Ep.5: Douglas Batchelor – The Art and Science of Having Fun Doing Weird Shit

Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

In this friendly exchange, Douglas Batchelor tells us about his personal views on magic and a bit on his own practices. We also explore the notion of (free?) will, its place in magical application and in discarnate entities. Plus, Douglas recounts his “scrying using an iPad’s screen” experience!

*** ABOUT DOUGLAS ***

Mostly known for being the creator and the host of the What Magic is This? podcast, Douglas Batchelor has been practicing magic for the last 20 years. Although his personal practices are centred in, quote, « goetic, necromantic nigromancy, with flourishes of greco-egyptian shenanigans », his passion and enthusiasm for all things magical are perfectly illustrated by the wide array of topics and guests appearing on his show.

To learn more about Douglas’ work: www.whatmagicisthis.com

*** STUFF MENTIONED IN THE SHOW ***

• Eric Wargo’s book Time Loops
• Gary Lachman’s book Dreaming Ahead of Time
• What Magic Is This? episode on Paracelsus
• The Emerald  Podcast

*** TIMESTAMPS ***

0:00:00 Introduction

0:07:36 INTERVIEW BEGINS

0:11:03 Philosophical blockage in magic

0:19:32 Dominic: A moral grounding for the practice

0:22:57 Can magic be a « tool » for self-knowledge?

0:28:38 « Getting paid and getting laid » VS « meeting the Holy guardian angel »

0:32:37 Enchanting one’s life

0:34:08 What kind of magician is Douglas?

0:40:06 « What actually do you do? »

0:42:16 Mystics and seekers

0:47:43 Following the flow of Nature

0:49:43 (Free?) will and magic

1:03:06 Discarnate entities: complex and sentient, or ideas and archetypes

1:15:40 Black mirrors and Douglas using an iPad to do scrying

1:25:21 Greco-Egyptian magic and advice for starting in magic

1:30:33 The least professional ending of a podcast ever