Missing Witches - We Are Frog And Toad Kin

00:00:00.000 Are you frog and toad kin, looking to find your friends and family? 0.98

00:00:07.520 Then join the Missing Witches coven.

00:00:10.020 Find out how at missingwitches.com. 1.00

00:00:13.580 You aren't being a proper woman, therefore you must be a witch. 1.00

00:00:16.760 Be a witch. Be a witch. Be a witch. Be a witch. Be a witch. You must be a witch. 1.00

00:00:21.560 in the song this frog kermit the frog saying this frog has to go his own way this frog doesn't care 0.84

00:00:33.540 what the other frogs say this frog wants to be happy and this frog has to try this frog is

00:00:40.840 gonna make it, or know the reason why. All toads are frogs, but not all frogs are toads. Toads belong

00:00:53.200 to the frog family, but just like humans, frogs come in all different varieties. One of the most

00:01:00.940 noticeable differences between frogs and toads is their skin, but they are still family. Can you

00:01:09.880 sense where I'm going with this? Skin color, and in our amphibian friend's case, also skin

00:01:16.400 texture, sets these creatures apart from one another. But they are still family. And we

00:01:24.980 witches can think of frogs when racism rears its ugly head. Despite our differences, despite our

00:01:32.400 skin, we are still family. Family and, as author Arnold Lobel taught me from a very, very young

00:01:43.400 age, Frog and Toad are friends. That was the name of Arnold's first book in the Frog and Toad series,

00:01:52.540 which depicts a loving relationship between these two creatures. They're honest and vulnerable with

00:01:59.260 each other about their fears and their shortcomings, and the two are always there for each other,

00:02:07.120 ready to help or just sit in the quiet gratitude of nature. In The Letter, one of the short stories

00:02:17.220 that make up Frog and Toad, our friends, Toad is sad because he never gets any mail, and Frog sets

00:02:24.320 out to remedy his best friend's sadness. Quote, Toad asked, what did you write in the letter?

00:02:32.380 Frog said, I wrote, dear Toad, I am glad that you are my best friend. Your best friend, Frog.

00:02:41.820 Oh, said Toad, that makes a very good letter. They sat there, feeling happy together.

00:02:50.020 but there's more to this story than friendship quote arnold's daughter adrianne suspects that

00:02:59.740 there's another dimension to the series sustained popularity frog and toad are of the same sex and

00:03:06.620 they love each other it was quite ahead of its time in that respect in 1974 four years after

00:03:14.100 the first book in the series was published, Lobel came out to his family as gay.

00:03:20.120 I think Frog and Toad really was the beginning of him coming out, Hadrian said.

00:03:26.100 End quote.

00:03:30.220 So the Frog and Toad series has become more than a continuing story of friendship.

00:03:36.320 It has taken its place as a piece of queer iconography.

00:03:41.320 Arnold died of AIDS in 1987.

00:03:44.100 And left behind a legacy, one of the greatest love stories ever told.

00:03:52.140 The love of a frog and a toad, arms around each other, looking off into a peaceful sunset, feeling happy together.

00:04:08.360 But though they love each other, even in Arnold's stories, frog and toad live apart.

00:04:14.100 as they do in nature, because they have different needs, require different habitats.

00:04:20.260 Frogs are usually more green, while toads are usually more brown.

00:04:26.020 Frogs have sleek, smooth skin, while toads are bumpy.

00:04:30.240 Frogs prefer water, and are usually found close to or in the water,

00:04:35.820 while toads are more likely to be found on dry land.

00:04:39.380 I have found this to be true.

00:04:41.420 Frogs swim in the creek that curls through the bottom of the ravine behind my house,

00:04:46.800 swimming out of the way of my rubber boots sloshing past,

00:04:50.820 while toad sightings happen in the garden, closer to the house.

00:04:55.180 When I first moved to the woods, I was surprised and delighted that there was often a toad sitting outside my front door.

00:05:03.800 It got to a point where a toad on the doorstep became commonplace,

00:05:07.380 and, as a witch, I knew I could take this on as a good omen, both for me and for my environment,

00:05:15.380 and I wondered what they might be trying to tell me.

00:05:19.140 But, as with my profound connection to deer, or the perils of dating apps,

00:05:24.960 I may have seen a connection that wasn't there.

00:05:28.080 It finally occurred to me that the porch light that I always leave on attracts delicious insects,

00:05:35.000 and sitting on my stoop was a toad equivalent of a buffet restaurant.

00:05:40.100 They didn't come for companionship.

00:05:42.140 They came for a free meal.

00:05:45.180 Once I'd become accustomed to their presence,

00:05:48.020 I'd simply say, excuse me, and step around them.

00:05:51.820 Until one brave soul decided to follow me inside,

00:05:54.780 I screamed and laughed, and my spouse screamed and laughed

00:05:59.980 while we frantically tried to figure out how to get this bumpy little buddy back outside.

00:06:05.000 without hurting them i'm happy to be frog kin frog neighbor but i've gotta draw the line at frog

00:06:13.800 roommate i'm a witch but i was not yet ready to open my home to this new familiar

00:06:21.080 and toadkin probably deciding the same thing with one delicate tap of my witch's broom turned and

00:06:29.400 hopped back out into the night we decided to respect each other's

00:06:33.600 boundaries and I now use the side door to get in and out when I spot one on the

00:06:38.460 porch the thing about frogs is that they breathe through their skin with their

00:06:48.780 lungs and through their skin this is called cotaneous respiration and if you

00:06:57.680 are a highly sensitive person, an empath, or a witch, maybe you can relate to this

00:07:03.940 cotaneous respiration. We walk into a room and it's as if we are absorbing everything

00:07:10.100 that's happening into our bodies through every cell of our derma. If you've ever been

00:07:16.820 called sensitive or thin-skinned, know that you are frog kin, and your porous nature makes

00:07:27.520 you very important to your environment. Frogs are excellent environmental indicators. Sensitive to

00:07:37.140 pollution, a lack of frogs can indicate that there's something off in the ecosystem, and us

00:07:43.700 witches too. We are adept at noticing wrongdoing, and it hurts. We recognize that we are interdependent

00:07:55.260 with our biosphere, that we are family. We can choose to believe that a lack of witches can

00:08:03.340 indicate that something is off. We can choose to believe that the attempted extinction of our

00:08:08.800 witch species through witch hunts of all kinds is part of religious capitalism's wanton environmental 0.68

00:08:16.140 destruction.

00:08:17.220 quote frogs and toads like the canaries in the coal mines of yesteryear respond quickly to

00:08:26.220 changes in their environment this is important because we rely on the wetland ecosystems where

00:08:32.180 they live for our clean water wetlands act as natural filters to keep canada's water pure

00:08:38.920 declines in frog populations may indicate ecological problems in an ecosystem that

00:08:45.080 should be investigated for wider impacts on other species, including humans.

00:08:54.360 End quote. 0.90

00:08:55.940 We witches point out these changes, these problems, filter them through our bodies and

00:09:02.840 our magic in the hopes of making or stopping wider impacts on our world. 0.89

00:09:09.480 Being sensitive, thin-skinned bio-indicators of environmental health hurts. 0.99

00:09:15.080 But it's necessary.

00:09:18.080 We are necessary.

00:09:22.320 So is rest.

00:09:24.380 A hibernating frog can stay buried in the mud at the bottom of a pond for a whole winter. 0.99

00:09:31.100 Sometimes we are loud as fuck. 0.98

00:09:35.340 I remember camping with some friends many years ago and I heard a sound noisy like the approach of a caravan of trucks. 0.99

00:09:43.160 What is that?

00:09:45.080 I asked, aghast in wonder.

00:09:48.800 We were deep, deep in the woods, at the edge of a lake on Crown Land where you had to hike in,

00:09:54.820 and the closest actual road was miles away.

00:10:00.700 It's bullfrogs, my friend replied, and for a moment I almost didn't believe him.

00:10:07.120 I thought of frogs in their elusive camouflage, and had never been in a place where their chorus shouted in the dark.

00:10:15.920 Thinking on it now, perhaps unsurprisingly, I'm reminded of Mary Oliver, whose poem Blossom contains the following.

00:10:26.580 Quote,

00:10:37.120 everywhere. Frogs shouting their desire, their satisfaction."

00:10:48.800 We are frog kin, and we shout our desire and our satisfaction. What is missing, but also

00:10:57.440 what is here, what is beautiful, what is perfect. We can shout our terror at environmental

00:11:06.000 destruction, but, like Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad, we can also, sometimes, sit here,

00:11:14.780 feeling happy together.

00:11:16.960 Quote, there is an estimated 4,780 amphibian species in the world.

00:11:24.320 The biodiversity of these vertebrates is phenomenal, exceeding the species richness

00:11:29.260 of mammals, which is more than 4,600 species.

00:11:34.020 Despite the abundance of amphibians, even in urban areas, they may be elusive, and therefore

00:11:42.560 not as well known as other classes of animals.

00:11:45.880 Around the world, new species of amphibians are still being discovered.

00:11:50.860 In 2002, an astonishing hundred new frog species were discovered in Sri Lanka.

00:11:58.860 The class name amphibia, originating from the Greek words for double and life, reflects the life cycle of most amphibians, which includes both a water and a land stage.

00:12:14.040 end quote. Frogs and toads and witches have always been linked. Leading an amphibious double life

00:12:23.920 between the real and the surreal, toad poison, sometimes as venomous as our craft, has been used

00:12:31.840 for thousands of years both to heal and to hex. And indeed, toads, like witches, are psychedelic

00:12:41.200 creatures. Quote, comparable to the likes of ayahuasca, psilocybin mushrooms, and mescaline,

00:12:48.140 a new mind-altering drug is hitting the U.S. psychedelic scene, toad venom. The drug comes

00:12:55.200 from a rare species of toad, native to the Sonoran desert, Bufo alvarius, which produces a venom

00:13:03.040 known as 5-M-E-O-D-M-T, an extremely potent natural psychedelic.

00:13:10.260 5-M-E-O-D-M-T is about four to six times more powerful

00:13:15.640 than its better-known cousin, DMT, dimethyltryptamine.

00:13:20.100 The narcotic has long been ingested by licking the poisonous amphibian's back,

00:13:25.460 but is now more commonly consumed as a smokable dust form.

00:13:29.840 The liquid is extracted by milking the toad's toxic venom glands

00:13:35.280 And then dehydrating it into a crumbly dry paste

00:13:38.600 Shamans throughout Mexico and the southwestern U.S. 0.92

00:13:41.700 Have been harvesting and smoking the substance for decades 0.99

00:13:44.560 And now thousands of people throughout the country

00:13:47.660 Are seeking out the powerful psychedelic

00:13:50.300 End quote 0.95

00:13:51.700 And isn't this just so fucking typical? 0.89

00:13:55.960 New waves of tech bros and yuppie hippie crits 0.87

00:14:00.200 Co-opting rare, ancient, and sustainable traditions

00:14:04.160 Creating a market of demand

00:14:06.660 Harvesting the organs of our toadkin

00:14:09.840 And turning the contents to dust

00:14:12.560 An attempt to reach a higher state of being

00:14:15.780 When, in fact, an equally religious experience can be had

00:14:21.120 Simply by being with them in nature

00:14:24.820 Observing their powers of transformation and inherent magic

00:14:30.280 By recognizing them as family and friend

00:14:34.080 We too can access the deep, damp swamp of our souls

00:14:41.160 From the marginalia of ancient tomes to the cupboards of cunning craft cottages

00:14:47.820 The toad is a living sigil

00:14:50.500 found the world over as an icon of magical thinking,

00:14:56.020 enchantment, and sorcery.

00:15:03.180 We can discover new species of ourselves,

00:15:07.200 frog, witch, kin.

00:15:09.480 And through our process of renewal,

00:15:11.840 by feeling what is right and what is wrong,

00:15:14.600 by recognizing that we are family and friend,

00:15:18.320 kin to the world around us, we too can become these living sigils.

00:15:26.880 Quote,

00:15:27.280 In the tranquil ponds and marshes, the frog emerges as a symbol of profound significance,

00:15:35.500 embodying essential qualities of transformation, cleansing, and renewal.

00:15:41.120 With its remarkable ability to undergo metamorphosis, the frog becomes a bearer of spiritual medicine.

00:15:48.320 guiding us on a transformative journey of embracing change, letting go of the past, and navigating life's transitions with grace and wisdom.

00:16:02.280 Beyond transformation, the frog epitomizes cleansing.

00:16:08.080 In its presence near water bodies, the frog becomes a symbol of purification and renewal.

00:16:15.200 The spiritual energy of the frog encourages us to cleanse our minds, bodies, and souls,

00:16:23.440 to release emotional baggage that weighs us down, and allow the healing waters of life to wash away impurities.

00:16:33.380 In its rhythmic croaking during springtime, the frog becomes a reminder of the cycles of nature and the eternal process of renewal.

00:16:42.100 In addition to transformation, cleansing, and renewal, the frog's medicine lies in guiding us to let go of the past.

00:16:52.300 In its ability to leave its tadpole stage behind, the frog becomes a guide to releasing attachments to the past and embracing the present moment.

00:17:02.740 The spiritual energy of the frog urges us to forgive ourselves and others,

00:17:12.740 to relinquish regrets and resentments,

00:17:16.800 and to step into the fullness of the present with an open heart.

00:17:23.820 End quote.

00:17:25.940 So many times I've walked through my yard

00:17:29.640 and almost missed seeing the frogs or toads that were right there.

00:17:35.280 Nature is great at camouflaging that which needs to be hidden for its own protection,

00:17:39.780 but it always makes me wonder what else I'm missing.

00:17:45.780 This also serves as a reminder for us witches.

00:17:49.980 In life, in witchcraft, and especially in nature.

00:17:54.740 just because other people can't, don't, won't see it

00:18:00.040 doesn't mean it isn't there

00:18:02.600 just because you are hidden or overlooked

00:18:06.700 does not mean you're not important

00:18:10.280 as Kermit the Frog once sang

00:18:16.580 it's not easy being green

00:18:19.900 It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things

00:18:25.700 And people tend to pass you over

00:18:28.240 Because you're not standing out

00:18:30.320 Like flashy sparkles in the water

00:18:32.880 Or stars in the sky

00:18:34.840 When green is all there is to be

00:18:38.120 It could make you wonder why

00:18:40.080 But why wonder?

00:18:42.640 Why wonder?

00:18:44.500 I'm green and it'll do fine

00:18:47.500 It's beautiful

00:18:49.300 and I think it's what I want to be, sang Kermit.

00:18:56.620 Jumping, leaping, elusive, psychedelic, richly diverse, thin-skinned and cold-blooded,

00:19:06.940 living sigils of magical thinking, capable of great metamorphoses,

00:19:13.940 changing ourselves and changing the world.

00:19:16.920 We are frog kin. It's beautiful, and I think it's what I want to be.

00:19:30.920 You must be a witch. 0.97

00:19:32.920 Are you frog and toad kin? Looking to find your friends and family? 0.99

00:19:39.920 Then join the Missing Witches Coven.

00:19:43.820 Find out how at MissingWitches.com

Missing Witches - May 02, 2024

We Are Frog And Toad Kin

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