The Spirit Box Podcast

By Darragh MasonReligion & Spirituality Spirituality

The Spirit Box Podcast episodes

September 27, 2023 S2 #23 / Dr Andrew Manns, The Transylvania of France
Dr Andrew Manns is a historian and the creator behind The Thinker’s Garden, a blog specialising in overlooked history. As editor, he has written and published a variety of historiettes on little-known Bohemians, occultists, and mystics, such as the “Los Angeles Noah” (Reverend J.E. Lewis), Lady Walburga Paget, and Baron Seymour Kirkup. Today takes us through his research into the little known folklore and occult history of the Auvergne a little-known historic province in central
France. Which he has dubbed the ‘Transylvania of France’.
In the Plus show we get into the legends of Lake Pavin (the storm-raising lake). An interesting angle on the lost children plane crash from Colombia story from earlier in the year. And Andrew tells us about the unique healing tradition of the “Guerisseurs” which is absolutely fascinating. Andrew wraps up with an interesting note on the belief in the area that fairies can be seen at a certain high altitude.
Show notes:
Charles Godfrey Leland https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Godfrey_LelandBrotherhood of the Wolf movie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIjDB31KfsMThe Beast of Gévaudan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beast_of_G%C3%A9vaudan
The "kind" werewolves story and a deeper explanation on why Auvergne is like Transylvania:
https://visitauvergne.org/occult-auvergne-5-spine-chilling-legends/
The 1588 werewolf tale:
https://visitauvergne.org/a-werewolf-in-auvergne-a-poem/
Skinwalkers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin-walker
The Wendigo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendigo
Reddit thread by a Navajo police officer on Skinwalkers https://www.reddit.com/r/skinwalkers/comments/db1fgy/skinwalker_info_from_a_navajo_policeman/
The story about the "Two Lovers" (the Clermont-Ferrand senator who rose from the dead to lie by his wife) can actually be found in Historia Francorum, a book by Gregory of Tours https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_of_Tours
The name of the vampire-like female spirits is: "fatsillères"
Puy de Dôme https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puy_de_D%C3%B4me
The 16th century witches' Sabbat on the summit of the puy de Dôme: https://visitauvergne.org/the-puy-de-dome-a-mystical-olympus-in-auvergne/
The Raelians https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ra%C3%ABlism
The legends of Lake Pavin (the storm-raising lake):
https://visitauvergne.org/the-mysterious-lake-pavin/
The academic book on Pavin which Andrew contributed to: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-39961-4Colombian lost kids story https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12206055/Colombia-jungle-dad-says-hallucinogenic-drug-used-Prince-Harry-key-searchers-finding-children.html

Keep in touch?
https://linktr.ee/darraghmason
Music by Obliqka https://soundcloud.com/obliqka
56 min
September 14, 2023 S2 #22 / David Keohan, Irish Stones of Strength
Today we welcome Indiana Stones himself, the one and only David Keohan. Hailing from Ireland, David is a Stone lifter, a kettlebell world champion, an artist and a musician. He’s been on a mission to recover Ireland's lost stone lifting culture and has done so through our literature and folklore.
We spoke all about his stone lifting journey from his lifting of the fianna stone in Scotland which inspired his own search in Ireland. Culminating in the rediscovery of the stone described by the famous Galway writer Liam O'Flaherty in his short story ‘The Stone’. He has rediscovered 30 testing stones, a remarkable act of reclamation and celebration of this lost tradition. Through this act David has created a remarkable and unique magical act of healing of the multi-generational trauma of Ireland's colonisation. These great testing stones, now rediscovered form a chain back into our ancient past, before colonisation, before christianity and in lifting these stones once more the chain is renewed, in a feat of strength and deep ancestral healing.
His work is a brilliant and inspiring intersection of folklore, magic, mythology, and strength.
In the Plus show we get into ancestral work, and animism. We talk about Peig Sayers and Ghosts leading us to tell their stories. The death stone of Cú Chulainn, the Irish Hercules and to close out the show I read Liam O'Flaherty’s short story ‘The Stone’.
Show notes:
David’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/_indiana_st...
David’s YouTube / @davidindianakeohans3566
Duchas.ie https://www.duchas.ie/en
Liam O'Flaherty https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liam_O%...
David’s article on the Stone of Inishmore THE QUEST FOR THE STONE OF INISHMORE - Ireland
The Stone by Liam O’Flaherty https://archive.org/.../shortstorieso...
The Aran Islands https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aran_Islands
The Aran Islands drone footage • THE ARAN ISLANDS BY DRONE (IRELAND)- ...
Caher Island https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caher_I...
Pre famine Irish tallest in Europe
https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-s...
Peig Sayers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peig_Sa...
Cú Chulainn https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%BA...
Feature on my grandfathers book https://roaringwaterjournal.com/2023/...
My grandfather's book
https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-searc...
And here's the photos of the Kusthi wrestlers I mentioned. https://www.darraghmason.com/index/G0...
Keep in touch?
https://linktr.ee/darraghmason
Music by Obliqka https://soundcloud.com/obliqka
1 hr 3 min
August 31, 2023 S2 #21 / Dr Tomas Vincente on The Faceless God
Dr. Tomas Vincente is a scholar of ancient religion, magic and esotericism. His past work explores the emergence of Christian monotheism and the resulting decline of the chthonic cults of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. He is dedicated to recovering the integrity of this archaic spirituality of blood and fire, which has been demonised by the Abrahamic religions for two millennia.
In the show we discuss his work The Faceless God. The book has a triple focus—Lovecraftian, Egyptian and Sabbatic—which may seem bizarre at first glance. Through an initiated reading of Lovecraft’s fiction, relating especially to the figure of Nyarlathotep, certain hitherto unexplored connections are revealed between European witch lore and the Egyptian mysteries of Osiris and Anubis. The claim that there was a germ of truth beneath the diabolical stereotypes and accusations of European witchcraft was advanced long ago by Margaret Murray, who argued that witchcraft was an organised cult of pagan origin, which had somehow survived the processes of Christianization. Dr Vincente’s argument is much more subtle, and closer in spirit to the more recent research of Carlo Ginzburg. He would not speak of an organised witch cult, but rather of diverse and analogous survivals of shamanistic practice, which carried forward certain symbolic and ritual elements of archaic and pre-Christian origin. The most novel aspect of his argument lies in the unearthing of the deep symbolic resonances between the lore of witchcraft, relating to the black man and the Goat of Mendes, and the archaic fertility cult of the ram-headed Banebdjedet, who was a totemistic representation of Osiris—or more precisely Osiris in union with Ra in his netherworld aspect.
In the Plus show we get into similarities between the Dark Man and the King of the Fairies. We discuss the importance of art and artists and what they bring back from the dark womb. We get into why this experience happens? What is the point of it? Dr Vincente goes on to describe the response to this summons is a radical openness to profound mystery not about the application of will. Big stuff.
Show notes:
https://theionpublishing.com/authors/tomas-vincente/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyarlathotephttps://www.facebook.com/people/Tomas-Vincente/pfbid0sXCvHBXuU7m5LHtDZs1CzYJUjGFLsPZ9ustA13tCXdqSD1ZGA5isNhLxu441MAgJl/?fref=ts
https://skepticaloccultist.com/post/159757289693/the-faceless-god
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azathoth
Keep in touch?
https://linktr.ee/darraghmason
Music by Obliqka https://soundcloud.com/obliqka
54 min
August 17, 2023 S2 #20 / Tommie Kelly on the problem of your magick working
Today we welcome back the multi talented Tommie Kelly to the show. Tommie is an Irish artist and writer who has had a lifelong interest in all things Occult and Spirituality. He makes comics, videos, music, podcasts and very occasional blog posts, and is probably best known for his oracle deck The Forty Servants.
In the show Tommie recounts having had a hard year and figuring out that he was packaging his magick badly. We go over the elemental nature of success and how things collapsing can in fact be your magick working.
In the Plus show we get into speaking Irish, the Dark Man in Irish Folklore, the experience of shifting. Tommie’s remarkable experiences with the entity “Black” and saturnine synchronicities.
Show notes:
Tommie's website: http://AdventuresInWooWoo.com
Tommie's twitter: https://twitter.com/TommieKelly
Tommie's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tommiekelly
Tommie’s music: https://tommiekelly.bandcamp.com/
The Nidana cards: https://www.adventuresinwoowoo.com/nidanacards/
The Forty Servants: https://www.adventuresinwoowoo.com/thefortyservants/
Contacting BLACK, a member of The Secret Chiefs
March 3rd 2022 -
The Introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiLRdMhJqrQ
March 23rd 2022 - The Six Petals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thoeXx7h4V0
March 29th 2022 - The Dawn Ritual: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ5M06fjfWA
April 14th 2022 - Spud's Inquiries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiGmHYb9zRY
May 25th 2022 - The Ultraterrestrial Hunt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS2j7_zi9jk
June 13th 2022 - Three Questions for Black: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrOMTjgffE0
Thoughts: https://www.adventuresinwoowoo.com/?na=view&id=49
August 7th 2023 - Return of The Black: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCji_u-jEts
Keep in touch?
https://linktr.ee/darraghmason
Music by Obliqka https://soundcloud.com/obliqka
1 hr 6 min
August 07, 2023 S2 #19 / Paul Levy on Healing Wetiko
Wetiko is an Algonquin word for a cannibalistic spirit that is driven by greed, excess, and selfish consumption. It is a virus of the mind that underlies much evil and destruction n the world.
Author and researcher Paul Levy joins us today to discuss his work on the concept of Yet, and reveals that, encoded within wetiko itself lies the very medicine needed to combat the mind-virus and heal both ourselves and our world.
A pioneer in the field of spiritual emergence, Paul is a wounded healer in private practice, helping others who are also awakening to the dreamlike nature of reality. His work has gone through three phases: because of his intense interest in dreams (both night dreams and the dreamlike nature of reality), he was first known as "the dream guy." After writing DispellingWetiko, he became associated with the idea of wetiko. After the publication of The Quantum Revelation, he is now seen as connected with quantum physics. All three aspects - dreams, wetiko and quantum physics are interconnected and complementary facets of a deeper reality into which he is continually deepening his investigation.
He is the author of The Madness of George Bush: A Reflection of Our Collective Psychosis (2006), Dispelling Wetiko: Breaking the Curse of Evil (2013), Awakened by Darkness: When Evil Becomes Your Father (2015) and The Quantum Revelation: A Radical Synthesis of Science and Spirituality (2018). A Tibetan Buddhist practitioner for over 30 years, he has intimately studied with some of the greatest spiritual masters of Tibet and Burma. He was the coordinator of the Portland chapter of the PadmaSambhava Buddhist Center for over twenty years.

Show notes:
Paul's website https://www.awakeninthedream.com
Wetiko https://www.kosmosjournal.org/article/seeing-wetiko-on-capitalism-mind-viruses-and-antidotes-for-a-world-in-transition/
Philip K Dick https://www.britannica.com/biography/Philip-K-Dick
The Black Iron Prison https://discordia.fandom.com/wiki/Black_Iron_Prison
Valis https://bookshop.org/p/books/valis-philip-k-dick/8407714
Colin Wilson https://www.britannica.com/biography/Colin-Wilson
The Mind Parasites review https://realitystudio.org/texts/reviews/mind-parasites/
The Mind Parasites https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-mind-parasites-colin-wilson/12274723?ean=9780974935997

Keep in touch?
https://linktr.ee/darraghmason
Music by Obliqka https://soundcloud.com/obliqka

1 hr 2 min
July 30, 2023 S2 #18 / Peter Hine and Stephen Buckley, Dreams, Nightmares and Pan
Today we welcome Peter Hine and Stephen Buckley of the Vayse podcast Peter C Hine is a lawyer, a writer and a dirt worshiping heathen. Stephen James Buckley is an electronic musician and audio producer. Their podcast was born out of their experiences and exploration into the world of the weird and the mystic.
In the show we get into their experiences with the subconscious and dreaming in particular. Peter takes us through an extraordinary experience he attributes to the great God Pan and details how it changed their perception and interaction with nature.
We get into the resonance of childhood nightmares in adulthood and the connections between spirits, symbols and animals.
In the Plus show we get into the spiritual dynamics between the organic and inorganic, Rudolf Steiner’s work, experiencing animal consciousness, the magic of fungus, doing something good, the dark man’s PR drive and Peter’s Dark Man experiences and the synchronicities surrounding it and dealing with the fear generated from this kind of encounter.
Enjoy and be sure to check out the Vayse podcast!
Show notes:
Vayse website https://www.vayse.co.uk/Mugwort and herbs for dreaming https://commonwealthherbs.com/mugwort-for-dreaming/Steiner on Ahriman https://rsarchive.org/Lectures/AhrDec_index.htmlMycorrhizae Network https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWD_1Nq6iwQ
VYS0007 dream experiments https://www.vayse.co.uk/vys0007?t=0
1 hr 8 min
July 26, 2023 Djinn - human hybridism
I thought listeners might enjoy this sample of the Djinn lecture series on the Spirit Box patron. In this lecture I get into Hybridism and the forms djinn appear in.
This involves the folkloric view on djinn hybridism and how it correlates with fairy lore and the types of forms the djinn are said to take. If this is of interest come and check out the rest of the lectures https://www.patreon.com/spiritbox
Quick correction I call Gef the Mongoose 'Jed' in error towards the end of the video.
Show notes & further reading:
Sargon of Akkad https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sargon
Child mortality rate (under five years old) in the United Kingdom from 1800 to 2020* https://www.statista.com/statistics/1041714/united-kingdom-all-time-child-mortality-rate/
Aisha Qandisha https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aicha_Kandicha
Andro Man http://witches.shca.ed.ac.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.caserecord&caseref=C%2FEGD%2F2172&search_type=searchaccused&search_string=lastname
Get the mongoose https://medium.com/illumination/the-bizarre-case-of-gef-the-talking-mongoose-df4c69131755
Bridget Cleary https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Bridget_Cleary
20 min
July 20, 2023 S2 #17 / Mme Vendredi on Djinn sorcery
Today we welcome back to the Spirit Box the wonderful Mademoiselle Vendredi. Mme Vendredi is a black magician who in her previous appearance on the show took us through her work with Sigils, Servitors and her own brand of seduction magick.
Today she’ll be taking us the reality of Djinn work, Abramelin square magick and working with the The Forbidden Grimoire of Harut and Marut Book by Egyptian Sorcerer Al-Toukh.
We will also go through a recent encounter with what Mme Vendredi believes was a djinn possessed person. Our guest recounts a trip to Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, home to 10,000 djinns earlier this year and goes over the dangers of practicing magic in the Middle East sharing a recent case of magickians being imprisoned and executed.
In the Plus show we continue discussing the dangers of practicing sorcery in the middle east. And how this has led to memorising magickal work and the importance in servitor magick as camouflage. Finally she explains the difference between Demon and Djinn magic, specifically in how the spirits behave and how with the djinn there is waves of after effects.
It's good stuff, enjoy.

Show notes:
Mme Vendredi links https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MademoiselleV/membership?fbclid=PAAabBXIRKTIw4VN4GoyMSnZ2N85mNB-GZDtoN9Bxhk-0hRyEDbbhoYMOS-_Y
City of Djinns (Feroz Shah Kotla) https://www.darraghmason.com/index/G0000VFRBfQCfShI
56 min
June 25, 2023 S2 #16 / Michael Le Flem on Visions of Atlantis
oday we welcome Michael Le Flem to discuss his book Visions of Atlantis: Reclaiming our Lost Ancient Legacy.
Michael Le Flem, M.A. is a researcher, adjunct professor of history and philosophy, columnist for New Dawn Magazine, a scuba diver and guitarist. He grew up in South Florida, and attended Florida State University, where he studied Western intellectual history and U.S. foreign policy.
People the world over have grappled with the story of Atlantis for millennia. How much is fact? How much is fiction? How much is something else, filtered through the obscuring lens of time?
Using clairvoyant impressions from Edgar Cayce, Frederick Oliver, Rudolf Steiner, Barbara Hand Clow, Michael Le Flem builds a concerted scientific, philosophical and historical investigation of humanity's antediluvian achievements and Atlantis' tragic demise.
At the same time, readers will see just how the story of Atlantis has evolved from the seminal account passed down by Plato almost 2,400 years ago into those of the present day, as we engage with some of its strongest proponents and harshest critics alike. More than just a dry catalog of Atlantean footnotes, Visions of Atlantis strikes at the core of the great divide between materialist reductionism and the frontiers of metaphysics, enjoining readers to reconsider some of their most deeply held beliefs about ancient technology, psychic phenomena, reincarnation, the vast unknown past, and our uncertain future.
In the Plus show we get into Cuban Anomaly and Azores pyramid. We also discuss the Bosnian pyramid and the mysteries of the polar regions... and creativity and channelling.
Show notes:
Michael’s Patreon https://www.patreon.com/user?u=91690436
Visions of Atlantis https://a.co/d/0QR8vKJ
Michael’s website https://www.michaelleflem.com/
A dweller on two planets https://archive.org/details/adwellerontwoplanets_202002
Atlantis: the antediluvian world https://archive.org/details/atlantisantedilu00donnuoft
Bosnian Pyramids https://www.darraghmason.com/index/G0000sH9fSOZ4aHI

Keep in touch?
https://linktr.ee/darraghmason
Music by Obliqka https://soundcloud.com/obliqka
1 hr 8 min
June 10, 2023 S2 #15 / Gordon MacLellan on Sacred Animals
Today we welcome Gordon MacLellan to the Spirit Box to discuss his book Sacred Animals
He is a writer, storyteller, animist pagan and environmentalist who has recognised that to really involve people with a renewed interest in, and commitment to, the world around us we may need more than traditional stories or religious parables and moral fables. The stories that grow from direct experience are powerful ways of building connections, building a sense of belonging and when we pare away the green-washing, the jargon, the endless blurbs, a lot of environmental urgency and anxiety just now can come down to connection: to renewing (or refreshing) that sense of really being part of the world. This connection forms a deeper purpose, one of rewilding the soul.
His book Sacred Animals is not always animals to see or touch or run away from, but animals to see with the eyes of your mind, to encounter in the other ways. Animals to wonder over in the Otherworld and in this, the physical, world. The heart of this book is a spiritual adventure into contact and friendship with the animal world. It draws on ancient knowledge, surviving traditions, memories of other customs and the simple imagination that helps fill in the gaps.
In the Plus show we discuss rewilding the soul. We discuss the human - nature divide and Gordon treats us to one of his wonderful Kelpie stories.
Show notes:
Ordering books: https://creepingtoad.blogspot.com/2023/05/sacred-animals-new-book.html
Twitter: https://twitter.com/creepingtoad
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creepingtoad
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creepingtoad/
Website: https://creepingtoad.com/
Blog: https://creepingtoad.blogspot.com/
Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Creepingtoad
Films on youtube mentioned in conversation:
Trolls: https://youtu.be/S-XtWbAC3bQ
Pond ripples: https://youtu.be/6xLPhiosBfg
Keep in touch?
https://linktr.ee/darraghmason
Music by Obliqka https://soundcloud.com/obliqka
1 hr