S1 Ep34: Living Funerals, Ancestral Sound, and Liminal Music w/ Penelope Trappes

In this evocative episode of THE CIRCLE IS podCAST, Rachel True and Mat Auryn welcome Penelope Trappes—Australian-born, Brighton-based vocalist, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and sonic conjurer. Known for her immersive soundscapes and cello-driven atmospheres, Trappes joins to discuss A Requiem, her fifth solo album on One Little Independent. What unfolds is a rich, layered conversation on grief, creativity, ancestral memory, and the meditative rituals that shape her haunting compositions. Together, they trace Trappes’ journey from the ethereal minimalism of her Penelope I/II/III trilogy through her visceral engagement with mortality, liminality, and sound as spellwork. Trappes opens up about working with fear, writing toward death as a form of psychic freedom, and transforming personal loss into collective healing. The episode drifts through themes of animism, vibrational resonance, magical practice, and the creative discipline of channeling emotional density into structured art. The trio explores the collapsing structures of patriarchy and capitalism, the reemergence of witchcraft as resistance, and the sacred role of the artist in times of unraveling. Whether you’re a musician, a psychic, a witch, a listener of deep frequencies, or a practitioner of quiet rebellion, this episode is a spell in itself, one that honors the living funeral, the voice as invocation, and the ever-turning spiral of creation and letting go.

Penelope’s Links:

Penelope Trappes Bandcamp: https://penelopetrappes.bandcamp.com/

Penelope Trappes on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6shE4Y1z4lzRqoDp65XfzT

Penelope's Instagram: https://instagram.com/penelopetrappes

Penelope's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/penelopetrappes.bsky.social

Penelope's Substack: https://penelopetrappes.substack.com/

Penelope's X: https://x.com/PenelopeTrappes

Our Links:

Rachel True Website: https://truehearttarot.com

Mat Auryn Website: https://auryn.net

Modern Witch Podcast Network: https://modernwitch.com

Mat’s Omega Retreats: https://www.auryn.net/omega

True Heart Intuitive Tarot, Guidebook And Deck: https://a.co/d/9ZNyRu1

The Psychic Art of Tarot: Opening Your Inner Eye for More Insightful Readings: https://a.co/d/dUBT1bZ

Psychic Witch: A Metaphysical Guide to Meditation, Magick & Manifestation: https://a.co/d/bHelDwU

Mastering Magick: A Course in Spellcasting for the Psychic Witch: https://amzn.to/3VesGal

Pisces Witch: Unlock the Magic of Your Sun Sign: https://a.co/d/cGqcG61