Today we welcome Gordon MacLellan to the Spirit Box to discuss his book Sacred Animals He is a writer, storyteller, animist pagan and environmentalist who has recognised that to really involve people with a renewed interest in, and commitment to, the world around us we may need more than traditional stories or religious parables and moral fables. The stories that grow from direct experience are powerful ways of building connections, building a sense of belonging and when we pare away the green-washing, the jargon, the endless blurbs, a lot of environmental urgency and anxiety just now can come down to connection: to renewing (or refreshing) that sense of really being part of the world. This connection forms a deeper purpose, one of rewilding the soul. His book Sacred Animals is not always animals to see or touch or run away from, but animals to see with the eyes of your mind, to encounter in the other ways. Animals to wonder over in the Otherworld and in this, the physical, world. The heart of this book is a spiritual adventure into contact and friendship with the animal world. It draws on ancient knowledge, surviving traditions, memories of other customs and the simple imagination that helps fill in the gaps. In the Plus show we discuss rewilding the soul. We discuss the human - nature divide and Gordon treats us to one of his wonderful Kelpie stories. Show notes: Ordering books: https://creepingtoad.blogspot.com/2023/05/sacred-animals-new-book.html Twitter: https://twitter.com/creepingtoad Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creepingtoad Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creepingtoad/ Website: https://creepingtoad.com/ Blog: https://creepingtoad.blogspot.com/ Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Creepingtoad Films on youtube mentioned in conversation: Trolls: https://youtu.be/S-XtWbAC3bQ Pond ripples: https://youtu.be/6xLPhiosBfg Keep in touch? https://linktr.ee/darraghmason Music by Obliqka https://soundcloud.com/obliqka

Today we welcome back the great Joshua Cutchin to discuss his masterwork of scholarship and research, Ecology of Souls This is a comprehensive dive into the overlaps between a huge range of mythological, paranormal and consciousness phenomena. We live our entire lives knowing that death awaits us. The hopeful believe—they insist—that some part of us endures after we make our final transition. Their convictions are corroborated by eyewitnesses who swear to have seen spirits of the dead haunting the living... and even appearing during alien abductions. Is the UFO mystery reaching out to us from beyond the stars... or from beyond the grave? This staggering implication demands not only scrutiny of the UFO phenomenon but nearly every unexplained mystery haunting us today. In the Plus show we get into why Ireland is such a hotspot. What causes a hotspot in the first place? Joshua’s favourite story from the collection. Which religion has the best take on death in his opinion? And his new book on fairies in film. Show notes: Joshua’s website https://www.joshuacutchin.com/ Ecology of Souls https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ecology-Soul... Keep in touch? https://linktr.ee/darraghmason Music by Obliqka https://soundcloud.com/obliqka

Phil Hine, an acclaimed author and speaker, returns to discuss his latest work, 'Queerying Occultures', which brilliantly merges queer themes with occult practices. He dives into the rich history of queer identities in occult circles, highlighting subjects like Shamanism, the legacy of Pan, and the evolution of queer paganism. Hine also sheds light on the shadows of occult homophobia, and explores the cultural significance of the Crossbones burial ground, all while celebrating the intersections of sexuality and spirituality.

Salicrow is a natural psychic medium who weaves the traditions of her Irish Traveler and Blackfoot heritage with modern magical techniques. For more than 30 years she has worked as a spirit channel, seer, and intuitive healer, offering readings and teaching workshops throughout the United States and internationally. She is the author of several books and today we are discussing her latest book, Spirit Speaker: A medium’s guide to Death and Dying/ In this compassionate and straightforward guide to the spiritual process of dying and what happens after death, psychic medium Salicrow answers the most common questions asked by her clients over her decades of work as a spirit speaker. Seeking to normalize the spiritual aspects of end-of-life care, she explains how active dying exists outside of normal reality, in a state in which the dying person and their caregivers often experience a heightened state of consciousness. Describing how the spirit is separate from the body and continues to exist after death, she shares thought-provoking stories of spirit contact and synchronicities that occurred for those actively involved in the dying process. She reveals how these encounters are common and act as guideposts along the journey into death, helping to ease the transition. She offers simple techniques for helping loved ones who are stuck or struggling to cross over and shares practices designed to help honour our beloved dead and develop living relationships with our ancestral spirits. Presenting an outline of what may be experienced during the dying process and beyond, Salicrow explores the time when a soul is actively dying or recently departed. She explains the multiple ways spirits reach out to communicate with us and provides a deep understanding of the signs, symbols, and sensations that spirits use to contact us as well as ways to strengthen that connection. She also explores challenging situations such as suicide, murder, and healing unresolved issues with the dead. Crafted through years of spirit communication sessions, this guide details how the spirit world works while revealing the beauty, healing, and love that exist in death. In the Plus show we get into the subject of body locks which keep people stuck in their bodies when dying. Salicrow also takes us through the moving account of being with her close friend during their assisted suicide. We go through the importance of a practical approach to the spirit world and the state of mind that is most conducive to spirit communication. Salicrow takes us through the many ways in which the beloved dead communicate with us and visit us from time to time. We wrap up discussing how there has been a spike in people having psychic experiences and how Spirit Speaker came out of that as a way to address this and help people navigate these experiences. Show notes:Sali’s website https://www.salicrow.com/ Sali’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/salicrow/ Sali’s Facebook https://www.facebook.com/salicrowpsychicmedium/ Spirit Speaker https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/spirit-speaker-a-medium-s-guide-to-death-and-dying-salicrow/7230037?ean=9781644117286 Keep in touch? https://linktr.ee/darraghmason Music by Obliqka https://soundcloud.com/obliqka

Today we welcome medium, occult practitioner and spiritual cleaner Andy Starkweather. Andy has been a medium for over 20 years ago and has had ‘a wild ride’. Everything from being attacked by spirits to bizarre animal interactions to cleansing properties of trapped spirits and dealing more sinister entities. Andy has a wealth of information derived from practical experience and regales us with many stories from his 20 years of work as a medium. One thing I really found useful was Andy’s view on boundaries and how he would employ discernment when working with spirits. In the Plus show we get into some of Andy’s cases and strategies employed to deal with them, ranging from hauntings to poltergeists to demons. This is rich stuff. We also go through the challenges of shadow work and the occult… spoiler, it ain’t pretty. To close we discuss and compare our own past life regression experiences. Enjoy! Show notes: https://instagram.com/starkweather_93?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Keep in touch? https://linktr.ee/darraghmason Music by Obliqka https://soundcloud.com/obliqka

Today we are joined by J.M. Hamade on the subject of Al- Khidr. J.M. Hamade is an interdisciplinary artist, astrologer, writer, and educator residing in New York City. Focusing on the aesthetics of esoterica and the occult, they’re work bridges contemporary artistic practice with archaic forms of knowing. They have lectured, exhibited, and enacted live performances in the conjuration of phantom forms and ritual magic. Al-Khidr is a figure described but not mentioned by name in the Quran as a righteous servant of God possessing great wisdom or mystic knowledge. In various Islamic and non-Islamic traditions, Khidr is described as a messenger, who guards the sea, teaches secret knowledge and aids those in distress. The meaning of the name has traditionally been taken to be "the Green One" or "the Verdant One". Which connects him to folkloric figures such as the green man and spirits of spring and of ‘greening’. We discuss Khidr’s liminal nature and his role as guide and get into the mysteries of the northern poles.In the Plus show we discuss Khidr’s association with being two horned and Mose’s being depicted with two horns. We get into the ideas around the non-human language of nature and what Khidr as a spirit of creativity means to our guest. To close we get into the similarities between Khidr and Krishna.Enjoy!Show notes:https://starnightdwell.com/ Keep in touch? https://linktr.ee/darraghmason Music by Obliqka https://soundcloud.com/obliqka

Today we welcome magicians and the hosts of the Soapbox podcast. Reverend Janglebones and Kurt Huggins. Reverend Janglebones is an animist practitioner, prayer writer, course facilitator, Buddhist dabbler, recovered addict, podcast host, musician, and accidental Diogenes channeler. Kurt is a New York times bestselling illustrator who has worked in comics, films, and television. A long time spelunker of the imagination and believer that all creative acts are acts of magic he does his best to stumble into profundity as a co-host of the soapbox podcast. In the show we talk about the concept of ‘holding the post’ for the imagination meaning there’s more to what’s going around you than you might realise. We discuss in relation to one's Dharma. We also discuss my love of Mudlarkers on YouTube and Arthur Beale jumpers. In the Plus show we discuss the influence of Angels in the creation of Soap Box and how podcasting has solidified magic for them. We talk to the initiation of addiction and get into Rev's courses, Thai amulets work and the use of Merit in magic and Rev’s astonishing approach to caving and visionary work.  Show notes: Kurt’s website http://www.kurthuggins.com/ Rev Janglebones links https://linktr.ee/reverendjanglebones Soap Box Podcast https://rss.com/podcasts/thesoapbox/ Mudlarker magical offerings https://youtu.be/eJeR1xQnSa8?t=2058 Darragh's favourite jumpers https://arthurbeale.co.uk Keep in touch? https://linktr.ee/darraghmason Music by Obliqka https://soundcloud.com/obliqka 

The brilliant Sasha Ravitch is back on the Spirit Box!  Sasha is a practitioner of Stellar Witchcraft, passionate Astrolater, and Devotional and Oracular Writer. She seeks out meaning, magic, patterns, connection, and intimate co-creation betwixt the Self and the Other in every golden meadow, ocean floor, and subway station available to her. Her desire to blur the line between the ensorceled forest of Elphame and the mundane road-more-traveled is a priority from the moment she wakes up, to the moment she falls asleep. In the show Sasha discusses her work in Stellar witchcraft and the experience of being the vessel for received writing. How you undergo changes in lifestyle in preparation of the work to come.    Now you may notice some clunky edits in the show, this is due to some pauses in the conversation to compare magical notes which are not for the airwaves. Sorry to be all secret squirrel about it but rules are rules.  In the Plus show we discuss the process of finishing a book and our experiences with the Witchfather, the Darkman.   Enjoy!   Show notes: Sasha’s website https://www.sasharavitch.com/ Sasha’s patreon https://www.patreon.com/sasharavitch Sasha’s Insta https://www.instagram.com/sasha.ravitch/ Keep in touch? https://linktr.ee/darraghmason Music by Obliqka https://soundcloud.com/obliqka

Today we welcome back the one and only Peter Mark Adams! In his new book Hagia Sophia / Sanctum of Kronos, he presents a remarkable study of the esoteric beliefs and spiritual traditions contained within the architectural and decorative features of Istanbul’s iconic Hagia Sophia. Hagia Sophia / Sanctum of Kronos tells the story of the building's hidden purpose: to conceal and preserve a sacred mystery in the face of rising Christian tyranny, right under the nose of Constantinople's Christian ascendancy. Represented in the sacred geometry, light, materials, and architecture of this astounding and powerful building, this sacred teaching is revealed by Adams’ in his remarkable thesis. As with Adams’s previous books, this is a meticulously researched, captivating and illuminating piece of work. Punctuated with carefully selected, evocative photography and illustrations, it deconstructs the Hagia Sophia to reveal its esoteric heart. Culturally, the structure acts as a repository for the metaphysical preoccupations of a Hellenistic culture that evolved from the great mystery cults of antiquity to become the metaphysical engine of subsequent European thought. In the Plus show we discussed why Saturn is a focal point of Peter’s research and how the other plays a part in his creative process. We get into his next project in this Saturnian current  and the relationship with providence and fate. We wrap up the show on the subject of energy work and healing and how this is foundational to Peter’s work and indeed his life Show notes: Scarlet Imprint title information   Sanctum of Kronos pre-order petermarkadams.com/ Icons of Sound - Total Sacred Immersion Hagia Sophia Power of the Healing Field Keep in touch? https://linktr.ee/darraghmason Music by Obliqka https://soundcloud.com/obliqka

For episode 6, season 2 we welcome podcast host, folklorist, researcher and Lover of all things wyrd Jo Hickey-Hall. Jo is the researcher behind The ‘Modern Fairy Sightings‘ Project which collects and preserves contemporary experiences and explores the resistant cultural taboo surrounding disclosure. It also provides a community for people to share their experiences with others who have experienced similar. She is also the host and creator of The Modern Fairy Sightings Podcast which was launched in 2020 and features fairy encounters told first hand. Jo goes through the incredible healing experience she had which lay the foundations for the sequence of events that would lead to the creation of the Modern Fairy Sightings Podcast and how diamonic activity seemed to be directly involved in the project. Pulling that thread we discuss how we, like many others, started a podcast on the subject of entities and spirits around the same time and how this seemed to be a compulsion. In the Plus show we discuss the fairy teas Jo uses to help build a connection with the fae. We discuss listening to children in relation to their experiences with entities and spirits and letting them express themselves. Jo stresses the importance of not dismissing childrens accounts but helping them navigate the other. To close out the plus show Jo recounts her favourite story from The Modern Fairy Sightings podcast… no spoilers but it's astonishing. Show notes: Jo’s website The Modern Fairy Sightings Podcast Jo’s Patreon The Modern Fairy Sightings Facebook Group Podcast Instagram Podcast Twitter Keep in touch? https://linktr.ee/darraghmason Music by Obliqka https://soundcloud.com/obliqka