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Rune Soup

Gordonrunesoup.com
Rune Soup is a podcast channel that platforms the most important discussions at the cutting edge of magic, animism and spirit work. Gordon is chaos magician, shamanic practitioner, podcaster, author and permaculture designer with a background in data and analytics gained at some of the world's largest media companies. He is the author of four books on magic, animism and star lore: Star.Ships: A Prehistory of the Spirits, The Chaos Protocols, Pieces of Eight and Ani.Mystic: Encounters With A Living Cosmos. When not travelling, Gordon hosts his weekly show, Rune Soup, from a small permaculture farm in southern Tasmania.
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Episodes

Thoughts on the passing of Peter J Carroll

The one and only Peter J Carroll has completed his incarnation. I wanted to get down some thoughts about what he and his work meant to me. You can also watch this one .

May 01, 202637 min

Synchromysticism and Magic: How To Get Better At Both

In this side quest from the Hospicing Modernity's Magic series, I make the case that Synchromysticism is modernity's best available form of omen logic. And that getting good at it is one of the more reliable ways to get good at magic. We'll cover Seneca's distinction between the candle and the comet The rise and decline of synchromysticism as a subculture. Jung on the I Ching and psychoid archetypes. The Māori concept of wairua. And the practical toolkit. Show Notes Chris Knowles on Cosmic Conne...

Apr 20, 202636 min

What happens to ayahuasca now? Lessons for modern magic

Ayahuasca's peak cultural moment has been and gone. So what does she do now? And what are the lessons for western magic in the complex journey of this incredible plant teacher? I have some thoughts on all this mid-dieta, in the Upper Amazon. As usual, this one is also a YouTube video. You can see it here . Here's the link to the Santa Rosa centre . (The website is a little weird but this is the place!) Here's the piece I wrote after my first piñon blanco experience ....

Apr 11, 202655 min

What are we to make of the Book of the Law?

It's the anniversary of the reception of the Book of the Law. Joining me to explore the questions of What to make of it? How to think about it? What, if anything, to do with it Are two very special guests: Alan Chapman and Peter Grey. Now, like me, neither of them is a Thelemite. But what they do have is an encyclopedic knowledge of the era, the material, and the magic behind it. So if you've ever wondered whether the Book of the Law has anything to say to you if you're not already one of Crowle...

Mar 30, 20261 hr 33 min

Wearing Jung's skin like a pelt

Is magic just a less sophisticated form of psychology? That is probably the cornerstone claim of what I am calling 'Modernity's Magic'. And in the next instalment of our series 'Hospicing Modernity's Magic', I want to look at: How psychology diverged from magic and why. Jung's role during his lifetime. What the magicians of modernity did with the 'legitimacy umbrella' they received from Jungian thought. Which parts of this journey do we take with us into the magic of today? Chapters 00:00 Introd...

Mar 24, 202654 min

Hospicing Modernity's Magic

What continues to exist from the 'safe' and 'quirky' magic of the twentieth century that finally needs to die? And what has maybe been left behind that might even belong better in our current era of magic? This is the beginning of a little project exploring what we should take with us through this fourth turning. You can, of course, watch this one on YouTube . 00:00 - Remember When Magic Was Safe? 01:50 - The Golden Age We Just Lived Through 05:19 - Eating the Wrapper, Throwing Away the Candy 06...

Feb 25, 202623 min

This is all in the model (Epstein files)

What is ours to do during the putrefactory collapse of Western civilisation? Let's find out! At the very least, it is choosing the right story to live in so that we can nudge the trajectory of this ghastly moment more and more toward the good. Here are some off-the-cuff thoughts on how we might do that.

Feb 12, 202624 min

Do It For The Plot (Is Good Advice)

There's a meme that's been evolving since 2021, and in its current chaotic incarnation, it's become accidentally magical—even if the people using it don't realise it. In this episode, I'm unpacking "do it for the plot" as a practical framework for the year ahead. Not just as permission to take risks, but as a way of activating synchronicity and maintaining agency when things inevitably go sideways on the way to your goals. I'll walk you through how to use this alongside your existing magical too...

Jan 03, 202635 min

The Purpose of Ghosts

At this time of year, when many of us are rudely awoken from our hard-earned slumber by multiple ghosts wanting us to support their gofundme or something, I thought we might look at ghosts. What are they? Are they even real? And if they're not, what are they for? And the exploration is framed by a series of strange experiences I had recently at Australia's most haunted site and possibly the cruelest place in the entire British Empire, Port Arthur. Enjoy! PS - Let me also take the opportunity to ...

Dec 22, 202548 min

2026 Astrology Forecast (H1) | Austin Coppock

Austinmas 2025! Can you even believe it? Legendary astrologer, Austin Coppock, returns to the show for a look at what 2026 has in store for you. Here's what we cover: 🪐The end of "nothing ever happens" energy 🪐 What war looks like in the Age of Air 🪐 January's hidden assemblies and the parade before Pluto 🪐 Neptune's 13-year sign change 🪐The Saturn-Neptune conjunction and its strange history with Russia 🪐 Why March could see dangerous confusion and technical disasters 🪐 April's straightfo...

Dec 18, 20251 hr 21 min

Lucifer: Praxis | Peter Grey

Lucifer: Praxis! Peter Grey joins the show once again to talk about his explosive new book. We explore who the being of Lucifer is, his relationship to western magic, western magicians' relationships to him and how the current of liberty, individualism and legitimate rebellion have shaped centuries of culture. An excellent discussion about a milestone achievement in western occulture. Get the damned book here . Enjoy!...

Oct 31, 20251 hr 8 min

Discovering the Sacred Through The X-Files | Christopher Knowles

Synchromystic raconteur, author, and pattern seeker Christopher Knowles returns to the show, as well as the wheelhouse, for this one. Not that we would ever need one, but the flimsy excuse for Chris coming back this time is so that we can discuss his amazing new book, XF-ULTRA: The X-Files, Conspiracy Culture, and the National Security State . Can a 90s genre TV-show both explore AND generate high strangeness What happened to our ancient mythology? Who is called to tend the flame of our culture'...

Oct 06, 20252 hr 18 min

Travelling Ghosts Bent Spoons and the Science of Magic | Dean Radin

In this episode, Dr Radin returns to the show to talk to us about his amazing new book, The Science of Magic . We look at Meta-analyses with trillion-to-one odds. Hotel poltergeists that target specific researchers. Spoons that bend without force. Sigils. Always, always sigils. Radin explains why materialist skeptics have run out of arguments, how belief literally structures the universe, and why your unconscious mind might be doing magic right now. If you liked Real Magic , this one takes the c...

Sep 24, 20251 hr 25 min

Otto Rahn, Nazi Grail Hunter | Richard Stanley

Filmmaker Richard Stanley joins us to unpack his incredible book "Otto Rahn: Grail Hunter" - the true story of a gay Jewish medievalist who became the SS's chief grail hunter in Nazi Germany. We explore Stanley's own supernatural experiences on Montségur (getting trapped by lightning), the brutal genocide of the Cathars, and why this whole story feels disturbingly relevant right now. From Lucifer's emerald diadem to disappearing treasures to Stanley's decades-long quest through the most mysterio...

Sep 16, 20251 hr 30 min

How Spirit Entities Shape Human Affairs | Vanese McNeill

Vanese McNeill, co-producer of the Magical Egypt series, returns to the show. In this episode, we explore the hows and possible whys of spirit involvement in history, from the super-elite level down to the everyday. And also across to some of the sillier claims about AI floating in the air like so many plasma entities. And all of this was inspired by a post Vanese wrote on the Magical Egypt substack about ontozoology back in June . So that's where we begin, and this is where we go after: 1. The ...

Sep 04, 20251 hr 32 min

What Would You Do If Certainty Never Returned?

Back on the farm, jetlagged and hustling. I've been sitting with this question since I decided not to renew my lease in Asunción. So today, I want to give you my thoughts. There's some frosty farm pics over on my Substack . Enjoy!

Aug 21, 202538 min

Zombie Co-Creation

Or why our horrible internet is good, actually. Sick in an AirBnb in Paraguay, I make the case for co-creation still being the best way to exist with our ever-enhorribling media landscape. Show Notes End The Day With Ceremony, Not Distraction . Two things to watch or listen to with your lunch (of brains)? Gordon on THC . Kelly Brogan on THC ....

Aug 04, 202523 min

The Kali Yuga, Astrology & The Power Of Long Cycles | Dan Waites

Dan Waites joins us to discuss the literal long view, which is to say the things we can see and the frameworks we can find when we widen our perspective out to millennia-long cycles and epochal shifts. We explore: The Kali Yuga and why it may have ended THIS year. The Age of Aquarius and how it turns out to be both real and totally fashionable. (You heard me.) The long cycles of outer planets and their role in birthing new religions. UFO Disclosure, Mayan Apocalypses and the 'true' astrology of ...

Jul 22, 20251 hr 9 min

Why You Came To Earth | Alberto Villoldo

Note: Before we begin, my six-week Shadow Work Intensive, The Shaman's Devil , Is Now Live. There are only a few spaces left, so if you think you might be interested, move quickly. If you know me, you'll know this is a pretty big deal for me. The one and only Dr Alberto Villoldo joins the show this week. We discuss Why you came to earth in the first place. What healing is and how to achieve it. How the academy and culture's understanding of shamanism has changed in the five decades he has been w...

Jul 16, 202551 min

Astrology Forecast | Austin Coppock | H2 2025

I spent way too much time trying to shoehorn a Warhammer 40K reference into this episode title, and it devolved into something that would make a Chaos Marine blush. So we're keeping it professional (kinda) and diving straight into the space weather for 2025's back 9. Watch along on YouTube here, if you like. This is what we cover. Space Baby Update & Good Enough Goals Austin's 30-pound toddler is harder to carry than heavy deadlifts, and "good enough" is our 2025 achievement mindset Failed 4...

Jun 21, 20251 hr 22 min

They Broke Upon This Fortress Like Waves Upon Rock

I've been revisiting Ursula K. Le Guin's brilliant essay "The Child and the Shadow". Le Guin was defending fantasy against the sterile modernism of her era—but what happens when that defence needs to evolve? We're no longer fighting a battle between "good" and "bad" fantasy. Instead, we're caught in something potentially more insidious: the tension between authentic imagination and the ersatz. From the disaster of Rings of Power to the destruction of Star Wars , from AI-generated Jung content fl...

Jun 13, 202539 min

LinkedIn For Ghosts

Last night I got halfway through a Substack post on a related issue to some of the subjects that came up on my appearance on the Disintegrator podcast . When I went to link to it, it suddenly dawned on me I had only shared it on the Rune Soup Premium Members Mighty Network. (Join below.) So here it is! We recorded this soon after my arrival in Paraguay, so I think it was early February. It's an excellent discussion, so I'm pulling an Alex Hormozi and sharing it with my own listeners. (Sub to Dis...

May 16, 20251 hr 4 min

I See That Strange Tales Are Woven About You

Magical objects aren't just forged—they're found. In this solo episode, I explore the secret life of enchanted tools: the knife with a story, the crystal touched by a world-mountain, the wand bought in a witch town that still summons fairy queens. What gives an object its power? Sometimes it's planetary timing and whispered invocations—but sometimes it's stranger tales than that. This is a medium salsa reflection on self-initiation, storycraft, and the agency of objects that choose you . Note: H...

May 07, 202523 min

Huáscar Rising

Hello from Cusco, where the streets are laid out like a puma and hawkers offer massages on every corner. I've been thinking about Huáscar, the last true Sapa Inca, who willingly took sacred knowledge into the underworld until the time was right for its return. What if the strange convergence we're witnessing - the grimoire revival, the sudden value of grandmother's recipes, and yes, even the rise of what I'm calling "orthodank" online - are all manifestations of the same archetypal energy? Thing...

Apr 14, 202531 min

Tolkien's Shire Anarchy and the Mandate of Heaven

This week, I'm welcoming fellow substacker and Tolkien nerd, Charles McBride, whose essay 'Shire Anarchy' caught my eye in the cultural curiosity that is the substack notes app. We're diving into the political imagination behind Middle-Earth – a world where having a king is perfectly fine, as long as he's quite far away or, better yet, long dead. From childhood obsessions with Tolkien to the strange bedfellows his work creates in modern fandom, Charles and I explore what it means when the villai...

Apr 08, 20251 hr 35 min

Bathed In A Blue Suede Light | Miguel Conner

Everyone's favourite gnostic raconteur, Miguel Conner, returns to the show this week to discuss his latest book, The Occult Elvis . The book becomes an entryway into a wide-ranging discussion on the role of shamans, cultural transformation, fate and the destiny of America. (Mere trifles!) Timestamps 00:00 Introduction to the Occult Elvis 04:03 The Spirituality of Rock Music 07:54 Elvis as a Magician and Shaman 11:52 The Blue Light Phenomenon 15:54 Elvis's Influence on American Identity 19:53 Elv...

Mar 30, 20251 hr 4 min

Gandalf And The Ice Wall: You Shall Not Pass?

In this episode, I explore the shifting landscape of conspiracy culture and what I've been noticing about an emerging "conspiracy canon." Recording from my new apartment in Paraguay, I dive into observations from my recent event with Greg Carlwood in Florida, examining how conspiracy thinking has evolved from political analysis to metaphysical questioning. Using Charles Fort's framework of "dominants," I discuss how we're witnessing a paradigm shift toward a more meaning-centered worldview as a ...

Mar 27, 202557 min

Amor Fatty

Hi from the Amazon jungle. Honestly, if I'd known that AI would do such a good job of describing this podcast, I would have left it in charge and stayed longer. Although I will say, I asked it to write it in the style of the speaker, and it made me sound way more polite than I usually am to you scrubs. Enjoy! (PS - you will find the same show in your podcatcher, as normal.) In the heart of the Amazon, under a tin roof pummeled by tropical rain, I offer you a cosmic upgrade to Nietzsche's Amor Fa...

Feb 27, 202524 min

Magic: You're Not Ready Till You're Ready

A solo show from Asunción, Paraguay. I wanted to share some thoughts that I have been sitting with while remastering all the premium member courses, beginning with Grimoires. These thoughts turned into a full-length solo show. Hope you like it! AI certainly seems to have had an absolute blast listening to it: In this thought-provoking episode, Gordon White explores the concept of magical readiness and authenticity in practice. Recording from Paraguay, he delves into what it truly means to be "re...

Feb 13, 202547 min

Magic: You're Not Ready Till You're Ready

A solo show from Asunción, Paraguay. I wanted to share some thoughts that I have been sitting with while remastering all the premium member courses, beginning with Grimoires. These thoughts turned into a full-length solo show. Hope you like it! AI certainly seems to have had an absolute blast listening to it: In this thought-provoking episode, Gordon White explores the concept of magical readiness and authenticity in practice. Recording from Paraguay, he delves into what it truly means to be "re...

Feb 13, 202547 min
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