Down at the Crossroads

In this episode we have a talk about the nature of magick. We listen to another track from The Evolutionaries. The first show contest is opened for entries. We continue with our journey through the Kybalion. We learn about Samuel Liddell Macgregor Mathers in A Corner in Occult. We reflect on the Eliphas Levi segment from episode #003. I share a personal tale of Will. And to close, we ponder the nature of nature.

Segments: The Nature of Magick, A Corner in the Occult: Samuel Liddell Macgregor Mathers, Poor Eliphas Levi, A Little Tale of Will, The Kybalion: Priniciple of Mentalism, The Nature of Nature.

Music: George Wood, Monika Herzig, Ascian, Alexandre Falcao, Linda Holzer, Guy David, Ambient Light, The Evolutionaries, The Catz in The Hatz, Ted Tunes, 3vrn3n, and Persian Paladin. Links: Paranormal Lectures in NYC, The Disinformation Podcast, Media Astra Ac Terra, K.A.B. Crying Indian Commercial, June 2009 International Pagan Values Blogging Month, Pagan Spirit Gathering Credits: Garage Band, Podsafe Audio, Podsafe Music Network

Hello and thank you once again for joining me down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we cross paths with today's most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers. Tonight, we travel to the land of fae to attend FaerieCon East 2014 where I had the unexpected pleasure of interviewing beloved author Raven Grimassi and Stephanie Taylor-Grimassi of House of Grimassi in front of a live audience.

Raven Grimassi is a Neo-Pagan scholar and award-winning author of over twelve books on Witchcraft, Wicca, and Neo-Paganism including Old World Witchcraft and Italian Witchraft. He is a member of the American Folklore Society and is co-founder and co-director of the Crossroads Fellowship, a modern Mystery School tradition. He lives in Springfield, MA. - Red Wheel / Weiser Online

Raven Grimassi is the author of over a dozen books dealing with witchcraft, some of which include his award winning book Wiccan Mysteries, Wiccan Magick, Hereditary Witchcraft, as well as his controversial book Ways of the Strega (re-released as Italian Witchcraft). We meet with Raven and Stephanie to learn about their work and to discuss Raven's recent book Grimoire of The Thorn-Blooded Witch which was a companion book to his 2011 release Old World Witchcraft.

For the first time in more than a decade, Grimassi introduces readers to a new system of witchcraft, one that draws upon the old ways and the old days. Rich with spells, rituals, and detailed illustrations of plant spirits, Grimassi dares readers to take the path that leads deep into the darkened woods—to traverse upon the Thorned Path. Meet the entities that dwell within the organic memory of the earth, the devas, the deities, the magical life force that lies within the wooded glen. Learn to work with these spirits, and use their wisdom to transform your life and your practice. - Red Wheel / Weiser Online

The songs featured in this episode were:

• “Mr. Raven” by MC Lars
• “Gentle Storm” by Betsy Tinney
• “Wild Purple Irises” by Jessica Star
• “Ravens in the Library” by S.J. Tucker
• “The Morrigan” by Omnia
• “Blaue Stunde ” by Faun
• “Sons and Daughters (of Robin Hood)” by Damh the Bard

Hello and thank you once again for joining me down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we cross paths with today's most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers. I am your bewitching, bald, and no longer congested host Chris Orapello and tonight we meet with author, teacher, and blogger Shauna Aura Knight to discuss activism, how to get involved, and her experiences with being an activist. Shauna and I have a powerful and eye opening discussion as we put our ears to the ground about some hot button issues while I try extremely hard to not sound as congested as I was when I spoke with her. So, please forgive me for how I may sound in this episode. LOL

Featured Songs:

• "The Wicker Man" by Damh the Bard
• "Earth Warrior" by Omnia
• “Stones" by Tara Rice
• "Zeitgeist" by Faun
• "King" by Eluveitie
• "Stolen Season" by S.J. Tucker

Related Links

• ShaunaAuraKnight.com
• Shauna's Amazon.com Author Page
• PantheaCon
• Panganicon
• ConVocation
• Crystal Blanton
• Covenant of the Goddess
• Micro Agression via: Google
• White Privilege, Explained In One Simple Comic
• Pagan Activist: Shauna Aura Knight
• Smartest Man in the World Podcast
• "Bringing Race to the Table" (Immanion Press)

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers. I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I speak with author and Wandering Witch herself Natalie Zaman about her book Magical Destinations of the Northeast available from Llewellyn. As with all new guests, we learn about Natalie's background, how she found her path, and what ultimately inspired her book as we explore some of the locations she visited while researching and what she experienced while she was there. All in all, this was energetic conversation about reclaiming your local landscape and gaining a new perspective on the sites and landmarks of where you live.

Every state in America has sacred sites―places that change you, heal you, and make you feel alive. Magical Destinations of the Northeast details more than 300 spiritual destinations perfect for meditation, magic, and just plain fun. This hands-on guidebook also includes spells and rituals and provides tips for the magical uses of official state plants, flowers, gems, minerals, and trees. There are pockets of magic to be found everywhere―places that make you stop in your tracks as powerful energies speak to your soul. This book is filled with awe-inspiring destinations, featuring little-known gems, natural landscapes, and manmade creations, as well as Native American and African American heritage sites. With everything from witch’s temples to Druid circles, spiritualist communities to mysterious stones, this book will make your next trip a truly magical journey. - Magical Destinations of the Northeast (back cover)

Featured Songs:

• "Imbolc Song" by S.J. Tucker
• "After the Storm" by Wendy Rule
• "Wax Nostalgic" by Eliza Rickman
• "Free" by Omnia
• "Peace Tonight" by Elephant Revival
• "The Art of Magick" by Ralph Buckley
• "Silvitni" by Eivør
• "Burn Me Out" by S.J. Tucker

Links:

• Natalie Zaman.com
• "Magical Destinations of the Northeast" by Natalie Zaman
• "The Alchemist" by Paul Coelho
• "Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William Mckinley, And Me, Elizabeth" by E.L. Konigsburg
• World Wide Labyrinth Locator
• Genesis Farm
• Dog Chapel
• Dog Mountain
• Mount Rushmore
• Devil's Tower

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In this episode, we get a little nerd-core as we cross paths with the eventful geek, Druid, and Pagan Jeff Mach who is behind such successful east coast gatherings as The Steampunk World's Fair, The Wicked Renaissance Fair, and his latest cultural homage to geekdom with the Geek Creation Show! I learned about Jeff and his work from an interview done by Heather Greene featured on the Wild Hunt Blog. Along with his events, we also discuss the crossover that often exists between geek culture and Paganism and if I could, every download of this episode would come with it's own slice of bacon unless of course you don't eat bacon, in which case I would just recommend that you pass the bacon onto someone who does.

Featured Artists:

• Sharon Knight
• MC Lars
• S.J. Tucker
• Leslie Fish
• Sora
• Damh the Bard