What Magic Is This?

In the last 30 years, a shining example of the delicious mix of Magic and Creativity within comic books has been exemplified by the creature that is Grant Morrison. It seems like every superhero that you can bring to mind has been touched in some way by Morrison. And yet, besides bringing forward the modern mythology of the caped warriors that set off so many cash registers across the globe, Morrison has been a Magician for many years, and has shared their Magic in many ways not just through the combination of pictures and words. It's all things Grant Morrison in this episode!

For many, the most influential and austere Grimoire of Magic from the Islamicate world is the Shams al-Ma'arif or the Sun of Knowledge. Inside this notorious book are many Magic Squares which combine words and numbers which are believed to be the only true way to communicate with Angels and spiritual entities called Jinn. A book that has been held in high regard by many, up to this point it has not been translated into English- Until now. Joining WMiT? is the team that undertook the task- Scholar Amina Inloes and Artist J.M. Hamade.

Something which is often talked of in magical circles, but not greatly understood- is Gnosticism and those who were called Gnostics. These Gnostics were those that valued personal experience of God; a knowledge called "gnosis," over more orthodox traditions and institutions. For the last 2000 years, we knew very little about these Gnostics, but all of that changed with an amazing archeological find in 1945 in Egypt. Taking us through Gnosticism and all things Gnostic, is the host of the greatest gnostic podcast ever, Aeon Byte Gnostic Radio- Mr. Miguel Conner!

Something which touches every person on this planet is illness; at some point each and every one of us will get sick. How we heal and what medicines we use has changed drastically throughout the ages. Things which would have meant certain death a hundred years ago, are dealt with somewhat simply now. So what is one to do if they get sick and they also do not buy into a fully materialist paradigm? To discuss we are joined by someone who has recently endured a healing journey and is sharing how it went and how they utilized magic in their healing- Ivy Bromius!

It's hard not to bump up against the Great Beast at some point when doing magic in the 21st Century. So many aspects of Western Occultism owe Crowley a debt in some way or another. Yet as time goes on, many people are speaking out against Crowley or at least highlighting that perhaps he was not all he's cracked up to be. For about seven years, I called myself a Thelemite and would engage in whatever rituals of Crowley's I could find. So, to put a cap on the Month of Crowley, I'd like to share a few of my Beastly Thoughts.

The statement "Aleister Crowley was a complicated figure" is a vast understatement. Depending on who is delivering the message, he can be either a wise teacher pointing to enlightenment and truth, or a monster and a con-artist who thought only of himself always. Our second episode of The Month of the Beast has us talking with the author of several books about Crowley, Richard T. Cole. We dive into the writing of The Book of the Law, some skulduggery as well as the overall message of the New Aeon.

Without a doubt the one figure that comes to mind for many when the word Occult and/or Magic is mentioned- is Aleister Crowley. He is a monumental figure and the modern occult still resides in his shadow to this day. Much of what passes for Magic these days owes some sort of debt to Crowley as he was both prolific and influential in many ways. The Great Beast lived an extraordinary life and each biography of Crowley seems to show a different person. On this episode, joining WMiT? is the scholar and author of the most comprehensive Biography of Aleister Crowley, Richard Kaczynski PhD!

Happy Crowleymas! A short episode detailing what's going to be happening over the Next month on What Magic is This?  Grab your robes and Books of Law, we're going over the one Magician that everyone knows- Aleister Crowley!  IAO, 93 and all of that! 

If Western Magic is to have one document that many consider to be foundational and essential- that would be the Three Books of Occult Philosophy by Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa. The Three Books are Agrippa's attempt to synthesize magic with religion, going from the natural world to the celestial world and beyond. Joining the discussion on this extremely important text is someone who has understood the importance of Three Books well- Wren Collier, and the man who single-handedly produced the first English translation of Three Books in nearly 400 years- Eric Purdue!

Say the word Goetia and what comes to mind for many a magician is the summoning of Demons from the pits of hell. Yet many magicians are unaware from where the word Goetia came from but also what Goetia actually was. In this Episode of WMiT?, we go through the origins of Goetia as an ancient Greek tributary funeral practice, how the meaning of Goetia changed in the Renaissance and to the document that most people know the word from- The Ars Goetia, a very unique Grimoire. You've been summoned.