Saturday November 22, 2011
Kimmi Jae Belanger
Tonight we had as our guest Kimmi Jae Belanger (pronounced Bee-lahn-JAY), author of A Witch Walks Among Broken Branches.
She started out with how she found moving from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Wilmington was probably not the best move; Something There is rubbing her the wrong way. Henry spoke about his tenure living there. KJ added that her negative experience at the new local DMV didn't exactly help.
Ceiling Cat Barbara Duncan spoke about Kimmie's mother, referenced in the book, details into which KJ went, such as the numerous holistic remedies she'd apply.
Considering her natural, organic psychism and such, KJ spoke about her gradual discovery of witchcraft and paganism via studying and comparing varied religions. She began researching her own family and as to who else had psychic gifts, though they kept silent about their psychism.
A few of KJ's family members were even in the live chat room. She mentioned how as a teen she found she seemed easy to Influence others, as could her siblings.
She spoke of her stern father, to whom towards the end of his life she gave him the Leo Buscaglia book Way of the Bull, which seemed to help and smooth matters between the two of them.
After the first break, Ceiling Cat told us we had listeners tonight in Canada, the US, the UK, Haiti, Costa Rica, Romania, and the always mysterious "Unknown."
KJ spoke about her earliest experiences, around junior high, where she felt more as though she was gliding as opposed to walking. She wasn't, but she felt as though she was. She'd later learn her daughter experienced the same sensation, and Kimmi learned her nieces experienced such as well.
Kimmi's mother passed when KJ's daughter was three; when she was four years old up in the attic loft, she came down to report to Kimmi that she'd just seen her grandmother. They went back up, and the daughter pointed out where she'd seen the apparition. That was when Kimmi knew her daughter was going to have a roller coaster life ride as well. She's also a bit of a premonitionist, as well as a probable astral projectionist. Her premonitions generally would have a three day head start. As with KJ, her daughter and her nieces are very strong empaths.
I asked as to which pantheon she follows; Kimmi considers herself an Organic Witch.
She relayed a story about one of her nieces being at a gas station cash-register queue and a guy behind her was being extremely obnoxious. When she'd had enough, she turned and told him his truck wouldn't start, her not technically knowing the man even drove a truck. She got into her own truck, and waved to him as his truck refused to start...
One of her pet peeves is, when someone learns she's a witch, they make mocking type jokes.
From the chat room, Nyla asked a story in KJ's book about repair men coming in to replace windows, and came across KJ's metaphics books and on witchcraft, skull displays and altar type items. From just outside the room, Kimmi could hear their hushed, panicked whispers as to what they were seeing.
KJ mentioned the creepiness regarding her P.O. Box (which she really didn't make very public), when she once received a book on voodoo spells, without any return name or address information.
Henry asked about the Broken Branches aspect of her book's title. Kimmi pointed out it refers to family, with her having Broken Branches within her family tree.
She spoke about confrontations with Shadow People and disembodied voices. She "called out" her family member Brent (as he was in the chat room), where one entity held his hands down whilst in bed.
The use of magick was then discussed. KJ clarified it's all Intent. I pointed out that, as my first metaphysics teacher said, magick is affecting the universe in a method that cannot be measured by science Yet. Kimmie was thrilled my pointing out that Catholicism does the most magick, even more than witches, what with prayer, rituals, and candle lighting, et al.
Kimmie used to host a para-x show, and she regaled the tale of a Christian demonologist as a guest, who had an issue with Kimmie doing candle magic. She'd reponded how the same issues he had with her religion's activities were what the Christmas church does, all the time.
We touched on religious intolerance. She spoke about one cousin who is a reverend, who actively avoids her. Eventually he even UnFriended her on Facebook. Kat spoke about protesters outside of paranormal convention events.
Then Kimmi spoke about Responsibility, a topic in her book. She also touched on the media's fantasy-"take" on witchcraft and such. She found the TV series American Horror Story's third season Coven so far afield as to be extremely disrespectful and she could not continue watching it. But with softball shows such as Charmed, she liked and didn't mind its tongue-in-cheekness. We clarified that Sabrina the Teenage Witch was okay and silly-fun, and that I'd worked on an episode.
Kimmi thanked Corvis Nocturnum for his help getting her book published, as opposed to the often-lame self-published, and his helping getting it on Amazon.
KJ gave out her website, that she is both on Twitter: @Kimmi_Jae, and on Facebook.
I provided my website's Paranormal View hub page at which one can find the show's respective report pages, that we're very findable on Facebook, and that now archived podcasts are also available on iTunes, my own Twitter: @realbadger, and that I'm on Facebook, et al.
Kat gave out her regularly updated website, her Facebook fan page, her @jinxedcomic Twitter account, and the show's @Paraviewradio Twitter presence, @SaveOurGhosts page, but tonight, not her Hunt For Ghosts site, nor her Miss Grey graphic novel page.
Henry conveyed our show next week would be our Thanksgiving edition, and we wrapped out.