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ANGELA'S SYMPOSIUM 📖 Academic Study on Witchcraft, Paganism, esotericism, magick and the Occult
ANGELA'S SYMPOSIUM 📖 Academic Study on Witchcraft, Paganism, esotericism, magick and the Occult
Dr Angela Puca, a university lecturer in Philosophy and Religious Studies, presents peer-reviewed research on magic, esotericism, witchcraft, paganism, shamanism, and related topics. The podcast offers an academic perspective on these often misunderstood subjects. Each episode explores scholarly studies and historical contexts. Listeners can connect with the show through the link in its description.
Episodes
The Forgotten Women Who Painted the Spirit World with Dr Nina Kokkinen
What happens when art becomes a vehicle for hidden knowledge, spirit communication, and alternative forms of spirituality? In this livestream interview on Angela’s Symposium, I am joined by Dr Nina Kokkinen to explore the fascinating intersections of art, esotericism, occultism, mediumship, and spiritual seekership.We will discuss how esoteric ideas have shaped modern and contemporary art, why wom
What Is Hoodoo? Inside African American Rootwork and Conjure
What is Hoodoo, and how does its magic actually work? This episode explores the African American history of Hoodoo, rootwork and conjure, from slavery and resistance to healing, protection, divination and spiritual empowerment.Discover the meanings behind mojo hands, roots, Psalms, candles, ritual baths, graveyard earth and laid tricks, alongside the regional variations found in the Lowcountry, Mi
Knights Templar and the Occult: What History Actually Reveals
Were the Knights Templar really an occult secret society, or did that story emerge centuries after their destruction?In this episode, I explore the real history of the Knights Templar and trace how a medieval Christian military order became associated with Baphomet, the Holy Grail, Gnosticism, Kabbalah, the Assassins, Freemasonry and hidden initiatory traditions.We’ll examine the mysterious accusa
How Does Magic Work？ Process Philosophy May Have an Answer
What if the biggest problem with explaining magic is the question we keep asking: “How does it work?”In this episode, I explore Alfred North Whitehead’s process philosophy and what happens when we stop imagining reality as a collection of separate objects and instead understand it as a web of events, relations and processes of becoming.We examine actual occasions, prehension, causal efficacy and t
500k Livestream Celebration
We did it: 500,000 subscribers on Angela’s Symposium! 🎉✨Join me LIVE on Sunday 13 September at 6:00 pm UK time / 1:00 pm Eastern Time for a special 500K celebration.Half a million people have now subscribed to a channel dedicated to the academic study of magic, esotericism, Paganism, witchcraft, occultism, shamanism, mysticism, and religion. That is something I could never have imagined when I sta
Can You Really See the Invisible? The Science of Clairvoyance
Can we really train ourselves to see the unseen?From ancient dream divination and medieval grimoires to John Dee’s crystal visions, Golden Dawn scrying, psychedelic imagery, and modern neuroscience, this episode explores the extraordinary history of visions and spiritual sight. We examine how cultures have deliberately cultivated visionary experiences, how practitioners distinguished revelation fr
Is Ancient Magic Really More Powerful？The Truth About Old vs New Magic
s ancient magic really more powerful, or are we mistaking age for effectiveness?In this episode of Angela’s Symposium, we challenge one of the most persistent assumptions in occult and esoteric communities: that older spells, rituals and magical systems must be more authentic, powerful or effective simply because they are ancient.Drawing on the academic study of magic, ritual and Western esoterici
No Nonsense Spirituality with Britt Hartley
What happens to spirituality when belief in traditional religion falls away? Can ritual, mysticism, awe, contemplation, divination, sacred stories and experiences of transcendence still have value without requiring supernatural explanations?Britt Hartley is a religious deconstruction educator, author, and atheist spiritual director who helps people rebuild meaning, identity, and family culture aft
Advanced Rune Magic with David Linder
What lies beyond using runes as simple symbols for divination or spellcraft?In this livestream, I speak with David Linder, author of Advanced Rune Magic: The Greater Mysteries of Nordic Spirituality, about the Elder Futhark as a path of experiential knowledge and self-transformation.David approaches the twenty-four runes as interfaces with Runa, the greater Mystery. Drawing on the Rune Poems, Eddi
The Grimoire Tradition: A complete guide
In this episode, I offer a complete guide to the grimoire tradition: what grimoires are, where the term comes from, how these books of magic developed, and why they became so central to the history of Western esotericism.We will explore major texts such as the Key of Solomon, the Lesser Key of Solomon or Lemegeton, the Ars Goetia, the Sworn Book of Honorius, the Picatrix, the Arbatel, the Book of
Can Process Philosophy Explain How Magic Works? With Dr Darren Iammarino
Can Alfred North Whitehead’s process philosophy offer a new way of understanding how magic works?Join me live on Saturday, 1 August 2026, at 12 pm EST for a fascinating conversation with Dr Darren Iammarino of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of San Diego.We will explore the philosophy of magic between 1875 and 1975, beginning with Spiritualism, Theosophy, William
Lughnasadh vs Lammas: The Truth About the First Harvest Festival
Was Lughnasadh really an ancient Celtic fire festival, and is it actually the same celebration as Lammas?In this video, I separate historical evidence from modern Pagan reconstruction. I explore the medieval Irish assemblies associated with Lugh and Tailtiu, the English Christian origins of the Lammas loaf-mass, the folklore collected by Máire MacNeill, and how Wicca brought these distinct traditi
Can AI Become a Magical Familiar? Witchcraft, Tarot and the Algorithm
In this video, I explore one of the strangest and most fascinating questions emerging in contemporary occultism: what happens when witches, tarot readers, and magical practitioners begin treating AI not just as a tool, but as an oracle, assistant, mirror, or even a familiar-like presence?Drawing on the history of familiar spirits, digital religion, WitchTok, AI-assisted tarot, and theories of agen
What Is Theurgy? The Ancient Philosophy Behind Ritual Magic
Was ritual magic ever taken seriously by philosophers?In this episode, I explore Neoplatonism and theurgy, the ancient ritual philosophy that challenged the idea that spiritual ascent happens through contemplation alone. From Plotinus and Porphyry to Iamblichus, Proclus, and the Chaldean Oracles, we will examine how late antique philosophers understood ritual, divine symbols, sacred matter, and th
The Philosophy of Magic：My New Online Course
What assumptions are hidden beneath your magical practice?In The Philosophy of Magic, I explore the ideas that make magic possible in the first place: reality, spirits, deities, time, the self, will, language, ethics, and hidden knowledge. Across eleven live Sunday lectures, we will examine how different philosophies produce different forms of magic, and how understanding those foundations can mak
Should Practitioners Do What Academics Say?
Are scholars of magic trying to tell practitioners what to believe, or is this a misunderstanding of what academic research actually does?In this video, I explore the tension between the academic study of magic and lived spiritual practice. Drawing on debates around Wicca, Pagan origins, folk magic, historical evidence, and practitioner identity, I explain why scholarship can challenge historical
The Summer Solstice and Litha： What History Actually Says
Is Litha really an ancient Pagan festival, or is its history far more fascinating?In this episode, Dr Angela Puca explores the true history of Litha, the Summer Solstice, and Midsummer, separating historical evidence from modern Pagan myth-making. We look at Stonehenge, Bede, St John’s Eve, midsummer bonfires, folk magic, Wicca, and the creation of the modern Wheel of the Year.Rather than asking w
The Question Isn't If AI. It's How
I keep being accused of using AI. I've even been accused, more than once, of being AI-generated. So I owe you something better than irritation: an actual explanation of where I stand.In this episode, I work through the real concerns: the scraping of artists' work, the environmental cost, algorithmic bias, the fear of job displacement, the worry about deskilling, and argue that every one of
British Traditional Wicca with Rufus Harrington
What does it mean to practise Wicca as an initiatory tradition today, and how does the legacy of figures such as Doreen Valiente continue to shape modern Witchcraft?In this livestream, I will be joined by Rufus Harrington, a Wiccan priest and long-standing initiate of the Craft, trustee of the Doreen Valiente Foundation, psychotherapist, and teacher of magical practice. Together, we will explore t
How to Lucid Dream: Science, Dream Yoga, and the Magic of the Sleeping Mind
Lucid dreaming is often presented as a modern discovery, but traditions across the world have explored conscious dreaming for centuries. In this episode, I examine what neuroscience has actually shown about lucid dreams, how Tibetan dream yoga reframes the practice, and why magical and contemplative traditions may have understood aspects of the dreaming mind long before the sleep laboratory could
ESBAT: The History of Wicca’s Full Moon Ritual
What is an Esbat, and is it really an ancient full moon ritual?In this video, I trace the surprising history of the word Esbat, from its Old French meaning of “frolic” or “amusement” to its modern role in Wicca and contemporary Pagan witchcraft. I explore how Margaret Murray, Gerald Gardner, and Doreen Valiente helped transform a borrowed word into one of the best-known terms in the modern witchcr
The Witches' Sabbath: What Actually Happened (And What Was Invented)
What if everything you think you know about the Witches' Sabbath is wrong?The broomsticks, the Devil, the midnight orgies on remote mountaintops: this image has haunted the Western imagination for nearly six hundred years. But where did it actually come from? Was it an inquisitorial fantasy imposed from above? A distortion of real folk traditions of spirit-flight and nocturnal procession? A re
The Left Hand Path of Tarot with Cherry Parra
Join me for a livestream interview with Cherry Parra, author of The Left Hand Path of Tarot, as we explore shadow, divination, witchcraft, and the transformative power of tarot through a left-hand path lens.Cherry Parra is a Mexican left-hand path witch residing in Mexico. She majored in Hispanic literature and has an innate and inherited connection to occult practices, with her magic stemming fro
Destination: The Truth about Solomonic Magic with Dr Gal Sofer
Join me for a livestream interview with Dr Gal Sofer on the complex histories of Solomonic magic, learned magical literature, and the transmission of esoteric knowledge across Jewish, Christian, and Arabic-speaking contexts. We will explore what it means to call a magical tradition Solomonic, how texts, images, and ritual technologies travelled across languages and cultures, and why the history of
The Real History of the Green Man (Not What Wicca Teaches You)
The Green Man was invented in 1939.Not the carvings. Those are real, they are medieval, and they have a fascinating Christian history. But the god, the named figure currently worshipped across contemporary Paganism as an ancient vegetation deity, was assembled in the twentieth century from a misread folklore article, a collapsed witch-cult theory, and a Jungian response to ecological anxiety.This
Alchemy Explained: Science, Spirituality, and the Search for Transformation
Alchemy is far more than the myth of turning lead into gold. In this video, I explore how alchemy developed across Hellenistic Egypt, China, India, the Islamic world, and Europe as a rich tradition that united experiment, medicine, cosmology, and spiritual transformation. We look at major alchemical ideas, key historical figures, and the practices that shaped both occult traditions and the emergen
Magic in the United States with Heather J. Freeman
What happens when magic moves through podcasts, digital media, and contemporary American culture? In this livestream, I’ll be joined by Heather Freeman, artist, scholar, and creator of Magic in the United States, the award-winning PRX podcast that explores the histories, practices, and cultural tensions surrounding magic, spirituality, and esotericism in the United States. Freeman is also a Profes
This Changes Solomonic Magic Forever
What if everything you thought you knew about Solomonic magic was wrong? In this video, I explore Gal Sofer’s groundbreaking study of Solomonic magic and why it changes the way we understand the Key of Solomon, the Goetia, and the wider grimoire tradition. Far from being a single, unified body of ancient magical wisdom, these texts emerge as a fluid network shaped by scribes, translations, and cen
Your Tradition is Fake. Now What?
What happens when you discover that the spiritual tradition you trusted may not be as ancient, authentic, or historically grounded as you were led to believe? In this video, I explore one of the most difficult questions in contemporary magic and Paganism: can a practice still be meaningful if its origin story falls apart? Drawing on examples such as Wicca, Stregheria, folk magic, and the academic
Esotericism in Western Culture with Prof Wouter Hanegraaff
Join me for a live conversation with Professor Wouter J. Hanegraaff on his recent book Esotericism in Western Culture: Counter-Normativity and Rejected Knowledge, published by Bloomsbury in 2025. In this interview, we will explore why esotericism should not be treated as a marginal curiosity, but as a central dimension of Western cultural history. The book is presented by both the publisher and Ha
What Is a Cult？ How High-Control Religious Groups Manipulate Belief
This lecture explores what religious cults are, how scholars study them, and the techniques high-control groups use to shape belief and behaviour. Drawing on Religious Studies, psychology, and contemporary case studies, I examine charisma, manipulation, coercive control, thought reform, and why people may find it difficult to leave. We also consider how similar dynamics can appear beyond religion,
The Case Against Reality: What Donald Hoffman Means for Esoteric Practice
What if the world you experience is not reality itself, but a biologically constructed interface designed for survival rather than truth? In this episode, we explore the cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman’s The Case Against Reality and his Interface Theory of Perception, examining the provocative claim that evolution did not shape our senses to reveal the structure of the world as it is in itself.
Shadow Work in Paganism and Esoteric Practices
What is shadow work, really? Is it therapy, initiation, political reclamation, or a commodified self-help trend?In this video, we trace the concept of the shadow from Carl Jung’s analytical psychology to its transformation within Western esotericism, ceremonial magic, Wicca, feminist spirituality, and Left-Hand Path traditions. Along the way, we explore how shadow work shifted from a clinical meth
Conjuring the Algorithm: Magic, AI, and the Hidden Internet with Dr Shira Chess
Join us live for a conversation with Dr Shira Chess on the hidden entanglements between digital culture and the occult, inspired by her new book The Unseen Internet: Conjuring the Occult in Digital Discourse.From AI “demons” like Loab to meme magic, technopaganism, simulation theory, and the ritual logics of online life, Chess argues that the internet has always been shaped by esoteric frameworks.
The Most Ancient Forms of Magic: Ancient Rituals from the Stone Age to Egypt
This episode offers a critical examination of the question of “the most ancient forms of magic” by interrogating the category of magic itself as a historically contingent and analytically unstable concept. Rather than assuming magic as a universal or transhistorical phenomenon, the discussion situates ritual practices within their specific social, cosmological, and epistemic contexts, beginning wi
A Philosophical Deep Dive on Magick with Peter J Carroll
Do Gods exist? Why is magic more effective when Gods and spirits are involved? What makes magic effective? How to influence people and political events?All of this and more in this discussion with Chaos Magician Peter J. Carroll.Check out Peter Carroll's website: https://specularium.org/CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www
Birthday Livestream + Tantric Ritual
It's my Birthday! Join the celebration, ask your questions in the chat and watch me perform a Tantric Ritual! Surprise, surprise! What is it going to be?You'll find out by joining the academic fun.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/courseWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/serv
Does Quantum Physics Prove Magic or Consciousness? A Critical Scholarly Analysis
In this episode, I critically examine the widespread claim that quantum physics provides scientific proof for magic, esotericism, and spiritual practice. I explore what prominent scholars have actually proposed about possible links between quantum mechanics, consciousness, and interconnected phenomena, carefully situating these ideas within their proper academic and disciplinary contexts.I then ad
Did Ronald Hutton Really “Erase” Wicca’s History？ A Scholarly Answer
We examine the critical exchange between Ben Whitmore’s Trials of the Moon and Ronald Hutton’s responses to it, using the debate as a lens through which to explore contemporary tensions in the historiography of witchcraft and Pagan origins. Whitmore, writing from within the Pagan community, accuses Hutton of adopting an overly sceptical methodology and of applying uneven evidentiary standards that
Aphrodite & Venus： Love, Desire & War in Ancient and Modern Religion
This episode offers a critical, historically grounded examination of Aphrodite as a trans-cultural religious phenomenon rather than a stable mythological figure. It traces the goddess’s development from Near Eastern traditions associated with Astarte, Ishtar, and Inanna through her incorporation into Greek religion, where tensions between her martial, erotic, civic, and cosmic dimensions produced
Living Thelema with @MaeviusLynn
Join Maevius Lynn and me on Sunday, 28 December at 6 pm GMT and 1 pm EST for a fascinating conversation on all things Thelema.ABOUT OUR GUESTMaevius Lynn is a writer, artist, international lecturer, and ceremonial magician who currently resides in the Southern United States. Her work approaches Thelema as a living tradition from the perspective of both a solitary practitioner and an initiate of Or
Winter Solstice Tradition + Q&A Livestream
Join me live on Sunday 21 December at 6 pm GMT, 1 pm EST, for a festive and thought provoking deep dive into the Winter Solstice. In the first half of the livestream we will journey through midwinter traditions from around the world, exploring fire, feasting, ancestors, rebirth, and the many ways humans have ritualised the longest night of the year. Expect myths, surprising historical details, and
Leah Hirsig’s Lost Diaries: New Revelations in Thelemic History
This livestream brings together Manon Hedenborg White and Henrik Bogdan to discuss their newly co-edited volume The Magical Diaries of Leah Hirsig, 1923 to 1925, published by Oxford University Press. The book presents, for the first time, a critical edition of Hirsig’s surviving diaries from the period when she served as Aleister Crowley’s Scarlet Woman and played a formative role within the devel
A Critical-Rational Guide for Magicianc and Occultists
Have you ever lit a candle, whispered an incantation, and watched something uncannily fitting happen days later? Was it magic, or just a well-timed coincidence? In the world of esoteric practice, we are trained to notice patterns, to read signs, to find meaning where others see randomness. But what if some of those connections aren’t what they seem? What if we’re mistaking correlation for causatio
The Magical Art of Peace: Ancient Rituals of Reconciliation and Resistance
This lecture explores the provocative question: Can magic stop wars? Drawing on historical and cross-cultural sources, we examine how rituals and spells have been used not merely as private acts of devotion but as technologies of politics, resistance, and reconciliation. From the Assyrian Maqlû tablets and Egyptian execration rites, to the Wiccan “Cone of Power” against Hitler and the modern #Magi
The Six Models Every Magician Should Know
In this episode, Dr Angela Puca unpacks one of the most fascinating questions in the study and practice of magic: how does magic actually work? Drawing on both historical and contemporary scholarship, she explores the six major explanatory models: the spirit, psychological, natural or energetic, information or cybernetic, sociological, and transcendent or mystical frameworks. Each reveals a differ
The Psychology of Magic with Dr Richard Kaczynski
For over thirty years, Richard Kaczynski has been a scholar, speaker and writer on Western esotericism, particularly the life and work of British occultist Aleister Crowley. His publications include Perdurabo: The Life of Aleister Crowley (2002, 2010), The Weiser Concise Guide to Aleister Crowley (2009), Forgotten Templars: The Untold Origins of Ordo Templi Orientis (2012), Friendship in Doubt: Al
Demons of the Necronomicon: When Fiction Becomes Occult Reality
What happens when a work of fiction becomes a real grimoire? In this episode, we explore The Demons of the Necronomicon, H. P. Lovecraft’s imagined pantheon of cosmic entities and their extraordinary transformation into living figures within modern occultism. Drawing on peer-reviewed research, we trace how Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth, and Nyarlathotep escaped the pages of pulp horror to become objects of
Asmodeus: A Demon’s Journey from Zoroastrian Wrath to Western Lust
Asmodeus is more than the “demon of lust.” In this episode, I trace his journey from the Avestan aēšma in Zoroastrian texts to Ashmedai in Jewish literature, through the Book of Tobit and the Babylonian Talmud, into Islamic narratives of Solomon’s throne, and on to Christian demonology, Renaissance grimoires, Enlightenment satire, and modern occult reinterpretations. Rather than a single biography
The Path and the Practice: Ivy Corvus on Living Witchcraft @IvyTheOccultist
Ivy Corvus has been practicing various occult philosophies for 20 years. She is the author of "Chaos Magic: A Complete Beginner's Guide", a contributing author to "This is Chaos: Embracing The Future Of Magic", and has written for Pagan Dawn magazine. Ivy is best known as “Ivy The Occultist” on her YouTube channel, established in 2022. She is a seer, witch, chaos magician,
Astaroth： From Ancient Goddess Astarte to Demon of Forbidden Knowledge
Across three millennia, the goddess Astarte was recast as the demon Astaroth: a transformation that reveals more about humanity’s fear of the sacred feminine than any real change in divinity. This episode traces that metamorphosis from ancient Mesopotamian goddess to grimoire demon and modern occult archetype. Drawing on sources from biblical polemics and Renaissance demonology, as well as feminis
Paimon Explained: From Ancient Grimoires to Modern Occultism
This video explores the fascinating figure of Paimon, one of the most prominent kings of the Goetia, tracing his journey from early modern demonological catalogues to his reinvention in contemporary occultism and popular culture. We will examine how his image shifts across grimoires, from Johann Weyer’s Pseudomonarchia Daemonum to the Ars Goetia, and how his regal yet ambiguous traits became symbo
Universal Divine or Cultural Construct? Perennialism vs Constructivism
Is there such a thing as a universal human experience of the divine, or are all encounters shaped by culture, language, and power? In this video, we explore the classic debate between perennialism and constructivism, from William James and Mircea Eliade to Steven Katz, Talal Asad, and beyond. Drawing on philosophy, anthropology, psychology, and neuroscience, we look at how claims of universality a
Why Science Can’t Prove Magic
In this episode, we explore the complex and often uneasy relationship between science and magic. Rather than asking whether magic is "real," we examine why scientific methods struggle to capture the essence of magical practices, and whether such validation is even desirable. From questions of measurement and philosophy to issues of cultural autonomy and demystification, this lecture reve
How Americans Reinvented Italian Witchcraft
What happens when Italian folk traditions cross the Atlantic? This video explores how Italian witchcraft, especially the healing practice of Segnature, has been reimagined, reinvented, and often misrepresented in the United States. From Leland’s Aradia to Wicca-inspired “Stregheria,” we’ll look at how Italian-American communities blended folklore, Catholic devotion, and Pagan spirituality to creat
Temple of Set: Diabolicon, Xeper, and the Path of Separation
Explore the teachings of the Temple of Set, one of the most influential yet misunderstood esoteric movements of the modern era. From Michael A. Aquino’s Diabolicon to the mysterious Leviathan Working, this lecture uncovers the philosophy of Xeper (self-becoming), the myth of Lucifer/Set, and the Temple’s quest for self-deification. Drawing on peer-reviewed scholarship and rare sources, we trace ho
The Vision and The Voice by Aleister Crowley explained
In this video, I explore Aleister Crowley’s The Vision and the Voice and why it remains one of the most powerful and unsettling texts in the Western esoteric tradition. I look at how the figure of Babalon emerges as both a theophany and a ritual of unmaking, and how this visionary work challenges our assumptions about magic, subjectivity, and divine encounter. I also trace the shifting image of Li
Enochian Magic in Modern Occultism: From Dee to Chaos Magick and Beyond
What do angels, secret languages, and occult orders have in common? Enochian magic. In this episode, we trace its evolution from John Dee’s apocalyptic visions in Elizabethan England to the ritual systems of the Golden Dawn, Aleister Crowley’s initiatory drama, and its surprising reinventions in contemporary occultism—from chaos magic to digital ritual tech. Drawing on original sources and modern
Saint Cyprian’s Grimoire: Necromancy and Forbidden Magic
Who was Saint Cyprian: a holy bishop, a legendary sorcerer, or both? In this video, I explore the enigmatic figure of Saint Cyprian through the lens of history, folk magic, and grimoire traditions. Drawing on academic sources and rare magical texts, we trace the evolution of his legend from early Christian writings to the Black Books of Norway, the Clavis Inferni, and Latin American necromantic pr
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Lammas and Lughnasadh: The Real History
What do bread blessings, hilltop fairs, and a Celtic god of light have in common? In this video, I explore the real history of Lammas and Lughnasadh, the first harvest festival in the Pagan Wheel of the Year. Drawing on peer-reviewed scholarship and historical sources, I trace the festival’s roots in ancient Celtic rites, its Christian transformation into Loaf Mass, and its creative revival in mod
Can Parody Be Sacred？ The Church of the SubGenius and Modern Spirituality
What is the Church of the SubGenius?What if parody could be sacred? This video explores the Church of the SubGenius—a surreal blend of satire, esotericism, and counterculture. Discover the origins of “Bob” Dobbs, the mystery of Slack, and how this invented religion both mocks and mirrors spiritual belief. Drawing from academic research on contemporary religion, occultism, and pop culture, this epi
Is the Future Fixed or Fluid The Philosophy Behind Divination
What if divination doesn’t just reveal the future, but intervenes in it?In this episode, I explore the philosophical and esoteric dimensions of divination, asking what it really means to predict the future and whether that future can be changed. Drawing on thinkers from Boethius to Bergson, Kant to Crowley, I examine how different conceptions of time—linear, cyclical, eternalist, presentist, and m
Magic and Theurgy in Giordano Bruno
In this video, I explore the magical dimension of Bruno’s thought—an aspect often overlooked or dismissed in favour of his more fashionable reputation as a forerunner of modern astronomy. But Bruno was no mere proto-scientist. He was a visionary who believed that the universe was infinite, ensouled, and fundamentally magical—a living network of correspondences that could be navigated through imagi
📣 ONLINE COURSE 📣 Italian Folk Magic with the Native Academic who researched the Tradition
✨ Italian Folk Magic and Shamanism: A Course in the Tradition of Segnature ✨I’m Dr Angela Puca, and I’m beyond excited to finally share this with you.This is not just another witchcraft course. It’s the first and only course on Segnature taught live by the only Italian and only academic who has studied this tradition systematically, academically, and from within.Over 11 live Zoom sessions, I’ll gu
Ancient Roman Paganism with @AdMaioraVertite
In this special episode—presented for the first time in Italian with (ala, literal and not always accurate) English subtitles—Dr Angela Puca is joined by Emanuele Viotti, founder of Ad Maiora Vertite, for a discussion on the religion of ancient Rome.Emanuele Viotti is a respected educator and independent scholar in the field of Roman traditional religion. Since founding Ad Maiora Vertite in 2012,
Why So Many LGBTQ+ People Are Drawn to Paganism
Why does Paganism attract so many LGBTQ+ people—and how are queer practitioners reshaping Pagan traditions from within? In this in-depth episode, Dr Angela Puca draws on extensive academic research and ethnographic evidence to explore the powerful intersection of queerness and contemporary Paganism. We’ll examine why decentralised structures, ritual flexibility, and the sacralisation of the body m
Who Performs the Magic？ The Self in Esoteric Practice
In this episode, we delve into one of the most profound and contested questions in both philosophy and esotericism: What is the self in magical practice?Drawing on thinkers such as René Descartes, David Hume, and Carl Jung, we examine how the self has been variously conceived as a rational substance, a bundle of perceptions, or an archetypal totality. We then explore how these models intersect wit
Witchcraft’s Hidden Histories： From Academia to Treadwell’s with Dr Christina Oakley Harrington
In this live interview, I am joined by Dr Christina Oakley Harrington—medieval historian, long-standing practitioner of witchcraft, and founder of the renowned Treadwell’s Bookshop in London—for a conversation that traces the intersections of scholarship, community, and contemporary esotericism.We explore the historical development of modern witchcraft, with particular attention to the inclusive d
Freemasons, Magic, and Mystery： Everything You Need to Know about Freemasonry
What is Freemasonry?This episode presents an in-depth academic overview of Freemasonry, the world’s oldest initiatory society independent of religious institutions. Drawing on peer-reviewed scholarship and primary source analysis, it traces Freemasonry's historical evolution from its medieval operative roots to its speculative transformation in the eighteenth century and its global spread thro
From Ficino to Crowley： Hermeticism Explained
Let's explore the complex tradition of Hermeticism—an esoteric philosophy rooted in Hellenistic Egypt and attributed to the legendary Hermes Trismegistus. Exploring its metaphysical teachings, spiritual practices such as alchemy, astrology, and ritual magic, and its profound influence on Renaissance thinkers, Freemasonry, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and modern occultism, this video
From Atlantis to Devachan： Where Your Soul Goes (According to Blavatsky)
In this episode, we dive deep into the esoteric teachings of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, co-founder of the Theosophical Society and one of the most influential occult thinkers of the nineteenth century. Focusing on her mature doctrine of reincarnation as outlined in The Secret Doctrine (1888), we explore how Blavatsky moved away from earlier notions of metempsychosis to formulate a complex cosmolog
How We Lost the Truth Baudrillard, Jung, and the Crisis of Reality
Why does truth no longer seem to matter? In this episode, we explore the philosophical and psychological roots of today's crisis of reality. Drawing on Jean Baudrillard’s theory of hyperreality and Carl Gustav Jung’s concept of the Shadow, I unravel how modern society’s obsession with materialism, the proliferation of simulations, and the repression of symbolic, non-material dimensions of huma
Protection Magic in Times of War
This episode explores the role of protection magic as a historically grounded response to war, oppression, and systemic violence across diverse cultural and temporal contexts.Drawing on peer-reviewed academic sources, it examines how magical practices—rituals, talismans, verbal formulae, and spirit invocations—have been used as forms of spiritual defence and political resistance. From Mesopotamian
Anthropology of Witchcraft with Prof Tanya Luhrmann
This interview offers an insightful discussion with anthropologist Tanya Luhrmann, whose pioneering scholarship has significantly advanced our comprehension of magic, esotericism, and witchcraft. In this academic interview, we critically examine Luhrmann's influential notion of "interpretive drift"—the incremental cognitive process by which individuals progressively adopt and internalise magical b
Fairies Were Terrifying – Until the Victorians Made Them Cute
What happened to the fairies?In this episode of Angela’s Symposium, we uncover the history of fairy beings—from terrifying, liminal spirits associated with death, illness, and esoteric knowledge to the benign, whimsical figures of children’s books and garden ornaments. Drawing on peer-reviewed scholarship and folkloric sources, I trace how fairies were feared as soul-stealing entities, morally amb
Esoteric Scholarship and Practice with RENSEP, Andrea Centore and Bernd-Christian Otto
Join us for a livestream featuring Andrea Centore and Dr Bernd-Christian Otto, the Research Network for the Study of Esoteric Practices (RENSEP) founders. Andrea Centore is the co-founder and managing director of the Research Network for the Study of Esoteric Practices. He received his training in Translation Studies from the University of Mons and his training in Religious Studies from the Univer
Lucifer’s Left-Hand Path Legacy
This episode explores key figures such as Helena Blavatsky and Rudolf Steiner, whose Theosophical and Anthroposophical systems redefined Lucifer as a bearer of divine knowledge and imagination rather than a malevolent entity. The analysis further considers contemporary Luciferian traditions, ritual practices, and psychological interpretations—particularly Jungian and post-Jungian approaches—positi
Strategic War Magic: Practical Sorcery in Political and Wartime Contexts
In this episode, we'll cover how magic operates—not as an omnipotent force but rather as a subtle method for shifting probabilities and influencing outcomes. We'll discuss key magical principles, including the Path of Least Resistance, which highlights why aligning magical intentions with existing socio-political conditions enhances effectiveness, and the Principle of Proportional Energy,
From Morning Star to Fallen Angel – The History
Lucifer is one of the most complex and historically misinterpreted figures in Western religious and esoteric traditions. While commonly associated with Satan and the Devil in Christian theology, the name Lucifer, meaning "light-bearer" in Latin, initially referred to the morning star, Venus, in Roman astronomical and literary traditions. This episode examines the historical development of Lucifer,
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