Rejected Religion Podcast
66 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 months ago - ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsIlluminating the obscure
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Episodes
RR Pod E29 Mike Marinacci: Psychedelic Cults and Outlaw Churches
March 01, 2024 13:58 - 1 hour - 71.5 MBGuest: Mike Marinacci, author of Psychedelic Cults and Outlaw Churches: LSD, Cannabis, and Spiritual Sacraments in Underground America Mike is an independent expert on psychedelic spiritual groups and nontraditional American religious sects. He is also the author of California Jesus and Mysterious California, and coauthor of the bestselling Weird California. And he lives in the San Francisco Bay Area in California, USA. In this very engaging conversation, Mike starts by talking about what ...
Spotlight Dr. Randall Hall: 'Weird' Music, The Sacred, and Initiatory Experiences
February 17, 2024 15:49 - 1 hour - 89.9 MBThis interview was recorded December 7, 2023. Dr. Randall Hall is professor of music at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, as well as a performing saxophonist and composer. He's also writing a book about 'speculative' and 'weird' music as it relates to the Sacred and ritual experiences. In this special Spotlight interview, Randall shares his process of creating music that attempts to re-create a modern theurgic repertoire. (Theurgy is the practice that refers to the ascent of one'...
Spotlight Sue Terry: Magickal Women Conference & Owl House Seminars
February 10, 2024 13:31 - 1 hour - 69.3 MBThis video aired on March 31, 2023 on Rejected Religion's YouTube Channel. New courses are available at Owlhouse Seminars. Sue Terry has an MA from the University of Surrey where her dissertation was _The Magician Goes Further: The Occult Oblique View in the Short Fiction of Mary Butts_. Sue is now a PhD candidate at Surrey researching feminist occult modernist novels of the 20th century, and she is teaching open access courses in "Literature and the Weird" through her new venture Owl Hous...
RR Pod E28 P2 Bob Cluness -An Esoteric Menagerie: The Weird & Eerie, Slenderman, CCRU, Accelerationism, Chaos Magic(k) and Digital Technology
December 07, 2023 06:23 - 1 hour - 95.7 MBIn Part 2, we sit with the concept of accelerationism, how it is occultural in its original form (in Bob’s opinion), its problems, its appropriation by far-right groups, and the related sticky problems of capitalism and neoliberalism that are currently associated with accelerationist thinking in these circles. The conversation from here continues to expand. Bob also discusses the explosion of digital technologies and how contemporary spiritual currents and esoteric movements are enmeshed wi...
RR Pod E28 P1 Bob Cluness -An Esoteric Menagerie: The Weird & Eerie, Slenderman, CCRU, Accelerationism, Chaos Magic(k) and Digital Technology
December 06, 2023 20:31 - 1 hour - 81.6 MBThis month’s guest is Bob Cluness. Bob is a PhD candidate and researcher in the cultural studies program at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik. Bob graduated in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in film studies on accelerationist aesthetics and action cinema, while in 2020 he received a master’s degree in cultural studies with a thesis on the weird and eerie in contemporary and digital cultures. His current PhD project deals with the relationship between and esotericism and acceleration in U...
RR Pod E27 Dell Rose- Cultural Receptions of Emanuel Swedenborg: Connecting the Spiritual with the Material
May 19, 2023 17:18 - 1 hour - 70.6 MBMy guest this month is Dell J. Rose. Dell is a cultural historian and current Ph.D. researcher at the University of Amsterdam’s HHP Center. He is also the recipient of the Swedenborg Doctoral Scholarship from the Swedenborg Society in the UK. Dell holds a Bachelor's degree, with majors in English, History, and Religion, and a Master's degree in Folk Studies. His current Ph.D project deals with Charles Augustus Tulk, the reception of Swedenborg’s ideas amongst 19th-century reforming societies...
RR Pod E26 Prof.Dr. Wouter J. Hanegraaff: Hermetic Embodiment, Interpretation, & Imagination
February 18, 2023 10:06 - 2 hours - 111 MBIt was my pleasure to speak with Prof. Dr. Wouter Hanegraaff about his new book, Hermetic Spirituality and the Historical Imagination: Altered States of Knowledge in Late Antiquity. As Wouter preferred not to give a general summary, I chose four very important themes of the book to discuss: what the Hermetica is really all about; the notion of embodiment in the Hermetic texts; the difficult but extremely important task of interpreting the ancient texts; and the importance of the faculty of t...
RR Pod E25P2 Dr. Luke Walker- Allen Ginsberg & His Blakean Revival: 'Counterculture' and Esoteric Intersections
December 23, 2022 11:53 - 1 hour - 63 MBIn Part 2, Luke and I discuss the esoteric connections and intersections with the figures of Blake and Ginsberg. We talk about in the influence of Emmanuel Swedenborg and Gnosticism on the worldviews of both Blake and Ginsberg, how Ginsberg saw Buddhism and Gnosticism as being connected in a syncretic way, and what contemporary artists could be viewed as ‘carrying on the Blakean torch’ in our own popular culture. Dr Luke Walker has published widely on the intersections between British Roma...
RR Pod E25P1 Dr. Luke Walker- Allen Ginsberg & His Blakean Revival: 'Counterculture' and Esoteric Intersections
December 22, 2022 12:04 - 1 hour - 66.9 MBIn Part One, Luke discusses the great influence of the poet and artist William Blake on Allen Ginsberg, one of the most influential people from the Beat Generation and the ‘counterculture’ movement of 1960s United States. He also talks in detail about Ginsberg’s “Blake Vision,” the name Ginsberg gave to a series of extraordinary events in his life in 1948. We then discuss Luke’s article “Tangled Up in Blake” that focuses on Ginsberg’s views about Bob Dylan and their complex relationship. Las...
Spotlight Cavan McLaughlin - Trans-States Exhibition & Conference Series
December 12, 2022 10:48 - 39 minutes - 36.5 MBIn this interview, Cavan McLaughlin begins by discussing his motivation and inspiration to create the Trans-States platform, that focuses strongly on bridging the gaps between the academic and larger esoteric/occult communities. Cavan is an artist, filmmaker and media producer as well as an academic lecturer, and this multi-disciplinary aspect is extremely important for the Trans-States exhibition and conference series as well. As the third conference has recently taken place, Cavan and I ...
RR Pod E24 P2 Dr. Aaron French - US from the Future? Magic & Technology: Rosicrucians, Steiner, New Age & UFOs
November 19, 2022 09:45 - 57 minutes - 52.9 MBIn Part 2, Aaron and I look at different related threads that one encounters when delving into this topic; in particular, how Aaron's research ties into a topic that I had talked about last year with regard to the recent documentary-type show called 'Hellier' (specifically with regard to a man named Allen Greenfield). This links to high strangeness such as that seen in the book The Mothman Prophecies, but also ritual magick, and occulture at its finest. We try to make some sense out of all o...
RR Podcast E24 P1 Dr. Aaron French - US from the Future? Magic & Technology: Rosicrucians, Steiner, New Age & UFOs
November 18, 2022 12:15 - 1 hour - 76.5 MBIn Part 1, Aaron and I explore many different rabbit holes regarding esotericism and high strangeness. Aaron begins by expanding on his earlier presentations that he gave this year on this topic; he's looking at the relationship between technology and magic, and is asking, 'how does technology reenchant the world?' One area that we can find a lot of interesting material is the UFO-field. Aaron talks about his research findings regarding the links between Rudolf Steiner and J. Allen Hynek (a ...
Spotlight Richard Mason: Arthur Edward Waite & the 'Trinick-Pippet' Tarot
November 12, 2022 09:41 - 41 minutes - 37.9 MBRichard Mason returns to discuss A.E. Waite's order, The Fellowship of the Rosy Cross, and the special tarot deck developed for private use in rituals. Waite formed the order in 1915 (during WW1) and enlisted the help of artists and a financial backer to create the tarot 'deck,' that is now housed in the British Museum. Notable in the artwork is the shift from 'magic' to 'mysticism', and this artwork reflects Waite's strong views of a 'secret tradition' - a blend of Christianity with various...
RR Pod E23 Drs. Michelle K. Oing & J. Christian Greer - Kumano Kodo: Pligrimage, Liminality, Spirits, and Sacralization
October 23, 2022 11:09 - 1 hour - 94.9 MBIn this discussion, Michelle and Christian share their experiences with pilgrimages, and how they came to write their book about the Japanese pilgrimage route known as the Kumano Kodo. As many may not have had their own experiences with pilgrimages, they talk about the reasons that people might choose to go on a pilgrimage, what the purpose is, and how it's not always a 'religious' thing. We also discuss the liminal aspect of the pilgrimage road, the different types of spirits that one can e...
RR Pod E22 Andrea Franchetto (The problems of) Defining 'Magic', Legitimization, and (the importance of) Space in Grimoire Traditions
August 18, 2022 15:07 - 1 hour - 108 MBIn the first part of our interview, Andrea and I discuss the complex issue regarding the definition of 'magic' within the Western historical study of esotericism and/or religion, and how we could perhaps see 'magic' as a meta-category containing 'family resemblances' or 'patterns of magicity' that allow for comparisons of different magical practices or attitudes. We also talk about the differences between the etic and emic perspectives of the term 'magic', as grimoires are concerned with the...
RR Pod E21 Ralph Tegtmeier - Chaos Magic Part 2: Emic Experiences
July 06, 2022 09:57 - 51 minutes - 47.1 MBIn this interview, Ralph shares his own perspectives on many of the topics that Dr. Christian Greer and I had discussed in Episode 19 ('Etic Examinations'). He shares his own background in occultism, 'the state of things' in Germany in the 1970s and -80s, as well as the change in perspective with the introduction of the 'Anglo' or British perspective about occultism and chaos magic. He also talks about his viewpoints regarding the concepts of 'gnosis' and 'shamanism' as they relate to chaos ...
Rejected Religion Spotlight Occulture Series - Netflix's Archive 81 & Stranger Things 4
July 04, 2022 12:01 - 34 minutes - 31.4 MBAs the Rejected Religion platform is concerned with what is known as 'occulture,' or how the occult is represented and portrayed in popular culture, this video highlights some of the occult references found in two recent Netflix series, Archive 81 and Stranger Things. Please see the 'References' section below for more detailed information concerning these topics. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criti...
Spotlight Ninian Nijhuis - Western Sidereal Astrology
May 17, 2022 11:13 - 1 hour - 59.9 MBNinian Nijhuis holds a Research Master in Religious Studies (University of Amsterdam); a BA in Law and an LL.M. in International Public Law (University of Utrecht). Her main focus is on Western Esotericism and her key fields of interest are Jungian psychology, sidereal astrology, mysticism, spirituality and its connections to science. Additionally, she is Head of Social Media at the Centre for History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents (HHP Centre) and the University of Amsterdam, a...
RR Pod E20P2 Dr. Dylan Burns - Gnosticism: The Metaphysical Twist
May 08, 2022 12:30 - 1 hour - 65.7 MBIn Part Two, Dylan begins by discussing why the gnostic system of thought was considered heretical by Christians. We then talk about the fascinating gnostic text 'The Secret Book of John', and how this creation story is quite different from the one in the Book of Genesis. Eve is not a villian in this tale, but the representative of consciousness and the reminder to Adam of the real heavenly world. In closing, we discuss how popular culture manifests and represents this topic. Dr. Dylan Bur...
RR Pod E20P1 Dr. Dylan Burns - Gnosticism: The Metaphysical Twist
May 07, 2022 10:57 - 1 hour - 73 MBDr. Dylan Burns is Assistant Professor of the History of Western Esotericism in Late Antiquity at the University of Amsterdam. In Part One, Dylan begins by sharing the Gnostic story or revelatory myth that takes place in four acts, so to speak, and the evidence of this story found in texts such as the Nag Hammadi codices. We then move the discussion to the definitions of the terms 'gnostic', 'gnosticism', and 'gnosis' and why these terms are somewhat controversial in the academic realm. R...
Spotlight Korhsi Dosoo: Ancient Magical Papyri and Their Modern Reception
April 13, 2022 08:17 - 1 hour - 69.6 MBKorshi Dosoo is the leader of the junior research group project 'The Coptic Magical Papyri: Vernacular Religion in Late Antique and Early Islamic Egypt' at the Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg. Formerly ATER (lecturer) at the University of Strasbourg and post-doctoral researcher on the Labex RESMED project Les mots de la paix. His PhD thesis, 'Rituals of Apparition on the Theban Magical Library' was completed in 2015 at Macquarie University, Australia. His research focuses on magic a...
RR Pod E19 w/ Dr. Christian Greer- Chaos Magic Part 1: Etic Examinations
March 16, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 79.1 MBThis month's episode is the first in a 2-part series about chaos magic. Dr. Christian Greer talks about the history of modern magical groups and how these earlier groups led to the birth of the chaos magic current. Christian begins by talking about why the topic of magic (in all its forms) is relevant as an area of research and study. He then gives a brief history of modern and contemporary ritual magic groups, and how these, along with other influential movements of the time, informed the m...
Spotlight - Midnight Mass Discussion Panel
February 14, 2022 11:09 - 1 hour - 71.3 MBGuests: Dr. Jonathon O'Donnell; Brennan Kettelle, MA (res); Tommy Cowan, MA (res) In this special Spotlight episode, my guests and I discuss Netflix's Midnight Mass from various perspectives. We start out with our 'first impressions' of the show, then move to discuss our own talking points based upon each of our own research interests and specialties - religion and demonology in U.S. politics, monster theory, queer-coding of vampires, the nature of angels and demons, vampire history, relig...
RR Pod E18 'Listener Response' with artist Michael Carter
February 06, 2022 10:49 - 1 hour - 91.8 MBThis episode is a special 'listener response' to episode 17's 'esoteric in art,' with guest Michael Carter. Michael is an artist and teacher living in Los Angeles, CA. He holds an MFA from Claremont Graduate University in CA, shows his work in live performances, gives lectures, and and exhibited works in both the U.S. and Europe. Michael's personal interest in Theosophy plays a large role in his own research into the spiritual dimensions of abstract art. This discussion includes Michae...
Spotlight with Brennan Kettelle (University of Amsterdam): Queering Lilith
February 05, 2022 09:36 - 1 hour - 55.9 MBInterview Highlights: Brennan begins by talking about the figure of Lilith as she has been portrayed in historical myths and legends; and then moves to more modern interpretations of Lilith as a 'dark feminine' archetype, and as a feminist. Our discussion then shifts to how Lilith can be linked to queerness, and how the poet Renee Vivien used Lilith as a muse in her work (even more so than the figure of Satan/Lucifer who was extremely popular in turn-of-the-century France, where Vivien live...
Spotlight Karen Swartz - Gender, Authority, & the Anthroposophical Society: A Curious Case Study
January 25, 2022 11:02 - 55 minutes - 51.1 MBKaren Swartz (Åbo Academy University) Interview Highlights: Karen shares some of her preliminary research findings regarding four women - Marie Steiner von-Sivers, Ita Wegman, Edith Maryon, and Judith von Halle (not three as I mistakenly mention in the interview) - all deeply involved within the Anthroposophical Society over the past decades and in the present day. While doing research for her PhD, Karen found that narratives surrounding these influential women were often curiously diffe...
Rejected Religion Spotlight with Thomas Van Breda (University of Amsterdam) - Dion Fortune: Servant to the Masters
January 18, 2022 09:45 - 1 hour - 66.8 MBInterview Highlights: Thomas begins by giving some background on Violet Mary Firth, later known as Dion Fortune. He describes her somewhat rebellious nature, and how Fortune did not always agree with the notion that certain things should be kept "secret". However, she did stress the need to be careful and skeptical of those who purport to have the "truth". Thomas then moves to the topic of initiation and how this was viewed by Fortune. To her, initiation was becoming involved in a cosmic pr...
Rejected Religion Spotlight Tommy Cowan- Bill and Bob: Burroughs's Concept of Possession in Relation to Twin Peaks
January 11, 2022 12:23 - 44 minutes - 40.3 MBTo view Tommy's presentation, please follow this link to the YouTube Channel Lynchland (Tommy's presentation is in Part IV, near the beginning of the video): Twin Peaks | The Return Online Conference - YouTube Interview Highlights: Tommy begins by talking about his own motivations to create a presentation for the Twin Peaks online conference. We then move the discussion to talk about several concepts that were important in the work and life of William Burroughs that have a connection to Tw...
Rejected Religion Spotlight Dr. Joel Bordeaux - Batman, Buddhism & Bricolage: Grant Morrison & The Dark Knight
January 04, 2022 12:11 - 1 hour - 66.4 MBVideo uploaded on YouTube on August 18, 2021 Interview Highlights: Joel begins by sharing how he came to write about Grant Morrison's Batman RIP, and then we dive into many Buddhist concepts that Morrison uses in their story. As Joel explains these concepts, he also points out how Morrison uses them differently than a Buddhist practicioner would - this due to the great influence of Western occult ideas (such as initiation, the Abyss, and ego-death) taken from Aleister Crowley, among others...
Rejected Religion Spotlight Ninian Nijhuis- Carl G. Jung: Fantasy, Madness, and the Exploration of Consciousness
December 28, 2021 11:54 - 56 minutes - 52.1 MBInterview Highlights: Ninian begins by talking about the recently published Black Books and Red Book by Jung, and how the Black Books acted as journals to explore Jung's own consciousness. She then discusses the fantasy Jung had about a 'madhouse', who Jung 'met' in the fantasy, and what Jung was trying to 'sort out' in all of this. This leads to a discussion about pathological madness and divine madness, what distinguishes the two, and how Jung perceived religious experience. Ninian also t...
RR Pod E17 P2 Roundtable with Pádraic E. Moore and Ewoud van Rijn - The 'Esoteric Turn' in Contemporary Art: Connection and Communication
December 16, 2021 11:29 - 53 minutes - 48.9 MBIn Part 2, we move the conversation to discuss some points brought up in few academic articles, such as how rituals create a liminal space for connection with the invisible realm; the importance of exhibitions for providing spaces of encounter; the importance of religion or spirituality in the art space; what automatism is; and how art can respond to, or cope with, radical changes in the world. PROGRAM NOTES Pádraic E. Moore - Website: Padraic Moore Academia.edu page: Pádraic E. Moore | ...
RR Pod E17 P1 Roundtable with Pádraic E. Moore and Ewoud van Rijn - The 'Esoteric Turn' in Contemporary Art: Connection and Communication
December 15, 2021 12:29 - 59 minutes - 54.2 MBIn Part 1, Pádraic and Ewoud both talk about their backgrounds and their own interests in the esoteric/occult, and then we move on to talk more about the inspiration for 'The Great Invocation' (Garage Rotterdam), plus Ewoud's inspiration for his own installation there. We talk more about the Theosophical Society as a movement and how it relates to contemporary art; we talk about Kurt Seligmann and the surrealists' viewpoints on art, magic, and the potential of the human mind; and Ewoud discu...
Spotlight Elena Sperner: Real Vampyrism, Identity, Diversity Awareness, and the Role of Religion
December 04, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 58.8 MBInterview Highlights: As Elena discusses, 'real vampyres' are those who feel a physical need to consume energy, whether it be blood or 'psychic' energy. As her research takes an inclusive, sexuological perspective, Elena suggests that this might be a sexual orientation for some. Her research into fetish identity explores the possible connections between this identity and vampyrism, as her data indicates that fetish identity is not a mental pathology, not a choice, and is not necessarily pai...
Rejected Religion Spotlight Richard Mason: Arthur Edward Waite and his 'Secret Tradition'
November 25, 2021 07:49 - 39 minutes - 36.3 MBInterview Highlights: Richard begins by giving a short background and biography of Waite and the people who had a great influence on his life. We discuss Waite's famous tarot deck and the inspiration for it, noting that illustrator Pamela Coleman Smith is often omitted from being mentioned. Richard then talks in more detail about how Waite's 'outsider status' has led to his work being neglected, and how his notion of a 'secret tradition' is deserving of more study. REFERENCES Email Ric...
RR Podcast E16 P2 Dr. Jenny Butler: Death, the Otherworld & The Good People in Irish Folklore & Contemporary Pagan Worldviews
November 12, 2021 08:58 - 1 hour - 61.8 MBPart 2 Highlights: My conversation with Jenny goes in a direction that I had not really anticipated, but was happy to let organically unfold. Jenny begins by talking about the contemporary pagan practices and traditional Irish views about Samhain or Halloween, but from there we talk rather in-depth about the complex relationship between the dead and 'the good people', otherwise known as fairies- whether they like humans or not - and how the ideas about 'the good people' are tied up in Irish...
RR Podcast E16 P1 Dr. Jenny Butler: Death, the Otherworld & The Good People in Irish Folklore & Contemporary Pagan Worldviews
November 11, 2021 14:35 - 1 hour - 59.3 MBPart One Highlights: Jenny begins by explaining the meanings of the terms 'neo-pagan' and 'pagan,' and why she has stopped using the first term and opts instead for 'contemporary pagan.' We then delve into the topic of death and how death and the dead are viewed in Irish traditions, as well as in some contemporary pagan views. The conversation extends to the roles of women, and traditions such as keening, that are associated with Irish wakes; as well as female otherworldy characters such as...
Rejected Religion Spotlight (Audio)- Keith Readdy & Boleskine House Foundation
October 14, 2021 16:06 - 45 minutes - 41.7 MBRejected Religion Spotlight with Keith Ready, Chairman of the Boleskine House Foundation Boleskine House: Heritage, History, and Esotericism INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS Keith starts our discussion by giving a short background and history of Boleskine House and the surrounding area. We then move to how the house is linked to the area of esotericism/occultism through one of its more famous (infamous?) owners, Aleister Crowley. Keith talks about why Crowley bought the house, and the changes that wer...
Rejected Religion October Announcement
October 14, 2021 11:23 - 2 minutes - 1.83 MBThe podcast episode for October will be delayed a bit, but look for a new audio-only version of Rejected Religion Spotlight (featured on YouTube)!
RR Pod E15 P2 Mriganka Mukhopadhyay 'Voices From Within': An Indian Perspective on the Theosophical Society in 19th c. Calcutta
September 25, 2021 13:17 - 1 hour - 55 MBIn Part 2, Mriganka discusses two important figures within the Indian Theosophical Society - Peary Chand Mittra and Mohini Chatterji - how they became 'on the radar' of Blavatsky and Olcott, their differing ideas and perspectives, and how escalating tensions led to a break between Mohini Chatterji and Blavatsky. Mriganka talks in particular about how Indian philosophies such as Advaita Vedanta influenced the Indian perspective and how Indian members approached Theosophy because of it. PROG...
RR Pod E15 P1 Mriganka Mukhopadhyay 'Voices From Within': An Indian Perspective on the Theosophical Society in 19th c. Calcutta
September 24, 2021 11:00 - 52 minutes - 48.4 MBIn Part 1, Mriganka gives an outline of the cultural, social, and religious history in Bengal, and the beginnings of the Theosophical Society in India - why Calcutta was so attractive to Helena Blavatsky and Henry Olcott, and who they were interested in as potential members. Mriganka also gives an explanation of particular terms that we use often in our conversation, such as the Brahmo Samaj sect and Ram Mohan Roy; the Bhadralok community; and the Bengal Renaissance - these are important to ...
RR Pod E14 P2 Stewart Clelland: Freemasons, The Green Book of the Élus Coëns & Gnostic Reintegration
August 22, 2021 08:30 - 1 hour - 58.9 MBIn Part 2, Stewart offers a rich and very detailed discussion of the aristocratic elite group of the Élus Coëns. He discusses their formation, their Gnostic (world-hating) beliefs, their rituals, why the group dispersed and how it morphed into what is now known as Martinism. Stewart also discusses the underlying nationalism that seems to accompany Masonic research and what can be done to combat this. In closing, Stewart talks a bit about how the grimoire was found, and why it took so long to...
RR Podcast E14 P1 Stewart Clelland - Freemasons, The Green Book of the Élus Coëns & Gnostic Reintegration
August 21, 2021 08:14 - 57 minutes - 52.3 MBIn Part 1, Stewart starts by talking about the diverse views of Freemasonry, and how influential Freemasonry has been to many other esoteric and occult societies. I also ask Stewart to give his opinions about why Freemasonry is a common target for conspiracy theorists, especially those found within UFO conspiracies. PROGRAM NOTES Stewart's new book, The Green Book of the Élus Coëns , offers an insight into a masonic society called The Order of Knight-Mason Elect-Cohens of the Universe, ...
RR Pod E13 P2 Dr. S. Jonathon O'Donnell- Demons & the Demonized: Power & Spiritual Warfare in the USA
July 18, 2021 08:09 - 1 hour - 63.5 MBIn Part 2, we wrap up our discussion of Jonathon's book by talking about the ironic fact that sovereign power is rarely attainable, and how the demonized are required for the sovereign to remain in existence. We also look at other spiritual warfare narratives in order to compare and contrast the present discussion with earlier discourses. We start with the millennialist concept of the rapture and tribulation, moving to the satanic panic, and then shift to the contemporary phenomenon of QAnon...
RR Pod E13 P1 Dr. S. Jonathon O'Donnell -Demons & the Demonized: Power and Spiritual Warfare in the USA
July 17, 2021 09:00 - 1 hour - 65.6 MBIn Part 1 of our discussion, Jonathon begins by talking about their approach in their book, and how this approach broadens the context of the discussion around demonology and spiritual warfare to include contemporary issues surrounding topics such as gender and sexuality, ethnicity, immigration, and heteronormativity. We then move the discussion to talk more in detail about the three demon-concepts that are most commonly used in spiritual warfare narratives - Jezebel, the Islamic Antichrist,...
RR Pod E12, P2 Dr. Manon Hedenborg White - Women of Thelema: Authority and Agency
June 10, 2021 06:37 - 50 minutes - 45.9 MBIn Part 2, we continue our discussion by looking at how the women were received and perceived within Thelema. Manon explains her term "proximal authority" and how this relates to Leah, Jane, and Marjorie. We then move to how the women were discussed in the media, their reception outside of the official organization, the legacy of each of the women, and their impact and influence on our culture. PROGRAM NOTES The Thelemic Women's History Project: The Thelemic Women's History Project | Fac...
RR Pod E12, P1 Dr. Manon Hedenborg White - Women of Thelema: Authority and Agency
June 09, 2021 09:40 - 48 minutes - 44.2 MBIn Part 1, Manon shares a bit of information about her project (funded by the Swedish Research Council), and what motivated her to start looking into the lives of three women within Thelema, and how the project has been going so far. She then gives an extensive biographical background of each of the women she's researching - Leah Hirsig, Jane Wolfe, and Marjorie Cameron - how they came to Thelema, and their fascinating roles within this group. PROGRAM NOTES The Thelemic Women's History Pro...
RR Podcast Ep.11, Pt.2 with Dr. Rune Rasmussen - Nordic Animism: Reconnecting with a Rejected Knowledge Tradition
May 16, 2021 10:35 - 1 hour - 70.9 MBIn Part 2, we move into modernity, where Rune discusses the impact of a radicalized Protestantism that has had a disruptive impact on animist traditions, and the negative psychological effects that a disconnection from the land can cause. We then move to a discussion of how we can experiment in different ways to re-traditionalize ourselves with this knowledge before delving into the more controversial issue of extremist groups appropriating animist symbology for racist and nationalistic agen...
RR Podcast Ep.11, Pt.1 with Dr. Rune Rasmussen - Nordic Animism: Reconnecting with a Rejected Knowledge Tradition
May 15, 2021 12:47 - 52 minutes - 47.9 MBIn Part 1, Rune and I talk about what animism is and how we can understand it, especially in relation to other religions such as Heathenry and (Neo)Paganism. We also discuss why this animist knowledge was rejected in the first place by looking back in history, and Rune explains important animist concepts, such as Ragnarok and Yggdrasil (the world tree), and how these concepts are extremely important to an animist understanding of our world. PROGRAM NOTES: Nordic Animism (NA) Website: Home...
RR Podcast Ep. 10, Pt. 2 with Aaron J. French: The Mandela Effect - Reality, Memory, Conspiracy & Occulture
April 09, 2021 07:04 - 1 hour - 66 MBIn Part 2, we jump back in with a more controversial topic, that of John Lamb Lash, and how his interpretation of the concept of Gnosticism has become intertwined with the Mandela Effect. We explore whether or not conspiracy theories are dangerous to society, but also note their more playful quality as we re-visit the old pranksters, the Discordians. We then move on to the topic of memory, how memory affects history, how remembering something actually creates new experiences and can affect o...
RR Podcast Ep. 10, Pt. 1 with Aaron J. French: The Mandela Effect - Reality, Memory, Conspiracy & Occulture
April 08, 2021 08:15 - 1 hour - 60.7 MBIn Part 1, Aaron and I bring everyone up to speed on what the Mandela Effect (ME) is, where it comes from, and why it is an important area of research for the study of esotericism. We discuss examples of ME, found with book titles (Berenstein/Berenstain Bears), pop culture references (what did Darth Vader actually say to Luke Skywalker?), and how all of this affects our notions of reality and of our memory. We also talk about how Christian elements have come to interact with more esoteric co...