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What Magic Is This?: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Douglas Batchelor
What Magic is This? is a topic based podcast about Magic, the Occult, the Esoteric, the Paranormal, the Supernatural and the Weird. Each episode revolves around one single topic in the hope that we can flesh out the important aspects one needs to know about it. From history to practices to important figures and more, What Magic is This? is for anyone curious about Magic and the strange world in which we live.
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- Today1h 34m
"Tell me about the time you visited the City of Jinn, Darragh..."
What Magic is This? Podcast will be entering some unfamiliar territory. For the Islamicate world, a whole other group of beings share this reality with us. They are the Jinn, beings made from smokeless fire that share many attributes with us mortals. Yet before we acquaint ourselves with the Jinn fully, it would be good to have a guide bridging the European and American traditions with that of the Islamicate world. Host of Spirit Box Podcast and friend of the show Darragh Mason went on a journey in 2016 to Delhi, known to many as the City of Jinn, to see how Jinn affected the lives of believers there.
- Jun 29, 20262h 35m
The History of Fairies feat. Francis Young
It always felt somewhat incomplete; the Fistful of Fairies series here on What Magic is This? Podcast was in need of a revisitation. While the series went in many major and important directions, an overarching History of the supernatural entities which we call fairies just wasn't there. And so, for the 7th anniversary of the podcast, and with the release of the wonderful book Fairies: A History by Dr. Francis Young, as well as with his help- this oversight shall be addressed and the Fistful shall be completed.
- May 22, 20262h 32m
The Discoverie of Witchcraft
There are very few books within the Western Magical Tradition which have had an impact and legacy beyond the tradition itself. In 1584 a book appeared written by a country gentleman that was unlike anything at the time and unlike anything since. Reginald Scot's The Discoverie of Witchcraft was a massive work which saw Reginald attempt to shine a light on Witchcraft in order to discredit the common belief that Witches and Witchcraft had as much power as people believed it did. In exhaustive detail, Scot put many spells, enchantments and rituals in his book which only saw his work be used for Magic as opposed to against it. Simply put, The Discoverie of Witchcraft is one of the most important books in Magical History. Period.
- Apr 18, 20263h 5m
The History of Cartomancy
Playing cards have always been magical. While not as ubiquitous and long tenured as dice and other means of games and gambling, card games have been a part of western culture for over 600 years. Inevitably, as soon as something gets used for games, it immediately gets used for divination and fortune-telling as well. This form of divination has been called Cartomancy and since the 15th century it has an incredibly diverse and fascinating history, one which currently sees it as the second most popular form of divination in the western world.
- Mar 6, 20262h 43m
Pamela Colman Smith & The Tarot Deck which changed everything
If the western Magical tradition has one object which has bled into mainstream culture and seems like it is there to stay, it would be a pack of Tarot cards designed and released in 1909. Originally released as The Tarot, it would later be known as the Rider Waite Tarot, and for decades that is what it would remain. Yet, this name negated perhaps the most important element of these cards- the artist herself. Pamela Colman Smith was an exceptional talent who lived a fascinating and tumultuous life. While her deck is beyond notorious, her story is almost entirely unknown by most. Pamela would like you to join her in the Fools Gallery, for she has much to tell us these days.
- Jan 31, 20262h 31m
Magical Treasure Hunting
If there is one thing that can put a fire into the heart of many a person over the last two thousand years, it is the enticement of buried treasure. Yet for centuries, buried riches weren't merely just items of value placed in the earth for people to seek out, treasure and the spirits which guarded it had a long tenured lore all its own. What's more, treasure was a magical enterprise- looking for it, digging it up and even how treasure behaved while it was buried. To this day, treasure and its allure has always been magical.
- Dec 23, 20251h 26m
"Christmas. It's All Pagan Anyway." - A Holiday Tradition
One must have their peculiar Holiday traditions. For me, being involved in the stranger side of life and culture, I always take note of a particular happenstance that occurs around this time of year. Every December without fail, you will hear the statement that Christmas is in fact Pagan, and that its symbols and customs have an origin that isn't Christian at all. Grab the Yule log, put up some mistletoe, we're going to go through all that such a statement entails!
- Nov 26, 20252h 31m
Past Lives & Reincarnation
One of the longest enduring afterlife beliefs that we have is reincarnation. The thought goes that once we pass away, some part of us is reborn into a new person; a new body, and that life continues again and again and again. Many cultures throughout the world and throughout time have held this belief to be fundamentally true. It has only been in the last 70 years, that certain scientists and researchers have been seriously investigating claims from people that say that they have experienced a life before the one that they are currently living. The evidence that something truly profound and perplexing is happening, is irrefutable.
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About What Magic Is This?
What Magic is This? is a topic based podcast about Magic, the Occult, the Esoteric, the Paranormal, the Supernatural and the Weird. Each episode revolves around one single topic in the hope that we can flesh out the important aspects one needs to know about it. From history to practices to important figures and more, What Magic is This? is for anyone curious about Magic and the strange world in which we live.
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