Spells

In our second episode of What Magic is This? I am joined by Simon, who has picked a none-too-surprising subject. Spells. The discussion is an interesting one, to be sure. We go into the definition of a spell, its etymology, a little bit of history, Doug’s hot-take of what constitutes a spell, the parts of casting a spell, Art, ‘Armchair Magicians’ and plenty more good bits. The show uses several examples to illustrate some of the particular aspects of spells, which might not be what you expect. A good subject for those that are new to this sort of thing as well as those that are a bit more familiar.

Show Notes

• Magick in Theory and Practice by Aleister Crowley
• Temple of the Cosmos by Jeremy Naydler
• Encomium of Helen – Gorgias
• The Greek Magical Papyri
• Cartoons and the Napoleon Complex
• Eliphas Levi and his Spell.
• Robert Anton Wilson’s Quarter experiment from Prometheus Rising.
• The Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells by Judika Illes
• Mastering Witchcraft by Paul Huson
• The Octavo by Peter J. Carroll
• The Chaos Protocols by Gordon White (actually, all of his books are highly recommended. Get ’em all.)
• The Sorcerer’s Secrets by Jason Miller
• The Cunning Man’s Handbook by Jim Baker
• …and of course, a most powerful (and practical!) Grimoire – The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg