starnightdwell

On this one year anniversary special we are joined by Jesse Hathaway Diaz and returning guest Dr Alexander Cummins, the estimable and brilliant hosts of the podcast Radio Free Golgotha, to muse on ‘Darkness’ in its many facets.

As 'a starnight dwell' was founded one year ago during The Harrowing of Hell (the time between Good Friday and Easter) as a means of exploring the starry underworld of the Imaginal, it was only appropriate to speak with two so well versed on the eclipsing mysteries therein.

Our discussion was free-form and open-ended, as tends to be the nature of darkness. As a show based upon discrete focal points of light, what is it to use this same approach instead with the space around said luminosities? Must darkness always be in opposition to light, such as black to white? Is it our greatest ignorance and our deepest knowledge? Or perhaps it marks the beginning stages of the breakdown between these binaries; a fertile-merging, a mixing, and a fluid in between?

Jesse and Al’s information, as well as more on their podcast and the Speakeasy of the Dead: RFG Site

For the full episode of the podcast, extras, as well as writings, artwork, and so much more, please visit the Patreon. 

Music: ‘Going North’ by Mother Nun

From Solstice to Solstice we have traveled to our newest conversation with honored guest Langston Kahn. With perhaps an unconventional approach to the concept of the North Star (sometimes Pole Star), Langston, a shamanic practitioner and writer, speaks with us about this star’s ability to help guide as well as set our heart’s ablaze with starlight and a sense of sovereignty. 

Beginning with some context around ‘shamanism’ and some of the ways the North Star may be interacted with, we also get into Langston’s own tradition, cosmology, as well as personal experiences. All in all, a much needed reprieve from the oftentimes ultra-cerebral approach of astrology proper (as well as my own!). 

Langston’s Info: 
IG: @ langstonkahn
Website: langstonkahn.com
Book: 'Deep Liberation: Shamanic Teachings for Reclaiming Wholeness in a Culture of Trauma'

Music: ‘Going North’ by Mother Nun

You can find some more information on myself and my other endeavors at starnightdwell.com as well as at @ starnightdwell on Twitter and Instagram.

On this Summer Solstice episode of the show we are joined by Dr. Alexander Cummins for a wonderful chat around that most famous (yet not often spoken about in astrological circles) heralding star; sometimes referred to as the Star of the Magi or the Star of Bethlehem. 

With so much beautiful lore surrounding this sign I thought of no better a mind than Dr. Cummins’ to survey all things historical and esoteric. His focus on dead magicians and folk necromancy is curiously not misplaced here..

Dr. Cummins’ Info:
Twitter & Instagram @grimoiresontape
alexandercummins.com

Sasha Ravitch, astrolater, folkloric-witch, and all around bestie joins the show to discuss her idiosyncretic astrological practice as well as fixed stars, spirit work, and of course relating to other in a starry context.

By other, we mean those beings often found in liminal places; the ones who we intentionally refer to in an indirect way. In this same fashion the means we may use to access these worlds are often unorthodox, if not outright fantastical. The way our personal experience comes up against or alongside established tradition is another theme of the show. 

With direct experience from her pratice as well as some professional recommendations, this episode sets a proper mood for future interviews as we continue to explore imagination and its role in spheres of knowledge making, creativity, and the like. 

Sasha’s Info:
Twitter:  @PSYCHEPOMP_
Instagram: @sasha.ravitch
sasharavitch.com

For more information and other content by J.M. Hamade please visit starnightdwell.com

Recorded and released on Laylat al-Qadr, or the Islamic ‘Night of Power,’ Dr. Amina Inloes joins us to discuss her newest book, completed on behalf of the late Eva-Maria von Kemnitz, on the multivalent yet mostly apotropaic symbol of the khamsa or the ‘Hand of Fatima.’ Found in the night sky as the constellation known as Cassiopeia, we also muse on star lore and various connections between this symbol and similar myth themes, archetypes, and cultural manifestations. 

Amina’s Info:
Instagram & Twitter: @Arabic__Magic
Twitter: @AminaInloes
Book will be published by Brill (brill.com)

For more information and other content by J.M. Hamade please visit starnightdwell.com

In this inaugurating episode I discuss the ethos of the show as well as some underlying spirits guiding the process. Most importantly I outline the other-under-world journeying inherent in imaginal exploration; perhaps best visualized by the celestial Milky Way and the containment of all visible stars within her body. 

For show references, links, as well as related material please visit starnightdwell.com