What does it mean to truly know the divine — not through books or belief, but through direct experience? In this episode, we journey into the heart of gnosis, direct, experiential insight into the divine. We explore the paths that may lead to this state as well as its results, from meditation to magic, and ask how gnosis differs from spiritual ecstasy or the concept of no-mind found across religious traditions. Finally, we share our own encounters with gnosis — what it felt like, and how those moments changed our understanding of the sacred.

Episode Resources & Easter Eggs:

People:

• A fitting beginning to any list: Plato.
• Discover Catholic mystic St Teresa of Avila.
• Explore the life and times of artist and occultist Austin Osman Spare.

Religions:

• Gno a bit more about Gnosticism.
• Learn about one of the world’s oldest religions, Zoroastrianism.
• Interested in direct revelation? Check out mysticism.
• Dive into the esoteric teachings of Hermeticism.

Concepts:

• Learn more about transcendence (or ditch the Wiki and try it yourself!)
• Explore or practice chaos magic (based on Spare, above).
• Delve into Ein Sof, the infinite in Jewish mysticism.
• Practice samadhi, a state of consciousness.
• Looking for ecstasy? (Not that kind!) Fall into spiritual ecstasy.
• Explore asceticism, a lifestyle based on abstinence.
• Learn about the Black Mass (not exclusively tied to Satanists…+5 to update the Wikipedia page).

Books:

• Read Peter Carroll’s Libernull and Psychonaut for free (you’re in for a ride!)
• Want to up the ante? Read The Psychick Bible (also free).
• The free trio ends with Alan Chapman’s Advanced Magick for Beginners (+9 to read all three).

Repeat Characters:

• Drumroll…you guessed it! Aleister Crowley is baack!
• And yes, Jung returns.

Click the links above to explore the magic. Please sponsor us, Wikipedia. :)

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Music Credit: “Subway Cell,” from silvermansound.com (2023).

Are ghosts real — or just really good stories? In our Halloween episode, we dive into one of humanity’s oldest haunting questions: What are ghosts, and why do so many people believe in them?

From our own personal encounters and our opinions on life after death to Bloody Mary and possession movies, we explore the draw of these powerful stories. We also ask: can people still be “possessed,” or has modern science exorcised the idea for good?

Episode Resources & Easter Eggs:

Paranormal & Pop Culture:

• Do other people believe in ghosts? Giddy on over to the Gallup poll.
• Learn about Dia de los Muertos (+2 to participate in the upcoming festivities!)
• Who is Bloody Mary?
• Ever used a Ouija board?
• Learn a little (or a lot) about jinn (or genies).
• Watch every Paranormal Activity movie (+2 to reenact).

 Philosophy & Religion:

• Study the differences between an arhat and a bodhisattva.
• Read about Nirvana (not the band).
• A thermodynamics lesson: nothing is ever destroyed.
• Look at a photo of Pope Leo.
• Read about Saint John Chrysostom, the provider of this week’s wisdom!

 Repeat Characters:

• If this is your third time reading Brahman in the show notes, click the link!
• Watch Avatar the Last Airbender (or don’t!)

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Music Credit: “They Come at Night,” from silvermansound.com (2021).

In this episode, we explore two contrasting ways of moving through life: being in the present vs constantly striving to become something more. We talk about how identity gets tied to our jobs, how creativity becomes about achievement instead of play, and why the ego resists simply being. Is self improvement culture just another trap? In a world increasingly driven by productivity and capitalism, is it harder than ever to just be?

Episode Resources & Easter Eggs:

People:

• Check out Ram Dass (born Richard Alpert)’s Be Here Now (better in physical form!)
• Read Walt Whitman’s famous poem, Song of Myself, and get inspired about your own multitudes.
• Joel Osteen (you’re probably good not clicking this, tbh).
• Adyashanti, “primordial peace,” born Stephen Gray.

Concepts:

• Read about auras (+3 to try and see your own aura).
• Brush up on koans (+2 to fall down a koan rabbit hole).
• The Tao, it’s back again! Although it never really went anywhere, did it?
• Learn some stuff about the Buddha.

Reoccurring Characters:

• You guessed it…Hawkins’ Map of Consciousness is back again!

Tap the links above to explore the magic. The list is soshort I may have missed something…

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Music Credit:

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/el-depravo/black-powder-revolver

License code: O4EDFIL2EF3WKYPV

What is real? In this episode, we explore the strange terrain of reality television, a genre built on the promise of authenticity, yet crafted with scripts, edits, and carefully chosen archetypes.

Why are we so drawn to these shows? Is it pure escapism, voyeurism, or a deeper desire to see ourselves reflected in exaggerated forms? Drawing on competition shows, the Kardashians, influencers, and livestreamers, we unpack how internet culture and capitalism drive and shape these so-called “realities.”

Episode Resources & Easter Eggs:

Extreme Competition Shows:

• Watch contestants lay amongst snakes and eat roadkill in Fear Factor.
• Ever wanted to watch someone artificially stranded in the wilderness, with just a camera and their own survival skills? You’re not Alone!
• Toxicity, cheating, and crying abound in Temptation Island.

“Regular” Competition Shows:

• America’s Favorite! Compete for a partner on the Bachelorette!
• Artwork is painted on human bodies in Skin Wars and inked on canvases in Ink Master.
• Ever wanted to make something cool with Legos? Try recreating the work on Lego Masters (+3 pics or it didn’t happen).

More Shows:

• Keep up with your favorite socialites and entrepreneurs, the Kardashians.
• Are you ready to be America’s Next Top Model?
• Watch an epic mind-bending tale in The Truman Show.
• Seen all of the above? Now it’s time for Squid Games’ scathing social commentary.
• Alex Honnold attempts the first free climb of El Capitan (+1 to rock climb against a green screen).

A Crash Course in Internet Culture:

• Ever hate watched something?
• Try your hand at vlogging (+4 if you tag The Magical Salon).
• Curious about two of the YouTube greats: Casey Neistat (OG) and Mr. Beast?

Tap the links above to explore the magic.

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Music Credit:

“Savour The Moment,” from silvermansound.com (2016).

Parables are simple stories that carry deep truths, found in both sacred texts and pop culture. Why do they resonate so deeply? Why do we keep returning to tales like The Tortoise and the Hare or The Good Samaritan?

This episode also explores deeper questions: Do our motivations for doing good matter? Is there such a thing as "performative kindness"? Can too much questioning erode inner peace?

Episode Resources & Easter Eggs:

Read Some Parables:

• Remember the Tortoise and the Hare? (+1 for recall).
• The classic underdog story, David vs. Goliath.
• Explore the deeper context behind The Good Samaritan.
• Read two Buddhist parables: the poisoned arrow and the gift of anger.
• Belief and Doubt in Doubting Thomas: the original “pics or it didn’t happen.”

Other Media:

• Ursula Le Guin’s Left Hand of Darkness and unanswerable questions (+5 to identify your own unanswerable questions).
• Check out Mark Manson’s The Subtle Art of Not Giving a #@%.
• Listen to Poet Ocean Vuong discuss writing, cringe culture, and cynicism.

Reoccurring Characters:

• Yeah, it’s Hawkins’ Map of Consciousness Explained (again).

Tap the links above to explore the magic.

Follow the Magic on Instagram & TikTokMusic Credit: Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/ottomp3/go-big-or-go-home

License code: LAVEDXFSD76SCMIS

What do weddings, white coat ceremonies, and singing the national anthem in school all have in common? They’re highly symbolic acts, also known as rituals. From baptisms to presidential inaugurations, rituals are everywhere, even in our daily lives. Join us as we discuss the multitude of reasons we turn to ritual, and how they can help us both tap into something larger than us, as well as keep ourselves fully rooted in the present.

Episode Resources & Easter Eggs:

Reoccurring Characters:

• Hey, it’s Aleister Crowley again.

Groups:

• Explore the Golden Dawn (maybe at...uh, dawn?)
• Investigate your local Freemason temple (+1 for in-the-field action).

Pop Culture & Books:

• Watch National Treasure (+2 to binge watch both franchise movies).
• Read Israel Regardie’s The Tree of Life for free.
• Meet Dr. AJ in The Resident, a medical drama.
• Isn’t it funny when fictional characters have Wikipedia pages? Here’s Han Solo’s.

Concepts:

• Brush up on shiva.
• Learn about Hinduism’s Kali Yuga.
• Recognize the caduceus?
• Dive down a rabbit hole by discovering kundalini.
• Refresh your memory on the Hippocratic oath.
• Have you ever achieved gnosis, even for a minute?
• Read some Nietzsche (or read something about Nietzsche).
• Discover invocation (results may vary).

Tap the links above to explore the magic.

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Music Credit: “The Gatekeepers,” from silvermansound.com (2017).

In this episode, we explore the spellbinding power of music as a kind of magic. From the raw energy of live performances to epic movie soundtracks, we dive into how music shapes emotion, memory, and even perception.

We touch on music’s role as both a universal language and a subversive force and unpack how genres from electronic to hip hop tap into something deeply human.

Whether you see music as time travel, a connection to something larger than yourself, or pure artistic expression, this episode will leave you hearing it all in a new way.

Episode Resources & Easter Eggs:

The Episode Playlist:

• Jam with Iron Maiden in Rio.
• Get in the fall spirit with Green Day.
• Cry to “About You” in Manchester with the 1975.
• Extreme crowd noise in Frank Ocean’s “I Miss You,” (+3 for an accurate recreation).
• Rage against the machine (ft. RATM).
• A tonal shift with Beethoven’s “9th Symphony” (warning, it’s long).
• “The Riders of Rohan” from The Lord of the Rings (+2 if listening on horseback).
• Cry again with Hans Zimmer.
• Feel the depths of your soul in “On the Nature of Daylight.”
• Remember Halo? Listen to some Gregorian chanting.
• Need a song to belt out while standing on a table? Try this one from Wicked.
• Learn a few things about Alexander Hamilton.
• Dance to The Master Musicians of Jajouka.
• Rock out to Trapt’s “Headstrong.”
• Giorgio by Moroder by Daft Punk (as recommended by The Magical Salon!)
• Make “Contact” with the most stressful space ship ride of your life (hopefully).

People & Things:

• The one and only Woodstock.
• Read about David Bowie and the Berlin Wall.
• Learn about William Burroughs and the cut up method (+3 to practice with something you find).
• The two British Brians mentioned: Brion Gysin and Brian Jones.

All tracks and articles are linked—tap to explore the magic.

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Music Credit: “Overlander,” from silvermansound.com (2025).

What’s the line between magical thinking and madness, and who gets to draw it? From shamans and mystics to Joan of Arc and stigmata, we look at how systems built to preserve the status quo often reject those who break from it.

Episode Resources & Easter Eggs:

People:

• Learn about Joan of Arc.
• Refresh your Copernicus knowledge.
• Read about Rosemary Kennedy’s lobotomy.
• Dive into the magical worlds of David Blaine, Criss Angel, and Houdini.
• Fall into Russian mystic Rasputin’s Wikipedia page.
• Refresh your memory on Pythagoras (+2 if you remember the Pythagorean theorem).
• Learn about Nikola Tesla (one of the OG mad scientists).
• Leonardo da Vinci, who did not finish most things (relatable, huh?)
• Learn about St. Francis of Assisi and his stigmata.
• Poet William Blake (+2 if you read poetry, even if it’s not Blake.)

Concepts:

• Hear about shamans and shamanism.
• Jung and the shadow: because who doesn’t want to analyze their inner psyche?
• Alchemy: the perfect mix of metaphor and chemistry.
• Read about channeling.
• Hide your stigmata, or don’t. Who are we to tell you what to do?
• Gnosis, or spiritual knowing without an instruction manual (fun, right?)

Books & Media:

• Read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein for free.
• The citations for Hawkins’ Map of Consciousness, Explained continue...(yes, still.
• The Very Ape Podcast talks da Vinci.

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Music Credit:

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/sky-gienger/body-language

License code: ZCKKFADC3OHCX81A

In this episode, Amanda and James recap their recent personal odysseys, returning to their respective hometowns in search of…something. Was there a call to adventure, or did the journey reveal its meaning only in hindsight?  From pivotal childhood sites to meditative circular practices, we explore how the most profound experiences often emerge only when we stop trying so hard to have them.

Episode Resources & Easter Eggs:

Written Works:

• Dive into Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey.
• Read the Odyssey (+4 if you listen to it!).
• Check out Nicholas Triolo’s The Way Around: A Field Guide to Going Nowhere.
• Try and buy the 10th Anniversary edition of The Buddhist Review, featuring the Dalai Lama (+1 if you obtain it).

Concepts:

• Read about nostos.
• Look up qigong (+2 if you can tell us how many times this has appeared in show notes...)
• What is kora, or circumambulation?
• Explore Mount Kailash.
• Learn about the hajj.
• Curious about genuflection?

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Music Credit: “Switch Me On,” from silvermansound.com (2019).

What is the fourth dimension, and could it hold the key to understanding higher realities, including the divine? In this episode, we dive into astronomer Carl Sagan’s classic explanation of the fourth dimension, including how this concept could intersect with ideas of spirituality and magic. Could the divine be a higher-dimensional intelligence?

Whether you’re into philosophy or alien communication, this episode will stretch your mind in all directions.

Episode Resources & Easter Eggs:

Books & Media:

• Browse Edwin Abbot’s Flatland for free.
• Watch the Carl Sagan video we mention (+2 if you draw your own illustration).
• Watch Interstellar and try not to cry.

People:

• Learn about Carl Sagan.
• Read about Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Art:

• Stare at NASA’s 1990 Pale Blue Dot photo (+2 if you manage to escape an existential crisis).
• Study Salvador Dali’s Crucifixion (Corpus Hypercubus) (1954).

Other Things:

• Explore the Voyager Golden Records with NASA.
• Analyze the Pioneer Plaque (+5 to draw your own).
• Fall into a hole as you try and understand “as above, so below.”
• Try and draw a tesseract (good luck...)
• Revisit the Tao.

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Music Credit: “Space Race,” from silvermansound.com (2023).