Thorn Mooney
@thornthewitch.bsky.social
Religious Studies PhD candidate: paranormal, secularism, magic, spiritualism, ethnography. Lit MA. Publishing production day job. Witch author, Gard priestess, guitarist, fountain pen person, Swiftie, probably a werewolf.
https://linktr.ee/thornthewitch
https://linktr.ee/thornthewitch
Pinned
Thorn Mooney
@thornthewitch.bsky.social
· Nov 15
Hello new platform! I’m Thorn. I’m a religious studies PhD student thinking about magic, modernity, and the paranormal. I publish trade books about witchcraft, and am usually online talking about fountain pens and books. Every now and then, guitars.
I'm hanging out on a music forum with a lot of older folks who aren't in the same progressive online spaces I'm in, and the way they casually talk about using ChatGPT is bananas to me. And it's so awkward routinely responding to them and being like, "No thanks, I'm not using that."
February 1, 2026 at 11:34 PM
I'm hanging out on a music forum with a lot of older folks who aren't in the same progressive online spaces I'm in, and the way they casually talk about using ChatGPT is bananas to me. And it's so awkward routinely responding to them and being like, "No thanks, I'm not using that."
Five Classes I took in College:
History of the English Language
Fallen Women in Victorian Literature
Jazz Theory
Organic Chemistry
Chinese Religions
History of the English Language
Fallen Women in Victorian Literature
Jazz Theory
Organic Chemistry
Chinese Religions
Five Classes I took in College:
The South in Film and Literature
Applied Linguistics
History of Modern Ireland
Astronomy I
Children’s Literature
The South in Film and Literature
Applied Linguistics
History of Modern Ireland
Astronomy I
Children’s Literature
Five Classes I took in College:
Slavery in New York
Introduction to Popular Culture
Drugs, Brain, and Behavior
The Soul in Dostoyevsky, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche
Preparation for Algebra I (Remedial)
Slavery in New York
Introduction to Popular Culture
Drugs, Brain, and Behavior
The Soul in Dostoyevsky, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche
Preparation for Algebra I (Remedial)
January 31, 2026 at 1:29 AM
Five Classes I took in College:
History of the English Language
Fallen Women in Victorian Literature
Jazz Theory
Organic Chemistry
Chinese Religions
History of the English Language
Fallen Women in Victorian Literature
Jazz Theory
Organic Chemistry
Chinese Religions
Reposted by Thorn Mooney
A statement from the staff, management and owner of Quail Ridge Books.
January 30, 2026 at 3:50 PM
A statement from the staff, management and owner of Quail Ridge Books.
Reposted by Thorn Mooney
Andrew Mark Henry wins the 2026 Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion. Dr. Henry is creator and host of 'Religion for Breakfast' (youtube) and founder of the community, The Religion Department. Congratulations! aarweb.org/news/andrew-...
January 22, 2026 at 10:02 PM
Andrew Mark Henry wins the 2026 Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion. Dr. Henry is creator and host of 'Religion for Breakfast' (youtube) and founder of the community, The Religion Department. Congratulations! aarweb.org/news/andrew-...
5 jobs I’ve had:
Guitar Teacher
Bank Teller
University Adjunct Lecturer
HS English Teacher
Data Analyst
Guitar Teacher
Bank Teller
University Adjunct Lecturer
HS English Teacher
Data Analyst
5 jobs I've had:
Customer Service Rep
Theater Usher
Telemarketer*
Head of A&R Admin for a Record Label
Witchcraft Teacher
*Only lasted a collective 7 hours over two shifts of telemarketer for a photography studio and quit on the spot.
Customer Service Rep
Theater Usher
Telemarketer*
Head of A&R Admin for a Record Label
Witchcraft Teacher
*Only lasted a collective 7 hours over two shifts of telemarketer for a photography studio and quit on the spot.
5 jobs I've had:
1.) Law professor
2.) US Army infantryman
3.) Halloween model
4.) Taekwondo instructor
5.) Forklift operator (not certified)
1.) Law professor
2.) US Army infantryman
3.) Halloween model
4.) Taekwondo instructor
5.) Forklift operator (not certified)
January 29, 2026 at 1:03 PM
5 jobs I’ve had:
Guitar Teacher
Bank Teller
University Adjunct Lecturer
HS English Teacher
Data Analyst
Guitar Teacher
Bank Teller
University Adjunct Lecturer
HS English Teacher
Data Analyst
On multiple occasions at work, a manager or coworker has assumed I use AI to write emails, product documentation, or client communications. Writing is a skill that people learn and develop. Just hire skilled people. You know all those humanities departments we keep cutting? That's what we do there.
I feel you. I work at a university. I created an instructional module for another dept program and branding graphics to go with for advertising. The dept head asked what AI I used to make them. And looked both insultingly shocked and amusingly appalled when I said I hadn't, just education and adobe.
January 28, 2026 at 6:36 PM
On multiple occasions at work, a manager or coworker has assumed I use AI to write emails, product documentation, or client communications. Writing is a skill that people learn and develop. Just hire skilled people. You know all those humanities departments we keep cutting? That's what we do there.
My day job is forcing us to do compliance training in AI and every unit begins with ”You’re probably already using AI to write and do research!” And no the fuck I am not. The normalization of illiteracy and ignorance is astounding. The assumption that most people aren’t doing their own work is wild.
January 28, 2026 at 3:51 PM
My day job is forcing us to do compliance training in AI and every unit begins with ”You’re probably already using AI to write and do research!” And no the fuck I am not. The normalization of illiteracy and ignorance is astounding. The assumption that most people aren’t doing their own work is wild.
Reposted by Thorn Mooney
Read the whole thread, please! These are the kinds of things that Black thinkers have been saying for generations!
Americans have a habit of trying to compare all authoritarianism to Nazi Germany. I think in some ways i think it is comforting to view authoritarianism as a foreign ideology. If you want to understand our current authoritarian moment, you need to look to our own past, not to Europe 1/x
January 25, 2026 at 11:52 PM
Read the whole thread, please! These are the kinds of things that Black thinkers have been saying for generations!
I'm spending a lot, a lot, a lot of time playing guitar. I'm reading a lot of novels. I don't know if it's defensive, or a sign of my growing disdain for being a Pagan talking head, or anxiety over the state of the world, or if I'm just procrastinating on my dissertation. Probably all of it.
January 24, 2026 at 8:47 PM
I'm spending a lot, a lot, a lot of time playing guitar. I'm reading a lot of novels. I don't know if it's defensive, or a sign of my growing disdain for being a Pagan talking head, or anxiety over the state of the world, or if I'm just procrastinating on my dissertation. Probably all of it.
Lots of useful information in this blog post!
If you’re outside of Minnesota and you’re wondering how to help, this guide is excellent.
And seriously. Take down your Ring doorbell TODAY.
And seriously. Take down your Ring doorbell TODAY.
How To Help if You are Outside Minnesota
Last edited January 22, 2026 I’m going to assume that if you’re reading this, you more or less understand the situation in Minnesota and I don’t have to explain it to you! That sa…
naomikritzer.com
January 24, 2026 at 8:44 PM
Lots of useful information in this blog post!
tell your pet’s name with a gif
January 24, 2026 at 2:10 AM
tell your pet’s name with a gif
Reposted by Thorn Mooney
They are never, ever going to win in Minnesota.
January 23, 2026 at 8:56 PM
They are never, ever going to win in Minnesota.
Every CFP just look like a giant grift at this point. It’s wild how much it costs to “share your research“ and usually in totally inaccessible formats. Can we all just get blogs already.
January 21, 2026 at 5:36 PM
Every CFP just look like a giant grift at this point. It’s wild how much it costs to “share your research“ and usually in totally inaccessible formats. Can we all just get blogs already.
Reposted by Thorn Mooney
@megelison.bsky.social they’re playing your music:
If Women Wrote Men the Way Men Write Women
There is a particular look about a teenage boy that lets you know what kind of man he’ll be. A certain fullness of lips, a frank sensuality in his ...
www.mcsweeneys.net
January 18, 2026 at 1:11 AM
@megelison.bsky.social they’re playing your music:
Reposted by Thorn Mooney
Like my oracle readings with Luna or want me to write a short story for you? You can commission me!
#witchsky
ko-fi.com/alittletookish
#witchsky
ko-fi.com/alittletookish
Buy Lilly a Coffee
Become a supporter of Lilly today!
ko-fi.com
January 17, 2026 at 2:04 AM
Like my oracle readings with Luna or want me to write a short story for you? You can commission me!
#witchsky
ko-fi.com/alittletookish
#witchsky
ko-fi.com/alittletookish
I’m prepping this for March! Aside from the generally curious, and folks enthusiastic about religious studies, it will also be good for practitioners. It’s important to study history, to know about adjacent movements, trends over time, influential people, etc.
Speaking of planning for the new year, consider taking one of the many seminars offered through the Religion Department! My own is about contemporary Paganism, but there are several to choose from according to your interests! #witchsky #religiousstudies
www.religiondepartment.com/contemporary...
www.religiondepartment.com/contemporary...
Intro to Contemporary Paganism with Thorn Mooney
www.religiondepartment.com
January 16, 2026 at 1:14 PM
I’m prepping this for March! Aside from the generally curious, and folks enthusiastic about religious studies, it will also be good for practitioners. It’s important to study history, to know about adjacent movements, trends over time, influential people, etc.
Reposted by Thorn Mooney
If you're hungry, check your public library. A lot of us have partnered with community groups so we can give out free veggies or snack packs, even in red states. It's not something libraries have traditionally done, so you might not think of us as options. 1/2
January 14, 2026 at 6:47 PM
If you're hungry, check your public library. A lot of us have partnered with community groups so we can give out free veggies or snack packs, even in red states. It's not something libraries have traditionally done, so you might not think of us as options. 1/2
I’m taking an undergrad music class purely for the hell of it, and let me tell you how weird it is walking into the music department as a forty-something ex-dropout with absolutely zero delusions about “making it“ in music. Am I sad? Nostalgic? IDK
January 14, 2026 at 12:36 PM
I’m taking an undergrad music class purely for the hell of it, and let me tell you how weird it is walking into the music department as a forty-something ex-dropout with absolutely zero delusions about “making it“ in music. Am I sad? Nostalgic? IDK
Sometimes I see advice on witchsky about things I’ve written about extensively and in my head I’m like IF ONLY SOMEONE HAD WRITTEN A WHOLEASS BOOK ABOUT THAT LIKE FIVE YEARS AGO and I have to remind myself that people just don’t know things because they‘re bombarded by mostly garbage all day.
January 12, 2026 at 8:18 PM
Sometimes I see advice on witchsky about things I’ve written about extensively and in my head I’m like IF ONLY SOMEONE HAD WRITTEN A WHOLEASS BOOK ABOUT THAT LIKE FIVE YEARS AGO and I have to remind myself that people just don’t know things because they‘re bombarded by mostly garbage all day.
One thing about me as a guitarist is I live to show up to jams dressed in my pop girly merch because it confuses the shit out of men, who casually disparage women. WHAT’S SHE GONNA PLAY. HOW CAN WE POSSIBLY KNOW. BUT IF SHE LIKES SABRINA CARPENTER AND TAYLOR SWIFT HOW DOES SHE KNOW OTHER THINGS.
January 10, 2026 at 4:32 PM
One thing about me as a guitarist is I live to show up to jams dressed in my pop girly merch because it confuses the shit out of men, who casually disparage women. WHAT’S SHE GONNA PLAY. HOW CAN WE POSSIBLY KNOW. BUT IF SHE LIKES SABRINA CARPENTER AND TAYLOR SWIFT HOW DOES SHE KNOW OTHER THINGS.
Reposted by Thorn Mooney
Even in these troubled times, refuse entry to the thieves of joy. If you are enjoying something, sharing something fun, or simply living your life amid heartache and trauma for the world, you have a right to your moments of joy.
January 9, 2026 at 3:15 PM
Even in these troubled times, refuse entry to the thieves of joy. If you are enjoying something, sharing something fun, or simply living your life amid heartache and trauma for the world, you have a right to your moments of joy.
Reposted by Thorn Mooney
When you feel immobilized, remember: there is a world outside these apps. Sometimes, when we feel helpless, the best thing is to look to our own communities. Reach out to a friend going through it. Feed someone. Ask a shelter what they need. Spreading the light somewhere helps it grow everywhere.
January 7, 2026 at 7:50 PM
When you feel immobilized, remember: there is a world outside these apps. Sometimes, when we feel helpless, the best thing is to look to our own communities. Reach out to a friend going through it. Feed someone. Ask a shelter what they need. Spreading the light somewhere helps it grow everywhere.
Reposted by Thorn Mooney
My advice for today (US):
Get off social media
Do something to support your local community, especially the marginalized folks ever targeted by this vivious regime
Otherwise, nest at home. Have a conversation with a friend. Make art. Anything to recharge your batteries for whatever’s next.
Get off social media
Do something to support your local community, especially the marginalized folks ever targeted by this vivious regime
Otherwise, nest at home. Have a conversation with a friend. Make art. Anything to recharge your batteries for whatever’s next.
January 3, 2026 at 5:56 PM
My advice for today (US):
Get off social media
Do something to support your local community, especially the marginalized folks ever targeted by this vivious regime
Otherwise, nest at home. Have a conversation with a friend. Make art. Anything to recharge your batteries for whatever’s next.
Get off social media
Do something to support your local community, especially the marginalized folks ever targeted by this vivious regime
Otherwise, nest at home. Have a conversation with a friend. Make art. Anything to recharge your batteries for whatever’s next.
One of the ways I preserve my space online is by blocking accounts that even remotely look like bots. If they follow thousands of people, I know they’re not interested in real engagement. If they only repost slop articles and political memes, that‘s a block.
January 3, 2026 at 4:49 PM
One of the ways I preserve my space online is by blocking accounts that even remotely look like bots. If they follow thousands of people, I know they’re not interested in real engagement. If they only repost slop articles and political memes, that‘s a block.
I like to spend the days before and around new years decluttering, fixing broken things, and selling books that no longer belong in my collection. Everyone at the used bookstore today had the same idea, so that was my afternoon. Honestly it was so satisfying though.
January 2, 2026 at 10:27 PM
I like to spend the days before and around new years decluttering, fixing broken things, and selling books that no longer belong in my collection. Everyone at the used bookstore today had the same idea, so that was my afternoon. Honestly it was so satisfying though.