Mancy

Alchemy. The science of understanding, deconstructing and reconstructing matter. Of all the Mancy's we have covered on the show, Alchemy has had the largest impact on the progress of humanity by far. Once at the forefront of academic thought, Alchemy was both controversial and revered. In part 1, RJ discusses the principals of hermeticism and gnosticism which make up the basis for alchemical thought and philosophy. The Hermetic philosophy of "as above, so below" helped inform alchemists experiments and fueled their pursuit of divinity through the accumulation of knowledge and discovery. RJ discusses Hermes Trismegistus, Zosimos of Panopolis, and Issac Newton's pursuits in alchemy. The extra spell is about the philosopher's stone, the Alchemists holy grail said to grant eternal life and transmute lead into gold.  At the end of the episode, Elle performs divination by scrying a Discovery Kids chemistry set for Jo! The chemistry set is a "build your own lava lamp" with 10 different experiments. RJ and Elle try two of them. 

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Continuing coverage of the history of Tarot cards and the biography of Aleister Crowley. RJ discusses Crowley's growing interest in the occult and the prolific influence he had. He discusses the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the schism of the order and the various secret societies that all played influence in the mysticism of The Tarot. Elle and RJ discuss Pamela Smith and her iconic illustrations that give the Tarot their timeless and recognizable look. Slowly, Crowley begins to break down psychologically as various diseases and addiction begin to take hold of him. RJ discusses Crowley's time as a cult leader and his eventual death. At the end, Elle does a Tarot reading for Patreon supporter Enan using pokemon cards. 

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One of the most prolific divination methods used today involves reading Tarot cards. The imagery of the tarot is iconic and the cards themselves date back to the 1400's. RJ discusses the history of the cards and how they went from gambling halls to magick societies. Elle discusses her early beginnings reading tarot as the start of her career as a psychic. RJ discusses tarot's first uses for divination in the 1700's and the writings of Antoine Court and Etellia. The tarot was brought into the Freemasons and later The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. RJ Then begins the biography of Aleister Crowley and his upbringing, education, and the beginnings of his interest in the occult. Elle does a reading for Fan of the show Kelsey and Patreon supporter Jenn using the Thoth tarot deck developed by Aleister Crowley, and then the other reading is done with her favorite tarot deck. 

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Continuing coverage of Irish Magic, Elle and RJ move into irish folklore and discuss some notable witches in Ireland. The Extra Spell is about Bridget Cleary and how she was believed to be a changeling by her family. Other notable Irish Witches includ Biddy Early, and the witch trial of Islandmagee which condemned 8 women for witchcraft.  At the end, Elle performs divination with the board game pieces for The Duke, a chess variant game inspired by Ogham. 

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Kicking off Season 2 of Mancy with coverage of Irish Magic. In this episode RJ and Elle discuss Irish Mythology, Celtic culture and the druids at the heart of their civilization, and what happened to them. The Extra Spell is about Cu Chulian, a mythological celtic hero. The episode also covers St. Patrick and his role in the cultural genocide of the celts and druids. At the end of the episode, Elle performs an Ogham reading for Brian, a divination method that features drawing celtic runes engraved on sticks. 

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The conclusion of the Mancy Season 1 Finale! RJ continues the story of Aussie artist Rosaleen Norton and her run-ins with the Vice Police. Rosaleen's controversial sexual paintings were attracting all the wrong attention from all the wrong places, but she managed to turn it around by leaning into the Witch of Kings Cross persona the media had generated for her. The Extra Spell concerns modern sex magic practices and trends and Elle provides her insights on them. At the end of the episode, Elle performs divination using her sexual tarot deck, which features sex positions in place of the traditional Tarot imagery. 

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In part 2 of the Mancy Season 1 finale, RJ and Elle discuss controversial Australian artist Rosaleen Norton and how Sex Magic influenced her art. RJ begins with her biography and Rosaleen's bizarre childhood. By the 1930's, when she was older, Rosaleen began creating controversial works of art including sexualized demons and pagan gods. RJ and Elle discuss the qualities of her work, and Rosaleen's deepening interest in the occult. She became known as The Witch of Kings Cross. Eventually, Rosaleen finds herself on the wrong side of Australia's Vice Police, who begin harassing her at every turn. Elle finishes the episode by performing a cord cutting spell for RJ.

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This is part 1 of the Season 1 finale of Mancy. In this episode RJ discusses the ancient history of Sex Magic, spellwork through sexual action. This includes the ancient origin of Edging and sex magic in ancient china. RJ and Elle also discuss the importance of sex positivity and the dangers of sexual repression. The Extra Spell is about sacred prostitution and how it may have inspired some of the intimacy therapy that exists today.  Moving into the 19th Century, RJ discusses the Sex Magic of Aleister Crowley and does a short biography of Ida Craddock. The extreme censorship of the 19th century brought about by Anthony Comstock and his Comstock laws butted heads with Ida's progressive literature about sex magic. Afterward, RJ starts the biography of Australian artist and sex magician Rosaleen Norton. 
Elle performs Phallomancy using an oracle deck of various penis cards for Madazon Can-Can. 

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This bonus episode of Mancy was made possible by mentalhealthyfit.org which is an arts and information project dedicated to unraveling the stigma surrounding mental illness. In this special episode, the roles are reversed and Elle has written the episode while RJ is interviewed. Elle discusses the history of mental health treatment and how magic has been used to address mental health issues. Elle brings up trephination and other archaic forms of mental health treatment. RJ provides his input in the form of funny voices and historical tidbits. Elle recounts the heartbreaking story of Rosemary Kennedy and how she may have played a part in advancing mental healthcare in America. Afterward, Elle shares her personal story of struggling with mental illness. RJ and Elle discuss what role spirituality plays in mental health treatment. How it helps, and how it can go wrong. 

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This is part 2 of Pyromancy, divination by fire. RJ continues to go down the list of types of pyromancy out there. Alomancy, divination by casting salt into a fire and then the Extra Spell sponsored by MinniePearlVintage.com. In the extra spell RJ discusses trial by fire, and the many forms it ahs taken through history. Then, Botanomancy, Capnomancy, Causinomancy, and Spodomancy. At the end, Elle performs Spodomancy for Christopher, divining leftover Zacatechichi ashes. 

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