Hello everyone, I’m Dr Angela Puca and welcome to my Live Symposium. I’m a PhD and a University Lecturer and this is your online resource for the academic study of Magick, Paganism, Esotericism, Shamanism, basically every religious tradition that involves some kind of Magick. And today we will have a live stream so that you can ask me all of your questions. As always, I’d like to remind you guys that I’m a scholar so I can answer these questions from an academic point of view rather than from a practitioner’s point of view. Although, since I also do fieldwork in my research, in some cases I can also answer based on what practitioners usually suggest.

So let me see who is in the chat. First of all, thank you so much for the donations Jeanette and the very generous one from Gungshi. I hope I’m pronouncing your names right but thank you for your donations guys, it really helps the project going.

So, hello Gothic Extravaganza. I can see you a lot in the comments section and Inquisitor Vex as well and hi Andrew, Andrew is the headmaster of the Inner Symposium, my Patron community and he also leads the book club for the Inner Symposium which is something that I’m very proud of. So thank you, Andrew, and also he’s responsible, I mean he needs the credit for the subtitles for all of my videos. So thank you Andrew and thank you Academic Police for moderating the chat.

Hi, Woman-at-arms, I believe this is the first time you’re in the chat unless I’m forgetting.

Hi, Steven, Steven GRILLI, Andrew again and then hi Edward and hi, Dave. Hello Ryan and I hope I’m greeting most of you in the chat. So Valerie, hi Valerie, she says Dr Angela was that you singing to us?

Yes, I’m a singer and I used to be in quite a few bands and I also sang in a musical, in theatre and in metal bands. As you can tell, perhaps from my style, that was my favourite genre, Symphonic Gothic Metal. But I also really enjoyed Heavy Trash Metal. So I used to sing Iron Maiden and Metallica and these kinds of things as well. So I like to be versatile but I am trained as an operatic singer as well. So I can sort of do all sorts of stuff but since I started my PhD academia has taken over my life so I’m not really singing as much at the moment.

So, let me see if there are other questions.

Stop’n Traffic says yes, that is Angela singing.

Yeah, I don’t know if you guys follow me on Instagram but I posted there, in the stories, me singing operatic a few days ago and also me singing the outro. Because if you haven’t realized it the outro of all of my videos is sung by me.

So, hi Irving and hi Thomas Dolcelli, Yes, Inquisitor Rex you got a shout out. Also, I remember your name because you often comment on my videos. Oh hi Zavvi, Seekers of Unity, there’s another great YouTube channel that I highly recommend you guys. Thank you for being here.

Cern Green says hello Dr A. It’s funny because in the comments I’ve been called Doctor all sorts of things, like Dr P, what else? Well obviously, now Dr A, Dr Angela is very common. So yeah, it’s funny.

Hi Cipriano, nice to see you in the chat

Valerie says that I have a beautiful voice. Thank you very much.

Doom Metal, yes, that’s also quite fun

Sigmund says hello Dr Puca. Just sitting down to breakfast when I received a notification. What a pleasant surprise.

Well, it’s a pleasant surprise to have you in the chat.

So, Andrew asks during the Italian Renaissance which cities, states were most conducive to the study of Esotericism in your opinion?

Oh, that’s a very easy answer. Naples. I was talking about that with Justin (Sledge) because we had a chat a few days ago and he says it’s some it must be something in the water. But yeah, basically, most, if not all, of the Magicians or Philosophers who talked about Magic from the Renaissance were from Naples, which is also where I’m from and so, for instance, Marsilio Ficino, Giordano Bruno, Giambattista della Porta. Yeah basically, all the ones that come to mind are from Naples or the Neapolitan area, which is quite interesting and also the most famous anthropologist who studied Magic in Italy in the 20^th century was also from Naples. So, as Justin says, maybe there’s something in the water. I don’t know but yeah, I’m happy to, sort of, follow in the footsteps of these glorious thinkers.

Gothic Extravaganza says, I follow you on Instagram but taking a break from social media for now. Yeah, I understand.

Irving is asking Angela what is your interpretation of the Chaos Magick meaning of “nothing is true, everything is permitted?”

Oh, that’s a good question. I like that because it allows me to be all philosophical about Magick and that’s one of the things that I really like about Magick, the philosophical underpinning and I think it is understudied. So “nothing is true, everything is permitted” is, I would say, that it is a nihilistic stance. So Nihilism believes that nothing is inherently real. So you know that you may have different ontological stances on reality. So, what is really real? What is actually there independently of us, looking at it or us perceiving it. And there are different stances, of course; so you can have a monistic outlook on reality where the belief is that there is only one thing that is real and all of the other things that you see in reality are an articulation of that one thing that actually exists. And you can have, also, different ontological stances on what is actually real. And Nihilism, even though it has a bad rap, Nihilism maintains that there is nothing that is inherently real in and of itself. So this is a stance that was taken by a few Philosophers. The first one that comes to mind, because I think is more linked to Chaos Magick, perhaps, is Fredrick Nietzsche and with Nietzsche, you have something called ‘Active Nihilism.’ So once you acknowledge or take the stance that nothing is inherently real in and of itself. Things can be real in an interconnected state or dependent on each other but they are not real in and of themselves. Once you have maintained that stance then Active Nihilism goes a bit further and says, since nothing is inherently ontologically existent in and of itself, outside there, objectively, then I can make my reality. So, there’s a sort of creative step forward in terms of the nihilistic sense. So it is nothing is inherently real, nothing is objectively real and I can make my own reality because there is nothing that is objectively out there and cannot be modified. So it tends to espouse a fluid perception of reality based on the inexistence of a solid, permanent, objective reality and I find it to be very fascinating as a stance, as a philosophical stance. But, as I said, usually Nihilism has a bad rap like it’s, sort of, maintaining that everything is meaningless. I think that sometimes Nihilism is associated with things being meaningless but the fact that things have meaning doesn’t necessarily have to be linked to the fact that they are real or objectively real, so one can make their own meaning. So thanks for the question. I hope I didn’t go too much on a tangent. When it comes to Philosophy I tend to do that.

Let me see if there are other questions.

Ben G is asking, is there any historical accounts of demonolatry, not demonology, written or unwritten?

What do you mean by historical account? But yeah, unfortunately, I don’t think I have an answer to the question. But try and explain better what do you mean by a historical account of the Demonolatry. Demonolatry is the worship of demons. But yeah, historical accounts in terms of historical documents that prove that people have worshipped demons? So yeah if you can please explain further so that I can tell whether I do have an answer or not. I might not.

Inquisitor Rex is asking, can you talk about Pagan weddings? Any recurring themes traditions or practices, iconography or symbolism, anything really.

Oh, that’s a good question and one that I can answer. I’m always scared that I might not have an answer to your questions guys. But if that happens I’m not afraid of saying that I don’t know something because there are lots of things that I do not know. So, as for Pagan weddings, there are three types of Pagan weddings that I have come across in my research. I think the Wiccan tradition has popularized the wedding that lasts a year and a day which is, sort of, I wouldn’t say a trial wedding but it unites the two spouses for a year and a day and then after that, they can decide whether to part ways or to keep being together. Then you have the kind of Pagan wedding that unites the spouses for the lifetime, for the duration of the lifetime and then you have another type of Pagan wedding that links the two spouses for all of the lifetimes, so even the future lives. I know that the last one is not traditional but I have met Pagans in Italy that have performed or are familiar with this form of Pagan wedding. And Pagan weddings are quite fascinating because you have, well you have a certain flexibility on the part of those who get married and the officiant. So usually what happens is that the ritual is… there is a core structure that is often followed, for instance, the casting of the circle and calling upon the four elements and gods, either the gods or specific deities that the people getting married work with. But apart from that, it tends to be very individually tailored. So usually, those who get married, tend to decide what really they want to do and how they want to get their union sacred in a ritual form. So I think that Pagan weddings are quite, quite cool.

Ryan asks do they have cool concerts in Naples?

Well yes, of course. I’m not in Naples anymore, by the way, but I have been for a month over the winter break.

Ryan Van Zant says Bruno, my favourite.

Oh you’re Sicilian, another southerner. Yes, Giordano Bruno is, if you guys have never studied or come across Giordano Bruno he’s a fantastic Philosophy and his works on Magic and also the more philosophical ones, they are very fascinating. He was burned at the stake unfortunately but his legacy lives on.

Andrew says maybe Angela should bottle Neapolitan water and sell it as merch.

That’s actually a great idea. From the place that has seen born all of the magicians in history; drink this water and you will become one as well, plus a Philosopher. Apparently, the two things come together because the Neapolitan magicians also tend to be Philosophers.

Dave says only Justin would buy it.

Why, Dave, wouldn’t you buy it?

Gothic Extravaganza says there’s nothing Nietzsche couldn’t teach you about the raising of the of the wrist. Socrates himself was permanently pissed.

I think that that’s a joke. I’m gonna take it as a joke.

Andrew says I would not bet on that.

Ryan Sampaulesi is asking, how do you know if your cat is okay or perhaps possessed by a demon?

Well is he speaking in tongues? I guess that would be a good start.

I can see a few jokes on the Neapolitan water but yeah, maybe I should bottle it.

Thank you for your donation Oflameo. Oflameo, I’m always worried about mispronouncing your names guys.

Hi Jessica, Jessica Lea. Thanks for coming.

Woman-at-arms says all cats are possessed by demons. Next question.

Yeah, I’ve had cats all of my life. Not here because I live in a small flat but otherwise I’ve had, yeah, I’ve had a cat growing up and I can see what you mean.

And Andrew says, all cats are gods, they are self-possessed.

So Ben is asking, yes, sorry any historical accounts of cultures or individuals worshipping demons.

Oh yes, definitely. If that is your question, there are a lot of historical accounts across different cultures. The only thing is that, as I mentioned in one of my past videos, the idea what constitutes a demon is very culture-dependent. So not all cultures and not all religions would consider a spirit a demon so that’s perhaps the issue, that when we talk about the demonolatry. It tends to be a bit western, perhaps, as a concept and often linked to Christian culture. In a culture that has Christianity as the dominant religious system, which obviously shapes culture because religion shapes culture, regard, you know, it’s something. That is why studying religion is so important. Not only because we want to understand religion but also because we want to understand culture and so you can tell that the general culture and general understanding of reality as well. And morals and ethics tend to be shaped by the dominant religious system or one’s religious system or both.

So let me see if there are other questions.

Oflameo, hope I’m pronouncing it right, what do you think about become a living god

Do you mean the book by E.A. Koetting? I mean I’m aware that there is such a book and I think that he also has a program. He’s not an academic, he’s a Left-Hand Practitioner. Unless you mean the tenants of the Left-Hand Path which is something that I talk about in my video on the Left-Hand Path. So which one do you mean? I’m guessing the second one. So in terms of becoming a living god, it’s not something that you only find in the Western Left-Hand Path or the Western Left-Hand Tradition but you also find that in some Indian traditions and mysticism. So you have that in Yoga and in Tantra, for instance, especially in Bhakti Yoga which is the Yoga of worship, we could translate it as and in that case you don’t really have worshipping a god or a goddess as an external entity but rather you have that worshipping the god, of the goddess actually means becoming that god or that goddess. And then in Tantra, you have something similar. So you have a sense of worship that is actually attuning to that entity and by moving forward in your magical journey, in your spiritual path or religious path, however, you want to classify it, you will acquire magical powers and get closer to a state of being a deity.

So Oflameo, has the book and website, the book on the website of E.A. Koetting. But yeah, he’s a practitioner. So I cannot really comment on that you know, I cannot really say whether advice or not for you to practice that. I can say that it is a contemporary form of Left-Hand Tradition and I think that he’s also somewhat tangent to Satanism but I hope I’m not misrepresenting. But I have a vague memory of…. but also I think that he works with demons as well. But yeah I think it’s a contemporary example of a practitioner that is engaged with the Left-Hand Tradition and with different practices with demons.

So let me see if there are other questions.

Thank you theserpentshallwin for recommending a book. We always like book recommendations over here.

Ryan Sampaulesi is asking how does the occult differ from Italy to the UK based on the Roman Empire?

What do you mean? Is the UK based on the Roman Empire? I think it’s been some time ago but yeah, please explain further what do you mean. You mean generally how the occult is manifest in Italy as opposed to the UK. I don’t understand the last part about the Roman Empire.

So Elijah is asking what can you tell us about the High Priestess? Are they really divine creatures on earth? The High Priestess of what? Because there are different traditions that have Priestesses and High Priestesses. So it really depends on the tradition and how the Priesthood is conceptualized because in some Pagan traditions they would say that the Priestess is channelling the Goddess during the ritual but it’s not the embodiment it’s not really… well, I guess it is a divine creature on earth if you have as a starting point a pantheistic view and the understanding that everything is divine. So if everything is divine and during the ritual, you are channelling the goddess or the female divine principle then you are embodying the divine on earth but not because you are in a special position but just because you are, in that specific moment, you know, you have that role in the specific moment. But other people can do that as well. So it’s not like a hierarchical thing where the Priestess is a different kind of human being, it is just a role that you can be trained for. But it really depends on the tradition. There are other traditions where you can have that sense that a Priest or a Priestess are higher up in terms of their connection to the divine, not just by training or by their role, but because they have some special traits by nature. So it really depends on the tradition, how Priesthood is conceptualized.

Tony Nakhle is asking, Dr Angela can someone with a master’s degree in Western Philosophy continue a PhD in Esotericism, especially without having an academic education in the Esoteric at the master’s level?

Yes, you can, Tony. I don’t think that I had a specific training in Esotericism before my PhD. My degrees are in Philosophy and I have a second major in Asian Philosophies, especially Indian and Tibetan and so I did my master’s dissertation on Natural Magic in the Renaissance. So in that sense, I have studied that and I was lucky that the Professor of History of Renaissance Philosophy was specialised in Magic. But yeah, it’s difficult to find university programs that actually study, thoroughly, Esotericism or that teach you Esotericism. So that is quite rare. You find that at the University of Amsterdam, it’s quite famous for that. And you have that kind of teaching in Sweden and in France, I believe, in Paris but it’s very rare. Usually, Esotericism is just a small part within Religious Studies. So yes, you can definitely do a PhD on that. I would recommend you write up a research proposal and then you can propose it. It really depends on whether you want to get funding or not. But yeah, you can find either a Professor that might be interested in being your supervisor and give you advice on that or you can apply when there is a post advertised – like for a funded PhD program, which is what I did. But I also had the help of my former supervisor, Suzanne Owen. She helped me out writing up a research proposal because, honestly, I had no idea how to do that. Especially because coming from Italy and not having had studied in the UK, at all, everything here is different from Italy, the university system is very different. So yeah I was lucky that I had her helping me out. So yes, Tony, go ahead and try and do your PhD and best of luck with that.

Cern Green says, what are your thoughts on Charles Leland and the Gospel of Aradia?

What do you mean what are my thoughts? Whether it is historical because it is not. If you’re asking whether I think that it is historically accurate, we have no evidence to suggest that. It could well be his own personal experience, we will never know because we have no historical evidence. We don’t know of anything like that in, you know, in Northern Italy, at the time. So it’s likely not historical unless it is an anecdotal account that we cannot say, really, we cannot prove it was historical because we don’t have any evidence. But he is an interesting author that’s for sure and has been influential. So in terms of the influence that Leland has had then it is quite fascinating. If we are talking about the historical accuracy then there isn’t any.

So Rob Robledo is asking how does Paganism in the new world, Mexico and South America differ from old-world Paganism? What are their similarities? Recommended reading? Thank you, Dr Puca.

So old-world Paganism. Do you mean the pre-Christian Paganism? I’m not sure if you mean that. But I’m not familiar with Mexico, I’m a bit familiar with South America but only with Argentina and Peru. But so there is obviously a big difference between the pre-Christian Paganism and the contemporary form of Paganism. In the past, it used to be called Neopaganism but now scholars are moving more towards calling it ‘contemporary Paganism’ because Neopaganism has been used with a slightly derogatory connotation and practitioners usually don’t like that either. So scholars are moving more towards using contemporary Paganism now and yes, it obviously differs a lot from the pre-Christian Paganism, if that is what you’re asking. If it isn’t, please write another comment in the chat and I can clarify things more. But I think that the main difference is that now in contemporary Paganism you have traditions and even with eclectic Paganism you can find certain patterns but I’d say in contemporary Paganism you have traditions, whereas in pre-Christian Paganism you would have more sparse worships of Gods and Goddesses. I’m thinking about Europe and most people and more specifically Italy, of course. Like the Roman times and in ancient Greece. And I would say that, at the time, it was the Pagan practices and worship were focused on specific gods or yeah, a specific god, not in a negative connotation, but yeah around the certain god they would have a specific practice and even build a tradition but it was usually shaped around specific deities but obviously, there are lots and lots of differences.

I can see other comments on cats, a lot of people like cats here. So let me see if there are other questions.

Andrew is bringing to life again the joke about chickens, which was quite popular I think a couple of live streams ago because donations were associated to chickens. I think it came from Thomas Dolcelli who said that teachers are paid chickens and then it took off from there.

Ben says thank you for your insight. I love your videos and your ideas are so profound.

Oh, that’s so lovely of you, thanks.

heserpentshallwin says demons are the gods of the old world that were made into monsters by the Catholic Church that converted or killed the locals or built over their temples.

Well, that’s a bit simplistic. You find the idea of demons even in other cultures but I see where you’re coming from. So the idea that there has been a demonisation of the gods of the others and in some cases you have that pre-Christian gods have been seen as demons. You have some of that but in some cases it is not quite accurate. So it really depends on the specific entity. In academia and as scholars we are always taught not to generalize and to see the specific context and specific case and I think it’s it’s good advice because when you generalize too much you tend to lose nuance and you tend to oversee differences that might actually make a difference and so yeah, to get the most accurate knowledge it is best not to generalise or if you do that, consider that generalisation as provisional until you get more information. Sometimes we need generalisation just to have a general framework to understand things but then we also need the specifics to get a more accurate depiction of what is actually going on.

So João is saying, what do you call a person that loves cats too much? A Cat-holic. I’ll see myself out.

No João, we want you here. Yeah, João is always the one that has the best and funniest memes in the Inner Symposium. He’s also a Patron. So I’m quite happy to have a few of my patrons here in the chat.

Ryan is asking what do you think about Ouija Boards?

What do you mean what do I think? What colour do I like them in? Be more specific, please. Yeah, in terms of colour I would like an Ouija Board in purple or violet because that’s my favourite colour but I don’t think that’s what you were asking. But yeah, be more specific and I will be more specific myself.

So, Jorge or Jorge, I don’t know, have you ever heard about the old shamanic tradition, before Buddhism in Tibet called Bön?

Yes, of course, I have as I said I specialize in Indian and Tibetan traditions. So yeah, I’m familiar with Bön. They still exist today they are allowing Magic, Exorcism and Astrology. Yes, Bön today is quite similar to Tibetan Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism also has a lot of Magic because there’s influence in Tibetan Buddhism you have more influences from Tantra and Tantra is quite magical, you know, there’s a lot of influence, magical influence in Tantra. And as a consequence, you have that in Tibetan Buddhism as well. Whereas in Indian Buddhism, the Theravada and the Mahayana Buddhism you don’t have that at all. You don’t have that component but the Bön tradition used to be considered akin to a form of Shamanism. Some have even said that it is a form of Shamanism. But contemporary Bön is very difficult to distinguish from Tibetan Buddhism. So it has changed over time I think in part it has changed to survive but yeah, it’s definitely a very interesting tradition.

So, Elijah, Elijahscall71 asks what can you tell us about the High Priestess? Are they really divine creatures on earth? Was Jesus’ mother Mary a High Priestess?

I’m not sure if you are the one who asked this question before but, as I said, it really depends on the tradition, the religion and the culture how Priesthood is conceptualized and as for whether Jesus’ mother Mary was a High Priestess, I don’t think so, I haven’t come across any Christian, well I’d say that this is, you know, Mary is part of the Christian framework and I don’t think that I’ve had a… my speciality is not Christianity but I’ve never heard of that so I’m not sure whether there is a specific subset in Christianity that considers Mary a high priestess but not to my knowledge. So I guess that the takeaway is that the idea of Priestess and of Priesthood is very culturally dependent and religious dependent. So it’s not a concept that you can apply to different religions just as equally because it really changes.

Alessandro AFFANNI, are you Italian, by the way, because your name and surname sound Italian? The concept is similar but in the Indian Left-Hand Path, there’s no difference between you and the absolute in the occidental Left-Hand Path you empower your ego.

Well, I have a confirmation that you are Italian because you said occidental. But I wouldn’t say that. So the first part yes, as for the second part; I see what you mean but I want to give Practitioners more credit. I want to be more lenient, perhaps. I don’t think that every Left-Hand Path Practitioner is just trying to inflate the ego. Perhaps some of them are following that as a genuine spiritual path. I think that perhaps Chaos Magick could be considered as a form of Left-Hand Path, in a way and I have encountered in my fieldwork quite a few Chaos Magick practitioners that were not particularly egotistical in their practice. So I see what you mean because in the western world we tend to have more of a focus on the self and self-improvement and self-realisation and self-help. It’s always self, self, self and it’s not as much community, community, community and so, even when you have that kind of perspective it’s easier to, even when you practice Magick not to focus on the community or what you can give but rather how can you improve your own life. But not every practitioner is like that. I want to give them more credit.

Inquisitor Rex is thanking me for the Pagan wedding answer. Glad it was helpful

Valerie, Valerie Duran, please send your question again because I haven’t read it. Perhaps I can answer it.

So Irving God, god is part of your username? My expectations for this question have just sky-rocketed. So, Angela, I believe that recent world turmoil was the result of bringing a Chaos Magick paradigm into normal reality and resulted in all non-magicians freaking out. Your thoughts, please.

Okay, I would say no. Short answer. I wouldn’t say that the recent turmoil is… I wouldn’t blame the poor Chaos Magicians or the philosophical paradigm for everything that has been going on. I think it’s a bit too much to blame them for. But so no, I don’t think that that is the case, I’m afraid, or not. I hope that answers your question.

So Ryan says Romans were in Britain until the 400s. So, what I was asking was did Roman influence, with their occult beliefs, have a lasting impact on current UK occult?

Oh okay, I understand the question better now. I think so but it’s difficult to trace it back like as a direct line. I think that it’s one of those situations where you have a domino effect over time and then things are impacted by what comes first and has been impactful but is not as direct as one may think. But yeah, it’s a very big question I don’t think that I can give a specific answer because it would really depend on which specific tradition of the UK Occult because the UK Occult is very varied. So it really depends what kind of tradition we are talking about. I would say that generally speaking, the impact on the culture generally and on occult traditions is there but just because it’s part of the history and part of the historical development of the country and the culture.

Valerie Duran says I was always told that the Tarot was evil but now that I’ve studied it on my own and I find it to be very enlightening. Why has it been demonised in some circles? What is your opinion on the Tarot?

So I think the Tarot cards are very fascinating and depending on the deck you can have all sorts of symbolism and they have all their own history, which is quite complex and there are lots of ramifications, it’s really fascinating. My best friend Cipriano, I don’t know if he’s still here, but he often follows my live streams. He did his thesis on the history of the Tarot cards. So why have they been demonised? Again, I’m not an expert in Christianity. My guess and this is a guess, is that since all forms of Witchcraft have been considered evil in Christianity, then Tarot cards and other forms of Divination have followed in that direction, you know, they have been lumped together with other practices that are forbidden. Because the idea is that when you have an external power or a supernatural power and even the concept of supernatural, it’s not as relevant in contemporary esoteric practices anymore but it used to be in the past. So the idea there is a natural and supernatural it’s not always been the case. In some cases the so-called supernatural has been considered extremely natural, just hidden natural or unacknowledged natural but not supernatural. So the idea that you have, in the common Christian belief system, is that everything that is supernatural either comes from God or from the Devil in an evil force. And so, as a consequence, if you practice Magick or divination of any sort you are sourcing from this evil force and hence why it is forbidden and you should avoid it. But it is a, I’d say, a very Christian, as far as I know, it’s a Christian of the Tarot and of Divination but what is evil and what is good is very subjective, culturally constructed, religious constructed, absolute evil and absolute good are very difficult to define I’d say.

Tony is thanking me for the advice.

I’m happy it was helpful.

Why age 2023… what was it? Oh, I lost it. Sometimes the chat just moves by itself.

Oh, hi James. James Vitale is here. Nice to see you in the chat and James has chickens as well.

So oh, what should we drink our moon water for the wolf moon? When should we drink the moon water?

When you are thirsty. That’s my guess.

Leilani says, what do you know about Eastern European Witchcraft?

Have you watched the video on folk magic in the Republic of Moldova? You might be interested in that one. I have met a few scholars that study especially folk Magick in Eastern Europe. Yes and there is currently a research project, I think at the University of… I can’t remember now, is it Vienna? But I’m not completely sure what university it is but there is currently, I’m aware of a research project on folk magic across different Eastern European countries. So yeah we will have more research soon enough and perhaps I can make videos off that academic research.

Oflameo asks is Discordianism considered to be polytheistic?

I think that it depends on the Discordian because in Discordianism you can have very different outlooks on deities and whether they even believe in deities or not. So I think that it really depends on the Discordian. I know that some Discordians, that I’ve met, are Pagans and they would consider themselves as polytheistic in their outlook but there are others that tend to have a more humorous approach to religion in every respect and so, I don’t think that they actually believe in multiple deities. So I think that yeah it really depends on the Discordian.

Yh 2023 says do you know anything about African spirituality, Witchcraft?

I don’t know how relevant it is but I have a video on Hoodoo and I’d like to make videos on other Afro-Brazilian traditions where, you know, Hoodoo is African-American of course but I was just connecting Hoodoo in my mind to African spirituality. So I’d like to make videos on that. I’m not an expert on those but I’d love to do more research so that I can make a video on those.

So Spearmik’s tiny universe question, have you ever done a show about the Jinn? Wondering if it is still considered a thing in the mid-east belief?

No, I haven’t done an episode on the Jinn and I’m more familiar, since I don’t work on the Middle East but more on contemporary Magick practices in the Western World now, I’m more familiar with how contemporary Pagans and other Magick practitioners work with the Jinn rather than at the original setting. But I know that Let’s Talk Religion has a video on that, Philip, so you might want to check that out.

Elysium Sexsmith as an academic how do you differentiate between superstition and esoteric belief? Would you say it’s even possible to do so or would you say it’s a matter of personal and cultural belief?

That’s a good question Elysium. So have you watched the video that I made on superstition? Because I do have a video on whether something is a superstition or not and I would say that yeah it is cultural dependent. What constitutes a superstition and whether there even is a concept such as superstition. I wonder whether it is post-enlightenment and post secularization but I don’t think so. I think that the concept of superstition predates secularization but perhaps it has become more pronounced after the secularization. But yes, it is culturally dependent and especially since it has a negative connotation. Although, I guess by superstition one could also, usually by superstition you mean a set of actions that are believed to produce a certain outcome but not because it is a magical practice but just because it is a set of actions or a set of gestures, something that you repeat over time and you believe will bring you luck or will something else that will bring unluck. So it’s more passive in a way, so it’s not like actually ritualizing for a specific purpose but it is more performing a set of actions believed to bring about luck. But I would recommend watching that video if you haven’t already.

Oh, Ryan has now asked a question that is the question on the Ouija Board or Ouija Board I think that English speakers say Ouija if I’m not mistaken, can get someone possessed?

I don’t think that I have come across any field accounts of people getting possessed using the Ouija Board but I know that there is this fear around that because the idea of summoning a spirit could lead to you being possessed by the spirit. I would recommend watching my video https://youtu.be/Q1cMXFa4WEE on spirit possession because in that video I explain in more detail how can we classify a spiritual demon possession. But I don’t think that I’ve come across any account of this occurrence.

So JiminiCrikkit says hi Dr A. Glad to catch a live stream a lot of people are calling me ‘Dr A’ during this live stream. Thank you, Jimini, I’m glad that you that you’re here as well.

Alessandro AFFANNI said yes.

Yes, you’re Italian? I’m pretty convinced you are at this point.

So Andrew says interestingly Ouija Boards started as a game based on psychology. Users started using it for magical purposes so anything can be used to practice Magick it would seem.

Yeah, I think that over time, even the Tarot card started as a game as I explained in my video on the history of the Tarot. Yes, I’d say that usually, people use the things that they have at their disposal for Magick. I’d say that perhaps the underlying philosophical stance is that Magick is based on finding the hidden correspondences, in reality, entering that fabric of reality and understanding which strings, which threads you have to pull in order to manipulate the fabric of reality. And yeah, practitioners, over time and over history have used all sorts of tools usually tools that they could access in their daily life to affect those changes because every specific element has a specific connection, a specific correspondence to an organ or a specific outcome that you want to achieve. It is heavily based on the idea of correspondences which comes from romantic Philosophy and was popularized in the Renaissance. But we could, sort of, apply it back to past forms of Witchcraft, in a way because it is a law that you see applied even when it is not conceptualized. The idea of the law of similarity and the law of contagion, that the like attracts the like and that things that have been in contact retain a certain degree of connection to the thing they have been in contact with.

Jorge Abraham says thank you so much for the answer. I’d love to hear more about Asian topics from you.

Oh, that’s nice. Yeah, I definitely have to make more videos on that. It’s just as always I’m so, yeah, I have so many things to do and lately, I think that I have been struggling with burnout and it’s been more difficult than usual but I’m getting back there.

So laïlꙩken says hello, what do you feel would have happened if our European Wise Women, the Witches and Wise Men, the Wizards hadn’t had to contend with the Christianisation of Europe. Thank you for all of your work.

I think that they would have had to contend with some other religion because Witchcraft and Magic have always been the bastard child. I don’t know how else to put it. It’s just the first description that came to mind, But I think that often Christianity is blamed for Witchcraft being persecuted and of course, Christianity has persecuted Witches. But you also have persecutions of Witches even in Pagan times or pre-Christian times. So I think that Magick has often, across history, been considered as something dangerous and forbidden to different extents. So I’d say that if it hadn’t been Christianity it would have been some other dominant religious system. I would recommend reading “The Witch” by Ronald Hutton because he talks about these kinds of things as well. It’s a book that my Patrons have read in their book club. So Andrew or any other of my patrons who participated in that book project can say what they think.

So, what do you mean Alessandro, have you ever been in the Witches’ town in Italy? Which one? Benevento? Torino? Which one?

Oh, Kelly says that she loves my makeup.

Thank you.

Okay, I see a very interesting question but I think it’s too complex to be addressed here. So can you talk of where Dzogchen fits into the Bön tradition and with Tantra/Vajrayana Buddhism and is there any equivalent to the Body of Light achievement in Dzogchen in other world traditions?

This is a very good question but I would need an entire video to unpack that. And I would have to explain the doctrine first and how it’s been conceptualized across these different traditions before I answered that but it’s a very good question. Thanks for asking.

So Ryan says what is my favourite occult subject?

Magick. That’s too generic, I’m sorry. It depends, it changes depending on, yeah, it really depends. I tend to switch my interest or shift my interest to one occult tradition to another. I’m basically interested in all of them, so it’s just a matter of what is that I’m studying or exploring at the moment. I will be studying more Satanism soon for a paper that I have to work on and that also interests me a lot but it’s not just that, you know, I really like everything about Magick the Occult and Esotericism. I wish I knew everything about it but, obviously, that’s quite an impossible task.

So, I think that now, at the moment, Magick is studied as in terms of the History of Ideas but also in terms of practices in Anthropology of Religion or the influence in on society in terms of Sociology of Religion. If by academic credibility, you mean that academia will, in a way prove, that Magick is real, I think that we are moving away from that paradigm altogether. So the idea that there is one reality and then you have a specific discipline in science that will say this is real or this is not real. I think that natural science tends to focus more on what is useful, how things work, rather than what is real. What is real is more of a philosophical ontological question I’d say and it’s not one that natural science can really answer. So natural science tends to work more on how things work and how we can make use of those things and that includes us, in terms of our bodies, how our bodies work and how we can repair it and these kinds of things. But if you mean whether they can prove that Magick is real, I think that is not really something that academia can do. I don’t think that it should either. But it is important to remove the stigma around Magick and Esotericism because even now, even when Esotericism and Magick are studied in the realm of History of Ideas, History of Religion, Anthropology of Religion or Sociology of Religion it still tends to be discarded as something that is unimportant and that is a cultural thing that scholars, that work in the field, are trying to dispel. So we are trying to and that’s also one of the reasons why I have this channel to show that it matters to people and that it is a genuine academic field that you can pursue, if you are interested, into. Or you can source more information from it if you are a practitioner and want to learn more from an academic point of view. So you can have… it’s not like the academic point of view on Esotericism and Magick is more important, it’s just another perspective.

Oh, Justin (Sledge from Esoterica), nice to see you here. So Justin is asking what advice would you give to people interested in studying Esotericism or Paganism academically? What do you wish you would have known before you you started your studies?

First of all, nice to see you here, Justin. I was just talking about you I don’t know if you followed the live stream from the beginning but I was saying that you said that there’s something in the water of Naples and that’s why there are so many Magicians, Philosophers from Naples.

So what would be my advice to people interested in studying Esotericism or Paganism I would say, since it is difficult to find a faculty or a program that focuses primarily on that, I would say to get a good foundation in either religious studies depending on what you have in your country or whether you are keen on moving elsewhere to further your studies. Like, in Italy we don’t have Religious Studies so the closest thing is Philosophy, I’d say and you have some exams in Religious Studies but you don’t have like a department of Religious Studies, at least, I think that there is one now in Rome but it is very uncommon. So you might want to get a background either in Philosophy or Archaeology or Religious Studies if you have that in your country or History of Religion or Social Science if you are more interested in other… It really depends on what kind of interest do you have. So you’re interested in Esotericism or Paganism but how? In terms of its Philosophy? In terms of its impact on society? In terms of how it has influenced the history of it, certain historical elements or traditions? Depending on how you are interested in tackling this topic then you might want to get a good foundation in that specific field. And then, when you move forward, with your master’s degree or with your PhD then you can be more specific and tackle and study more specifically what is that you are most interested in. But I think that most people, in most countries will find it difficult to have a good, you know, a department that studies, unless you are in Amsterdam or a few other universities that have that, it’s not very common, unfortunately. We are trying to change that. Maybe Justin and I will be in a department of Esotericism one day. That would be a dream.

So, let me see.

Oh, Kirk Calderon says superstition sounds primitive.

Primitive is a term that we don’t use anymore. It’s so 19th century and so cultural evolutionary model, you know, that idea that what comes before us is worse, you know, history moves from worse to better and so as a consequence what is in the past is more primitive and what is present now is better it’s more advanced, more progressive. So this linear understanding of history from worse to better is, I think it’s called what’s the name, cultural evolutionism? But yeah, it draws on Charles Darwin’s ideas but is applied to culture rather than biology.

So XANDER SKIES says, hello Doctor your channel is one of my… I’ve lost it. Sorry.

Oh, Justin said that he missed the beginning. So yeah now you have the reference on the water.

Okay, I found the comment again.

Xander says your channel is one of my favourites on YouTube. Always watching your content. I saw you posting on Carl Jung. I have a question about an archetype. It’s the divine child archetype, thoughts.

Once again it’s a bit generic as a question and my thoughts are that it’s interesting. Let me know if you have a more specific question.

Ryan says do you think the ancient Romans practice Magic in the way of spells and rituals versus just praying to several gods.

Both, you would have both.

Lea FREE how do you remove the Malocchio.

Malocchio is the evil eye in the Italian tradition. It depends. There there are different ways but a common one that you find in the Campania region is to allow a few drops of oil, like olive oil, into water. So they would take like an empty plate, put some water in it, drip some drops of olive oil. If the oil dissolves in water then it means that you have the evil eye because it is unnatural and so it means that there is something unnatural on you. If the oil stays separated from water then it means that you don’t have the evil eye. There are some variations of that, like whether the drops of oil will form the shape, you know, if they gather in the shape of an eye that could also mean that you have the evil eye, the Malocchio. And how to remove it, even in this case you have different formula and one common is to, well they are passed down from generation to generation. So it is an initiatory practice. So I cannot really say the words but they would, you know, use as a gesture the sign of the cross on the plate and then recite these specific words that had been passed down from, sometimes the grandmother, during the initiation and how that’s how they would remove the Malocchio.

So I guess that we can end the live stream now. But I had a lot of fun with you guys. I think that you had great questions and it was quite fun. I hope you found it entertaining as well and if there are questions that I didn’t manage to answer, please leave them in the comment once the video is properly uploaded and you can write comments. So let me know in the comments whether there are questions that I haven’t answered and I will answer them later on.

So thank you all so much for being here and as always please, if you like my project and want to keep this Academic fun going consider sending one-off PayPal donations or joining memberships here or joining my Inner Symposium, my Patreon community and we have a lot of fun in our community on Discord. There’s a book club that Andrew leads. He’s also here.

Oh hi, Vocatus glad you became a member.

And yeah, so it’s a lot of fun to be part of our Patreon community. So I hope that you would consider that. And yeah and I guess that I am just glad to be here with you. And thanks for coming over and as always, stay tuned for all the Academic fun.

Bye for now.