Witches brew: Christine Schiefer and Em Schulz are conjuring spirited chats about mystical objects, sorcery, and more on ‘Rituals’
Parcast’s “Rituals” is an occult bonanza loaded with historical and modern stories of alchemy, sorcery, spiritualism, witchcraft, satanism, and more. Hosts Christine Schiefer and Em Schulz of “And That’s Why We Drink” fame navigate the dark arts, share facts, and point out where fiction takes over narratives. They’ll unpack events and significant figures who attempted to bridge our tangible world with those beyond.
If you ever tried willing a snow day into reality as a kid, thought about holding a candlelit séance, or combed through a tarot card deck, “Rituals” is a must-listen. How about dousing yourself in healing waters or searching for love potion recipes? Such topics just might be covered this season of “Rituals.”
Since March, all “Rituals” episodes are less than 40 minutes each. Tune in on Mondays for new episodes. The first few are now streaming. Christine and Em are some of our favorite hosts, as the duo chatted with Podsauce’s Alesha and Dax last year. Em and Christine have a shared fondness for the paranormal and puzzling mysteries: Em grew up in a small, haunted Virginia town, and Christine attempted séances.
We recommend “Rituals” for fans of Christine and Em’s other series about ghosts, true crime, and other scary topics, “And That’s Why We Drink.” “Rituals” might be enjoyable for fans of Penny Dreadful, Harry Potter, and Fullmetal Alchemist. Future episodes will explore alchemist Nicolas Flamel, whose alleged Philosopher’s Stone changed metal to gold and granted immortality.
The first episode is titled “When Witches Brewed Weather,” exploring the ideas, history, and mythology of witch-controlled weather patterns. The tempestarii were supposedly witches who beckoned storms at-will, bargained with corn, and allegedly snatched wind from Danish sails. The Catholic Church ignored this idea, but people demanded witch trials. This episode details Weather Witches’ stories, what the accused endured, and their cultural impact today.
Episode 2 is a “science and whimsy episode,” throwing on trench coats, digging out magnifying glasses, and traveling back to Britain in the 1800s. Aside from writing Sherlock Holmes, author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was into spiritualism. This definition referred to mediums, séances, spirit photography, and more as explained in this episode. The hosts also delve into Harry Houdini, Jude Law, and what a Georgetown psychic once told Christine.
We’re thrilled to add another one of Em and Christine’s excellent podcasts to our listening queue. Tune in weekly for new episodes of “Rituals” on Spotify.
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