What Magic Is This?

The word "Polymath" is one that gets used for quite a few people that are already residents of the Fools Gallery, but I don't think anyone deserves that title more than the mystic and visionary medieval abbess Hildegard of Bingen. Given to service God by her parents at a young age, Hildegard didn't start to flourish and share her uniqueness until middle age. Someone who would have been an extraordinary person at any period of history, Hildegard has something for every one of us to admire. An absolute favourite and someone who stands tall in the Fools Gallery.

We've all seen the movies and recognize the tropes- Swinging Pocket Watch, eyes rolling back into the head, "You are Getting verrrrrryyyy Sleeeeeeepy..." And yet, Hypnosis is so much more than what most of us are lead to believe. From helping to deal with certain anxieties, breaking habits and even pain relief- Hypnosis seems to be a still little understood but extremely amazing condition. Taking us through the wonders of Hypnosis are two of my favourite former guests- Lance Baker and Devin Person!

Many within the realms of Magic, Spirituality, and Mysticism are well aware of heavenly messengers which are called Angels. While many are familiar with the depictions of them as winged celestial beings, their origins and deeds are a bit less well known in today's world. Angels were incredibly important to the Ancient Jewish peoples, and more recent scholarship has begun to uncover to what extent Angels played a role in the nascent Judaic worldview. One of these scholars is my guest for this show- author and professor Dr. Mika Ahuvia!

When all is said and done, the Western Magical Tradition seems to have one clear and definable feature- it has mainly been about attempting to solicit the aid of spiritual creatures or entities for all manner of magical ends. There is no better encapsulation of this than what is called Solomonic Magic. Guided by Grimoires or magic books, the techniques and protocols of Solomonic Magic are fairly specific but require elucidation none the less. Helping introduce us to the history as well as taking us through a Solomonic Grimoire to showcase the protocols as well as Solomonic method is the host of the greatest podcast about Magic and the Occult in existence- Alexander Eth of Glitch Bottle Podcast!

No doubt we are all familiar with the common story trope of a dusty and haggard book of Magic which is filled with spells, rituals and numerous diabolical looking diagrams. However, these certainly existed and many of them are housed in collections both private and public(ish). The word "Grimoire" got its name as these books were very hard to read and make sense of. Still to this day, if you were to open a translated Grimoire, it will leave one quite confused as to what to make of it. Until now that is. Let's get cracking, we've got some work to do.

Hailed by many as a forefather of modern medicine, the story of Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, known to the world as Paracelsus- is one of hardship, stacked odds and wonder. While his contributions to medicine and health are being recognized more and more through the centuries, after his passing his legend and myth grew exponentially. A Titan of Magic certainly, on this episode we will be unpacking the vitriolic and brilliant Alchemical Doctor that is Paracelsus!

Saints are everywhere. From street names, to buildings, to the names of certain herbs and plants. For a time, their stories and miracles were familiar to many of us. And yet, when one chooses to look a bit closer at the Saints and the cult of the Saints, something fairly magical emerges. Going through the Saints and their Magic with us, is W.- the host of the excellent podcast about Saints, Folk Catholicism and Mysticism, Saint Anthony's Tongue!

There is a state that occurs right before one falls asleep that is perhaps one of the oddest and trippiest experiences one can have without the use of drugs. This is called Hypnagogia and it occurs every time we fall asleep. Our perceptions become very strange and we can experience many different sensations; sometimes amazing and sometimes terrifying. And yet this state has been utilized by inventors, artists, mystics and prophets to great effect. Joining WMiT? on this episode is friend of the show and fellow onieronaut, The Mad Sorceress Samantha Giacalone!

Back to the Fools Gallery once again, and we have an absolute Titan here. While many of the denizens of the gallery can be said to have changed the world of Magic, few of them can be said to have intrinsically changed the world. Our focus on this episode is the enigmatic and larger than life character that is Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. Some would say that modern spirituality would not be what it is today were it not for her. To bring such a figure into focus, we are joined by Occult Historian, author and Lecturer- the one and only Mitch Horowitz!

Dan Lowe, an expert in the I Ching with 25 years of experience, joins the hosts to discuss the ancient Chinese text as a divinatory tool. They explore the cosmology and metaphysics behind the book, the practice of divination with oracle bones, the historical aspect of the I Ching, and the fascination it holds for them. They also share their personal recommendations for practicing the I Ching and ways to support the podcast.