Radical Elphame

Despite being an eccentric enough person to have a podcast about magic, I find the topic of UFOs and UAPs difficult to talk about. Unlike animism, folk magic, and faeries, the UAP subject is no longer a fringe pursuit. It's making headlines in legacy media outlets and being earnestly discussed by the figureheads at both ends of the US political spectrum. Unlike most of what we cover on this show, UAP phenomena is now a suitable topic of conversation for even the normies in my life. Now, with very few qualifiers, I can dive into a philosophical conversation with almost anyone, about the vast spectrum of implications we're facing if we are to finally find ourselves the recipients of some kind of "official" disclosure. I think my hesitation to bring up these subjects casually has something to do with the ways in which, despite dovetailing with so many of my own spiritual and philosophical interests, the general consensus is that this phenomena can not only be explained within a fundamental materialist worldview, but that it, in some way, supercedes the spiritual, rendering it obsolete. When we look at the mainstream coverage of the UAP topic, what we see is a very materialistic spin on what is otherwise a fairly mysterious and aberrant phenomena. This narrative fetishizes the tech of these so-called crafts and presupposes an advanced alien race, perhaps ready to welcome the humans of the 21st century into their intergalactic federation now that we have AI deepfakes and self-driving taxis. For someone like me, interested in the esoteric and arcane, this scenario doesn't feel like progress, nor does it describe what I see when I explore the UAP subject with magician goggles. During my conversation with today's guests, Sinéad Whelehan and Anthony Miller of the Fire in the Cosmos podcast, Sinéad made a fascinating point about how the historically male-dominated field of "UFOlogy" has skewed the narrative of the subject toward the "nuts-and-bolts" paradigm most of us take for granted today. Interestingly, I think you can see echoes of this in a majority of the paranormal fields, where for most of this century, a primacy has been placed on cutting-edge technology being employed to "hunt" and "prove" the tangible reality of these subjects and subdue them into the rational materialist paradigm once and for all. It's heartening to see a shift in the conversation around UAP and related fields, and the welcoming of more female voices and perspectives. With this shift, the wider acceptance of the right-brained side of the conversation has finally come, and subjects relating to consciousness, myth, and spirituality are becoming less relegated to the fringes. With this holistic consideration of the UAP topic, suddenly the knowledge and experience of the occultist or magician feels just as relevant to the task of groking this mystery as any cutting-edge science, and with this paradigm shift, perhaps our pre-conceived notions of what science and magic are in the first place can begin to grow and expand. SHOW NOTES: Podcast: Fire in the Cosmos Patreon: Fire in the Cosmos Contact in the Desert: May 28 - June 1st

There can be a deep sense of displacement in the experience of the diaspora. Often raised unrooted to ancestral lands and traditions, or even fully rudderless in the vacuum of cultural assimilation. To engage in ancestral lifeways from this position can sometimes give off a palpable sense of imposter syndrome, seeming like a choice between appropriation and a LARP. How can we explore ancestral spirituality as "ancestors in training" rather than merely venerating the past? How can ancient myths make us more engaged in our present? The Pennsylvania Dutch, in their many iterations, offer a fascinating example of how a diasporic people can foster a living spirituality, propelled by their traditions, but gracefully in conversation with the adaptations and assimilations that a true connection to the present moment asks of us. The Pennsylvania Dutch have many flavors, but the most interesting to me is somehow at once the most invested in their ancestral ontology, and also the most progressive. Urglaawe is a new vision for working with old Gods. A strain of Heathenry that seeks to adapt ancient wisdom to contemporary life, and root ancestral lifeways in new lands. SHOW NOTES: Get the Book: Heathen Traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch Learn more about Urglaawe: Urglaawe.org Urglaawe FB Page for event info: Urglaawe Stacey's Blog: The Accidental Urglaawer Stacey's Etsy Page: Accidentalurglaawer

When we consider "nature spirits" in an occult or magical context, they can appear to be a clearly defined category of beings. In most books on Witchcraft or spirit work, they might be reduced to a chapter or even a paragraph. So what are we talking about when we refer to "nature spirits"? Are we talking about "elementals" a la Paracelsus or Madame Blavatsky? Or the pixies and sprites of Victorian nurseries? Are we referring to a spiritual presence in thunder or a gust of wind? Do we imagine the hermetic sympathies that we can draw from plants and trees? Or conspicuous animals arriving as omens? Or the vibes in an ancient ruin or battlefield? Are "nature spirits" the spirits of humans buried in nature? And what happens to these spirits when their valley, or coast, or hillside becomes a city? It would appear that the deeper we look into this category of spirits, a clear definition isn't constellated; instead, a plurality or ecology begins to emerge. Thankfully, Elyse Welles has freed the spirits of the land from the confines of these reduced delineations and given them the space of a full book to be explored with the nuance and depth they deserve. What role does the egragore of a town or city play in our spiritual engagement with the land, and how to do reach beyond it? Can the animating forces of a bioregion call on animal emissaries to deliver messages? Where do land spirits end, and gods begin? Tune in to find out. SHOW NOTES: Buy Elyse's Book: Sacred Wild Elyse's Website: Elysewelles.com Links to Elyse's Podcasts, Tours, and Beyond: LinkTree

A strange thing happened in 2019. A five-part paranormal documentary series named after a small town in Kentucky was released for free on the internet. The promo art for the series featured a bizarre humanoid figure with a conical head and amphibious features and felt like clear counterprogramming to the run-of-the-mill ghost-harassing fodder dominating mainstream TV at the time. The project was helmed by first-time director Karl Pfeiffer, and the documentary focused on the chummy husband-and-wife paranormal investigation duo, Greg and Dana Newkirk. Up until this point, Greg and Dana were known primarily as ghost hunters, and their approach to branding could best be described as the intersection of the anomalous and fart jokes. This new documentary, Hellier, felt very different. As a pretentious snob, at the time, I would have called myself a Fortean. I was less interested in ghost-hunting shows and Ancient Aliens than I was in pondering the novel theories of Jacques Vallee and Terrence McKenna and their implications for what we might call the paranormal. Even though I was skeptical of Hellier initially, it was free after all, and I dove right in. Much like the Newkirk's themselves, I was shocked to discover that what was ostensibly going to be a quirky investigation of a purported goblin sighting soon became a deeply engrossing meditation on the amorphous nature of paranormal activity, and the implications of the phenomena, once glimpsed, staring back wryly. Credit to the team behind Hellier, as the narrative they encountered became weirder, so did their approach to the investigation. It's clear that John Keel and his heterodoxical embrace of so-called "high strangeness" in considering the realm of the paranormal became an intentional road map for the Newkirks to follow, but maybe less obvious to them was the way in which their goblin hunting movie was also becoming infected by a mysterious, co-creative trickster energy, more akin to Robert Anton Wilson's 1977 narrative non-fiction ordeal Cosmic Trigger. Playboy writer turned ironic cult leader, Robert Anton Wilson, through documenting his own psychedelic and synchromystical experiences with skillful levity and wit, fomented an occult revolution. Although Wilson was clearly a product of the late sixties hippie generation, his novel approach to the subject of the anomalous and esoteric planted a seed in the budding young weirdos of the next generation, becoming something of a patron saint for the chaos magicians and psychonauts that would carry the occult revival torch for the cyber punks and archaic revivalists of Generation X. By the time Hellier was released in 2019, Cosmic Trigger's influence had wained, and a new generation, unaware that all the structures holding together consensus reality were about to crumble around them, were ripe for an initiatory artifact of their own. To my estimation, Hellier became a new participant in the initiatory current that propelled Cosmic Trigger to infamy, but updated for the internet generation, and made bingeable. There's a cathartic moment early in Hellier's second season where the floor drops out from under the premise of the series, and the creators sit down to recount the flurry of messages, warnings, and clues they received after the show first premiered. These messages weren't from their target ghost-hunting demographic, but a swarm of online occultists, who in an uncoordinated effort had reached out in droves to explain the hidden premise of their own show to them. Hellier, the series, the project, it was suggested, is a ritual, and an initiation is being unknowingly undertaken not only by the show's creators, but by its audience as well. Season 2 of Hellier premiered a few months before a worldwide lockdown, spurred on by the Covid-19 pandemic, would cause a large swath of the world who would normally be distracted by the mundane toils of daily life to be sucked deep down internet rabbit holes. For people like me, this was Hellier. Viewers across the globe reported synchronicities they began to experience in their own lives, seemingly a reflection of the bizarre occurrences that pursue the Newkirk's in both seasons of the show. In reddit forums and discord servers people were describing odd sightings of conspicuous blue star balloons, similar to the investigators on the show, as well as eerily consistent audio phenomena, frequent and uncanny occurrences of revelant names and symbols, and more widely a feeling that the rising number of synchronicities in the lives of the show's audience were evidence that something was intentionally leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for them to follow. This bizarre effect of the phenomena, once glimpsed staring back, isn't merely an example of the hunter becoming the hunted, but rather a mystical form of call and response. The breadcrumbs people have been led to follow from this sort of engagement don't often lead in a straight line, but weave like a maze. What can seem like hoa

UPG is a term I find to be often misunderstood. Short for "unverified person gnosis," this phrase is sometimes wielded as a criticism in the world of spirituality – pagan, polytheist, or otherwise. It's the word "unverified" that stands out in this instance, that seems to be contextualizing someone's "personal gnosis" – about a spiritual path, or being, or myth – as dubious, or heterodox. When used disparagingly, UPG can feel like a corrective. In many ways it can feel like a tool within so-called "alternative spirituality" to reinforce the kind of strictures of the culturally dominant monotheisms onto the "Old Gods" – whether they like it or not. In the protestant form of Christianity that I grew up with, the word of God had already been written down, in the Old Testament and the New Testament, and that was the Almighties mic-drop. Any divine addendums beyond it were generally considered heresy. When the stakes of divinely inspired words can bear the punitive power conferred by the Christian Bible, it's easy to see why the amendment process would be extremely bureaucratic. It's this very patriarchal approach to spirituality that we find in monotheism, though, that makes alternative spirituality so appealing in the first place. What if UPG is a feature of spirituality, not a bug? What if idiosyncratic personal gnosis from a god, or spirit is a sign that you're having an authentic interaction, as opposed to adopting a state mandated morality tale? What if the gods and their stories are alive, and not frozen in amber? When Briar writes about the gods, they feel alive. They have new things to teach, and to convey, and the forms they can take are not limited to our preconceived notions. When we hear the word "polytheist," I think we can sometimes think of someone with a religious practice similar in philosophy to monotheism – where the god in question is an all powerful and omnipotent authority to be obeyed – only, with a lot more gods to contend with. From this vantage, a goddess of Spring or a God of the sea, can seem like a goddess ruling over Spring, or a god ruling over the sea. In actual practice I think the relationship is a lot more fluid, and experiential. Pantheons, I think, are not actually so codified. They are beings to be co-created with, in flux and in dialogue. Briar's Polytheist practice takes the form of what she likes to call the "home cultus." Where the gods are shaped by the land, and alive in the home, imparting gnosis with no verification required. Not frozen in amber, but in active participation. On today's episode, Briar breaks down the anatomy of a home cultus, and invites you to cultivate your own. SHOW NOTES: Briar's Website: The Greene Chapel Briar's Patreon: Briar of the Greene Chapel Briar's Chap Book: The Beheading Game The Holy Mountain Zine: @holymountaincitv

What can change a goddess into a nature spirit? What can change a nature spirit into a witch? A hasty answer might simply be "colonization." This was the evolution of Fröja in Sweden. I don't think we can have an intellectually honest discourse about folklore without confronting the forces of colonization head-on. What has this ongoing process done to the gods, the spirits, and the myths of a people? However, stopping there might miss the point. I think we also need to ask: what is the agency of a Goddess during a religious conversion? Does she merely recede into the past, or does she take an active role in co-creating her future? While I personally can't bypass the erasure of ancestral lifeways, I also choose not to skip from the year 800 to the birth of Neo-Paganism, when considering the engagement of a Goddess with their people. I like to embrace the mystery of a Goddess making a home in a tree, or speaking through a fairy tale, or whispering secrets to a cunning person. I think this multivalence doesn't diminish a Goddess, but actually makes them more. Sara Bonadea George offers us a glimpse into this interplay of folklore, mythology, and shifting paradigms in the history of Sweden. In her excellent new books, Fröja's Apples and Flowers of Blood, Sara weaves plant lore, folk customs, and anecdotes from antiquity into a beautifully presented repository of a magical terroir. What is the relationship between Odin and the Virgin Mary? Why did Mugwort ask to be called Luna? Why does a white snake guard an oak tree in the forest that never loses its leaves? Let's find out. SHOW NOTES: Fröja's Apples - Hyldr Press Flowers of Blood - Hexen Press Sara's IG: @sara.bonedea

There may be no clearer gateway drug to magic in 2026 than astrology. You don't need psychic abilities, or a spirit court, or a wider mystical philosophy to dabble in astrology. Just a birthday. I've always been a proponent of practical magic – the kind that helps you get stuff – not as an end goal, but as a necessary step, for many, in re-enchanting their minds. Astrology can do something similar, though, with merely a natal chart reading. What do the planets have to do with who I am? It doesn't really matter why astrology can tell you about yourself; the power is in simply acknowledging the mystery. And for many, this is what astrology is for. It's a tool for self-reflection and self-care. It reinforces the ideas we have about ourselves and can help us better navigate the world around us. To many, it is more psychological than magical. More personal than universal. I've always found astrology interesting, but it wasn't until I first encountered Hellenic and electional astrology that I really got hooked. Rather than consulting astrology to understand why I'm so stubborn, or why my partner and I have different tidying habits, Hellenic astrology revealed a vast, and hitherto invisible, procession of fate and fortune. A mirror of world events playing out in the heavens that could not only tell me when I might go through a career change or have children in the next decade, but also when a war might break out, or a political leader fall, or a revolution erupt in a given country. On a personal level, Hellenic and electional astrology has been a valuable tool to plan rituals, and reference for omens, but on a macro level I've engaged with it almost like prestige TV. The height of this macro engagement for me comes every January, when my favorite astrologers put out their forecasts for the year to come. Living now squarely in "interesting times," in a world of ever increasing chaos and novelty, these forecasts have become something of a cathartic schadenfreude, if I'm being honest. With all the discord and despair and conflict playing out before us on the world stage, it can be mildly comforting to, if nothing else, feel like you have some idea what might be coming next, if for no other reason than to rubberneck from the comfort of a moment in time where it's all still merely unfolding. I find astrology used to these ends to be fascinating, and useful, and important. If our engagement with astrology ends there, though, at the level of forecasting the inevitable, it can also be paralyzing and disempowering. If, at the most basic level, astrology is something about our personality, then at this elevated level, it can often feel like astrology is something that happens to us. Teagan West has a different approach. Not only drawing on the revival of ancient techniques, but also imbuing her practice with animism and alchemy. What happens to astrology when we view the planets as ancestors? What if astrology isn't something that happens to us, and is instead a hermetic unfolding, an act of co-creative evolution coming just as much from us as from the stars? Teagan's year-ahead forecasts are my personal favorite. Spirit-led, embodied, and in conversation with fate. In our chat, we explore Teagan's background, and her unique philosophy and approach to magic, and ceremony, and the stars. Also, in our bonus conversation on Patreon, I present Teagan with a few key planetary movements in the coming year and get her take on how the magically inclined might engage with them. SHOW NOTES: Teagan's Substack: The Altar of Stars Teagan's Services: The Altar Healing Teagan's Podcast: The Altar of Stars Podcast

I sometimes wonder why, of all the occult and magical currents we have on offer, Witchcraft manages to still have such a powerful pull on our contemporary culture. We find ourselves on the other side of a century of occult revivals and magical trends, and yet Witchcraft somehow stil retains a timeless appeal. More recent spiritual trends, such as the "New Age" movement, which you would expect to be a better gateway for contemporary Western people to explore spirituality, have aesthetically aged far worse than Witchcraft generally, and what once appeared modern and enlightened would now be better described as cringe. Similarly, Chaos Magic – with its having its cake and eating it to, non-commital metaphysics and whiff of the science-y – would seem to be the heir apparent to the most accessible form of magical engagement for the Western mind, but looking at the numbers: the domination of "WitchTok" in magical social media landscape, and the non-existence of a "CaoteTok" paints a pretty clear picture of the respective crossover appeal. The assumption that Chaos Magic would grow in popularity to become the magic trend of the future is similar to the presumption that "prog rock" would go on to top the Billboard charts in perpetuity from its inception. If you take a look at the ideas disseminated on WitchTok you'll run into plenty of New Age thought and Chaos Magic, but they have become subsumed under the cloak of Witchcraft. I think a key to understanding Witchcraft's enduring popularity in the modern era lies in Jacques Derrida's concept of "hauntology." Hauntology describes the ways in which the past continues to haunt us in the present. It is somehow both a nostalgic and eerie feeling that Derrida said could be summed up most susinctly by Hamlet's line, "the time is out of joint." As our relationships, and media landscape, and ways of interacting with the world become increasingly less tangible, it's only natural that we would yearn for a more embodied way of engaging. In smaller ways we crave the experience of a time when our own lives were simpler, which is why music and fashion trends seem to be perpetually looking back twenty years. The writer Mark Fischer observed an effect that he called the "Slow Cancellation of the Future," where this nostalgia for a generation before, this desire to relive a memory of a simpler time, has caught us in a perpetual cultural time warp where novelty and innovation in the realms of art and media are rapidly decreasing, all while technology advances exponentially around us. If my generation is so nostalgic for the 80's of our youths that we largely consume media that calls back to it, will our children be nostalgic for the era we're living through today or for the 1980s, and then what about their kids? When we look back, what are we looking for? I think we are seeking meaning in the tangibility of the past that we no longer experience in our daily lives today. In many ways, this "slow cancellation of the future" has left us in a vacant pastiche, and so we have to look back even further. We start to crave the kind of activities that make us feel more human – maybe you take up bread baking, or exercising with kettlebells, or making beef tallow lotion. This same impulse, I think, is just as present in our spiritual lives. And hence, the timeless appeal of Witchcraft. The expression of magic that, as far back as you go, in all of its iterations, has always felt even older. In Lee Morgan's latest book, The Rag and Bone Man, they explore the enduring influence of the Victorian Age, and the ways its novel approaches to the spirit world are still haunting us in the present day. Lee describes our attraction to this time as being related in many ways to its very substance, where, as they describe it: "Our modern witchcraft ladders get started. Through stealing the Fat from the previous era (one that still exists inside us in the presence of our own great-grandparents), we can nourish ourselves here in this one." In Lee's new book, they weave together academic research, poetic fiction, and embodied practice to bring the Victorian era's ecstatic hunger for a new kind of spiritual experience into tactile relief. Here we, just like the Rag and Bone Man of his time, can "steal the fat" from the discards of the past, and deepen our own practices. Also, a friendly reminder that you can tune in to our extended conversation on Patreon, where we talk about the nature of being in diaspora as a magical practitioner, the ways that Lee's practice has evolved since they first started writing, and the "slow cancellation of the future." SHOW NOTES: Order the Book: The Rag and Bone Man Lee's Website: Leemorganbooks.com Lee's Patreon: Lee Morgan

When you look at the oldest and most intact spiritualities around the world, you will find that, at the center of their practice, is ancestral veneration. For many of us who were raised in less intact spiritualities and in cultures with a tendency to mold prevailing religions to the will of Empire, venerating our ancestors can feel complicated, to say the least. The same cultures that tend to mold religions to the will of Empire, also have a habit of tainting our ancestral line. It doesn't take long tracing back the family trees of many of us to run into the stains and wounds of colonialism, racism, and patriarchy. I think for many of us in this situation, not interested in inviting these influences into our spiritual lives, it's easy to feel like ancestor veneration just "isn't for us." Aidan Wachter is one of my favorite thinkers on the subject of sitting with the trouble of working with ancestors, and the actionable techniques they've developed to productively navigate these practices are unrivaled, in my opinion. On top of offering unique methods to heal and remediate more negative aspects of our ancestral lines, Aidan also has another very interesting solution for those of us who might face this spiritual conundrum in our own practice. Aidan has a name for the ancestors that come to us from the deep and distant past, and whose insights and motivations seem to bypass much of the taint of Empire. Aidan calls them the "Old Lines," and they are regularly explored on their invaluable Patreon platform as well as the focus of their upcoming book: Spirit & Stone: Animism and the Old Lines. In our chat today, Aidan and I go deep into the Old Lines, considering how this kind of ancestor work is unique from what we typically encounter when exploring the subject, and also how we might begin working with spirits from the Old Line that come to us with no ancestral ties. Speaking of "invaluable Patreon platforms," I probably don't plug mine enough, but to hear my extended conversation with Aidan, you can find it and many other additional bonus interviews on our Raidcal Elphame Patreon page. In my bonus chat with Aidan, we dive into a fascinating new area of focus for them that they're still exploring and unraveling. I can't recommend it enough. SHOW NOTES: Aidan's Website: aidanwachter.com Aidan's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aidanwachter Aidan's upcoming conference appearances: Between-the-Worlds

Folk magic has a powerful pull. It can express complex metaphysical ideas that, for most of us practicing today, had once felt like the purview of the "New Age." Magical ideas that once seemed fantastical, through the lens of folk magic, can suddenly feel earthy and vital. Techniques that once felt silly can begin to feel ancestral. The source texts go from channeled writings, to myths and folktales, and academic papers. There's an artistry and intelligence grouped in with modern-day practitioners of folk magic that give the disenchanted "Western" mind permission to think differently. Coupled with the aesthetic power and the engrossing scholarship inherent in the modern-day study of folk magic, can sometimes be a cold distance and a whiff of a larp. Can the practices of people alive during the Witch Trials, people who might scry entrails, or bleed their cattle on fairy hills to propiciate the Good Neighbors, ever truly be unlocked for a person in a contemporary world so removed from this archaic way of life? Even as someone with a podcast that focuses on folk magic, I often feel like there can be something missing in translation when I encounter many of these antiquated and esoteric beliefs and practices, especially when sifted through and untangled from primary sources. I am extremely lucky to have just returned from an intensive workshop with Corinne Boyer in Washington State. There are many great things I can say about studying under Corinne, but paramount for me is how alive she can make the folkloric practices and beliefs, which in less capable hands might feel like mere relics or curios. Rooted in her deep study of the folk beliefs surrounding plants, trees, the dead, and wider metaphysics, Corinne has that rare ability to re-enchant and unlock a worldview and way of life that otherwise may have vanished completely. Corinne's almost playful willingness to test drive and experiment with the folkways of our ancestors felt like it summoned them to the room and made them feel at home and welcomed in our world. SHOW NOTES: Sign up for Classes with Corinne: Maple Mist Wood Corinne's Bibliography: Books IG: @maplemistwood

They're on bumper stickers, they're on bags of jerky, they're on bars of soap, and if you're not seeing an ancient alien on the History Channel, you're almost certainly seeing someone searching for them in the woods. Big Foot, Sasquatch, Oh Mah, Sunk Ape – they go by many names, and are spotted throughout North America, and beyond. For some, they are a myth; for some, a monster; and for the rest, a mascot. The loudest amongst their fans will tell you they are a flesh and blood relic hominid, and describe their migration patterns, their use of infrasound to evade capture, and, of course, their pendulous breasts. So what, then, does "Big Foot" have to do with the mythic Woodwose of European folklore? The sometimes therianthropic wild man you find in the art and literature of Medieval Europe, and sometimes even in the hagiographies of Saints. What could this mysterious European archetype have in common with America's most popular cryptid? The real question may be, what don't they have in common? Both Bigfoot and the Woodwose exist as symbols of the uncivilized natural world, its dangers, and the faint familiarity with a time in the distant past when this was also our home. Both display supernatural-seeming abilities. Both challenge us and inspire us. Both have no hard scientific evidence of existing. The callous skeptic would conclude that this comparison perfectly illustrates why belief in Bigfoot is absurd. To the Occultist, the Animist, the Magician, however, such clear deliniations between reality and fantasy are never to be trusted. What the skeptic forgets are the beliefs of the native inhabitants of Turtle Island, who all speak of these creatures in the same breath as bears, deer, and coyotes. To Indigenous People of this land, creatures that we now call Bigfoot are very real, and they also have more in common with nature spirits than gorillas. Nay Noodmans gave a fantastic presentation at this year's Salem Witchcraft and Folklore Festival, exploring all of these ideas and many more. I'm so excited to have her back on the show to chat about the history of the Woodwose, how the Magician should reconsider Bigfoot, and of course we make time to swap personal stories about life in Far Northern California's Bigfoot Country. SHOW NOTES: House of Gnomi: https://www.instagram.com/houseofgnomi/ Nay's Links: https://linktr.ee/houseofgnomi Salem Witchcraft & Folklore Festival: Salemwitchfest

What is it that draws occultists to horror films, when by in large, the history of horror cinema is essentially anti-occult propaganda? Despite what can seem like a counterintuitive interest on the part of practitioners, the fact remains that the horror genre is the last bastion of regular engagement with the spirit world left in contemporary media, and therefore a natural draw for people who see the spiritual as fundamental to everyday life. Another consideration is the cathartic embrace of the shadow on display in horror, and often staring death right in the face. Both things our culture in the West tries to aggressively sterilize out of how we do life, but that practitioners know we can't escape. In the spirit of the spooky season, I wanted to take a closer look at the horror film, and in particular, our relationship to it as people who make magic and dabble in the occult. And what is scarier than a horror film? A cursed horror film! To navigate the complex metaphysics that might be lurking behind the legends of these supposedly cursed films, and to try to understand what makes a curse in the first place, I knew I had to have on B. Key and Sfinga from the essential The Frightful Howls You May Hear podcast and With Cunning & Command blog. Sfinga and Key bring to the show a wide-ranging perspective on why horror films matter so much to the magical folks of the world, and how the nature of curses that can take hold in any part of life can easily find a home in the media we produce. Join the Patreon for an even deeper dive into the nature of cursed media, and some tips for how one might go about making a cursed film … if they so desired. SHOW NOTES: Sfinga and Key's website: With Cunning and Command Website Sfinga and Key's Podcast: The Frightful Howls You May Hear Sfinga's IG: Dragoncunning B. Key's IG: Barnowl.key

I had to reschedule an interview for the first half of this month, but I didn't want to leave you hanging this week, so I recorded an essay I put out on our Foliate Head Substack recently for your listening pleasure. Nora Fornario has always been a deep fascination of mine, whom I find to be misunderstood and often explored in ways that ignore her most interesting aspects in favor of a more lurid true-crime bent. This essay is less focused on the infamous death of Nora Fornario, but rather a deep dive into what we can speculate about her own ideas and magical practice. The TL;DR is Witchcraft. Back to the regularly scheduled program next week. SHOW NOTES: Check out our Substack Here: The Foliate Head

When we think about the Otherworld, we tend to do so from the perspective of this world. What is this hidden world that seems to operate so differently from our own? Who are the beings who dwell there, and what do they want with us? In J. M. Hamade's fascinating book, Procession of the Night Theater, they explore the "night side" of astrology, offering a poetic vision of the Lunar Stations, not to be defined or calculated so much as dreamed with. It's this study of the nocturnal side of things, the hidden side of things, that not only eloquently elucidates the ancient art of working with the Lunar Mansions but also weaves expertly into the tapestry of J's many other occult and appropriately "otherworldly" interests. The lunar stations – and working with them to divine or make talismans (or even just pair with horror movies) – opens the practitioner up to considering how understanding both "daytime" and "nighttime" approaches to magic and astrology can teach us about the visible and hidden (the exoteric and esoteric) aspects of ourselves, the world, and what is beyond. As J points out in our conversation, the Muslim name for those who dwell in the Otherworld is Jinn, which translates to being hidden, and also in something of a state of change or flux. Furthermore, J mentions a fascinating hot take from the 13th century Sufi Mystic Ibn Arabi, who interpreted humans and Djinn as exoteric and esoteric counterparts to one another. When we take a cross cultural view of being like the Jinn – the Aos-Sidhe of the Gaels, the Elves of the Norse, the Víla of the Balkans, the Lamiak of the Basque (just to name a few) – it's fascinating to notice how as these cultures transition to more structured monotheistic cosmologies, their perspective on these "esoteric" beings becomes increasingly antagonistic. I would be remiss to try to whitewash or philosophically domesticate these beings of the Otherworld. I could hardly imagine a less morally delineated dimesion, similar to how nothing about ourselves is ever really "black or white." But if doing this show has taught me anything, it's that understanding this realm, if not working with it directly, is still a meaningful pursuit. When you examine groups on the fringes of these monotheistic religions and cultures, that exist within this larger cosmology but navigate it differently, you often encounter spiritual relics from the dinstant past. Sects and like the Zār of North East Africa, the Šojmanka of Eastern Serbia, and religions such as Quimbanda in Brazil, all incorporate trance possession by beings that would be considered Jinn in the wider Middle East. What are we to make of this vastly different view both of these beings, and why and how one might engage with them? J's books and insights have had a deep impact on how I consider big questions like these, and helped to shape many of my own ideas about what we can really know about the Otherworld and its role in this world. SHOW NOTES: J's Patreon: astarnightdwell J's Podcast: A Starnight Dwell J's Book on the Lunar Stations: Procession of the Night Theatre

After years of thinking that the only path for building a community around the fringe pursuits of witchcraft, folk magic, or the occult were relegated to the grace of internet, two friends in vastly different parts of the country have boldly presented a proof of concept for big tent approaches to "in real life" magical communities that are fostering a inspirational alternative to more dogmatic and mainstream spiritual destinations. Austin Fuller started Occulture Tampa as a home for Witches, Occultists, and Seekers, hosted at a beloved taxidermy and oddities shop in the vibrant Ybor District in Tampa, Florida. Chaise Levy is a founding member of Animist West County, seeking to build a community around the multifaceted concept of animism in the North Bay Area of California. I wanted to bring Austin and Chaise together for a conversation about the importance of building "in real life" magical communities during these interesting times we're living through. They share their inspirations, describe the challenges of starting and maintaining these groups, and talk about the biggest surprises and rewards along the way. On a similar note, in the spirit of hoping to foster more magical community, after a year and a half of producing Radical Elphame, I'm starting a Patreon. Follow the link in the episode description bio for an extra hour of conversation with Austin and Chaise, and join The Coven of Wider Inclusion: my own "big tent" approach to a magical community, ripe for exploration, experimentation, and co-creation. If you appreciate the work we're doing on Radical Elphame and want to see it not only continue, but grow and develop, we would deeply appreciate your patronage. Along the way, we hope to not only foster a deeper connection with our audience, but rather to thin the veil between the project's creation and consumption. Come for the show you love, and stay for the bonus episodes, audio essays, experimental group rituals, horror movie nights, and more. SHOW NOTES: Join the Patreon! The Coven of Wider Inclusion Chaise's Website: chaiselevy.com Northern Spirit House Podcast: Spotify Link Northern Spirit House Substack: Substack Chaise's Instagram: @telluric_tounges Southern Bramble Podcast: Spotify Link Austin's Site: https://www.banexbramble.com/ Austin's Links: https://linktr.ee/Banexbramble

When it comes to exploring animism and the magic of and with place, I like to borrow a term from the world of wine: terroir. Terroir is generally understood in the wine world as the sense of place – soil, geography, seasonality, and even culture – that can be expressed in a glass of wine. When it comes to "magical terroir," we are referring to how all of those same factors develop into unique and co-creative spiritual practices. There are many unique features to the land I'm living on that converge to form a magical sense of place. A crow's fly away from Mount Shasta, I live in the middle of a rain shadow that divides the region into dense mountainous forests and desolate prairielands. Although abused and unforgivably wounded, the native tribes of the region are deeply present with strength and resilience. The Shasta, Karuk, Wintu, and Modoc are very much alive, telling stories and carrying traditions that were co-created with this place over millennia. Although Mount Shasta is more often thought of as a UFO hotspot, it was also arguably the birthplace of Neo-Paganism in the United States on May Day in 1915, when the self-proclaimed Druid, Ella Young, brought the notion of the "wheel of the year" along with other Celtic Revival reconstructions with her from her native Ireland to her newly founded Fellowship of Shasta. An hour to the North and fifteen years later, in Ashland, OR, Victor Anderson (who co-founded the uniquely American Traditional Witchcraft Tradition called Feri) was initiated into a secretive group called the Harpy Coven, which would profoundly influence the foundation of his own order. Zooming in on my personal home, backyard, and the bioregion it is situated in, reveals the distinct influence of an alpine terroir. We live in a valley on the edge of a forest of cedar, fir, pine, and maple. Jutting 5,000 feet above us are the Marble Mountains, which are some of the last to give off snowmelt each year that flow into – sometimes rugged and sometimes bucolic – creeks and streams that eventually feed the Klammath River Basin. In the darkest months of winter, the snow lingers in our valley sometimes weeks longer than in the neighboring valley just twenty minutes away. The summer begins with morels and wild dogwoods in bloom, and gives way to a foraging season of Elder flowers and Elder berries, feverfew, mugwort, blackberries, and rum cherries. All this is to say that my magic is deeply influenced by this alpine land and the spirits that inhabit it. One of my favorite magical rabbit holes is looking into the folk magic practices of other Alpine cultures to find ideas and inspiration that I can fold into the mystical soup of these California Alps. Christian Brunner has made it a personal project to translate and collate the magical terroir of the European Alps and share it with the rest of the world. In his new book, Alpine Witchery, Christian dives deep into the witch trial records of the Alps – which he translated himself – to mine for the lore, ritual, and spirituality that paints a fascinating picture of the folk magic of its day, and possibly exposes elements of the survival of an even older and deeper Alpine magical terroir to explore. SHOW NOTES: Get the book: Alpine Witchery Christian's Website: Services and Author Page Christian's IG: @christianfbrunner_author

One of my key takeaways from the conversation I had with Joanna Tarnawska, was the way she articulated her own definition of what makes a practice fundamentally "witchcraft" as opposed to other strains of magic, mysticism, and pagan spirituality. The key to witchcraft, she suggests, is heresy. I've heard similar distinctions elsewhere regarding witchcraft, but Joanna's definition of heresy went further than I've encountered before, and articulated something for me that I think is essential. As Joanna describes it, the core heresy of witchcraft is not solely in relation to a specific form of religion, but rather an ideological and magical subversion of the taboos, doctrines, and preconceived ideas of any given society the witch finds herself in…or maybe just outside of. As a person living in the US in 2025, myself, the most potent taboos I sense are less about religious affiliation and more often tied to questioning capitalism. As the late Mark Fisher summarized eloquently, crystallizing the bizarre malaise of our hopeless compliance to the capitalism hoisted upon us, "it is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism." Opposing Capitalism is not heretical in and of itself. However, believing that the myth of Capitalism's moral mandate as "the worst economic system, except for all the others" is fundamentally a propaganda tool used to exploit the working class is a heretical stance. This idea is heretical where I live, because it subverts the current widely agreed-upon economic system and its moral justifications, suggesting that, on an ethical level, what we think is right, may actually be wrong. Another taboo I sense far less in the magical community, but I do feel in my personal and professional life, is speaking out about the genocide happening right now in Gaza. For many who even feel strongly about the plight of Gaza internally, to do so openly, publicly, loudly can seem like a modern-day heresy. To support the innocent Palestinians being killed in Gaza is to support Hamas, so says the ideological opposition. To challenge the Zionist order that the Israeli military has assured us "the ends justify the means" in defending, is apparently to be outing yourself as an anti-semite – they would say. Interestingly, the term anti-semite has come to mean anti-Jewish, and there's no word for being anti-Palestinian, even though they are also a Semitic people. To challenge the political movement of Zionism, which seeks to empower an oppressed people, by pointing out that it is, in turn, oppressing another people, is heretical to the widely held political beliefs of the US today. When I asked Joanna Tarnawska at the end of this episode if there was anything she would like to plug, she said that in this moment, she only wants to say "Free Palestine." To honor that sentiment, which is as vital right now as ever, I thought I would dedicate this intro to speaking up about the genocide taking place in Gaza at the hands of Benjamin Netanyahu and the IDF, who are committing war crimes and unthinkable atrocities, and brazenly broadcasting them for all to see. The ideology behind Zionism seeks to right very real wrongs inflicted on Jewish people in the past. Still, the senseless murders of tens of thousands of innocent men, women, and children have completely eroded any noble causes that Zionism may have once stood for. To say this is not to diminish the rights or safety of Jewish people, or to downplay the horrifying events of October 7th 2023, carried out by Hamas. To quote Ezra Klein on the deep political rut this genocide is driving between Jewish people of the diaspora here in the US, where I live, "For decades, American Judaism, built on the liberalism of the diaspora, has been interwoven with Zionism. What happens when the ideals of the one become incompatible with the reality of the other?" The death and destruction Palestinian's are experiencing in Gaza is unimaginable for me. It can feel insignificant, but I sincerely think speaking out is essential right now. Merely acknowledging that there is a genocide taking place before our eyes should not be controversial at this point, but it still is for many. If you are in the US, your tax dollars are funding war crimes. Please contact your member of Congress and call for an arms embargo on Israel and humanitarian access for Gaza. No matter where you are, speak out. Hold corporations accountable for their role in violating the rights of Palestinians in Gaza. In the show notes, I've also included links to do so, as well as to donate and send aid to Palestinians who are literally being starved in Gaza right now. Included in the show notes is a link to the Palestine World Food Program seeking donations, as well as more information on how to divest from corporations that are complicit in facilitating this genocide. Free Palestine. SHOW NOTES: Send Aid to Gaza: https://www.wfp.org/emergencies/palestine-emergency Hold Corporations Accountable for IDF suppor

Why start a podcast about magic? Prior to the internet, in real life, these topics were typically at best niche and eccentric, and at worst, dangerous. As a millennial, for most of my adult life, magic was the subject of fiction, and anyone who couldn't understand that seemed mostly harmless, but not exactly the company you keep. When the imaginary boundaries between philosophy, spirituality, and magic were finally revealed to me for what they really were – imaginary – my compulsion to explore magic became insatiable. What, then, is one to do when the topic of real magic is verboten in the "enlightened" polite society of their day? Where to congregate? Where to converse? How to find others who share this passion, who don't need a conceptual disclaimer recitation at the top of any conversation? If there is one good thing I can say about the internet, it's that it has become this place. A shortcut to magical community in the modern era. I started a podcast about magic to have the kind of conversations that I can't, for the most part, in my normal life. And to meet people who wanted to join in, inform, and stress-test my own ideas. Today, I'm thrilled to bring you a conversation with two friends I've made along the way. Darragh Mason is the writer of the excellent book Song of the Dark Man, and the host of the Spirit Box Podcast, whose influence and approach to exploring and normalizing a wide breadth of magical and mystical topics was fundamental to the creation of this show. C.R. Sanders is the producer of the Discovery show Alien Encounters: Fact or Fiction, and a passionate traveler and magical seeker. He was also one of the first online magical connections that I had the opportunity to hang out with in real life. I love that this show can serve as a platform for me to interview writers and practitioners about their work and practices. I think that way we can all learn more together, and deepen the web of communication in the way we hunger to. I also love that I get to have the opportunity to have folks on to catch up with, shoot the shit, and share the rabbit holes we might otherwise be going down alone. SHOW NOTES: Darragh's Website: https://www.darraghmason.com/index The Song of the Dark Man: https://www.innertraditions.com/author/darragh-mason Spirit Box Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spirit-box/id1504757824 The Sigil Engine: https://www.sigilengine.com C.R.'s Website: https://lalanomicon.com/ Alien Encounters: Fact or Fiction: HBO MAX

A truly turned-on spiritual or magical path should do more than get you stuff. It should do more than open up communication with spirits or the dead. If you inherited a "Western" cosmovision like me, a truly turned-on spiritual or magical path should make you rethink everything you thought you knew about reality. Joshua Cutchin writes my favorite kind of books. They are deep and playful, philosophical and fearless. They are head-first explorations of all the implications of living in a magical universe. The last time we had Josh on to talk about what felt like his magnum opus – Ecology of Souls – I imagined it would be a long time before he would take another stab at such vast hypothesizing about the nature of the phenomena. But here we are, and a year later, he brings us the delightful Fourth Wall Phantoms. In some ways, Josh is the perfect guest for this show, writing joyfully at the intersection of folklore, pop culture, theology, and the thought experiment. His most recent journey into the nature of the "fourth wall break" – in media, history, the imagination, and the paranormal – is the ultimate runway for the seeker ready to rethink everything they thought they knew about reality. SHOW NOTES: Josh's Website: joshuacutchin.com Get Josh's new book: Fourth Wall Phantoms Josh's IG: w3eirdwayz Sign Up for Esalen's Upcoming 'The Soul is a UFO: Understanding and Embracing Transcendence' this December: The Soul is a UFO

We are living in an era where the term "folk" has become the modifier of choice for many looking for a unique way to describe their own spirituality or magical practice. Folk Witchcraft, Folk Catholicism, Folk Magic. "Folk" seems to denote a certain level of idiosyncrasy, authenticity, or earthiness. It also eschews connotations with more popular or commercialized forms of these practices. Sometimes this use of the word "folk" can feel like the way we used "alternative" in the nineties, particularly to describe genres of music. By the mid-nineties "alternative" rock was far and away the most popular music genre, leading one to ask: what exactly was it an alternative to? Similarly in the world of spirituality, sometimes the modifier "folk" can seem vague. I believe it was Jesse Hathaway Diaz who I first heard pose the question in regards to folk spirituality: "Who are the folk?" In Scott Richardson-Read's new book Milldust and Dreaming Bread – Exploring Scottish Folk Belief and Folk Magic, the "folk" in question are vivid and unmistakable. While the pastoral stories and customs of the past weave throughout the book, Scott also taps into the deep impressions a land and a people have made upon each other, setting the stage for the folk of today. The impression one gets reading Milldust and Dreaming Bread, is that the "folk" Scott is referring to has less to do with homespun or antiquated practices, and more to do with the Scottish culture's deep and living sense of reciprocity and right relation in the face of the oppressive influence of Empire. This Scottish folkway imbues the myths of the Country, and is at the root of its magical expression. As someone first lit up magically by a form of Witchcraft often called folkloric, a large part of my practice has been forged by pulling on the threads of what can sometimes seem like a vague cosmology, back to where I can find its sense of place, rooted in a culture and landscape. Scott's work throughout the years on his blog the Cailleachs Herbarium (and now in this book) has been my own personal roadmap to find out for myself who the "folk" in question are. SHOW NOTES: Buy Scott's Book: Mill Dust and Dreaming Bread Scott's Blog: The Cailleachs Herbarium IG: @cailleachsherbarium Scottish Histories of Resistance: https://www.scottishhistoriesofresistance.co.uk/

Magic is weird. The more it becomes a part of your life, the constructs you once held dearly as fundamental pillars of reality begin to break down, and in their place, new constructs start to emerge. As someone with a practice founded in Witchcraft and Druidry, I've replaced many of my preconceived notions of reality with a somewhat animist, and ancestral, and even gnostic (at times) interface with the world. This is completely idiosyncratic, but it's true for me, and it allows me to tap into a live wire of personal gnosis that reverberates through my spells and ceremonies in a way that would feel hollow in any other way. I don't personally identify with the Christian current – Catholic, protestant, or Orthodox, respectively. I was raised in what I like to call "suburban Christianity," which was a shallow form of spirituality that was either a victim or beneficiary (depending on your take) of Reaganomics and the prosperity gospel. That said, for many guests I've had on this show over the past year, there is a very live wire of power to be tapped into within the Christian current, which cuts through the artifice and limitations of my own experience with this religion. Robert Peter is a perfect example of this. His "current shifting" and Chaos Magic approach to Christianity both subverts the preconceived notions of how the practice operates and opens paths to unlocking syncretism with a diverse arsenal of magic. I'm excited to welcome Robert back to the show, as we explore his unique perspective on incorporating a wide range of influences into his "plug and play" approach to Christian magic. SHOW NOTES: No Hand Path: Robert's Substack IG: @robertpeterservices Art: Christ in the Desert by Nicholas Roerich, 1933.

To celebrate Beltane we're welcoming back to the show Morgan Daimler, who just released a new book about love and sex in Fairy belief called Paid with a Kiss. We explore notions of gender expression and subversion in the fairy realm, and whether or not the 80's hair metal scene was secretly fairy-pilled. We also chat about the complicated nature of spirit marriage, and trends in popular witchcraft that seem skeptical of spirits altogether. I'm always grateful for a chance to chat with Morgan, and I think y'all are in for a treat. SHOW NOTES: Morgan's Books: Author Page Paid with a Kiss: Moon Books Feed the Fairies Podcast: Spotify Link Morgan's Patheos Blog: Patheos Pagan Morgan's Classes: Irish Pagan School Morgan's Instagram: @morgandaimler MUSIC: "Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" off the album Fable & Fire by Andrew Marlin - https://www.andrewmarlin.com

Today on the show I'm thrilled to share a chat I recently had with Fio Gede Parma. Fio is a writer, teacher, and witch whose voice and perspective I really vibe with. Fio has an exceptional knack for diving headfirst into the kind of dense and complicated philosophical territory we love on this show, and effortlessly encapsulating their ideas in an intuitive and accessible way. On the show we explore Fio's experiences as an initiate of the Feri Tradition, as well as diving deep into his recently re-released book: Ecstatic Witchcraft. Fio gracefully and confidently describes the complicated word "shaman," its relationship to Witchcraft, and by extension to ecstacy. We chat about some of the more novel approaches in Fio's book to some tried and true ritual techniques, and how Fio defines deep concepts like "deity" and "faerie" for themself. This is hopefully the first of many conversations we can bring you with Fio . . . enjoy! ................................................................... SHOW NOTES: Fio's Site: Fiogedeparma.com Ecstatic Witchcraft Book: Crossedcrowbooks.com Fio's excellent Youtube Channel: @Fiogedeparma IG: @Fiogedeparma -MUSIC: "Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" by Andrew Marlin off the ablum Fable & Fire. https://www.andrewmarlin.com/

For those of us drawn to the mysterious realm of Faerie, we're often led to folklore to dive deeper into the subject. While you know how Emma Wilby-pilled I am, there's something novel and exciting about stumbling upon an unpresented series of channeled texts ostensibly written by a faery woman named Fiona Macleod, through the faculties of a middle aged man (William Sharp). Steve Blamires has written extensively on this peculiar case, and in his most recent book: The Confessions of Fiona, he combs through the texts of Fiona Macleod for clues of an esoteric Faery Tradition of magic, as well as Gods and Goddesses particular to the Faerie realm. We also go into the mysterious figure of Dalua who inspired the opera The Immortal Hour, and his relationship to the Folkloric Devil, and explore Steve's writing on the Ogham script. SHOW NOTES: The Confessions of Fiona: Book Celtic Tree Mysteries: Book Steve's Site: Inchanted Journeys MUSIC: "Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" off the album Fable & Fire by Andrew Marlin - https://www.andrewmarlin.com

I'm so excited to have Reverend Janglebones back on the show. He's one of the rare guests that makes me feel like hitting the record button without a list of questions or an outline for our conversation mapped out in advance. The result is a very fun and casual conversation about the Christ-like aspects of the Devil, and the Luciferian aspects of Jesus — amongst other things. We also talk about the importance of humor in spirituality, the bizarre experience of having a relationship with a spirit who also encapsulates some aspect of the fundamental fabric of our reality, and the reverse dualism that is somewhat prevalent in the Traditional/Folkloric Witchcraft community these days. I can't recommend checking out Reverend Janglebones' recent substack series (Hillock & Holler) on Jesus & Lucifer enough. ................................................................... SHOW NOTES: Hillock & Holler: The Rev's Substack -The Good Reverend's Writing, services and materia: Hillock & Holler -Soapbox Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/soapbox/id1628906671 IG: @reverendjanglebones -MUSIC: "Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" by Andrew Marlin off the ablum Fable & Fire. https://www.andrewmarlin.com/

Today on the one year anniversary of Radical Elphame, we invite back the guest who helped us kick off this peculiar experiment: the delightful Briar of The Greene Chapel. We explore a recent essay she published on her Greene Chapel site: "The Lady with a Mead Cup," which dives into the primordial image of a virginal Cup Bearer, and how this mythopoetics relates to divinely inspired poetic inspiration and prophecy as a sacred ritual. We untangle the labyrinthian mystery of the Celtic "imbas forosnai," and its relationship to the lady of the day: Brighid. We do some UPG mind melding as well, exploring the relationship between Brighid and her theorized Mothers: The Morrigan AND Boann. It was such a blast reconnecting with Briar, and getting to celebrate Imbolc with someone who can capture and crystalize the essence of Brighid better than anyone. SHOW NOTES: The Greene Chapel - https://www.greenechapel.com Briar's Patreon: Briar of the Greene Chapel Briar's Chapbook: The Beheading Game Briar's Course: Working With Joan of Arc as Saint of the French Fairy Faith Briar's IG: greene_chapel MUSIC: "Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" off the album Fable & Fire by Andrew Marlin - https://www.andrewmarlin.com

We welcome back to the show the seership super group that is Rose Auroras, B. Key and Sfinga for a scryers round table: Unsolved Mysteries edition. We chat about the philosophy behind the practice of scrying, and what it's like to teach the technique to others. We also go through a greatest hits of the weirdest shit they've ever scryed — from Unsolved Mysteries, to paranormal hotspots and infamous people — and what insights they were able to glean. We also chat horror movies, cursed films, and summon good ol' Bobby Eggnog. SHOW NOTES: Sfinga and Key's website: With Cunning and Command Website Sfinga and Key's Podcast: The Frightful Howls You May Hear Rose's Website: Readings with Rose Salem Witchfest: All of our guests today will be presenting in 2025 Sfinga's IG: Dragoncunning B. Key's IG: Barnowl.key Rose's IG: RoseAuroras Horror Film Recommendation: In the Tall Grass (2019) MUSIC: "Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" off the album Fable & Fire by Andrew Marlin - https://www.andrewmarlin.com

Today we welcome back my friend C.R. Sanders to the show for the first in person recording! We have a freewheelin' chat about CR's recent travels to Glastonbury, the mysterious nature of our human interactions with the numinous, and the magical sense of place we can uncover when we engage deeply with the land and culture of a given local. It was great getting to catch up and shoot the shit under the shadow of Mount Shasta. SHOW NOTES: C.R.'s Website: https://lalanomicon.com/ Alien Encounters: Fact or Fiction: HBO MAX MUSIC: "Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" off the album Fable & Fire by Andrew Marlin - https://www.andrewmarlin.com

For the last show of the year, we're joined by the legendary Morgan Daimler. Morgan is a writer, a teacher of esoteric subjects, and a practitioner very well acquainted with the Othercrowd. We explore two of her most recent non-fiction books: Fairy: The Otherworld by Many Names, and Celtic Fairies in North America — both fascinating reads that feel very much of a piece to me. We dive into some of the more "thought experiment" approaches Morgan employs in these books that tug at the evergreen mystery: what is the nature of fairy? We also chat about a tagline of Morgan's own Feed the Fairies podcast: "Fae Propaganda," and what the implications of promoting engagement with the folklorically feared Othercrowd means. I'm so grateful to close out the year with such a great chat. SHOW NOTES: Morgan's Books: Author Page Feed the Fairies Podcast: Spotify Link Morgan's Patheos Blog: Patheos Pagan Morgan's Classes: Irish Pagan School Morgan's Instagram: @morgandaimler MUSIC: "Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" off the album Fable & Fire by Andrew Marlin - https://www.andrewmarlin.com

Today on the show we chat with Chaise Levy of Northern Spirit House podcast. Chaise is a father, husband and storytelling sorcerer based in Northern California. We talk about the ideas and approaches behind his workshop with the School of Mythopoetics on Skaldskapr (Poetic Story Magic) — from historiola to engaging the mythic. We also explore the complex reality of engaging with a magical practice while parenting a young family — the difficulties, the inspiration, and the unexpected insights. To wrap up, Chaise shares a bit about a new workshop he's working on around our animistic relationship with Amanita Muscaria, the Fly Agaric mushroom of lore. SHOW NOTES: Chaise's Website: chaiselevy.com Northern Spirit House Podcast: Spotify Link Northern Spirit House Substack: Substack Skaldskapr Course: School of Mythopoetics Chaise's Instagram: @telluric_tounges MUSIC: "Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" off the album Fable & Fire by Andrew Marlin - https://www.andrewmarlin.com

Today on the show we have the delightful Nay Noordmans of House of Gnomi to talk about the Saint beloved as much by Faeries and chthonic deities as by the good Catholics of Tours: Saint Martin. In honor of his feast day — and Old Halloween — Nay takes us on a deep dive of the life of Saint Martin, and we explore some of the more novel and whimsical moments in his hagiography. Nay also delves into how Saint Martin plays a role in the classic Fortean story of the Green Children of Woolpit, and might himself blur the lines between Saint and psychopomp at times. In what is sure to be the first of many conversations with Nay, we also explore the idea of the "Faerie Saint" as an intercessor for the magical practitioner, and where Fortean studies could be contextualized with magical philosophy. SHOW NOTES: House of Gnomi: https://www.instagram.com/houseofgnomi/ Nay's Links: https://linktr.ee/houseofgnomi MUSIC: "Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" off the album Fable & Fire by Andrew Marlin - https://www.andrewmarlin.com

Today on the show we have a special Halloween hangover episode, with the hosts of the Southern Bramble podcast: Austin Fuller and Marshall the Witch of Southern Light. I've been a big fan of their show for a while now, and really appreciate the ideas and perspectives they've been promoting in the wider witchcraft community. We talk about Traditional Witchcraft — where it's going, how it got here — and how Marshall and Austin's practices have evolved during that journey. We explore the complicated modifier of "folk" in the context of a magical practice, the rise (or resurgence) of dual faith spirituality, reclaiming eclecticism, and the fundamental role of creativity in witchcraft. SHOW NOTES: Southern Bramble Podcast: Spotify Link The Red Mother by Marshall WST: Marshall's new book! Marshall's Links: https://linktr.ee/WitchofSouthernLight Austin's Site: https://www.banexbramble.com/ Austin's Links: https://linktr.ee/Banexbramble MUSIC: "Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" off the album Fable & Fire by Andrew Marlin - https://www.andrewmarlin.com

Today on the show we have the wonderful Jo Hickey-Hall of The Modern Fairy Sightings podcast. Jo is a Folklorist, Researcher, Social Historian, and an engaged practitioner. We talk about the novel age we're living in, where Fairy sightings appear to be the rise, and what might be behind that trajectory. Jo describes exploring the phenomenon through both academic and folkloric studies, as well as via magical pursuits. Jo also graciously shares an incredible story of an experience she had while performing an energy healing on a love one during an intense and dire moment. It was a real treat to turn the microphone around on Jo for a while, and hear more about the creator of such a personally beloved show. SHOW NOTES: The Modern Fairy Sightings Podcast: https://www.scarlettofthefae.com/the-modern-fairy-sightings-podcast/ Jo's Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWBU36ADJMVxngGPFF9aSA MUSIC: "Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" off the album Fable & Fire by Andrew Marlin - https://www.andrewmarlin.com ART: Painting by Katharine Cameron

Today on the show we have the delightful Rose Auroras and B. Key. Both are accomplished seers and scryers with a strong foundation in folkloric and spirit-led techniques, but also a fascination with the modern incarnation of some of these skills — most often under the umbrella term "psi." We dive into the groovy world of the US Government's Psychic Spy Programs in the 70's and 80's, Remote Viewing, the Gateway Tapes, CE5, and where these topics intersect with more folkloric seership practices. We also talk UFOs, some personal experiences, and inspired by Rose and Key's shenanigan's of scrying "Unsolved Mysteries" topics in their spare time, we all have a go at scrying the mysterious Mount Shasta. SHOW NOTES: Readings with Rose: https://www.roseauroras.com/ With Cunning and Command Website: https://withcunningandcommand.com/ The Frightful Howls You May Hear podcast: https://thefrightfulhowlsyoumayhear.libsyn.com/site MUSIC: "Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" off the album Fable & Fire by Andrew Marlin - https://www.andrewmarlin.com ART: Painting by Ingo Swann

Sfinga joins us from The Frightful Howls You May Hear podcast, and With Cunning and Command. Sfinga is a traditional witch and diviner from the Balkans, as well as an initiate of Brazilian Quimbanda. We talk about Sfinga's incredible podcast, and the unique philosophies that inform its expert approach to a diverse array of spiritual and occult topics, all while maintaining a disarming, casual ,and communal tone. Sfinga also dives deep into the witchlore of the Balkans including the region's unique expression of dragons and The Vila. We also talk about the complex and powerful experience of incorporating spiritual currents from vastly different cultures into a single life. Sfinga is a fascinating thinker and a gracious communicator, and such a pleasure to chat with. SHOW NOTES: With Cunning and Command Website: https://withcunningandcommand.com/ The Frightful Howls You May Hear podcast: https://thefrightfulhowlsyoumayhear.libsyn.com/site POEM: Obilić Dragon's Son: https://sr.wikisource.org/sr-el/Милош_Обилић_змајски_син MUSIC: "Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" off the album Fable & Fire by Andrew Marlin - https://www.andrewmarlin.com ART: "A Pavilion Neither in the Sky nor on the Earth" - Painting by William Sewell

Today I have the true honor of welcoming to the show: Lee Morgan. Lee is a writer, teacher, traditional witch, and a story sorcerer. Lee has written what to my estimation are some of the essential texts on Traditional Witchcraft and the Faery Faith, and his newest book is a fascinating addition to that bibliography. People of the Outside is a fearless examination of all the cultural taboos that haunt the archetype of "the witch," and how many of these traits may be transmissions or memories from our Elder Folk ancestors, before they were subsumed by Sapiens. In the spirit of People of the Outside we don't shy away from any thorny topics here, and dive headfirst into the role cannibalism plays in witchcraft, the similarities between Faery culture and Elder Folk culture, the "witch blood" controversy, and yes . . . even Bigfoot. It was a blast getting to interview a personal hero of mine on the show, and I hope it inspires everyone in the audience to pick up Lee's new book. SHOW NOTES: Lee's Website: https://www.leemorganbooks.com/ Lee's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=19417687 MUSIC: "Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" off the album Fable & Fire by Andrew Marlin - https://www.andrewmarlin.com ART: "Cueva de las Manos"

Today on the show we're joined by witch, writer, teacher: Aidan Wachter. Aidan is an excellent communicator on the subject of magic, and has the rare ability not to get bogged down with dogma while exploring what can often be incredibly complex topics with thoughtful and simple clarity. Today we discuss the fundamental and inherent nature of magic, its role in our lives, and how it interacts with the world around us. We consider the critique some occultists have been expressing lately that the current magical revival we're living through has possibly led to "too much magic," and resulted in a Capitalist influenced pursuit of "stuff" through magic. We talk about the controversial text "Aradia: The Gospel of Witches," and whether or not its historical authenticity has the final word on the role it has played in the craft. Of course we also go into where the current of witchcraft and the Fae realm meet, and why folklore is prone to making both into villains. It was a real pleasure getting to chat with Aidan, and I hope this is the first of many great discussions. SHOW NOTES: Aidan's Website: https://www.aidanwachter.com/ Aidan's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aidanwachter MUSIC: "Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" off the album Fable & Fire by Andrew Marlin - https://www.andrewmarlin.com ART: "Untitled" by Roger Hane

C.R. Sanders joins us to talk about his new Discovery Channel series — hosted by the legendary Mitch Horowitz — Alien Encounters: Fact or Fiction. When I heard that the newest Discovery channel UFO show was being produced by someone with such an accomplished occult background, I knew it was going to be something unique, and it does not disappoint. We explore the complex nature of the wider UFO / UAP subject, and its relationship with the Faerie realms and Otherworlds of mythology and folklore. We dip our toes into the wild "disclosure" news of the past few years, and wonder if there's any significance to the replacement of the word "object" with "phenomenon," in the recent reclassification of UFO with UAP by the powers that be. C.R. also shares some of his surreal and synchronistic adventures on site and in pursuit of experiencing the phenomenon. SHOW NOTES: C.R.'s Website: https://lalanomicon.com/ Alien Encounters: Fact or Fiction: https://go.discovery.com/show/alien-encounters-fact-or-fiction-discovery-atve-us MUSIC: "Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" off the album Fable & Fire by Andrew Marlin - https://www.andrewmarlin.com

Today on the show we have a really free flowing conversation with Reverend Janglebones of the Soap Box podcast. The Reverend is an animistic practitioner working within an eclectic range of currents including the Thai Occult as well as Saint an Angel magic. We talk about his recent brush with The Good Neighbors, and the effect that it's had on his practice. We also talk about the double edged sword of feeling in the dark as a solitary practitioner trying to cultivate a spirit-led practice. We explore righteous trickery, and of course we can't help pondering the true nature of the spirits as well. The good Reverend was gracious enough to have me on his show a few weeks back, so be sure to check out our conversation on the documentary Room 237 over there. Enjoy . . . ................................................................... SHOW NOTES: -The Good Reverend's Writing, services and materia: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Numinauts?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1364320320&from_page=listing -Soapbox Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/soapbox/id1628906671 -MUSIC: "Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" by Andrew Marlin off the ablum Fable & Fire. https://www.andrewmarlin.com/

Today on the show I'm so excited to bring you my conversation with Amaya Rourke. Amaya is a practicing Animist and Folk Witch offering consultations around coming into relation with the fixed stars, as well as shepherding magical folks down the crooked path of cultivating their own personal practices. In the show we explore Amaya's own crooked journey to her primary Spirit Patron: the Irish God and Faery King Manannon Mac Lir, as well as what she's learned over the years helping individuals cultivate sovereignty in their personal practices and develop discernment in their spiritual relationships. I also can't resist getting Amaya's take on the nature of deity, and we hear about Amaya's upcoming retirement (or sabbatical) from the public facing side of her spiritual and consulting practice. I've been a big fan of Amaya's work for years now, and was truly honored to get the chance to have this conversation. There was some fun transcontinental audio shenanigans afoot, but I don't thnk it distracts too much from all the great wisdom Amaya imparts here. ................................................................... SHOW NOTES: -Consult with Amaya: https://www.amayarourke.com/writings/coming-into-relation-with-the-fixed-stars-where-to-learn -MUSIC: "Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" by Andrew Marlin off the ablum Fable & Fire. https://www.andrewmarlin.com/

On today's show we have Robert Peter of Sacred Heart Occult. Robert is a practitioner with a foundation in Chaos Magic, that has evolved into an eclectic and animistic adoption of deity work and Saint magic. In the show, we explore how different magical currents can exist side-by-side and be engaged in all at once, the nature of diety and the role sychretization might play in their evolution, and for good measure we concur up friend of the show: Dionysus. Robert was really gracious in humoring some of my more wonky lines of questioning on somewhat unknowable subjects, and brought a generous amount of knowledge and personal experience to the converation. ................................................................... SHOW NOTES: -Book a reading with Robert: https://calendly.com/rhreadings -MUSIC: "Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" by Andrew Marlin off the ablum Fable & Fire. https://www.andrewmarlin.com/

Today we welcome on the show writer, astrologer, and herbalist Maeg Keane of Third Sister. Maeg has a really beautiful and almost alchemical perspective on the role that plants and the stars play in our lives, and how we can engage them for personal growth, exploration, and evolution. Maeg originally caught my attention through her writing and astrological services around Dionysus and the 5th house of the birth chart. The mythopoetics of Dionysus has played a pivotal role in my life and practice and it was a blast talking with someone with such an eloquent take on a shared passion. Maeg and I also can't contain ourselves in dedicating most of the show to another shared interest, and a being Maeg is planning on exploring more deeply in the coming months: Ariadne. We discuss the notion of Dionysus and Ariadne through the lens of Faery King and Queen. The way deity can speak through mythologies that might even be written to subvert their role and power in society, and how these beings speak to us through the stars. I hope this is the first of many chat's with Maeg on these subjects. SHOW NOTES: Maeg's Website: https://www.third-sister.com MUSIC:"Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" off the album Fable & Fire by Andrew Marlin - https://www.andrewmarlin.com

Daniel Yates is a theologian, artist, and folklorist with an uncanny eye behind the camera. Today we pull no punches focusing on the stated goal of this show and explore Daniel's radical ideas about "Elphame." We talk about Daniel's upcoming book, Mysteria, which is a grimoiric treatise on what he calls "Elphamic Witchcraft," and as he says: "a work that will challenge many people's assumptions regarding what Elphame is and how we interact with it." Furthermore we delve into the double edged sword of understanding the past through its folklore, the theological underpinnings of Sabbatic Witchcraft, and hot takes about the hidden nature of Elphame and those who dwell there. This was a really interesting and exploratory conversation, the kind of which I hope to have many more of here. I hope you enjoy it. SHOW NOTES: Daniel's Website: https://www.photophrenic.com Mysteria & Elphamic Witchcraft: https://www.photophrenic.com/elphamicwitchcraft The Occult Library: https://www.occultlibrary.org MUSIC:"Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" off the album Fable & Fire by Andrew Marlin - https://www.andrewmarlin.com ART: "Chesed" Photo by Daniel Yates

I'm thrilled to welcome on the show Darragh Mason of The Spirit Box Podcast and the upcoming book The Song of the Dark Man. In the show, Darragh talks about recording his spiritual evolution (albeit accidentally) through the medium of a podcast, and delves into his truly inspired journey exploring the "The Dark Man of the Witches Sabbat" in his new book. We talk about the peculiar occurance of being led to a Witchcraft practice as an established adult, and how to integrate something so powerful into normal life. We also explore the origin of Darragh's lecture series "Djinn and Tonic" and what inspires an Irishman from a land haunted by Faeries, to become so fascinated with the Djinn. SHOW NOTES: Darragh's Website: https://www.darraghmason.com/index The Song of the Dark Man: https://www.innertraditions.com/author/darragh-mason Spirit Box Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spirit-box/id1504757824 The Sigil Engine: https://www.sigilengine.com MUSIC: "Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" off the album Fable & Fire by Andrew Marlin - https://www.andrewmarlin.com ART: "Aghori Skulls" Photo by Darragh Mason - https://www.darraghmason.com/index

Joshua Cutchin joins us to talk about his groundbreaking non-fiction book The Ecology of Souls, and in particular his unusually personal epilogue to the book. We spend a lot of time exploring how Josh is able to integrate some of the radical conclusions he comes to in Ecology of Souls into his religious practice as a Christian. We also talk about Faery as an interface, and the cyclical nature of how we understand and encounter the phenomena over time. Finally, we explore what role emerging AI technology might play in how we think about The Otherworld. SHOW NOTES: Josh's Website: https://www.joshuacutchin.com Sign Up for Josh's Upcoming NDE Class: https://www.kosmosinstitute.org/near-death-experience MUSIC: "Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" off the album Fable & Fire by Andrew Marlin - https://www.andrewmarlin.com ART: Art by Johnny Decker Miller - http://johnnydeckermiller.com/johnnydeckermiller.com/JM_2.0_Home.html

Rose Auroras joins us to talk about the Trolldom folk magic tradition of Scandinavia, and we do a deep dive on the history, folklore and experience of Elves. We also talk about the transmission and influence of Nordic spirituality on the Gaelic and Celtic cultures. Rose is sorceress and a seer, who speaks from a place of deep scholarship on these matters, but injects the unmistakable wisdom of experience into how she thinks and communicates about the Otherworld. SOUND QUALITY NOTE: Unfortunately there was some occasional echoing in the recording, but fortunately the quality of the conversation is intact. A bonus of making a podcast about the Otherworld and it's denizens is that you always have a scapegoat when the recording equipment gets fussy. SHOW NOTES: Readings, Coaching and Consultation with Rose: https://www.roseauroras.com Salem Witch Fest: https://www.salemwitchfest.com MUSIC: "Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" off the album Fable & Fire by Andrew Marlin - https://www.andrewmarlin.com ART: 'The Ring of Galadriel' (1975) - Spiderwebart and Greg Hildebrandt

Briar of The Greene Chapel blog joins us to talk about her Imbolc practice, and the complex relationship between the stars, the sea and the Otherworld. Briar is a Faery Seer, Diviner and Gallo-Irish Polytheist, and we delve into her work with the land, the Fae, the gods and ungods. SHOW NOTES: The Greene Chapel - https://www.greenechapel.com MUSIC: "Stormy Point / Back of Beyond / The Seamstress" off the album Fable & Fire by Andrew Marlin - https://www.andrewmarlin.com