EPISODE · Dec 22, 2025 · 1H 15M
Leah Hirsig’s Lost Diaries: New Revelations in Thelemic History
from ANGELA'S SYMPOSIUM 📖 Academic Study on Witchcraft, Paganism, esotericism, magick and the Occult · host Dr Angela Puca
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 development of Thelema. These documents reveal a complex portrait of Hirsig as practitioner, partner, and independent thinker while also illuminating the daily workings of Crowley’s magical system during a turbulent chapter of his life.You can buy the book here ➡️ https://amzn.to/48AL03NThe conversation will explore the challenges of editing primary sources in esotericism, the significance of Hirsig’s voice within a field long dominated by male figures, and the broader implications of her magical, emotional, and intellectual labour for understanding early twentieth-century occultism. We will examine how the diaries complicate established narratives around gender, authority, and the lived experience of Thelemic practice. The discussion will also consider the historiographical value of such material within contemporary scholarship on Western esotericism.Join us on Sunday, 7 December at 5 pm GMT or 12 pm EST for an in-depth conversation that opens new perspectives on a pivotal yet understudied figure in the history of modern magic.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/courseWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 / angelapuca SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 / @drangelapuca MY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTG...MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!00:00:00 Introduction: Crowley’s Scarlet Woman, Leah Hirsig’s Diaries00:01:05 Meet Manon Hedenborg White and Henrik Bogdan00:01:47 Manon’s Academic Background00:02:25 Henrik’s Academic Background00:06:34 How the Book Came to Be and was Written00:19:25 Leah Hirsig’s Diaries00:11:44 Leah Hirsig’s Magick00:16:31 Purpose in Crowley’s and Hirsig’s Practice / Sex Magick00:22:35 Leah Hersig as the Scarlet Woman00:24:52 Decoding Leah’s Diaries00:31:41 Leah Hirsig and Aleister Crowley Break Up00:39:00 The Scarlet Woman and the Great Beast 66600:59:20 The Role of Menstruation in Hirsig’s Magick00:56:55 Money Magick in Thelema00:59:18 Why Some Cities are Breeding Grounds for Esoteric Movements01:03:33 Babalon and Ra-Hoor-Khuit01:06:56 Henrik and Manon’s Favourite Parts of the Diaries01:12:54 Contact Details for Dr Manon Hedenborg White and Dr Henrik Bogdan01:14:34 Support Angela’s SymposiumWant to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5768951004397568
What this episode covers
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 development of Thelema. These documents reveal a complex portrait of Hirsig as practitioner, partner, and independent thinker while also illuminating the daily workings of Crowley’s magical system during a turbulent chapter of his life.You can buy the book here ➡️ https://amzn.to/48AL03NThe conversation will explore the challenges of editing primary sources in esotericism, the significance of Hirsig’s voice within a field long dominated by male figures, and the broader implications of her magical, emotional, and intellectual labour for understanding early twentieth-century occultism. We will examine how the diaries complicate established narratives around gender, authority, and the lived experience of Thelemic practice. The discussion will also consider the historiographical value of such material within contemporary scholarship on Western esotericism.Join us on Sunday, 7 December at 5 pm GMT or 12 pm EST for an in-depth conversation that opens new perspectives on a pivotal yet understudied figure in the history of modern magic.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/courseWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 / angelapuca SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 / @drangelapuca MY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTG...MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!00:00:00 Introduction: Crowley’s Scarlet Woman, Leah Hirsig’s Diaries00:01:05 Meet Manon Hedenborg White and Henrik Bogdan00:01:47 Manon’s Academic Background00:02:25 Henrik’s Academic Background00:06:34 How the Book Came to Be and was Written00:19:25 Leah Hirsig’s Diaries00:11:44 Leah Hirsig’s Magick00:16:31 Purpose in Crowley’s and Hirsig’s Practice / Sex Magick00:22:35 Leah Hersig as the Scarlet Woman00:24:52 Decoding Leah’s Diaries00:31:41 Leah Hirsig and Aleister Crowley Break Up00:39:00 The Scarlet Woman and the Great Beast 66600:59:20 The Role of Menstruation in Hirsig’s Magick00:56:55 Money Magick in Thelema00:59:18 Why Some Cities are Breeding Grounds for Esoteric Movements01:03:33 Babalon and Ra-Hoor-Khuit01:06:56 Henrik and Manon’s Favourite Parts of the Diaries01:12:54 Contact Details for Dr Manon Hedenborg White and Dr Henrik Bogdan01:14:34 Support Angela’s SymposiumWant to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5768951004397568
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Leah Hirsig’s Lost Diaries: New Revelations in Thelemic History
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