Baba Yaga's Magic

The Molfar or Molfarka is a special magical practitioner of the Carpathian Mountains. It is said that they shape-shift, communicate with animals, create charms, cure diseases or even control the elements. There are good molfars and some not-so-good molfars - while some can get rid of curses or remove negative spells, others can inflict disaster on people, their livestock or their property. Who are these mysterious molfars and molfarkas? In this episode we’ll explore the stories of the molfars and molfarkas, I’ll teach you about the most famous molfar of recent times, and we’ll learn about some of the magical talismans of the molfars and how they are used in magic.

Imagine walking through the fields at high noon during the heat of late summer. You might feel exhausted by temperature and the sun beating down on you, but, if you are in Slavic lands, the heat might be the least of your problems if you encounter the Poludnytsia. The Poludnytsia is the guardian of the fields and crops - a young woman with golden hair dressed in white clothing, wandering the fields at the noon hour during the late summer harvest time. It is said that if you meet her, she will ask you confusing questions and if you can’t answer them, she will kill you. But is she really a murderous monster or is she something more? In this episode, Madame Pamita tells you all about the Poludnytsia and the magic that she makes in the fields, how to avoid her wrath and even give you a guided visualization at the end where you can meet her safely in your mind’s eye.

There’s an old Ukrainian saying, “Where there is bread-salt-porridge, there is our home.” In Ukrainian culture, khlib-sil’, bread and salt, are not just food, they are powerful items filled with rich symbolism, deep history and potent positive magic. Bread is the sacred gift of grain from our Mother Earth, our Maty Zemlya, and salt is that once-rare seasoning that gives flavor to life. Bread and salt are honored in song and sworn upon when making agreements. They are included in rituals for the construction of a new home, for marriage, for welcoming newborns, and for seeing loved ones off to the afterlife. And for Ukrainians, who are famous for their hospitality, bread and salt are the stars of the show when it comes to welcoming guests. In this episode, Madame Pamita discusses the presentation of bread and salt and some of the many magical rituals that include this dynamic duo.

The word rushnyk translates as “towel” but a rushnyk is not a mere rag to dry our hands – a rushnyk is an embroidered talismanic cloth used for empowering us throughout our lives. These intricately woven or embroidered cloths protect and bless us from birth to death and every major life event in between. They are used to bless the bread and salt that we offer honored guests, they are used in ritual and they hang above the sacred icons in the holy corner of our homes. In this episode, Madame Pamita will take you on a journey to discover the magic of these beautiful talismans, tell you how the rushnyk was used in ceremonies of the past, and teach you how you can use one in your own magic today.

Summer’s here and the time is right... for getting up before dawn to pick herbs, making flower crowns and floating them on the water to see how your love life will go, jumping over bonfires with your sweetie, and midnight searches for the elusive Fern Flower... yes, we are talking about the slavic midsummer holiday of Kupala! Kupala, or Ivana Kupala, is an ancient pagan holiday of the marriage of fire and water that has existed for hundreds and hundreds of years in many Slavic countries, including Ukraine. In this special episode, Ukrainian healer Tania Andreshko, the author of the Flower of the Magic Fern Ukrainian tarot, will be joining Madame Pamita for a very special episode where we will discuss this magical holiday. So join them to celebrate the sun, the water, the fire and magic on this special day.

When most English speakers think of a green holiday, St. Patrick Day comes to mind. But for Slavic people Zelenyy Tyzhdenʹ, or Green Week, is a special holiday celebrating the end of spring, and the beginning of summer. During this special week, we honor our ancestors, celebrate sacred trees and plants, hang out with the rusalky, and perform special rituals designed to ensure a good harvest. Join Madame Pamita in this episode, where she teaches you all about the mystery and magic of this very special ancient holiday.

Late in the spring, a person crouches at the edge of a river and slowly drops eggshells into the water...what are they doing? Are they feeding the fish? Throwing away the leftovers of their lunch? Adding calcium to the water supply? If they are in Ukraine or Belarus, what you might be witnessing is part of the ritual of Rahman easter, a ritual that is nowadays associated with the Christian holiday but goes back to ancient pagan times. What are they doing and who are the mysterious Rahman? In this episode, Madame Pamita will teach you about this ancient tradition and all the magic associated with it. Save those springtime eggshells and let’s make some magic!

You might have heard of the Mexican holiday called Day of the Dead but did you know that Slavic people have a similar holiday in the spring called Provody? This special holiday is the time where we party down with our ancestor spirits: eating, drinking, chatting and laughing... in the cemetery. This special holiday centers around the Easter holiday now, but goes back to ancient pagan spring holidays associated with the return of the sun. Come and join Madame Pamita and learn about this special time to connect to our loved ones who have gone on to the great beyond.

Spiritual cleansing and healing are a part of almost every folk magic practice under the sun, however Slavic folk magic practices have some fascinating ways of removing curses, the evil eye and just general spiritual gunk. Join Madame Pamita in this episode where you’ll learn about prychyna and vroki, the baba sheptukha, and the unique ways that Ukrainians and other Slavic people get rid of negativity in all its forms.

There’s an old Ukrainian saying that goes, “Don’t look up at the heavens—there is no bread there. As you get closer to Earth, you get closer to bread.” If you really want to meet the divine, you don’t need to look up to the sky. The earth beneath your feet is alive and all-knowing: Zemlya Svyata Maty, Holy Mother Earth. In this episode, Madame Pamita discusses the ways Slavic practitioners honor Mother Earth and connect to her, different locations for you to get in touch with her power and how to do spells of protection, healing magic, and making powerful oaths on earth. We’ll get down and dirty with all the magic of Mother Earth in this episode... so let’s dig in!

Most magical traditions contain concepts about magical times and magical spaces but did you know that Slavic Magic has some very special rules about magical times and places - rules that you can incorporate into your own magic practice wherever you live in the world? I am talking about the concept of liminality. In this episode, Madame Pamita discusses the concept of liminality, how you can identify liminal times and spaces and some of the old traditions in Slavic magic for working with liminal times and spaces for protection and power in your life. Are you ready to step into the betwixt and between? Then take a listen to this special episode.

On the darkest night of the year, when the world is cold and the sun only peeks out for a few short hours every day, we all need something to lift our spirits. In ancient times, this liminal period between the waning sun and the waxing sun was seen as a time of magic and so in almost every culture, there are rituals and rites that invite the sun’s return. The Slavic countries are no exception. Long before the advent of Christianity, we began to celebrate a special winter holiday filled with rituals to banish evil, invite abundance, and honor our ancestors. There was fun, feasting, dressing up, singing, dancing, and fortune-telling: the perfect activities to lift those long, dark night blues. In this episode, Madame Pamita covers all the unique and magical aspects of this very special time of year.

There is a Ukrainian saying, “the wood stove is our own dear mother,” In times past and even in rural areas today, Slavic people are dependent on their pich, or their wood stove, to heat their home, cook their food, warm the water for washing and so much more. But like all Slavic items, it is a place of magic as well as practicality. In this episode we’ll be learning about the pich and how it was considered a magical place, a sacred site within the khata and the home of the beloved ancestors. So, as the weather is getting crisper, cozy up to the fire with me, warm your hands and learn about the magic of the Slavic wood stove.

Cloth is a very important part of Slavic Witchcraft and magic. From processing the fibers, to spinning, to weaving, to sewing and embroidery – cloth has always been a deeply powerful source of magic for protection, fertility, abundance, love and blessings of all kinds. In this episode, I’ll be teaching you about the special spirits and goddesses associated with spinning and weaving, the magic of cloth, the special kinds of cloth items that are used in magic, such as the rushnyk, the krayka and the vyshyvanka, and showing you how you can incorporate this magic into your own practice - no loom required!

Hair is an important part of our identity - I’m not talking about having too much hair or not enough. I’m not talking about the color of your hair or your hairstyle. I’m talking about magic! Hair is magic and in Slavic spirituality, hair is seen as an extension of the self, a source of power, and a resource for protection and blessing one’s self. Slavic spirituality has lots of ways that are quite unique for working with hair for magical purposes. Join Madame Pamita on this journey and you’ll discover some very witchy ways of working with your hair to bring abundance, love, blessings and safety into your life.

Food is magical! The food you take in, the food you give to others, the food you offer to the spirits can all be imbued with your spells, your incantations, your magic. Many cultures have magic spells that involve food but there are some special spells in Ukrainian and Slavic magic that involve what we eat and drink. Food and drink can charm the spirits. Offer a treat to a Domovyk, Lisovyk, or Rusalky and they may be inclined to help you. All meaningful interactions with our beloved ancestors also involve offering them food and drink. And of course you can charm food and drink to feed to others. Join Madame Pamita in this podcast where we look at seven of the most magical Slavic foods and how they are used in witchcraft.

Water is essential to life, all living things need water to survive, so it’s no wonder that ancient Slavs revered water. This view of water as magical and holy has been passed down from generation to generation. For spiritually aware Slavic people, water was and is seen as a living thing with its own unique spirit – an ally who can assist us in washing away negativity and bringing in blessings. Rainwater, water that magically falls from the heavens, is seen as especially powerful and magical. There are dozens and dozens of Slavic rituals, spells and beliefs about rainwater, and in this episode, we are going to learn how to refresh our lives with the amazing magic of rain.

We’re not going to be talking about the little mermaid in this episode. This one is all about the Rusalky - the ancient water spirits of Slavic lore and legend. Some say that the Rusalky are evil or treacherous spirits, haunting ponds and rivers, simply waiting for a hapless person to come by so that they can pull them down to a watery doom. But is that the real story? Of course not! In this episode I’ll be teaching you about these ancient pagan water spirits, their connection to abundance magic, their special spring and summer holidays, and ways that you can honor and even encounter these magical and enticing water creatures.

Ancestor worship is huge in Slavic folk magic practices. We see the ancestors show up again and again in the old ways and beliefs. The power and presence of the ancestors can’t be overstated. But do we need a connection to our ancestors? Why would we want to cultivate that relationship? And when we do decide to bring our ancestors into our spiritual practice, how do we do that? In this episode of Baba Yaga’s Magic, we’ll be discussing all of that. I'll show you the specific ways that Slavic people connect to their ancestors and how you can create some ancestral magic of your own.

You may have seen the beautiful and intricately decorated pysanky that Slavic people create around Easter time that are powerful talismans for spiritual protection and blessings. But there is so much more to Ukrainian egg magic. In this episode of Baba Yaga’s Magic, you are going to learn the magic of Ukrainian Eggs! Not only are you going to learn about pysanky, but I’ll also share the magic traditions of krashanky, the edible dyed springtime eggs that we eat, and the humble yaytse, or plain egg. We’ll also explore Ukrainian egg legends and the history of talismanic eggs in Ukraine. And as a bonus, I’ll even teach you some spells that you can do with these super magical gifts from our bird friends. So, join me for this egg-citing adventure in the magic of Ukrainian eggs!