Rejected Religion Podcast

This episode is a special 'listener response' to episode 17's 'esoteric in art,' with guest Michael Carter. Michael is an artist and teacher living in Los Angeles, CA. He holds an MFA from Claremont Graduate University in CA, shows his work in live performances, gives lectures, and and exhibited works in both the U.S. and Europe.   Michael's personal interest in Theosophy plays a large role in his...

Interview Highlights:  Brennan begins by talking about the figure of Lilith as she has been portrayed in historical myths and legends; and then moves to more modern interpretations of Lilith as a 'dark feminine' archetype, and as a feminist. Our discussion then shifts to how Lilith can be linked to queerness, and how the poet Renee Vivien used Lilith as a muse in her work (even more so than the fi...

Karen Swartz (Åbo Academy University)  Interview Highlights:  Karen shares some of her preliminary research findings regarding four women - Marie Steiner von-Sivers, Ita Wegman, Edith Maryon, and Judith von Halle (not three as I mistakenly mention in the interview) - all deeply involved within the Anthroposophical Society over the past decades and in the present day. While doing research for her P...

Interview Highlights:  Thomas begins by giving some background on Violet Mary Firth, later known as Dion Fortune. He describes her somewhat rebellious nature, and how Fortune did not always agree with the notion that certain things should be kept "secret". However, she did stress the need to be careful and skeptical of those who purport to have the "truth". Thomas then moves to the topic of initia...

To view Tommy's presentation, please follow this link to the YouTube Channel Lynchland (Tommy's presentation is in Part IV, near the beginning of the video):   Twin Peaks | The Return Online Conference - YouTube Interview Highlights: Tommy begins by talking about his own motivations to create a presentation for the Twin Peaks online conference. We then move the discussion to talk about several con...

Video uploaded on YouTube on August 18, 2021 Interview Highlights:  Joel begins by sharing how he came to write about Grant Morrison's Batman RIP, and then we dive into many Buddhist concepts that Morrison uses in their story. As Joel explains these concepts, he also points out how Morrison uses them differently than a Buddhist practicioner would - this due to the great influence of Western occult...

Interview Highlights:  Ninian begins by talking about the recently published Black Books and Red Book by Jung, and how the Black Books acted as journals to explore Jung's own consciousness. She then discusses the fantasy Jung had about a 'madhouse', who Jung 'met' in the fantasy, and what Jung was trying to 'sort out' in all of this. This leads to a discussion about pathological madness and divine...

In Part 2, we move the conversation to discuss some points brought up in few academic articles, such as how rituals create a liminal space for connection with the invisible realm; the importance of exhibitions for providing spaces of encounter; the importance of religion or spirituality in the art space; what automatism is; and how art can respond to, or cope with, radical changes in the world. PR...

In Part 1, Pádraic and Ewoud both talk about their backgrounds and their own interests in the esoteric/occult, and then we move on to talk more about the inspiration for 'The Great Invocation' (Garage Rotterdam), plus Ewoud's inspiration for his own installation there. We talk more about the Theosophical Society as a movement and how it relates to contemporary art; we talk about Kurt Seligmann and...

Interview Highlights:  As Elena discusses, 'real vampyres' are those who feel a physical need to consume energy, whether it be blood or 'psychic' energy. As her research takes an inclusive, sexuological perspective, Elena suggests that this might be a sexual orientation for some. Her research into fetish identity explores the possible connections between this identity and vampyrism, as her data in...

Interview Highlights:  Richard begins by giving a short background and biography of Waite and the people who had a great influence on his life. We discuss Waite's famous tarot deck and the inspiration for it, noting that illustrator Pamela Coleman Smith is often omitted from being mentioned. Richard then talks in more detail about how Waite's 'outsider status' has led to his work being neglected,...

Part 2 Highlights: My conversation with Jenny goes in a direction that I had not really anticipated, but was happy to let organically unfold. Jenny begins by talking about the contemporary pagan practices and traditional Irish views about Samhain or Halloween, but from there we talk rather in-depth about the complex relationship between the dead and 'the good people', otherwise known as fairies- w...

Part One Highlights: Jenny begins by explaining the meanings of the terms 'neo-pagan' and 'pagan,' and why she has stopped using the first term and opts instead for 'contemporary pagan.' We then delve into the topic of death and how death and the dead are viewed in Irish traditions, as well as in some contemporary pagan views. The conversation extends to the roles of women, and traditions such as...

Rejected Religion Spotlight with Keith Ready, Chairman of the Boleskine House Foundation Boleskine House: Heritage, History, and Esotericism INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS Keith starts our discussion by giving a short background and history of Boleskine House and the surrounding area. We then move to how the house is linked to the area of esotericism/occultism through one of its more famous (infamous?) owne...

The podcast episode for October will be delayed a bit, but look for a new audio-only version of Rejected Religion Spotlight (featured on YouTube)! 

In Part 2, Mriganka discusses two important figures within the Indian Theosophical Society - Peary Chand Mittra and Mohini Chatterji - how they became 'on the radar' of Blavatsky and Olcott, their differing ideas and perspectives, and how escalating tensions led to a break between Mohini Chatterji and Blavatsky. Mriganka talks in particular about how Indian philosophies such as Advaita Vedanta inf...

In Part 1, Mriganka gives an outline of the cultural, social, and religious history in Bengal, and the beginnings of the Theosophical Society in India - why Calcutta was so attractive to Helena Blavatsky and Henry Olcott, and who they were interested in as potential members. Mriganka also gives an explanation of particular terms that we use often in our conversation, such as the Brahmo Samaj sect...

In Part 2, Stewart offers a rich and very detailed discussion of the aristocratic elite group of the Élus Coëns. He discusses their formation, their Gnostic (world-hating) beliefs, their rituals, why the group dispersed and how it morphed into what is now known as Martinism. Stewart also discusses the underlying nationalism that seems to accompany Masonic research and what can be done to combat th...

In Part 1, Stewart starts by talking about the diverse views of Freemasonry, and how influential Freemasonry has been to many other esoteric and occult societies. I also ask Stewart to give his opinions about why Freemasonry is a common target for conspiracy theorists, especially those found within UFO conspiracies.  PROGRAM NOTES Stewart's new book, The Green Book of the  Élus Coëns , offers an i...

In Part 2, we wrap up our discussion of Jonathon's book by talking about the ironic fact that sovereign power is rarely attainable, and how the demonized are required for the sovereign to remain in existence. We also look at other spiritual warfare narratives in order to compare and contrast the present discussion with earlier discourses. We start with the millennialist concept of the rapture and...

In Part 1 of our discussion, Jonathon begins by talking about their approach in their book, and how this approach broadens the context of the discussion around demonology and spiritual warfare to include contemporary issues surrounding topics such as gender and sexuality, ethnicity, immigration, and heteronormativity. We then move the discussion to talk more in detail about the three demon-concept...

In Part 2, we continue our discussion by looking at how the women were received and perceived within Thelema. Manon explains her term "proximal authority" and how this relates to Leah, Jane, and Marjorie. We then move to how the women were discussed in the media, their reception outside of the official organization, the legacy of each of the women, and their impact and influence on our culture.  ...

In Part 1, Manon shares a bit of information about her project (funded by the Swedish Research Council), and what motivated her to start looking into the lives of three women within Thelema, and how the project has been going so far. She then gives an extensive biographical background of each of the women she's researching - Leah Hirsig, Jane Wolfe, and Marjorie Cameron - how they came to Thelema,...

In Part 2, we move into modernity, where Rune discusses the impact of a radicalized Protestantism that has had a disruptive impact on animist traditions, and the negative psychological effects that a disconnection from the land can cause. We then move to a discussion of how we can experiment in different ways to re-traditionalize ourselves with this knowledge before delving into the more controver...

In Part 1, Rune and I talk about what animism is and how we can understand it, especially in relation to other religions such as Heathenry and (Neo)Paganism. We also discuss why this animist knowledge was rejected in the first place by looking back in history, and Rune explains important animist concepts, such as Ragnarok and Yggdrasil (the world tree), and how these concepts are extremely importa...