Say the words Magician, Occultist and Angel Magic and one name comes immediately to mind - Dr. John Dee. About as close as England has ever come to producing a real life Wizard, Dee is one of the most scrutinized, analyzed and obsessed over figures of the 16th century. Blazingly brilliant at Mathematics, Astronomy and Astrology in his own time, he is known mostly nowadays for a particular segment of his life. For less than a decade, Dee and a questionable figure by the name of Edward Kelley woul...
Apr 14, 2021•1 hr 17 min
Instantly recognizable; you know a Wizard when you see one. Not only by appearance- Beards, older, white hair but also by the items associated with them- Robes, pointed hat, staff and old books. There is seemingly something archetypal about the wizard, which literally means "One who is Wise." These days, the Wizard ranks among some of the most beloved characters in books, films, art and more. In this Episode of WMiT? , we are joined by a real life Wizard Devin Person, to go through why the Wizar...
Mar 31, 2021•1 hr 46 min
Through the vastness of time, one thing we've all had in common was the sky, especially that of the night sky. The Stars, Moon and planets have meant many different things to our Ancestors. Many saw the cosmic dance these celestial bodies followed as an integral part of not only their Myths or Cosmology but having real agency in our lives and in events here on earth. There is much magic in the stars, and to discuss as well as elucidate such things is my guest for this episode, Amaya Rourke!...
Mar 20, 2021•1 hr 27 min
To many the words "Christianity" and "Magic" should be like oil and water. For most Christians, the Occult is strictly forbidden; a dalliance with the dark forces of Satan. For Occultists, Christianity is the great adversary; always seeking to destroy and do away with those who use Magic of any form. Yet these dichotomies are somewhat new and it has not always been so easy to seperate. Much of the nuance has been lost, but luckily over the last 15 years, many of those into Magic and Witchcraft h...
Mar 09, 2021•1 hr 20 min
We all dream. Yet sometimes, while we are dreaming we become conscious of the fact that it is almost as if we are in the dream; we realize that we are active in our thoughts and actions. This is Lucid Dreaming, the ability to be aware while in a dream state. Most people have had at least one Lucid dream, others can lucid dream in great detail and frequently. In this episode of WMiT? we tackle this odd phenomenon which has massive possibilities for the study of consciousness. Joining the show is ...
Feb 27, 2021•1 hr 20 min
Holmes & Watson. Salt & Pepper. Hell, even Sturm und Drang- there are some classic combinations in this world. Rock 'n Roll & The Occult just seems natural. Although a relatively recent musical form, less than a century, the dalliances of the diabolical with Rock music were there nearly from the beginning. The combination of drums, guitars and a hollering vocals seem the very thing that the Occult offers in some way as well- Powerful, animal, and emotive. Yet the story of Rock and th...
Feb 15, 2021•1 hr 57 min
Kept safe in many Special Collections around the world are very odd and very special Books. They are filled with interesting content- Invocations, Evocations, Prayers, Spells as well as odd diagrams. These are Grimoires- A Magician's textbook and are used for many purposes such as divination, crafting talismans, herbs and stones, as well as how to summon Demons, Angels, Spirits and other entities. Joining this episode to discuss these fascinating and incredible documents is the Scholar, Author a...
Jan 30, 2021•1 hr 48 min
Without a doubt, the last 5 years has seen a resurgence of interest in the Celestial Art of Astrology. At base, Astrology is looking at the positions of celestial bodies like the planets and stars, in order to divine information relevant to the past, the present and the future. A discipline unto itself, to say that Astrology was important in ages past is a vast understatement. On this episode of WMiT? we are joined by Scholar, Author and Consulting Astrologer Dr. Becca Tarnas, whose views and el...
Jan 19, 2021•1 hr 40 min
Starting off the New Year with a Titan of Magic. Austin Osman Spare means many things to many people. For some, he was an extremely talented Artist whose antisocial behaviour and unwillingness to compromise left him forgotten by the art world. For others, he is the grandfather of sigil magic; a fiercely independent occultist who came up with his own system of magic which was considered revolutionary long after he passed away. Chances are we will never get the full story of the magic of Austin Os...
Jan 07, 2021•1 hr 46 min
If you dismiss the humanities, you dismiss the prophets among you. .. Perhaps no other contemporary figure's ideas are brought up more in WMiT? than Dr. Jeffrey Kripal. His work is the stuff which fuels much of my thinking about the paranormal, the supernatural and extraordinary experience. Always with a comparative eye, Dr. Kripal not only looks into the past and the present, but also has his gaze fixed on the future; on what could be awaiting us if we only allow ourselves to tell each other th...
Dec 22, 2020•1 hr 14 min
What if you could see aspects of your future merely by being asleep? What if the unconscious mind was in some way prophetic? What if precognition and psi effects are memories of your future experiences; something you premember? In this Episode of WMiT? I am joined by a guest whose ideas I have mentioned numerous times on the Podcast- Dr. Eric Wargo. His book Time Loops has been one of my greatest reading experiences of the last decade, and he's only getting started.
Dec 12, 2020•1 hr 27 min
We all have them. Or, do they have us? The Tapestry of life is a complex web of family, lineage and blood. Their struggles and triumphs are yours as well. For many beginning in Magic, the idea of Ancestors and their elevation does not seem like the most interesting aspect to start practicing, but many these days are making a case that starting with ancestors is beyond beneficial. Joining WMiT? is a man who is well versed in the realm of the restless dead and how it applies to your health and wel...
Dec 02, 2020•1 hr 34 min
Since 2011, my guest Sam Block, also known as Polyphanes, has written well over 1.5 Million words on his Blog, The Digital Ambler . Having found his work in late 2013, I loved his passion and process regarding such texts as the Corpus Hermeticum and the Greek Magical Papyri. In this episode of WMiT? I finally get to pick his brain about some of my favourite aspects of magic, his process and how he tackles such things as using Barbarous names, substituting ingredients, even prayer. The Magical Mi...
Nov 21, 2020•1 hr 43 min
Fish falling from the sky. People disappearing from one area only to be found in another. People igniting on fire for no reason. Such phenomena was finally given a voice in the early 20th Century all thanks to one man- Charles Fort. The word 'Fortean' is used by some to describe this phenomena but the thing is, cataloguing strange instances when reality seems to get weird should not be the only thing that Charles Fort is known for. The man who invented the Supernatural (a term Charles despised) ...
Nov 11, 2020•59 min
Where does one even begin? Kabbalah has been marked down as one of if not the foundational Element of the Western Magical Tradition. It has also been marked down as a much maligned and misused Judaic Esoteric Tradition; a beautiful and vast tradition that was passed from master to student. Suffice to say, a lot of what passes for Modern Magic is inspired in some way by what is called Hermetic and/or Practical Kabbalah. In this episode of What Magic is This? Doug is joined by Tanin to share some ...
Oct 31, 2020•1 hr 21 min
It probably didn't take us humans very long to discover that certain plants and fungi, when we interacted with them or ingested them- would cause strange effects. Sometimes terrifying, sometimes prophetic, often exhilarating- Drugs and our dalliances with them have intrigued and enthralled us for longer than we've been recording history. Many would say that these substances and spirituality are intrinsically linked in many ways. Of course, Magicians and Witches have utilized this to great effect...
Oct 21, 2020•1 hr 57 min
Something available to each and every one of us is a capacity to explore strange worlds, dimensions, and realms. This can be as simple as having a dream each night, to as complex and unusual as a full-blown Out of Body Experience. While some would argue that this is merely just an act of Imagination, to those who Journey often such an explanation seems as far away from the truth as anything could possibly be. Joining the show to share some knowledge is a luminous soul who has Out of Body Experie...
Oct 08, 2020•1 hr 50 min
'But Dead Men tell no Tales, they say! Except old tales that burn away the stifling tapestries of day. Old Tales of life, of love and hate, of time and space, and will, and fate.' Western magic has recently seen a revitalization of the Practice of Necromancy- Divination, Invocation, Evocation and Communication with Spirits of the Dead. Most likely, Necromancy has its origins in Ancestor veneration but came to be something more. Cultures around the world have their own forms of Necromantic Intera...
Sep 27, 2020•1 hr 25 min
The Time has come. It was bound to happen. Now, you will have the chance to support me (your host- Douglas!) and my work with the Podcast. In this Episode of WMiT? I go through some of my thoughts on starting a Patreon account, the reasons for doing so, why one should join, what might be on the Patreon and More! Speaking from the heart, this is not an episode to skip; Hear me out... Support my Flourishing on Patreon or if you Enjoyed the Episode, Toss Me a Coin or Two....
Sep 16, 2020•27 min
One is constantly surprised by the world and universe we find ourselves in. Every Ecosystem seems to overflow with life, be it forest, desert, tundra, even cities. The longer one sticks with Magic, the more it seems like the whole Universe is somehow alive. Yet despite things we can identify as certainly being alive, perhaps some of the denizens of the ecosystem we say clearly aren't alive- actually are , including the ecosystem itself. This is Animism. In this Episode of WMiT? , Doug is joined ...
Aug 29, 2020•1 hr 24 min
Many Magicians would say that one of the most important aspects of Magic is interacting with 'Spiritual Creatures.' The idea of Spirits being a part of this world and that there could be a 'Spirit World' has been with us far longer than it has not. Of course, the prevailing worldview of the last 300 years has done a fairly good job of attempting to demolish the idea that spirits have ever existed. Yet Spirits (or at least belief in them) has never gone away. In this Episode of WMiT? we are doing...
Aug 21, 2020•1 hr 57 min
The Greeks have a legacy in many areas of Modern Western culture- from Politics, to theatre, to philosophy and medicine. And of course- Magic, as it is from the Greeks that we get the word 'Magic.' Their stories are absolutely suffused with Magic, Gods and sorcerous characters, adding much to their mythical culture; The Greeks lived in a Magical world of Gods, Myths and the restless Dead. In this Episode of WMiT? Doug and his guest Eva go through some of the ways that the Greeks used Magic and h...
Aug 11, 2020•1 hr 16 min
On our second voyage into the azure waters, we dive into conversations and currents of Chaos. Firstly we talk about the Philosopher King of Magic, one Ramsey Dukes. From here we sail about on the winds of a few Chaos Magic orders and groups, ever pondering if there ever really was a Chaos Magic movement. My guest for this episode Saul sheds some light on an online Magical current that for a time burned bright but now only seems to flicker. Of course, WMiT? cannot merely have only a two-parter on...
Jul 31, 2020•1 hr 31 min
Late 1970's England. An iconoclastic group of misfit Magicians got tired of the same old story that in order for Magic to work, one had to be a part of a Tradition and go through necessary steps. To this they said 'Nonsense! All one needs is belief and how one utilizes that belief for it to work!' They thus birthed the first form of Postmodern Magic that was based entirely off of Results- Chaos Magic . Baked into this movement and the Chaos toolkit was a pragmatism that if the Ritual or Spell wo...
Jul 20, 2020•1 hr 39 min
For a time, Emanuel Swedenborg was a name that many in Europe and America were familiar with. These days, very few have even heard the name and those who have, the words 'Madness' or 'Liar' are not behind. Called by Ralph Waldo Emerson 'A Mastodon of Literature' the work and life of Swedenborg are indeed extraordinary. From his odd inventions, Life philosophy and his mystical experiences, there is much to learn from 'The Scandinavian Da Vinci.' So we head back to the Fools Gallery, to explore an...
Jul 11, 2020•1 hr 35 min
We live in an observable, measurable world; one built of the smallest bits of matter. And so we live our lives thinking for the most part, that this is the reality of everything- that the only thing that matters, is matter. Yet for a dominant social paradigm, Materialism & Physicalism has a hard time with a few things, especially those things which is says doesn't exist because it cannot explain it. In this episode of What Magic is This? we take a page out of the Materialism rulebook and sta...
Jun 30, 2020•1 hr 26 min
Depression, high anxiety, addiction and other mental health issues effect a huge number of us. Many are looking for answers or ways that we can get better or deal with these afflictions ourselves. How does Magic and the Occult intersect with such things? Are there similarities, and if so- what can we learn from them? The amount of internal pain that many of us carry with us each day is difficult to deal with, but there are ways in which we can get help as well as create help. On this extremely p...
Jun 15, 2020•1 hr 34 min
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was finished. However, much of their mystique was only just beginning. With the publication of their Rites and Rituals by Israel Regardie, the secrets of this Magical Order were finally revealed to the world. As for the world of the Golden Dawn, it was one of Kabbalah, of Divine Will and one that believed that all things that were manifest on earth was somehow connected to one another through correspondences. Yet what effect did the Golden Dawn have on Magic...
Jun 06, 2020•48 min
There is no other Magical Order that has done as much to shape people's perceptions of Magic than The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. From the practical use of Tarot, to the emphasis of Kabbalah, to the idea of initiation into Magic- all of this was a consequence of this short-lived magical group. In the first of a two-part episode, Douglas puts forward some notion of what magical ideas were around before the Golden Dawn and what was the story of their history, with a spotlight on a few key f...
May 31, 2020•38 min
Ask anyone what they think the 4th Dimension is and most likely they will say that it is Time. Which is true, in some sense. But the 4th Dimension is more; so much more. It could be the lattice around which everything that has, is, and will happen- happens. The obsession with looking at higher dimensions and other worlds began in earnest in fin-de-siecle Victorian England. With figures such as Edwin Abbott and Charles Howard Hinton, people started to look closer at a dimension that we couldn't s...
May 20, 2020•1 hr 6 min
