Spirits and Psychics

Astrology is one of the most mainstream topics Morgan + Norm have dabbled in to date and as such comes with some biases and misconceptions. Morgan leads Norm into the ancient world, a jaunt through the renaissance and the theosophical influence that led to sun sign horoscopes in newspapers. A beginner friendly walk through the stars for anyone who (like Norm) has ever felt confused or intimidated.

Sources & Further Reading:

• Garg, Garima. Heavens and Earth: The Story of Astrology through Ages and Cultures. Penguin Random House, 2022. 
• Swami Vivekananda on Astrology: https://english.sreyas.in/swami-vivekananda-on-astrology/
• Boxer, Alexander. A Scheme of Heaven: The History of Astrology and the Search for Our Destiny in Data. W.W. Norton & Company, 2020. 

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The Teachings of Don Juan by Carlos Castenada is considered a classic from the 1960s. Figures covered in Season 1 almost certainly read it. Norm has some bones to pick to pick with this granddaddy of New Age literature while Morgan lays out how this book cemented in the public imagination what spiritual knowledge and transformation was supposed to look like... If you ever felt disappointed that you couldn't disappear with a strange man in the desert and emerge with spiritual enlightenment, this discussion is for you!

Sources & Further Reading:

• Castaneda, Carlos. The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge. Washington Square Press, 1968. 
• Marshall, Robert. “The Dark Legacy of Carlos Castaneda.” Salon, Salon.com, 26 Sept. 2011, www.salon.com/2007/04/12/castaneda/. 

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No ghost is the same and not all hauntings are created equal. Morgan takes Norm back to the 1930s to discuss historical ghost hunter Harry Price and a spooky mongoose whose existence he tried to prove scientifically. But the paranormal is personal and the family that experienced Gef prove to be just as curious as the men trying to scientifically verify the family's ghostly experiences. Was Gef a ghost? Could he have been a tulpa? A fae creature? Gef certainly fit many requirements for a witch's familiar. But regardless of what Gef was, the "why" of Gef is even more compelling...

Sources :

• Josiffe, Christopher. Gef! The Strange Tale of An Extra-Special Talking Mongoose. Strange Attractor Press, 2020. 
• Randall, John. “Harry Price: The Case for the Defence.” Harry Price - the Case for the Defence by John Randall, www.harrypricewebsite.co.uk/Biography/price-randall.htm. Accessed 13 Sept. 2024.

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You may have heard of the Salem Witch Trials but have you heard of the man who published tomes debunking witches, a full hundred years before Salem? Reginald Scot was an aristocrat in Elizabethan England who published academic style tomes pointing out all the flaws in medieval witchhunter logic. Today Morgan takes Norm into an interesting look of how a social belief in witchcraft can wreak havoc on people's inner and outer worlds. They also dive into Scot's own belief system and how he managed to escape his own persecution by a very convenient death. Houdini would have approved of Reg's take on things.

Sources & Further Reading:

• Almond, Philip C. England’s First Demonologist: Reginald Scot and “the Discoverie of Witchcraft.” I.B. Tauris, 2014. 
• Pudney, Eric. A Defense of Witchcraft Belief. Manchester University Press, 2021. 

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This week, Morgan takes Norm to answer the question: Why Thelema? What does this system of ritual and belief have to offer? Aleister Crowley's life has certainly left an impression. Looking at Thelema and ritual magic as a whole, gives Morgan + Norm a greater understanding of how western ritual magic continued into the present day and how, if you are so inclined, it can be a legitimate method to finding your peace and power. Were you put off by Crowley but still want to talk magical rituals? This is the episode for you.

Sources and Further Reading:

• Visconti, Marco. The Aleister Crowley Manual: Thelemic Magick for Modern Times. Watkins, 2023. 
• Hermetic Library, hermetic.com/eidolons/a-guide-to-the-study-of-thelema. Accessed 19 July 2024. 

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Morgan + Norm are back with the second half of Aleister Crowley's arch and let's just say things take a turn after World War I. There is more magic but also a lot of real world consequences around Crowley because of it. It gets darker in this episode but a worthy analysis of how even leaders in this space can get very lost.

Trigger warning for brief mentions of animal abuse and child death, both due to adults making bad choices.

Sources & Further Reading:

• Campbell, Colin D. Thelema: An Introduction to the Life, Work & Philosophy of Aleister Crowley. Llewellyn Worldwide, 2018.
• Lachman, Gary. Aleister Crowley: Magick, Rock and Roll, and the Wickedest Man in the World. Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, a Member of Penguin Group (USA), 2014.
• Bowie, John Ash. “Home.” Hermetic Library, 11 May 2021, hermetic.com/eidolons/a-guide-to-the-study-of-thelema.
• “Aleister Crowley.” Thelemapedia, 2 Apr. 2011, www.thelemapedia.org/index.php/Aleister_Crowley.

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Morgan + Norm are back from summer break and diving in to the biggest occult baddie your parents probably know them name of—> Aleister Crowley. Sure, he brought ritual magic into public consciousness and famous known in the press as the Wickedest Man in the World but he was also a theater kid at heart who most struggled with the human experience. Like other occult greats covered last season, Crowley also clocks a lot of miles around the globe but leaves a unique path of destruction in his wake. This is definitely the lighter of the two episodes.

Sources + Further Reading:

• Campbell, Colin D. Thelema: An Introduction to the Life, Work & Philosophy of Aleister Crowley. Llewellyn Worldwide, 2018.
• Lachman, Gary. Aleister Crowley: Magick, Rock and Roll, and the Wickedest Man in the World. Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, a Member of Penguin Group (USA), 2014.
• Bowie, John Ash. “Home.” Hermetic Library, 11 May 2021, hermetic.com/eidolons/a-guide-to-the-study-of-thelema.
• “Aleister Crowley.” Thelemapedia, 2 Apr. 2011, www.thelemapedia.org/index.php/Aleister_Crowley.

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