ANGELA'S SYMPOSIUM 📖 Academic Study on Witchcraft, Paganism, esotericism, magick and the Occult

What is the Church of the SubGenius?

What if parody could be sacred? This video explores the Church of the SubGenius—a surreal blend of satire, esotericism, and counterculture. Discover the origins of “Bob” Dobbs, the mystery of Slack, and how this invented religion both mocks and mirrors spiritual belief. Drawing from academic research on contemporary religion, occultism, and pop culture, this episode unpacks one of the most bizarre and thought-provoking movements of our time. Is it a joke, a faith, or something in between? Watch to find out.

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RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖

REFERENCES 📚

Bauduin, T. M., (2015) “The ‘Continuing Misfortune’ of Automatism in Early Surrealism”, communication +14(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.7275/R5QV3JGQ

Cusack, C. M. (2010). Invented religions: Faith, fiction, imagination. Farnham, UK: Ashgate.

Dobbs, J. R. (1994). Revelation X: The "Bob" Apocryphon: Appointed to be Read in Churches. Simon & Schuster.

Duggan, C. (2015). Chaos magick. In C. Partridge (Ed.), The occult world (pp. 406–411). London, UK: Routledge.

Foundation, S. (2009). Book of the Subgenius. Gallery Books.

Greer, J. C. (2022). The psychedelic church movement. In E. Asprem (Ed.), Dictionary of contemporary esotericism [Preprint manuscript]. Contemporary Esotericism Research Network.

Henderson, B. (2006). The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. HarperCollins.

Partridge, C. (2005). The re-enchantment of the West: Alternative spiritualities, sacralization, popular culture and occulture (Vol. 2). London, UK: T&T Clark International.

Partridge, C. (Ed.). (2015). The occult world. London, UK: Routledge.

Puckett, R. (2009). Re-enchanting the world. In J. R. Lewis & P. Murphy (Eds.), Handbook of contemporary paganism (pp. [xx–xx]). Brill.

Stang, I. (1988). High weirdness by mail. Simon & Schuster.

Taylor, B. (Ed.). (2005). The encyclopedia of religion and nature (Vol. 1). Continuum.

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What if divination doesn’t just reveal the future, but intervenes in it?

In this episode, I explore the philosophical and esoteric dimensions of divination, asking what it really means to predict the future and whether that future can be changed. Drawing on thinkers from Boethius to Bergson, Kant to Crowley, I examine how different conceptions of time—linear, cyclical, eternalist, presentist, and modal—radically shape what we believe divination can do.

Is time a fixed block in which all events already exist? Is it unfolding moment by moment, shaped by consciousness? Or is it a branching field of possible futures that we navigate with every choice?

We’ll look at how various systems—from Renaissance astrology and Hermeticism to Theosophy, Tarot, and chaos magic—frame divination as more than foresight. In these traditions, divination becomes a participatory act, where knowledge of what might happen empowers the practitioner to shift timelines, align with the True Will, or avoid danger entirely. That brings us to the heart of the matter: agency. If a future can be known, can it still be changed? And if it is changed, was it ever really known?

This episode is an in-depth journey through the metaphysics of time, fate, and freedom—essential listening for anyone who practises or studies divination, magic, or the philosophy of consciousness.

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In this video, I explore the magical dimension of Bruno’s thought—an aspect often overlooked or dismissed in favour of his more fashionable reputation as a forerunner of modern astronomy. But Bruno was no mere proto-scientist. He was a visionary who believed that the universe was infinite, ensouled, and fundamentally magical—a living network of correspondences that could be navigated through imagination, desire, and memory.

Drawing from his key texts—De Magia, De Vinculis in Genere, On the Composition of Images, Signs and Ideas—and supported by the work of scholars like Frances Yates, Ioan Couliano, Karen DeLeón-Jones, and Manuel Mertens, I show how Bruno developed a magical system where cosmology, ritual, and philosophy collapse into one another. His art of memory wasn’t just a mental exercise—it was a theurgical practice. His use of images wasn’t ornamental—it was a means of binding the soul to the divine. And his vision of the magician wasn’t that of a trickster or charlatan, but of a philosopher in ecstatic alignment with the cosmos.

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RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖

REFERENCES 📚

Primary Texts by Giordano Bruno

Bruno, G., & Morehead, W. (1713). Spaccio de la Bestia Trionfante: Or the Expulsion of the Triumphant Beast. John Humphreys.

Bruno, G. (1991). On the composition of images, signs and ideas (C. Doria, Trans.; D. Higgins, Ed.). Willis, Locker & Owens.

Bruno, G. (2000). Cause, principle and unity: And essays on magic (R. J. Blackwell, R. de Lucca, & A. C. Leone, Trans.). Cambridge University Press.

Bruno, G., Tocco, F., & Vitelli, H. (Eds.). (1962). De vinculis in genere. F. Frommann.

Bruno, G. (2013). On the heroic frenzies: A translation of De gli eroici furori (1585) (S. L. Sears, Trans.). University of Toronto Press.

Secondary Literature and Scholarly Studies

Couliano, I. P. (1987). Eros and magic in the Renaissance. University of Chicago Press.

DeLeón-Jones, K. S. (1997). Giordano Bruno and the Kabbalah: Prophets, magicians, and rabbis. Yale University Press.

Greer, J. M., & Warnock, C. (2011). The complete Picatrix: The occult classic of astrological magic (Liber Atratus edition). Adocentyn Press.

Karnowska, M. (2011). Mag znaczy filozof: magia Giordana Bruna w świetle jego traktatu O magii. Symbolae Philologorum Posnaniensium Graecae et Latinae, 21(2), 181–189.

Mertens, M. (2018). Magic and memory in Giordano Bruno: The art of a heroic spirit. Brill.

Walker, D. P. (2000). Spiritual and demonic magic: From Ficino to Campanella. Pennsylvania State University Press.

Yates, F. A. (1964). Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic tradition. University of Chicago Press.

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✨ Italian Folk Magic and Shamanism: A Course in the Tradition of Segnature ✨

I’m Dr Angela Puca, and I’m beyond excited to finally share this with you.

This is not just another witchcraft course. It’s the first and only course on Segnature taught live by the only Italian and only academic who has studied this tradition systematically, academically, and from within.

Over 11 live Zoom sessions, I’ll guide you through the real history and living practice of Italian folk magic. We’ll look at how it survived persecution, how it intertwines with Catholicism, and how it functions as a form of indigenous Italian shamanism. I’ll show you the healing signs, words, and gestures passed down in secrecy, and we’ll explore spells for love, protection, prosperity, and ancestral work—always rooted in ethical, respectful practice.

I’ve already published on this topic with Brill, and I’m currently writing a new book with never-before-shared material from my fieldwork. And in this course? I’m sharing that research with you first.

⚠️ This will very likely be the only time I run this course live.

You’ll have direct access to me, Q&As, recordings, and community support on my private Discord.

We start on Saturday, July 19th.

🎁 Patrons get 50% off.

👉 Sign up now at https://drangelapuca.com/courses

Let’s walk this path of our ancestors together.

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In this special episode—presented for the first time in Italian with (ala, literal and not always accurate) English subtitles—Dr Angela Puca is joined by Emanuele Viotti, founder of Ad Maiora Vertite, for a discussion on the religion of ancient Rome.

Emanuele Viotti is a respected educator and independent scholar in the field of Roman traditional religion. Since founding Ad Maiora Vertite in 2012, he has authored and curated numerous publications—often in collaboration with academics—on Roman religiosity. Viotti lectures on Roman religion at the Centro Nazionale di Studi Classici GrecoLatinoVivo, where his courses are recognised by Italy’s Ministry of Education. He has presented at academic conferences, contributes to the rediscovery of Italian heritage through historically themed guided tours, and was awarded the Rimini–Europa in the World international culture prize in 2023 for his work on Roman tradition and historical outreach.

Topics explored include:

– The distinction between orthopraxy and orthodoxy in Roman religiosity

– The numinous and the function of sacra privata vs. sacra publica

– Ritual precision, priesthoods, and everyday cultic practice

– The transmission of religious knowledge in domestic and civic spaces

– Local religious variation across the Roman world

– Misconceptions surrounding figures like Diana and “Lucifer”

– The challenges and potentials of reconstructing Roman religion today

This episode also critically examines how Roman religion functioned as a pragmatic, ritual-based system without imposed theological dogma, contrasting sharply with post-Nicene Christianity. Emanuele Viotti offers rare insights into original Latin sources, epigraphic evidence, and the ritual economy of the Roman world, while discussing how Roman traditionalism is interpreted and lived in contemporary contexts.

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Bibliography provided by Emanuele 📚

About Roman Religion:

- G. Dumezil, La religion romaine archaïque, avec un'appendice sur la religion des Étrusques. Parigi, Payot, 1964

- J. Sheid, Quand faire, c'est croire. Les rites sacrificiels des Romains, Editions Aubier, coll. «Historique», Parigi, 2005

- J. Rupke, Pantheon: A New History of Roman Religion, Princeton University Press, 2018

- D. Sabbatucci, La religione di Roma antica: dal calendario festivo all'ordine cosmico, Milano, Il Saggiatore, 1988

- L. Ferro, M. Monteleone, Miti Romani: il racconto, Einaudi, 2010

- M. Bettini, Dèi e uomini nella città. Antropologia, religione e cultura nella Roma antica, Roma, Carocci, 2015

E. Viotti, La Via Romana agli Dèi: la storia, i miti, le fondamenta e i riti della religione romana oggi, Armenia, 2022

About Moon goddeses:

- Lucius Annaeus Cornutus, Theologiae Graecae compendium, 34

- N. Serafini, La dea Diana nell'Ars Amatoria: Ovidio e la tradizione greca, in EVPHROSYNE, 41, 2013, 131-146

- N. Serafini, Antichi dèi, oggi: la Ecate dei neo-pagani, Minerva 27 (2014), 203-225

- (JUST FOR RECONSTRUCTION, NOT VALID ANYMORE FOR THE ANALYSIS) J. Frazer, The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion, 1915

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Why does Paganism attract so many LGBTQ+ people—and how are queer practitioners reshaping Pagan traditions from within?

In this in-depth episode, Dr Angela Puca draws on extensive academic research and ethnographic evidence to explore the powerful intersection of queerness and contemporary Paganism. We’ll examine why decentralised structures, ritual flexibility, and the sacralisation of the body make Paganism particularly resonant for queer seekers. From feminist Wicca to trans-inclusive magical circles, and from the mythic play of the Minoan Brotherhood to the controversies surrounding Dianic Witchcraft, this episode uncovers the theological innovations and spiritual practices that queer Pagans are creating.

Drawing on scholarship by Sarah Pike, Melissa Wilcox, Robert Wallis, Martin Lepage, Kathryn Rountree, and many others, this lecture explores topics such as gender alchemy, ritual storytelling, queer reinterpretations of myth, and the embodied politics of magical practice. It also problematises the gender polarity model in traditional Wicca and explores how LGBTQ+ practitioners are queering divinity itself.

Join us for a critical and compassionate conversation about how Paganism becomes not only a refuge for LGBTQ+ individuals but also a space of radical religious creativity.

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REFERENCES 📚

Berger, H. A., Leach, E. A., & Shaffer, L. S. (2003). Voices from the Pagan Census: A National Survey of Witches and Neo-Pagans in the United States. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press.

Clifton, C. S. (2006). Her Hidden Children: The Rise of Wicca and Paganism in America. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press.

Coyle, T. T. (2012). Snapshots: Musings on polarity and flow. In S. Thompson, G. Pond, P. Tanner, et al. (Eds.), Gender and Transgender in Modern Paganism (pp. 91–92). Circle of Cerridwen Press.

Eller, C. (1993). Living in the Lap of the Goddess: The Feminist Spirituality Movement in America. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.

Helix. (2012). Polarity without gender. In S. Thompson, G. Pond, P. Tanner, et al. (Eds.), Gender and Transgender in Modern Paganism (pp. 35–40). Circle of Cerridwen Press.

Kaldera, R. (2012). The third voice. In S. Thompson, G. Pond, P. Tanner, et al. (Eds.), Gender and Transgender in Modern Paganism (pp. 75–86). Circle of Cerridwen Press.

Lepage, M. (2013). A Lokian family: Queer and Pagan agency in Montreal. The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies, 15(1–2), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1558/pome.v15i1–2.1

Mueller, M. (2017). The chalice and the rainbow: Conflicts between women’s spirituality and transgender rights in US Wicca in the 2010s. In I. B. (Eds.), Female Leaders in New Religious Movements (pp. 249–268). London: Palgrave Macmillan.

(check the last slide on screen for the complete bibliography)

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In this episode, we delve into one of the most profound and contested questions in both philosophy and esotericism: What is the self in magical practice?

Drawing on thinkers such as René Descartes, David Hume, and Carl Jung, we examine how the self has been variously conceived as a rational substance, a bundle of perceptions, or an archetypal totality. We then explore how these models intersect with key esoteric frameworks, from Aleister Crowley’s doctrine of the True Will and the invocation of the Holy Guardian Angel, to the layered soul of Hermetic Qabalah, and the radically performative self of chaos magic.

Is the magical self unified, fragmented, performative, or transcendent? And how do different traditions answer this question through their rituals, symbols, and spiritual technologies?

Join me as we explore the shifting boundaries between self, soul, and sorcery.

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REFERENCES 📚

Carroll, P. J. (1987). Liber Null & Psychonaut: An introduction to chaos magic. Samuel Weiser.

Crowley, A. (1904/1997). The Book of the Law (Liber AL vel Legis). In H. B. Urban (Ed.), The Law is for All: The Authorized Popular Commentary of Liber AL vel Legis (pp. 3–41). New Falcon Publications.

Crowley, A. (1929/1998). Magick in theory and practice. Castle Books.

Crowley, A. (1998). The Vision and the Voice: With commentary and other papers. Weiser Books. (Original work published 1911)

Crowley, A. (1999). Magick: Book four – Liber ABA. York Beach, ME: Weiser Books.

Descartes, R. (1641/1996). Meditations on first philosophy (J. Cottingham, Trans.). Cambridge University Press.

Hume, D. (1739/2000). A treatise of human nature (D. F. Norton & M. J. Norton, Eds.). Oxford University Press.

Jung, C. G. (1953). Psychological aspects of the personality. In Two essays on analytical psychology (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.; Vol. 7 of The Collected Works of C. G. Jung, pp. 123–240). Princeton University Press.

Jung, C. G. (1959). Aion: Researches into the phenomenology of the self (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.; Vol. 9, Part II of The Collected Works of C. G. Jung). Princeton University Press.

Jung, C. G. (1963). Memories, dreams, reflections (A. Jaffé, Ed.; R. Winston & C. Winston, Trans.). Pantheon Books.

Kraig, D. M. (2002). Modern magick: Eleven lessons in the high magickal arts (2nd ed.). Llewellyn Publications.

00:00 Exploring the Role of the Self in Magical Traditions

01:26 The Legacy of Descartes' Cogito and the Conception of Self

02:54 David Hume's Challenge to the Concept of a Stable Self

04:28 Jung's Model of the Self in Analytical Psychology

06:03 The Multifaceted Nature of the Self in Western Philosophy

06:54 Support Angela’s Symposium

07:27 The Concept of True Will in Thelema

10:02 The Soul in Hermetic Qabalah

12:47 Magical Identity as Ritual Performance

14:25 Esoteric Debates on the Nature of the Self

15:27 The Self as Crucible of Magical Transformation

16:14 Support Angela’s Symposium

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In this live interview, I am joined by Dr Christina Oakley Harrington—medieval historian, long-standing practitioner of witchcraft, and founder of the renowned Treadwell’s Bookshop in London—for a conversation that traces the intersections of scholarship, community, and contemporary esotericism.

We explore the historical development of modern witchcraft, with particular attention to the inclusive dimensions of early Wiccan covens such as the New Forest group. Drawing from Christina’s research, the discussion addresses the presence of LGBTQ individuals in the early history of the Craft, challenging homogenised narratives and highlighting the movement’s radical potential from its inception.

Our dialogue also reflects on the transformation of esoteric communities in London over recent decades. Christina discusses the decline of public gatherings such as the Pub Moots of the 1980s and 1990s, and considers the evolving role of the esoteric bookshop as a site of both knowledge transmission and community formation in the contemporary landscape.

The conversation further addresses her personal journey from academic research in medieval studies to the establishment of Treadwell’s, offering insights into the ways historical scholarship and spiritual practice can mutually enrich one another. We also touch on her written contributions, including Dreams of Witches and The Treadwell’s Book of Plant Magic, which exemplify her ability to synthesise rigorous historical insight with accessible spiritual praxis.

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Christina Oakley Harrington is an independent scholar of religion who works on twentieth century pagan witchcraft and the history of European herbal magic Trained as a medieval historian (PhD UCL), she was a Lecturer in History for twelve years on the faculty of St Mary's University (Surrey). She is author of Women in a Celtic Church: Ireland 450-1150 (Oxford University Press) and Dreams of Witches (Black Letter Press) as well as articles both scholarly and journalistic. She co-edited Abraxas: International Journal of Esoteric Studies 2010-2015. Her popular work Treadwell's Book of Plant Magic, aimed at a general audience, has sold over 10,000 copies in the five years since its publication. Since 2003 she has run Treadwell's Bookshop in London, a crossroads between researchers and practitioners of Western esoteric traditions. In Spring 2025 she was Scholar in Residence at Harvard University's Center for World Religions.

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What is Freemasonry?

This episode presents an in-depth academic overview of Freemasonry, the world’s oldest initiatory society independent of religious institutions. Drawing on peer-reviewed scholarship and primary source analysis, it traces Freemasonry's historical evolution from its medieval operative roots to its speculative transformation in the eighteenth century and its global spread through colonial, imperial, and transnational networks.

We explore the major Masonic traditions—Regular (Anglo-American), Liberal (Continental), mixed-gender, and female orders—highlighting their theological, political, and ritual distinctions. It examines the function and symbolism of Masonic initiation, the role of embodied ritual in shaping moral and esoteric knowledge, and the use of architectural space, tracing boards, and mythic narratives in the ritual construction of identity.

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RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖

REFERENCES 📚

Berman, R. (2013). Schism: The battle that forged Freemasonry. Lewis Masonic.

Bogdan, H., & Snoek, J. A. M. (Eds.). (2014). Handbook of Freemasonry. Brill.

Brown, L. A. (2013). Mystic ties of brotherhood: Freemasonry, ritual, and Hawaiian royalty in the nineteenth century. Journal of Social History, 47(1), 198–219.

Dance traces surviving in the ritual of Freemasonry. (n.d.). Unpublished manuscript.

de Hoyos, A. (n.d.). Is it true what they say about Freemasonry? The Masonic Information Center.

Ferré Benimeli, J. A. (2014). Freemasonry and the Catholic Church. In H. Bogdan & J. A. M. Snoek (Eds.), Handbook of Freemasonry (pp. 139–154). Brill.

Geographies of Freemasonry: Ritual, Lodge, and City in Spatial Context. (n.d.). Unpublished manuscript.

Harland-Jacobs, J. (2014). Freemasonry and colonialism. In H. Bogdan & J. A. M. Snoek (Eds.), Handbook of Freemasonry (pp. 439–460). Brill.

Jacob, M. C. (2014). Freemasonry and politics in Enlightenment Europe. In H. Bogdan & J. A. M. Snoek (Eds.), Handbook of Freemasonry (pp. 155–172). Brill.

Mackey, A. G. (2010). The symbolism of Freemasonry: Illustrating and explaining its science and philosophy, its legends, myths and symbols. Andrews UK.

Mollier, P. (2014). Freemasonry and Templarism. In H. Bogdan & J. A. M. Snoek (Eds.), Handbook of Freemasonry (pp. 82–99). Brill.

Moore, W. D. (2006). Masonic temples: Freemasonry, ritual architecture, and masculine archetypes. University of Tennessee Press.

Snoek, J. A. M. (2012). Initiating women in Freemasonry: The adoption rite. Brill.

Stevenson, D. (2014). The origins of Freemasonry: Scotland. In H. Bogdan & J. A. M. Snoek (Eds.), Handbook of Freemasonry (pp. 50–62). Brill.

Prescott, A. (2014). The Old Charges. In H. Bogdan & J. A. M. Snoek (Eds.), Handbook of Freemasonry (pp. 33–49). Brill.

Porset, C. (2014). Masonic historiography. In H. Bogdan & J. A. M. Snoek (Eds.), Handbook of Freemasonry (pp. 117–138). Brill.

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Let's explore the complex tradition of Hermeticism—an esoteric philosophy rooted in Hellenistic Egypt and attributed to the legendary Hermes Trismegistus. Exploring its metaphysical teachings, spiritual practices such as alchemy, astrology, and ritual magic, and its profound influence on Renaissance thinkers, Freemasonry, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and modern occultism, this video offers an accessible yet academically grounded journey through one of the most enduring currents in Western esoteric thought. Perfect for those curious about the deeper layers of magic, mysticism, and spiritual transformation.

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REFERENCES 📚

(full bibliography on screen by the end)

Copenhaver, B. P. (1992). Hermetica: The Greek Corpus Hermeticum and the Latin Asclepius in a New English Translation with Notes and Introduction. Cambridge University Press.

Faivre, A. (1994). Access to Western Esotericism. SUNY Press.

Fowden, G. (1993). The Egyptian Hermes: A Historical Approach to the Late Pagan Mind. Princeton University Press.

Hanegraaff, Wouter J. (2021). Hermetic Spirituality and the Historical Imagination: Altered States of Knowledge in Late Antiquity. Cambridge University Press.

Hanegraaff, W. J. (2013). Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed. Bloomsbury Academic.

Moreschini, C. (2022). Hermetica and Gnosticism. In S. Page & C. Rider (Eds.), The Routledge History of Medieval Magic. Routledge.

Principe, L. M. (2013). The Secrets of Alchemy. University of Chicago Press.

Shaw, G. (1995). Theurgy and the Soul: The Neoplatonism of Iamblichus. Pennsylvania State University Press.

Stroumsa, G. G. (2005). Hidden Wisdom: Esoteric Traditions and the Roots of Christian Mysticism (2nd ed.). Brill.

van Bladel, K. (2009). The Arabic Hermes: From Pagan Sage to Prophet of Science. Oxford University Press.

Yates, F. A. (1964). Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition. University of Chicago Press.

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