Arnemancy

2026 Forecast with T. Susan Chang and Andrew B. Watt

Thu, 25 Dec 2025 07:45:00 -0800

Your favorite prognosticators have assembled once more, for the 2026 year-ahead forecast! T. Susan Chang and Andrew B. Watt both return for our annual holiday tradition. With Susie slinging cards and Andrew peering at charts, we manage to get through the entire year in less than two hours!

This episode was originally recorded as a livestream for our Patreon supporters and Discord members. Jake from Cosmic Plumbing graciously volunteered to produce our livestream, and did an amazing job. If you enjoy watching video, I would encourage you to check out the YouTube version for full effect.

Links

Support the podcast on Patreon: https://patreon.com/arnemancy

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

The Arbatel: The Second Septenary

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 09:30:00 -0800

Part three of our nine-part Arbatel series sees co-host Evan and Reverend Erik exploring the second septenary. The Arbatel is a 16th century Swiss Protestant grimoire, or book of magic, and deals with summoning and making contact with the seven Olympic spirits.

The second septenary of this book revolves around the Arbatel's model of creation, the method of divine emanation, and the power of names. However, in a close reading, our hosts have discovered something more exciting: a ritual for a tutelary spirit!

Listen now!

Support the Arnemancy podcast: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

The Arbatel: Live for the Muses

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 05:30:00 -0800

In this second episode of the nine-part Arbatel Project series, Erik and Evan explore the First Septenary of this 16th century Swiss grimoire. The episode delves into the Arbatel's emphasis on secrecy in magical practice, summarized by the opening aphorism: "Whoever wants to know secrets, needs to know how to keep secrets."

The First Septenary establishes the foundation for the grimoire's approach to magic, encouraging practitioners to "live for the Muses" by embracing creativity and artistic pursuits. We discuss the importance of memory in magical practice, with the Arbatel instructing practitioners to thoroughly memorize essential knowledge. While the text presents a Christian framework for invoking deity before magical works, the hosts explore how practitioners of various spiritual backgrounds might adapt these principles.

Get the Arbatel so you can follow along: https://amzn.to/40eDW9E

And join our chat on Discord: https://arnemancy.com/discord

Support Arnemancy on Patreon: https://patreon.com/arnemancy

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

Introducing the Arbatel

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 05:30:00 -0800

Finally, it is here, the premier of the Arbatel series! In this episode, we introduce two key parts of the series. First, my co-host Evan. Second, the Arbatel itself! Learn about this 16th century grimoire, its origins in Protestant Switzerland, and the mysteries surrounding its publishing and authorship.

This is the first of a nine-part series about the Arbatel.

Get the Arbatel so you can follow along: https://amzn.to/40eDW9E

And join our chat on Discord: https://arnemancy.com/discord

Support Arnemancy on Patreon: https://patreon.com/arnemancy

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

Looking Back with Andrew B. Watt and T. Susan Chang (part 2)

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 07:30:00 -0800

My friends and frequent guests T. Susan Chang and Andrew B. Watt join me for part two of our 2024 retrospective. Susie, as usual, handles the Tarot cards, while Andrew manages the astrology. Pour yourself a beverage and settle in, as we poke at spreadsheets and explore last year's news to peer curiously into the past.

Andrew B. Watt is an astrologer, magician, and cool wizard. T. Susan Chang is a Tarot expert, author, and cool wizard. Please enjoy our look back at the second, tumultuous half of 2024!

Bonus: The Reflective Soul with Dr. Nick Literski

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 07:45:00 -0800

This special bonus episode is from a brand new podcast, The Reflective Soul, hosted by my friend and recurring Arnemancy guest, Dr. Nick Literski.

The Reflective Soul Podcast explores the intersection of psyche and spirit. Through engaging solo episodes and heartfelt interviews, discover how dreams, symbols, archetypes, and sacred stories can inspire transformation and growth.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to The Reflective Soul Podcast!

Support Arnemancy on Patreon: Support this Podcast

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

Occult Philosophy Live with Eric Purdue

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 07:45:00 -0800

For the podcast's fifth anniversary, Eric Purdue joined me at Dark Star Magick in Portland, Oregon, for a live podcast recording. We had a live audience, livestreamed the conversation to YouTube, and overall had a really excellent time. Our conversation focused on his translation of Henry Cornelius Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy, which was released in 2022. I wanted to find out more about the ongoing influence of his translation, and how it is reshaping the modern occult community.

Eric Purdue is a practitioner of medieval astrology, and a santero (olorisha) in Lucumí/Santeria. He has studied metaphysics for over thirty years, with a particular focus on practical folk and astrological magic. His work on traditional talismanic magic appeared in the inaugural edition of The Ascendant (2014).

Thanks to Dark Star Magick for hosting this event. While it may have been a crazy idea to host it on Halloween, Steve enthusiastically jumped on the idea and then trusted us to pull it off. I am very grateful that he sat in as the intermediary between our Internet audience and the live event. Dark Star Magick is an incredible occult bookstore, carrying new, used, and rare books. They ship all over the world, so be sure to check out their online shop.

Live podcasts are a lot of work, and I couldn't have done this without the help of my brother Nick Arneson, and his audio/visual engineering skills. Make sure to check out his music and video production agency, Sunshine Presents.

Links

Support Arnemancy on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

2025 Forecast with Andrew B. Watt and T. Susan Chang (part 1)

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 07:45:00 -0800

Part 1 of the 2025 Forecast is here! The Confraternity of Prognosticators has convened once more, and I am joined by my friends Andrew B. Watt and T. Susan Chang to use astrology and Tarot to forecast the coming year. We are delighted to have you on this amusing journey! This episode covers the months January through June, along with a bonus forecast about TikTok.

Andrew B. Watt is an astrologer, magician, and cool wizard. T. Susan Chang is a Tarot expert, author, and cool wizard. You know who we are, now go listen to us prognosticate!

Links

Support Arnemancy on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy

Christmas Without Masters with Michael Sanborn

Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:00:00 -0800

Happy holidays! My friend and returning guest Michael Sanborn joins me for this extra-special Christmas episode to drink yerba mate and discuss his latest Remy Boyer translation. The Way Without Masters: A Collection of Nondualist Texts is a collection of manifestos, hymns, verse, and prose that span a selection of collected topics from surrealism to Sebastianism to incoherism.

We recorded this episode in the comfort of Michael's dining room while sipping yerba mate. Our conversation covers a broad array of topics from expressionism to the challenges of translating mystical verse. It was a delight to have Michael as a return guest.

Michael Sanborn is a book designer and translator specializing in contemporary European esoterica. He participates in several esoteric traditions, including Neoplatonism, and Templarism. He is also a gnostic bishop and a member of Azoth Temple in Portland, Oregon.

Rémi Boyer has explored at length the world of the avant-garde, initiatory traditions, and philosophies of enlightenment. He works within the setting of the House of Surrealists in Cordes-sur-Ciel, for a new alliance between traditions, philosophies of awakening, and the artistic avant-garde. He is the author of some twenty specialized works, particularly on Western initiatory movements.

Weekly Kybalion Discussions with Sam Block

Wed, 13 Nov 2024 07:15:00 -0800

Sam Block joins me to explain why he possibly thought it was a good idea to start a weekly Kybalion discussion group on the Hermetic House of Life (HHoL). Sam is a moderator of HHoL and runs the Digital Ambler website, a blog about Hermeticism, magic, and the occult.

This episode is based off of my recent YouTube video, The Nightmare of Hermes Trismegistus, but it includes the full interview with Sam instead of just the bits that made it into the video. Listen and enjoy!

By the way, if you are interested in what to read instead of the Kybalion, I have an excellent reading list you should check out.

Links

Support Arnemancy on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

How Divination Works with Tres Henry

Fri, 11 Oct 2024 07:30:00 -0800

This episode is repurposed from my first YouTube video. It is an exploration of the methods behind why divination works, featuring my friend Tres Henry. Note that this is not an episode that tries to convince skeptics that divination works—we just take that for granted!

Tres Henry is a magician, software engineer, and tinkerer who has worked in the tech industry for over twenty years. He is now bringing all of that nerd power to bear by creating digital tools for magicians. Two that you may have heard of are the astrology software Urania and online geomantic tool Georatio. He is currently working on building the best astrology software in the world.

Links

Support Arnemancy on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

Solomon's Pentacles with Sara Mastros

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 07:15:00 -0800

Sara Mastros is the author of Sorcery of Solomon, Orphic Hymns Grimoire, and The Big Book of Magical Incense. She teaches magic and witchcraft online and is currently working on even more incredible Solomonic pentacle material.

She joins me to discuss many topics, including the Solomonic pentacles and the nature of initiation. Sara helps put the Key of Solomon in its proper historic context, guiding us through the interpretation and explanation of these well-known but poorly-understood classics of the Western magical tradition.

2024 Look Back with T. Susan Chang and Andrew B. Watt

Fri, 13 Sep 2024 07:00:00 -0800

Welcome to the 6th season of the Arnemancy Podcast! It has been a delightful ride. We are kicking off this season with another meeting of the Confraternity of Prognosticators. This time, we are reviewing our forecast for the first half of 2024, carefully combing through headlines for each month, to see where we were right, where we were wrong, and to discuss how forecasts can be more effective in the future.

My friends and frequent guests T. Susan Chang and Andrew B. Watt join me for this retrospective. Susie, as usual, handles the Tarot cards, while Andrew manages the astrology. Pour yourself a beverage and settle in, as we explore spreadsheets and newspapers to peer curiously into the recent past.

Links

Support Arnemancy on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

The Splash Zone with Jacob Budenz

Fri, 05 Jul 2024 05:30:00 -0800

Jacob Budenz returns for a discussion of poetry, music, art, and how all of them intersect with witchcraft and magic. Jake shares some of their process, and discusses influences from a wide array of mystics and artists, including the anchoress Julian of Norwitch and artist Marjorie Kemp. This episode was a blast---we laughed a lot, and I am sure you will, too!

Jacob Budenz is a queer author, multi-disciplinary performer, educator, and witch with an MFA from University of New Orleans and a BA from Johns Hopkins, whose work focuses broadly on the intersection of otherness and the otherworldly. In addition to writing, Jake is the front person for Baltimore-based psychedelic witchpop darlings Moth Broth. This episode features their new song, Willa!

Links

Support the Arnemancy podcast: https://arnemancy.com/support

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

The Shakespeare Question with Derek Hunter

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 05:30:00 -0800

Derek Hunter joins me in this episode to explore the rich and confusing world of literature in Elizabethan England! We talk about a number of very interesting characters, especially how they may relate to the question of the identity of William Shakespeare and the authorship of his plays.

Derek is theauthor of 15 books—11 works of fiction, 4 nonfiction—the creator of a philosophy called Love Chaos, an occult practitioner, and a general seeker after the variety and depths of existence.

Three of his most recent works are: Anonymous Agnostic Antichrists, Passionate Pilgrims, and The Human Drama Part Zero: The Fool, Frank Francine Fontaine. These were released in late 2023 and early 2024. AAA, a novel, and PP, a short nonfiction companion piece, were dedicated to the Shakespeare authorship question. The Human Drama series began this year with The Fool and will continue with The Magician on the Summer Solstice, a total of 78 short stories planned for the 78 tarot cards in the next 20 years.

The Apostolic Johannite Church with Bishop Scott Rassbach

Fri, 24 May 2024 05:45:00 -0800

Bishop Scott Rassbach joins me in this episode to discuss the Apostolic Johannite Church, the Friary Ordo Sacrae Flammae, and the AJC's annual Conclave, and all manner of mystical strangeness.

Bishop Rassach has a Bachelor's degree in English and History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he prepared on a thesis on Philip K. Dick and his works. He also holds a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from St. Raphael’s seminary, where he has delved into many topics in Modern Gnosticism.

He is an avid student of magical and mystic orders, modern ways of understanding ancient ideas, and the intersection of the traditional and the current. Scott likes to say that he is not a professional occult practitioner, but rather an advanced amateur. But he seems pretty advanced to me!

Spiritual Guidance with Dr. Nick Literski

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 06:45:00 -0800

In this episode, Dr. Nick Literski joins me to explore the topic of spiritual guidance. What does a spiritual guide do? Who should seek one out? Along the way, we dive into the latest findings on religious affiliations and behaviors, which suggest that many identify with being spiritual seekers outside traditional settings. In such a diverse spiritual landscape, whom do these seekers turn to for guidance?

Dr. Nick Literski is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies, and a professional spiritual guide. Dr. Literski holds a doctorate in Depth Psychology with Emphasis in Jungian and Archetypal Studies from Pacifica Graduate Institute, as well as a master’s in Spiritual Guidance from Sofia University and a Juris Doctor from the Northern Illinois University College of Law. Their research interests include depth psychological reflections on spirituality, magic, Paleolithic cave art, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Nick’s work has been published in multiple professional journals. Their recent book, Method Infinite: Freemasonry and the Mormon Restoration, was published by Greg Kofford Books in 2022.

Links

Support this podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

Novelty, Antiquity, and Agrippa with Mat Dragonstone

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 14:30:00 -0800

Rejoice, lovely listeners! In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Mat Dragonstone, astrologer, Tarot reader, astro-mage, all round nice guy. This is part two of our discussion on Agrippa, and you should definitely listen to part one on Mat's podcast before listening to this one.

Our discussion begins with a conversation about two logical fallacies: the appeal to antiquity, and the appeal to novelty. We look at how these fallacies influenced Agrippa's work in Three Books of Occult Philosophy, but that's not all! We also discuss how these fallacies may be impacting today's magicians and practitioners, and then look at ways to mitigate the confusion and wrong-turns this appeal could take. This involves a discussion of post-modernism and Jaques Derrida, which Dr. Dragonstone is well-equipped to handle because his PhD is a real honest-to-gosh philosophy degree!

This is a fascinating episode, and we only had mild internet troubles that I managed to almost completely edit around. Grab a caffeinated beverage for this one!

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

Greco-Roman Witchcraft with Jacob Budenz

Thu, 22 Feb 2024 07:15:00 -0800

Jacob Budenz joins me to discuss Greco-Roman witchcraft, and in particular the influences of a number of classical texts have had upon modern witchcraft practices. We discuss "Idyll II" by Theocritus, Euripides' Medea, and Metamorphoses by Apueleius (aka The Golden Ass).

Jacob is a queer author, multi-disciplinary performer, educator, and witch with an MFA from University of New Orleans and a BA from Johns Hopkins whose work focuses broadly on the intersection of otherness and the otherworldly. The author of magic realist short story collection Tea Leaves (Bywater Books 2023) and poetry chapbook Pastel Witcheries (Seven Kitchens Press 2018), Budenz has fiction and poetry in traditional print journals including Slipstream and Assaracus, zeitgeisty online journals including Taco Bell Quarterly and Wussy Mag, and lauded anthologies by Mason Jar Press and Unbound Edition. In addition to writing, Jake is the front person for Baltimore-based psychedelic witchpop darlings Moth Broth and has received awards and accolades for original theater work including a new adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita (Baltimore City Paper's Top Ten Staged Productions of 2016) and an original cabaret play about immortality and the cultural icon of the witch, Simaetha: a Dreambaby Cabaret (Baker Innovative Projects Grants, 2019).

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

Guest Appearance: Dragonstone Astrology

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 10:45:00 -0800

I was recently a guest on Mat Dragonstone's podcast to talk about Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa and his theories on divine light. My internet connection was doing horribly, though, so Mat had to do a lot of creative editing to get the episode to come out okay. He did an AMAZING job. Give it a listen, and then head over to his website to check out what else he has going on!

Here is a link to the original episode.

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

Early Mormon Treasure Hunting with Nick Literski

Fri, 26 Jan 2024 07:45:00 -0800

Would Mormonism even exist without magical treasure hunting? This is an amazing question and a strange topic, and I am really thrilled that I get to explore this topic with my guest in this episode, Dr. Nick Literski!

Dr. Nick Literski is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies, and a professional spiritual guide. Nick holds a doctorate in Depth Psychology with Emphasis in Jungian and Archetypal Studies from Pacifica Graduate Institute, as well as a master’s in Spiritual Guidance from Sofia University and a Juris Doctor from the Northern Illinois University College of Law. Their research interests include depth psychological reflections on spirituality, magic, Paleolithic cave art, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Nick’s work has been published in multiple professional journals. Their recent book, Method Infinite: Freemasonry and the Mormon Restoration, was published by Greg Kofford Books in 2022.

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

Magic in the United States with Heather Freeman

Fri, 12 Jan 2024 08:00:00 -0800

Heather Freeman returns to the podcast to share her newest podcast project: Magic in the United States. Heather is a Professor of Digital Media at the University of North Charlotte at Charlotte. Her new podcast covers centuries of history of magical practice and folk traditions in North America. Join us as she leads us on the journey of what it's like to get such an amazing podcast funded through real grants on a major podcast network!

We discuss Heather's plans for future episodes, as well as the difficulty of using the term "magic" as a catch-all term for the various practices and traditions she covers. I really loved this conversation, and I am certain that you will, too!

Magic in the United States is part of the PRX network and is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. This episode includes a short clip from one of its episodes.

Link

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

2024 Forecast Part 2 with T. Susan Chang and Andrew B. Watt

Sun, 31 Dec 2023 04:30:00 -0800

Here we are with the last episode of the year! This is part 2 of the 2024 forecast, featuring the Confraternity of Prognosticators, T. Susan Chang and Andrew B. Watt. You will definitely want to listen to part 1 before this, so go back and check that out.

In this episode, we cover 2024, July through December. We look at the presidential election! Susie draws some very strange cards. You don't want to miss this!

Links

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

2024 Forecast Part 1 with Andrew B. Watt and T. Susan Chang

Sat, 30 Dec 2023 04:30:00 -0800

It is time for the 2024 Forecast! The Confraternity of Prognosticators has convened once more, and I am joined by my friends Andrew B. Watt and T. Susan Chang to use astrology and Tarot to forecast the coming year. This episode covers the months January through June.

Links

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

Get my two-part course on Tarot and the Art of Memory!

Click the link below.

Tarot and the Art of Memory

2023 Retrospective with Andrew B. Watt and T. Susan Chang

Fri, 29 Dec 2023 04:00:00 -0800

It's almost time for the 2024 Forecast, but to prepare, we decided to look back on how we did for our 2023 Forecast. My good friends and preferred prognosticators Andrew B. Watt and T. Susan Chang join me to review 2023. We look back over all of the crazy events of the past year to see which ones we came closest to predicting—and where our predictions completely fell down!

Get a Discount on Tarot and Astrology Readings!

Susie, Andrew, and I are all offering a 24% discount on divination services until the end of January 2024! Just enter the code LEAPYEAR24 at checkout to receive your discount. Visit one of our websites to book now!

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

Get my two-part course on Tarot and the Art of Memory!

Click the link below.

Tarot and the Art of Memory

Magical Jewelry with Jeffrey Groves

Fri, 27 Oct 2023 01:30:00 -0800

Jeffrey Groves, sometimes known as Satyr Magos, is a magical jeweler, public ritualist, novelist, and photographer. Xie joins me in this episode to discuss making astrological talismans, but our conversation also encompasses everything from magical origin stories to technology to the trials of being an artist in the 21st century. We also discuss Jeffrey's experiences as a queer and genderqueer person in the highly heteronormative spaces of witchcraft and ceremonial magic.

Please enjoy Jeffrey's refreshing take on the life of a pagan and magician, and how our practices can be more fully integrated into our lives.

Guest Appearance: The Magician and the Fool

Sat, 21 Oct 2023 11:14:00 -0800

Recently, I had the honor of joining my friends Dom and Janus on their podcast, The Magician and the Fool. We discussed dreams, dream magic, images, image magic, and the incredible power of the imagination. I didn't realize that we had talked for so long! I hope you enjoy this, and make sure to check out their podcast, where they feature tons of amazing occultists, magicians, and mystics.

Support the Arnemancy podcast!

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

The Alphabet of Human Thought with Jack Kausch

Wed, 30 Aug 2023 06:30:00 -0800

Joining me this episode to discuss artificial intelligence, theurgy, the art of memory, and the alphabet of human thought is my friend Jack Kausch.

Jack is a PhD student in Information Science at Western University of Ontario. His project is to create a characteristica universalis which uses hieroglyphs to translate information between different languages and domains of knowledge. He has also written esoteric fiction, including the novel Aretalogy, the story of how the historical figure of Imhotep lies at the origins of the Hermetic Tradition.

Our conversation explores linguistics and the ways in which language changes how we think. We discuss the idea of a natural semantic meta-language and whether or not such a thing is even possible! This is a crazy conversation, filled with ideas that are bound to give your personal ontology a bit of a shake-up. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!

Links

Support this Podcast

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

Seeking the Imago Templi with Michael Sanborn

Fri, 14 Jul 2023 05:45:00 -0800

Michael Sanborn joins me once more to discuss his new Rémi Boyer translation, The Rectified Scottish Rite: From the Doctrine of Reintegration to the Imago Templi. Michael is a book designer and translator specializing in contemporary European esoterica. He participates in several esoteric traditions, including Neoplatonism, and Templarism. He is also a gnostic bishop and a member of Azoth Temple in Portland, Oregon.

In my conversation with Michael, we explore the Rectified Scottish Rite, the Doctrine of Reintegration, and the fascinating story of Martinez de Pasqually. This fascinating journey takes us from 18th century Freemasonry through the development of modern Illuminism. Along the way, Michael and I enjoy some kava!

Art and Alchemy with Marlene Seven Bremner

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 05:30:00 -0800

In this episode, I am joined by Marlene Seven Bremner. She is a self-taught oil painter, author, poet, and musician, exploring esoteric themes arising from her study and practice of Hermeticism, alchemy, magic, astrology, and mythology.

Seven developed her painting career in the Pacific Northwest, showing her work in both group and solo exhibitions along the West Coast and internationally, and now resides in the desert of New Mexico. She is the author of Hermetic Philosophy and Creative Alchemy: The Emerald Tablet, the Corpus Hermeticum, and the Journey Through the Seven Spheres, and The Hermetic Marriage of Art and Alchemy: Imagination, Creativity, and the Great Work.

Marlene and I discuss her art, her magical practice, and her approach to Hermeticism and alchemy. We talk about her personal work with the planets and the interaction between her dreams and creativity. I really enjoyed my chat with Marlene, and I think you will, too!

Links

Support Arnemancy on Patreon

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

Kitchen Magic with Melissa Madara

Sun, 05 Mar 2023 14:40:00 -0800

Melissa Madara joins me to discuss cooking and magic. This is not your typical kitchen witchcraft, either, but recipes and foods drawn from grimoires, Renaissance magic, the PGM, and other ancient traditions. Melissa is a witch, chef, storyteller, botanist, and co-owner at Catland Books. Their work deals with the healing power of myth, divination, and immersion in the natural world. They are a teacher at Catland Books and numerous other metaphysical spaces around the country, and the author of the magical cookbook, The Witch’s Feast: A Kitchen Grimoire.

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

Werewolf Pack Magick with Denny Sargent

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 15:15:00 -0800

Denny Sargent returns to the podcast with more howling fun! Denny is a Seattle writer, artist, and university instructor whose extensive global travels and esoteric studies informed the backbone to numerous published books. He is the author of Werewolf Magick and Werewolf Pack Magick, and the upcoming Feral Magick. In this episode, we discuss his new and upcoming books, including topics like the difference between normal old werewolf magic, and werewolf pack magic. We explore topics like animal spirits, comparing rituals, chasing squirrels, and Denny's experience at The Starwood Festival. It's always a pleasure to talk to Denny, and I hope you enjoy listening to this one as much as I enjoyed recording it.

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

2023 Forecast with T. Susan Chang and Andrew B. Watt – Part 2

Wed, 18 Jan 2023 20:15:00 -0800

Welcome to part two of the 2023 Forecast featuring T. Susan Chang and Andrew B. Watt. Did you miss part one? You can find it here! Remember to check out our 2023 special deals! In this episode, we will look at charts and cards for July through December of 2023. Andrew will be handling the astrology, Susie the Tarot, and I will be moderating to make sure things stay on track. If you would like to download a PDF with all of the astrological charts that Andrew used for this forecast, you can sign up to Andrew B. Watt's Patreon or to the Arnemancy Patreon.

2023 Forecast Specials

The three of us are all offering a special discount. This year, you can use the code 23ANDYOU to get a 23% discount off of various services and classes from our respective websites.

Andrew B. Watt is offering 23% off all of his services until January 31st!
A new class: Names and Signs: From Election to Talisman with Reverend Erik
Your Own Private Tarot Lesson with T. Susan Chang (scroll down to "One-on-one tarot mentorship) through January 23rd

Remember, use the code 23ANDYOU for 23% off! Get the full details here.

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy

2023 Forecast with Andrew B. Watt and T. Susan Chang – Part 1

Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 -0800

Welcome to part one of the 2023 Forecast featuring Andrew B. Watt and T. Susan Chang. As in previous years, we will look at charts and cards for each month of the coming year. Andrew will be handling the astrology, Susie the Tarot, and I will be moderating to make sure things stay on track. Part one covers the year chart, and the months January through June. In this episode, we learn that Venus is the Queen of the Year, and the card of the year is the Queen of Swords. What does that mean? You will have to listen to learn more! If you would like to download a PDF with all of the astrological charts that Andrew used for this forecast, you can sign up to Andrew B. Watt's Patreon or to the Arnemancy Patreon. Note that because I'm going to be traveling and away from both the log cabin basement and my normal recording setup, part 2 of this forecast won't be available until the end of the first week of January, 2023.

2023 Forecast Specials

The three of us are all offering a special discount. This year, you can use the code 23ANDYOU to get a 23% discount off of various services and classes from our respective websites.

Your Own Private Tarot Lesson with T. Susan Chang (scroll down to "One-on-one tarot mentorship) through January 23rd
Andrew B. Watt is offering 23% off all of his services until January 31st!
A new class: Names and Signs: From Election to Talisman with Reverend Erik

Remember, use the code 23ANDYOU for 23% off! Get the full details here.

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy

Chaos Magic with Luxa Strata

Fri, 23 Dec 2022 23:00:00 -0800

Chaos magic! What is it? Well, in this episode, I am joined by Luxa Strata. Luxa is an artist and magician and is host of the Lux Occult Podcast as well as the organizer for The Green Mushroom Project, an ongoing large-scale group magical working. We not only discuss chaos magic, but Luxa's musical endeavors, her work creating the Green Mushroom project and its associated hyphosigil, and also what the heck a hyphosigil is. Hint: it is not a hypersigil! Please enjoy a little holiday chaos with Luxa Strata and the Arnemancy Podcast! By the way, this episode includes both colorful language and some sexual content, so keep that in mind before letting your youngsters and impressionable family members listen. Bonus: Make sure to check out my appearance on the Lux Occult Podcast, which is going to be available about the same time that this episode is released!

Bonus: Wiz Biz with Alexx and Erik

Mon, 28 Nov 2022 19:40:16 -0800

Earlier this year, I started working on a new podcast project with Alexx Bollen. You will remember Alexx from his many appearances on this podcast and even back on My Alchemical Bromance. Our new podcast is called Wiz Biz with Alexx and Erik, and in each episode we look at a couple episodes of the award winning podcast Adventure Time! Please be assured that this project doesn't mean that the Arnemancy Podcast is ending; though it is true that I've been a bit slow getting season 5 off the ground, things are moving along! But in the meantime, please enjoy this episode of Wiz Biz as a holiday treat. In it, we look at Adventure Time season 1, episodes 11 and 12, in which one of my all time favorite characters is introduced. Subscribe to Wiz Biz with Alexx and Erik here!

Intuitive Tarot with McCalla Ann

Fri, 11 Nov 2022 15:45:00 -0800

Among the many different paths for reading and interpretive Tarot, you'll frequently hear mention of intuitive interpretation. While this might sound as if the reader ignores established symbolism and meaning for the cards, this is not really the case. In this episode, I am joined by SaturnVox's McCalla Ann to discuss her approach to intuitive Tarot. McCalla Ann is a podcaster, student of Bridal Mysticism, and professional diviner. She runs SaturnVox, a multimedia occult education and divination platform based out of New Orleans. I think you will find that what McCalla means by "intuitive" is more complex and nuanced than you might expect. This episode is also the first part of a collaboration that this podcast is having with the SaturnVox podcast. On November 12th—my birthday!—McCalla will be releasing her interview with me on the SaturnVox podcast, where I will go into my model of Tarot divination using the art of memory. Be sure to check it out!

Credits

The episode art features a photo from Wikimedia titled simply "Best Butterfly picture of the day". I think I agree. Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

21st Century Rosicrucianism with Frater Robert Gordon

Fri, 04 Nov 2022 14:55:00 -0800

It has been over 400 years since the first Rosicrucian pamphlets were published, on the eve of the Thirty Years' War. Now, in the 21st century, Rosicrucianism continues to thrive and remain relevant. Frater Robert Gordon joins me in the first episode of season five to discuss his new book, 21st Century Rosicrucianism. Frater Robert received a B.A. (Hons) in Anthropology from the University of Melbourne and an M.A. in Museum Studies from University College London. His vast experience includes professionally managing the St Paul's Institute (an ethics think tank run by St Paul's Cathedral in London), working for the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace, and working for the Garden Museum (an independent museum devoted to the legacy of John Tradescant and the final resting place of Elias Ashmole). He has been practicing Rosicrucianism for over 20 years and is an active member of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia, the Order of the Rose and Cross, and A.E. Waite's Fellowship of the Rosy Cross. 21st Century Rosicrucianism is now available from Lewis Masonic in the UK and Macoy Publishing in the USA.

Credits

The episode art uses an 1886 photograph of St. Paul's Cathedral in London, downloaded from PICRYL. Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

Agrippa’s Continuing Influence

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 14:50:00 -0800

Welcome to the final episode of our in-depth exploration of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy. Since this is the final episode of the series, don't start listening here. Catch up on all of the episodes in this series on the podcast's website. We have been all over Occult Philosophy, and explored everything from its historical context to its complex cosmology and fascinating theories on divine light. We will look at the influences that Occult Philosophy has had in the nearly 500 years since its original publication. In all of the previous episodes, I have suggested chapters in Occult Philosophy that could be read to accompany your listening experience. But not this time! My guests and I will be mentioning quite a few books that have resulted from Agrippa's influence, however, and I will make sure to list them in the show notes. They will make excellent additions to your winter reading list!

Credits

Many thanks to R.A. Priddle and Scott Gosnell for their insights into the influence of Three Books of Occult Philosophy. Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

Agrippa’s Christian Cabala

Sun, 18 Sep 2022 13:55:00 -0800

Finally, after a short hiatus, here is part eight of our exploration of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy. The previous episodes of this podcast dealt primarily with material from books 1 and 2, but now it's time to dive into book 3, The Divine World. Joining me for this discussion is Dr. Justin Sledge of the Esoterica YouTube channel! We will specifically be discussing the Cabala of Occult Philosophy and Agrippa's place in the birth and propagation of Christian Cabala. If you would like to do some reading before listening to this episode, I think you can get a pretty good overview of Agrippa's take on this topic by reading book 3, chapters 10 through 25. However, note that references to Cabala, the Hebrew language and alphabet, and Jewish mysticism crop up throughout book 3. You can't really deny that Kabbalah is one of the cornerstones of Western occultism. It crops up everywhere from Solomonic magic to Tarot to the Golden Dawn. If you've looked into it at all, you've probably come across the concept that Kabbalah is usually split into three main branches, differentiated in the way they are transliterated into English.

Christian Cabala, spelled with a C, is our main topic in this episode.
Hermetic Qabalah, spelled with a Q, is the variety used by modern ceremonial magicians.
Jewish Kabbalah, spelled with a K, is the original strain of Jewish mysticism that the others pull from.

And always remember, if you want to catch up with the rest of the Agrippa series, you can visit the home page for the series.

Credits

Many thanks to Dr. Justin Sledge for giving us so much incredible information on the history, philosophy, and influence of Christian Cabala. Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

Astrological and Planetary Magic

Sat, 25 Jun 2022 12:30:00 -0800

It's finally time for part seven of our exploration of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy. In previous episodes, we have examined both the structure of Occult Philosophy and the worldview it attempts to explain. We are finally ready to take a closer look at one of the topics that this massive work is best known for: planetary and astrological magic! This episode will cover a lot of material from across book 2 of Occult Philosophy. If you are looking for sections to read before listening to this episode, I would suggest starting with book 2, chapter 29, and reading through chapter 50. You'll also want to read chapters 58 and 59, as I reference them specifically. However, after this episode, I believe you will want to spend some serious time studying all of book 2, especially going back over the parts about planets and spirits from earlier on. As we will discover, both planetary and astrological magic cover a wide range of practices that occultists of all varieties are likely familiar with. You will find sigils, prayers, petitions, spirits, and hymns. In fact, this type of magic also leans heavily on occult correspondences, which can include metals, stones, crystals, herbs, foods, and animals. And always remember, if you want to catch up with the rest of the Agrippa series, you can visit the home page for the series.

Credits

Thanks to Tuomo Sipola for his translation of the First Emblem from Michael Maier's Atalanta Fugiens. Tuomo and others in the #languages-and-linguistics channel in the Hermetic House of Life Discord server all helped to figure out the mystery of this poem.
Thanks also to Josh Proto and J Swofford for their help in explaining and untangling the numerous mysteries of astrological magic and electional astrology.
Thanks also to Eric Purdue, who helped quite a bit with this episode behind the scenes.

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

Friends of the Spirit with Michael Sanborn

Wed, 25 May 2022 02:39:00 -0800

Greetings, listeners! For the past few months, we have been enjoying a deep exploration of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy, and now it's time for us to make a brief detour. This bonus episode is an interview with my friend Michael Sanborn, who is releasing a translation of a new book, Letters to Friends of the Spirit by Sylvie Boyer-Camax and Rémi Boyer. This is a book about mysticism, Martinism, and modern Rosicrucianism, and I am certain you will find the interview quite interesting. Michael Sanborn is a book designer and translator specializing in contemporary European esoterica. He participates in several esoteric traditions, including Neoplatonism, and Templarism. He is also a gnostic bishop and a member of Azoth Temple in Portland, Oregon. Rémi Boyer has explored at length the world of the avant-garde, initiatory traditions, and philosophies of enlightenment. He works within the setting of the House of Surrealists in Cordes-sur-Ciel, for a new alliance between traditions, philosophies of awakening, and the artistic avant-garde. He is the author of some twenty specialized works, particularly on Western initiatory movements. Letters to Friends of the Spirit, like the previous three translations of works by Rémi Boyer, is published through Rose Circle Publications, the imprint founded by noted esoteric author and translator Piers A. Vaughan. We will be returning to Occult Philosophy next episode, so for now, please enjoy this bonus interview.

Links

The art for this episode is a detail from O milagre das rosas by Lima de Freitas, acrylic on wood, 1987. Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

Planetary Spirits and Intelligences

Wed, 11 May 2022 12:45:00 -0800

Here we are, at part six of our deep dive into Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy. We're over halfway done! I know it's been a weird ride, but hold on, because we haven't gotten to the strangest stuff yet. At this point in our exploration, we have developed a strong idea of Agrippa's world and some of the basic premises of Occult Philosophy. We have looked at history, the nature of light and the cosmos, and the mathematical underpinnings of Renaissance magic. Now it is time to finally explore one of the strangest and most exciting elements in Occult Philosophy: spirits! Discussion of spirits occurs throughout this enormous work, but if you want some reading to get into before listening to this episode, first re-read book 2, chapter 22, and then read book 2, chapters 55 through 57. Daemons, daimones, angels, demons, and intelligences—these are all words that describe spirits. Sometimes they are various categories of spirits, other times they are words for "spirit" in another language. From time to time, even the gods are referred to as spirits. In this episode, we explore why that is, and maybe we even look at some ideas surrounding how you can communicate with them. I warned you that we hadn't gotten to the strangest stuff yet!

Credits

Prospero was played by the incomparable Coleman Stevenson, the author of many books of poetry and Tarot lore, and the creator of multiple decks, including The Dark Exact Tarot.
Joshua Proto has created over 100 astrological talismans according to traditional sources like the Picatrix, Three Books of Occult Philosophy, and the oral teachings of select Buddhist Texts. Josh frequently helps clients find talismanic and ritual solutions to a variety of astrological and magical problems through his website.
Epic storm recording by Placidplace from Pixabay.
The episode art is based on detail from The Annunciation by El Greco, c. 1590–1603.

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

Math and Magic

Thu, 14 Apr 2022 13:30:00 -0800

Let me congratulate you on having both the courage and curiosity to listen to this episode! This is part five of our deep dive into Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy. If you feel lost and would like to catch up with earlier episodes in the series, you can find them on the series page. Why are courage and curiosity so important for this episode? Because we're going to be talking about math. Math and magic. I have been looking forward to this episode for a long time, but I know that for a lot of people, the idea of reading about and learning about math is pretty miserable. When occultists discover how much Agrippa loved math, and how central math is to Agrippa's Occult Philosophy, they sometimes seem pretty disappointed. Much of book two of Occult Philosophy deals with numbers and mathematics. If you would like to really get an amazing head start on this episode, read books 2, chapters 1 through 23. However, if that is too much, I think you can be pretty well prepared for this episode by just reading book 2, chapters 1, 2, 21, 22, and 23. Some of the math topics we will be talking about in this episode are the philosophical concept of number, the relationship between math and occult correspondences, magic squares, and sacred geometry. There is a lot of great material, and I hope you give it a listen even though math might seem like it's a bummer!

Credits

Eric Purdue has studied metaphysics and the occult and has practiced magic and astrology for more than thirty years, with a particular focus on practical folk and astrological magic.
Andrew B. Watt is known to long-time listeners of the Arnemancy show. He's an astrologer and textile artist living in western Massachusetts, and an enthusiast of geometry and number theory.

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

Divine Light and the Senses

Sun, 03 Apr 2022 13:50:00 -0800

Finally, here is part four of our deep dive into Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy! If you feel lost and would like to catch up with the first two episodes, you can find them on the page for this series. In this episode, we will be taking a look at some pretty big topics: divine light and the senses. These form a pretty important core for the vision of magic outlined in this book, and I did as best I could trying to cover these topics and make sense of them. However, they are tricky, so I encourage feedback and questions if you feel like the topic hasn't been covered in enough depth. To understand how Agrippa believed that the senses work, we have to begin by examining his ideas on light. For this, we take a trip through the Ptolemaic worldview, explore the imagination, and look at some really bizarre and outdated scientific concepts. But all is not lost! Come with me on a strange trip—no need to bring your own flashlight! If you want to get a jump start on these topics, I would advise reading book one, chapters 49, 60, and 61.

Credits

Victor Frankenstein was played by Charlie Claire Burgess, the infamous Word Witch!
The background piano music is Sonata Number 48 in D minor by Domenico Scarlatti, performed by Andrew Fort. Go check out HOCUS!
The artwork for this episode is a detail from the Aurora Borealis from the Trouvelot astronomical drawings (1881-1882) by E. L. Trouvelot.

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

What Is Magic?

Fri, 11 Mar 2022 14:30:00 -0800

This episode is part three of our deep dive into Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy. If you feel lost and would like to catch up with the first two episodes, you can find them on the page for this series. In this episode, we will explore Agrippa's definition of magic, both through his words and by examining it through a modern lens. Beginning with this episode, I will make a point to let you know precise chapters we will be discussing. This should give you the opportunity to read specific chapters in Occult Philosophy so you can be more informed of the topics we discuss in this episode. Agrippa's definition of magic can be found in book 1, chapter 2. In the 2021 Inner Traditions edition of Occult Philosophy, translated by Eric Purdue, this chapter begins on page 18. I would like to point out that we will almost never spend an entire episode discussing just one chapter, but since magic is at the core of our exploration of this book, we need to spend some time understanding exactly what we are talking about! This series of episodes about Occult Philosophy will most likely last until Summer. My Patreon supporters will be receiving each episode a week before the rest of the world, along with bonus materials such as full interviews, a glimpse at works in progress, and the opportunity to suggest further topics for this Agrippa deep dive. If you enjoy these episodes and want to help support their development, you can help out by sharing this podcast with a friend! Let your weird wizard buddies and witch pals know that we have embarked on this journey. And if you want to contribute monetarily, you can go to the Support page on this website and find a number of options.

Credits

Eric Purdue has studied metaphysics and the occult and has practiced magic and astrology for more than thirty years, with a particular focus on practical folk and astrological magic.
Andrew B. Watt is known to long-time listeners of the Arnemancy show. He's an astrologer and textile artist living in western Massachusetts, and an enthusiast of geometry and number theory.
Doctor Faustus was played by Tres Henry.
"Tavern rainy night sleeping" by ilTerrible on Ambient-Mixer.com used under the Creative Commons Sampling Plus 1.0 license.
"Footsteps, Stones, A.wav" by InspectorJ of Freesound.org

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

The Sources of Occult Philosophy

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 15:00:00 -0800

Welcome to the second part of our deep-dive into Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa's hugely influential giant book, Three Books of Occult Philosophy. In this episode, we will be searching for the answer to a pressing question: how did Agrippa manage to write such an enormous book before he even turned 25? Thanks to Eric Purdue's long work on his translation of this book, we have a pretty good answer: plagiarism! Agrippa used material from over 200 sources to compile and assemble Occult Philosophy. In many cases, he simply lifted complete passages from some of these sources. However, in spite of the rampant plagiarism in the text, Agrippa was able to assemble quotes and passages from these sources—some of them quite mundane—to put forth an argument for his own definition of an occult philosophy that proved to be both remarkable and influential. We will look at three of Agrippa's sources:

Johannes Trithemius
Pliny the Elder
Johann Reuchlin

This series of episodes about Occult Philosophy will most likely last until Summer. My Patreon supporters will be receiving each episode a week before the rest of the world, along with bonus materials such as full interviews, a glimpse at works in progress, and the opportunity to suggest further topics for this Agrippa deep dive. If you enjoy these episodes and want to help support their development, you can help out by sharing this podcast with a friend! Let your weird wizard buddies and witch pals know that we have embarked on this journey. And if you want to contribute monetarily, you can go to the Support page on this website and find a number of options.

Credits

Pliny the Elder was played by Andrew B. Watt. The lyre music was performed by me, Reverend Erik! Pretty good stuff, huh? I used an Aklot 7-stringed lyre that I attempted to tune to something representing a Pythagorean scheme. Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

Introduction to Agrippa’s Occult Philosophy

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 15:20:00 -0800

Welcome to the first episode in a series that will be exploring the content, message, and ongoing influence of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa's magnum opus, De occulta philosophia libri tres, better known in the modern world as Three Books of Occult Philosophy. In this series of episodes, I will talk to experts, translators, historians, and magicians to unravel the secret of this book of secrets, as we figure out not only where this important book came from, but why it has had such a lasting impact on the world. If we want to understand Occult Philosophy, we first need to take a look at the world in which Agrippa lived. This episode will begin by looking at the Holy Roman Empire, where Agrippa was born and spent most of his life, and then examine a few key historical topics that are relevant to Agrippa and Occult Philosophy, including:

The Renaissance
The Reformation
Science and Philosophy

Finally, this episode will give a general overview of Three Books of Occult Philosophy and outline a general plan for this series of podcast episodes. This series of episodes about Occult Philosophy will most likely last until Summer. My Patreon supporters will be receiving each episode a week before the rest of the world, along with bonus materials such as full interviews, a glimpse at works in progress, and the opportunity to suggest further topics for this Agrippa deep dive. If you enjoy these episodes and want to help support their development, you can help out by sharing this podcast with a friend! Let your weird wizard buddies and witch pals know that we have embarked on this journey. And if you want to contribute monetarily, you can go to the Support page on this website and find a number of options.

Credits

This episode includes quotes from Douglas Batchelor, host of the What Magic Is This? Podcast, and Eric Purdue, whose translation of De occulta philosophia libri tres was published by Inner Traditions in 2021. This episode included music by JuliusH from Pixabay, along with Celebration by Alexander Nakarada. All music was licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License. Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Sword + Scythe

Sword + Scythe creates handmade materia magica, amulets, astrological talismans, and provides divinatory services under the auspices of Mars and Saturn. Visit at swordandscythe.com

Sword + Scythe

2022 Forecast with T. Susan Chang and Andrew B. Watt (Part 2)

Fri, 31 Dec 2021 15:55:00 -0800

On the very eve of the New Year, I am joined by my two amazing friends, astrologer Andrew B. Watt and cartomancer T. Susan Chang, for part two of our 2022 Forecast! Join us as we put our divinatory skills to the test. As Andrew interprets astrological charts for each month, Susie draws Tarot cards, and I am there to moderate!

Part two of the 2022 Forecast covers the months of July through December.

Two special notes for this episode:

All of us are offering 20% off divination services through January 5th. To take advantage of this, use code BIGASTRO22 on our respective websites, which you can find in the list of links below.
There is a PDF that goes along with this episode! You can get a copy by signing up for the Arnemancy Newsletter!

Oh yeah, and Happy New Year!!!!

T. Susan Chang

T. Susan Chang bought her first tarot deck at a Barnes & Noble in New York, where she moonlighted as a reader while working in academic publishing. After leaving the city, she took her practice underground for many years, re-surfacing in 2015 and taking up the systematic study of esoteric correspondences in tarot.

Along with deck creator Mel Meleen, Susie hosts the Fortune's Wheelhouse esoteric tarot podcast, which explores imagery and symbolism in the Rider-Waite-Smith and Thoth decks.
She is the creator of the Arcana Case® for tarot decks, which can be found on her Etsy page, along with her line of esoteric perfumes.
She reads tarot in person at the Inspirit Crystal shop in Northampton, Massachusetts
Her online Tarot course, "The Living Tarot," course can be found on her website.
She is the author of A Spoonful of Promises (2011), Tarot Correspondences: Ancient Secrets for Everyday Readers (2018), 36 Secrets: A Decanic Journey through the Minor Arcana of the Tarot (2021), and co-author of Tarot Deciphered: Decoding Esoteric Symbolism in Modern Tarot (2021).
She collaborates with Jack Grayle on the online course Godsong: 365 Days of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.

Her interest in tarot is wide-ranging and passionate, and has included:

Setting up 78 Spotify playlists for those interested in card-appropriate music
memorizing astrological correspondences for the minor arcana while swimming laps
writing tarot haiku and spells
maintaining a sprawling Card-of-the-Day-tracking database (complete with elemental, astrological, and kabbalistical frequency and percentage pie charts).

Andrew B. Watt

Andrew Watt is an astrologer, poet and artist living in western Massachusetts. He works in textiles, wood and words to produce objects for practical magic and mysterious practicality, and seeks the honest wisdom found in the life of an artisan.

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

2022 Forecast with Andrew B. Watt and T. Susan Chang (Part 1)

Wed, 29 Dec 2021 15:55:00 -0800

The new year is nigh! Once again, I am joined by my two amazing friends, astrologer Andrew B. Watt and cartomancer T. Susan Chang, to attempt to forecast the future. Together, we put our divinatory skills to the test. As Andrew interprets astrological charts for each month, Susie draws Tarot cards, and I am there to moderate! Part one of the 2022 Forecast covers the months of January through June. Two special notes for this episode:

All of us are offering 20% off divination services through January 5th. To take advantage of this, use code BIGASTRO22 on our respective websites, which you can find in the list of links below.
There is a PDF that goes along with this episode! You can get a copy by signing up for the Arnemancy Newsletter!

Andrew B. Watt

T. Susan Chang

Along with deck creator Mel Meleen, Susie hosts the Fortune's Wheelhouse esoteric tarot podcast, which explores imagery and symbolism in the Rider-Waite-Smith and Thoth decks.
She is the creator of the Arcana Case® for tarot decks, which can be found on her Etsy page, along with her line of esoteric perfumes.
She reads tarot in person at the Inspirit Crystal shop in Northampton, Massachusetts
Her online Tarot course, "The Living Tarot," course can be found on her website.
She is the author of A Spoonful of Promises (2011), Tarot Correspondences: Ancient Secrets for Everyday Readers (2018), 36 Secrets: A Decanic Journey through the Minor Arcana of the Tarot (2021), and co-author of Tarot Deciphered: Decoding Esoteric Symbolism in Modern Tarot (2021).
She collaborates with Jack Grayle on the online course Godsong: 365 Days of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.

Her interest in tarot is wide-ranging and passionate, and has included:

Setting up 78 Spotify playlists for those interested in card-appropriate music
memorizing astrological correspondences for the minor arcana while swimming laps
writing tarot haiku and spells
maintaining a sprawling Card-of-the-Day-tracking database (complete with elemental, astrological, and kabbalistical frequency and percentage pie charts).

When not engaged in tarot-adjacent activity, she teaches writing at Smith College, and writes occasionally about food and cookbooks. She lives in western New England with her husband, two children, and a variable number of chickens. Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

A Very Enochian Christmas with Cliff

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 15:50:00 -0800

Happy holidays, everybody! What is more packed with holiday cheer than Enochian magic? In this episode, I am joined by Cliff from Enochian Today to discuss his extensive and in-depth exploration of Enochian magic. Our conversation briefly covers the history of Enochian magic and the partnership between John Dee and Edward Kelley, and then we dive deep into the evolution of the system and Cliff's work with gebofal. Gebofal is a 49-day ritual that works with complex tables found in the Liber Logaeth. Cliff explains how he worked with these tables, the mathematic structure of these tables, and the hierarchy of spirits that seem to be laid out in the Enochian heptarchy. This is complicated magic, and if this episode interests you at all, please be sure to check out Cliff's blog for an in-depth look at his process. Cliff has practiced ceremonial magic for about twenty years, and has been deeply involved in Enochian magic for about two years or so.

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Werewolf Magick with Denny Sargent

Fri, 03 Dec 2021 15:35:00 -0800

If you are saying right now, "Reverend Erik, this should have been your Hallowe'en episode," know that I agree. And here is why: joining me for this episode is Denny Sargent, author of the recently released book Werewolf Magic: Authentic Practical Lycanthropy. He is, of course, here to talk about werewolves.

Our conversation covers Denny's background as an occultist and magician, and then we explore how the concept of werewolf magic came about, and how it was developed. We discuss the history of shapeshifting as well as the nature of its practice, including topics such as spirit vision, the "Double", and other related concepts. Most importantly, Denny is a lively and engaging speaker, so we talk for a long time and only sometimes get off topic. I think you'll be proud of us!

Denny, also known as Aion 131 and Hermeticusnath, is a Seattle writer, artist and university instructor whose extensive global travels and esoteric studies informed the backbone to numerous published books. Involved for decades with many esoteric traditions, the author has published works on alternative religions, Hermetic magic, Taoism, animism, Shinto, and Tantra. His published books include Global Ritualism, The Tao of Birth Days, Your Guardian Angel and You, Clean Sweep, The Book of the Horned One, Naga Magick, Dancing With Spirits, and Werewolf Magick.

If you are interested in helping protect wildlife, especially with gray wolf restoration, please consider a donation to Defenders of Wildlife.

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

A Tale of Two Tarot Decks

Wed, 17 Nov 2021 15:15:00 -0800

In this extra special episode, I will be interviewing two Tarot decks. I know what you are thinking: Tarot decks don't talk. But what if they could? Well, let's find out. My first guest this episode is an old and slightly crazy friend, my first edition copy of Robert M. Place's Alchemical Tarot. And after that, I'll be working with my second guest: the brand new Moonlit Hermit Tarot from J Swofford. I will be using a Tarot spread made specifically for interviewing Tarot decks. When some Tarot people get a new deck, one of the first things they do is an interview spread. This spread can supposedly help a reader forge a deeper connection with their divination tools. However, this might not be a very old tradition. The earliest example of one of these spreads that I was able to find on the Internet is from the Æclectic Tarot forum, in a 2010 post from a user called FireRaven. I have found a number of other spreads in various Tarot blogs and on other websites, but all of them seem to be derivative of the spread originally created by FireRaven. Here are the six basic questions from this spread:

Tell me about yourself. What is your most important characteristic?
What are your strengths as a deck?
What are your limits as a deck?
What do you bring to the table? What are you here to teach me?
How can I best learn from and collaborate with you?
What is the potential outcome of our working relationship?

The Alchemical Tarot

I have a long history with this deck. I won it in a raffle back in 2003 or 2004. I knew I would win it before my name was drawn, which felt weird at the time. For many years it was my primary deck. I used it as a focus for Tarot meditation. When I started reading for others, I used this deck frequently. But very often, the readings were weird, uncanny, or strange. Sometimes strange things would happen while I was reading with this deck, so eventually, I stopped reading with it for others. If you want to hear one spooky story surrounding this deck, listen to the episode! And, spoiler alert, below is a photo of my reading.

The Moonlit Hermit Tarot

This brand new deck was just published earlier this year by J Swofford. It is based on the Tarot de Marseilles, which is a different system than I am used to. It has 78 cards like a standard Tarot deck, plus 4 cards that were originally meant to represent the Goetic kings: Oriens, Paymon, Amaymon, and Egyn. This deck is available in the Arnemancy Shop! I have only used it for a few test readings, so it is still very new to me. Will I need to turn to the Little White Book to interpret my interview reading? Listen to the episode and find out! Again, here is a photo of my reading.

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Group Mysticism with C.R. Dunning

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 14:55:00 -0800

In this very special episode, C.R. "Chuck" Dunning, Jr., joins me to discuss meditation and mysticism in group practices. Chuck recently published a new book, The Contemplative Lodge: A Manual for Masons Doing Inner Work Together, which is a companion to his earlier book, Contemplative Masonry: Basic Applications of Mindfulness, Meditation, and Imagery for the Craft. While these books speak about Freemasonry, the techniques and insights come from Chuck's decades of experience as a counselor, meditator, mystic, and magician. Our discussion covers a lot of ground, but we focus on how group work can help enhance mystical and magical progress. We look at techniques ranging from Rosicrucianism to mystical Christianity to Freemasonry, including a few stopovers with old favorites like the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and Kabbalah. Chuck has a lot of wisdom to share, and I believe that his words and wisdom can offer a great deal of guidance to everybody, not just Freemasons. As a disclaimer, I am the editor of The Contemplative Lodge. I have also known Chuck for over 20 years, and consider him an important teacher in my esoteric and occult work. My ongoing friendship with Chuck has only heightened my respect for his work. It is my belief that you, dear listener, can also learn a great deal from what he has to say.

Spirits and Bots with Heather Freeman

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 14:40:00 -0800

In this episode, I am joined by Heather D. Freeman to discuss digital occultism in all of its glorious forms. We cover virtual ritual, WitchTok, bots, social media, familiars, spirit helpers, next generation Gardnerian Wicca, and many more fascinating topics. Heather is Professor of Art in Digital Media at the University of North Carolina Charlotte and creator of the Familiar Shapes podcast and short film. She is also an occultist, initiate of Gardnerian Wicca, and author of the forthcoming zine by Theurgical Studies Press, "The Piedmont Path: A Witchcraft Oracle of Contemporary North Carolina". Perhaps the element of this episode that delighted me the most is that it has been a continuation of conversations I have been having with other tech-savvy occultists like Tres Henry, Nick Chapel, Lailokens Awen, and others. There is so much to be exploring in this particular field, and we all benefit from having people like Heather blazing a trail.

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Personal Daimon with Cat Rose Neligan

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 14:15:00 -0800

In this episode, I am joined by astrologer, author, and artist Cat Rose Neligan. Cat incorporates astrology into her work coaching small business owners, helping artists, writers, musicians and all kinds of creatives to better understand themselves, identify their calling, and share their work with the world. Cat and I discuss the personal daimon, a tutelary spirit with a long and varied history. Some associate it with the holy guardian angel, some with a protector spirit, but Cat has found that the personal daimon is perhaps more strongly connected with guiding us toward our destiny than anything else. She discusses methods of both contacting and working with your daimon, the daimon's astrological associations, and other related topics. Many listeners will be familiar with various aspects of this topic already. Socrates, for instance, is famous for having a daimon that spoke to him. Many of us have experimented with the techniques of the Book of Abramelin or the teachings of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Even the various helper spirit rituals of the Greek Magical Papyri might be related to this topic. Cat's work with the personal daimon has led to a book! If you are interested in this book, check out the Kickstarter campaign and lend your support! The campaign runs through October 31, 2021.

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Tarot Topics with Liz Worth

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 14:10:00 -0800

Tarot reader and author Liz Worth joins me for the first episode of season three! Liz is the author of seven books including The Power of Tarot and Going Beyond the Little White Book: A Contemporary Guide to Tarot. Her writing has appeared in FLARE Magazine, Refinery29, Chatelaine, the Globe and Mail, and more. She runs an online tarot school that welcomes students from around the world. Liz and I discuss a number of Tarot-related topics, including questions about intuition in Tarot, the importance of memorization in Tarot, and the ethics of Tarot reading. It was a delight having her as a guest and I think this episode will give you, the listener, plenty to think about and consider in the world of cartomancy.

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Season Three Trailer

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 13:50:15 -0800

The Arnemancy Podcast is back for a third season full of interesting guests, fascinating interviews, and strange history! Join your host, Reverend Erik—that's me!—on an exploration of your favorite topics, including Tarot, magic, the occult, and the history of Western Esotericism. This season, we welcome a bunch of new guests alongside some of your favorite returning visitors. We will be exploring modern applications of technology in magic. We will also take a close look at the works of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa. You can find the Arnemancy Podcast at arnemancy.com, as well as wherever you find the rest of your podcasts: iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts—and now also on YouTube! Subscribe today at arnemancy.com/subscribe so you'll be ready when season three's episodes are released! Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Mucha’s Masterpiece with Thomas Negovan

Thu, 29 Jul 2021 12:55:00 -0800

Thomas Negovan is the director of the Century Guild Museum of Art and author of Le Pater: Alphonse Mucha's Symbolist Masterpiece and the Lineage of Mysticism. He joins me in this special bonus podcast episode to discuss the work of Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939), especially his incredibly symbolic and deeply esoteric masterpiece, Le Pater. Mucha was a Czech painter, illustrator and artist who lived in Paris during the Art Nouveau period. His distinctive style is recognized today as being among the defining works of that period, and is probably best known for his posters promoting stage actress Sara Bernhardt. However, Mucha was also a Moravian Christian and Freemason, and his esoteric interests and mystical pursuits enfused the artwork of his incredible masterpiece, Le Pater. This is such an important piece of esoteric artwork that I agreed to produce this bonus episode to help Thomas get the word out about his Kickstarter to produce a paperback version of his book on Le Pater.

On a Boat with Captain Tres Henry

Fri, 16 Jul 2021 12:40:00 -0800

You've got permission to come aboard this podcast episode! My guest in this episode is Captain Tres Henry, who also joined me back in April. We discuss divination, destiny, magic, and reality. Divination is not just a read-only operation, and we discuss what this means for the diviner who is also a magician. This is a nerdy episode. We build up a metaphor between computer programming, divination, and magic. We dive into the notion of randomness and how it is connected to free will and determinism, a topic also at the heart of my chat with Allen Drake. We discuss a number of other esoteric topics, but take some time to also discuss boats. Get ready to learn about rigging and masts and other sailor terms like that. We also talk about the Captain's two pieces of software, Urania and Georatio. The former is astrological software geared toward magicians, and the second is a geomancy tool. I am also joined in this episode by guest co-host Matt Anthony, who you will doubtlessly recall as one of my co-hosts from My Alchemical Bromance. If you want to see what else Matt has been up to, check out his YouTube channel, Mattatarian! This episode marks several important milestones:

It is my first episode recorded on a boat!
It is my first in-person recording in a long time. My last was with Alexx Bollen in October 2020.
It is the last episode of season two! The podcast will return with season three in September.

Links

The featured image for this episode is Zeegezicht met oorlogsvloot (1821) by Cornelis Ploos van Amstel. Original from The Rijksmuseum.

Armchair Harpsichording with Alexander Eth

Fri, 25 Jun 2021 12:30:00 -0800

Okay, stay with me here. You are going to have to hear this one to believe it, because my guest on this episode is Alexander Eth. That name is probably familiar, because Alexander is the host of the esoteric Glitch Bottle podcast, which covers topics we are all curious about: magic, mysticism, grimoires, necromancy, and other mysteries of our weird universe. Alexander is a classical ceremonial magician and researcher into grimoires. Did wizards just make all of this up? Alexander and I talk about the modern renaissance of grimoire magic and what he's learned from all of the amazing magicians, researchers, scholars, and translators he has talked to. Is there technology to trace? How much of it is innovation? I have been waiting for so long to have this conversation, and Alexander's insights are fascinating. In exploring this subject, we will discuss many of your favorite grimoires, well-known magicians both modern and historical, and a number of popular techniques. We discuss ritual implements, the history of such implements, and along the way we reveal that Alexander's mind is a vast and impressive encyclopedia of magical goodies. We also talk a lot about the nature of spirits. What are they? Why can we talk to them? How can we do it better? Why does it work in so many different ways? We ask these questions and then we absolutely try to answer them! As a bonus at the end of the episode, Alexander and I share our pro tips on organizing podcast playlists. How can you spare your brain? Well, listen to the end and find out. Anyhow, you can tell from the description, I suppose, that the episode had to be a long one. It also had to be a long one because this is an interview with Alexander Eth!! Enjoy!

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Anything but the Kybalion with Nicholas Chapel

Wed, 09 Jun 2021 12:30:00 -0800

Nicholas Chapel is a Minneapolis-based ceremonial magician and professional hacker. He has been practicing magic for more than 20 years. While he graduated with a major in religious studies and a minor in philosophy, academia did not keep him; he landed instead in the world of IT, ultimately becoming a professional hacker on a cybersecurity red team. If his name seems familiar, it may be because he is the author of the well-known 2013 paper, "The Kybalion’s New Clothes: An Early 20th Century Text’s Dubious Association with Hermeticism," which served as important source material for both Sam Block and me when writing our articles about the Kybalion. However, like the rest of us, Nicholas Chapel is not here to discuss the Kybalion; we are here to talk about real occultism. In this episode, we discuss the parallels between hacking and magic in several contexts. First, we look at the nature of hacking, malware, and information security from a magical context. Then, we dive into information in the occult, and how Trithemius, Agrippa, and other early modern magicians used cryptography and steganography in their work.

Links

A special note: please check out the Moonlit Hermit Tarot Kickstarter! Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Third Eye Sundays with Coleman Stevenson

Mon, 31 May 2021 12:30:00 -0800

This is a special episode in which I am interviewed about Tarot by Coleman Stevenson of the Dark Exact. This episode is part of the Third Eye Sundays Lunch Session series. Each month, Third Eye Sundays welcomes a rotating panel of intuitive professionals (tarot and oracle readers, psychics, energy workers, etc.) as well as other creatives, counselors, and wisefolk to answer YOUR urgent questions live on Zoom! Coleman is the author of three collections of poems: Light Sleeper, Breakfast, and The Accidental Rarefication of Pattern #5609, several books about the Tarot including The Dark Exact Tarot Guide, and a book of essays on creativity accompanying the card game Metaphysik. Her writing has appeared in a variety of publications such as Seattle Review, Mid-American Review, Louisiana Literature, tarot.com, and the anthology Motionless from the Iron Bridge.

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

The Moon and Stars with Ryhan Butler

Fri, 07 May 2021 12:49:55 -0800

Algol, Procyon, Antares! Exaula, Algafra, Caaddebolach! In this episode, I am overjoyed to welcome back astrologer Ryhan Butler, who discusses the use of the fixed stars and lunar mansions in astrological magic. Ryhan is great to talk to about this topic, because he can start off with very practical advice about elections and results based on his own experience, then launch into the history behind astrological concepts. We certainly learned this in his previous podcast appearance when we discussed astrological aspects. When we were planning this episode, Ryhan characterized planetary astrological talismans as "special event" magical operations. Finding a good election for the planets is difficult, time consuming, and relatively rare. The fixed stars and lunar mansions, however, are very quick and easy to elect for, and lend themselves better to more immediate thaumaturgical needs. After listening to this episode, make sure to explore the wealth of instructional material that Ryhan provides on his website, Medieval Astrology Guide, and check out his YouTube channel for regular updates on upcoming elections.

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Lenormand with Emily Rose

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 13:12:30 -0800

"What the heck is a Lenormand?" I ask my guest in this podcast episode. Emily Rose joins me to answer that question and many more! Emily teaches Tarot readers and the mystically minded to read Lenormand like they're talking to a friend. She has been reading Lenormand since she was 12 years old and currently reads for clients and teaches divination throughout the Pacific Northwest and online. Emily tells us all about the history of Lenormand, and together we explore key differences and similarities between it and Tarot. This is an excellent opportunity to dive into the rich diversity of the field of cartomancy. Each system has its strengths and uses, giving both the diviner and querent new insights into questions and situations. If you are a Tarot reader, you will be happy to know that Emily specializes in cracking our minds open and pouring in new Lenormand knowledge. In fact, I learned about Emily during her lecture at the Northwest Tarot Symposium 2020, which is what inspired me to invite her on the podcast.

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Science and Magic with Tres Henry

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 13:40:00 -0800

Today, occultists and practitioners are fortunate to have the aid of modern tools like computers to aid in their studies. In this episode of the podcast, I am joined by one of the creators of such tools, Tres Henry. We discuss not only the role of software in magic, but the balance between rational science and mysticism. We also discuss geomancy, maintaining magical balance, and the responsibilities of a magician. Tres Henry is a magician, software engineer, and tinkerer who has worked in the tech industry for over twenty years. He is now bringing all of that nerd power to bear by creating digital tools for magicians. Two that you may have heard of are the astrology software Urania and online geomantic tool Georatio.

Astrological Magic with Joshua Proto

Wed, 24 Mar 2021 14:05:32 -0800

In this episode, I am joined by my friend Joshua Proto (he/they) for a conversation about astrological magic. We discuss a variety of interesting topics, such as spirit-based astrology, how to get started with astrological magic, how to overcome "election paralysis", and more. Later in the podcast, we drill down into the philosophy of astrological magic, discussing topics such as the golden chain of existence and the concept of ensouling matter through magical ritual. Since 2014, Joshua Proto has created over 100 astrological talismans according to traditional sources like the Picatrix, Three Books of Occult Philosophy, and the oral teachings of select Tibetan and Newar Buddhist Tantras. Josh frequently helps clients find talismanic and ritual solutions to a variety of astrological and magical problems through his website and offers training and workshops around practicing astrological magic.

Links

Josh also says, "Send me an email with the subject 'Planetary magic' and you'll get a special gift once what I'm planning at planetarymagic.com goes live!" Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

36 Secrets with T. Susan Chang

Wed, 10 Mar 2021 21:20:36 -0800

"What the dickens are decans?" asks T. Susan Chang in this episode of the podcast. Susie joins me this time to discuss her new book, 36 Secrets: A Decanic Journey Through the Minor Arcana of the Tarot. We explore the concept of a decan walk, talk about Susie's process, and then we dig into some specific examples of various decans, Tarot cards, and decanic images from the Picatrix and Agrippa. Please join us for this deep dive into Tarot, astrology, and the occult. T. Susan Chang bought her first tarot deck at a Barnes & Noble in New York, where she moonlighted as a reader while working in academic publishing. After leaving the city, she took her practice underground for many years, re-surfacing in 2015 and taking up the systematic study of esoteric correspondences in tarot.

Along with deck creator Mel Meleen, Susie hosts the Fortune's Wheelhouse esoteric tarot podcast, which explores imagery and symbolism in the Rider-Waite-Smith and Thoth decks.
She is the creator of the Arcana Case® for tarot decks, which can be found on her Etsy page, along with her line of esoteric perfumes.
She reads tarot in person at the Inspirit Crystal shop in Northampton, Massachusetts
Her online Tarot course, "The Living Tarot," course can be found on her website.

When not engaged in tarot-adjacent activity, she teaches writing at Smith College, and writes occasionally about food and cookbooks. She lives in western New England with her husband, two children, and a variable number of chickens. Also make sure to check out all the other times Susie has appeared on the podcast! Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

The Magus with R.A. Priddle

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 15:00:58 -0800

Mr. R.A. Priddle joins me to explore the world of fraudulent ballooning magicians. No, not the Wizard of Oz, but rather Francis Barrett, author of that famous early 19th century tome of ritual magic, The Magus, or Celestial Intelligencer. Mr. Priddle, or Robert, as I usually call him, wrote his dissertation on Barrett and as I learned very quickly, it is actually not fair to label Barrett as fraudulent. He was instead a working, professional magician and teacher of magic, and his influential book was crucial for keeping alive many earlier occult secrets for later generations. Barrett led a life filled with interesting characters and dangerous adventures. He was an alchemist who experimented with hydrogen ballooning. He studied under Ebenezer Sibly, the 18th century astrologer famous for casting the natal chart for the United States of America. Barrett also attempted a translation of George von Welling's massive tome, Opus Mago-cabbalisticum et Theosophicum. Barrett's legacy is also impressive. He influenced Eliphas Levi and Edward Bulwer-Lytton, thus becoming a major contributor to the 19th century occult revival. In addition, a talisman drawn directly from The Magus was carried by none other than Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter-Day Saints (you know, the Mormons). I have a feeling that you will love this episode of the podcast. Mr. Priddle's enthusiasm in exploring Francis Barrett's life, work, and influence is infectuous. Barrett is an historical character worth examining, and I think you will agree that his work is worth a closer look.

The Magical Body with Misha Magdalene

Wed, 10 Feb 2021 15:20:20 -0800

What do the grimoires say about ritual purity and the material world? In this episode, Misha Magdalene joins me to discuss the role of the body in grimoire magic. We begin by examining concepts of ritual purity in the Key of Solomon before exploring more concepts from gnosticism to Kabbalah. We discuss ritual purity as a way of connecting the spirit to the gross material world, as well as how to create a spiritual continuity from your ritual space to the divine. We also discuss how these concepts could be embraced by the modern neo-pagan and occult community. Misha Magdalene is a multiclassed, multi-geek, multiqueer witch and sorcerer with a degree in gender studies and a slightly odd sense of humor. Their first book, Outside the Charmed Circle: Exploring Gender and Sexuality in Magical Practice, was published by Llewellyn in January 2020. They're an initiate of multiple lines of traditional witchcraft, including Anderson Feri and Gardnerian Wicca, and have also been known to dabble recklessly in both modern ceremonial magic and grimoiric goetia. They live on occupied Duwamish territory in the Pacific Northwest with their polymath partner and two adorably destructive black kittens.

Marsilio Ficino with Dan Attrell

Fri, 29 Jan 2021 15:35:40 -0800

I am joined by Dan Attrell, the massive mind behind the Modern Hermeticist YouTube channel, which includes the vast and ever-growing Encyclopedia Hermetica. He is currently working on his PhD in Renaissance history at the University of Waterloo. He has gone out of his way to share tons of his knowledge and learning with his impressive audience, and is also known for translating some amazing materials from Latin. In this episode, we discuss Marsilio Ficino, and in particular Dan's translation of Ficino's De Christiana Religione, On the Christian Religion. We discuss many topics and themes in Ficino's life, including the highest goal of mankind, the immortality of the soul, the nature of reason, the supercelestial world, and the question of whether or not there even was a Platonic academy in Florence. We also attempt to make some sense of the tangled historical events unfolding around Ficino's life.

The Intermission and Beyond

We ran into a really bad recording problem in this episode. About 25 minutes in or so, Dan's Canadian internet connection gave out on us! We had to pick up the conversation the next day. I filled in the gap with a reading from De Christiana Religione that Dan was kind enough to provide. The background music during Dan's reading is "But We Shall All Be Changed" by Matt Anthony. Thank you, Matt! In part two, Dan and I begin by talking about Aristotle and Plato and their reception in Medeival and Renaissance Europe, but then we get a few tangents, and then we spend time with our favorite mad monk, Savonarola!

Notes and Things to Look Up

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Marginalia with James Russell

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 15:45:04 -0800

Dr. James Russell joins me for the third episode in my series on the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili. Dr. Russell is a book historian in Phoenix, Arizona. He completed his doctorate at the Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies at Durham University in the UK. James is interested in how material texts shape spiritual experiences. Focusing on early modern esoteric and contemplative literature, he studies the traces readers have left behind in books and manuscripts in order to reconstruct the reading experiences of the past. In his dissertation, Dr. Russell wrote, "Instead of merely being viewed as an art object, the HP was a text in which readers engaged extensively with both word and image."1 We discuss the HP as a used text as evidenced by its marginalia, like a "humanist activity book" filled with pen-and-paper intellectual games, whether or not the author intended it to be. James also leads us through an exploration of several of the commentators of early editions of the HP, including two alchemists, a botanist, and Pope Alexander VII. This conversation opens up so many new avenues that make this remarkable book worth exploring and enjoying. When James first approached me, he mentioned The Book that Nobody Read by Owen Gingerich. Gingerich attempts to trace the influence of Copernicus's De Revolutionibus using marginalia. I was also a fan of Gingerich's book, so I knew right away we would have plenty to talk about. Please enjoy this episode and don't be afraid to write in your books!

Citations and Resources

Here is a list of sources that Dr. Russell used in preparing his notes for the interview.

Primary Sources

Le Tableau des riches Inventions…dans le songe de Poliphile (Paris: Guillemot, 1600). This is the openly alchemical 1600 edition of the HP
D’Espagnet, Jean, Enchiridion Physicae Restitutae (Paris: Widow N. de Sercy, 1642, 3rd edn).
Nazari, Giovan Battista, Della tramutatione metallica sogni tre (Brescia: Pietro Maria Marchetti, 1599). English translation: Three Dreams on the Transmutation of Metals, trans. Doug Skinner (Glasgow: Magnum Opus Hermeticum Sourceworks, 2002). A very HP-like alchemical allegory
Quintilian, Institutio oratoria, ed. and trans. H.E.Butler (London: Heinemann, 1963).

On Marginalia:

Barney, Stephen A., Annotation and Its Texts (Oxford-New York: Oxford University Press, 1991).
Jackson, Heather J., Marginalia: Readers Writing in Books (Yale University Press: New Haven and London, 2005)
Jardine, Lisa and Anthony Grafton, ‘“Studied for Action”: How Gabriel Harvey Read His Livy’, Past & Present 129 (1990), pp. 30-78.
Sherman, William H., Used Books: Marking Readers in Renaissance England (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2007).

Other Secondary Sources

Doody, Aude, Pliny’s Encyclopedia: The Reception of the Naturalis historia (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010).
Eco, Umberto, The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana, trans. Geoffrey Brock (London: Vintage Books, 2005).
Fierz-David, Linda, The Dream of Poliphilo: The Soul in Love (Dallas, TX: Spring Publications, 1987). A Jungian reading of Poliphilus and Polia as Animus/Anima
Freud, Sigmund, The Interpretation of Dreams (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999)
Heckscher, William S., ‘Bernini’s Elephant and Obelisk’, Art Bulletin 29 (1947), pp. 155-82
Jung, Carl, Psychology and Alchemy (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1953)
Kenny, N., The Palace of Secrets: Béroalde de Verville and Renaissance Conceptions of Knowledge (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1991). On the author of the 1600 alchemical edition of the HP
Painter, George D. The Hypnerotomachia Poliphilo of 1499: An introduction on the Dream, the Dreamer, the Artist, and the Printer (London: Eugrammia Press, 1963). An introduction to the HP which highlights the pagan nature of the text
Poe, Edgar Allan, ‘Marginalia’ in James A. Harrison, ed., The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe Vol. XVI, (New York: AMS, 1965) pp. 1-178.
Priki, Efthymia, ‘Elucidating and Enigmatizing: the Reception of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili in the Early Modern Period and in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries’, eSharp 14 (2009), pp. 62-90 http://www.gla.ac.uk/esharp Accessed 21/08/2011.
Rhizopoulou, On the botanical content of Hypnerotomachia Poliphili https://doi.org/10.1080/23818107.2016.1166070

On Aldus Manutius and the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili

Barolini, Helen, Aldus and his Dream Book (New York: Italica Press, 1992).
Casella, Maria Teresa, and Giovanni Pozzi, Francesco Colonna. Biografia e opere. Vol. I Biografia (M.T. Casella), Vol. II Opere (G. Pozzi) (Padua: Antenore, 1959).
Cruz, Esteban Alejandro, Re-Discovering Antiquity through the Dreams of Poliphilus (Oxford: Trafford, 2006).
Fogliati, Silvia and David Dutto, Il Giardino di Polifilo: ricostruzione virtuale dalla Hypnerotomachia Poliphili di Francesco Colonna stampata a Venezia nel 1499 da Aldo Manuzio (Milan: Franco Maria Ricci, 2002). This is the 3D reconstruction of the HP

Russell, James Charles (2014) `Many Other Things Worthy of Knowledge and Memory': The Hypnerotomachia Poliphili and its Annotators, 1499-1700, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/10757/ ↩

2021 Forecast with T. Susan Chang and Andrew B. Watt (Part 2)

Wed, 30 Dec 2020 15:50:34 -0800

This is the second part of the 2021 Forecast episodes! Once again, I am joined by my two very amazing friends, cartomancer T. Susan Chang and astrologer Andrew B. Watt! In this episode, we cover July through December of 2021. You can find part one here. 2020 was a rotting radioactive carcass, belching toxic fumes out of a larger burning radioactive carcass, and when Andrew and I did our forecast last year, we were far too optimistic, even when the cards and charts showed us some scary stuff. This time, hopefully we are all more realistic. Note that there are two special treats for you accompanying this episode:

All of us are offering a 20% discount on readings through January 5th with the code BIGFLUSH-20 and you can find links to all of our divination offerings below.
There is a PDF document with charts and cards that goes along with this episode and part 2. You can get access to it by becoming a Patreon supporter of the Arnemancy Podcast, the Fortune's Wheelhouse Podcast, or Andrew B. Watt.

T. Susan Chang

Along with deck creator Mel Meleen, Susie hosts the Fortune's Wheelhouse esoteric tarot podcast, which explores imagery and symbolism in the Rider-Waite-Smith and Thoth decks.
She is the creator of the Arcana Case® for tarot decks, which can be found on her Etsy page, along with her line of esoteric perfumes.
She reads tarot in person at the Inspirit Crystal shop in Northampton, Massachusetts
Her online Tarot course, "The Living Tarot," course can be found on her website.

Her interest in tarot is wide-ranging and passionate, and has included:

Setting up 78 Spotify playlists for those interested in card-appropriate music
memorizing astrological correspondences for the minor arcana while swimming laps
writing tarot haiku and spells
maintaining a sprawling Card-of-the-Day-tracking database (complete with elemental, astrological, and kabbalistical frequency and percentage pie charts).

She attempts to learn Hebrew approximately once every 15 months and has been known to spontaneously arrange her pancakes into a Tree of Life formation. When not engaged in tarot-adjacent activity, she teaches writing at Smith College, and writes occasionally about food and cookbooks. She lives in western New England with her husband, two children, and a variable number of chickens.

Andrew B. Watt

2021 Forecast with Andrew B. Watt and T. Susan Chang (Part 1)

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 15:50:57 -0800

The new year is upon us! Once again, I have invited friends to help me try to forecast the future. Here is the exciting part: I am joined by my two very amazing friends, T. Susan Chang and Andrew B. Watt! Together, we create a forecast for 2021 using astrology from Andrew and Tarot cards from Susie. 2020 was a rolling pile of crap, set aflame in a giant dumpster painted like a TARDIS, and when Andrew and I did our forecast last year, we were far too optimistic, even when the cards and charts showed us some scary stuff. This time, hopefully we are all more realistic. Part 1 of the Forecast covers the first half of 2021, from January to June. Note that there are two special take-aways from this episode:

All of us are offering a 20% discount on readings through January 5th with the code BIGFLUSH-20 and you can find links to all of our divination offerings below.
There is a PDF document with charts and cards that goes along with this episode and part 2. You can get access to it by becoming a Patreon supporter of the Arnemancy Podcast, the Fortune's Wheelhouse Podcast, or Andrew B. Watt.

Andrew B. Watt

T. Susan Chang

Along with deck creator Mel Meleen, Susie hosts the Fortune's Wheelhouse esoteric tarot podcast, which explores imagery and symbolism in the Rider-Waite-Smith and Thoth decks.
She is the creator of the Arcana Case® for tarot decks, which can be found on her Etsy page, along with her line of esoteric perfumes.
She reads tarot in person at the Inspirit Crystal shop in Northampton, Massachusetts
Her online Tarot course, "The Living Tarot," can be found on her website.

Her interest in tarot is wide-ranging and passionate, and has included:

Setting up 78 Spotify playlists for those interested in card-appropriate music
memorizing astrological correspondences for the minor arcana while swimming laps
writing tarot haiku and spells
maintaining a sprawling Card-of-the-Day-tracking database (complete with elemental, astrological, and kabbalistical frequency and percentage pie charts).

The Abaton of Asklepios

Wed, 09 Dec 2020 15:45:49 -0800

This episode of the podcast visits the Abaton of Asklepios to incubate a dream from the god for the purposes of healing. This is not a typical episode, and is intended to be used as an episode to help you get to sleep while also performing dream magic and oneiromancy. The first segment of this episode will give you instructions on preparing your ritual space and explaining the ritual. Relevant parts of those instructions are included below just in case you want to get a jump start on things before listening to the episode. The second segment is the ritual itself. I look forward to hearing feedback about this episode. Please send me reports of your results with this new and unusual experiment!

Preparing Your Abaton

To prepare for your dream incubation, you will want the following items available.

Pen and paper next to your bed and within easy reach of your sleeping area.
A bed with fresh bedding.
Frankincense incense or essential oil in a diffuser
Flickering LED candles (because you can't leave real candles burning!)
An image of Asklepios or the rod of Asklepios.
Food and drink as an offering to the god.

Incubation Ritual Steps

These steps are explained in the podcast and are typed out here to make things easier for you.

Change your bedding and clean your sleeping area.
Hang the image of Asklepios or his rod over the head of your bed.
Write your healing wish on a piece of paper, and put that paper under your pillow.
Light the frankincense and LED candles.
Take a ritual shower or bath with the intent of cleansing yourself to enter the dream abaton.
Enter your sleeping area reverently.
Perform your usual ritual opening; if you do not have one, at least offer a prayer to the Most High.
Get into bed and listen to the rest of the podcast.

My Gratitude

This is a very different sort of episode and it stretched my skills and got me to work in new ways. I couldn't have done it without the help of these fine folks:

Sources

Orphic hymn №66 to Asklepios
Orphic hymn №85 to the Divinity of Dreams (Oneiroi)
Greek Magical Papyri (PGM) VII. 628-42 and VII. 664-85
Description of Greece by Pausanias

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Hermetica with Sam Block

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 15:30:24 -0800

There is a good chance that you are already familiar with my guest on this episode. Sam Block, AKA @polyphanes, is the prolific genius behind the Digital Ambler, his blog covering a wide swath of esoteric and occult topics. Earlier this year, he took on the ambitious project of completing his own translation of the third book of the Corpus Hermeticum, the collection of classical philosophical texts that forms the core of Hermeticism. We begin this episode with a discussion about the nature of the Corpus Hermeticum and the Hermetica in general, and then we get into Sam's project. We talk about his inspiration, the challenges of the translation, and what he learned through the experience. We discuss stories of creation in the Hermetica, how we use Hermetic concepts in our practices, and how to learn this stuff. This conversation ranges from the relaxed to the serious, from the frivolous to the deeply thoughtful. I am releasing it the week of Thanksgiving in the United States in the hopes that our conversation will add something special to everybody's lazy holiday.

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

True Nature with Rafa Martinelli

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 15:00:30 -0800

Rafa Martinelli is a musician, podcaster, sound healer, and meditation guide. His intuition and curiosity led him to transcendental experiences which awakened in him the quest to remember who we are and how to become more of who we are. In this episode, he joins me from Uruguay to discuss his spiritual journey and how we can address the great secret of our true nature. Rafa's story is fascinating, and involves adventures and travels with a Taoist doctor of Chinese medicine. We discuss psychedelics, spiritual dimensions, meditation, surrender, and how our ego tends to get in the way.

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Halloween Showdown with the Alexxcast

Wed, 04 Nov 2020 14:45:27 -0800

This is the audio-only version of the 2020 HALLOWEEN SHOWDOWN live episode that I recorded with Alexx Bollen of the Alexxcast. We had a number of special guests, including Stephanie Quick, Wesley Martusewicz, and Charlie Claire Burgess of the Word Witch. The original was broadcast live on Halloween 2020 on YouTube. You can watch the original video at this link.

Bruno and the Future with Scott Gosnell

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 14:45:12 -0800

Scott Gosnell recently finished translating his seventh Giordano Bruno book, Song of Circe & On the Composition of Images. Through this long process, he has become more familiar with Bruno's work than probably 99.9% of the people on the planet. We have talked many times on this podcast and the Arnemancy blog about how brilliant Bruno is, and Scott's insight into this Renaissance genius has influenced his understanding of the modern world. In this episode, we discuss not only Scott's work on Bruno, but the state of the world today, how we can make sure our information about the modern world is good, and how we can start preparing for an uncertain future. He discusses the importance of looking for diverse perspectives in order to understand the information bubbles we all live in, and how other ways of looking at things can help us find new ways to think. Here in the United States, the national election is right on top of us, and there are plenty of whispers about the uncertainty of this country's future. Scott's advice for evaluating politics through a broader lens and intelligently planning for the future meshes well with my season one conversation with Andrew Watt in Wizards of the Future and can help you take a closer look at your own preparations. Scott Gosnell is an entrepeneur, scholar, and startup consultant who helps with risk management and personal coaching.

Surviving Lockdown with Alexx Bollen

Wed, 14 Oct 2020 14:30:42 -0800

Returning regular guest Alexx Bollen joined me in Creston Park in Southeast Portland for a socially distant interview. Our primary topic was dealing with depression during the COVID-19 lockdown, but we got into a number of different topics, including synchronicities, chaos magic, microdosing, and Randonautica. Note that there is some wind noise and plenty of background park noise in this episode. We recorded outdoors and it had been a while, so unfortunately we just have to live with it! We discuss the general state of Portland during the lockdown. What's it like on the ground? Where are the people? How are the parks? What happened when the federal government invaded our city? When we get into the politics, we really just wanted to make a few things clear:

We don't want to live in a police state.
We don't want to be murdered by our government.
We don't want anybody to be murdered because of bigotry.
Black lives matter!
The narrative should not be that Portland is burning down.
This should not be a partisan issue!

Alexx and I both acknowledge that none of you are here to hear us talk about politics, and for that we apologize. But politics gets into our occult communities, and if we are not paying attention, then suddenly we get Neo-Nazis and alt-right assholes running corners of our occult world. Though Alexx and I both had mixed results with Randonautica, we brainstorm some interesting techniques for expanding upon the theme. One that I think is a worthwhile effort is to combine the random destination of Randonautica with the defixio technique from Patrick Dunn's Magic Power Language Symbol. If you are in Portland, Oregon, join me in trying this out at ///senses.deflection.lived. Links

The featured image for this post is from Rawpixel. Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Psychics and Shadows with Nicole Burron

Wed, 30 Sep 2020 14:15:53 -0800

Nicole Burron is a psychic medium, energy worker, shadow guide, death doula and grief counselor. She's been communicating with spirits and feeling spirit energy since childhood, and her current work includes a number of topics which are familiar to any serious occult practitioner. In our conversation, we cover the nature of psychic mediumship and shadow work, and discuss the particulars of working and communicating with spirits. Nicole also discusses working with ancestors and guides. One of the fascinating things about this conversation is that the language of the psychic medium — which is not the same as the language of a ceremonial magician — frequently seems to describe similar phenomenon, entities, and methods for both work and communication with those entities.

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Revisiting the 2020 Forecast

Wed, 16 Sep 2020 14:30:47 -0800

Season two is finally here, and this solo episode opens with a discussion of the current state of the world in 2020. Oregon is on fire, my city is shrouded in smoke, and the rest of the world is in difficult shape, too.

It's time to revisit the 2020 forecast episodes that Andrew Watt helped me with from January of this year. Join me in looking at what we can learn from our predictions from July through December. What's already happened, and what should we be getting ready for? We need to be getting ready to be the wizards of the future!

Finally, this episode also discusses the format of season two. What is changing? What is remaining the same? What can you look forward to? Tune in and find out!

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Season Two Trailer

Wed, 02 Sep 2020 14:35:20 -0800

The Arnemancy Podcast is back for a second season! Join the host, Reverend Erik, as he explores the practice, philosophy, and history of the occult, esotericism, and the paranormal. The Arnemancy Podcast features interviews with historians, practitioners, and scholars to bring light to difficult topics, such as magic, the art of memory, Kabbalah, Tarot, spiritualism, Hermetic philosophy, and more. Season Two of the Arnemancy Podcast, featuring Reverend Erik, is coming to your favorite podcast service in September of 2020. You can also find the Arnemancy project on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook – just search for Arnemancy! Season two of the Arnemancy Podcast promises all the explosions and twice the garden gnomes! Subscribe now! Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Sexuality and Gender in Paganism with Misha Magdalene

Wed, 24 Jun 2020 12:30:50 -0800

Author, pagan, and sorcerer Misha Magdelene joins me to talk about the intersection of gender and sexuality with magic and polytheism. Misha is the author of Outside the Charmed Circle: Exploring Gender & Sexuality in Magical Practice and is also the author behind the Patheos blog, Outside the Charmed Circle. We talk about cracking open the ways we are "programmed" to look at the world and how various esoteric practices seem like a perfect place to explore new ways of looking at the world and deconstructing concepts and cultural cues that most of us are never forced to look at very carefully. Our conversation explores gender and sexuality across a variety of esoteric traditions, including Wicca, modern polytheism, ancient religions, Kabbalah, and more. We discuss the art of writing a book, and Misha's approach to authoring their book. We also discussed how to get started learning about LGBTQ topics and issues, and how to face the fear that keeps us from confronting components of our own identity that might be deeply significant but not of our own making. This episode wraps up Season One of the Arnemancy Podcast. Season Two will kick off in September, and in the meantime I will be releasing some bonus material for my Patreon supporters, so head over to the Arnemancy Patreon page and check it out.

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Learning the Zohar with Justin Sledge

Wed, 17 Jun 2020 12:30:15 -0800

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Justin Sledge, a professor of philosophy focusing on the intersection of philosophy and esotericism. He studied at the University of Amsterdam's Center for the Study of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents and on top of that, he has a Ph.D. in philosophy. Our discussion focuses on the Zohar and how to study it. The Zohar is a massive text – the Pritzker edition is twelve volumes – and it is a complicated and difficult thing to study. Dr. Sledge takes us on a journey through the history of Kabbalah and the Zohar's place in it. Our conversation includes discussion of Abraham Abulafia, Sabbatai Zevi, the Mandaeans, Moses Cordovero, Daniel Matt, and even some John Dee and Johannes Trithemius. It's a long episode and it is full of stuff!

Hermetic Freemasonry with Greg Stewart

Wed, 10 Jun 2020 12:30:34 -0800

This particular meeting of minds has been a really long time in coming. Greg Stewart joins me for a discussion about postmodernism, Freemasonry, Hermeticism, and the role of sacredness in everyday life. Greg and I have both been Freemasons for a really long time, and we've both been active on the Internet talking about Freemasonry, esotericism, and the Western mystery tradition for ages. Amazingly, though our paths may have come close to intersecting, somehow we have never talked before. In this episode, we change that. Our conversation explores the early connection between Renaissance Hermeticism, Rosicrucianism, and the roots of modern Freemasonry. We discuss religious threads in Freemasonry and how the Masonic approach can help us be accepting of other faiths, beliefs, and approaches to life. We follow every tangent we can get our hands on, too. Expect a wide array of related topics in this lively conversation!

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Guest Appearance: Voicemail and Platonic Soup with The Alexxcast

Wed, 27 May 2020 12:45:17 -0800

I'm on the Alexxcast again! Alexx and I talk about productivity, emergency champagne, staying creative during the pandemic, and then we listen to some surprising voicemail. Here's his description of the episode: > Welcome friends to episode 338. Tonight Erik Arneson (@arnemancy) rejoins the show to listen to voicemails, answer questions, and finally unravel the mystery of breakfast cereal. Go listen over on The Alexxcast page, or listen here!

A Tarot Reading with Aaron Epperson

Wed, 20 May 2020 12:45:08 -0800

Back in the good old days of My Alchemical Bromance, we had our good friend Aaron Epperson on for a reverse interview. It was a delightful experience pretty early in my days as a podcaster. Now that I am a seasoned, salty veteran of the podcasting world, Aaron has returned to lift our spirits with another extra special appearance. Please join me, Reverend Erik, as I give Aaron his first ever Tarot reading, live on this episode! For this reading, I used the Miniature Rider-Waite Tarot Deck from U.S. Games. I linked to the exact deck I use – it looks like there are some low-quality knock-offs of the miniature deck available, but mine is pretty nice. Since I had all of my podcasting equipment on the table, I had to use the tiny cards or there wouldn't have been any room! Please excuse the color correction on this photo. The Hermit was in a shadow and being the masterful photo toucher-upper that I am, I did what I could to make that card more visible.

Hypnerotomachia and Play with Ted Hand

Wed, 13 May 2020 12:45:46 -0800

Ted Hand is public school teacher and independent scholar of Renaissance Magic. In this episode, he discusses the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili and Atalanta Fugiens as influential Renaissance texts and the culture of images. Ted discusses in particular the concept of using these image-heavy texts as vehicles for esoteric or mystical play. He discusses in particular the Atalanta Fugiens as a multimedia text and the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili as almost an architectural handbook. This conversation ends up being a deep exploration of the historical culture of the imagination. We discuss alchemy, the Rosicrucians, early Freemasonry, Robert Fludd, Giulio Camillo, image magic, forbidden knowledge, the Art of Memory, and building a relationship with meaningful texts. One key bit in this episode is Ted's explanation of why well-known Renaissance man and architect Leon Battisti Aberti was considered as a potential author of the Hypnerotomachia before scholars seemed to settle on Francisco Colonna. Along the way, Ted and I discuss different definitions and approaches to meditation in the history of Western esotericism, and we talk about the role of imagination and visions in meditative practice. This in particular might be one of the greatest lesson This episode is the second in a series on the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili and serves to help introduce the audience to the thinking, culture, and scholarship around this remarkable book and its lasting effect on our culture. Check below for show notes and for Ted's recommended reading list.

Reading List

Bilak, Donna. "Playful Humanism in Atalanta fugiens (1618)". 2017. https://italianacademy.columbia.edu/paper/playful-humanism-atalanta-fugiens-1618
Cruz, Esteban Alejandro. Hypnerotomachia Poliphili: Re-Discovering Antiquity Through The Dreams Of Poliphilus. 2006.
Griggs, Tamara. "Promoting the past: The Hypnerotomachia Poliphili as antiquarian enterprise". https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/griggs/files/wordimage.pdf
Russell, James, Charles. 'Many Other Things Worthy of Knowledge and Memory': The Hypnerotomachia Poliphili and its Annotators, 1499-1700. (2014). etheses.dur.ac.uk/10757/
Rogers, Dionysius. A Renaissance Seduction of Memory: Colonna's Hypnerotomachia as Counter-Edification.
Tufte, Edward. Beautiful Evidence.
Warner, Marina. Fantastic Metamorphoses, Other Worlds: Ways of Telling the Self.
https://en.chessbase.com/post/francesco-colonna-first-human-chess-reference (same website has the acrostic)
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315117781_A_Dreamt_Feast_Culinary_Marvels_in_the_Hypnerotomachia_Poliphili (banquet in chapter nine, late medieval and early renaissance feasting practices)
Hasler, Johann F.W. "Performative and Multimedia Aspects of Late-Renaissance Meditative Alchemy: The Case of Michael Maier’s Atalanta Fugiens (1617)", (Revista de Estudios Sociales. April, 2011). https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=3439874
Szonyi, György E. "Architectural Symbolism and Fantasy Landscapes in Alchemical and Occult Discourse: Revelatory Images", in Emblems & Alchemy, Alison Adams, and Stanton J. Linden, (eds.), (Glasgow Emblem Studies, 1998).
Bolzoni, Lina. "The Memory Theatre of Giulio Camillo: Alchemy, Rhetoric, and Deification in the Renaissance", in Lux in Tenebris: The Visual and the Symbolic in Western Esotericism, (Brill, Aries Book Series, Volume: 23, 2018).

Fate and Fortune with Allen Drake

Wed, 29 Apr 2020 13:15:13 -0800

Magician, fortune teller, and notorious swamp wizard Allen Drake joins me in this episode. We open with a discussion of various forms of divination and fortune telling, focusing primarily on Tarot and astrology. It doesn't take long for us to dive into the Hellenistic astrology of Dorotheus of Sidon. Allen takes us on a wild exploration of really early approaches to astrological symbols, images, and meanings before we dive into the meanings of fate and fortune and why those words scare the heck out of people. Dorotheus of Sidon was a 1st century CE astrologer, who probably lived in Alexandria and may have been from what is today Lebanon. His works are our oldest, best source for Hellenistic astrology and provide a fascinating window into the ancient practices that evolved into today's astrology. By exploring the works of Dorotheus, Allen has developed a rich and rewarding approach to the stars that I think you will find fascinating and enlightening. A note on audio quality: The COVID-19 shelter-in-place situation has forced me to make a lot of changes in how I record lately, so Allen's conversation happened over the phone. I'm working hard to make sure audio quality is better in future episodes.

Introducing the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili

Wed, 22 Apr 2020 13:15:22 -0800

This is a solo episode about the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, the most beautiful book in Venice. This mysterious volume was printed in Venice in 1499 by Aldus Manutius, with a typeface created by master punchcutter Francesco Griffo. Illustrated with 172 amazing woodcuts, it was written in a strange combination of Latin, Greek, and Italian. The illustrations also contain Hebrew, Arabic, and invented hieroglyphs. Nobody knows who the illustrator was, nor who wrote the book, but most scholars agree that it was Venetian Franciscian monk and priest Francesco Colonna. In this episode, I discuss the history of events leading up to the book, the nature of the book itself, and also possible influences the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili may have had on later European art, literature, and occult currents. Some of the topics I touch on are the 17th century Rosicrucian movement, the Renaissance Art of Memory, and 18th century Freemasonry. My research in this episode relies heavily on the previous work of two people. First, Joscelyn Godwin, musicologist, author, historian, and translator. He translated the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili into English for the first time in 1999, and was the translator and commentator of The Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz, which I reference in the show. Second is Efthymia Priki, Ph.D. in Byzantine Studies from University of Cyprus, who did extensive work researching the influences of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili on works that came after it.

Tarot Beyond Binaries with The Word Witch

Wed, 15 Apr 2020 13:30:47 -0800

In this episode, we're joined by The Word Witch, Claire Burgess! Claire (pronouns they/them) is a queer and non-binary Tarot reader, teacher, writer, and illustrator. They're the host of The Word Witch podcast and the creator of the Fifth Spirit Tarot deck, both of which explore and re-imagine Tarot through a queer and intersectional lens. They teach Tarot at Portland Community College and, soon, online! We discuss how gender works in Tarot and how modern Tarot creators are working to introduce non-binary ideas into new decks and artwork. We also have a great conversation about Claire's creative process with the Fifth Spirit Tarot. This is a great deep dive into deck creation and we can all learn a lot from their experience and learning process! The Fifth Spirit Tarot is being featured in the online course, Tarot for the Wild Soul. Make sure to check it out and use Claire's affiliate code FIFTHSPIRIT in the "Add Coupon" spot at checkout to get a complimentary Fifth Spirit Tarot deck/altar cloth!

Wyrm’s Addition with Alexx Bollen

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 13:45:05 -0800

Alexx Bollen returns to the podcast to talk about Wyrm's Addition, a new comic book project he's working on with Eric Millar of Outlet Press. The story takes place in an eponymous fictional Portland neighborhood based on a real neighborhood called Ladd's Addition, which those familiar with Portland will undoubtedly recognize as that weird 45°-tilted neighborhood in inner Southeast. What's up with that place? Well, Alexx and Reverend Erik discuss the weirdness of Ladd's Addition and how it influenced the theme and plot of Wyrm's Addition, and then go on to talk about how comic books and writing are a form of magic. Make sure to check out Alexx's new comic book in the links below! There are both digital and physical copies available.

Hunson Abadeer summoning part 1 and part 2
Wyrm's Addition digital edition
Wyrm's Addition physical edition
All of Alexx's other links
The history of Ladd's Addition
The exact location of our Hunson Abadeer ritual: ///stacks.chat.rocket
John and Alexx Hate Stuff

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Esoteric Artwork with Travis Lawrence

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 14:15:07 -0800

Travis Lawrence is an artist, printmaker, explorer of symbolism, meddler in metaphor, and allegorical adventurer. In this episode, guest co-host Coleman Stevenson of the Dark Exact joins me to dive into Travis's history with art, the method behind his creative vision, and some of the mysteries behind his amazing work. We explore Jungian psychology and esoteric influences including Hermetic Qabalah, Alchemy, and Freemasonry. Travis reveals the meaning behind a mysterious phrase that shows up in some of his art, and we ponder carving my front porch into a woodcut of its own.

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Guest Appearance: The Word Witch Podcast

Wed, 18 Mar 2020 14:30:09 -0800

Earlier this month, I was a guest on The Word Witch Podcast, where I discussed The Chariot, The Tower, and the Sevens of the Tarot with amazing host Claire Burgess. Here's what they had to say about the episode: In this tarot lesson episode, Claire is joined by Reverend Erik of the Arnemancy podcast to guide you through The Chariot, The Tower, and the Sevens! This deep and meaty conversation contains lightbulb moments for both Claire and Erik, and it also offers the most laughs you’ll probably ever hear about The Tower. (Read the rest here!) Claire's new deck, the Fifth Spirit Tarot, will be launching on Kickstarter on March 20th -- that's two days from now! Check back and I'll have a link for you. In the meantime, make sure you check out The Word Witch Podcast!

Synastry and Modern Astrology with Abigail Atkins

Wed, 11 Mar 2020 14:30:59 -0800

Abigail Atkins of Discordian Astrology joins me in this episode to discuss various aspects of modern and Kabbalistic astrology. Abigail has studied ritual magic and methods of esoteric spiritual development for nearly a decade, and implements astrology as a means of discovering the Holy Guardian Angel and the soul's destiny in this lifetime. Unlike other episodes on astrology, this episode focuses on modern astrology. We discuss synastry, or the comparison of two charts, alongside integration of the slow-moving outer planets and fast-moving asteroids. In addition to this, Abigail integrates her astrological practice deeply into her spiritual practice to produce a unique and enlightening map of reality. This episode was recorded back in October 2019, and I have to apologize for taking so long to release it.

Links

You can get links to free weekly horoscopes and interactive Tarot readings on the Discordian Astrology social media accounts.

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Please rate this podcast! Listen on Podcrypt

Agrippa’s Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy with Douglas Batchelor

Wed, 26 Feb 2020 15:00:46 -0800

My guest in this episode is Douglas Batchelor, host of the What Magic Is This? Podcast and veteran occultist. This is a continuation of my guest appearance on his podcast, where we started with a broad view of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa's work and and life. In this sequel, we do a deep dive into Agrippa's Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy, a fascinating work which contains such occult classics as the Heptameron and the Arbatel. It's the grimoire episode you've been waiting for!

Guest Appearance: What Magic is This? on Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa

Wed, 19 Feb 2020 15:15:42 -0800

This was a really fun one. I was on What Magic is This? with host Douglas Batchelor to talk about occult legend, super wizard, and proto-feminist Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa! Douglas did an incredible job on the show notes for this, so make sure to check out the episode page on his website. From his notes: Occultist. Theologian. Mercenary. Soldier. Physician. Spy. Scholar. Legal Expert. Peripatetic Polymath. Prisoner. Heretic. Certainly someone who lived a full life, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa looms large over the Occult, and is an obvious addition to the Fools Gallery. He is certainly one of the Titans of Magic, anyone seriously interested in the Occult must give Agrippa his due. In one book (or three) De Occulta Philosophia, it was Agrippa’s contention that there could be a synthetic vision of magic whereby the natural world combined with the Celestial and the Divine.

Demons, Ghosts, and Spirits with Montana Jordan

Wed, 12 Feb 2020 15:30:10 -0800

Montana Jordan joins me to talk about spirits, demons, and ghosts -- or energies, as she calls them. In addition to being a recurring guest, Montana appears on the Travel Channel show "It Feels Evil," in which "a team of demon hunters investigate the darkest hauntings across America." But this is where I had questions: most paranormal investigation shows approach their topic from a Christian worldview, where pretty much everything is considered evil and scary. Montana helps clear up her views on the spirit world and we explore the question of good and evil in spirit interactions.

And if you're interested in my Introduction to Sigils class, click here! Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Guest Appearance: Wanderings in the Labrynth

Wed, 05 Feb 2020 15:45:12 -0800

I was really honored to be a guest on Andrew B. Watt's new Wanderings in the Labrynth podcast! We talked about the Art of Memory, imagination, astrology, and how all of it fits together. Here's what Andrew wrote and you can visit the original episode here. Our wide-ranging conversation covers both “memory of image” and “memory of place”, although Erik demonstrates the value of both the “chain” and the “field” or “table” seals from Thirty Seals and the Seal of Seals, one of the expert-level manuals from Giordano Bruno (executed AD 1600 in Rome for heresy).

Practical Spirituality

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 15:30:35 -0800

This episode of the podcast is a solo show about practical spirituality. This category is one that I just made up, and covers spiritual, esoteric, or mystical practices that impact your external world by either making you a measurably better person, or by providing you with helpful life skills that positively impact your life and the lives of others around you. I touched on this topic in the future-proofing episode with Andrew Watt and with my interview with Greg Marcus on Mussar. But I believe there's a lot more to explore in this area. Here are the various topics I briefly discuss and some links to other things I've written about them:

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Forecasting 2020 with Andrew B. Watt (part 2)

Wed, 15 Jan 2020 15:45:25 -0800

In part 2 of our two-part forecasting series, Andrew B. Watt and I use astrology and Tarot to try to predict what 2020 will be like. We go through every month and produce both cards and an astrological chart. This second part covers July through December of 2020. You can hire Andrew for astrological consulting, and of course you can schedule a Tarot reading online with me! We had a couple of spotty connection problems during this recording. I believe I caught them all and edited them out, but the RØDECaster Pro has already made me lazy and I didn't check every second.

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Forecasting 2020 with Andrew B. Watt (Part 1)

Sat, 11 Jan 2020 15:45:23 -0800

In part 1 of our two-part forecasting series, Andrew B. Watt and I use astrology and Tarot to try to predict what 2020 will be like. We go through every month and produce both cards and an astrological chart. This first part covers January through June of 2020. You can hire Andrew for astrological consulting, and of course you can schedule a Tarot reading online with me! There's a weird background noise at the beginning of the podcast -- it took me a minute to figure out what it is, but it's me shuffling the cards. Enjoy!

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Esoteric Dune with Alexx Bollen

Wed, 08 Jan 2020 15:45:48 -0800

Alexx Bollen of The Alexxcast and John and Alexx Hate Stuff joins me to test out my new recording equipment. I recently created a sort of recording studio with some new equipment that promises to change the way I'm doing podcasting. This new setup centers around the RØDECaster Pro, and that means I had to learn some new tricks. This is kind of a practice episode, and y'all are learning with me! Alexx brought over some Dune trading cards from the 1980s, and we use those as a jumping off point to discuss esoteric and occult themes in Frank Herbert's Dune books. Our conversation gets pretty deep in spite of neither of us having read the Dune books in a number of years. We discuss many topics, from clairvoyance to genetic memory to prophecy. Also I probably threw in some sound effects because the RØDECaster Pro can do that and apparently that's a thing now. Sorry!

Happy New Year 2020

Wed, 01 Jan 2020 15:45:07 -0800

Happy New Year, listeners! In this episode I do a recap of 2019 and talk about what's in store for 2020. It is a brief episode but I think after listening you'll be stoked to see what's coming. Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Guest Appearance: A Very Nintendo Christmas with The Alexxcast

Mon, 30 Dec 2019 23:40:00 -0800

I was recently on the Alexxcast to talk about Christmas, protection magic, psychic attack, and magic defenses. Then Alexx surprised me with something amazing that I really don't want to give away! Check out episode 332 of the Alexxcast for a very special treat.

Mussar and Ethics with Greg Marcus

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 15:30:05 -0800

Mussar is the practice of increasing ethics and morality, and joining me to discuss this topic is Greg Marcus. Mussar is a thousand year-old Jewish spiritual practice. Greg is a recovering workaholic and the creator of American Mussar. He offers guidance on living a life of mindful harmony and spiritual integrity, drawing upon Jewish teachings and contemporary wisdom alike. Today he is a writer, speaker, coach, workshop facilitator, stay at home father, and full-time rabbi in training. He's the author of The Spiritual Practice of Good Actions: Finding Balance Through the Soul Traits of Mussar

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

The Dracxiodos Tarot with Greg Traw

Wed, 20 Nov 2019 15:15:47 -0800

Join me as I sit down for coffee with Greg Traw, a local Portland artist and musician who has created an incredible Tarot deck: the Dracxiodos Tarot. We talk about Greg's history with the Western esoteric tradition, Eastern religions, artwork, Tarot, and how it all comes together in his work. We also dive into the connections between Tarot and Kabbalah. Check out the Dracxiodos Tarot on Kickstarter!

Links

"Dracxiodos comes from another planet!" Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Wizards of the Future with Andrew Watt

Wed, 13 Nov 2019 15:05:03 -0800

Andrew B. Watt joins me on this podcast episode to discuss various visions of the future and how we as magicians, occultists, and wizards can prepare for the future -- any future! In particular, we discuss the competing ideas of John Michael Greer and Gordon White, futures both pessimistic and optimistic. We also take a look at the 200 and 800 year Jupiter-Saturn cycles proposed by noted astrologer Austin Coppock. How valid are any of these future predictions and what can we do to get ready? Andrew B. Watt is a blogger in the northeastern United States. He and I first talked about sewing and magic on episode 48 of My Alchemical Bromance, and he convinced me that I should make my magical robe during that conversation. This conversation was a blast. Andrew is a great thinker and we really dive into some current topics in a way I'm not sure this podcast has ever explored before. Let us know what you think in the comments -- and in the meantime, here are some links! Recommended reading before diving into this episode is book 4, chapter 5 of the Picatrix -- yes, ultimate nerds that we are, our entire discussion about your future does end up rooted in an ancient book on pagan Arabian astrological wizard junk. Enjoy!

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Guest Appearance: Summoning a Cartoon Demon on The Alexxcast

Thu, 31 Oct 2019 16:19:01 -0800

Keeping it spooky for Halloween, I once more teamed up with Alexx Bollen to summon a cartoon demon! Here's his description: Hey ghouls, it’s me AHHHHHHlexx! Welcome to the Alexxcast Halloween episode. This year Erik Arneson joins us to try and summon a cartoon demon… a different one this time! Enjoy! Click here to visit the original, or listen on this page! And if you want to listen to our first Halloween special:

S01E11 Live Ouija Session with Montana Jordan

Wed, 30 Oct 2019 14:40:53 -0800

In this spooktacular podcast episode, Montana Jordan joins me for a live Ouija board session. I really don't want to give anything away about our session -- let's just say that we make contact, and it's an interesting contact. Even more interesting is that we set up the Ouija board in my ritual space, and Montana has some stuff to say about that, too! Montana also shares some very special news about an upcoming project. Listen to our special Samhain-Halloween Spooktacular, my friends, and enjoy!! By the way, the intro is remixed with some piano by me.

"It Feels Evil" on the Travel Channel
Montana Jordan's Website
@kmontanajordan on Instagram

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

S01E10 Ingrid Kincaid the Rune Woman

Wed, 16 Oct 2019 14:30:17 -0800

I first met Ingrid Kincaid in 2017 when she visited my Masonic lodge to give a lecture on Yule and ancient Northern European traditions. Her name kept coming up in conversation after that as many of my friends and associates told me I should talk to her about runes. I finally reached out to her and we met in her home to record this podcast episode in the shadow of her giant mounted caribou head. Ingrid Kincaid has been studying the runes for 40 years. She has published two books on the subject. Her expertise is held in such high regard that she is known as the Rune Woman. In this episode, Ingrid and I discuss her unique approach to the runes and to ancestral knowledge. We talk about how she discovered the runes, what wisdom they have brought her, and how her ongoing work with them has changed and influenced the world around her.

Ingrid Kincaid's website
Lost Teachings of the Runes: Northern Mysteries and the Wheel of Life (Ingrid's latest book, released October 1st!)
The Runes Revealed (Ingrid's first book on runes)
@therunewoman on Instagram

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

S01E09 The Dark Exact LIVE at Rose City Book Pub

Wed, 02 Oct 2019 14:15:37 -0800

Coleman Stevenson of the Dark Exact joined me at the Rose City Book Pub for a live podcast recording, and it was great! We filled up the venue and more than forty people were in the audience. We talk about Tarot, art, the process of creation, creativity, cats, and all kinds of great stuff. The Q&A session with the audience was particularly invigorating. Recording and sound was done by my very talented brother, Nick Arneson. Go check out his music!

Links

This was our first live recording and we didn't always do a great job getting the microphones to some of the questioners! However, overall this was a great event and I look forward to doing another one. Make sure you check out A Small Collection of Specialized Spreads, edited by Coleman and featuring a Tarot spread by me! Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Please rate this podcast! Listen on Podcrypt

S01E08 Ritual and Consciousness with Scott Stenwick

Wed, 18 Sep 2019 13:30:11 -0800

This episode, I'm joined by Scott Stenwick. Scott has been practicing ritual and ceremonial magic for more than thirty years. He has published two books on the subject of Enochian magic and is a longtime Ordo Templi Orientis initiate. He has maintained a blog since 2006 on which he has published many of the so-called secrets of modern ceremonial magic in the interests of free and open inquiry. In addition to his Enochian series, he has written several works of paranormal fiction and contributed anthology articles on various magical topics. As you can imagine, our conversation gets into some great stuff, including models of consciousness, the role of ritual, operant fields, and then also a lot of Enochian. It's a wild ride!

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Please rate this podcast! Listen on Podcrypt

S01E07 Bruno, Machiavelli, and Savonarola with Scott Gosnell

Wed, 04 Sep 2019 13:30:37 -0800

Scott Gosnell joins me for an amazing conversation about Giordano Bruno's work, in particular On Magic and Thirty Statues, which he just finished translating and publishing. Our conversation dives into Bruno's art of binding and his suggestions on how to bind entire cities. We also get into the crazy world of the Florentine Renaissance and explore the stories of Savonarola and Machiavelli.

Upcoming Events

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

S01E06 Tarot and the Art of Memory

Wed, 21 Aug 2019 12:00:00 -0800

Welcome to the first Arnemancy Podcast solo show! In this episode, I talk about how to use Giordano Bruno's table method to memorize the Tarot's Minor Arcana pip cards. This mnemonic method can be a very effective method for not only recalling card meanings, but to understand the relationships between the cards.

Here are some of my past blog posts about Tarot and the Art of Memory:

Learn more about my first live podcast recording on Friday, September 13th, with Coleman Stevenson of the Dark Exact!

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy Listen on Podcrypt

Guest Appearance: Butterflies and Incantations Episode 6

Wed, 14 Aug 2019 14:15:17 -0800

Vanessa invited me to be a guest on her podcast, Butterflies and Incantations! We had a talk about magical practice, current projects, strange philosophies, and other fun stuff. Here's part of her show notes: Vanessa and Erik have a fun little conversation about magick, crafting, tech magic, astrological talismans and other such things. Plus we get interrupted by JESUS! Plus a surprise bigfoot! Be sure to check out the original here! Also, go back and check out my interview with Vanessa on My Alchemical Bromance.

S01E05 Astrological Aspects with Ryhan Butler

Wed, 07 Aug 2019 10:33:13 -0800

Astrologer Ryhan Butler joins me on the podcast for a discussion of raising cats aspects in astrology. Aspects are the angles that planets make across the sky, and they define the relationships between planets at any given moment. They have a long and fascinating history, so in our conversation Ryhan leads us through the story of aspects and how they came to be. Our discussion covers ancient Greek optical theories and looks at competing concepts around the doctrine of aspects before we come back around into the philosophy of magic. One topic we discuss is the Thema Mundi, and here's a picture of it, which you might need to look at during this episode! For more on this topic, check out Ryhan's helpful Twitter thread here. (View the unrolled version here.)

Links

And if you're in Portland on Friday, September 13th, come to my very first live podcast recording! Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy

Guest Appearance: Alexxcast 324 – A New Book!

Wed, 24 Jul 2019 13:15:22 -0800

I was a guest host on episode 324 of the Alexxcast, which was exciting because it was an announcement of the release of Alexx Bollen's new book, The Theravada Machine and Other Stories. Here's Alexx's description: Tonight Alexx has Erik Arneson in studio to keep him on topic. That topic? Alexx’s new book, “The Theravada Machine and Other Stories“. Available on Amazon! Enjoy! Follow this link to view this episode on the Alexxcast website.

S01E04 – The Disruption Generator with Eric Millar

Sun, 21 Jul 2019 13:00:31 -0800

There really is no Eric Conspiracy. It's always been a myth. But in this episode, Eric Millar and I (Erik Arneson) meet up at COFFEE BEER in Southeast Portland to discuss The Disruption Generator and Eric's other work. Eric is an author, writer, and publisher -- the brains and brawn behind Outlet Press. We use the Disruption Generator to read for the Arnemancy Podcast, and the results are ... well, troubling. Let's hope we don't actually end up where it predicts! Eric tries to spin it better! Also, an announcement: the first Arnemancy Podcast live recording is happening at Rose City Book Pub on Friday, September 13th! Click this link to sign up for updates and more details on the event!

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy

S01E03 – Pico and Dick with Ted Hand

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 16:00:44 -0800

Teacher and independent scholar Ted Hand joins me in this episode for a deep dive into the angelology of Pico della Mirandola, followed by a crazy romp through the gnostic world of Philip K. Dick. It's a dense episode, and (hold on to your hat!) it's all connected! We follow Pico's adventures through the Florentine Renaissance as he encounters translating superhero Marsilio Ficino, the mad monk Savonarola, and tragically doomed king Charles VIII, but our journey doesn't stop there. In the late 20th century, our trip through gnosis and mysticism continues with PKD information that left me speechless! You'll need your podcast safety glasses for this one, dear listeners. As a bonus, we also discuss Ted's upcoming Philip K. Dick Tarot! Also, here's where I was wrong: The Popes that Pico had to deal with are not Pius II and Alexander VII like I said, but instead Innocent VIII and Alexander VI. Who remembers their Popes? I'll bet you don't! Give me a break.

Links

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arnemancy

S01E02 – Cartomancy and Sortilege with T. Susan Chang

Mon, 17 Jun 2019 14:17:17 -0800

As the entire Internet already knows, T. Susan Chang has incredible oracular powers, so when I tell you that she's here on the second episode of the fledgling Arnemancy Podcast, it's probably a sign that we're building great things. Susan is co-host of the incredible Fortune's Wheelhouse podcast and the author of Tarot Correspondences: Ancient Secrets for Everyday Readers, released by Llewellyn at the end of 2018. She is a Tarot expert, and the kind of Tarot expert that an uncanny grasp on how the cards connect to each other and the complex web of correlations and associations that tie the cards into nearly every other aspect of Western occultism. We dive into everything, from Agrippa to the Picatrix decans to planetary Tarot associations to Kabbalah to working magic with Tarot. We talk about psychology, divination, sortilege, and symbolism. When I invited Susan on the show, I promised that we could go full Tarot nerd, and we did. Full Tarot nerd. Susan also answered listener questions, including a great explanation of The Devil card. We also get into sewing, and discuss my creation of a magical robe. Buy Susan's book and listen to her podcast. If you like Tarot, you will love her work.

S01E01 – Cartomancy with Alexx Bollen

Mon, 03 Jun 2019 10:00:07 -0800

Introducing the Arnemancy Podcast! Following on the heels of My Alchemical Bromance, this podcast explores esotericism, Tarot, magic, and the occult. In the inaugural episode, I visit Alexx Bollen of the Alexxcast in his foam-walled podcasting dungeon to talk Tarot. I do my first ever reading using Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot and the results are surprising! (You'll have to excuse us as we figure out some microphone stuff right at the beginning that I forgot to edit out.)

MAB EP 46 – An Exploration of the Soul

Wed, 30 Jan 2019 17:26:21 -0800

In this episode of My Alchemical Bromance, Erik explores various interpretations and explanations of the soul in the wake of the death of his 19 year-old cat, Kublai Khan. This episode is personal, but hopefully it provides food for thought.

Support My Alchemical Bromance on the Arnemancy Patreon!

source https://myalchemicalbromance.com/podcast/ep-46-an-exploration-of-the-soul/