The Spirit Box Podcast

What happens when a photograph captures something more than the photographer intended?In this episode of Spirit Box, I speak with photographer and author Edward Thompson about The Photographer's Grimoire, an extraordinary exploration of the intersection between photography, synchronicity and the occult.With 26 years of experience as a documentary photographer, Edward began noticing increasingly unusual coincidences in his work: photographs that seemed to anticipate events, images containing unexpected symbolic relationships, and encounters that appeared to transcend ordinary explanations. What began as a series of curious incidents developed into a seven-year investigation into what he calls visionary photography.Edward has developed an intriguing taxonomy of photographic synchronicities, exploring everything from the decisive moment and visual allegory to foreshadowing and the strange relationship between the photographer, the subject and the act of looking.Our conversation ranges across documentary photography, Zen Buddhism, chaos magic, shamanism and the nature of reality itself. Edward also recounts a remarkable series of encounters at the Devil's Museum in Lithuania, including an experience that left him wondering whether he had encountered something altogether more sinister.We discuss the spiritual dimensions of photography, the mysteries of coincidence, and whether the camera might be doing considerably more than simply recording the world in front of it.Is photography a means of capturing reality, or can it become a way of participating in something beyond it?This is a fascinating conversation about images, magic and the Great Mysteries. If you enjoyed the show come and listen to the full version on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/c/spiritbox.Show notes:Edward Thompson – https://www.edwardthompson.co.ukThe Photographer's Grimoire: https://www.edwardthompson.co.uk/thep...Kickstarter – https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...Pictures on My Mind: https://www.youtube.com/@PicturesOnMyMindhttps://www.instagram.com/mredthompson/Keep in touch?https://linktr.ee/darraghmason

In this episode of Spirit Box, I’m joined by Peter Mark Adams to discuss his research into ritual symbolism, ancient mystery cults and the archaeological sites that continue to challenge our understanding of human civilisation.Peter shares insights from his book The Game of Saturn, exploring the ritual symbolism of the Renaissance Sola-Busca tarocchi and the deeper social and political implications of these practices. We discuss his ongoing course on the Sola-Busca’s ritual symbolism, how ritual may have shaped Renaissance culture, and why his research has received relatively little attention from mainstream academia despite the book being available in major research libraries for years.We also explore the relationship between spiritual development, mystery traditions and the evolution of religious thought. Peter considers how ancient initiatory practices sought to move individuals beyond their limited sense of self, and how mystical traditions were marginalised as religious institutions became increasingly aligned with imperial power.A major focus of our conversation is Peter’s research into Roman Mithraism. He outlines his theories concerning the cult’s origins, the role of the Magi as ritual specialists, the significance of Mount Nemrut, and the possible connections between Mithraic ritual, ancient Iranian traditions and the wider religious landscape of Anatolia. We also discuss the spread of Mithraism through the Roman Empire and the fascinating Roman practice of evocatio, through which the gods of an enemy were invited to abandon their people and join Rome.Our discussion then turns to the extraordinary archaeological discoveries emerging from Göbekli Tepe, Karahan Tepe and the wider Taş Tepeler region of southeastern Turkey. These prehistoric sites are forcing archaeologists to reconsider established assumptions about early human societies, ritual, art and the development of civilisation. Peter shares his thoughts on ancestral veneration, shamanic practices and the possible significance of these monumental sacred landscapes.We also discuss the origins of Indo-European languages, competing theories about early human migration, and the importance of approaching the distant past with an open mind while distinguishing evidence from speculation.Finally, Peter tells me about his forthcoming archaeological tour of Turkey, which will include Göbekli Tepe, Karahan Tepe and the remarkable Zeugma mosaics.From Renaissance ritual to the mysteries of the ancient world, this is a conversation about the hidden structures of religion, the power of symbolism and what the past might reveal about humanity's continuing search for meaning.Show notes:Peter’s Patreon  https://www.patreon.com/cw/PeterMarkAdams/posts Esoteric tour with Peter https://www.esoteric-tours.com/new-pageTour brochure https://l1nq.com/8lxv49kThe Game of Saturn new edition https://scarletimprint.com/publicatio...Sola-Busca Tarocchi https://www.britishmuseum.org/collect...Ritual & Epiphany in the Mysteries of Mithras. The Secret Cult of Saturn in Imperial Rome. https://theionpublishing.com/shop/pma...Göbekli Tepe https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1572/My Göbekli Tepe gallery from 2013 https://www.darraghmason.com/index/G0...My Şanlıurfa gallery 2013 https://www.darraghmason.com/index/G0...Taş Tepeler https://www.tastepeler.net/Karahan Tepe https://tastepeler.org/en/settlements...Mount Nemrut https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/448/Zeugma https://zeugma.org.tr/en-gb/Baraka https://www.barakasamsara.com/baraka/...Baraka Full Film    • Baraka 1992  Samsara Mount Nemrut https://www.barakasamsara.com/samsara...Samsara trailer    • Samsara Official Trailer #1 (2012) Interna...  Samsara Mount Nemrut 46 sec in    • Samsara. Ron Fricke. 2011.  Mount Nemrut video credits SERHAT TUĞ, PexelsKeep in touch?https://linktr.ee/darraghmason

In this episode of Spirit Box, I’m joined by psychic, teacher and ceremonial magician Raya Thorne to explore psychic ability, trauma, the subconscious and the difficult question of how we distinguish intuition from the workings of our own minds.Raya discovered her psychic abilities as a child. For years she suppressed these experiences because of the fear of being judged, before eventually beginning to explore them seriously during the lockdowns in New Zealand.We talk about how her abilities developed, the discovery that psychic experiences run through her family, and the different ways psychic information can present itself, through images, sounds, words, sensations and intuition.From there, we get into the relationship between psychic development and ceremonial magic, including Raya's work with spirit guides and the subconscious. We discuss why she believes psychic development isn't simply about learning to receive information, but about learning to observe and understand your own mind.We also explore trauma, the different parts of the mind, the fear of being seen, spiritual bypassing and the importance of discernment when seeking help. Raya explains why she is wary of practitioners offering magical quick fixes for psychological problems, and why anyone exploring psychic or spiritual practices needs to develop the ability to question their own experiences as well as embrace them.Along the way, we talk about my own experiences with psychic phenomena and magic, my family's relationship with these subjects, and why exploring the strange and uncomfortable parts of human experience can sometimes lead us towards a more authentic version of ourselves.It's a conversation about psychic ability, but also about the mind, trauma, magic, intuition and the uncomfortable process of figuring out what we're actually experiencing.Show notes:https://www.rayathorne.comhttps://www.instagram.com/rayathornehttps://www.youtube.com/@rayathorneKeep in touch?https://linktr.ee/darraghmason

In this episode I sit down with Aidan for a wide-ranging conversation that starts with a personal catch-up and somehow takes us into animism, anarchism, mutual aid, sustainability and the possibility of creating a very different kind of society. Now this was recorded a few month ago (I've had a lot of life admin!) so some of the work Aidan mentions is out of date but you can find his latest offerings on his Patreon, the links to which are in the show notes.Aidan talks about his forthcoming book, Spirit and Stone: Animism in the Old Lines, his trance courses and his recent work within the pagan and occult community. From there, we get into the bigger questions about where we are as a society — and where we might go from here.We talk about Aidan’s After the Fall project and the idea of imagining a future beyond what he describes as “empire”: a society based more on care, cooperation and shared resources, rather than accumulation, scarcity and authoritarian power.We explore animism and mutual aid, community gardens, food sharing and the informal networks that already exist around us. We ask whether cooperation might actually be more fundamental to human and ecological life than the competitive model we've been taught to accept.We also get into some difficult territory. Why do people continue defending systems they know aren't working? Why have we tied so much of our identity and self-worth to money, work and material success? And how do we respond to scarcity, polarisation and the concentration of power without simply reproducing the same structures we're trying to move beyond?For me, one of the most interesting parts of this conversation is the question of whether we can actually imagine something different and whether imagining it is the first step towards making it possible.From ancestral “old lines” and trance work to permaculture, mutual aid and alternative ways of organising society, this is a conversation about awakening, resilience and the long, often difficult process of creating change, one person, one community and one generation at a time.Show notes:https://www.patreon.com/cw/aidanwachterKeep in touch?https://linktr.ee/darraghmason

In this episode, I sit down with Miss Vendredi as she shares what it feels like to watch a war unfold in real time in the place she calls home. It’s been less than two weeks since the conflict began, and she describes the surreal, disorienting experience of seeing her own city appear on international news—under attack. Her family and friends are safe for now, but the emotional weight of constant alerts, uncertainty, and distance is immense.As we talk, it becomes clear that this didn’t begin with the first strike. Miss Vendredi tells me about the disturbing dreams and impressions she experienced in the weeks leading up to the conflict—something she connects to her ongoing work with the jinn. Normally, these spirits communicate in subtle, emotional currents, but lately, she says, that contact has become chaotic, urgent, almost frantic. It mirrors the state of the world itself.We move between the personal and the global. With tensions rising across multiple regions, Miss Vendredi is planning a group ritual for her community—an act of protection, maybe even resistance. From there, we get into the structure of jinn society: kings, elders, vast tribal networks, and their deep ties to land and culture.We talk about the fae, about taboos and bargains, and how different cultures describe strikingly similar encounters with non-human intelligences. From changelings in rural Ireland to jinn encounters across the Muslim world, the patterns are hard to ignore.Toward the end, Miss Vendredi opens up about how her own practice has shifted. She’s moved into more specialised work and tells me about strange warnings she believes she received before all of this began.This conversation moves through grief, fear, folklore, and spirit contact—but underneath it all is a single, uneasy feeling: that something is happening not just in our world, but alongside it.Show notes:[email protected] Vendredi’s Pharaohs Club : https://buymeacoffee.com/mademoisellevKeep in touch?https://linktr.ee/darraghmason

What happens when you take ceremonial magic out of the ritual room and into the fields? This week I sat down once again with Todd Elliott, author of the newly released The Cunning Farmer: Agrarian Magical Practices, Mythology, and Folklore, to explore the rich intersection of esoteric tradition and working the land.Todd shares his journey from urban life to farming in Kentucky, where over nearly three decades he has woven together Western ceremonial magic, astrology, animism, and shamanic practice into a living, breathing spiritual path rooted in the soil. Drawing on the cunning folk of 17th-century Britain, the folklore collected by James Frazer and Alexander Carmichael, and the philosophical traditions of Hermeticism and Neoplatonism, Todd has developed a uniquely eclectic approach to land-based magic that is both historically grounded and deeply personal.Together we dig into how astrology and magic actually work, the role of spirits and consciousness in the natural world, and why restoring a sense of the sacred to agriculture matters more than ever. Todd also shares stories of ancient Adena mounds and Paleo-Indian arrowheads found on his own land, and reflects on what it means to work with the spirits of a place with respect and reverence.Whether you're a seasoned practitioner or simply curious about the magical traditions woven into our relationship with nature, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.Show notes:The Cunning Farmer is available now.https://thecunningfarmer.substack.comKeep in touch?https://linktr.ee/darraghmason

In this episode of Spirit Box, I sit down with Dr. Lenni George to talk about her new book, The Rites of Hekate: From the Dirt to the Divine. Released in December and praised by Peter Mark Adams, it’s a rare work that stands firmly in both scholarship and lived devotional practice without compromising either.We explore how the book came into being, and the very personal experiences that shaped it. Lenni shares the story of creating her moon and poison gardens — six white-flowering beds dedicated to lunar rites, a Strophalos wheel set into the soil, and a dark moon garden of baneful plants. What began as a strange inner shove became something tangible, culminating in the discovery of an old key unearthed from the earth — a potent symbol for a goddess of thresholds.Our conversation moves into a powerful regression hypnotherapy session in which Lenni encountered herself as a deaf beggar woman in medieval Europe. That experience took on deeper meaning as she was writing about Hekate’s hordes — the gathering of the lost and the forgotten. Later, while teaching in Greece, she saw how deeply that current resonated with others who recognized their own experiences of grief, death, and exile within it.We also discuss:Hekate’s evolution from pre-Olympian titaness to Chaldean cosmic mediator — and her later distortion during the witch trials into a dark caricature of feminine power.How patriarchal narratives reshaped the image of the goddess, and why her resurgence now feels culturally significant.Lenni’s four-quadrant magical framework — beginning with dirt, ancestry, and embodied practice before reaching toward the cosmic and ceremonial.The necessity of critical thinking, ethical boundaries, and non-transactional devotion in serious magical work.Lenni also shares her transpersonal work, including encounters within what she calls her “inner lab,” and a striking experience with an entity known as the Timekeeper that reframed a personal health crisis through symbolic ritual.In the Plus Show, we go deeper into liminality — not as an aesthetic, but as a lived condition. We unpack Hekate’s role as psychopomp and threshold-walker, the metaphysics of in-between states, and why so many modern practitioners feel called to borderlands — social, ancestral, ecological, and spiritual. We talk crossroads rituals, altered states, hybrid identities, and the initiatory tension of standing between worlds.This is a conversation about soil and scholarship. About lost souls and moonlit rites. About grounding devotion in ethics and lived experience while still daring to stand at the crossroads.If you feel called to the threshold, this one’s for you.Show notes:Get the Book: https://www.foyles.co.uk/book/the-rites-of-hekate/dr-lenni-george/9781916756373?srsltid=AfmBOoqJkwtxuSU8BbDyfflNp0dyjadqJd2KLlCsGGCvn-2qyw6hGgpDHouse of Zophiel (Events) https://www.houseofzophiel.com/Voice of Zophiel Podcast https://houseofzophiel.libsyn.com/

In this episode of Spirit Box, I’m joined by author, creative director, and hypnotist Angel Millar to discuss his book Transcend the Chaos—a sharp and timely guide to navigating modern life in the age of artificial intelligence and what’s been called “liquid modernity.”Angel introduces the framework of the Six C’s—Connection, Creativity, Craft, Culture, Character, and Consciousness—and makes the case that in an unstable world, these deeply human qualities are no longer optional. We explore why most companies haven’t meaningfully benefited from AI despite the hype, why younger generations may be absorbing unseen costs, and why the real survival guide for the future is less about technology and more about character.We talk architecture, ritual and the erosion of meaning, martial arts as philosophical training, and why voluntarily facing difficulty builds resilience. Angel shares insights from his background in hypnosis, including the power of self-talk and self-hypnosis as tools for relaxation, creativity, and personal transformation.The conversation ranges widely—from presence and authority to the strategic use of strangeness, from habit formation and ten-minute disciplines to sleep, diet, and the importance of deep conversations in a world dominated by distraction.We also touch on mythology, the supernatural feminine, and the forgotten philosophical roots embedded in everyday cultural practices.This is a grounded, practical, and wide-ranging discussion about cultivating structure, meaning, and strength in a chaotic age. If you’re feeling the pressure of rapid change, this one offers perspective—and a path forward.Show notes:Angel Millar https://angelmillar.comAngel's insta https://www.instagram.com/angel.millar_author/Keep in touch?https://linktr.ee/darraghmason

In this episode of Spirit Box, I’m joined by Jonas Kristensen, a Reiki master from Denmark whose journey into energy healing and spiritual practice began with a profound awakening in his early twenties. Jonas comes from a background in podcasting and video creation, and now runs popular YouTube channels dedicated to Reiki healing, hypnosis, and mantra work.We talk about the books, experiences, and inner shifts that first opened him to expanded states of consciousness — from reading I Am the Word to experiencing powerful energy activations that changed the course of his life. Jonas shares how he focused on service to humanity, and how this led him to explore pranic healing and the transformative Twin Hearts Meditation.Jonas also opens up about his kundalini awakening and how it propelled him toward becoming a Reiki master. He explains Reiki as a universal life force that supports not only physical healing, but spiritual development, manifestation, and personal evolution. We explore what it really takes to walk this path — the lifestyle changes, character refinement, and heightened awareness that come with long-term energy work.We discuss the Twin Hearts Meditation in depth, its emphasis on selflessness and planetary healing, and why Jonas continues to recommend it even as his own practice evolves. He shares how he creates accessible Reiki sessions online, and why he encourages people to commit to at least 30 days of practice to develop genuine sensitivity and trust in the process.Our conversation also covers Reiki as a tool for manifestation, the balance between serving others and pursuing personal goals, and the idea of working in alignment with one’s highest good — even when that involves difficult lessons. Jonas reflects on how, over years of practice, his energy system has transformed, shifting from localised sensations to a full-body channel for healing and awareness.In the Plus Show, we explore themes of ascension, soul purpose, and spiritual discipline in modern life. Jonas offers practical advice for overcoming blockages and procrastination, speaks about protection through higher vibration, and touches on angelic realms, subtle entities, and the importance of embodied practice over abstract theory.Show notes:Reiki Master - Jonas Kristensen: Focused on Reiki energy healing sessions and spiritual guidance. www.youtube.com/@ReikiMasterJonasDivine Manifestor - Mantra Music and Reiki Healing: Offering mantra music combined with Reiki healing to facilitate meditation and manifestation practices. hwww.youtube.com/@divinemanifestorHypno Guru - Subliminal, Reiki, and Hypnosis: Focused on a combination of subliminals messages, reiki and hypnosis techniques for personal development. www.youtube.com/@HypnoGuru1111Maestro De Reiki - Jonas Kristensen: Free Reiki healing and empowerment aimed at helping the spanish speaking population. www.youtube.com/@ReikiMasterJonasSpanishKeep in touch?https://linktr.ee/darraghmason

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, I’m joined by folklorist and writer Icy Sedgwick to celebrate the release of her new book Bring Me Love — a deep dive into the strange, beautiful, and sometimes unsettling traditions of love magic.We begin by talking about why it might make the perfect gift for lovers of folklore and the esoteric. From there, our conversation wanders through centuries of romantic divination, courtship rituals, and charm magic, including dumb cakes, St Mark’s Eve rituals, wishing wells, and the curious payments once made to fairies.Icy explains how love charms were passed down orally, how mistakes became tradition, and why simple, material-free magic was often the most powerful. She explains everyday divination with cheese, eggs, and household objects, and looks into deep connections between plants, flowers, and courtship — from yarrow and hemp seed spells to the Victorian language of flowers and the dangerous allure of the mandrake.We also venture into darker territory, with stories of poppets, sympathetic magic, and unsettling historical love spells, alongside more playful customs like shoe-throwing for marriage, Valentine’s bird omens, and cowslip divination games.In the Plus show we continue with Poppets, cartomancy and magic to stop one's lover straying. We also get into Icy's other work on ghostlore from around the world. And Icy tells me about her upcoming projects exploring Northumberland’s rich mythic landscape.It’s a wide-ranging, thoughtful, and often humorous conversation about love, magic, and the human need to seek connection — whether through flowers, charms, spirits, or superstition.Show notes:Get the book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bring-Me-Love-Finding-Divination/dp/1786789744/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0Icy's Books: https://www.icysedgwick.com/books/Fabulous Folklore Podcast: https://pod.co/fabulous-folklore-with-icyIcy's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/icysedgwickIcy's Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ladyicypopKeep in touch?https://linktr.ee/darraghmason