What Magic Is This?

If there is one Occult book that is omnipresent, in bookshops and on a Magicians bookshelf, it would be Aleister Crowley's Liber 777. A book of correspondences that showcase the exchange between Kabbalism, Gods, Elements, Planets and many many more. But how did these correspondences come about? How did the book come to be made? How is the book to be used Magically? Doug goes through all this and h...

We all have them. Each time we go to sleep, something odd occurs. While our eyes may be closed and we are certainly unconscious- it is almost as if our brain is awake. At this point, we are in the Dream Realm. Through the generations, each culture has attached certain functions to dreaming. Yet with all of our knowledge, there still is no consensus as to the purpose of dreams. Countless theories e...

Consciousness is pretty much everything. Everything that you've apprehended in your life is due to being able to have conscious experience. But why is it that perhaps the most fundamental ability in our life is so hard to pin down? Why are we Conscious? Where is Consciousness? How did we become Conscious? What do we do with it now? Is it evolving? All of these questions are brought up with my gues...

In this episode of What Magic is This? we head back to the Fools Gallery with the enigmatic political French Occultist Éliphas Lévi. Pretty much most of what is considered Modern Occultism can be traced back to him. What did he write about? Only that all magic has some kind of direct lineage through all of history and that there is another world underneath this one. Interesting ideas. But how much...

Technical issues from my end. My laptop has been acting up and basically petered out as I was recording the newest episode of What Magic is This? So as to not keep everybody waiting, I've recorded a solo show! The first part is about how I came to be a Magician; what led me to thee Temple of Magic. The second half of the episode is a Q&A in which I (hopefully) answer some of the listeners question...

Perhaps the greatest gift that we possess in the world is our Imagination. Without it, we would not have our greatest works of literature, paintings, music, film, even scientific breakthroughs. But science and the materialist worldview has few means to explain what the Imagination is. We know it is a 'thing' that gives us 'things' to help us and move us. On this episode of What Magic is This?  I a...

Symbols. We are awash in them. No matter where you are, 'Things' are being represented by other 'things.' For many people, strange symbols in books or elsewhere are their introduction to the world of the Occult. But what are symbols themselves, and how can they be used within a magical perspective? Alex joins me to try and get to the crux of the matter, and I lay out my perspective as to what they...

Back to the Fools Gallery! Our second resident is none other than the great Robert Anton Wilson. Writer, itinerant lecturer and all around swell guy. Bob certainly left quite a legacy and the impact of his 1977 autobiography  Cosmic Trigger  solidified its place as one of the greatest books in the pantheon of weird literature. If you want to get started in Magic and the Occult, you have to get to...

Coincidences are everywhere. But they are certainly a double-edged sword. For some they show that the universe is more connected and has the best intentions in store for us. For others, the word is used as a weapon to discount and dispel many paranormal or supernatural phenomena. But what happens when that coincidence goes into overdrive and something so seemingly profound and unknowingly meaningf...

Soul Flight, Astral Projection, Astral Travel, Etheric Travel, maybe even Remote Viewing and Bilocation. A lot of terms for something that is very fundamental to Magic. Is something really going on- are people visiting other places, worlds, stars and planets, while their 'real' body is safe somewhere else? Or are they just using their imagination? Then again, what is real? What is imaginary? My gu...

Welcome to the Fools Gallery! Our first resident is Carl Jung . For many, such words as Archetype, Collective Unconscious, Introvert and Extrovert are perhaps all they know about The Hexenmeister of Zurich. But Jung lived a life absolutely awash in the occult and was certainly a mystic (although he wouldn't say so). My guest Daniel joins me for an overview of Jung's life, ideas and the many instan...

In this episode of What Magic is This?  I am joined by my guest Simon who has chosen the wonderfully broad subject of ' Spells .' We get into what a spell is, its etymology, a little history, and much much more. Doug gives his definition of a spell and we also talk about what it feels like to cast a spell which might not be what you are expecting. This pod gets casted.  Support my Flourishing on P...

I talk with (but mostly at) my guest Andre about Discordianism- a parody religion that for it's time was quite a big deal. From its origin story to the individuals involved. Hail Eris!   Support my Flourishing on Patreon or if you enjoyed this episode, Toss a coin or two my way !

An introduction regarding the aims of this Podcast.