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This was awesome beyond words, thank you all and I am loving being a member of RESNEP. Thank you Andrea for creating such a noble community and building bridges for us all.
In my experience any good set or series of information makes u go back and hear it again. If im serious about absorbing a lecture or a vid with high quality of scholarship, I am watching closely and taking notes and rewinding A LOT
On the subject of “why does a spirit care about lines drawn on the ground”: I had always wondered the same thing. One time I was have a psychedelic session with a friend. When I was listening to the music, I realized I was experiencing synesthesia. I could see the music and hear it. I then went to look at photos I had taken from a trip to Peru of some indigenous painting and pottery. I felt like I could understand what was being communicated on the pottery. Once outside of the “session” my conclusions still stood. One thing I “realized” is that the things we do on this corporeal plane, echo in other or “project” in others. I now hold a different significance for symbolism and symbology. I realize that simple pictures drawn on paper could mean much more depending on intention and the realities they are projected into.
Thats a really good take i think. I believe that the physical and visual projections we make here most definitely echo in, ripple in, or even just barely affect other realms parallel to ours at all times. But also that certain shapes and specific symbols done at certain times and places with specific intentions and words spoken do this more so. Well, im just describing the subject of the vid here - magical practice and theory. Agreed tho , in my experience yer not wrong 👍
This is so freaking awesome! Thanks to all participants. Excellent discussion. Must watch it again. Dr. Sledge, so happy to have you back! Hope you have fully recovered.
The Circle is, to me, an expression of psychocosm as much as anything- a way for the operator to stand as, and at, the axis mundi, with the circumference representing the bounds of their world. "Deus est sphaera cuius centrum est ubique, circumferentia nusquam." The way I describe the Personal Circle of Destreza (the geometric-philosophical school of fencing that I follow, which is also closely related to Thibault's deeply esoteric Academie de L'Espee) is: My Personal Circle is the reach of my perception and agency. In magic, standing at the crossroads of all ways, the perception and agency can be unbounded except by the edges of reality.
Wow. I'm only familiar with Thibault and his "book arithmetic" was because he might have been referenced in the original quarto for Romeo n Juliet by Shakespeare. Interesting to see this tidbit here! I also recently posted a video on "magic Circles" and "magic grammar".
This was one of the best and coolest chats I've ever heard. Ive always been curious as to what makes a circle work. Hearing these anecdotes is impressive and look forward to learning and hearing more about these. It sounds like theres a certain amount of semiotics that should be explored as well. Im not a practitioner, but it sounds like these spirits have a certain amount of OCD... Funny because my grandma would tell me stories that one way to know if someone was a witch was to pour salt on the ground and see if they became absorbed in counting the grains. I don't think it had to be salt, but any number of granular items.
It is actually pretty well spread tradition at least in indo-european cultures and their folk-tales, some say that it's fairies others call them demons, sometimes people use salt, cheakpeace, poppy or any other kind of grain for them to count. Whoever these entitities are, they definitely have some ocd problem. Sorry for my poor English. Cheers.
Would have loved to hear more about the significance of the sacred geometry of magic circles especially in relation to cymatics. My theory is that the original purpose was to produce a soundwave, which would generate a shape (cymatic figure) and magic circles are just a replica of those sacred geometric patterns, but it's really all pointing back to the sound (or song, sacred words or hymns) that need to be vocalized. This was why circles were originally made with sand, salt, or other similar material, rather than drawn on canvases. My hypothesis is that it's the sound energy that binds and protects. I'm interested in hearing Dr. Skinner's ideas on this.
That is a fascinating theory, I feel this approach is inline with the importance emphasised by the Hindu Vedas on preserving the sound of words, and connected are the discovery of ancient chambers that resonant at certain frequencys and tones such as Barabar Caves
I knew as soon as I heard Mr. Otto say that the concept of the imagination having a role in magic not being a thing until around the 20th century that Justin was probably pulling at the bit to amend that comment, especially after having watched the Agrippa series lol. Definitely one of my favourite parts of discussions like this with people in different but related fields is when someone can help others fill the lacunae in their understanding or provide better clarification for misunderstandings, it makes a fruitful experience for everyone.
Thanks for your comment. I am of course aware that imagination was discussed by learned Renaissance circles (Ficino, Agrippa, Bruno etc.), but with my comment I was specifically referring to the use of imagination in the grimoire corpus, aka the Solomonic art of conjuring spirits, where it doesn't seem to be a thing until the Golden Dawn. You can read more about my thoughts on this trajectory in the introduction to my book "Fictional Practice: Magic, Narration and the Power of Imagination" (2021). Best wishes, Bernd-Christian Otto
I’d be interested to know if studying this subject from academic perspective has influenced these researchers in any way, to either start believing in magic more or the other way around?
Thank you for the serious study of theses topics. I am so tired of people treating the subjects as jokes. They were serious to the people at the time and deserve respect. Thank you.
Great topic...it's very foundational and intriguing. There was a Spanish horror film called The Day Of The Beast ,which also had a lot of comedy in it. In that film there is a magic circle scene. There comes a moment where you can tell the boundaries have been activated. Don't want to take away from this serious discussion but for some reason that's the first thing that popped in my mind when speaking about activation and boundaries.
I feel that the power the circle holds over the spirits is directly related to the will of the the person who drew it. They aren’t effected by lines they are effected by lines drawn with powerful will
that type of magic theory is called chaos magic quote wikipedia: "Scholar Hugh Urban has described chaos magic as a union of traditional occult techniques and applied postmodernism - particularly a postmodernist skepticism concerning the existence or knowability of objective truth. Namely, according to him, chaos magic rejects the existence of absolute truth, and views all occult systems as arbitrary symbol-systems that are only effective because of the belief of the practitioner."
Fascinating. As a kid there were rumors my uncle had command of a Jinn. Apparently the method he used was by drawing a circle and reading surah jinn from within the circle every night until a jinn came. He was never allowed to leave the circle or the jinn would posess him or something like that 😂
On the circles versus other shape bit, a few postulations: -circles are equidistant. Besides being thought of as more ideal and thus invoking or containing spirits, there is no point to concentrate pressure to 'break' it, much like sharp corners are avoided on sword blades because they are stress points. -circular towers were historically more expensive and stable than square ones, making them more resilient to sieges.
Conversely, if going by Andrea's logic, this would effectively function as a microcosm of God/The Absolute/The Monad/etc in or as it's fully transcendent form beyond the scope of the Aristotelian crystal spheres and thereby exercising supreme authority over it.
This is an excellent video. Please make more round table, dicsuccions like this. It is wonderful to hear perspectives of practitioners and scholars. And I must say this was a wonderful panel
This is really appreciated, to hear from several people who have experience is so helpful. As far as the dismissal by Dr Skinner of imagination NOT being useful in magical practice approx 57:00 - I cant say Im an expert or master occultist/practitioner at this point, but I am sure that a person not understanding the PROFOUND and LIMITLESS essence of their own iMAGInation as a magical tool is limiting themselves to a smaller perception of that which lies beyond the 5 senses. IMO - youre not making it all up, but you're more involved in the process of its perception on another level of consciousness. Then again I dont have initials in front of or behind my name so my understanding is not as important
I agree, altough Latin word "imago" - root of "imagination", does not have any etymological relation with Persian word "Maguš" that is the root of "Magi", "magic/magick" etc. Nonetheless I agree with your opinion according to importance of imagination in magical practice, I know practicing theurgist - Abbas the Alchemist on youtube, that made very interesting material specificaly about that. I also do not think that phantasy and imagination are the same things, at least modern cognitivists and neurobiologists tend to differentiate these two. Cheers.
In Germanic witchcraft there is a rite sometimes called riding the dragon (there is a rite for each type of landscape). The river is considered the soul of an area and its catchment or ridge line surrounding it is poetically considered a dragon’s spine (traditionally mountains). The rite sees the witch walking this whole boundary. He or she then internalises it as symbolically her auric , ethical boundary and jurisdiction as a helping witch. (Slay the dragon, take responsibility for the gold it guarded.) (these rites are hidden in fairytales, the grimoires of witches). Now, having done the rite, the witch can ‘summons mountains’ Or ‘summon a dragon’ as the magic circle. (I note that the Geoetian circle has a serpent around it.) it has power because it’s a real memory . The witch has authority because he/she did the rite; it’s not just metaphorical. The same goes for the knife: it’s forged during a fire rite. Consecration of items seems to be compensations for not having done the rites, or, for example, not having made your own sword etc. Further, if the witch then retrieves a rock from each cardinal direction of his valley (of which he has traversed) he now has four legs for his altar. Another rock from the centre of the valley provides the flat table bit. Now the four angels (souls of hills) are accessible.
I love this format! If you are open to suggestions I’d love to ask the scholars to share a short bibliography so we can get our eyes on what everyone is discussing because some people are talking about texts that are less popular and can provide great insight. Love it
I was just listening to the golden book of saint Germain yesterday and ended on the electronic circle then this pops up on my feed 🤔 your channel is awesomeness
PLS More!, also a small tip for anyone practicing, a camera simply will pick up more than you will expect, and magnetic compasses have more than one use.
Fairy-rings / elf-rings and the folklor around them suggest that they were kind of natural magic circles for pagan indo-european cultures. French and Germans call them witches-circles. In Poland we call them Czarcie kręgi. Czart/Chert was a Slavic demon that become synonymous with the devil, like many other gods and demons from around the globe, even in Poland alone: boruta, bies/bes, rokita, licho/likho. All of these entities could have richer and more complex story to them before Christianization.
I think that one of the reasons for a circle is that it represents the infinite and the eternal. A circle then can, at once, represent the monad, and the individuals of the monad. Through the circle we are merging and representing oneness, duality, multiplicity, and bridging these worlds/dimensions. Also, as Joseph Campbell said when Bill Moyers asked him why the Native Americans always built in circles, he answered that it’s because everything we experience is circles, the horizon/the earth, a hole (portal), the eye, an eagles nest. Likewise they represent the cycles of nature, of a day, a month, a year.
I haven’t heard any of the speakers mention yet the notion that the magic circle is representative of the circle of the horizon, and therefore a microcosm of the observable universe.
Bridging the gap between the academic and practitioner feels very much to be the through line of the video. However doing this in the digital format of a round table, it feels as if the participants are overly conscious of imbalance, the academics have quotations and lineages at the ready, the practitioner anecdotes. One speaks with the authority of external quotation, the other the (understandable) defensiveness of culturally discounted practical experience. I kind of get why practitioners would be hesitant to subject themselves to translation through this medium. Experimentation with format and structure might help further bridge the gap. Can the digital medium itself be incorporated into practice? Could it be a series of 1 on 1s with a central developmental project? To draw out tensions and combinations. Many possibilities... As always esoterica is the gold standard. Much love from the coms scholars. ❤
A world of gratitude to you, Dr. Sledge. This series has encouraged me to focus on academia, and through the lens of the occult my interest and perspective in the sciences have been greatly improved. It is especially important in times like these. Perhaps finding you when I did was more than just a coincidence ;P
I find it fascinating that certain barriers were briefly described as a bubble... that's actually common practice for mentally projecting a psychic shield. Envision a bubble. The bubble being one of the most natural and simplest shapes to encompass a volume of time-space. To "lock it down" as it were, in some cases... or to create an impenetrable barrier that those that are not welcome to pass cannot pass (doesn't actually work on people or animals though. It would be nice, but there are limits to what magic can do apparently.) Whatever it's "programmed" to do, it seems to affect at the very least the mental safe-space necessary to clear one's head sometimes.
Interesting in for me timely topic. I've recently been thinking about the purposes and methods of having a circle within my own (Gaelic) spiritual inclinations
The circle represented the creator and this is why the halo/circles above the holy people in Egypt and Christianity. It's a symbol of the divine and its perfect balance makes it a force against disorder and evil spirits.
It would be intriguing to study a circle-based ritual by mapping the time domain into the vertical spatial domain, almost like stacking up moments in the course of the ritual, paying attention to the movement and focus of the practitioner. I bet in that circumstance, it would be possible to visualize fascinating patterns.
Splendid conversation, I enjoyed the no pressure, relaxed speak up randomly style. It’s more conducive to natural flow, which better fits with the topic. It’s too bad all of the people that talk about this stuff doesn’t seem to understand . Samadhi will be at the root of all true magic, more commonly referred to as miracles. I suggest focusing on focusing ….. this means samadhi Circles and ceremonies are simply tools to enable focusing the mind, these are not required, it’s all mind.
I study geometry for fun and wrote a book about what I discovered about the geometry of circles, especially as it relates to Mandalas/Sacred Geometry. I wonder if Magic Circles have similar 'rules' about division/proportion. What do you find most common about these designs? At a glance they are all equally divided, and points are often connected, creating star polygons. I am interested to know if the meaning, purpose, intention, rule, whatever it is that particular choice was made. We've all seen in popular culture what an upside down pentagon is for. Is there a set of 'rules' for these shapes and particular orientation?
Im curious to know if the practitioners perceive that magic works the same for everyone, or if different religious or belief groups OR talent levels or something effect how it works.
This is very interesting. I've been doing some personal, meditational experiments recently to explore the possible places where my imagination may be touching actual external spiritual phenomena, and based on the discussion of the phenomenal or haptic results of this kind of Solomonic magic, it seems like I may have stumbled into a very similar kind of magical practice without even realizing that I was doing it. Sounds like maybe I should practice circle drawing before proceeding much further just to be safe.
1:09:11 🎉 Okay, so the fictional trilogy and Djinn he references is the "Bartimaeus Sequence" - but does anyone know what the source of this later citation is? I'd love to look this up for myself, but I can't figure it out - I've probably misinterpreted the phonetics: "...I've actually encountered this idea in an early modern Grimoire, in the Latt(?) collection - so, there, I found - I actually found a warning what can happen when you're sloppy, in drawing the circle - because the spirits, they can be, really dangerous then..."
Thanks for your comment. I was refering to the "Leipzig" collection of codices magici (cod.mag.), an extensive collection of over 140 manuscripts of learned magic from the late 17th century that have survived there till this day. I wrote a book about this collection called "Magical Manuscripts in Early Modern Europe: The Clandestine Trade in Illegal Book Collections (Palgrave 2017). Unfortunately I don't recall which manuscript I've found that passage, but it may have been one of the "Höllenzwang" manuscripts in the collection. Best wishes, Bernd-Christian Otto
Me, tired but brain is still whirring, scrolling RUclips RUclips: new esoterica just dropped Me, curling up comfy in the bed with the phone set up to listen while my black kitty (Madame Heleena) is snoozing here too: “AAAAAAH YISSSSSSS” :3 (Thank you all making this content. Sincerely, the expertise and history you all bring to your specialties makes this nerd with a goth stripe so so happy)
Does spirits not crossing past swords and blades not equate to the boundary of the intellect maybe? Swords often being used as symbol of the intellect?
A couple of questions to make sure I understood: Dr. Franchetto: did you say altars were more common for communicating with angels than circles? And Prof. Selove, did you say that the portals associated with circles are associated with Baal or Bulls--there's a word I can't understand and the transcript doesn't catch it clearly (minute 12)?
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I mean, a roundtable is the best way to talk about this subject :)
This was awesome beyond words, thank you all and I am loving being a member of RESNEP. Thank you Andrea for creating such a noble community and building bridges for us all.
This is the most educational channel on RUclips. Thank you!!
Worst part about these episodes is realizing I wasn’t paying attention & having to skip back & pay attention! Which I think, is a good thing.
@@illegalwiretransfer-ex1fu Glad I’m not the only one! 🤣
Same. He has speaks with a soothing narrative.
I say it’s the best part! I love this and soak up as much as I can! I find joy in getting lost on an inflection or some idiosyncrasies.
In my experience any good set or series of information makes u go back and hear it again.
If im serious about absorbing a lecture or a vid with high quality of scholarship, I am watching closely and taking notes and rewinding A LOT
Prof. Emily Selove! Love your work! Great to see you on the channel! Thanks for inviting her Dr. Sledge!
Appreciate the discount. Thanks!
Holy fuck what a line up thank you Dr.Sledge for bringing everyone together. Really looking forward absorbing whatever information is presented!
We need an episode on the Holy Fuck.
@ it’s a delicate subject for sure!
Its hard not to swoon over Dr. skinner. That's the man right there
i know! what an absolute treasure!
On the subject of “why does a spirit care about lines drawn on the ground”: I had always wondered the same thing. One time I was have a psychedelic session with a friend. When I was listening to the music, I realized I was experiencing synesthesia. I could see the music and hear it. I then went to look at photos I had taken from a trip to Peru of some indigenous painting and pottery. I felt like I could understand what was being communicated on the pottery. Once outside of the “session” my conclusions still stood. One thing I “realized” is that the things we do on this corporeal plane, echo in other or “project” in others. I now hold a different significance for symbolism and symbology. I realize that simple pictures drawn on paper could mean much more depending on intention and the realities they are projected into.
Thats a really good take i think. I believe that the physical and visual projections we make here most definitely echo in, ripple in, or even just barely affect other realms parallel to ours at all times. But also that certain shapes and specific symbols done at certain times and places with specific intentions and words spoken do this more so. Well, im just describing the subject of the vid here - magical practice and theory. Agreed tho , in my experience yer not wrong 👍
This is so freaking awesome! Thanks to all participants. Excellent discussion. Must watch it again. Dr. Sledge, so happy to have you back! Hope you have fully recovered.
He was ill? I didn't know..
LETS GOO! More vids with Dr. Skinner please!
Definitely
Ayyy! What a collection of individuals! My excitement is immeasurable.
Thank you for this! Dr. Skinner's work has also been absolutely instrumental and life-enriching for me as well!
Glad you are felling better
we are so back!
The Circle is, to me, an expression of psychocosm as much as anything- a way for the operator to stand as, and at, the axis mundi, with the circumference representing the bounds of their world. "Deus est sphaera cuius centrum est ubique, circumferentia nusquam."
The way I describe the Personal Circle of Destreza (the geometric-philosophical school of fencing that I follow, which is also closely related to Thibault's deeply esoteric Academie de L'Espee) is: My Personal Circle is the reach of my perception and agency.
In magic, standing at the crossroads of all ways, the perception and agency can be unbounded except by the edges of reality.
if I'd waited five minutes, I would have heard the panel cover this conception :P
Interesting. I'm more a Pagan than anything, but it's still fascinating.
Wow. I'm only familiar with Thibault and his "book arithmetic" was because he might have been referenced in the original quarto for Romeo n Juliet by Shakespeare. Interesting to see this tidbit here!
I also recently posted a video on "magic Circles" and "magic grammar".
@@TR4G1CKwho do you think drew the first magic circles? 😊
@Athanatos250 Exactly lol
Dr. Justin and Dr. Skinner? Count me in
This was one of the best and coolest chats I've ever heard. Ive always been curious as to what makes a circle work. Hearing these anecdotes is impressive and look forward to learning and hearing more about these. It sounds like theres a certain amount of semiotics that should be explored as well. Im not a practitioner, but it sounds like these spirits have a certain amount of OCD... Funny because my grandma would tell me stories that one way to know if someone was a witch was to pour salt on the ground and see if they became absorbed in counting the grains. I don't think it had to be salt, but any number of granular items.
It is actually pretty well spread tradition at least in indo-european cultures and their folk-tales, some say that it's fairies others call them demons, sometimes people use salt, cheakpeace, poppy or any other kind of grain for them to count. Whoever these entitities are, they definitely have some ocd problem. Sorry for my poor English. Cheers.
YES! My favourite YT channel and my favourite author!!!!
Would have loved to hear more about the significance of the sacred geometry of magic circles especially in relation to cymatics. My theory is that the original purpose was to produce a soundwave, which would generate a shape (cymatic figure) and magic circles are just a replica of those sacred geometric patterns, but it's really all pointing back to the sound (or song, sacred words or hymns) that need to be vocalized. This was why circles were originally made with sand, salt, or other similar material, rather than drawn on canvases. My hypothesis is that it's the sound energy that binds and protects. I'm interested in hearing Dr. Skinner's ideas on this.
That is a fascinating theory, I feel this approach is inline with the importance emphasised by the Hindu Vedas on preserving the sound of words, and connected are the discovery of ancient chambers that resonant at certain frequencys and tones such as Barabar Caves
I knew as soon as I heard Mr. Otto say that the concept of the imagination having a role in magic not being a thing until around the 20th century that Justin was probably pulling at the bit to amend that comment, especially after having watched the Agrippa series lol. Definitely one of my favourite parts of discussions like this with people in different but related fields is when someone can help others fill the lacunae in their understanding or provide better clarification for misunderstandings, it makes a fruitful experience for everyone.
Thanks for your comment. I am of course aware that imagination was discussed by learned Renaissance circles (Ficino, Agrippa, Bruno etc.), but with my comment I was specifically referring to the use of imagination in the grimoire corpus, aka the Solomonic art of conjuring spirits, where it doesn't seem to be a thing until the Golden Dawn. You can read more about my thoughts on this trajectory in the introduction to my book "Fictional Practice: Magic, Narration and the Power of Imagination" (2021). Best wishes, Bernd-Christian Otto
@ I apologize for misconstruing what you meant, but thank you for clarifying!
I’d be interested to know if studying this subject from academic perspective has influenced these researchers in any way, to either start believing in magic more or the other way around?
Thank you for the serious study of theses topics. I am so tired of people treating the subjects as jokes. They were serious to the people at the time and deserve respect. Thank you.
Great topic...it's very foundational and intriguing. There was a Spanish horror film called The Day Of The Beast ,which also had a lot of comedy in it. In that film there is a magic circle scene. There comes a moment where you can tell the boundaries have been activated. Don't want to take away from this serious discussion but for some reason that's the first thing that popped in my mind when speaking about activation and boundaries.
We so back baby
I feel that the power the circle holds over the spirits is directly related to the will of the the person who drew it. They aren’t effected by lines they are effected by lines drawn with powerful will
I am happy someone knows why. I have taken for granted my own intuitive understanding.
that type of magic theory is called chaos magic
quote wikipedia:
"Scholar Hugh Urban has described chaos magic as a union of traditional occult techniques and applied postmodernism - particularly a postmodernist skepticism concerning the existence or knowability of objective truth. Namely, according to him, chaos magic rejects the existence of absolute truth, and views all occult systems as arbitrary symbol-systems that are only effective because of the belief of the practitioner."
Appreciate all you do!! You're a voice of reason and serenity in our world of uncertainty
Fascinating. As a kid there were rumors my uncle had command of a Jinn. Apparently the method he used was by drawing a circle and reading surah jinn from within the circle every night until a jinn came. He was never allowed to leave the circle or the jinn would posess him or something like that 😂
Thx Doc. As a declared materialistic, it is thoughtful of you to open your platform to practitioners.
Oh snap, Stephen Skinner. I have his book of Magician's Tables. Good stuff.
On the circles versus other shape bit, a few postulations:
-circles are equidistant. Besides being thought of as more ideal and thus invoking or containing spirits, there is no point to concentrate pressure to 'break' it, much like sharp corners are avoided on sword blades because they are stress points.
-circular towers were historically more expensive and stable than square ones, making them more resilient to sieges.
Conversely, if going by Andrea's logic, this would effectively function as a microcosm of God/The Absolute/The Monad/etc in or as it's fully transcendent form beyond the scope of the Aristotelian crystal spheres and thereby exercising supreme authority over it.
Excellent roundtable today and glad you are feeling better.
Thank you all so much!
You got steven skinner on! Holy shit he’s my favorite! His suma sacre magice comes out next month!
@@chigoonies3883 Stephan Skinner is a living legend; his personality, knowledge, etc. He is the man, no doubt.
Stephen Skinner!!! Thanks @ESOTERICA for this amazing collection and meetup!!
Thats so funny, I just received Skinner's Goetia of Dr. Rudd a couple of days ago - great coincidence
Andrea didn't waste time getting stuck in! What a great video. Thank you. Good work.
This is an excellent video. Please make more round table, dicsuccions like this. It is wonderful to hear perspectives of practitioners and scholars. And I must say this was a wonderful panel
This is really appreciated, to hear from several people who have experience is so helpful.
As far as the dismissal by Dr Skinner of imagination NOT being useful in magical practice approx 57:00 - I cant say Im an expert or master occultist/practitioner at this point, but I am sure that a person not understanding the PROFOUND and LIMITLESS essence of their own iMAGInation as a magical tool is limiting themselves to a smaller perception of that which lies beyond the 5 senses. IMO - youre not making it all up, but you're more involved in the process of its perception on another level of consciousness.
Then again I dont have initials in front of or behind my name so my understanding is not as important
I agree, altough Latin word "imago" - root of "imagination", does not have any etymological relation with Persian word "Maguš" that is the root of "Magi", "magic/magick" etc. Nonetheless I agree with your opinion according to importance of imagination in magical practice, I know practicing theurgist - Abbas the Alchemist on youtube, that made very interesting material specificaly about that.
I also do not think that phantasy and imagination are the same things, at least modern cognitivists and neurobiologists tend to differentiate these two. Cheers.
In Germanic witchcraft there is a rite sometimes called riding the dragon (there is a rite for each type of landscape). The river is considered the soul of an area and its catchment or ridge line surrounding it is poetically considered a dragon’s spine (traditionally mountains). The rite sees the witch walking this whole boundary. He or she then internalises it as symbolically her auric , ethical boundary and jurisdiction as a helping witch. (Slay the dragon, take responsibility for the gold it guarded.) (these rites are hidden in fairytales, the grimoires of witches).
Now, having done the rite, the witch can ‘summons mountains’ Or ‘summon a dragon’ as the magic circle. (I note that the Geoetian circle has a serpent around it.) it has power because it’s a real memory . The witch has authority because he/she did the rite; it’s not just metaphorical. The same goes for the knife: it’s forged during a fire rite. Consecration of items seems to be compensations for not having done the rites, or, for example, not having made your own sword etc.
Further, if the witch then retrieves a rock from each cardinal direction of his valley (of which he has traversed) he now has four legs for his altar. Another rock from the centre of the valley provides the flat table bit. Now the four angels (souls of hills) are accessible.
I love this format! If you are open to suggestions I’d love to ask the scholars to share a short bibliography so we can get our eyes on what everyone is discussing because some people are talking about texts that are less popular and can provide great insight. Love it
Welcome back, Dr. Sledge
That's Dr. Sledgehammer
My second favorite Dr Skinner!
For a minute I was very surprised that dr. Skinner - the behaviorist is still alive, chatting on Esoterica.
I was just listening to the golden book of saint Germain yesterday and ended on the electronic circle then this pops up on my feed 🤔 your channel is awesomeness
Source of the metatron circle mentioned by emily ¿ ~ 38:25
I was reading this comment when she mentioned it so yea lets have it, synchrony even got involved
PLS More!, also a small tip for anyone practicing, a camera simply will pick up more than you will expect, and magnetic compasses have more than one use.
Oh yes, bring them back. Loved this discussion. BB
Beard convention must be a coincidence :) Very good topic and round table chat - thanks.
Fairy-rings / elf-rings and the folklor around them suggest that they were kind of natural magic circles for pagan indo-european cultures.
French and Germans call them witches-circles.
In Poland we call them Czarcie kręgi. Czart/Chert was a Slavic demon that become synonymous with the devil, like many other gods and demons from around the globe, even in Poland alone: boruta, bies/bes, rokita, licho/likho. All of these entities could have richer and more complex story to them before Christianization.
What an incredible panel. Wow.
Two episodes! Friday is a great day!
Good, honest questions.
I think that one of the reasons for a circle is that it represents the infinite and the eternal. A circle then can, at once, represent the monad, and the individuals of the monad. Through the circle we are merging and representing oneness, duality, multiplicity, and bridging these worlds/dimensions. Also, as Joseph Campbell said when Bill Moyers asked him why the Native Americans always built in circles, he answered that it’s because everything we experience is circles, the horizon/the earth, a hole (portal), the eye, an eagles nest. Likewise they represent the cycles of nature, of a day, a month, a year.
Amazing episode! Loved hearing about the magic circle from so many different spiritual traditions ⭕️✨️ Awesome panel of experts!
so cool I always feel I am partaking in the Great Mysteries when I watch another one of your videos :)
Emily knows what's up!!!
Always excited to see what you’re working on!
I haven’t heard any of the speakers mention yet the notion that the magic circle is representative of the circle of the horizon, and therefore a microcosm of the observable universe.
This was amazing! Thank you.
I loved this! Please do more 😄
Bridging the gap between the academic and practitioner feels very much to be the through line of the video. However doing this in the digital format of a round table, it feels as if the participants are overly conscious of imbalance, the academics have quotations and lineages at the ready, the practitioner anecdotes. One speaks with the authority of external quotation, the other the (understandable) defensiveness of culturally discounted practical experience.
I kind of get why practitioners would be hesitant to subject themselves to translation through this medium. Experimentation with format and structure might help further bridge the gap. Can the digital medium itself be incorporated into practice? Could it be a series of 1 on 1s with a central developmental project? To draw out tensions and combinations. Many possibilities...
As always esoterica is the gold standard. Much love from the coms scholars. ❤
yess!! thanks for this
Absolutely fabulous
Very awesome conversation - thank you all.
Fantastic roundtable, guys!
Thank you for sharing this.
A world of gratitude to you, Dr. Sledge. This series has encouraged me to focus on academia, and through the lens of the occult my interest and perspective in the sciences have been greatly improved. It is especially important in times like these. Perhaps finding you when I did was more than just a coincidence ;P
We can all be friends :)
glad to hear your intro music
I find it fascinating that certain barriers were briefly described as a bubble... that's actually common practice for mentally projecting a psychic shield. Envision a bubble. The bubble being one of the most natural and simplest shapes to encompass a volume of time-space. To "lock it down" as it were, in some cases... or to create an impenetrable barrier that those that are not welcome to pass cannot pass (doesn't actually work on people or animals though. It would be nice, but there are limits to what magic can do apparently.) Whatever it's "programmed" to do, it seems to affect at the very least the mental safe-space necessary to clear one's head sometimes.
Great episode and great panel
Interesting in for me timely topic. I've recently been thinking about the purposes and methods of having a circle within my own (Gaelic) spiritual inclinations
Thanks man
The circle represented the creator and this is why the halo/circles above the holy people in Egypt and Christianity. It's a symbol of the divine and its perfect balance makes it a force against disorder and evil spirits.
It would be intriguing to study a circle-based ritual by mapping the time domain into the vertical spatial domain, almost like stacking up moments in the course of the ritual, paying attention to the movement and focus of the practitioner. I bet in that circumstance, it would be possible to visualize fascinating patterns.
Great to hear the intro music back again.
Splendid conversation, I enjoyed the no pressure, relaxed speak up randomly style. It’s more conducive to natural flow, which better fits with the topic.
It’s too bad all of the people that talk about this stuff doesn’t seem to understand . Samadhi will be at the root of all true magic, more commonly referred to as miracles. I suggest focusing on focusing ….. this means samadhi
Circles and ceremonies are simply tools to enable focusing the mind, these are not required, it’s all mind.
I study geometry for fun and wrote a book about what I discovered about the geometry of circles, especially as it relates to Mandalas/Sacred Geometry. I wonder if Magic Circles have similar 'rules' about division/proportion. What do you find most common about these designs? At a glance they are all equally divided, and points are often connected, creating star polygons. I am interested to know if the meaning, purpose, intention, rule, whatever it is that particular choice was made. We've all seen in popular culture what an upside down pentagon is for. Is there a set of 'rules' for these shapes and particular orientation?
Im curious to know if the practitioners perceive that magic works the same for everyone, or if different religious or belief groups OR talent levels or something effect how it works.
Very interesting! Great resources published by this channel
Awesome discussion
Excellent thanks so much.
Jonathan Stroud authored the Bartimaeus Trilogy and also a prequel.
Thank you, I was hoping someone could name the series and author 🙏
That was fascinating !! 🖖👏👏
Wow, great lineup
This is very interesting. I've been doing some personal, meditational experiments recently to explore the possible places where my imagination may be touching actual external spiritual phenomena, and based on the discussion of the phenomenal or haptic results of this kind of Solomonic magic, it seems like I may have stumbled into a very similar kind of magical practice without even realizing that I was doing it. Sounds like maybe I should practice circle drawing before proceeding much further just to be safe.
Amazing video, thank you so much.
Circle also symbolizes Mothers Womb, when the child is in the Womb the child is protected and nourished.
Ty enjoyed this
49:50 what is the Arabic term that the prof. Emily used? She translated it as "Realm of phantom image".
1:09:11 🎉
Okay, so the fictional trilogy and Djinn he references is the "Bartimaeus Sequence" - but does anyone know what the source of this later citation is? I'd love to look this up for myself, but I can't figure it out - I've probably misinterpreted the phonetics:
"...I've actually encountered this idea in an early modern Grimoire, in the Latt(?) collection - so, there, I found - I actually found a warning what can happen when you're sloppy, in drawing the circle - because the spirits, they can be, really dangerous then..."
For me it sounds like "Lepsy collection", but I could not find anything about it.
Thanks for your comment. I was refering to the "Leipzig" collection of codices magici (cod.mag.), an extensive collection of over 140 manuscripts of learned magic from the late 17th century that have survived there till this day. I wrote a book about this collection called "Magical Manuscripts in Early Modern Europe: The Clandestine Trade in Illegal Book Collections (Palgrave 2017). Unfortunately I don't recall which manuscript I've found that passage, but it may have been one of the "Höllenzwang" manuscripts in the collection. Best wishes, Bernd-Christian Otto
Me, tired but brain is still whirring, scrolling RUclips
RUclips: new esoterica just dropped
Me, curling up comfy in the bed with the phone set up to listen while my black kitty (Madame Heleena) is snoozing here too:
“AAAAAAH YISSSSSSS” :3
(Thank you all making this content. Sincerely, the expertise and history you all bring to your specialties makes this nerd with a goth stripe so so happy)
Does spirits not crossing past swords and blades not equate to the boundary of the intellect maybe? Swords often being used as symbol of the intellect?
A couple of questions to make sure I understood: Dr. Franchetto: did you say altars were more common for communicating with angels than circles? And Prof. Selove, did you say that the portals associated with circles are associated with Baal or Bulls--there's a word I can't understand and the transcript doesn't catch it clearly (minute 12)?
About to read Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus this is a nice prelude…
The logos is the key, be it in the form of geomety or speech; the exchage around macrocosm/microcosm and Aristotle began to touch upon this.
We use circles because we can't draw spheres on the floor.
How could I not click on this when it showed up on my feed with exactly 666 views?
yes, the squares have gates!