Chats with Aunt Jacki

About Chats with Aunt Jacki

I’m Jacki Smith, but you can call me Aunt Jacki. After thirty years of building a life around being a witch, I’ve learned that magic isn’t an escape from your reality—it’s the way you master it. Chats with Aunt Jacki is a space for honest conversations about how we navigate today’s world using the tools of the magic. We’re talking about the real stuff: the Akashic Records, conjure, candles, and the grit of spell crafting. I’m sharing my own journey, the struggles, successes, and the "notes from the field" I’ve gathered along the way, to help you listen to your own intuition. Each episode, I’ll tackle the topics on our hearts and minds, sometimes joined by fellow practitioners to compare notes on how we stay grounded while working with the unseen. Practical magic for the life you’re actually living. Pull up a chair. You’re already more magical than you think.

Publisher

Jacki Smith

Category

religion & spirituality · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

30 Mar 2026

Latest episode

30 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

18 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   30 Sept 2026

   Your To-Do List Is Eating Your Life

   What if the real problem isn’t time management? What if it’s energy management? In this solo episode of Chats with Aunt Jacki, I’m talking about a concept that changed the way I look at work, life, and overwhelm: ROH, return on heartbeats. We spend so much time measuring return on investment, productivity, and whether we’re getting enough done. But you can make more money. You can rebuild. You can change direction. You only get so many heartbeats. So the better question may be: What deserves your heartbeat? I talk about the energy leaks hiding in our relationships, our to-do lists, our expectations, and all the things we think we should be doing. I also get into boundaries, multitasking, manifestation, gratitude, and the practical magical tools I use to help focus, reset, and manage my own energy. This episode is for anyone who feels like they are doing everything and still somehow ending the day wondering what they actually accomplished. Maybe you do not need a better system. Maybe you need to decide what is actually worth your energy.

2. 

   14 Sept 2026

   Moon Magic, Manifesting, and the Work Nobody Talks About

   Manifesting has gotten weird. Somewhere along the way, it became less about intention, action, self-awareness, and magic—and more about perfect thoughts, high vibes, expensive coaching, and making a vision board pretty enough for the universe to approve. In this episode of Chats with Aunt Jacki, I’m talking with author, tarot creator, professional witch, and speaker Jen Sankey about moon magic, manifesting, desire, shadow work, and the part people tend to skip: the actual work. We talk about what happens when you realize you are manifesting what you think you should want instead of what you genuinely desire, why magic works better when it fits your real life, and how the phases of the moon can offer structure without becoming another set of rules. We also get into gratitude practices, rest and integration, working with the dark moon, reclaiming the parts of yourself you may have labeled as “too much,” and learning to recognize your own natural rhythms instead of forcing yourself into someone else’s version of a magical practice. Jen also shares the story behind her book Manifesting with the Moon: A Lunar Guide to Magic, her tarot decks, and the way she has used lunar work as a practical framework for navigating change. If manifesting has started to feel performative, complicated, or just a little ick, this conversation is for you. In this episode: • Why manifestation requires action • How to tell the difference between desire and “should” • Building a magical practice that fits your actual life • Working with the different phases of the moon • Gratitude, rest, and integration • The magic of the dark moon • Shadow work and reclaiming hidden strengths • Why you are still the most important magical tool you have Learn more about Jen Sankey and her work at StardustWandererTarot.com (http://StardustWandererTarot.com) Find Jacki Smith, book a reading, and explore more blogs and episodes at AuntJacki.com (http://AuntJacki.com).

3. 

   31 Aug 2026

   Sound Shifts Energy: Music, Magic & Protection with Sharon Knight

   What if you don’t need a stronger energetic boundary? What if you need a better song? In this episode of Chats with Aunt Jacki, I sit down with musician, songwriter, magical practitioner, and longtime friend Sharon Knight to explore how music can shift our energy, support protection work, and become part of a magical practice. We talk about singing as an embodied form of magic, rhythm and trance, drumming when words aren’t enough, singing bowls and resonance, and the music we use to focus, release emotion, or change the way we move through a room. We also get into the difference between protection that supports us and protection that turns us into full-on porcupines, why you do not have to be a good singer for singing to matter, and how a song can become an energetic container you carry with you. This is a conversation about music as vibration, expression, protection, communication, and magic—and about becoming more intentional with the soundtrack you bring into your life. Featuring Sharon Knight.

4. 

   24 Aug 2026

   The Ancestors We Carry: Roots, Place & Everyday Magic with Emily Bolander

   What does it mean to carry your ancestors with you—even when you no longer live on the land they came from? In this episode of Chats with Aunt Jacki, I’m joined by my longtime friend Emily Bolander for a conversation about ancestry, place, memory, and the everyday ways we stay connected to the people who came before us. Emily shares how growing up in Central New York shaped her spiritual life, what it was like to leave a place where her family roots run deep, and how ancestor work became a way of carrying that connection forward. We talk about graveyards, family objects, handwritten signatures, food, ancestor altars, grave dirt, cemetery water, and the strange little ways our dead sometimes make themselves known. We also get practical about ancestor work: how to begin an altar, what to do when you don’t know where your ancestors are buried, how to work with complicated family histories, and why relationship matters more than doing everything “perfectly.” This is a conversation about roots, belonging, remembrance, and the magic that can happen when we stop treating our ancestors like history and start recognizing them as part of our living story. Guest Bio Emily Bolander is a longtime magical practitioner, tarot reader, Reiki Master, teacher, and spiritual consultant. For nearly three decades, she has worked with tarot, candle magic, folk traditions, ancestors, saints, Hecate, crossed conditions, and the energy of place. She has also founded and led a coven for many years, bringing deep experience in magical practice, teaching, and community leadership. Guest Contact / Links Email: Pineridgewitch@gmail.com (mailto:Pineridgewitch@gmail.com) Instagram: @HaggithaHawthorne Those are the two contact methods Emily gives at the end of the episode.

5. 

   11 Aug 2026

   The Sacred Hustle: Magic, Money & Opportunity with Jason Miller

   This is a special extended episode of Chats with Aunt Jacki. What happens when magic stops being something you do on the side and becomes part of how you make decisions, build opportunities, and earn a living? In this episode, Jacki talks with author and Strategic Sorcery founder Jason Miller about the real intersection of magic and entrepreneurship. They get into money, pricing, opportunity, prosperity, spiritual practice, growth, and the very unglamorous reality of having to build something sturdy enough to hold the success you keep asking for. They also tackle deservingness, manifestation culture, magical “vibration,” the fear many practitioners have around charging fairly, and why magic works best when it is woven into practical action instead of used as a substitute for it. Along the way, Jacki and Jason share stories about magical business, financial set points, missed opportunities, sacred hustle, and one central idea that runs through the whole conversation: Magic is real — and it works how other real things work. We went long because the conversation was too good to cut short.

6. 

   27 Jul 2026

   Life Gets Lifey: Ancestors, Healing, and Real-World Magic with Wendy Mata

   Life gets lifey—even when you are deeply spiritual, doing your healing work, and trying to stay connected to your magic. In this episode, I sit down with Wendy Mata, author of Bruja Curandera: Spells and Rituals from a Mexican Healer and Witch, to talk about ancestor work, limpias, spiritual bypassing, and what it really means to become a magical person. We talk about building a reciprocal relationship with your ancestors, setting boundaries with spirits, calling back the parts of yourself that were lost through trauma, and using cleansing work to release what no longer belongs to you. Wendy also shares why magic works best alongside therapy, medical care, practical support, and the very human process of feeling what you feel. We also explore cultural appropriation, closed practices, and the difference between respectfully learning from a tradition and claiming authority you have not earned. This is a grounded conversation about healing, responsibility, ancestry, and remembering that you are the magic.

7. 

   8 Jul 2026

   Tarot, Fearlessness, and the Flawed Human Condition with Shavonne Readus

   What if confidence is not something you either have or don’t have, but something you practice one honest choice at a time? In this episode of Chats with Aunt Jacki, Jacki sits down with Shavonne Readus, also known as V of Red Light Readings, author of Tarot for the Flawed and Fearless: 22 Keys to Master Self-Confidence. Together, they talk about tarot as a mirror for self-trust, not a crutch for avoiding the messy parts of being human. Using the Major Arcana as a path of growth, Jacki and V explore The Fool, The Tower, Judgment, and The Star as cards that can help us understand new beginnings, collapse, forgiveness, hope, fear, and the courage to keep becoming ourselves. This conversation is for anyone who has ever wondered how to trust themselves again, especially when life is changing, old patterns are crumbling, or the next step feels uncomfortable. Because fearlessness does not mean you are never afraid. Sometimes it means you finally stop letting fear be the loudest voice in the room. Find Shavonne Readus / V at Red Light Readings: Instagram: @redlightreadings Website: redlightreadings.com (http://redlightreadings.com) Facebook: Red Light Readings Find Jacki at AuntJacki.com (http://AuntJacki.com) for readings, blogs, and more episodes of Chats with Aunt Jacki.

8. 

   22 Jun 2026

   When Family Patterns Surface: Shadow Work with Adult Children

   The hardest family pattern to recognize may be the one where we realize we are part of someone else’s story. In this episode of Chats with Aunt Jacki, Jacki Smith explores family patterns, shadow work, ancestral healing, and the uncomfortable moment when we stop being only the child trying to understand our parents — and become the parent our adult child may be trying to understand. After teaching about inherited beliefs, family legacies, ancestral contracts, and healing family patterns through the Akashic Records, Jacki reflects on the humbling truth that our children may not experience us the way we experience ourselves. This is especially tender in mother daughter relationships, parent and adult child relationships, and any family dynamic where love, grief, boundaries, repair, and old wounds live side by side. We know our intentions. They know their experience. Both can be true. This episode is an honest conversation about motherhood, adult children, impact versus intention, emotional healing, spiritual healing, distance, repair, grief, humility, and the magic of asking better questions before we defend the wound. Because family patterns are not museum pieces. They are living things.

9. 

   8 Jun 2026

   Are you Making it up? Understanding Akashic Records, Intuition, and Inner Knowing

   Most people imagine the Akashic Records as a giant cosmic filing cabinet — distant, mysterious, and only accessible to the extra-special spiritually attuned. That is not how I experience them. In this episode, I’m talking about the Akashic Records from lived experience: what they are, what they are not, and how they can help us understand the patterns, fears, blocks, and old stories shaping our lives. I share how I first found myself working in the Records, why consent matters deeply in this work, and how to tell the difference between anxious mental storytelling and true Akashic insight. We’ll also talk about intuition, psychic information, mediumship, imagination, grounding, and why the Records are not here to help you spy on other people or bypass common sense. They are here to help you understand yourself more honestly. Because sometimes the wisdom you need does not arrive as a lightning bolt. Sometimes it feels like memory. Sometimes it sounds like a strange symbol. Sometimes it starts with the question, “Am I making this up?” And sometimes, that is exactly where the door opens. You can learn more about my work, book an Akashic Reading, or find my book DIY Akashic Wisdom at auntjacki.com (http://auntjacki.com). Until next time, trust your magic and keep your candle lit.

10. 

    26 May 2026

    The Energetic Purity Trap: Your Pain Isn’t Proof Your Magic Failed

    You were never meant to be calm, perfect, and high-vibe before your magic was allowed to work. What if your pain isn’t blocking your magic, but trying to tell you where the spell begins? In this episode of Chats with Aunt Jacki, I’m joined by Laura Tempest Zakroff for the final conversation in the Protection Magic for Women series. Together, we unpack the energetic purity trap, the damaging idea that anger, grief, fear, overwhelm, or messy human emotion means your vibration is wrong, your magic has failed, or you are somehow the problem. We talk about why “high vibration” language can become another ranking system, how shame interrupts magic, and why real witchcraft brings us back into the body, the land, our tools, our communities, and our actual lives. Laura shares wisdom on sigil magic, embodied practice, magical resistance, shadow work, and why sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is simply do the thing, make the mess, and learn from it. This conversation is about reclaiming magic from perfectionism, purity culture, spiritual bypassing, and the myth that you have to be healed, calm, or perfectly aligned before you are allowed to be powerful. Your pain is not proof your magic failed. Your fear is not proof you are broken. Your mess is not the opposite of magic. Sometimes, it is where the working begins. Learn more about Laura Tempest Zakroff at lauratempestzakroff.com (http://lauratempestzakroff.com). Learn more about Jacki Smith, book an Akashic reading, or find more episodes at AuntJacki.com (http://AuntJacki.com). Until next time, trust your magic and keep your candle lit.

11. 

    18 May 2026

    Protection Magic for Women: Trust the Signal Before the Spell

    Protection magic is not just about what you put on your altar, hang over your door, or carry in your pocket. Sometimes protection begins much earlier than the spell. It begins in the moment something feels off and you decide not to talk yourself out of it. In this episode of Chats with Aunt Jacki, I sit down with beloved author, folklorist, and magical teacher Judika Illes for a conversation about protection magic, women’s power, self-trust, fear, discernment, and what it means to stop apologizing for being a witch with claws. Judika is the author of many essential books on magic, folklore, spirits, and spellwork, including The Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells and Pure Magic. Her work has helped shape modern magical practice by bringing historical, folkloric, and practical magic into the hands of real people living real lives. We talk about: Why protection magic is one of the oldest forms of magic What magic can and cannot do when danger is real Why “harm none” does not apply to every magical path The problem with the “good witch” and the declawed version of magic How women have been trained to doubt their own instincts Why fear is not always the enemy How intuition can be damaged by abuse, gaslighting, and conditioning Simple daily protection practices that help rebuild self-trust Judika’s Protection Spells deck and how portable magic can support people in real-world moments This conversation is part of my ongoing series with magical women about protection, power, and what it means to claim yourself in a world that often teaches women to stay quiet, stay nice, and stay unsure. Because the first protection spell may not be the candle, the charm, or the ritual. It may be believing yourself. You can find Judika Illes through her books wherever books are sold, and on social media. To book an Akashic reading with me, visit: https://auntjacki.com (https://auntjacki.com)

12. 

    11 May 2026

    Protection Magic for Women: The Motherline Has Your Back with Cairelle Perilloux

    Where do you go for protection when life gets hard? In this episode of Chats with Aunt Jacki, I sit down with Cairelle Perilloux, author of The Magic in Your Genes and the upcoming Motherline Grimoire, to talk about ancestor magic, the maternal line, inherited survival patterns, and the deep protection carried through generations of women. This conversation is about power, lineage, boundaries, and remembering that you are not starting from zero. When something goes wrong, when you feel scared, depleted, threatened, or unsure, where do you go for protection? A spell? A crystal? Your anger? A trusted friend? Your own stubborn refusal to fold? In this episode of Chats with Aunt Jacki, I’m joined by Cairelle Perilloux, author of The Magic in Your Genes and the upcoming Motherline Grimoire, for a powerful conversation about protection, power, and the ancestral strength carried through the maternal line. Cairelle is a genealogist, integrative RN, and magical practitioner whose work brings together ancestry, DNA, science, magic, and deep spiritual relationship. Together, we talk about the motherline, the women who came before us, and the patterns we inherit, both the ones that protect us and the ones we are here to interrupt. We explore how women have survived through silence, back-channel communication, intuition, endurance, adaptation, and fierce quiet strength. We also talk about what changes when protection stops being automatic fear and becomes conscious choice. This conversation moves through boundaries, inherited compliance, medical advocacy, ancestor altars, mitochondrial DNA, the power of naming your mothers, and what it means to walk through the world aware, but unafraid. Because you are not starting from zero. Your mothers are behind you. Your grandmothers are behind you. Your lineage has already survived more than you can imagine. And maybe the protection you’ve been looking for has been in your bones all along. Learn more about Cairelle at cairelle.com (http://cairelle.com) and follow her on social media at I Am Cairelle. You can find me at AuntJacki.com (http://AuntJacki.com) for Akashic readings, classes, podcast episodes, and more. Please like, subscribe, and follow Chats with Aunt Jacki wherever you listen.

13. 

    4 May 2026

    When the System Breaks, We Build Circles Power, Protection, and Why You Can’t Do This Alone

    When the system breaks, we don’t wait to be saved. We build circles. Every week, another story breaks that confirms what many of us have always known—this world was not built with women’s safety in mind. In this episode of Chats with Aunt Jacki, I sit down with Byron Ballard—folklorist, author, and longtime voice in the magical community—for a real conversation about what’s happening right now. Not in theory. Not in headlines. In lived experience. We talk about “Tower Time”—what it means when the systems we’ve relied on are cracking, and why this moment isn’t about fixing what’s broken. It’s about seeing clearly what was never built to hold us in the first place. This conversation goes into hard territory: the visibility of organized harm against women the conditioning that keeps us quiet or compliant the ways fear, isolation, and distraction keep us from acting And then we move into what actually matters. Power. Protection. And the truth most people don’t say out loud: We don’t do this alone. If the system isn’t going to keep you safe, then the question becomes—what does? We talk about grounding, energetic protection, and why community is not a luxury. It’s the work. It’s the protection. It’s how we move forward from here. If you’ve been feeling unsettled, questioning what you’re seeing, or trying to figure out where your power actually is in all of this—you’re not wrong. And you’re not alone. And if you’re at a place where you need clarity, perspective, or help sorting through what’s yours and what isn’t, you can connect with me for a reading at AuntJacki.com (http://AuntJacki.com) Listen in. Stay grounded. And start finding your people.

14. 

    27 Apr 2026

    Protection Magic for Women: This Is How We Protect Ourselves Now

    This is the first conversation in a new series on protection magic for women. Not just spells. Not just mindset. We’re talking about what protection actually looks like in real life—awareness, boundaries, physical safety, and the ways women move through the world every day. In this episode, I’m talking with Amy Blackthorn about protection on every level: mental, physical, and magical. This isn’t about fear. It’s about being aware, prepared, and in your own power. Because protection isn’t one thing you do. It’s how you move through your life. If this is something you’ve been navigating, you can go deeper with me here: https://auntjacki.com/book-a-reading.html (https://auntjacki.com/book-a-reading.html)

15. 

    20 Apr 2026

    You Don’t Get Out of Life Undamaged (And Neither Does Anyone Else)

    You don’t get out of life undamaged. And if you’re honest… you’ve done damage too. In this episode of Chats with Aunt Jacki, I sit down with Amy Blackthorn to talk about the part of growth most people avoid—the truth about shadow work. Not the aesthetic version. Not the “I journaled and feel better” version. The real version. We get into what it actually means to carry wounds, defensiveness, and patterns through life—and the harder truth: how those same wounds shape the way we impact other people. This conversation moves through: Why shadow work feels so intimidating (and why that’s a lie) The difference between being hurt… and doing harm How trauma responses quietly run your life Why “healing” isn’t about fixing the past—it’s about changing your future How working with plant allies can make shadow work feel supported instead of overwhelming Amy shares the heart behind her new book Blackthorn’s Botanical Shadow Work and how she reframes this work into something grounded, relational, and actually doable. This isn’t about becoming perfect. It’s about becoming aware enough to stop repeating what hurt you. If you’ve been avoiding your own shadow—or you’re tired of doing the same work over and over—this is the conversation that will shift something. Listen in. Then decide what you’re ready to face. Subscribe for more real conversations about magic, growth, and doing the work that actually changes your life. shadow work, emotional healing, trauma response, personal growth, Amy Blackthorn, plant magic

16. 

    13 Apr 2026

    The 90's Survivalist Roots of Modern Magic

    We didn’t build the modern witchcraft movement so it could stay in the shadows or look good on an Instagram feed. We built it so magic could become a lifeline. In this episode of Chats with Aunt Jacki, Jacki Smith strips away the "aesthetic" of modern witchcraft to reveal the gritty, grassroots reality of the 1990s. Before information was free and shops were on every corner, magic was practiced in church basements and secret hotel rooms. Jacki honors the "Mighty Dead" and the elders who took real-world risks to normalize the word Witch. But this isn't just a history lesson. Jacki connects the dots between the secrecy of the past and the current struggle for trans and non-binary visibility. If your magic doesn't have room for the ultimate alchemy—transforming your reality to match your inner truth—then what is it for? Inside the Episode: The 90s Underground: Calling landlines in search of mugwort and hiding pentagrams under work clothes. The Myth of Gatekeeping: Why the "survivalist era" focused on what actually worked, not what looked good. The Alchemy of Identity: Why the trans community is currently performing the highest grade of magic. A Call to Protection: Recognizing that our visibility is a hard-won luxury we must use to protect others. About Jacki Smith: Jacki Smith is the founder of Coventry Creations and the author of Coventry Magic with Candles, Oils, and Herbs. For over 30 years, she has been a leader in the magical community, dedicated to normalizing the practice of magic and the path of the Witch.

17. 

    7 Apr 2026

    The Glass Ceiling of Magic: Why Your Intentions Break

    "What if I told you that you didn't have to change anything in your life to be magical?" In the debut episode of Chats with Aunt Jacki, Jacki Smith strips away the "guru-speak" to reveal the nuts and bolts of practical magic. From stirring your morning coffee to moving traffic with your mind, Jacki explains why magic is a lived-in tool, not a performance. She dives deep into the "Glass Ceiling of Energy"—the specific point where our own fears and old habits cause our manifestations to shatter. Whether you’re a seasoned practitioner or someone wondering if you’re "really a witch," pull up a chair. We’re talking about the messy, psychological, and deeply practical reality of shifting your energy in 2026.

18. 

    30 Mar 2026

    Chats with Aunt Jacki Trailer

    After 33 years of defining her life through the wax and wicks of Coventry Creations, Jacki Smith is stepping away from the factory floor to open the books. By transitioning manufacturing to the trusted hands at Type 40 Vending, Jacki has cleared the space to do the one thing the warehouse wouldn't allow: dedicate 100% of her time to the Akashic Records. Chats with Aunt Jacki is a seat at the kitchen table for real-life magic. No fluff, no vague theories—just lived-in tools for candle magic, conjure, and soul-work that actually fits into your everyday life. Pull up a chair. The books are open.

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