About Chaotic Witch Aunt
Frankie Castanea, also known as Chaotic Witch Aunt, is a folk witch, practitioner of Italian American folk magic and folk witchcraft, reconnecter, heretic, animist, tarot & playing card reader and author. They have been on a journey of reconnection to the culture of the Italian diaspora and ancestral practices for five years now, and within it have found a passion for creating products inspired by Italian-American ways of being, animism, ancestors, and spirit relationships. While their lived culture is through the diaspora of their South Italian ancestors, Frankie holds many lineages with love and nuance, including those of immigrants and lineages that they have been invited into to as a guest.
Their folk magic is informed by many experiences with spirits, ancestors, land, Saints, and seeks to make space for a balance between tradition and reconstruction. Frankie has a close and personal relationship with spirits of place, plant ancestors, matriarchs of their Italian lineages, animal allies, and living community.
As a teacher, Frankie invites students to sit in questions of grief, reconnective practices, ancestral relationships spanning past our well-known, human ancestors, and working to become a better ancestor. Their classes often center the "folk" in folk magic, including holding the history of the things that are done, including centering necessity, accessibility, ancestral awareness and justified work. They have held containers and classes surrounding Italian-American folk practices, ancestral magic, connecting with plant ancestors, Saintwork, and presented "The Bane and Blessing of Italian-American Folk Magic: Communal Protection, Cures, and Justified Work" at Salem Witchcraft & Folklore Festival in 2025.
Frankie has many teachers, including peers within folk witchcraft and Italian-American folk magic circles, and not all of their teachers are human or living, but those that are human and living are named, including Austin Toney of Cat and Cauldron, Lisa Fazio of the Root Circle, including being an alumni of the 2024-2025 cohort of Della Medicina. Frankie has taken classes under Mary Beth Bonfiglio.
As a reader of nine years, Frankie is dedicated to creating space for their clients, offering practical methods of moving forward from obstacles that may appear and utilizing their knowledge of the tarot to assist you through a variety of matters. They cultivated and hold Ancestral Connection readings, where they are the vessel for your ancestors to say what is needed to you, to hold space for your difficulties in connecting with them, and providing you with guidance moving forward to cultivate a stronger connection with them. Along with this, Frankie offers timed readings, month aheads, Italian playing card readings, and spellwork consultations.
Chaotic Witch Aunt is proudly queer and disability owned.
Chaotic Witch Aunt originally found fame through TikTok where they have a platform over 1 million followers. They've also taken to Youtube, Patreon and Instagram, where they create long-form educational content. You can often find them reading in person at Ritualcravt, shipping packages from their shop, or enjoying some down time with their pets and favorite books.
Frankie has been interviewed by Bust Magazine, BBC, Geeks Out, Elle Decor, You Magazine, and featured in Vice I-D. Frankie has appeared on numerous podcasts regarding witchcraft and their personal practice, including Sat Upon a Toadstool, Southern Bramble, and the Red Text.
They are the author of Spells for Change (2021) and Ancestral Magic (2025).