The Spirit Box Podcast

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