecution to empowerment today
25:30 — Why modern women claim “witch”
27:00 — Moon cycles, ancestors, and ritual
29:00 — Ancient solstice parties and survival
31:00 — The risks of claiming witchhood
32:00 — Are modern witches linked to the executed?
34:00 — Saints, voodoo dolls, and cultural taboos
36:00 — Whose magic gets mainstreamed?
37:00 — Why old beliefs feel more “legit”
38:30 — Tarot cards, tradition, and authority
39:30 — Crystals, consumerism, and moon circles
40:30 — Salem today: trinkets and tourism
41:30 — Can spirituality resist commercialization?
42:00 — Beyond WitchTok: finding your roots
43:30 — Elders, ancestry, and empowerment through knowledge
44:30 — Where history, nature, and identity converge
45:00 — Closing thoughts + future book tease
Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/