It's time to kick around an idea that gets brought up and used quite a bit these days. Unverified personal Gnosis are the terms used to describe a belief gained through personal subjective experience, not things which are confirmed by traditions or in groups. They usually inform the belief system of those that experience them. On this episode, we will be talking with someone whose entire practice is based around Unverified Personal Gnosis. That's right! It's the long-awaited return of author and animist sorcerer Aidan Wachter!

For the last 50 years, many people around the world but particularly in the west, identify themselves as a witch and if asked what religion they ascribe to, will say Wicca. Despite what some claim, the roots of Wicca are thoroughly modern and go back no further than the 20th century. Indeed, Wicca has been dubbed the only fully formed religion that England has given the world. Many myths and misconceptions surround Wicca, so much so that even those who claim to be a Wiccan will be unaware of many of the finer details of its origins. To set the record straight is Wiccan Priestess, author and owner of the greatest occult bookshop in the world, Christina Oakley-Harrington!

Throughout the centuries, one figure has flittered through both folkloric and fortean encounters. To some, this figure has simply been called the Devil, yet others aren't so hasty to place such an epithet on him. When we look into the past, A Dark Man has made their presence known in many ways. Some within the confines of the occult and witchcraft would even go so far as to call this Dark Man the witchfather. Digging deeper into the lore of the Dark Man is our guest, the podcaster and author of the new book Song of the Dark Man- Darragh Mason!

Without a doubt, the second most recognizable and used Tarot deck in existence is the Thoth Tarot. While many are familiar with the originator of this deck, the Great Beast himself, Aleister Crowley, less is known about perhaps the most important person in this decks popularity- Lady Frieda Harris. In this episode, we are focussing solely on this infamous deck, the two figures who brought it to life, and the history of it. No one knows this deck better than my guest- Lon Milo Duquette!

Grab a Snapple™ and make sure your tips are frosted, we're going back to the distant, far off time of the decade right before Y2K ended everything. The decade kicked off with a shaky start, as distrust in the government boiled over leading to all sorts of interests in what we all perceived was being hidden from us. In this episode, we are joined by Artist and illustrator Brian Giordano as we take a closer look at all the weirdness and fringe topics which fascinated the consensus culture of America. It's a totally, majorly good time.

We truly live in a golden age for Magic, the Occult and all the high strangeness that comes with it. There are many of the greatest thinkers to ever tackle these strange and weird concepts alive right now; at this very moment. Every paradigm needs its heroes and villains, but more importantly- those who broaden and illuminate the ideas which are its very lifeblood. For Magic, one person has been the greatest promulgator of thinking magically for the last 50 years- And that is Ramsey Dukes.

Most likely each and every one of us has walked into a building or a structure which had the capacity to touch something inside of you in some ineffable way. For Millenia, cultures around the world have constructed buildings which have this ability to cut through aesthetics of their appearance and bestow upon those who look upon or enter inside, a sort of spiritual reverence. How does this happen and what sort of elements make up these structures? Helping us break ground on this curious topic is the author and scholar of esotericism, Peter Mark Adams!

If there is one single concept which has been associated with Magic for the last 2000 years, none would be more notorious than Demons & Infernal Spirits. For centuries, the idea of illness, misfortune and all aspects of evil have been personified as a class of spirits. How they are conceptualized by different religions and spiritual traditions is fascinating and in a way- the key to understanding these faiths and how they view evil. Everyone has an idea in their head as to what demons are or if they even exist. It is time to put them front and centre as we look closer at these agents of malevolence.

For the most part, What Magic is This? Podcast has stuck to the cozy realm of "Western" Magic and Occultism. Yet the listeners beg for a more expansive examination of the magical world we live in! It is with such curiosity that we head East to the continent of Asia and the country of China and take a look at some of the Magic which has arisen within the diverse tradition of Taoism. Helping us along the way is Chinese Magical practitioner and author of Practical Chinese Magic- Jason Read!

No list of early 20th century Magicians would be complete without Dion Fortune being there. Although many these days might not know her name, her books, or the magical order that she founded, nevertheless Dion Fortune's influence on contemporary magic is vast. Although she considered herself an occultist and ceremonial magician, it is within the realms of Wicca and Neopaganism that we can see much of Dion's impact. Helping us through the world of one of most notorious Occultists of the last 150 years is magic and paranormal author and researcher, Professor WHAM!