Folk Magician's Notebook - July 2026

Summary: We head to the seaside this month as we look at the lunar forecast, check our cards, hang up some kelp to tell us the weather, learn why the sea is salty, and meet a mythical denizen of the deep.

We highly recommend that you find an almanac or lunar-oriented datebook to help you with planning out your own magical year. Some we can recommend: 

• The Witches Almanac
• Llewellyn's Astrological Pocket Planner
• Writual Planner
• Or your local Farmer's Almanac!

You can find a transcript of this episode at our Transcripts page.

Sections

• Lunar Forecast - Our monthly rundown of lunar astrological information
• In the Cards - Divination through cartomancy, tarot, and folk methods. This month: The Jack of Diamonds, the Three of Cups, and plant-based weather divination.
• A Witch's Words - Proverbs, folklore, and book reviews. This month: two stories of how the seas got salty and reviews of folkloric graphic novels (The Girl from the Sea, The Magic Fish, and The Cautionary Fables & Fairytales series).
• Materia Magica - Magical artifacts and crafts. This month: the Mermaid’s Purse.
• Creature Corner - Folkloric creatures, beings, and entities. This month: The Kraken
• Listener Feedback - We read and respond to your questions and comments! If you have one you'd like to submit, mail us at ⁠compassandkey@gmail.com⁠ or ⁠newworldwitcherypodcast@gmail.com⁠

Check out Cory’s book, ⁠New World Witchery: A Trove of North American Folk Magic⁠! (also available from ⁠Amazon⁠). Also check out our collaborative book, ⁠Conjuring the Commonplace: A Guide to Everyday Enchantment and Junk Drawer Magic⁠ (⁠1000Volt Press⁠) (also available from ⁠Amazon⁠). If you are interested in playing card divination, you can check out our ⁠Cartomancy post⁠ or pick up Cory’s book, ⁠54 Devils⁠.

Image via Cory Thomas Hutcheson (CC 2.0)

Keep in touch and follow us through our ⁠Find Us⁠ page!

Promos and Music:

Title and closing music are “Runaround (AM Radio),” by Aaron Solomon, and is licensed from ⁠Audio Socket⁠. (License #1273). Additional incidental music Kevin Macleod and Daniel Birch, from Free Music Archive and used under a CC 2.0 license.

Sound effects from ⁠Freesound.org ⁠and in the Public Domain. Additional "rooster" sound effect from Darina Evstafeva from ⁠Pixabay⁠.

Please consider supporting us by purchasing our promotional items in the ⁠New World Witchery Threadless⁠ shop or by joining our ⁠Patreon⁠ supporters.

If you like us AND you like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, you will love our new show: ⁠Myth Taken: A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Podcast⁠, now available through all the podcatchers! You can also check out Cory's folklore show, ⁠Chasing Foxfire⁠, where he explores the intersection of folklore and top