S2 #82 / Tracy St. Croi on Mediumship, boundaries and Haunted Road Trips2
In todays episode, I sit down with medium Tracy St. Croi from Austin, Texas. Tracy shares her journey into mediumship, from her first encounters with spirits to her intensive training at the Arthur Findlay College in England. We talk about the challenges of embracing psychic gifts, the ethics of mediumship, and why boundaries are essential when dealing with the spirit world.Tracy also tells me about her hit TV series Haunted Road Trips Show—currently number one on Binge TV—which takes a fresh, educational approach to paranormal investigation. She recounts standout cases, including the Black Swan Inn in San Antonio, the Kyle Pioneer Cemetery, and even a haunted doll with a story of its own.In the Plus Show, Tracy and I go deeper into the soul’s journey, past lives, reincarnation, and the ethical responsibilities of psychic mediums. We also discuss how to find a trustworthy mentor, set boundaries with spirit, and what’s coming up in season two of Haunted Road Trips Show.Show notes:The Haunted Road trips show https://www.youtube.com/@HauntedRoadTripsShowTracy's website https://www.tracystcroimedium.comThe Arthur Findlay College https://www.arthurfindlaycollege.orgTracy's Patreon https://www.patreon.com/hauntedroadtripsshowInstagram https://www.instagram.com/tracyst.croimediumBinge TV https://trybinge.tv/programs/haunted-road-trips-showKeep in touch?https://linktr.ee/darraghmason
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S2 #81 / Dr Andrew Manns on Aradia & Roma Lister
In this episode of Spirit Box, I am joined by Dr Andrew Manns to discuss his forthcoming book, Aradia’s Hidden Hand: The Untold Life of Roma Lister (Hexen Press, September release).The conversation explores Roma Lister’s overlooked role in Victorian spiritualism and the occult, from her collaborations with Charles Godfrey Leland—including her involvement in the famous Aradiamanuscript—to her contributions as a folklorist, occult writer, and mentor. Dr Manns traces her connections with Italian folk witchcraft and prominent figures such as Baroness Julia Rosencrantz, and her experimental blend of séances, folk magic, and Theosophy.Andrew also shares fresh insights into Leland’s influence on modern witchcraft, particularly how Aradia shaped Doreen Valiente’s Wiccan rituals, as well as his own discovery of newly uncovered correspondences between Leland and Lister.This is a show rich with the hidden histories of folklore, witchcraft, and Victorian spiritualism, shining new light on a woman whose legacy has long been obscured.Show notes:About the book https://www.hexen.fr/blog-hexen/livres/aradias-hidden-hand-the-untold-life-of-roma-listerThe Thinkers Garden https://thethinkersgarden.comRoma Lister https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roma_ListerCharles G. Leland https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Godfrey_LelandAradia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aradiaorthe_Gospel_of_the_WitchesDoreen Valiente https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doreen_ValienteKeep in touch?https://linktr.ee/darraghmason
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S2 #80 / Douglas Batchelor on Fatherhood, Art and the ineffable
In this episode, I sit down with my friend and fellow podcaster Douglas Batchelor of What Magic Is This? for a conversation about the mysterious spark at the heart of art and creativity.Douglas has recently become a father and we kick off our chat on how family life reshapes our relationship with creativity—how the presence of children can sharpen your awareness of time, deepen your sense of wonder, and remind you of the importance of passing on what truly matters.From there, we explore how poetry, photography, music, and even comics can reach beyond explanation to move us in ways that hint at the ineffable. I share my thoughts on the instinctive side of photography—especially street photography that captures fleeting moments with emotional force—while Douglas and I discuss the power of music, the strange nostalgia of childhood comics, and the shifting landscape of cinema, from Nosferatu on the big screen to today’s spectacle-driven blockbusters. We continue the conversation for another 45 minutes in the plus show and get into some rich territory.What emerges is a meditation on creativity as something universal and timeless: the drive to make meaning, to capture the ineffable, and to pass along works that connect us across generations.Show notes:What Magic is This? https://whatmagicisthis.comMaster and Commander (film) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHTHCNYiiHkNosferatu (film) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nulvWqYUM8kOscar Peterson (jazz pianist) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTJhHn-TuDY&list=RDNTJhHn-TuDY&start_radio=1“Video nasties” — UK horror film ban in the 1980s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_nastyW.B. Yeats (poet) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WB.YeatsYeats - Easter 1916 https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43289/easter-1916Yeats - Sailing to Byzantium https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43291/sailing-to-byzantiumYeats - The Circus animals desertion https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43299/the-circus-animals-desertionEmily Dickinson (poet) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_DickinsonEmily Dickinson - I felt a funeral, in my brain, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45706/i-felt-a-funeral-in-my-brain-340Protestant Ascendancy (historical context in Dublin architecture) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_AscendancyLascaux's Prehistoric Cave Paintings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnSq0c7jM-A&t=1sFelix Thiollier (photographer) https://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/whats-on/exhibitions/presentation/felix-thiollier-1842-1914-photographsThe Horse Trainer by Felix Thiollier 1899 https://pixels.com/featured/the-horse-trainer-by-felix-thiollier-orca-art-gallery.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqsPCE1575mUAZYSB-udx0zjLW1ok5vaB6pPHdgPFSglmb9CiD2Keep in touch?https://linktr.ee/darraghmason
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S2 #79 / Gabriel Kennedy on RAW, the Púca and quantum theory.
In this episode of Spirit Box, I sit down with Gabriel, author of Chapel Perilous: The Life and Thought Crimes of Robert Anton Wilson, for a deep dive into the wild and weird territory Wilson loved to inhabit—where Irish folklore, psychedelic exploration, and quantum physics intersect.Gabriel takes us into Wilson’s 1975 encounter with a Celtic Púca—part holy guardian angel, part mischievous trickster—and shows how this moment connects to his fascination with the “Celtic roots” of quantum theory. We get into William Rowan Hamilton’s strange mathematics that became essential to Schrödinger’s equation, the playful logic of the Irish language, and how Finnegans Wakesomehow helped name a subatomic particle.In The Plus Show Gabriel and I dig into Wilson’s spontaneous remote viewing experience that took place the exact same day the CIA’s Project Stargate psychics were in action. We also explore his magical practices, the Sirius connection, and his puckish dismantling of conspiracy culture.It’s a conversation that moves between myth and mathematics, with plenty of mischievous detours—very much in the spirit of Bob himself.Show notes:Gabriel Kennedy https://chapelperilous.usGet the book https://www.lulu.com/shop/gabriel-kennedy-and-douglas-rushkoff-and-grant-morrison-and-laura-kang/chapel-perilous/paperback/product-kvmj4v2.html?srsltid=AfmBOoojOH_J04aew2Q7N-jXvdL6A_HjRxLDdsMqSI4FIcYzN5L7phqL&page=1&pageSize=4Robert Anton Wilson: Talks About the Pooka. The Giant Rabbit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfKVaMO7QngThe Celtic Roots of Quantum Theory https://sites.google.com/site/onlymaybe/course-notes-and-syllabus/celtic-roots-of-quantum-theory?utm_source=chatgpt.comRAW books https://rawilson.com/books/?utm_source=chatgpt.comIngrid Cold. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indrid_ColdThe Complete SECRET CIPHER Of the UfOnauts https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-SECRET-CIPHER-UfOnauts/dp/171864535XIngrid Cold phone call https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INtbv3cd1BADonnie Darko https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZyBaFYFySkWoodrow Derenberger talks about his 1966 UFO sighting & encounter with a humanoid named Indrid Cold https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP_NFPjgCXAThe Púca https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PúcaWilliam Rowan Hamilton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Rowan_HamiltonFinnegans Wake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnegans_WakeKeep in touch?https://linktr.ee/darraghmasonMusic by Obliqka https://soundcloud.com/obliqka
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S2 #78 / Aidan Wachter on Animism, Magic & The End of Easy Answers
In this episode of Spirit Box, I catch up with Aidan Wachter for a long overdue catch up on writing, magic, and what it means to stay human while the world feels like it’s cracking open.Aidan shares where he’s at with his latest book on animism — moving away from the old idea of manifesting stuff and into something deeper. He even talks about receiving guidance from on his walks, which, if you know Aidan, makes perfect sense.We dig into the weird pressure to have a book in print as some kind of spiritual badge of honour, and an indicator of having maxed out your practice which is rarely the case!We also talk about the messy association of magic and money — how people still expect quick wealth as proof that the magic works, when the reality is far more complex. From there, we drift into the state of things — how so many systems are failing and might shift radically in the next decade, and how we try to keep our heads and hearts intact through it all.In the Plus show, we share how we’re both finding community and mental balance these days. How changes that we've made have given benefits in kind. We discuss how the systems of Empire that are damaging people, and the quiet importance of self-reliance and local knowledge. It’s all part of the same question: how do we stay human, stay connected, and keep the spirit alive against the backdrop of a changing and volatile world?Show notes:https://www.aidanwachter.comhttps://www.patreon.com/c/aidanwachter/postsKeep in touch?https://linktr.ee/darraghmason
SPIRIT BOX
A podcast exploring folklore, esoterica and the mysteries of spirit world. From the secrets of the Jinn to the whisperings of demons and everything in between.
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