ANGELA'S SYMPOSIUM 📖 Academic Study on Witchcraft, Paganism, esotericism, magick and the Occult

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 whether Litha is “real” or “fake,” this video reveals how contemporary Pagans transform ancient solar symbolism, European folklore, and modern ritual creativity into a meaningful seasonal celebration.Perfect for Pagans, witches, Wiccans, folklore lovers, and anyone interested in the history of magic, ritual, and the Summer Solstice.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE 🔗 https://www.drangelapuca.com/BOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesSUBSTACK ✉️ https://substack.com/@drangelapucaBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- SUBSTACK 💌 https://substack.com/@drangelapuca- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚(Check the related slide on screen)MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 them is a problem of how, not of whether. They are arguments for regulation, not for personal abstention. I talk about my own practice (yes, AI images sometimes; yes, Grammarly; no, not the writing or the thinking), about teaching at university in the middle of all this, and about why, as an anthropologist, I think this debate is really a debate about authorship and authenticity wearing a technological costume.The question, in the end, was never if AI. It was always, only, how.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE 🔗 https://www.drangelapuca.com/BOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesSUBSTACK ✉️ https://substack.com/@drangelapucaBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumMY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- SUBSTACK 💌 https://substack.com/@drangelapuca- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥REFERENCES 📚Cognitive offloading and deskillingRisko, E. F., & Gilbert, S. J. (2016). Cognitive offloading. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 20(9), 676–688. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2016.07.002Gerlich, M. (2025). AI tools in society: Impacts on cognitive offloading and the future of critical thinking. Societies, 15(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15010006Training data, consent, and copyrightBuick, A. (2025). Copyright and AI training data – transparency to the rescue? Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice, 20(3), 182–192. https://doi.org/10.1093/jiplp/jpae102Dornis, T. W., & Stober, S. (2025). Generative AI training and copyright law. Transactions of the International Society for Music Information Retrieval, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2502.15858Algorithmic bias and discriminationBarocas, S., & Selbst, A. D. (2016). Big data's disparate impact. California Law Review, 104(3), 671–732. https://doi.org/10.15779/Z38BG31Rosenthal-von der Pütten, A. M., & Sach, A. (2024). Michael is better than Mehmet: Exploring the perils of algorithmic biases and selective adherence to advice from automated decision support systems in hiring. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1416504. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1416504Labour displacement and the reshaping of workAcemoglu, D., & Restrepo, P. (2019). Automation and new tasks: How technology displaces and reinstates labor. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 33(2), 3–30. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.33.2.3Environmental cost of AIStrubell, E., Ganesh, A., & McCallum, A. (2019). Energy and policy considerations for deep learning in NLP. In Proceedings of the 57th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (pp. 3645–3650). Association for Computational Linguistics. https://doi.org/10.18653/v1/P19-1355Aczel, M., Chamanara, S., Matin, M., Farsi, A., Marwala, T., & Madani, K. (2026). Environmental cost of AI's energy use: Carbon, water and land footprints. United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health. https://doi.org/10.53328/INR26RMA002Regulatory competition and the US–EU asymmetrySmuha, N. A. (2021). From a 'race to AI' to a 'race to AI regulation': Regulatory competition for artificial intelligence. Law, Innovation and Technology, 13(1), 57–84. https://doi.org/10.1080/17579961.2021.1898300⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 the history, practice, and inner logic of Wicca beyond the stereotypes: initiation, ritual, secrecy, the Horned God, the role of the priesthood, and the relationship between magic, psychology, and transformation.Rufus brings a rare combination of lived initiatory experience, historical connection to key figures in modern Witchcraft, and professional expertise in psychotherapy. This conversation will be especially valuable for anyone interested in British Traditional Wicca, Alexandrian and Gardnerian lineages, Doreen Valiente, Enochian magic, Pagan priesthood, and the deeper question of how magical traditions survive, adapt, and remain meaningful in the present.CONTACT DETAILS: [email protected] & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE 🔗 https://www.drangelapuca.com/BOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesSUBSTACK ✉️ https://substack.com/@drangelapucaBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- SUBSTACK 💌 https://substack.com/@drangelapuca- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ00:00:00 British Traditional Wicca with High Priest Rufus Harrington00:02:33 Rufus Harrington’s Journey into Alexandrian and Gardnerian Wicca00:06:44 Experiencing the Gods: Wicca as a Living Spiritual Tradition00:08:03 Meeting Doreen Valiente: Memories of the Mother of Modern Witchcraft “00:11:19 Did Doreen Valiente Write the Wiccan Rede?00:12:53 Ronald Hutton, Gerald Gardner and Wicca’s Foundational Myth00:21:43 Can Academic Research Strengthen Rather Than Destroy Wicca?00:25:45 Wicca as Practice, Not Dogma: Covens, Autonomy and Evolution00:30:54 Why Wicca Developed Differently in Britain, America and Australia00:36:40 Historical Denial, Anxiety and the Need for Religious Certainty 00:39:12 Is Wicca Really the World’s Oldest Religion?00:47:49 Must You Be Initiated to Call Yourself Wiccan?00:50:22 Initiatory Wicca, Eclectic Wicca and Solitary Practice00:55:06 Finding a Coven and Learning Wicca Online00:57:54 Why Wicca Works: Sacred Space, Ecstasy and Everyday Life01:00:19 The Great Rite: Spirit, Matter, God and Goddess01:01:53 Why Wicca Became a Gateway into Paganism and Magic01:04:34 Extraordinary Magical Experiences and the Holy Guardian Angel01:11:30 Love Spells and the Magical Mistakes Practitioners Make01:12:45 The Wiccan Law of Return and the Ethics of Magic01:18:17 Rufus Harrington’s Wiccan Training and Final Blessing01:19:49 Be a part of the growing Angela’s Symposium community⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 measure them.We will look at lucid REM sleep, dream induction methods, dream yoga, magical dream work, and the important limits of reducing these practices to brain activity alone.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE 🔗 https://www.drangelapuca.com/BOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesSUBSTACK ✉️ https://substack.com/@drangelapucaBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- SUBSTACK 💌 https://substack.com/@drangelapuca- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚(Check the related slide on screen)MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 witchcraft ritual calendar.Was the Esbat an ancient Pagan tradition, or a modern invention? The answer is more interesting than either option. I separate historical evidence from modern myth while recognising the real religious value of living practice.This video is for anyone interested in Wicca, Paganism, full moon rituals, witchcraft history, and how modern magical traditions are created.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE 🔗 https://www.drangelapuca.com/BOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesSUBSTACK ✉️ https://substack.com/@drangelapucaBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- SUBSTACK 💌 https://substack.com/@drangelapuca- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚(Check the related slide on screen)MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ00:00 Esbat: Origins, Meaning, and Modern Pagan Practice 01:22 What Is an Esbat in Wicca? Full Moon Rituals Explained 02:29 The Old French Etymology of Esbat: Frolic, Play, and Amusement 03:37 Pierre de Lancre and the First Witchcraft Use of Esbat 04:40 Margaret Murray Invents the Esbat as a Witch-Cult Institution 06:39 Why Scholars Rejected Margaret Murray’s Witch-Cult Theory 08:07 Gerald Gardner, Wicca, and the Survival of Murray’s Vocabulary 08:38 Doreen Valiente and the Full-Moon Esbat in Modern Wicca 09:18 How Esbat Became Standard Pagan and Wiccan Vocabulary 10:17 Word-History vs Ritual-History: The Esbat as Invented Tradition 10:57 Modern Does Not Mean Fake: Esbat, Authenticity, and Lived Practice 11:59 Benandanti, Táltos, and Real Nocturnal Folk Traditions 13:11 The Real Meaning of Esbat: History, Myth, and Pagan Truth-Telling 13:52 Support Dr Angela Puca’s Project⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 recycled conspiracy theory older than Christianity itself? Or something stranger than any of those?In this video I trace the Sabbath from its origins in a handful of Alpine witch trials in the 1430s, through the great demonological texts of the early modern period, to its reinvention by romantics, feminists, and modern practitioners who know the image was constructed and use it anyway. I cover the Cohn vs Ginzburg debate that still organises the field, the Friulian benandanti who fought witches in their sleep, the antisemitic roots of the word "sabbath" itself, Margaret Murray's influential and almost entirely wrong witch-cult hypothesis, and why the Wheel of the Year is a twentieth-century invention. I also look at where the term "esbat" actually comes from (spoiler: not where you think), the connection between the Sabbath and the Wild Hunt, and what contemporary Italian folk practitioners make of all this today.This is serious historiography made accessible, not dumbed down. If you want the real story behind one of the most persistent and misunderstood images in Western culture, this is it.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE 🔗 https://www.drangelapuca.com/BOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesSUBSTACK ✉️ https://substack.com/@drangelapucaBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- SUBSTACK 💌 https://substack.com/@drangelapuca- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚(Check the related slide on screen)MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ00:00 Introduction: The Witches’ Sabbath Explained01:41 What Is the Witches’ Sabbath? 04:61 The Alpine Origins of the Witches’ Sabbath 09:01 Demonology, the Malleus, and the Stakes of Witchcraft 15:01 Cohn vs Ginzburg: Who Created the Witches’ Sabbath? 22:36 Folk Traditions, Night Travel, and Regional Witch Beliefs 25:26 From Michelet to Murray: How Modern Witchcraft Reused the Sabbath 30:50 The Witches’ Sabbath Today: Politics, Film, and Online Witchcraft 30:06 Flying Ointments: What the Evidence Really Shows 38:49 Reading the Witches’ Sabbath as a Palimpsest 41:33 Celebrate your Sabbaths in Angela’s vibrant Inner Symposium⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 from a matriarchal lineage of healers. Her great-grandmother was a witch and curandera, a traditional folk healer from Oaxaca in southern Mexico, whom people in the community would seek out for healing matters of body and spirit.Cherry’s work centres on illuminating the uncomfortable truths many prefer to avoid. For her, the shadows are both a second home and profound teachers. She lives and maintains a closed spiritual practice in Mexico, where she reads tarot for a select international clientele that includes artists, creatives, and visionaries.GET THE BOOK https://amzn.to/4dntLpoCONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE 🔗 https://www.drangelapuca.com/BOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesSUBSTACK ✉️ https://substack.com/@drangelapucaBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- SUBSTACK 💌 https://substack.com/@drangelapuca- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!Want to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5768951004397568

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 magic is far more intricate than simple questions of authenticity or invention.Dr Gal Sofer (MD, PhD) is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of the Arts at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. His research focuses on the history of science, magic, and Kabbalah from the late Middle Ages to the present, in both Jewish and Christian cultures and across multiple languages. His work examines the transfer of knowledge between languages in Europe, the visualisation of scientific and religious knowledge, and the visual aspects of learned magical literature. His first book, Solomonic Magic: Methodology, Texts, and Histories, was published by Brill in 2025. His second book, Conjuring the Arab Magician: Intercultural Histories of Magic, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2026.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE 🔗 https://www.drangelapuca.com/BOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesSUBSTACK ✉️ https://substack.com/@drangelapucaBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- SUBSTACK 💌 https://substack.com/@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!

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 emergence of modern chemistry. This lecture also examines the major scholarly debates around alchemy, showing why historians no longer see it simply as failed science or pure mysticism, but as a complex way of understanding matter, knowledge, and the transformation of the self.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE 🔗 https://www.drangelapuca.com/BOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- SUBSTACK 💌 https://substack.com/@drangelapuca- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚(Check the related slide on screen)MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ00:00 Introduction | What This Alchemy Lecture Covers02:07 History and Evolution of Alchemy | Origins, Practice, Spirituality and Science05:22 What Is Alchemy? Practices, Texts, Roles and Transformation07:00 Hellenistic Alchemy | Alexandria and the Origins of Western Alchemy10:16 Hermes Trismegistus | Hermetic Foundations of Alchemy13:54 Chinese Alchemy | Immortality, Cinnabar, Waidan and Neidan17:28 Indian Rasayana | Mercury, Tantra and the Alchemical Body20:58 Islamic Alchemy | Translation, Jābir ibn Hayyān and Arabic Science24:35 Medieval and Early Modern European Alchemy | From Scholasticism to Chymistry26:47 Renaissance Alchemy and Paracelsus | Medicine, Spagyric Art and Iatrochemistry28:15 From Alchemy to Modern Chemistry | Boyle, Newton and Lavoisier35:48 What Was Alchemy? Proto-Chemistry, Spiritual Practice or Both?40:49 How Alchemy Shaped the Modern World | Conclusion45:01 Join Dr Puca’s Community | Substack, Memberships and Updates⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 Professor of Digital Media at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where her work brings together art, technology, mythology, and occult themes.Together, we’ll discuss how magic is represented and reimagined in the modern world, how digital technologies are reshaping occult practice, and why the study of magic can reveal so much about religion, identity, media, and power in contemporary society. We’ll also explore the thinking behind Magic in the United States, a three-season series funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and UNC Charlotte, which examines American magical, spiritual, esoteric, and marginalised religious traditions through both historical and contemporary lenses.This conversation will be especially relevant for anyone interested in Western esotericism, contemporary witchcraft, digital occultism, and the blurred boundaries between religion, magic, and media. If you want a discussion that is both intellectually rigorous and deeply relevant to the present moment, this is one you won’t want to miss.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE 🔗 https://www.drangelapuca.com/BOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesSUBSTACK ✉️ https://substack.com/@drangelapucaBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- SUBSTACK 💌 https://substack.com/@drangelapuca- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!Want to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5768951004397568

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 centuries of adaptation across Jewish, Christian, Arabic, Greek, and Latin traditions.We will look at the real history behind Solomonic texts, the myth of the “original” grimoire, the Jewish roots of demon-summoning traditions, and why this matters not only for scholars of Western esotericism but also for contemporary practitioners. If you are interested in grimoires, ceremonial magic, the Key of Solomon, the Lesser Key, or the history of Western occultism, this episode will give you a much deeper understanding of what is really at stake.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE 🔗 https://www.drangelapuca.com/BOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesSUBSTACK ✉️ https://substack.com/@drangelapucaBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- SUBSTACK 💌 https://substack.com/@drangelapuca- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚Sofer, G. (2025). Solomonic magic: Methodology, texts, and histories (Magical and Religious Literature of Late Antiquity, Vol. 11). Brill.MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 study of esotericism, I look at the difference between historical fact and spiritual truth, why this tension feels so personal, and how practitioners can move forward without self-deception. If you have ever questioned lineage claims, authenticity, or whether scholarship threatens spirituality, this episode is for you.CONNECT & SUPPORTMY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE 🔗 https://www.drangelapuca.com/BOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- SUBSTACK 💌 https://substack.com/@drangelapuca- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚(Check the related slide on screen)MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 Hanegraaff as a substantially revised, rewritten, and expanded reworking of his earlier 2013 Guide for the Perplexed, now reframed around the ideas of counter-normativity and “rejected knowledge”.Together, we will discuss how dominant accounts of “Western culture” have excluded forms of knowledge associated with magic, Hermetism, paganism, and other heterodox traditions, and why Hanegraaff argues that this exclusion has been deeply tied to Eurocentric and colonial models of civilisation. We will also examine what it means to “reject the rejection of rejected knowledge”, and how this changes the way we understand the history of religion, philosophy, science, and culture in the Greater West.This livestream will be of interest to anyone working on esotericism, the history of ideas, religion, occultism, Hermeticism, or the construction of cultural norms in the academy. It promises to be a rich discussion of one of the field’s most influential scholars and a major new intervention in the study of Western esotericism.GET THE BOOK: US https://amzn.to/480nvSe UK https://amzn.to/40JtBTlCONNECT & 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!Let me know in the live chat where you are joining from and bring your questions for the discussion.Want to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5768951004397568

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, including in modern ideological and online movements.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚(See slide on screen)MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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.Drawing on evolutionary game theory, perceptual psychology, and philosophy of mind, Hoffman argues that space, time, and physical objects may function more like icons on a desktop than features of mind-independent reality. We unpack the “Fitness Beats Truth” theorem, assess the move from perceptual scepticism to ontological idealism, and situate Hoffman’s position in dialogue with Kant’s critical philosophy and contemporary debates about consciousness.Crucially, we then turn to the implications for esoteric and magical practice. If ordinary perception is already an adaptive interface, what happens to the dismissal of altered states as merely subjective distortions? Does Hoffman’s framework open conceptual space for ritual, trance, and visionary experience, or does it simply reframe them as alternative adaptive constructions? And can evolutionary models themselves escape the circularity they seem to invite?CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖https://amzn.to/3MHd0fuREFERENCES 📚(see slide on screen)MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 method of psychological integration to an initiatory ordeal, a ritual technology, a feminist act of reclamation, and finally a digital wellness commodity.Drawing on Jung’s theory of projection and individuation, the esoteric reinterpretations of figures such as Dion Fortune and Israel Regardie, the initiatory logic of Thelema, and contemporary critiques of online “shadow work” culture, this episode asks a difficult question: what happens when a psychological concept becomes spiritual practice and then becomes product?If shadow work promises wholeness, what kind of wholeness is being offered and at what cost?This is a critical, historically grounded exploration of one of the most popular and most misunderstood ideas in contemporary spirituality.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚(See the slide on the screen)MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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. Drawing on media history and contemporary case studies, she shows how magical thinking is not an accidental metaphor but part of the architecture of digital discourse.In this livestream, we will explore how belief, intention, and symbolic practice intersect with algorithms, platforms, and artificial intelligence, and what this means for politics, reality, and power in the twenty-first century. Bring your questions for what promises to be a sharp and thought-provoking discussion.Shira Chess is an Associate Professor of Entertainment and Media Studies at the University of Georgia. She received her PhD in 2009 from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and studies digital culture and video games. Her most recent book, The Unseen Internet: Conjuring the Occult in Digital Discourse (The MIT Press, 2026) is available now. She is also currently co-authoring a history of the 90s counterculture tech magazine Mondo 2000 alongside the magazine's former editor-in-chief, R.U. Sirius. You can subscribe to her free Substack at https://unseeninternet.substack.com/. 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!Want to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5768951004397568

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 with evidence for symbolic and ritual behaviour in deep prehistory and moving through animistic and shamanic worldviews, Neolithic monumental ritual landscapes, and the first literate traditions of Mesopotamia, Egypt, South Asia, and early China.Engaging with archaeological data, comparative anthropology, and the history of religions, the episode explores how practices often labelled as magical functioned as socially embedded techniques for negotiating uncertainty, misfortune, and relational disruption in worlds understood to be animate and morally responsive. Particular attention is given to the role of materiality, speech, and ritual expertise, as well as to the gradual processes of textualisation and institutionalisation that reshape ritual efficacy in early complex societies. Rather than identifying a single origin or essence of magic, the episode argues for understanding ancient magic as a set of historically situated practices through which humans acted effectively within precarious and relational cosmologies.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ00:00:00 Introduction: Dr. Angela Puca and Peter J. Carroll on Chaos Magick00:03:54 The Mystery of Consciousness and the Quantum Nature of Reality00:11:09 Relational Ontology: Mach’s Principle and the Rejection of Panpsychism00:13:29 Information vs. Matter: How Quantum Physics Challenges Our Senses00:16:20 Scientific Explanations for Magic: Non-Locality and Retrocausality00:23:44 The Equations of Magic: Gnosis, Sublimation, and Probability00:29:38 Testing Belief: Parapsychology and the Sheep-Goat Effect00:31:21 Strengthening Magical Links: Physical Proximity vs. Symbolic Objects00:35:05 The Limits of Psychic Influence: Why Distant Divination Often Fails 00:36:20 Divining the Future: Retrocausal Experiments in the Bristol Temple00:41:04 Quantum Entanglement and the Fragility of Non-Local Magical Links00:43:57 Political Magic: Manipulating Archetypes, Nationalism, and Propaganda 00:48:28 Glamour Magic and the Subversion of Public Identity00:49:52 How Information and Non-Rationality Influence the Social Psyche 00:50:56 The Transmission Problem: Communicating Mood and Telepathy Without Media 00:54:07 Unexplained Phenomena: Anger, Materialization, and Anomalous Physical Events00:55:36 The Ontology of Gods: Artificial Spirits and Internalized Archetypes 01:02:43 Do Deities Exist? Comparing Divine Mutation to Human Change01:07:20 Invocation as Self-Exploration: Reclaiming Suppressed Aspects of the Self01:33:31 Working with Mythos: Invoking Jupiter for Business and Lovecraft for Physics 01:20:24 The Astral Plane vs. The Ether: A Metaphysical Map of Magic01:24:11 Free Will and Randomness: A Mechanistic Approach to Agency01:29:33 Subheading Determinism vs. Probability: Why the Universe Isn't Set in Stone01:31:52 Improving Effectiveness: Bending Probability and Incremental Magical Success 01:39:31 Join the growing community at Angela’s Symposium ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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/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!Want to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5768951004397568

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 address why concepts such as the observer effect, wavefunction collapse, entanglement, and energy are so frequently misunderstood and misused in spiritual and New Age discourse, paying particular attention to questions of scale, decoherence, and category error. Throughout, my aim is not to dismiss lived experience or magical practice, but to argue for intellectual precision and methodological honesty.I conclude by acknowledging areas where scientific inquiry remains genuinely open, especially in relation to consciousness, while explaining why quantum physics, as it currently stands, cannot be used to legitimise esoteric practices.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖https://amzn.to/3YRqqbchttps://amzn.to/4jUPRSNhttps://amzn.to/4jT80Aohttps://amzn.to/49BWx4Lhttps://amzn.to/3NC2LJlREFERENCES 📚(see the final slide on screen)MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ00:00:00 Is Quantum Physics Magic? Intro to Quantum Esotericism 00:02:21 Support Angela’s Symposium00:04:03 Why Science & Spirituality Are Talking Again00:06:05 The Link Between Quantum Physics & Consciousness 00:07:00 Does the Observer Create Reality? (Wavefunction Collapse) 00:13:55 Quantum Brain Theory: Penrose & Hameroff (Orch-OR)00:17:58 Explaining Telepathy & Psi with Quantum Entanglement 00:23:09 The Zero-Point Field & Universal Mind (Akashic Records?) 00:27:22 Theoretical Frameworks: Dualism, Idealism, and Beyond00:31:48 The Skeptics' View: Why Scientists Reject Quantum Mysticism 00:32:56 Debunking "Quantum Woo": The Mainstream Consensus 00:37:51 The "Observer Effect" Myth vs. Reality00:40:16 Entanglement is Not Telepathy (Faster-Than-Light Myths) 00:41:37 Understanding Superposition (Being in Two Places at Once) 00:41:43 Why Quantum Consciousness Theories Fail 00:46:42 "Everything is Energy": The Misuse of "Vibration." 00:48:24 Why the World Looks Solid: Quantum Decoherence Explained 00:53:05 Is Quantum Mysticism Pseudoscience? 00:55:54 Why We Want Quantum Magic to Be True (Psychology) 01:00:09 The Dangers of Bad Science & "Quantum Flapdoodle" 01:01:33 The Hard Problem: Where Science is Still Open-Minded 01:06:21 Conclusion: A Middle Path for Science & Magic 01:09:34 Join Angela’s Symposium⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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, in his view, systematically downplay the possibility of ritual continuities in European folk culture. Hutton’s rejoinders foreground the demands of historical method, emphasising the importance of verifiable documentation over conjectural survivalism and defending the historian’s obligation to distinguish cultural revival from demonstrable lineage. We will assess which of Whitmore’s critiques raise legitimate questions about interpretive frameworks and where his reasoning departs from accepted scholarly practice. It also considers how this debate reflects wider issues around authority, tradition, and the negotiation of identity within modern Paganism, and how different communities assign meaning to the fragmentary traces of the past.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚Ginzburg, C. (1989). Storia notturna: Una decifrazione del sabba. G. Einaudi.Hutton, R. (1999). The triumph of the moon: A history of modern Pagan witchcraft. Oxford University Press.Hutton, R. (2010). Writing the history of witchcraft: A personal view. The Pomegranate, 12(2), 239-262. https://doi.org/10.1558/pome.v12i2.239Leland, C. G. (1899). Aradia, or the gospel of the witches. David Nutt.Whitmore, B. (2010). Trials of the moon: Reopening the case for historical witchcraft. Briar Books.MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 multiple and often contradictory forms of worship. The discussion then follows her Roman reconfiguration as Venus, focusing on the political and ideological implications of her role as divine ancestress and guarantor of imperial order.Combining literary sources, archaeological evidence, cult practice, and ritual calendars, the lecture analyses how Aphrodite functioned within ancient economies of desire, gender, power, and civic cohesion, as well as how regional cults negotiated her ambivalent capacity to generate both harmony and destruction. The final section examines modern resurrections of Aphrodite in Neopaganism, feminist spirituality, Hellenic reconstructionism, and Western esotericism, assessing how contemporary movements selectively reinterpret ancient materials.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚on screen by the end (too long for the description)MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ00:00 Aphrodite and Venus: Cult, Myth, and Evolution05:07 Origins and the Problem of Divine Genealogy08:05 Mythographic Ambivalence and the Dual Birth Narratives10:27 Panhellenic Proliferation and Local Variations13:43 The Roman Transformation: From Foreign Goddess to Divine Ancestress17:15 Mythological Narratives: Love, War, and the Price of Beauty22:51 Dangerous Liaisons: Ares, Hephaestus, and the Comedy of Divine Adulter20:05 Adonis: Mortality, Mourning, and Cyclical Return22:37 Regional Variations and Lesser-Known Narratives24:37 Cult Practices and Sacred Economies26:41 Ritual Calendars and Festival Cycles29:02 Regional Variations in Worship31:59 Sacred Spaces and Architectural Statements33:39 Modern Resurrections: From Antiquarian Fantasy to Living Religion35:42 Wiccan Appropriations and Transformations37:31 Hellenic Reconstructionism and the Quest for Authenticity41:09 Feminist Spirituality and the Reclamation of the Erotic43:04 Esoteric Traditions and Planetary Magic44:31 Conclusion: The Immortality of Desire47:55 Support Angela’s Symposium⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 Ordo Templi Orientis and Temple of the Silver Star. She is particularly interested in getting people to practice magick and not leaving it as a niche interest relegated to history books. Her efforts inspire others to make Thelema and magick a purposeful part of their lives. Her work includes YouTube educational videos, online study groups, workshops, and lectures at pagan and occult conferences, books, magazine articles, and art. As part of this work, she especially enjoys collaborating with educators and content creators of various traditions, building bridges of understanding and inclusion around the living tradition of Thelema."Pre-order her upcoming book here: https://www.llewellyn.com/product.php?ean=9780738779355Links:https://www.youtube.com/@MaeviusLynnhttps://www.patreon.com/c/maeviuslynnhttps://www.instagram.com/maeviuslynn/https://bsky.app/profile/maeviuslynn.bsky.socialCONNECT & 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: Meet Maevius Lynn00:02:09 How Maevius Lynn chose Thelema as her Path00:06:51 Why did Lynn stay with Thelema as her chosen path?00:10:22 True Will and the Book of the Law00:15:56 Thelema and the Kabbalistic Tree of Life00:18:32 The Role of Magick in Thelema00:24:01 What are Lynn’s philosophical views as a Thelemite?00:28:44 The Role of Ritual in Thelema00:33:54 Can one be an Atheistic Thelemite?00:37:26 The Relationships between Thelema and Christianity.00:51:48 Can a Thelemite Trust Aleister Crowley?00:56:28 Why are the Thelemite Gods different from the Egyptian Ones?01:01:34 Maevius Lynn Explains the Role of Women in Thelema 01:07:03 Lynn’s New Book, "The Holy Year of Thelema."01:20:19 Support Angela’s Symposium Want to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5768951004397568

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 a clear distinction between what we know from the sources and what modern practitioners have creatively developed.In the second half, the floor is yours. Bring your questions, curiosities, and favourite solstice themes for a relaxed and lively Q&A. Whether you are interested in history, contemporary practice, or simply want to get into the solstice spirit, this is a perfect way to welcome the returning light together.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!Want to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5768951004397568

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

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 causation, and calling it magic?In this video, we’re diving into the most seductive illusion in both magic and conspiracy thinking: the leap from “this happened” to “I caused it.” Drawing on philosophy, psychology, and the history of occult thought, we’ll explore why our brains are wired to see patterns, how magical fallacies take root, and how to practise with both conviction and discernment. If you want to refine your craft, sharpen your thinking, and avoid the traps that turn meaningful magic into wishful thinking, stay with me. This might just be the most important spell you ever learn.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚Barkun, M. (2013). A culture of conspiracy: Apocalyptic visions in contemporary America (2nd ed.). University of California Press. Boyer, P. (2001). Religion explained: The evolutionary origins of religious thought. Basic Books. (Hachette Book Group)Bruno, G. (1986). De magia; De vinculis in genere (A. Biondi, Ed.). Biblioteca dell’Immagine. (Original work published 1590). (philpapers.org)Conrad, K. (1958). Die beginnende Schizophrenie: Versuch einer Gestaltanalyse des Wahns. Georg Thieme. (PubMed)Corbin, H. (1972). Mundus imaginalis, or the imaginary and the imaginal. Spring, 1972, 1–19. Spring Publications. (springpublications.com)Dukes, R. (2001). SSOTBME: An essay on magic (Rev. ed.). The Mouse That Spins. (splendorsolisbooks.com)Evans-Pritchard, E. E. (1937). Witchcraft, oracles and magic among the Azande. Clarendon Press. (Wikipedia)Hanegraaff, W. J. (2012). Esotericism and the academy: Rejected knowledge in Western culture. Cambridge University Press. (Cambridge Assets)Hui, Y. (2016). The question concerning technology in China: An essay in cosmotechnics. Urbanomic. (urbanomic.com)Hume, D. (1748). An enquiry concerning human understanding. A. Millar. (davidhume.org)Hutton, R. (1999). The triumph of the moon: A history of modern Pagan witchcraft. Oxford University Press. (cmc.marmot.org)Jung, C. G. (1960). Synchronicity: An acausal connecting principle (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.). Princeton University Press. (cmc.marmot.org)Kripal, J. J. (2006). The serpent’s gift: Gnostic reflections on the study of religion. University of Chicago Press. (University of Chicago Press)Latour, B. (1993). We have never been modern (C. Porter, Trans.). Harvard University Press. (Original work published 1991). (hup.harvard.edu)Midgley, M. (2001). Science and poetry. Routledge. (Routledge)Popper, K. (1959). The logic of scientific discovery. Hutchinson. (philotextes.info)Stenger, V. J. (2009). Quantum gods: Creation, chaos, and the search for cosmic consciousness. Prometheus Books. (Simon & Schuster)⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 #MagicResistance movement, we uncover how ritual has been mobilised to defend rulers, resist tyranny, and shape the course of events.The lecture also turns to reconciliation practices such as the Acholi Mato Oput in Uganda, Hawaiian ho‘oponopono, and Arab-Islamic sulha, showing how communities have ritualised the difficult work of forgiveness and the transformation of enmity. By analysing these cases, we see how ritual externalises conflict into material or symbolic form, such as burned effigies, bitter drinks, and shared meals, so that violence can be reframed, managed, or dissolved.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚Baines, E. K. (2007). The Haunting of Alice: Local Approaches to Justice and Reconciliation in Northern Uganda. International journal of transitional justice, 1(1), 91–114. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijtj/ijm011Beard, M., North, J., & Price, S. (1998). Religions of Rome, Vol. 1: A History. Cambridge University Press.Bell, C. (1992). Ritual theory, ritual practice. Oxford University Press.Graf, F. (1997). Magic in the ancient world (F. Philip, Trans.). Harvard University Press.Hutton, R. (1999). The triumph of the moon: A history of modern Pagan witchcraft. Oxford University Press.Kemp, B. J. (2006). Ancient Egypt: anatomy of a civilization (2nd ed.). Routledge.Lang, F. (2002). Sulha Peacemaking and the Politics of Persuasion. Journal of Palestine studies, 31(3), 52–66. https://doi.org/10.1525/jps.2002.31.3.52Pukui, M. K., Haertig, E. W., & Lee, C. A. (1972). Nānā i ke kumu (Look to the source), Vol. 1. Hui Hānai. 39MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 different way magicians and scholars have tried to understand the mechanisms of ritual power, from relationships with spirits and manipulation of subtle forces to consciousness engineering and divine realisation. Whether you’re a practitioner, scholar, or simply curious about how magic makes sense of the impossible, this episode will deepen your understanding of what really happens when magic works.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚Asprem, E. (2014). The problem of disenchantment: Scientific naturalism and esoteric discourse, 1900-1939. Brill.Asprem, E. (2013). Programmatic models of esoteric science: The case of chaos magick. In E. Asprem & K. Granholm (Eds.), Contemporary esotericism (pp. 283-300). Equinox Publishing.Bell, C. (1992). Ritual theory, ritual practice. Oxford University Press.Berger, H. A. (1999). A community of witches: Contemporary neo-paganism and witchcraft in the United States. University of South Carolina Press.Carroll, P. J. (1987). Liber null & psychonaut. Weiser Books.Crowley, A. (1997). Magick: Liber ABA, Book 4 (2nd rev. ed.). Weiser Books. (Original work published 1912-1936)De Martino, E. (1959). Sud e magia. Feltrinelli.Fernández Olmos, M., & Paravisini-Gebert, L. (2011). Creole religions of the Caribbean: An introduction from Vodou and Santería to Obeah and Espiritismo (2nd ed.). New York University Press.Grant, K. (1972). The magical revival. Muller.Greenwood, S. (2009). The anthropology of magic. Berg.Hanegraaff, W. J. (1996). New Age religion and Western culture: Esotericism in the mirror of secular thought. Brill.Harner, M. (1990). The way of the shaman (3rd ed.). Harper & Row.Hine, P. (1995). Condensed chaos: An introduction to chaos magic. New Falcon Publications.Jung, C. G. (1969). The archetypes and the collective unconscious (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.; 2nd ed.). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1959)Kripal, J. J. (2022). The superhumanities: Historical precedents, moral objections, new realities. University of Chicago Press.Luhrmann, T. M. (1989). Persuasions of the witch's craft: Ritual magic in contemporary England. Harvard University Press.Luhrmann, T. M. (2012). When God talks back: Understanding the American evangelical relationship with God. Knopf.Pike, S. M. (2001). Earthly bodies, magical selves: Contemporary pagans and the search for community. University of California Press.Regardie, I. (1989). The tree of life: A study in magic. Weiser Books. (Original work published 1932)Tambiah, S. J. (1990). Magic, science, religion, and the scope of rationality. Cambridge University Press.⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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: Aleister Crowley, J. F. C. Fuller, Victor B. Neuburg, and British Agnosticism (2024), and the just-released Mind Over Magick: The Psychology of Ritual Magick (2025). He also edited, annotated and introduced a critical edition of Aleister Crowley's The Sword of Song (2021, 2025). He has spoken internationally at both academic and pagan/occult conferences, and appeared in several documentaries. He holds a Ph.D. in psychology with a minor in statistics. His doctoral dissertation examined the structure and correlates of metaphysical beliefs.GET "Mind Over Magick": https://amzn.to/4p5NeiCCONNECT & 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!Want to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5768951004397568

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 ritual, devotion, and philosophical speculation. From Kenneth Grant’s Typhonian Thelema to chaos magic’s postmodern experiments, this video unveils how fiction, faith, and imagination converge in the making of contemporary demonology.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚Asprem, E. (2014). The problem of disenchantment: Scientific naturalism and esoteric discourse, 1900–1939. Leiden: Brill.Asprem, E., & Granholm, K. (Eds.). (2013). Contemporary esotericism. Sheffield: Equinox.Bolton, K. R. (2011). The Influence of H. P. Lovecraft on Occultism. Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies, 9, 2–21.Burleson, D. R. (1990). Lovecraft: Disturbing the universe. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky.Dyrendal, A., Lewis, J. R., & Petersen, J. A. (Eds.). (2016). The invention of Satanism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Engle, J. (2014). The troubling use of fiction in cultic practices: Lovecraft and religion. Mythlore, 32(1), 15–34.Evans, T (2005) — Timothy H. Evans, “A Last Defense Against the Dark: Folklore, Horror, and the Uses of Tradition in the Works of H. P. Lovecraft” (Journal of Folklore Research, 2005).Grant, K. (1972). The magical revival. London: Frederick Muller.Harms, D., & Gonce, J. W. (2003). The Necronomicon Files: The truth behind Lovecraft’s legend. St. Paul, MN: Weiser.Hine, P. (1994). Pseudonomicon. Chaos International.Joshi, S. T. (1996). H. P. Lovecraft: A Life. Baltimore, MD: Necronomicon Press.Joshi, S. T. (2001). A dreamer and a visionary: H. P. Lovecraft in his time. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press.Laycock, J. (2015). Dangerous games: What the moral panic over role-playing games says about play, religion, and imagined worlds. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.Partridge, C. (2004). The re-enchantment of the West: Volume 1 — Alternative spiritualities, sacralization, popular culture, and occulture. London/New York: T & T Clark.Punter, D. (1996). The literature of terror: A history of Gothic fictions from 1765 to the present day. London: Longman.Schultz, D. E. (2006). The cosmology of chaos: H. P. Lovecraft and the modern horror of entropy. Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, 17(1), 45–62.Joshi, S. T., & Schultz, D. E. (2001). An H. P. Lovecraft encyclopedia. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.Urban, H. B. (2006). Magia sexualis: Sex, magic, and liberation in modern Western esotericism. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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, Asmodeus emerges as a cultural palimpsest that different communities used to think about desire, power, and knowledge. We examine philology, theology, ritual technologies, and iconography to ask what this demon reveals about changing ideas of evil and the management of sexuality. If you value evidence-based scholarship on magic and esotericism, this one is for you.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚(full list on screen)Boyce, M. (1975). A history of Zoroastrianism: The early period. Brill.Duling, D. C. (1983). Testament of Solomon: A new translation and introduction. In J. H. Charlesworth (Ed.), The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (Vol. 1, pp. 935–987). Doubleday.Fitzmyer, J. A. (2003). Tobit. De Gruyter.Al-Ṭabarī. (2001). The history of al-Ṭabarī: Volume III, The children of Israel (W. M. Brinner, Trans.). State University of New York Press.Clark, S. (1997). Thinking with demons: The idea of witchcraft in early modern Europe. Oxford University Press.Davies, O. (2009). Grimoires: A history of magic books. Oxford University Press.MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ00:00 Introduction: Who is Asmodeus the Demon?06:57 Asmodeus: Philological Archaeology and Zoroastrian Foundations11:38 Asmodeus inJewish Tradition and Second Temple Literature13:40 Asmodeus Reimagined in the Testament of Solomon16:49 Asmodeus in Christian Demonology18:53 The possessed Nuns of Loudun21:37 Islamic Adaptations of Asmodeus26:05 Asmodeus in Renaissance Grimoires and Systematic Demonology31:44 Modern Occult and Esoteric Reinterpretations of the Demon King Asmodeus36:46 Conclusion: The Demon as a Cultural Palimpsest41:33 Support Angela’s Symposium⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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, astral surfer, a former Zen Buddhist, embodying the curiosity of Alice with magic and mysticism. With a history as a healthcare practitioner, and through her science degree, her passion lies in understanding the convergence of mind, body, and spirit. All of Ivy Corvus' links can be found here: https://linktr.ee/ivycorvusCONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 feminist and queer reimaginings, this exploration examines how Astaroth embodies the persistence of forbidden knowledge, gender fluidity, and spiritual defiance. Was Astaroth truly a fallen angel or the suppressed face of divine wisdom, buried under centuries of theological sabotage? CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES (full list on screen)📚Cornelius, I. (2004). The many faces of the goddess: The iconography of the Syro-Palestinian goddesses. Academic Press.Russell, J. B. (1977). The Devil: Perceptions of evil from antiquity to primitive Christianity. Cornell University Press.De Plancy, J. C. (1993). Dictionnaire infernal. Slatkine. (Original work published 1863)Lévi, É. (2001). Transcendental magic: Its doctrine and ritual (A. E. Waite, Trans.). Weiser Books. (Original work published 1854)Crowley, A. (1995). The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon the King (S. L. M. Mathers, Trans.). Weiser Books. (Original work published 1904)Ruether, R. R. (1974). Religion and sexism. Simon & Schuster.Granholm, K. (2014). Dark enlightenment: The historical, sociological, and discursive contexts of contemporary esoteric magic. Brill.Hanegraaff, W. J. (2012). Esotericism and the academy: Rejected knowledge in Western culture. Cambridge University Press.MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ00:00 Introduction: A Theological Palimpsest of the Demon Astaroth05:12 Philological and Historical Foundations: Tracking Asteroth’s Divine Genealogy 08:36 Asteroth’s Presence in Grimoires and Demonological Catalogues: Codifying the Forbidden12:37 Theological and Polemical Framing: The Demon as Moral Allegory19:11 Esoteric and Magical Receptions: Reclaiming the Fallen26:27 Demonic Iconography and Symbolism: Reading the Visual Palimpsest31:40 Practical Ritual Dimensions: From Constraint to Cooperation37:13 Asteroth - Contemporary Relevance and Reinterpretations: The Living Tradition41:27 IX. Conclusion: The Endless Metamorphosis of the Demon King15:11 Support Angela’s Symposium ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 symbols of hidden wisdom, exotic authority, and intellectual mastery. The talk also considers Aleister Crowley’s psychological reinterpretation, the adaptations within Left-Hand Path traditions, and the transformation of Paimon into a mentor-like figure in modern demonolatry. Finally, we look at his unexpected entry into mainstream media through Ari Aster’s Hereditary and his reimagining in gaming and internet culture. Paimon’s enduring appeal lies not in stability but in continual reinvention, making him a key case study in the dynamics of Western esotericism.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚Agrippa, H. C. (1992). Three books of occult philosophy (J. Freake, Trans.; D. Tyson, Ed.). St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications. Original work published 1533.Church,D. (2020). Post-Horror: Art, Genre and Cultural Elevation. United Kingdom: Edinburgh University Press.Asprem, E. (2014). The problem of disenchantment: Scientific naturalism and esoteric discourse, 1900–1939. Leiden: Brill.Asprem, E. (2021). The occult among us: Esotericism in the mirror of contemporary culture. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Aster, A. (Director). (2018). Hereditary [Film]. A24.Carroll, P. J. (1987). Liber Null and Psychonaut. York Beach, ME: Weiser.Clark, S. (1997). Thinking with demons: The idea of witchcraft in early modern Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Connolly, S. (2010). The complete book of demonolatry. Tempe, AZ: DB Publishing.Crowley, A. (1973). Liber ABA: Book four, parts I–IV. Weiser. Original work published 1909.Crowley, A., & Mathers, S. L. M. (1976). The Goetia: The lesser key of Solomon the King. Samuel Weiser. Original work published 1904.Davies, O. (2009). Grimoires: A history of magic books. Oxford University Press.Gilbert, R. A. (1983). The Golden Dawn: Twilight of the magicians. : Aquarian Press.Granholm, K. (2016). Dark enlightenment: The historical, sociological, and discursive contexts of contemporary esoteric magic. Leiden: Brill.Hine, P. (1995). Condensed chaos: An introduction to chaos magic. Weiser.Howe, E. (1972). The magicians of the Golden Dawn: A documentary history of a magical order, 1887–1923. Routledge & Kegan PaulKarlsson, T. (2004). Qabalah, Qliphoth and Goetic magic. Ouroboros.Karnowska, M. (2011). Magician means philosopher: Magic of Giordano Bruno. Studies in history and philosophy of science Part C: Studies in history and philosophy of biological and biomedical sciences, 42(3), 449–456. Kieckhefer, R. (1997). Forbidden rites: A necromancer’s manual of the fifteenth century. Pennsylvania State University Press.Peterson, J. H. (Ed.). (2001). The lesser key of Solomon: Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis. Weiser Books.Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 are entangled with history and how particular traditions cultivate what we call “religious experience.”CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚Asad, T. (1993). Genealogies of religion: Discipline and reasons of power in Christianity and Islam. Johns Hopkins University Press.Beauregard, M., & Paquette, V. (2006). Neural correlates of a mystical experience in Carmelite nuns. Neuroscience Letters, 405(3), 186–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2006.06.060Boyer, P. (2001). Religion explained: The evolutionary origins of religious thought. Basic Books.d’Aquili, E., & Newberg, A. (1993). Religious and mystical states: A neuropsychological model. Zygon, 28(2), 177–200. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9744.1993.tb00918.xd’Aquili, E., & Newberg, A. (1999). The mystical mind: Probing the biology of religious experience. Fortress Press.Eliade, M. (1958). Patterns in comparative religion. Sheed & Ward.Forman, R. K. C. (1990). The problem of pure consciousness: Mysticism and philosophy. Philosophy East and West, 40(4), 463–483. https://doi.org/10.2307/1399452Forman, R. K. C. (1999). Mysticism, mind, consciousness. State University of New York Press.Fuller, C. J. (1992). The camphor flame: Popular Hinduism and society in India. Princeton University Press.Hood, R. W., Jr. (1975). The construction and preliminary validation of a measure of reported mystical experience. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 14(1), 29–41. https://doi.org/10.2307/1384454Hood, R. W., Jr., Hill, P. C., & Spilka, B. (2001). The psychology of religion: An empirical approach (4th ed.). Guilford Press.Hori, V. S. (1999). Teaching and learning in the Rinzai Zen monastery. Journal of Japanese Studies, 25(1), 5–39. https://doi.org/10.2307/133231Humphrey, C., & Laidlaw, J. (1994). The archetypal actions of ritual: A theory of ritual illustrated by the Jain rite of worship. Clarendon Press.James, W. (1902). The varieties of religious experience: A study in human nature. Longmans, Green.Katz, S. T. (Ed.). (1978). Mysticism and philosophical analysis. Oxford University Press.Keane, W. (2007). Christian moderns: Freedom and fetish in the mission encounter. University of California Press.Luhrmann, T. M. (2012). When God talks back: Understanding the American evangelical relationship with God. Knopf.Mahmood, S. (2005). Politics of piety: The Islamic revival and the feminist subject. Princeton University Press.Meyer, B. (2009). Aesthetic formations: Media, religion and the senses. Palgrave Macmillan.Meyer, B. (2011). Mediation and the genesis of presence. In D. Morgan (Ed.), Religion and material culture (pp. 84–102). Routledge.⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 reveals why attempts to prove magic scientifically may risk stripping it of its meaning, depth, and sacredness. Drawing on anthropology, history, and esotericism, we invite reflection on the value of magic beyond the lens of science.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 create new forms of practice. But are these the same as the vernacular traditions in Italy, or something entirely different?This video is a recording of the paper I presented at the World Congress of the International Association for the History of Religions, held at Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland.Join me as we unpack the myths, the reinventions, and the cultural translations behind Italian witchcraft in America.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚Cox, J. L. (2007). From primitive to indigenous: The academic study of indigenous religions. Ashgate.De Martino, E. (1961). Sud e magia. Feltrinelli.Hall, S. (1990). Cultural identity and diaspora. In J. Rutherford (Ed.), Identity: Community, culture, difference (pp. 222–237). Lawrence & Wishart.Hobsbawm, E., & Ranger, T. (Eds.). (1983). The invention of tradition. Cambridge University Press.Leland, C. G. (1899). Aradia, or the gospel of the witches. David Nutt.Magliocco, S. (2004). Witching culture: Folklore and neo-paganism in America. University of Pennsylvania Press.Magliocco, S. (2009). Italian American stregheria and Wicca: Ethnic ambivalence in American neopaganism. In M. F. Strmiska (Ed.), Modern paganism in world cultures: Comparative perspectives (pp. 55–86). ABC-CLIO.Magliocco, S. (2026, forthcoming). Wicca alla marinara: La stregoneria neopagana italiana nella diaspora nordamericana. In M. Castagnetto Alessio, S. Palmisano, & N. Pannofino (Eds.), Rinascite pagane: Una religione dall'età della ragione alla postmodernità (pp. 45–67). Mondadori.Owen, S. (2011). The appropriation of Native American spirituality. Continuum.Pike, S. M. (2001). Earthly bodies, magical selves: Contemporary pagans and the search for community. University of California Press.MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 how Setianism reshaped the Left-Hand Path and challenged mainstream ideas of religion, magic, and identity.If you’re curious about Satanism, esotericism, or the deeper currents of occult philosophy, this is a journey into the heart of one of the most radical magical traditions of our time.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚Dyrendal, A., Lewis, J. R., & Petersen, J. A. (2016). The invention of Satanism. Oxford University Press.Flowers, S. E. (1999). Order of Leviathan papers. Privately circulated manuscript.Granholm, K. (2012). The Left-Hand Path and post-Satanism: The example of the Temple of Set. In P. Faxneld & J. A. Petersen (Eds.), The devil's party: Satanism in modernity (pp. 209-228). Oxford University Press.Granholm, K. (2014). Dark enlightenment: The historical, sociological, and discursive contexts of contemporary esoteric Satanism. Åbo Akademi University Press.Petersen, J. A. (2012). The seeds of Satan: Conceptions of magic in contemporary Satanism. Aries, 12(1), 91-129.Schipper, B. U. (2014). Ancient Egypt and modern occultism: Trajectories of religion from the pyramids to pyramidology. In A. B. Kilcher & P. Theisohn (Eds.), Die Enzyklopädik der Esoterik (pp. 413-431). Wilhelm Fink.van Luijk, R. (2016). Children of Lucifer: The origins of modern religious Satanism. Oxford University Press.Webb, D. (2004). Uncle Setnakt's essential guide to the Left Hand Path. Rûna-Raven Press.Wimbush, V. L. (2015). Scripturalizing the Human: The Written as the Political.(2015). Taylor & Francis.MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 Lilith, from biblical warning to occult icon, focusing on her reimagining in modern esotericism through figures like Kenneth Grant and the rise of feminist magical traditions. If you're interested in Thelema, mysticism, or the deeper currents behind the archetypes of the divine feminine, this lecture offers a chance to descend into the Aethyrs and return transformed.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚Agamben, G. (2009). The signature of all things: On method (L. D'Isanto with K. Attell, Trans.). Zone Books. (Original work published 2008)Asprem, E. (2012). Arguing with angels: Enochian magic and modern occulture. State University of New York Press.Crowley, A. (1998). The Vision and the Voice with commentary and other papers: The collected diaries of Aleister Crowley, volume II (1909–1914) (Vol. IV, No. 2 of The Equinox). S. Weiser.Kripal, J. J. (2001). Roads of excess, palaces of wisdom: Eroticism and reflexivity in the study of mysticism. University of Chicago Press.McGinn, B. (1998).The foundations of mysticism: Origins to the fifth century (Vol. 1 ofThe presence of God: A history of Western Christian mysticism). Crossroad Publishing Company.Yates, F. A. (1964). The occult philosophy in the Elizabethan age. Routledge & Kegan Paul.MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 scholarship, this deep dive explores how a forgotten angelic language became one of the most enduring and mysterious magical systems in the Western tradition.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚Asprem, E. (2020). Enochian magic and modern occulture. Palgrave Macmillan.Odeberg, H. (1928). 3 Enoch, or, The Hebrew Book of Enoch (Introduction, translation, and commentary). Cambridge University Press.Peterson, J. H. (Ed.). (2003). John Dee’s five books of mystery: Original sourcebook of Enochian magic. Weiser Books.Skinner, S. (Ed.). (2011). Dr. John Dee’s spiritual diaries (1583–1608). Golden Hoard Press.Szőnyi, G. E. (2004). John Dee’s occultism: Magical exaltation through powerful signs. SUNY Press.MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 practices. Discover how this patron saint of cunning folk became a master of crossroads magic, feared and venerated by magicians across the centuries.Based on peer-reviewed research and archival sources, this episode delves into the living tradition of Cyprianic magic, its dangers, ethics, and the enduring power of his mysterious book.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 modern Paganism. Join me as I unpack the myths, magic, and meanings behind this rich seasonal tradition.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖https://amzn.to/4lSbZO0https://amzn.to/4fg3LNdhttps://amzn.to/4l2D1ATREFERENCES 📚Danaher, K. (1972). The year in Ireland: Irish calendar customs. Cork: Mercier Press.Hobsbawm, E., & Ranger, T. (Eds.). (1983). The invention of tradition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Hutton, R. (1996). The stations of the sun: A history of the ritual year in Britain. Oxford: Oxford University Press.MacNeill, M. (1962). The festival of Lughnasa: A study of the survival of the Celtic festival of the beginning of harvest. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Ó hÓgáin, D. (2002). The Celts: A history. Woodbridge: Boydell Press.Pearson, J. (2007). Wicca and the Christian heritage: Ritual, sex and magic. London: Routledge.York, M. (2003). Pagan theology: Paganism as a world religion. New York: NYU Press.MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 episode unpacks one of the most bizarre and thought-provoking movements of our time. Is it a joke, a faith, or something in between? Watch to find out.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚Bauduin, T. M., (2015) “The ‘Continuing Misfortune’ of Automatism in Early Surrealism”, communication +14(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.7275/R5QV3JGQCusack, C. M. (2010). Invented religions: Faith, fiction, imagination. Farnham, UK: Ashgate.Dobbs, J. R. (1994). Revelation X: The "Bob" Apocryphon: Appointed to be Read in Churches. Simon & Schuster.Duggan, C. (2015). Chaos magick. In C. Partridge (Ed.), The occult world (pp. 406–411). London, UK: Routledge.Foundation, S. (2009). Book of the Subgenius. Gallery Books.Greer, J. C. (2022). The psychedelic church movement. In E. Asprem (Ed.), Dictionary of contemporary esotericism [Preprint manuscript]. Contemporary Esotericism Research Network. Henderson, B. (2006). The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. HarperCollins.Partridge, C. (2005). The re-enchantment of the West: Alternative spiritualities, sacralization, popular culture and occulture (Vol. 2). London, UK: T&T Clark International. Partridge, C. (Ed.). (2015). The occult world. London, UK: Routledge.Puckett, R. (2009). Re-enchanting the world. In J. R. Lewis & P. Murphy (Eds.), Handbook of contemporary paganism (pp. [xx–xx]). Brill.Stang, I. (1988). High weirdness by mail. Simon & Schuster.Taylor, B. (Ed.). (2005). The encyclopedia of religion and nature (Vol. 1). Continuum.MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 modal—radically shape what we believe divination can do.Is time a fixed block in which all events already exist? Is it unfolding moment by moment, shaped by consciousness? Or is it a branching field of possible futures that we navigate with every choice?We’ll look at how various systems—from Renaissance astrology and Hermeticism to Theosophy, Tarot, and chaos magic—frame divination as more than foresight. In these traditions, divination becomes a participatory act, where knowledge of what might happen empowers the practitioner to shift timelines, align with the True Will, or avoid danger entirely. That brings us to the heart of the matter: agency. If a future can be known, can it still be changed? And if it is changed, was it ever really known?This episode is an in-depth journey through the metaphysics of time, fate, and freedom—essential listening for anyone who practises or studies divination, magic, or the philosophy of consciousness.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 imagination, desire, and memory.Drawing from his key texts—De Magia, De Vinculis in Genere, On the Composition of Images, Signs and Ideas—and supported by the work of scholars like Frances Yates, Ioan Couliano, Karen DeLeón-Jones, and Manuel Mertens, I show how Bruno developed a magical system where cosmology, ritual, and philosophy collapse into one another. His art of memory wasn’t just a mental exercise—it was a theurgical practice. His use of images wasn’t ornamental—it was a means of binding the soul to the divine. And his vision of the magician wasn’t that of a trickster or charlatan, but of a philosopher in ecstatic alignment with the cosmos.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖REFERENCES 📚Primary Texts by Giordano BrunoBruno, G., & Morehead, W. (1713). Spaccio de la Bestia Trionfante: Or the Expulsion of the Triumphant Beast. John Humphreys.Bruno, G. (1991). On the composition of images, signs and ideas (C. Doria, Trans.; D. Higgins, Ed.). Willis, Locker & Owens.Bruno, G. (2000). Cause, principle and unity: And essays on magic (R. J. Blackwell, R. de Lucca, & A. C. Leone, Trans.). Cambridge University Press.Bruno, G., Tocco, F., & Vitelli, H. (Eds.). (1962). De vinculis in genere. F. Frommann.Bruno, G. (2013). On the heroic frenzies: A translation of De gli eroici furori (1585) (S. L. Sears, Trans.). University of Toronto Press.Secondary Literature and Scholarly StudiesCouliano, I. P. (1987). Eros and magic in the Renaissance. University of Chicago Press.DeLeón-Jones, K. S. (1997). Giordano Bruno and the Kabbalah: Prophets, magicians, and rabbis. Yale University Press.Greer, J. M., & Warnock, C. (2011). The complete Picatrix: The occult classic of astrological magic (Liber Atratus edition). Adocentyn Press.Karnowska, M. (2011). Mag znaczy filozof: magia Giordana Bruna w świetle jego traktatu O magii. Symbolae Philologorum Posnaniensium Graecae et Latinae, 21(2), 181–189.Mertens, M. (2018). Magic and memory in Giordano Bruno: The art of a heroic spirit. Brill.Walker, D. P. (2000). Spiritual and demonic magic: From Ficino to Campanella. Pennsylvania State University Press.Yates, F. A. (1964). Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic tradition. University of Chicago Press.MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

✨ 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 guide you through the real history and living practice of Italian folk magic. We’ll look at how it survived persecution, how it intertwines with Catholicism, and how it functions as a form of indigenous Italian shamanism. I’ll show you the healing signs, words, and gestures passed down in secrecy, and we’ll explore spells for love, protection, prosperity, and ancestral work—always rooted in ethical, respectful practice.I’ve already published on this topic with Brill, and I’m currently writing a new book with never-before-shared material from my fieldwork. And in this course? I’m sharing that research with you first.⚠️ This will very likely be the only time I run this course live.You’ll have direct access to me, Q&As, recordings, and community support on my private Discord.We start on Saturday, July 19th.🎁 Patrons get 50% off.👉 Sign up now at https://drangelapuca.com/coursesLet’s walk this path of our ancestors together.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥MY SET-UP 🛠️- Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS- Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB- Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK- Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn- Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1- DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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, he has authored and curated numerous publications—often in collaboration with academics—on Roman religiosity. Viotti lectures on Roman religion at the Centro Nazionale di Studi Classici GrecoLatinoVivo, where his courses are recognised by Italy’s Ministry of Education. He has presented at academic conferences, contributes to the rediscovery of Italian heritage through historically themed guided tours, and was awarded the Rimini–Europa in the World international culture prize in 2023 for his work on Roman tradition and historical outreach.Topics explored include:– The distinction between orthopraxy and orthodoxy in Roman religiosity– The numinous and the function of sacra privata vs. sacra publica– Ritual precision, priesthoods, and everyday cultic practice– The transmission of religious knowledge in domestic and civic spaces– Local religious variation across the Roman world– Misconceptions surrounding figures like Diana and “Lucifer”– The challenges and potentials of reconstructing Roman religion todayThis episode also critically examines how Roman religion functioned as a pragmatic, ritual-based system without imposed theological dogma, contrasting sharply with post-Nicene Christianity. Emanuele Viotti offers rare insights into original Latin sources, epigraphic evidence, and the ritual economy of the Roman world, while discussing how Roman traditionalism is interpreted and lived in contemporary contexts.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/Bibliography provided by Emanuele 📚About Roman Religion:- G. Dumezil, La religion romaine archaïque, avec un'appendice sur la religion des Étrusques. Parigi, Payot, 1964- J. Sheid, Quand faire, c'est croire. Les rites sacrificiels des Romains, Editions Aubier, coll. «Historique», Parigi, 2005- J. Rupke, Pantheon: A New History of Roman Religion, Princeton University Press, 2018- D. Sabbatucci, La religione di Roma antica: dal calendario festivo all'ordine cosmico, Milano, Il Saggiatore, 1988- L. Ferro, M. Monteleone, Miti Romani: il racconto, Einaudi, 2010- M. Bettini, Dèi e uomini nella città. Antropologia, religione e cultura nella Roma antica, Roma, Carocci, 2015E. Viotti, La Via Romana agli Dèi: la storia, i miti, le fondamenta e i riti della religione romana oggi, Armenia, 2022About Moon goddeses:- Lucius Annaeus Cornutus, Theologiae Graecae compendium, 34- N. Serafini, La dea Diana nell'Ars Amatoria: Ovidio e la tradizione greca, in EVPHROSYNE, 41, 2013, 131-146- N. Serafini, Antichi dèi, oggi: la Ecate dei neo-pagani, Minerva 27 (2014), 203-225- (JUST FOR RECONSTRUCTION, NOT VALID ANYMORE FOR THE ANALYSIS) J. Frazer, The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion, 1915⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

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 make Paganism particularly resonant for queer seekers. From feminist Wicca to trans-inclusive magical circles, and from the mythic play of the Minoan Brotherhood to the controversies surrounding Dianic Witchcraft, this episode uncovers the theological innovations and spiritual practices that queer Pagans are creating. Drawing on scholarship by Sarah Pike, Melissa Wilcox, Robert Wallis, Martin Lepage, Kathryn Rountree, and many others, this lecture explores topics such as gender alchemy, ritual storytelling, queer reinterpretations of myth, and the embodied politics of magical practice. It also problematises the gender polarity model in traditional Wicca and explores how LGBTQ+ practitioners are queering divinity itself. Join us for a critical and compassionate conversation about how Paganism becomes not only a refuge for LGBTQ+ individuals but also a space of radical religious creativity.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletterBOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥REFERENCES 📚Berger, H. A., Leach, E. A., & Shaffer, L. S. (2003). Voices from the Pagan Census: A National Survey of Witches and Neo-Pagans in the United States. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press.Clifton, C. S. (2006). Her Hidden Children: The Rise of Wicca and Paganism in America. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press.Coyle, T. T. (2012). Snapshots: Musings on polarity and flow. In S. Thompson, G. Pond, P. Tanner, et al. (Eds.), Gender and Transgender in Modern Paganism (pp. 91–92). Circle of Cerridwen Press.Eller, C. (1993). Living in the Lap of the Goddess: The Feminist Spirituality Movement in America. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.Helix. (2012). Polarity without gender. In S. Thompson, G. Pond, P. Tanner, et al. (Eds.), Gender and Transgender in Modern Paganism (pp. 35–40). Circle of Cerridwen Press.Kaldera, R. (2012). The third voice. In S. Thompson, G. Pond, P. Tanner, et al. (Eds.), Gender and Transgender in Modern Paganism (pp. 75–86). Circle of Cerridwen Press.Lepage, M. (2013). A Lokian family: Queer and Pagan agency in Montreal. The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies, 15(1–2), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1558/pome.v15i1–2.1Mueller, M. (2017). The chalice and the rainbow: Conflicts between women’s spirituality and transgender rights in US Wicca in the 2010s. In I. B. (Eds.), Female Leaders in New Religious Movements (pp. 249–268). London: Palgrave Macmillan.(check the last slide on screen for the complete bibliography)⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!