We live in an infinitely complex cosmos, more alive and chaotic than any of us can ever imagine. Throughout human history, the great mystery of our existence has been rendered to us mortals through certain messages. These messages and the ones bearing them have seemingly been contextualized in many ways through many cultures. Here in the western world, we have given them a name- Angels. These figures have not lost any of their influence throughout the centuries; basically everyone knows what an ...
Jul 10, 2025•2 hr 14 min
Excellent news, weirdos- The Great What Magic is This? Podcast Hiatus of 2025 is coming to an end! The show will be returning shortly with a newish presentation and new ambitions. It's a little bit of a restoration of the values and ambitions which started the show back in 2019. And why not share the news on the 6th Anniversary of the first episode of What Magic is This? being released. I hope you're excited!
Jun 10, 2025•11 min
One of the most asked questions that I get, is about something which has already been covered on the podcast previously but perhaps needs a bit more context. Hermeticism is hard to get one's head around already, but what does somebody who calls themself a "Hermeticist" actually believe and more than that- what do they actually do? Taking us through this form of mysticism, and as a bonus, how Magical Timing can help your magic is my favourite person to talk to about Magic- The one and only Sam Bl...
Jan 08, 2025•2 hr 16 min
Happy 2025 Humble Listeners! We made it! I thought that this would be an appropriate time to make a small announcement. Please be sure to have a listen to get some news regarding What Magic is This? Podcast, the What Magic is This? Patreon as well as me- Your favourite Podcast host for the last five and a half years. Stay Luminous!
Jan 01, 2025•15 min
Not unlike the Celts, if you head to your local New Age Occult store you will notice that there is an overabundance of Runes. From necklace pendants, to books, to divination stones and more- Runes are seemingly overrepresented. But much of what makes Runes so special has been lost in the mix. Here to help us through why Runes are not always what meets the eye in both scholarly and New age circles, is Podcaster and author Siri Vincent Plouff!
Nov 30, 2024•2 hr 26 min
It has been quite some time since What Magic is This? has had the chance to talk about one of the most important figures of High Strangeness in the last 100 years. Robert Anton Wilson was a phenomenon unlike any other, but he had a very particular mixture of influences all of which came through in his worldviews and his work. Discussing with Doug why Bob is still a fellow worth knowing and reading, is the one person who started Doug down this very particular path of Magic. We are beyond delighte...
Nov 18, 2024•2 hr 7 min
As far as we can look back into our past, humanity has both interacted with and been haunted by the spirits of the dead. The tales of apparitions and hauntings pervade not only our most popular art but also our psyche; seemingly everyone has a ghost story to tell. While modern skepticism waves away ghosts as being merely the product of fear and imagination, many these days are saying that it is not so simple. Ghosts still have much to tell us, if we allow ourselves to be willingly haunted by the...
Oct 31, 2024•2 hr 28 min
Most Grimoires which are housed in the many museums and collections around the world are somewhat well copied documents that seems to have been done by professionals. Yet every once in a while what shows up like a bad penny in these collections are very obviously personal Grimoires that you can tell have been worked on and with by at least one but in some cases a few practicing magicians. What these astounding documents show us within their pages can tell us a lot about not only the times in whi...
Oct 20, 2024•2 hr 20 min
For over 200 years, France was inundated with small cheaply produced books, bound with blue covers, filled with some of the most amazing things. These were the Bibliothèque bleue. Lots of these books would be about food, or fairy-tales, or astrology. Yet the most notorious of the Bibliothèque bleue, were the books on Magic, charms and spells. These are called Blue Grimoires today. Helping us get our fingers inky with why these small chapbooks were so important to magic, is author and magician Aa...
Sep 30, 2024•2 hr 11 min
After King Solomon, the legend of Cyprian of Antioch looms quite large in the Western Magical Tradition. A spirit conjurer and occasional summoner of the devil, Cyprian later converted to Christianity and became a Bishop before being martyred. This legend had quite some traction, as many grimoires evoked the name of Cyprian within their pages and in the title of the Grimoire itself particularly in Iberia. Taking the listeners through the Book of Saint Cyprian, is the scholar of Portuguese esoter...
Sep 16, 2024•2 hr 16 min
Have a listen and be sure to check out my What Magic is This? Bookshop , please! Hopefully all of the show notes book recommendations will be in place and updated by October 2024, but if you have any requests for books that you'd like to purchase that I have recommended through my show notes and I haven't had a chance to change yet, please be sure to email me and I will send you an affiliate link for that title. Happy Shopping, and thank you for keeping Independant Bookshops thriving!...
Sep 09, 2024•17 min
Southeast Asia has always been a place with many magical and animistic cultures. Perhaps no other country in the modern age has such a sycretic and extraordinary Magical environment than the land of smiles- Thailand. From spirits and ghosts to tattoos and amulets to monks and ajarns, Thailand is a place which still lives and breathes magic. Helping us get an introduction to the vast Magical world of the Thai, is author and practitioner of Thai Magic, Peter Jenx!
Aug 30, 2024•2 hr 45 min
It's time to kick around an idea that gets brought up and used quite a bit these days. Unverified personal Gnosis are the terms used to describe a belief gained through personal subjective experience, not things which are confirmed by traditions or in groups. They usually inform the belief system of those that experience them. On this episode, we will be talking with someone whose entire practice is based around Unverified Personal Gnosis. That's right! It's the long-awaited return of author and...
Aug 16, 2024•2 hr 29 min
For the last 50 years, many people around the world but particularly in the west, identify themselves as a witch and if asked what religion they ascribe to, will say Wicca. Despite what some claim, the roots of Wicca are thoroughly modern and go back no further than the 20th century. Indeed, Wicca has been dubbed the only fully formed religion that England has given the world. Many myths and misconceptions surround Wicca, so much so that even those who claim to be a Wiccan will be unaware of man...
Jul 30, 2024•2 hr 5 min
Throughout the centuries, one figure has flittered through both folkloric and fortean encounters. To some, this figure has simply been called the Devil, yet others aren't so hasty to place such an epithet on him. When we look into the past, A Dark Man has made their presence known in many ways. Some within the confines of the occult and witchcraft would even go so far as to call this Dark Man the witchfather. Digging deeper into the lore of the Dark Man is our guest, the podcaster and author of ...
Jul 17, 2024•2 hr
Without a doubt, the second most recognizable and used Tarot deck in existence is the Thoth Tarot. While many are familiar with the originator of this deck, the Great Beast himself, Aleister Crowley, less is known about perhaps the most important person in this decks popularity- Lady Frieda Harris. In this episode, we are focussing solely on this infamous deck, the two figures who brought it to life, and the history of it. No one knows this deck better than my guest- Lon Milo Duquette!
Jul 05, 2024•1 hr 31 min
Grab a Snapple™ and make sure your tips are frosted, we're going back to the distant, far off time of the decade right before Y2K ended everything. The decade kicked off with a shaky start, as distrust in the government boiled over leading to all sorts of interests in what we all perceived was being hidden from us. In this episode, we are joined by Artist and illustrator Brian Giordano as we take a closer look at all the weirdness and fringe topics which fascinated the consensus culture of Ameri...
Jun 06, 2024•2 hr 47 min
We truly live in a golden age for Magic, the Occult and all the high strangeness that comes with it. There are many of the greatest thinkers to ever tackle these strange and weird concepts alive right now; at this very moment. Every paradigm needs its heroes and villains, but more importantly- those who broaden and illuminate the ideas which are its very lifeblood. For Magic, one person has been the greatest promulgator of thinking magically for the last 50 years- And that is Ramsey Dukes....
May 14, 2024•2 hr
Most likely each and every one of us has walked into a building or a structure which had the capacity to touch something inside of you in some ineffable way. For Millenia, cultures around the world have constructed buildings which have this ability to cut through aesthetics of their appearance and bestow upon those who look upon or enter inside, a sort of spiritual reverence. How does this happen and what sort of elements make up these structures? Helping us break ground on this curious topic is...
May 02, 2024•2 hr 31 min
If there is one single concept which has been associated with Magic for the last 2000 years, none would be more notorious than Demons & Infernal Spirits. For centuries, the idea of illness, misfortune and all aspects of evil have been personified as a class of spirits. How they are conceptualized by different religions and spiritual traditions is fascinating and in a way- the key to understanding these faiths and how they view evil. Everyone has an idea in their head as to what demons are or...
Apr 19, 2024•1 hr 58 min
For the most part, What Magic is This? Podcast has stuck to the cozy realm of "Western" Magic and Occultism. Yet the listeners beg for a more expansive examination of the magical world we live in! It is with such curiosity that we head East to the continent of Asia and the country of China and take a look at some of the Magic which has arisen within the diverse tradition of Taoism. Helping us along the way is Chinese Magical practitioner and author of Practical Chinese Magic- Jason Read!...
Apr 03, 2024•2 hr 9 min
No list of early 20th century Magicians would be complete without Dion Fortune being there. Although many these days might not know her name, her books, or the magical order that she founded, nevertheless Dion Fortune's influence on contemporary magic is vast. Although she considered herself an occultist and ceremonial magician, it is within the realms of Wicca and Neopaganism that we can see much of Dion's impact. Helping us through the world of one of most notorious Occultists of the last 150 ...
Mar 18, 2024•1 hr 47 min
Just like today, our ancient ancestors would utilize magic through the use of amulets, talismans and other materials. Some of these we have to this day, and many are on display in museums around the world- amazing snapshots of magical beliefs of a bygone age. But these objects have much to tell us not only about the sorts of magic we used to do, but the spiritual and magical ecosystems from where they were produced. Helping us examine these amazing ancient magical artefacts is an Archeologist of...
Feb 27, 2024•2 hr 5 min
Two figures who have changed the cultural and artistic landscape of the west, also happened to be great friends that inspired each other. One of them you most likely might have heard of. The other is virtually unknown these days. For a period of time, William Burroughs and Brion Gysin shared what they called "The Third Mind," a collaborative process which saw both figures egging each other on to greater heights of inspiration and creativity. But what helped them during this process? Magic of cou...
Feb 19, 2024•2 hr 5 min
The most enduring mystery of the last 100 years has been the phenomenon of what appear to be ships or craft in the sky which completely defy gravity. Along with sightings of these craft, there emerged other phenomena including the idea of aliens from other galaxies as well as people being taken aboard these ships and meeting the extraterrestrials in what can be called abductions. Everyone in the western world knows about Unidentified Flying Objects and what they get up to. But is there another w...
Jan 29, 2024•2 hr 33 min
On our previous episode with the always eloquent Andrew Watt, we went over the history as well as foundations for the interplay of Astrology and Magic. On this episode, we delve into the nitty-gritty of utilizing the celestial spheres for one's magical rituals. From what metaphysical models one can use, to how to start doing astrological magic, to what to use it for- this episode is a torrent of information for those curious about Astrology and Magic and for practitioners alike!
Dec 11, 2023•3 hr 4 min
It has been a whole year and the time is right to dive right back in on perhaps one of the most popular topics covered on the Podcast so far- Solomonic Magic! Earlier we had talked about the method that is applied to this sort of magic, as well as its history. On this episode the host of the greatest Magic podcast of all time Glitch Bottle Podcast, the one and only Alexander Eth, (as well as Doug) would like to brighten some of the less looked in corners involving this austere and amazing form o...
Nov 23, 2023•2 hr 45 min
Considered by many Magicians and Occultists to be as close as we have to a Rockstar, John Whiteside Parsons lived perhaps one of the most interesting and captivating lives of any resident of the Fools Gallery. A gifted chemist, many have said that he is one of the most important figures in the history of space exploration; some even going so far to say that without Jack Parsons, humanity would not have made it to the moon. And yet going hand in hand with his rocket chemical brilliance was a fana...
Nov 11, 2023•2 hr 35 min
If there is one thing that draws a considerable amount of controversy within contemporary magic, it is the blatant act of evoking Demons. It has been called many things but for simplicity's sake, Nigromancy seems historically specific enough. And yet, the practice of Nigromancy is long tenured throughout not just western ritual magic but many other spiritual traditions as well. One who has experience in both realms, is the Sorcerer and author Julio Cesar Ody.
Oct 16, 2023•1 hr 45 min
New and unfamiliar ages bring us bold and pioneering Magicians. For the most part over the last 100 years when we look up into the night sky, we see celestial bodies dancing and bestowing their magnificence to us. But there is always something else up there. The night sky is mostly darkness and is certainly spilling over with spirits that show signs and interact with us, whether we like it or not. A kind of Stellar Witchcraft is taking shape and pioneering all that it entails is the one-of-a-kin...
Oct 07, 2023•1 hr 40 min
