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One of the biggest things I think a lot of older witches take for granted is that people understand what makes Wicca, well, Wicca. While we’ve discussed the history before, and last month talked about the weird anti-Wicca backlash, I think there are a lot of misconceptions about how this incredibly diverse religion is practiced. Frankly, just the fact that it is largely an orthopraxic religion and not an orthodoxic one is a concept a lot of folks raised in predominantly Christian frameworks struggle with. So let’s talk about it. (I know this is two months in a row talking about Wicca, but I think this is important) Pre-order Trae’s new Novel Buried Memories – out December 15th! ISBN: 9798349560958 eBook: Pre-order on Kindle / Pre-order on Kobo Paperback: Amazon Pre-order / B&N Pre-order Also check out the rest of Trae’s Books and visit Trae’s website. (And, of course, don’t forget this show is part of the Nerd & Tie Network, and funded by listeners like you via Patreon. Consider joining our Discord or our forums!) Music: “The Man With One Eye,” “So I Said It, “Untitled Nonsense” (Trae Dorn) / Random Loops (Apple Music Library)The post 89. What Makes Wicca Wicca? first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

When is Hanukkah this year? When is Lupercalia, or Easter, or Midsummer's Eve? When is your birthday? Figuring out when big events happen is incredibly important, and humans have been doing it for a long time. But while we can see some similarities in the process of calendar evolution, many civilizations had very different ways of conceptualizing and measuring time. Join Em and Dr. Jesse for a discussion of non-Roman calendars! [ Full Show Notes ] Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidRSSThe post 97. Non-Roman Calendars first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

We're still concerned with the Delta Quadrant as this episode of Casual Trek covers episodes from Modern Trek's animated series concerning the Voyager, the Delta Quadrant and all those assorted antics. First up is the Prodigy Season One mid-season two-parter ‘A Moral Star' where Dal and the Protostar gang plan to actually do a Starfleet with a little bit of heist antics as they try to break out the prisoners of their old home and then in Lower Decks's ‘Twovix' as Boimler grapples with the possibility of promotion, the crew of the Cerritos discover that when there's an outbreak of Tuvixes, Janeway was 100% right! Episodes Discussed – PRD: A Moral Star (06:36) and LDS: Twovix (35:35) Talking points: Dan Dare (SPACE HYPER HERO), Hades II, the dark history of the Mushroom Kingdom, more of the Dark History of Charlie's time with Dave's, the one time the Holodeck safeties breaking was a good thing, Janeway is definitely cottagecore, 80s cartoons were great nostalgia, but modern cartoons do have some superior moments, Mantzoukis in Taskmaster has coloured our heroes opinion of Jakim Pog, many many references to Katamari Damacy, Janeway was right killing Tuvix, does Riker regret not having sex with his transporter clone? we make Tuvix a verb, an Americano is a Tuvix of Espresso and Water, what happens when coffee reaches Warp 10? Miles sings two seperate theme tunes. PEDANTS CORNER: The TOS episode Miles refers to is ‘Is There In Truth No Beauty.' Miles and his wife DO have the Katamari Damacy soundtrack on vinyl, important to know. [ Additional Show Notes ] Music by Alfred Etheridge-Nunn. Read Miles's blog or Charlie's blog. [ Support this show on Ko-fi ] Subscribe to this Podcast: Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidRSSThe post 87. Flesh Katamari first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

It's time for a podcast about a podcast! Yes, we're talking about Star Trek: Khan, the official Star Trek podcast. What happened between Space Seed and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan? Dr Rosalind Lear wants to know and brings some familiar faces to Ceti Alpha V to dig up some old recordings. Does she want to humanize this space tyrant or exonerate Kirk for his actions? Flashbacks, being stranded in a hostile wilderness, Naveen Andrews... Is this Lost? Kind of. At least, it's enough for Charlie and Miles to talk about Lost a lot, as well as serialized fiction and the plot of the first three episodes of Star Trek: Khan. The post 86. Star Trek Khan: Lost… In Space first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

It's that time of year where we try and delve into the strange and scary for our Halloween episode and this time, we've hit upon altered states (not the Ken Russell film) where our heroes undergo a strange transformation. In the TOS episode ‘Wolf in the Fold,' Bones's obsession with getting Scotty laid ends in a lot of mysterious stabbings that date back to Victorian London, while in Voyager's ‘Darkling,' the Doctor's attempt to improve himself by adding bits of other people into him starts making him very large in the tooth and a little too psychosexual towards Kes. Then in DS9's ‘Empok Nor,' O'Brien, Nog, Garak and a collection of clearly important side characters mission to a deserted Cardassian Space Station to steal some wiring ends with psychotropic drug-induced violence. Typical. Happy Halloween! The post 85. Star Trek Halloween III – Let's Get Scotty Laid! first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Starting in the middle ages, a rumor spread of a female pope, elected because of her incredible learning, who went undiscovered until she gave birth to a child. At which point, everyone lost their minds. Join Em and Dr. Jesse to learn about the veracity of this tale and the wacky test it (allegedly) engendered. (Ha.) [ Full Show Notes ] Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidRSSThe post 96. Pope Joan first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

If you spend any amount of time on social media these days, especially TikTok, you'll find a surprising amount of anti-Wiccan sentiment... and a lot of it's pretty weird. Thumper Forge, Gardnerian Wiccan and author of the forthcoming The Chaos Apple, joins me as we, frankly, debunk some of the worst of it and talk about why we think this has happened. The post 88. Wicca Bad? Featuring Thumper Forge first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Welcome to spooky season and we're horrifying Miles specifically with a crossover between Star Trek and his favorite fandom! Can you hear the finger of a monkey's paw curling? Assimilation Squared has been a threat on this show for a while, but why is that? Listen on and we'll explain the story and the many questionable art choices. The post 84. TNG/Doctor Who: Assmilation Squared – The TARDIS Enters Data first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Insert all your tired 2025 jokes here because after the last nine months, we're pretty much out as this episode, we go "All-Voyager, All the Time" with a slate of episodes concerning "The Year of Hell," one of Voyager's more infamous wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey moments. The post 83. Insert 2025 Reference Here first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

This episode marks seven years of this podcast, and as we start the eighth, I decided that it was time we looked back on how much things have changed in the modern witchcraft space since then, along with how different things are since I first became a witch over twenty-five years ago. Because what is witchcraft if it's not change? Also, I'm standing in a park most of the episode, which is why it sounds like that. The post 87. A Season of Change first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Put on your best private detective hat and prepare to get into character as we talk step into the Holodeck and prepare ourselves for inevitable disappointment. In ‘The Practical Joker,' the Enterprise computer gets wacky while Bones, Sulu and Uhura fail to enjoy a primitive Holodeck. In ‘My Way,' Odo uses AI to make girls like him and we get a lot of song and dance numbers (and the best IDW comics pitch) as we meet Vic Fontaine. And in Strange New Worlds's Space Adventure Hour, La'an gets to beta-test the Holodeck and nearly kills everyone on the Enterprise doing so. Typical. Bloody Typical. The post 82. Holodickery first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Welcome to Neelix's Kitchen Nightmares you doughnuts! I'm Gordon Ramsey and we've got three meals for you to shove in your face from three questionable kitchens. Neelix's kitchen's covered in fluff and filth and seems to have been made in a large office meeting room. Will his food help Seven of Nine in “The Raven” or will it bring back dire flashbacks? I think we all know how it's going to go. Next up is the unnamed chef of the Enterprise who actually has a full kitchen. Hoshi Sato comes in and takes over, does she think she's me or something? She gets the job done, possibly a bit too much in “Singularity”. Also there's some delightful nonsense with a chair. Finally William T Riker's got the midlife crisis giant pizza oven out for a visit from his space dad, JL Picard in “Nepenthe”. Has he got what it takes, or will this episode and pizza both be undercooked? Whatever it is, it's better than the replicated cake that gets thrown up all over La Sirena! (This is actually Charlie, I've no idea what Gordon Ramsey sounds like, I hope you enjoy the show!) The post 81. Neelix's Kitchen Nightmares first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

If you're in witchcraft spaces, over the last six years or so, you've likely heard someone talking about "shadow work" (or more obnoxiously telling someone "they need to do some shadow work"). And while some folks seem to consider it an essential element of witchcraft, for those of us who have been in the community a long time it's just a little bit puzzling. Likewise, a lot of the people pushing shadow work don't seem to know where it comes from to begin with. With that in mind, this month I'm going into the origins of shadow work, what it is, and maybe why some folks need to stop pushing it so hard. The post 86. Shadow Work (And Maybe Why We Shouldn't Tell Other Witches to Do It) first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

It's finally here, the thrilling conclusion to our longest Meatgrinder yet! It's time for our heroes to take on the mall itself. The real question is, will the monkey survive? The post S5E11. Showdown at Camp Spooky (Finale) first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Avignon! A city where there is a bridge, and a song about the bridge. And, once, the pope lived there. Why? Let's talk about this weird century. [ Full Show Notes ] Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidRSSThe post 95. Sur le Pontife d'Avignon first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

A trip to HR does not go well. It does not go well at all. The post S5E10. Isn't That a Quentin Tarantino Movie? first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Okay, lets you and him fight! In shameless pursuit of ‘brand synergy,' this episode of Casual Trek celebrates the return of Strange New Worlds to our streaming services by doing an episode about those lizardy bastards Kirk fought once at those rocks from Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, the Gorn! The post 80. Here Today, Gorn Tomorrow first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

For the first time in Meatgrinder history, we have some PVP combat? That's right, in a rare oment where the characters are in zero danger, Noodles has decided that they are done with that monkey once and for all. Also, the season's going long! Expect a few more episodes this time around! The post S5E9. Mascot vs. Monkey first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

A raccoon, a poodle, and a monkey share an elevator. And now you get to know what it's like when two players on an audio podcast decide to play nonverbal characters. The post S5E8. A Raccoon, a Poodle, and a Monkey first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Our brave Casual Explorers are showing their emotional age by watching the infamous ‘everyone gets drunk, horny and crazy' episodes of Star Trek. We start with TOS's The Naked Time where George Takei shows off his impressive sword, followed by TNG's less impressive ‘The Naked Now' where Charlie asks the most important question ‘if Data has no emotions, why did his creator build him to be fully functional, sexually?' (and Miles asks the second most important question ‘Why have this as an second episode?'). Meanwhile, Guest-Star Cele from ‘Celeste is Best' gets to talk about Lower Decks' own ‘everyone goes drunk and crazy' with ‘Empathalogical Fallacies' and has no real important questions to ask except ‘why is this so delightful?' The post 79. The Naked Time is Naked Now first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Look, the security team is doing their best. The only problem is that their best still isn't very good. The post S5E7. Secure the Area first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

It's July which means it's time for the annual feedback/Q&A episode of the show! In this episode I sit down and answer questions that you, the audience, has been sending me over the last few months. It's the same dance we do every summer, and this year you guys sent me some great questions. It's a fun one. The post 85. Feedback/Q&A Special 2025 first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Someone finally asks the important question: If it's the end of the world, why are so many people still at work? The post S5E6. It's a Metaphor for Capitalism first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Strap on those babies and keep clear of the wet ghosts, we're finally talking about Death Stranding! Yes, Casual Trek's 69th episode talking about Trek is going to have to wait as the boys are very excited about the work of the game designer, dreamweaver, visionary plus actor, Hideo Kojima. The post 78. Death Stranding: Somehow Both Deep and Very Stupid first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Grittney calls a friend and they do a little shopping. Also a dude rises from the dead, but that's not as important. The post S5E5. She's Going to Stanford first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Nothing good comes out of an assistant manager, nor a sporting goods store. The post S5E4. Leave Grittney Alone! first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Grab your vials of glowing green goo and prepare to ham it up as we talk once more about Jeffrey Combs, the Philip Madoc of Star Trek (that's a Classic Doctor Who reference) and three episodes where his many characters have large roles. The post 77. Jeff 2: Weyoun Boogaloo first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Our heroes have made their way to a food court, but something seems to be circling overhead. Also you can really tell we recorded this in 2024... The post S5E3. What the Heck is Skype? first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Last month we talked about a good source new witches might want to add to their libraries, because I know how hard it is to separate the signal from the noise. But this month I thought we'd go look at some of the noise instead! I clicked on every terrible ad for witchcraft stuff I could find on Facebook for a week, and decided to inflict what I found on Hex Positive's Bree NicGarran. It's so, so bad y'all. The post 84. We Clicked on Every Facebook Witchcraft Ad (with Bree NicGarran) first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

And old man, a sword guy, and a woman on a monkey. What could possibly go wrong? The post S5E2. I'm Staying on my Monkey first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

The ‘mystical pregnancy' trope is a bit of an overused one in genre fiction and Star Trek visits that well so many times we had options for which ones to highlight here. The post 76. Mustard Hands first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

A new season of The Meatgrinder begins here! In Jacksonville, FL the largest mall in the United States of Aremesia is having its grand opening, but something has gone terribly wrong. Monsters appeared out of nowhere, and the happy consumers soon became the very dead consumers. Four hours later, a small group of survivors are trying to escape the mall... The post S5E1. Are You Normal? first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

We're excited to announce the release of the fifth season of our horror anthology actual play series The Meatgrinder! Like season 4, episodes will be released weekly this summer. That's right, we're starting another summer of meat! The post Announcing The Meatgrinder Season 5 first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Grab your tastiest sandwich and try not to spoil Twin Peaks as we return to Deep Space 9 with an all-DS9 extravaganza. We're talking about the opening three-parter of season two of Deep Space Nine which, unlike the Augment three-parter of Enterprise we covered (in "We Have Wrath of Khan at Home"), we're discussing and placing on the Big List as one single entry and not three seperate ones. Watch as in ‘The Homecoming,' Kira goes off to rescue Bajor's greatest resistance fighter and gets no end of grief for it, then we see that Odo has an actual friend while Kira has one of those awkward naked dreams while uncovering Bajoran nationalists in ‘The Circle' and then the simmering Bajoran nonsence ends up in some Die Hard antics on the Station as our heroes must endure ‘The Siege' where this should hopefully wrap up. No Vedek Winn's were harmed during the making of these episodes for which we are deeply sorry. The post 75. The Hero of the Bajoran Resistance first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Let's head into the virtual studio and cook up something magical! This month, Bree sits down with Dawn Hunt of Cucina Aurora and the Conversational Witchcraft Podcast to talk kitchen witchery, everyday food magic, and the importance of nourishing your heart as well as feeding your stomach. The post 56. Kitchen Witchery with Dawn Hunt of Cucina Aurora first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

One year ago I put out this podcast's first book review. It was for Annwyn Avalon's Celtic Goddess Grimoire, and I absolutely hated it. It was everything I despise in modern witchcraft publishing, and it just left a bad taste in my mouth. I felt like I needed to fix that. So I decided to make it my mission to find a new witchcraft book I might actually like — to find something I could actually talk positively about to this show's audience. And that's when I found Thorn Mooney's Witches Among Us: Understanding Contemporary Witchcraft and Wicca (ISBN: ‎ 978-0738777375) last fall. And it turns out I really like it. The post 83. An Honest Review of Thorn Mooney's “Witches Among Us” first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Seline and Zachariah work some things out before a fey deal becomes priority. The post S5E30. Old Endings, New Beginnings Part 1 first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

It's Bank Holiday Monday, so let's take it easy and talk about some comics. After promising it early in the show's history, Charlie's finally read the first arc of IDW's Star Trek comic by Lanzig & Kelly. Look, we're Casual Trek, this is the level of service you get from us. The post 74. Godshook first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Zachariah is safe from whatever that creature was but there's still things that need to be addressed. The post S5E29. The Nightmare Part 6 first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Our quest to sharpen those critical thinking skills returns with a lesson from none other than Daylina Miller, NPR journalist, LGBTQ+ activist, and CritWitchCon veteran. We chat about fact-checking in witchcraft spaces, red flags to watch out for, how to vet resources, and where to go to find good information in a world full of AI, SEO, and an endless parade of tiktoks and memes. The post 55. Fact-Checking In Witchcraft Spaces with Daylina Miller first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Pull out your helmet with the torch on and your spelunking gear because we're talking about Caves! Miles and Charlie go potholing for Star Trek episodes featuring caves and find a Horta in TOS' ‘Devil in the Dark', bid farewell to a member of the TNG cast in ‘Final Mission' and do you remember when everyone got trapped in a turbo lift in Lower Decks' ‘Caves?' Always use the buddy system! Follow safety regulations! The post 73. Spock's Pondering His Orb first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

It's been a couple of months since Campaign 2 wrapped, but we're finally sitting down for a final fireside chat to talk about our thoughts on that ending. So sit down for over an hour of the Stormwood cast reminiscing about campaign 2 for the last time... and maybe some thoughts about the upcoming campaign 3. The post BONUS – A Final Campaign 2 Fireside Chat first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Listen up, you palookas, it's time for a Casual Trek about times people tried to copy humans. We've got a bona fide Mafia planet thanks to a discarded novel in “A Piece of the Action”, featuring some incredible Shacting. Next, those Next Generation goombahs find themselves in a casino inspired by another discarded novel in “The Royale”, a troubled script and a bad episode which is actually a fantastic time. Finally, those Prodigy kids just wanna do a Starfleet and find a culture inspired by the original Enterprise in “All the World's a Stage” The post 72. A Piece of the Acting first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

The 1991 Christian propaganda series the Pagan Invasion by Jeremiah Films was oddly formative for me. It's a masterclass in propaganda, and a perfect example of the kind of misinformation that was spreading during the heights of the Satanic Panic. So in this episode we're going to break down how "documentaries" like these work to push an agenda, and how to recognize these patterns in other places. The post 82. The Pagan Invasion and Propaganda first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Something happened on a train. Something that still haunts Zachariah. And it's getting closer. The post S5E28. The Nightmare Part 5 first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Strum your sitar and prepare to launch all Eagles as Miles and Charlie once more become the Space Scamps as they make a second trip to the moon for three more episodes of Gerry Anderson's ‘Event Horizon meets Garth Marenghi's Darkplace' show Space 1999. Miles is now worried he has created a monster by showing Charlie this show, and in doing so they get to talk about psychedelic trippiness and Kano's obsession with Computer in ‘Black Sun,' Christopher Lee (although he's totally phoning it in) and the dispatch of a weaselly middle manager in ‘Earthbound,' and then with ‘The Troubled Spirit' Halloween comes a little early and it's probably more spooky than whatever we'll end up doing for our Halloween episode... The post 71. Space Scamps – Black Hole Sun first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Zachariah seems trapped in a dream and nothing is waking him. Seline and Talia decided to go to the source: Zachariah's mind. The post S5E27. The Nightmare Part 4 first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Spring has sprung at HexPos Central, but no matter what the weather looks like outside, there are dozens of species of plants to discover in your local biome. Grab your basket and field guide and take a walk through this month's study exercise, where you'll learn to observe, identify, and find magical uses for local flora. The post 54. Witching With Your Local Biome first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Grab your dice-bag and make sure your character sheets are up to date! As Charlie is ill and both hosts are really busy, we take a quick detour from talking about Star Trek the TV Show to talk about Star Trek Adventures Tabletop RPG by Modiphius Entertainment. In his other side-career as a Gaming Journalist, Charlie got to try out a review copy with his gaming group and goes over the ensuing data. If you ever wanted your episode of Casual Trek to be 80% Charlie and 20% Miles, this one is for you! Find out Miles' potted history with gaming, the world's strangest Alien campaign and a quick overview of the game itself. This might be our most tangent-free episode! The post 70. Star Trek Adventures – Roll to Do A Starfleet first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

New Xbox Series X consoles don't have discs. New Xbox consoles aren't even Xboxes. Or Consoles. Sean helps Vinnk navigate his new digital-only Game Pass addiction, while in Pile of Shame Vinnk finally shares Portal with the next generation of gamers, as Sean struggles to complete Fallout 3. The post 185. This Xbox Has No Disc first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

This month on the show we're talking about the importance of taking stock and realizing that the person you used to be isn't the person that you are -- and how important it is to document who you are now so that you might know yourself better later. Or something. It makes sense if you listen, I swear. The post 81. Reflections first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.