Dr. Tara B. M. Smith is an early career interdisciplinary academic that works in the fields of science fiction, literature, religion and popular culture. Tara is currently a research affiliate at the University of Sydney. In 2024 Tara was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for the Study of World Religions at the Harvard Divinity School, Boston, writing on religious ideas and experiences of people that paint and play within the science fiction “grimdark” universe of Warhammer 40,000. Tara is a passionate educator who holds a Graduate Certificate of Higher Education and has taught in academic settings for over 5 years across a variety of units including media studies, religious studies, writing skills and composition. When Tara is not studying, she spends time with her two cats Thomas and Momo and her fiancé Luke in Sydney, Australia.

While most people who talk and think about the story of Dune focus on the political and religious aspects of the series [for example, the Bene Geserit with their genetic breeding program and the Kwisatz Haderach, or the Butlerian Jihad -the war against thinking machines = technology and AI], Tara's article, “The Anthropocene in Frank Herbert’s Dune Series” from 2021 takes a different approach and explores the ecological/philosophical aspects of the story. As she notes, Frank Herbert was warning his readers about their anthropocentric tendencies and urging people instead to think about ecological conservation, or at least he appears to be planting a seed in the minds of the readers to be more aware of their place or role on the Earth.

Poem mentioned in this interview:

“I drove my feet through a desert

Whose mirage fluttered like a host.

Voracious for glory, greedy for danger,

I roamed the horizons of al-Kulab,

Watching time level mountains

In its search and its hunger for me.

And I saw the sparrows swiftly approach,

Bolder than the onrushing wolf.

They spread in the tree of my youth.

I heard the flock in my branches

And was caught on their beaks and claws!”

– from Arrakis Awakening by the Princess Irulan (Herbert 1978, 228)

Dr. Tara Smith:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-b-m-smith-phd-fhea-306418192/

“The Anthropocene in Frank Herbert’s Dune Series”, Foundation 140, 50.3 (2021): 62-74. The_Anthropocene_in_Frank_Herberts_Dune.doc

Theme Music and Editing: Daniel P. Shea
End Production: Stephanie Shea
The full episode can be heard at my Patreon page: www.patreon.com/RejectedReligion, or can be purchased for a one-time fee. 

Happy New Year to you all! For those who may not be following me on Patreon or social media, I have some important announcements for 2025.  

The first being that I’m offering a special 75% discount on the first month’s membership for all Patreon tiers! This offer lasts until the end of February. Use the code RRDINER75 for the discount.

And on the topic of the RR Diner, there’s also news about a change to my Patreon Tiers 3 and 4:  

The content of Tiers 3 and 4 has merged, and Tier 4 is now the RR Diner Book Club! The Club will meet 4 times per year (February, May, August & November) and the price for Tier 4 has been lowered to $17.50 as of January 1st. This price includes all the content from Tiers 1-3 plus the Live Zoom meetings for the Book Club. I’ve already announced the first book over at my Patreon, which is The Super Natural:  A New Vision of the Unexplained by Whitley Strieber and Dr. Jeff Kripal!!

Plus, I'm overjoyed to announce that both authors have agreed to join me for the Live Zoom Meet in February!! We are in the process of finding three potential dates that will be listed via a poll on the Patreon page for Tier 4 members to vote on. That information will be following soon. For now, you can start reading!

Additionally, you can view two free content videos – one about Sidereal Astrology & How to Understand Natal Charts, the other about a new book called _Void Machines_ by Dr. Christian Greer and Dr. Michelle Oing. This art collage book is about 'Talismanic Frequencies of Peak Experiences.' Those videos are free to watch at my Patreon page, my website or my Vimeo channel.  

I’m also excited to announce that I will be collaborating with the Research Network for the Study of Esoteric Practices, otherwise known RENSEP. I will be hosting and moderating some very special conversations between scholars and practitioners throughout the year, called “Spotlight with RENSEP -- Esoteric Crossroads: Scholars Meet Practitioners.”  This content will be available for everyone, and we hope this will promote engagement between the two platforms, as well as offering new topics and opportunities for learning and discussion.

Stay tuned for the announcement of the first Scholar-Practitioner Conversation in early 2025!

Lastly, the new content for January has been delayed due to unexpected internet stability issues that are preventing me from recording interviews. However, I’m hoping to have things fixed well enough so I can get back to work at the end of this week, and start posting again soon.  

Thanks for your patience!

I’m looking forward to an excellent new year!  

www.rejectedreligion.com 

www.patreon.com/RejectedReligion
Discount code:  RRDINER75

https://vimeo.com/user220298192

Music: Daniel P. Shea

This month’s guest on the Rejected Religion Podcast is Brennan Kettelle. Brennan returns for Part 2 of our discussion on Monster Theory, this time looking at the applications of Monster Theory, as well as a more in-depth look at how Brennan is using this theory, along with other related concepts and theories. 

Brennan is a PhD researcher at the Centre for History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents (HHP), University of Amsterdam. Brennan holds an MA in Gender and Cultural studies (2016) and a research MA in Religious Studies, specializing in Western esotericism (2021). She is currenting writing her doctoral dissertation, investigating historical associations between the religiomythic demoness Lilith and queerness within artistic, literary, and occult discourses. Brennan also teaches an 8-week online course on Lilith - focusing on Lilith’s origins and cultural receptions within Western esotericism - for the Brooklyn-based organization Morbid Anatomy. Utilizing monster theory and queer theory in her research, Brennan is more broadly interested in investigating themes of the ‘monstrous-queer’ within esoteric literature, orders, and figures, as well as esoteric themes within queer subcultures, politics, and histories.


Some highlights:

Brennan’s areas of exploration are primarily located in Gender Studies, Queer Theory, Religious Studies, Horror Theory, and Esotericism. In addition, as Monster Theory has a foundation in psychoanalysis and postmodern theories, Brennan expands on this in greater detail. This leads us into a conversation about the recent film, The Substance, as well as theories found in Foucault’s works. 

Shifting the focus to Religious Studies, Brennan notes how monsters are most often aligned with evil; however, there are exceptions to this when it comes to werewolves in the Bible, for example. [Note: the text that I am reading from regarding werewolves in the Bible as well as the Werewolf Renaissance is taken from my own Research Master thesis.] Religion and Horror Studies intersect in films such as Longlegs, where we can see themes such as “monstrous infection” or a returning sickness.
As Brennan states, “the monster is the illumination of everything a society oppresses or represses.”

Speaking on the working term of ‘stigmatized alignment,’  Brennan uses the examples of poet Renee Vivien, and “The Witch of Kings Cross” Rosaleen Norton to explain this concept in more detail. 

In closing, Brennan touches upon the adjacent theory of Hauntology, where past ‘monsters’ linger in the present and haunt us. Time, in this instance, could be seen as a monster as well. 

This is the Free Content version of Episode 33; you can find the full episode at my Patreon page: https://patreon.com/RejectedReligion?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
This episode is also available for a one-time purchase.

PROGRAM NOTES

Find Brennan:

https://uva.academia.edu/SBrennanKettelle

https://www.instagram.com/_restingwitchface/

Monster Theory Resources:

https://ieas-szeged.hu/downtherabbithole/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Barbara-Creed-The-Monstrous-Feminine-2007.pdf

https://archive.org/details/monstersincloset0000bens

https://www.amazon.com/Celluloid-Closet-Arthur-Laurents/dp/B001NI5C6U

https://archive.org/details/religionitsmonst0000beal

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780203361894/philosophy-horror-noel-carroll

https://revisesociology.com/2016/09/21/foucault-surveillance-crime-control/

https://medium.com/deterritorialization/jacques-derridas-specter-s-of-marx-and-the-concept-of-hauntology-reflections-on-deconstruction-2eb687322a69

https://academic.oup.com/fs/article/59/3/373/638853

Films and Shows Mentioned (Selection):

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt17526714/ The Substance

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23468450/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt  Longlegs

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14966898/ Late Night with the Devil

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4574334/  Stranger Things 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5040012/ Nosferatu 2024

Renee Vivien:

https://allpoetry.com/Renee-Vivien 

https://youtu.be/3dUc17ut3as?si=KJ9ZDCBFct00eQuj Spotlight with Brennan Kettelle 2021

Rosaleen Norton:

https://www.witchofkingscross.com/about-new/ 


Theme Music and Editing: Daniel P. Shea

End Production: Stephanie Shea

This month’s Patreon Tier 2 guest is Peg Aloi. Peg is a freelance film and TV critic, a former professor of media studies, and co-editor (with Hannah Sanders) of The New Generation Witches: Teenage Witchcraft in Contemporary Culture (Routledge) and Carnivale and the American Grotesque: Critical Essays on the HBO Series (Macfarland). With Hannah she also co-organized two scholarly conferences at Harvard University on paganism, witchcraft and media. Peg's forthcoming book The Witching Hour: How Witches Enchanted the World is a cultural analysis of the witch in contemporary media. Peg was also one of the co-founders of The Witches' Voice and wrote about film and TV for the site for over a decade. Her long-running blog "The Witching Hour" can now be found on Substack. 

This conversation was inspired by a lecture in April of 2024 by Peg for The Last Tuesday Society called “The Satanic Panic: Its Roots and Branches,” that explored a number of disparate but often-related elements that converged to create the Satanic Panic of the 1980s and 90s, including Satanic-themed horror films. In this discussion, we pick up were Peg left off and explore how viewpoints surrounding Witchcraft and ‘The Occult’ have changed since that time until our present day. Peg talks about various instances within popular culture that have shown a shift in the ‘negative’ paradigm. This conversation spans several different areas, ranging from politics and society, education and scholarship, entertainment media, films and series, to magic and other ‘occult’ practices.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

You can find the Full Episode with Peg Aloi at my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/RejectedReligion 
The episode is also available for a one-time purchase. 

PROGRAM NOTES

Mentioned by Peg:

Documentary Hail, Satan? https://youtu.be/27RtJp-rhHk?si=1IEizfm8d4xCVvV5 (trailer)

Agatha, All Along https://youtu.be/R9pXbNz6Vbw?si=WDEc8Q3Lb-92pNlB (trailer)

AHS: Coven  https://youtu.be/ra8aQ-CfKVw?si=J9W74jUct4dNJcPm (trailer)

Film Realm of Satan https://youtu.be/7ANZCk97F7Y?si=L7rC4VStmYo_NkrL (trailer)

Find Peg Aloi here:

https://x.com/themediawitch

https://themediawitch.substack.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7lfIuXsQmI (Podcast)

Works:

https://www.amazon.com/New-Generation-Witches-Witchcraft-Contemporary/dp/0754657841

https://www.amazon.com/Carnivale-American-Grotesque-Critical-Essays/dp/0786448164

The Witching Hour: How Witches Enchanted the World (forthcoming)

Theme Music and Editing: Daniel P. Shea
End Production: Stephanie Shea

My guests this month are Dr. Bernd-Christian Otto and Andrea Centore, co-founders of the Research Network for the Study of Esoteric Practices, otherwise known as RENSEP. In this discussion, Bernd and Andrea talk about how this network came to be, why it was created, and the exciting work that they are doing. As the name suggests, RENESP is focused on working with practitioners in all areas of esotericism, and fostering the relationships between academic research and real-life practitioners. RENSEP is still in its early stages, having officially launched in 2023, and is a unique resource for both researchers and those outside of academia who are interested to interact with scholars, as well as to help educate the public about esoteric practices.

Bernd-Christian Otto (b. 1976) is a scholar of religion. After gaining his PhD in 2009 at the university of Heidelberg (Germany) with an extensive study on the conceptual history of magic, Otto pursued his academic career at various universities, among them Heidelberg, Erfurt, Bochum, Leipzig, Erlangen (Germany) and Bergen (Norway). Otto is co-founder and permanent fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies ‘Alternative Rationalities and Esoteric Practices from a Global Perspective’ at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (www.cas-e.de); he is a board member of the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism (www.esswe.org); and he is co-founder, trustee and scientific director of the Research Network for the Study of Esoteric Practices (www.rensep.org). Otto's research focuses on magic and esotericism, where he combines different methodologies such as conceptual history, discourse analysis, social theory, ritual studies, qualitative interviews, participant observation, and practitioner-scholarship. His book publications include "Defining Magic: A Reader" (Routledge 2013), co-edited with Michael Stausberg; the duograph "Magical Manuscripts in Early Modern Europe: The Clandestine Trade in Illegal Book Collections" (Palgrave MacMillan 2017), co-authored with Daniel Bellingradt; and the anthology "Fictional Practice: Magic, Narration and the Power of Imagination" (Brill 2021), co-edited with Dirk Johannsen.

Andrea Centore holds a master's degree in Translation Studies from the University of Mons-Hainaut (Belgium), and a master's degree in Religious Studies from the University of Amsterdam. His research explores the intersection of Jewish and Islamic esotericism through the perspectives of intellectual and global history, with a particular focus on Kabbalah and Sufi lettrism. In addition, Andrea has engaged with texts from a wide range of esoteric traditions including Islamicate occultism, strands of Western esotericism, and Nāth Tantric Yoga. He is the co-founder and managing director of the Research Network for the Study of Esoteric Practices (RENSEP), where one of his key aims is to foster a more systematic dialogue between the academic community and esoteric practitioners. Andrea is also an entrepreneur in the professional services sector. 

We take a look at the website, and the different options available to the members. Not only are there blog posts and research updates available, but members can also take part in study groups and take part in livestreams with scholars and practitioners alike (titled “ask a scholar” and “ask a practitioner”). Another great opportunity is the ability to meet new people, forming connections with other members to foster communication and learning, growing one’s own network of contacts in the process. RENSEP has also just launched an open-access, peer-review journal, too, called Praxis-Knowledge!

RENSEP is a fantastic place to share and learn with other people with similar interests, and is one-of-a-kind with regard to online communities that offer grounded, interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed research and a wonderful platform for practitioners to engage with scholars and others who share the same interests.

Bernd and Andrea have also very generously offered a 50% discount on membership for all viewers/listeners of Rejected Religion! Use the promo code RR50 when signing up at www.rensep.org!

Patreon members also receive special discounts --

Tiers 1& 2 get 70% off on membership, and Tiers 3 & 4 get a FREE membership!

This is a fabulous opportunity to join and start learning about esoteric practices, with access to information and resources that usually only are available to those within academia!

Members can find their promo codes on the Patreon page. Rejected Religion | Illuminating the Obscure | Patreon

My thanks to RENSEP for making this possible!

Theme music & video production: Stephanie Shea of Rejected Religion

Hi Friends!
As promised, here is the impromptu discussion I just had with Dr. Christian Greer and Brennan Kettelle RMA about the new online winter school course, offered by the University of Amsterdam, called Forbidden Knowledge: Introduction to Esotericism.

Christian and Brennan talk a bit about the changes that have been made in the summer and winter intensives, and how the desire for 'Forbidden Knowledge' has been in the works for some time. They both explain their vision for this course, how it's set up, who will be teaching, and most importantly, the fact that anyone who's passionate about esotericism is welcome to join.

They both stress the opinion that esotericism studies is entering a new 'era,' so to speak, and that alongside the traditional historical and empirical approaches, they aim to branch out to include interdisciplinary approaches, together with a focus on art, music, film, and other media. The goal is to create new discussions and paths for those who are interested in this exciting field of study.

For those who are interested to join, please follow this link for all information and how to register: https://www.uva.nl/en/programmes/winter-courses/introduction-to-western-esotericism/introduction-to-western-esotericism.html

The deadline to apply is 8 December 2024.

Theme music and outro music: Daniel P. Shea
End production: Stephanie Shea

You can find the full episode at: Patreon Tier 3 - Dr. Jonathon O’Donnell Research Updates – Modern Demonology, Spiritual Warfare & Politics, Technology & the Environment

My guest this month is Dr. Jonathon O’Donnell.  Jonathon is a Visiting Scholar in the School of Natural and Built Environment at Queen’s University Belfast. They are the author of Passing Orders: Demonology and Sovereignty in American Spiritual Warfare (Fordham University Press, 2021). Their research focuses on the intersections of sociopolitical demonisation and religious demonologies in contemporary America, with specific attention paid to Islamophobia, antiblackness, queerphobic and transphobic ideologies. Their latest publication, in the Journal of the American Academy of Religion (JAAR), explores the relationship between contemporary evangelical demonologies of the Nephilim and their connection to wider Christian nationalist, anti-Black, and anti-Palestinian politics. Links to their research and contact details can be found at their website, www.drsjodonnell.com.

PROGRAM NOTES

S. Jonathon O'Donnell, PhD (drsjodonnell.com)
Publications – S. Jonathon O'Donnell, PhD (drsjodonnell.com)
(99+) S. Jonathon O'Donnell | University College Dublin - Academia.edu

Modern demonology: the discernment of spirits in the theatre of colonial modernity: Journal of Contemporary Religion: Vol 38 , No 3 - Get Access (tandfonline.com)
Nova Religio - University of Pennsylvania Press (pennpress.org)
Damned Ecologies | Environmental Humanities | Duke University Press (dukeupress.edu)
Biosoteriology and the Postsecular (In)Human: The Religio-Racializing Assemblages of Evangelical Nephilim Demonology | Journal of the American Academy of Religion | Oxford Academic (oup.com)

Previous appearances on Rejected Religion:
https://rejected-religion-introductory-episode-1-what-do-i-mean-by.simplecast.com/episodes/spotlight-midnight-mass-discussion-panel
(Roundtable discussion about the Netflix show Midnight Mass)

https://rejected-religion-introductory-episode-1-what-do-i-mean-by.simplecast.com/episodes/rr-pod-e13-p1-dr-s-jonathon-odonnell-demons-the-demonized-power-and-spiritual-warfare-in-the-usa (Podcast Episode 13 P1)
https://rejected-religion-introductory-episode-1-what-do-i-mean-by.simplecast.com/episodes/rr-pod-e13-p2-dr-s-jonathon-odonnell-demons-the-demonized-power-spiritual-warfare-in-the-usa (E13 P2)

Social Media
Jonathon O'Donnell (@demonologian) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook
S. Jonathon O'Donnell; demonologian on 🦋/🧵 (@demonologian) / X

Theme Music and Editing: Daniel P. Shea
End Production: Stephanie Shea

My guest this month is Dell Rose. Dell is working on a project for his PhD dissertation on Charles Augustus Tulk and the role that Swedenborgianism played in the reforming societies of 19th century Britain. Though Tulk is often only known as the artistic patron of William Blake, he was also one of the earliest advocates of "public science" and his quest to show the spiritual nature of the material world based on Swedenborg's revelations would be widely acclaimed during the period.
In addition to his PhD work, Dell is currently researching the medical theory and physicalism of Franz von Baader. Baader was one of the most important thinkers of 19th century Germany and was instrumental in establishing academic interest in the theosophy of Jakob Boehme, a very important figure in Esotericism.
Dell has a lifelong interest in Christian theosophy, and millenarianism; he is interested as well in understanding the role and influence that national mythologies have played in Western esotericism, as well as esoteric currents in Germany during WW1; and also the inter-religious dialogue between Protestantism and Jewish sectarianism.

This discussion, however, concerns 'ornamental' hermits. We explore this in the context of cultural history and significance of the garden and the esoteric influences that were built around this idea. The hermit and the hermitage were seen as a 'living experiment" of both esoteric wisdom with regard to the significance of plants and also the atmosphere that they created.

As you will hear, this is a complex and nuanced topic, and we consider an array of influences that might have played a part in the obscure phenomenon known as 'eremitism.'

PROGRAM NOTES

Dell Rose Research: Dell J. Rose - HHP | History of Hermetic Philosophy and related currents (amsterdamhermetica.nl)
Dell Joseph Rose – Swedenborg Society

The curious phenomenon of the ornamental hermit (youtube.com)
The Hermit in the Garden: From Imperial Rome to Ornamental Gnome: Amazon.co.uk: Campbell, Gordon: 9780199696994: Books
Gordon Campbell. The Hermit in the Garden: From Imperial Rome to Ornamental Gnome - Lore - Hermitary
Francis of Assisi's "Rule for Hermitages" - Articles - Hermitary
Before the Garden Gnome, the Ornamental Hermit: A Real Person Paid to Dress like a Druid - Atlas Obscura
(99+) RENAISSANCE GARDEN (symbolism, culture, philosophy and phenomenology of Garden) | Lorna McNeur - Academia.edu

The Story | Mother Shipton's Cave

Dell's former visit to Rejected Religion: RR Pod E27 Dell Rose - Cultural Receptions of Emanuel Swedenborg (youtube.com)

Theme Music and Editing: Daniel P. Shea
End Production: Stephanie Shea

Full Episode Notes
My guest this month is Dr. Joel Bordeaux.

Joel is a specialist in South Asian religions with a PhD from Columbia University (2015). He has published on East Indian Śākta traditions, early modern Hindu statecraft, Nath Yogi literature from Bengal, and Tibetan Buddhism in Anglophone popular culture. He is a Research Fellow at the International Institute for Asian Studies in Leiden, The Netherlands,  and a member of the research group Body and Embodiment in the Middle Bengali Imaginary based at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland.

As Zeena Schreck, the famous daughter of Anton LaVey of the Church of Satan, was recently interviewed by Jordan Peterson, I immediately thought of Joel and a presentation he gave three years ago about Zeena and her then-husband Nikolas as they relate to Tibetan Buddhism, Tantra and Left-Hand Path practices. I asked Joel if he’d like to re-visit this topic and to flesh it out, further expanding on this, in light of the recent media attention that Zeena has had. He graciously agreed.

In this discussion, Joel first gives a background of Anton LaVey & the environment of the Church of Satan wherein Zeena grew up, leading to Zeena taking the role of spokesperson for the Church during the Satanic Panic years, and then the circumstances that led to Zeena leaving the Church to forge her own path.

This takes us to other projects that Zeena and Nikolas were involved in, such as Radio Werewolf and the Temple of Set, their break from that group to form their own group called the Sethian Liberation Movement or ‘The Storm’.  Joel discusses in more detail the concepts of tantra and left-hand path traditions that are used in their practices and beliefs. Another important factor that is discussed is the role of Traditionalism within all of Zeena’s work.

In closing we discuss our takeaways from Zeena’s interview with Jordan Peterson. I hope you enjoy this conversation!

This content is educational in nature. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research.

PROGRAM NOTES

Joel Bordeaux | Instagram, Facebook | Linktree

Taking the Left Hand Path to Tibet, by Dr. Joel Bordeaux || HHP Student Association (youtube.com)
Spotlight Dr. Joel Bordeaux - Batman, Buddhism & Bricolage: Grant Morrison & The Dark Knight (youtube.com)

(99+) Joel Bordeaux | Utrecht University - Academia.edu
(99+) From Bauddha Deśa to Śākta Pīṭha: Re/Locating the Hindu Goddess Tārā | Joel Bordeaux - Academia.edu

A Cultural History of Hinduism: Volumes 1-6: The Cultural Histories Series Karen Pechilis Bloomsbury Academic
- Volume 4: A Cultural History of Hinduism in the Age of Empires
Edited by Valerie Stoker, Wright State University, USA
--Politics and Power in the Age of Empires, Joel Bordeaux (Leiden University, The Netherlands)

View of #BuddhistCultureWars: BuddhaBros, Alt-Right Dharma, and Snowflake Sanghas (globalbuddhism.org)

Abrahamic Religions: On the Uses and Abuses of History | Oxford Academic (oup.com)

Unmasking Buddhism | Wiley

Satanis 1969 Anton Szandor LaVey - YouTube

Full Interview: Zeena Schreck Interviewed by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson Podcast EP471 (youtube.com)

All Music and first edit: Daniel P. Shea
End Production: Stephanie Shea

Due to scheduling issues, this episode is coming to you later than planned; my apologies for the delay. 

My guest this month is Brennan Kettelle.

Brennan is a PhD researcher at the Centre for History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents (HHP), University of Amsterdam. Brennan holds an MA in Gender and Cultural studies (2016) and a research MA in Religious Studies, specializing in Western esotericism (2021). She is currently writing her doctoral dissertation, investigating historical associations between the religiomythic demoness Lilith and queerness within artistic, literary, and occult discourses. Brennan also teaches an 8-week online course on Lilith - focusing on Lilith’s origins and cultural receptions within Western esotericism - for the Brooklyn-based organization Morbid Anatomy. Utilizing monster theory and queer theory in her research, Brennan is more broadly interested in investigating themes of the ‘monstrous-queer’ within esoteric literature, orders, and figures, as well as esoteric themes within queer subcultures, politics, and histories.

This episode is Part 1 of 2; the second part is planned for December of this year.
Brennan starts this conversation by explaining her motivations for delving into monster theory as part of her larger research into the figure of Lilith. Monster theory looks at what a group fears as well as how marginalized populations or individuals align with ‘the monstrous,’ what she’s calling (at this time) ‘stigmatized alignment.’ Monster theory is used here as the methodological axis upon which the larger research revolves.

Brennan also talks about the background of this new area of study, its postmodern critical analysis of the monster and how this has switched to looking at the monster from the monster’s perspective, how the monster is used by people, and examining which groups become monstrous themselves. We talk a bit about this process in the figure of the vampire as well as Lilith. Brennan also talks more about how she is using the figure of Lilith as ‘an esoteric example that shows the enduring historical entanglement between queerness and monstrosity.'

PROGRAM NOTES (Full Episode)

(99+) S. Brennan Kettelle | University of Amsterdam - Academia.edu
Research: Brennan Kettelle - HHP | History of Hermetic Philosophy and related currents (amsterdamhermetica.nl)

The monsters and the critics, and other essays : Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
Monster theory : reading culture : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
Amazon.com: The Occult Imagination in Britain, 1875-1947 (Among the Victorians and Modernists): 9780367885069: Ferguson, Christine, Radford, Andrew: Books
The Monster Theory Reader: Weinstock, Jeffrey Andrew: 9781517905255: Amazon.com: Books

Time Binds: Queer Temporalities, Queer Histories (Perverse Modernities: A Series Edited by Jack Halberstam and Lisa Lowe): Freeman, Elizabeth: 9780822348047: Amazon.com: Books
The Well of Loneliness (penguin.co.uk)
Feeling Backward: Loss and the Politics of Queer History: Love, Heather: 9780674032392: Amazon.com: Books

The Celluloid Closet (youtube.com)

All Music: Daniel P. Shea