Episode 31: The Feast of Saint Anthony the Great

Radio Free Golgotha - Radio Free Golgotha

New Year! New episode! Happy Feast of St Anthony the Great! (aka Anthony of Egypt, Anthony of the Desert, Anthony the Hermit, and more!)

Welcome one and all to our thirty-first very special episode of Radio Free Golgotha, and our seven year anniversary! We are delighted to mark and celebrate the Feast of Saint Anthony the Great, and offer you some tempting co-rambles and enthusings on hermitude, satyrs, and what happens in the wilderness that may or may not stay in the wilderness…

We are also honoured to mark the one-year anniversary of the passing of our friend and yours, the late Jake Stratton-Kent, and to celebrate his work, his life, and his influence in all things folk necromantic and beyond.

We begin as is our custom by discussing the legacy and lessons of the Father of Monasticism, (the other) Saint Anthony, offering some appreciation and sympathies for being bothered by demons, considering how pagan spirits are said to have got religion, and reflecting on how exactly a “desert” was depicted by medieval artists who may have never actually seen one.

This episode is also brought to you by extended discussion of the demon Scirlin, that intermediary spirit par excellence of the Grimorium Verum; tracing this most potent spirit through a range of historical manuscripts and comparing their intermediary role with fellow GV intermediary Duke Syrach, as well as the offices of Tantavalerion and Golgothiell in the wider early modern goetic corpus.

Our frothily-lauded flora of the day is Hops which we celebrate for its hop(e)ful blessings of sleep, dream, and of course beer; that most delectable fermented plant ally and patron of after-conference drinks and discussion, especially for the (AL EDIT: totally reasonable and normal) amount of pints that English magicians can put away.

Our mineral of the day is the mighty and true-moving Lodestone, whom we honour for its magnetism (however that works), its historical model of sympathetic action-at-a-distance, and its folkloric links to Polaris and the beams of both the stars and our ceilings; as well as getting very excited about its Adamical historiola and mysteries, and how we compass our morals, our practices, and our hearts.

Being an episode dedicated to JSK, we could not but make his favourite grimoire, the Grimorium Verum, our style of magic; discussing its sinister reputation as an infamous handbook of black magic, its pagan roots, and its immense practicality of use; via detailed reflection on (inter alia) the First Character, the Orison of (any and all) Instruments, the spellcrafts of the GV’s Natural & Supernatural Secrets, and of course the adoptions/adaptations of components of its hierarchy and infrastructure into traditions of Quimbanda.

Our patron geomantic figure for this very special episode is Albus, the white-haired peaceful sage in the library tending to the yellowing scrolls and tomes that make up the bodies of work of our predecessors, considering its capacities to throw necromantic dance parties, and comparing this figure to its counterparted homo-form Odu Oturopon Meji, to consider cats, divined destinies, and ways to live our best lives.

Our Tarot Arcana of the episode is, naturally, The Devil, prompting considerations of demonic pacts, what we chain ourselves to, and how to keep the home hellfires burning in the face of temptations, intoxications, ego, and the costs as well as benefits of our decisions down at the crossroads.

Lastly, though certainly never least-ly, we dedicate this episode to the late Jake Stratton-Kent most directly by nominating him our beloved Dead Magician of the hour, as we honour, remember, and express gratitude for his influence, his friendship, and his passionate rabble-rousing: from his monumental Encyclopedia Goetica and other revolutionising books on magic, to his spearheading of renewed interest in Paracelsian, Albertine and Cyprianic traditions in grimoire magic, and from his championing of the importance of the Underworld in grounded sublunary cosmo-visions, to his advocacy for folkloric spirits and elementals as a crucial part of the deeper grimoiric traditions.

We hope, as always, you enjoy these discussions and delved tangents in the spirit of after-hours chatter and camaraderie they were recorded in. Also as always please check back here on the website for updates on classes, conference presentations, and more from both the Goat and the Good Doctor. Cheers!

We will continue to update the website and our facebook page when footnotes become available.

This episode is also available on Youtube and Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Astrachios, Asac, Acra Bedrimuliel, Silat, Arabonas, Irehalem, Ideodoc, Archarzel, Blautel, Baracata, Adonai, Elohim, Emagro, Abragateh, Samoel, Geburahel, Cadato, Era, Elohi, Achsah, Ebmisha, Imachadel, Daniel, Dama, Elamos, Izachel, Bael, Scirlin; Genium Domos.

This pint’s on us, Jake!

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