Cultural Influences on Magic and Community in the UK

In this episode I am joined by Duncan Barford, occult practitioner, counsellor, and author of ‘Occult Experiments in the Home’. Duncan discusses his own journey into the occult including reality-bending experiments with Chaos Magick, invocation of his holy guardian angel, identifying and relating to entities, and meeting his long-time collaborator, the magician and spiritual teacher Alan Chapman. Duncan recalls his first encounter with Daniel Ingram’s “Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha”. He explains how he combined Daniel’s approach with Western occult methods and rituals to attain arhatship for himself. Duncan declared his enlightenment on the internet and began teaching awakening in a short-lived venture called “Open Enlightenment”. Duncan reflects on the strongly negative reactions that both his declaration and teaching project received. Duncan also comments on demonic affliction, both his own experiences as well as those of recent podcast guest Mattias Daly, the influence of social class and geographic location, navigating kundalini crisis, the intersection of mysticism and magick. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep265-occult-experiments-duncan-barford Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 01:19 - Occult experiments in the home 02:38 - Duncan comments on Mattias Daly’s demonic affliction 04:34 - Demonic or kundalini awakening? 06:27 - - Duncan’s own kundalini crisis 08:44 - Seeking guidance from Tara Springett 11:39 - Identifying entities 14:19 - Duncan’s specialism in counselling those having unusual occult experiences 17:05 - Finding the best paradigm 19:38 - Does Duncan prescribe magickal practice? 21:50 - Spirituality vs everyday life 24:42 - Meeting Alan Chapman and sustained interest in the occult 26:59 - Invocation of the Holy Guardian Angel 27:57 - Encountering Daniel Ingram and bringing awakening back to magick 30:31 - Duncan’s childhood interest in the supernatural and strange 33:13 - Gothic horror and psychoanalysis 33:52 - Beginning to explore magickal practice 35:03 - Moving from intellect to feeling and emotion 36:32 - Abandoning a PhD, meditation frustration, and life crisis 44:12 - Encountering Chaos Magick and leaning to bend reality 46:26 - Envy of Daniel Ingram and reception in the Chaos Magick community 49:40 - Are mysticism and spirituality compatible with magick? 51:09 - Using magick to induce mystical experiences 52:44 - Declaring arhatship and attaining the four paths 57:45 - Powerful experience with Andrew Cohen 01:01:43 - Advice from Christopher Titmuss 01:03:50 - Dreaming of Gary Numan 01:05:25 - Is arhatship the end of enlightenment? 01:07:09 - Duncan asks Steve’s opinion 01:09:07 - Did Duncan and Alan keep pace in their awakening path? 01:10:03 - The 3 doors and awakening with visions 01:13:39 - Fire kasina retreat with Daniel Ingram 01:16:26 - Why did Duncan declare arhatship? 01:17:59 - Ego inflation through magickal practice 01:19:08 - Negative responses to declaration of enlightenment 01:19:54 - Failure of Open Enlightenment and the compulsion to share one’s awakening 01:24:49 - Is UK conducive to spiritual and magickal work? 01:27:27 - Reflections on being working class 01:28:33 - Travellers vs locals 01:29:15 - Comments on the spectrum of entities 01:31:09 - Discount code for the Baptist Head Compendium 
… To find our more about Duncan Barford, visit: - https://www.duncanbarford.uk/ … For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James