Rejected Religion Podcast

Due to scheduling issues, this episode is coming to you later than planned; my apologies for the delay. My guest this month is Brennan Kettelle.Brennan is a PhD researcher at the Centre for History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents (HHP), University of Amsterdam. Brennan holds an MA in Gender and Cultural studies (2016) and a research MA in Religious Studies, specializing in Western esotericism (2021). She is currently writing her doctoral dissertation, investigating historical associations between the religiomythic demoness Lilith and queerness within artistic, literary, and occult discourses. Brennan also teaches an 8-week online course on Lilith - focusing on Lilith’s origins and cultural receptions within Western esotericism - for the Brooklyn-based organization Morbid Anatomy. Utilizing monster theory and queer theory in her research, Brennan is more broadly interested in investigating themes of the ‘monstrous-queer’ within esoteric literature, orders, and figures, as well as esoteric themes within queer subcultures, politics, and histories.This episode is Part 1 of 2; the second part is planned for December of this year.Brennan starts this conversation by explaining her motivations for delving into monster theory as part of her larger research into the figure of Lilith. Monster theory looks at what a group fears as well as how marginalized populations or individuals align with ‘the monstrous,’ what she’s calling (at this time) ‘stigmatized alignment.’ Monster theory is used here as the methodological axis upon which the larger research revolves.Brennan also talks about the background of this new area of study, its postmodern critical analysis of the monster and how this has switched to looking at the monster from the monster’s perspective, how the monster is used by people, and examining which groups become monstrous themselves. We talk a bit about this process in the figure of the vampire as well as Lilith. Brennan also talks more about how she is using the figure of Lilith as ‘an esoteric example that shows the enduring historical entanglement between queerness and monstrosity.'PROGRAM NOTES (Full Episode)(99+) S. Brennan Kettelle | University of Amsterdam - Academia.eduResearch: Brennan Kettelle - HHP | History of Hermetic Philosophy and related currents (amsterdamhermetica.nl)The monsters and the critics, and other essays : Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet ArchiveMonster theory : reading culture : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet ArchiveAmazon.com: The Occult Imagination in Britain, 1875-1947 (Among the Victorians and Modernists): 9780367885069: Ferguson, Christine, Radford, Andrew: BooksThe Monster Theory Reader: Weinstock, Jeffrey Andrew: 9781517905255: Amazon.com: BooksTime Binds: Queer Temporalities, Queer Histories (Perverse Modernities: A Series Edited by Jack Halberstam and Lisa Lowe): Freeman, Elizabeth: 9780822348047: Amazon.com: BooksThe Well of Loneliness (penguin.co.uk)Feeling Backward: Loss and the Politics of Queer History: Love, Heather: 9780674032392: Amazon.com: BooksThe Celluloid Closet (youtube.com)All Music: Daniel P. Shea

Note: This audio upload is a selection of clips taken from the full-length Patreon interview with Dr. Aaron French. To hear the full interview, please visit my Patreon page; you could consider joining to have access to more content like this, or have the option for a one-time purchase of the full episode (visit the 'shop' link for more information about pricing).PROGRAM NOTES (FULL EPISODE): My guest this month is Dr. Aaron French. Aaron received his doctorate in the study of religion, including an emphasis in science and technology studies, from the University of California, Davis. His monograph Max Weber, Rudolf Steiner, and Modern Western Esotericism: A Transcultural Approach will be published by Routledge in late 2024 in the “Asia, Europe, and Global Connections: Culture, History, and Trans-Area Studies“ book series. Aaron has published numerous peer-reviewed articles in academic journals and regularly gives lectures and presentations at international conferences. He currently teaches in the international Religious Studies Masters program at the University of Erfurt in Germany and works as a postdoctoral researcher at the Freie Universität Berlin.In our conversation, Aaron talks about new areas of research that he’s been exploring regarding the field of ufology, and its connections with esotericism, technology and religion. He’s currently editing a forthcoming interdisciplinary academic collaborative work about this, called Religion and the UFO Phenomenon: Methodological Challenges, that asks the questions, “how best should scholars of the humanities and social sciences approach the UFO phenomenon as an object of study? Why are otherworldly experiences intertwined with new forms of religiosity?”Aaron also gives a re-cap of the recent developments in the U.S. with regard to the UAP, or Unidentified Arial Phenomena, in Senate hearings and discusses the issues surrounding disclosure, with the largely failed attempt to establish a committee that would force the US government to declassify and release all information on UFOs. He then moves on to discuss his own developing research into the connections between ufology and esotericism, and how religion is being transformed, with some in academia speaking now of a new religiosity forming around these experiences. Aaron’s work is looking at this modern esotericism that keeps popping up in this new ‘hybrid technoscientific religiosity’ as he terms it. Ideas of evolution and training for humans who are interested in future realities in space are also discussed in terms of ritual initiation or Hero’s Journey that is likened to the Jedi training of the Star Wars story.In closing, we also explore occulture and the cultural impact on all of this a bit, specifically how these ideas are played out in shows like X-Files and of course, my favorite, Twin Peaks.NOTE: Around the 1 hour 13 minute mark, I mistakenly say "accelerators" instead of "accumulators" when talking about Wilhelm Reich's orgone accumulators. My apologies.Alongside this work, Aaron has recently co-edited the volume Modernity and the Construction of Sacred Space, which is available in open access on the De Gruyter website. You can find his latest article on Rudolf Steiner "Esotericism against Capitalism? Rudolf Steiner’s Reform Pedagogy as a Site of Resistance" in volume 14 (no. 2) of the journal Approaching Religion, which is also published open access.Rejected Religion | Illuminating the Obscure | PatreonTo access my previous discussion with Aaron about UFOs, Steiner and Hynek PLUS more relevant links to the topic, please follow these links:https://rejected-religion-introductory-episode-1-what-do-i-mean-by.simplecast.com/episodes/rr-podcast-e24-p1-dr-aaron-french-us-from-the-future-magic-technology-rosicrucians-steiner-new-age-ufoshttps://rejected-religion-introductory-episode-1-what-do-i-mean-by.simplecast.com/episodes/rr-pod-e24-p2-dr-aaron-french-us-from-the-future-magic-technology-rosicrucians-steiner-new-age-ufosDr. Aaron French(99+) Aaron French | Universität Erfurt - Academia.eduAaron J. French (uni-erfurt.de)(99+) Modernity and the Construction of Sacred Space | Aaron French - Academia.edu(99+) Esotericism against Capitalism? Rudolf Steiner’s Reform Pedagogy as a Site of Resistance | Aaron French - Academia.eduDavid Grusch Congressional Testimony videos: Bing VideosUAP Task Force AARO: AARO HomeDr. Diana PasulkaAmazon.com: Encounters: Experiences with Nonhuman Intelligences: 9781250879561: Pasulka, D. W.: BooksAmerican Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology: Pasulka, D.W.: 9780190692889: Amazon.com: BooksDr. Jeffrey KripalAmazon.com: How to Think Impossibly: About Souls, UFOs, Time, Belief, and Everything Else: 9780226833682: Kripal, Jeffrey J.: BooksSpacekind Foundation: SPACEKIND.ORG"Overview Effect": The Overview Effect: It will transform how you think forever (youtube.com)Theme Music: Daniel P. Shea

Full Title: Are We Living in A Simulation? Testing Tom Campbell's Consciousness-Based Simulation TheoryThis hour-long audio clip is a collection of excerpts from a three-hour long conversation with guest Eliott Edge that can be found on my Patreon page. A new option of a one-time purchase is now available as well, if you'd like to listen to the whole episode! Please visit my Patreon to learn more: https://www.patreon.com/posts/rr-patreon-tier-111609568 As listed on Eliott’s website bio, he "is a critically-acclaimed author, artist, and international speaker. Eliott has published and presented through The Institute of Ethics and Emerging Technologies, The University of Melbourne, Stevens Institute of Technology, Anthology Film Archives, The C.G. Jung Center, The Fenris Wolf, The Museum of Computer Arts, VRTO, Block Seoul, and Disinformation. His work has been included in university curricula as well as cited in Masters' theses and Doctoral dissertations. Edge’s interests include cyborg anthropology, simulation theory, media theory, consciousness and psi research, liminality, psychoanalysis, psychedelics, western occultism, contemporary folklore, as well as AI, culture and film criticism. Edge is a member of Das Unbehagen: Free Association for Psychoanalysis, and a Media & Arts Advisory Board member for The Lifeboat Foundation."In this discussion, Eliott shares his insights and views surrounding the work of Thomas Campbell, a former NASA physicist who specialized in technology development and complex-system risk analysis for both government and industry. In addition, for more than 50 years, he conducted scientific, drug-free research into altered states of consciousness. Out of this work came My Big TOE, or Theory of Everything,  a scientific model of reality based on the insight that consciousness is fundamental to all existence.  Eliott is currently working on his own book that discusses Campbell’s simulation theory, which posits that our idea of reality is actually a virtual simulation. According to Campbell, consciousness is the fundamental basis of what we consider reality, and the physical universe is a virtual construct created by this consciousness.In our discussion, Eliott talks as well about another simulation theory called the ‘ancestor simulation hypothesis’ and the problems associated with this. We also talk about how paranormal, or supernatural experiences such as out-of-body experiences, remote viewing, ghosts, UFOs, etc., play into this concept. As Eliott is not only interested in the scientific side of the story, he also talks about how occult practitioners, such as those found in ritual magick and chaos magick, as well as religious practitioners from any path can also benefit from learning about Campbell’s work. He explains everything in a down-to-earth manner so that anyone from any walk of life can understand the principles.Eliott Edgewriting | EliottedgeOddEdges - YouTubeEliott Edge and Tom Campbell in Conversation Part 1 of 2 (youtube.com)Eliott Edge and Tom Campbell in Conversation Part 2 of 2 (youtube.com)Home | Testing the Simulation Hypothesis (testingthehypothesis.com)My Big TOE (my-big-toe.com)Tom Campbell - My Big TOE (my-big-toe.com)My Big TOE Trilogy : Thomas Campbell : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet ArchiveExperiential Expanded Consciousness Meditation Programs and Research – The Monroe InstituteThe Monroe Explorer Tapes - YouTubeExplorer Series: Compiled Audio Files (1-32) : The Monroe Institute : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet ArchiveTheme Music: Daniel P. Shea  

In this special Spotlight interview focusing on an important milestone in academia, Drs. Marco Pasi and Wouter Hanegraaff share their thoughts and opinions as they reflect back on 25 years of work at the Centre for the History of Hermetic Philosophies and Related Currents, otherwise known as the HHP Centre, at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The Centre was established in 1999, and has had an enormous impact on the development of the study of esotericism in the academy.Former director Prof. Dr. Wouter Hanegraaff opens by giving a background of the Centre - what led to its foundation, who founded it, the inspiration for it, and his role in the Centre. Current director Dr. Marco Pasi continues by sharing his own history with the Centre and the present-day activities, and both share their insights regarding the achievements and challenges the Centre has experienced in the past 25 years.Congratulations to all those involved in the formation of and contribution to this esteemed group!Many thanks to both gentlemen for their time and collaboration.This video was produced by Stephanie Shea of Rejected Religion in collaboration with the HHP Centre. For more information about the Centre and its activities, please visit the website - https://www.amsterdamhermetica.nl/.Theme music: Stephanie SheaCopyright September 2024

Tommy Cowan is currently a PhD student in the Literature, Media, and Culture program at Florida State University. His primary interest is the confluence between literature and esotericism, including how literatures/texts are conceptualized as esoteric ritual, and the reception/transmission of literary esotericism as an intellectual tradition. He received his MA in Religious Studies from University of Amsterdam (2019), graduating Cum Laude. His 2019 master’s thesis centers around spirituality and esotericism in the works of American author William S. Burroughs. He is also an Associate Editor for Correspondences: Journal for the Study of Esotericism.As this discussion was centered on research updates, we cover a range of topics- but highlighting a few here:  We start with Tommy’s research on Burroughs that grew out of Tommy’s work with Florida State University’s archive complied by Professor Bucher. Just a head’s up – our discussion is mature in nature, so listener discretion is advised, as they say. We cover two of Tommy’s papers- one that deals with sexual hanging as something that Burroughs was trying to read in an esoteric sense; the other deals with the tension between Burroughs’ misogyny and his ‘feminine’ coded texts,  which leads into a related topic of  transgenderism and alchemy, and circling back to sexual metaphors with brief tangents into Wilhelm Reich’s orgone energy and David Lynch’s atomic bomb scene in Twin Peaks: The Return. After all that, we move on to the concept of ‘normative esotericism,’ as Tommy is looking at ways in which esoteric philosophies and thought reinforce hegemonic normative culture. Lastly, Tommy talks about his new research into how animals enter into symbiotic relationships with plant and fungi substances, plus how we can analyze our own relationship to entheogens.Check out my Patreon page for the full interview! Rejected Religion | Illuminating the Obscure | PatreonTheme Music: Daniel P. Shea

My guest this month is Charlotte Rogers. Charlotte is an artist, author, practicing witch and magician. She recently was artist-in-residence at the Magickal Women Conference 2024.Charlotte and I met in 2022 at the Visionary Medium Conference in Copenhagen. I was intrigued by her presentation there and was eager to talk with her more. Although it's been two years since we last spoke, I am happy to offer this interview for you now.  Some highlights:With regard to Charlotte's 'process,' she explains that she is hyperaware of everything happening around her, and is trying to make sense of things as well as trying to see patterns that could help her operate in reality (or realities). However, with her art, she "switches off everything" although her brain is working on an unconscious level while she is creating. She then has to decipher what the meaning is afterwards. As she calls herself an 'intellectual packrat' she finds inspiration in culture of all forms, as well as in nature.  Referencing her sculptures known as 'spirit houses,' she states, "in terms of spirit, ...things of spirit want nothing more than to be recognized." The objects Charlotte creates act as a place of recognition, as well as a place for the spirits to play, or rest, for example.  Speaking about her recent work as artist-in-residence, Charlotte shares how her earlier work that focused on the 'dance' of magick and art developed into new explorations into animism and memory, the latter being the place of life force, in her opinion. Acknowledging memory is part of her artistic process.In closing, Charlotte shares how her work as a writer differs from that as an artist, and also shares her ideas of how 'the liminal' plays a role in her process in general.   You can find Charlotte at the following links:Website: Charlotte Rodgers (squarespace.com)Instagram:  Charlotte Rodgers (@charlottejrodgers) • Instagram photos and videosFacebook:  FacebookMusic: Stephanie Shea

This is an excerpt of my recent upload on Patreon Tier 2 'Groves of Orpheus.' If you are interested to hear more, please consider checking out my Patreon page:  https://www.patreon.com/RejectedReligion. You can find this full interview plus more to come!My guest this month is Bob Cluness. Bob was a guest on the podcast (E28) in December of 2023, and I asked him to come back for a deep dive into many of the things we only just scratched the surface of in the podcast interview.For those who may be new, Bob is a PhD candidate and researcher in the cultural studies program at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik. He graduated in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in film studies on accelerationist aesthetics and action cinema, and in 2020 he received a master’s degree in cultural studies with a thesis on the weird and eerie in contemporary and digital cultures. His current PhD project deals with the relationship between and esotericism and acceleration in UK subcultures in the late 20th century, through a discursive analysis of chaos magic(k) and the Cybernetic Cultures Research Unit, also known as CCRU. As part of his Academic research, Bob’s interests look at the myriad intersections between esotericism and contemporary subcultures, such as cyberpunk, cyberspace and technology, the counterculture and the New Age, comics, zine culture, and music.Bob is a powerhouse and a fantastic source of knowledge, as you will hear in this discussion. We get more into the CCRU, and especially Nick Land and his story; we talk at length about accelerationism, traditionalism and chaos magick - and how this all plays into politics, economics, culture, music, gender – basically every aspect of our lives.This discussion is a long one - over three hours! :)My apologies for the poor sound quality of this audio. I had last-minute, unexpected, technical issues so I had to improvise without my professional recording equipment. Hope it’s still acceptable, and I hope you will enjoy this discussion.

This month’s guest is Dr. Phil Legard. Phil is senior lecturer in music production at Leeds Beckett University. His research interests lie at the intersection of esotericism, music, and politics. His doctoral work explored autoethnography as a research method for esotericism studies, from which he developed a theory of ‘creative seekership’. With Dr. Alexander Cummins, he is co-author of An Excellent Booke of the Arte of Magicke (Scarlet Imprint 2020), which transcribes and analyses the 16th-century grimoire and magical record of Sir Humphrey Gilbert. He is also the author of various popular and academic articles on esotericism, magick, and creativity. He is one-half of the musical duo Hawthonn, who currently have two LP releases on Brooklyn’s Ba Da Bing records.In this interview, Phil talks about the tricky area of methodology when it comes to scholars who are also magickal practitioners, and the reasons why he chose autoethnography as his primary research method. He also explains the background of the term and how the method has developed from a narrative-only approach to one where analysis is also utilized. Phil then talks about some important points and insights that arose while he was doing field recordings, and more about his developmental process as a magickal practitioner throughout the years as a “creative seeker”, which relates to how paths of practice develop as a consequence of experience and appraisals of those experiences. This also includes identity construction and performance, and how experiences shape one’s sense of identity.Note: The full interview with Phil is available on Patreon, with a 7-day free trial, should you be interested. If you enjoy my content and would like to support my work, please consider checking out my Patreon page (as there is much more content to come over there) and consider subscribing. Rejected Religion | Illuminating the Obscure | PatreonPROGRAM NOTESDr. Phil LegardThe Occultural Orpheus: Exploring Creative Seekership through Analytic Autoethnography (leedsbeckett.ac.uk)(99+) Phil Legard | Leeds Beckett University - Academia.edu(99+) Imaginative Listening and Porous Practices: Expanding the Boundaries of Esoteric Musicology | Phil Legard - Academia.edu(99+) Inner-Sense and Experience: Drone Music, Esotericism and the Hieroeidetic Field | Phil Legard - Academia.edu(99+) The Bright Sound Behind the Sound: Real-World Music, Symbolic Discourse and the Foregrounding of Imagination | Phil Legard - Academia.eduMusic | Hawthonn (bandcamp.com)𝖕𝔥𝔦𝔩 𝖑𝔢𝔤𝔞𝔯𝔡 (@larkfall) / X (twitter.com)Hawthonn (@hawthonn) • Instagram photos and videosWorks Referenced:Esotericism and Criticism: A Platonic Response to Arthur Versluis (wouterjhanegraaff.blogspot.com)1887_3160767-What is wrong with Pagan Studies_.pdfA-Methodology-of-the-Imagination.pdf (mythcosmologysacred.com)Writing the self into research: Using grounded theory analytic strategies in autoethnography | Published in TEXT (scholasticahq.com)Hildegard Westerkamp - Kits Beach Soundwalk (1989) (youtube.com)Works by Hawthonn used in the interview:32:15 - Dream Cairn from the album Earth MirrorRejected Religion Theme: Daniel P. SheaAdditional music: Stephanie Shea 

Rejected Religion is launching soon on Patreon! As the platform is now celebrating its 5th year anniversary, I thought it would be a perfect time to expand and go in some new directions. I'm really looking forward to providing new content, and hope you'll choose to join me! Thanks as always for your support and I hope to see you soon on Patreon! Image &  Music by Stephanie Shea

Episode release date: May 12, 2024Dr. Tara Smith is an interdisciplinary academic that works in the fields of science fiction, literature, and popular culture. Currently, she is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School, writing on religious ideas and experiences of people who paint and play within the science fiction 'grim dark' universe of Warhammer 40,000. She is currently visiting Amsterdam's HHP Centre at the University of Amsterdam in her Fellowship role.   In this interview, Tara discusses how there is a lacuna in the area of Religious Studies when it comes to researching the relationship between religion and tabletop games. Her work demonstrates that Warhammer 40k encourages players to talk and think about religion. We discuss the game and its influences, as well as the role of 'play' in Tara's research, which suggests that there is more imagination and interactional thought about religion than was previously presumed. As this is a work in progress, Tara also discusses her different approaches and her interests in broadening her research scope.  NOTE: Two corrections in this interview --At 0:22:06, Tara says that the Emperor is keeping the Warp open and this is how he dies. This is incorrect. The Emperor does not die while keeping the Warp open; instead, he is mortally wounded while fighting his son Horus. Later on, in his "in between" state, he helps to keep the Warp pathways navigable while on the Golden Throne.At 0:49:15, Tara mentions there are 7 books in the Horus Heresy Series, but what was meant is the Siege of Terra which is a subsection of the overarching series. The Siege of Terra has 8 books (with the last book split into 3 volumes); the entire Horus Heresy has 64 books. Find Tara at:https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/people/tara-smithhttps://hds.academia.edu/TaraSmith Theme music: Stephanie Shea