Episode 171: Creative Magic with Charlie Claire Burgess

Feb 4, 2026

Charlie Claire Burgess, queer and trans-nonbinary author, artist, tarot creator and witch, talks about queer deities, reconstructing erased queer myths, and treating words as magical acts. They explore fantasy as a portal, tarot’s card-of-the-year and the Wheel of Fortune for 2026, creative rituals and the idea of the “word witch,” plus a queer horror-fantasy in progress.

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INSIGHT

Creativity Is Magic

Charlie Claire Burgess argues that magic and creativity are the same act because both imagine and bring new realities into being.
Words and imagination function as tools to conceive and therefore create possibility in life and ritual.

ADVICE

Write With Intent

Treat your writing as a magical practice by being conscious that words shape reality and carry impact.
Use writing to open doorways for readers and intentionally craft language that heals or transforms.

ANECDOTE

Fantasy As Lifeline

Charlie remembers devouring The Lord of the Rings over a long weekend at their grandparents' house and losing themselves in those worlds.
Fantasy novels served as a lifeline during a difficult adolescence by offering escape and models of heroism.

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In episode 171 of the Magick & Alchemy podcast, hosts Kate Belew and Kristin Lisenby interview Charlie Claire Burgess. Charlie is a queer and trans-nonbinary author and artist working at the intersection of spirituality and queerness. In this conversation, they discuss queer deities, word witchery as devotion, tugging on the threads of stories, and working with fantasy as a portal. Charlie gives advice on embracing the words "Word Witch" or "writer," and also speaks about creative rituals. They discuss tarot, the card of the year for 2026, and the importance of knowing how to fall and how to get back up to fight again.

To learn more about Charlie, visit their website, follow them on Instagram and Substack, and find their latest books and decks here.

Sources & Shoutouts:

Queer Devotion: Spirituality Beyond the Binary in Myth, Story, and Practice, Charlie Burgess

The Gay Marseille Tarot

“Learning How to Fall: Or, How Getting Relentlessly Thrown on My Ass Helped Me Learn to Love the Wheel” - Queerly Devoted Substack

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Production by Julio Montero.
Music by Follow the Wind,
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