ANGELA'S SYMPOSIUM 📖 Academic Study on Witchcraft, Paganism, esotericism, magick and the Occult

Dr Angela Puca

As an academic and university lecturer in Philosophy and Religious Studies, I'll share peer-reviewed research on MAGIC, ESOTERICISM, WITCHCRAFT, PAGANISM, SHAMANISM and related currents. CONNECT & SUPPORT💖 https://linktr.ee/angela_symposium Become a Paid Subscriber: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drangelapuca/subscribe

  1. 5 DAYS AGO

    Universal Divine or Cultural Construct? Perennialism vs Constructivism

    Is there such a thing as a universal human experience of the divine, or are all encounters shaped by culture, language, and power? In this video, we explore the classic debate between perennialism and constructivism, from William James and Mircea Eliade to Steven Katz, Talal Asad, and beyond. Drawing on philosophy, anthropology, psychology, and neuroscience, we look at how claims of universality are entangled with history and how particular traditions cultivate what we call “religious experience.” CONNECT & SUPPORT💖 MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/courses WEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletter BOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/services BECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapuca SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapuca ONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposium JOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/join MY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86 MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/ FOLLOW ME👣 - YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟 - Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸 - TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵 - Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦 - Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥 RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖 REFERENCES 📚 Asad, T. (1993). Genealogies of religion: Discipline and reasons of power in Christianity and Islam. Johns Hopkins University Press. Beauregard, M., & Paquette, V. (2006). Neural correlates of a mystical experience in Carmelite nuns. Neuroscience Letters, 405(3), 186–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2006.06.060 Boyer, P. (2001). Religion explained: The evolutionary origins of religious thought. Basic Books. d’Aquili, E., & Newberg, A. (1993). Religious and mystical states: A neuropsychological model. Zygon, 28(2), 177–200. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9744.1993.tb00918.x d’Aquili, E., & Newberg, A. (1999). The mystical mind: Probing the biology of religious experience. Fortress Press. Eliade, M. (1958). Patterns in comparative religion. Sheed & Ward. Forman, R. K. C. (1990). The problem of pure consciousness: Mysticism and philosophy. Philosophy East and West, 40(4), 463–483. https://doi.org/10.2307/1399452 Forman, R. K. C. (1999). Mysticism, mind, consciousness. State University of New York Press. Fuller, C. J. (1992). The camphor flame: Popular Hinduism and society in India. Princeton University Press. Hood, R. W., Jr. (1975). The construction and preliminary validation of a measure of reported mystical experience. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 14(1), 29–41. https://doi.org/10.2307/1384454 Hood, R. W., Jr., Hill, P. C., & Spilka, B. (2001). The psychology of religion: An empirical approach (4th ed.). Guilford Press. Hori, V. S. (1999). Teaching and learning in the Rinzai Zen monastery. Journal of Japanese Studies, 25(1), 5–39. https://doi.org/10.2307/133231 Humphrey, C., & Laidlaw, J. (1994). The archetypal actions of ritual: A theory of ritual illustrated by the Jain rite of worship. Clarendon Press. James, W. (1902). The varieties of religious experience: A study in human nature. Longmans, Green. Katz, S. T. (Ed.). (1978). Mysticism and philosophical analysis. Oxford University Press. Keane, W. (2007). Christian moderns: Freedom and fetish in the mission encounter. University of California Press. Luhrmann, T. M. (2012). When God talks back: Understanding the American evangelical relationship with God. Knopf. Mahmood, S. (2005). Politics of piety: The Islamic revival and the feminist subject. Princeton University Press. Meyer, B. (2009). Aesthetic formations: Media, religion and the senses. Palgrave Macmillan. Meyer, B. (2011). Mediation and the genesis of presence. In D. Morgan (Ed.), Religion and material culture (pp. 84–102). Routledge. ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️ Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

    47 min
  2. 21 SEPT

    Why Science Can’t Prove Magic

    In this episode, we explore the complex and often uneasy relationship between science and magic. Rather than asking whether magic is "real," we examine why scientific methods struggle to capture the essence of magical practices, and whether such validation is even desirable. From questions of measurement and philosophy to issues of cultural autonomy and demystification, this lecture reveals why attempts to prove magic scientifically may risk stripping it of its meaning, depth, and sacredness. Drawing on anthropology, history, and esotericism, we invite reflection on the value of magic beyond the lens of science. CONNECT & SUPPORT💖 MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/courses WEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletter BOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/services BECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapuca SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapuca ONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposium JOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/join MY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86 MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/ FOLLOW ME👣 - YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟 - Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸 - TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵 - Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦 - Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥 RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖 REFERENCES 📚 MY SET-UP 🛠️ - Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0 - Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS - Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB - Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK - Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn - Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1 - DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️ Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

    34 min
  3. 14 SEPT

    How Americans Reinvented Italian Witchcraft

    What happens when Italian folk traditions cross the Atlantic? This video explores how Italian witchcraft, especially the healing practice of Segnature, has been reimagined, reinvented, and often misrepresented in the United States. From Leland’s Aradia to Wicca-inspired “Stregheria,” we’ll look at how Italian-American communities blended folklore, Catholic devotion, and Pagan spirituality to create new forms of practice. But are these the same as the vernacular traditions in Italy, or something entirely different? This video is a recording of the paper I presented at the World Congress of the International Association for the History of Religions, held at Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland. Join me as we unpack the myths, the reinventions, and the cultural translations behind Italian witchcraft in America. CONNECT & SUPPORT💖 MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/courses WEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletter BOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/services BECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapuca SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapuca ONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposium JOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/join MY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86 MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/ FOLLOW ME👣 - YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟 - Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸 - TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵 - Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦 - Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥 RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖 REFERENCES 📚 Cox, J. L. (2007). From primitive to indigenous: The academic study of indigenous religions. Ashgate. De Martino, E. (1961). Sud e magia. Feltrinelli. Hall, S. (1990). Cultural identity and diaspora. In J. Rutherford (Ed.), Identity: Community, culture, difference (pp. 222–237). Lawrence & Wishart. Hobsbawm, E., & Ranger, T. (Eds.). (1983). The invention of tradition. Cambridge University Press. Leland, C. G. (1899). Aradia, or the gospel of the witches. David Nutt. Magliocco, S. (2004). Witching culture: Folklore and neo-paganism in America. University of Pennsylvania Press. Magliocco, S. (2009). Italian American stregheria and Wicca: Ethnic ambivalence in American neopaganism. In M. F. Strmiska (Ed.), Modern paganism in world cultures: Comparative perspectives (pp. 55–86). ABC-CLIO. Magliocco, S. (2026, forthcoming). Wicca alla marinara: La stregoneria neopagana italiana nella diaspora nordamericana. In M. Castagnetto Alessio, S. Palmisano, & N. Pannofino (Eds.), Rinascite pagane: Una religione dall'età della ragione alla postmodernità (pp. 45–67). Mondadori. Owen, S. (2011). The appropriation of Native American spirituality. Continuum. Pike, S. M. (2001). Earthly bodies, magical selves: Contemporary pagans and the search for community. University of California Press. MY SET-UP 🛠️ - Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0 - Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS - Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB - Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK - Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn - Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1 - DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️ Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

    38 min
  4. 31 AUG

    Temple of Set: Diabolicon, Xeper, and the Path of Separation

    Explore the teachings of the Temple of Set, one of the most influential yet misunderstood esoteric movements of the modern era. From Michael A. Aquino’s Diabolicon to the mysterious Leviathan Working, this lecture uncovers the philosophy of Xeper (self-becoming), the myth of Lucifer/Set, and the Temple’s quest for self-deification. Drawing on peer-reviewed scholarship and rare sources, we trace how Setianism reshaped the Left-Hand Path and challenged mainstream ideas of religion, magic, and identity. If you’re curious about Satanism, esotericism, or the deeper currents of occult philosophy, this is a journey into the heart of one of the most radical magical traditions of our time. CONNECT & SUPPORT💖 MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/courses WEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletter BOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/services BECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapuca SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapuca ONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposium JOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/join MY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86 MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/ FOLLOW ME👣 - YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟 - Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸 - TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵 - Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦 - Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥 RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖 REFERENCES 📚 Dyrendal, A., Lewis, J. R., & Petersen, J. A. (2016). The invention of Satanism. Oxford University Press. Flowers, S. E. (1999). Order of Leviathan papers. Privately circulated manuscript. Granholm, K. (2012). The Left-Hand Path and post-Satanism: The example of the Temple of Set. In P. Faxneld & J. A. Petersen (Eds.), The devil's party: Satanism in modernity (pp. 209-228). Oxford University Press. Granholm, K. (2014). Dark enlightenment: The historical, sociological, and discursive contexts of contemporary esoteric Satanism. Åbo Akademi University Press. Petersen, J. A. (2012). The seeds of Satan: Conceptions of magic in contemporary Satanism. Aries, 12(1), 91-129. Schipper, B. U. (2014). Ancient Egypt and modern occultism: Trajectories of religion from the pyramids to pyramidology. In A. B. Kilcher & P. Theisohn (Eds.), Die Enzyklopädik der Esoterik (pp. 413-431). Wilhelm Fink. van Luijk, R. (2016). Children of Lucifer: The origins of modern religious Satanism. Oxford University Press. Webb, D. (2004). Uncle Setnakt's essential guide to the Left Hand Path. Rûna-Raven Press. Wimbush, V. L. (2015). Scripturalizing the Human: The Written as the Political.(2015). Taylor & Francis. MY SET-UP 🛠️ - Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0 - Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS - Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB - Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK - Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn - Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1 - DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️ Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

    54 min
  5. 24 AUG

    The Vision and The Voice by Aleister Crowley explained

    In this video, I explore Aleister Crowley’s The Vision and the Voice and why it remains one of the most powerful and unsettling texts in the Western esoteric tradition. I look at how the figure of Babalon emerges as both a theophany and a ritual of unmaking, and how this visionary work challenges our assumptions about magic, subjectivity, and divine encounter. I also trace the shifting image of Lilith, from biblical warning to occult icon, focusing on her reimagining in modern esotericism through figures like Kenneth Grant and the rise of feminist magical traditions. If you're interested in Thelema, mysticism, or the deeper currents behind the archetypes of the divine feminine, this lecture offers a chance to descend into the Aethyrs and return transformed. CONNECT & SUPPORT💖 MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/courses WEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletter BOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/services BECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapuca SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapuca ONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposium JOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/join MY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86 MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/ FOLLOW ME👣 - YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟 - Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸 - TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵 - Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦 - Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥 RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖 REFERENCES 📚 Agamben, G. (2009). The signature of all things: On method (L. D'Isanto with K. Attell, Trans.). Zone Books. (Original work published 2008) Asprem, E. (2012). Arguing with angels: Enochian magic and modern occulture. State University of New York Press. Crowley, A. (1998). The Vision and the Voice with commentary and other papers: The collected diaries of Aleister Crowley, volume II (1909–1914) (Vol. IV, No. 2 of The Equinox). S. Weiser. Kripal, J. J. (2001). Roads of excess, palaces of wisdom: Eroticism and reflexivity in the study of mysticism. University of Chicago Press. McGinn, B. (1998).The foundations of mysticism: Origins to the fifth century (Vol. 1 ofThe presence of God: A history of Western Christian mysticism). Crossroad Publishing Company. Yates, F. A. (1964). The occult philosophy in the Elizabethan age. Routledge & Kegan Paul. MY SET-UP 🛠️ - Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0 - Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS - Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB - Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK - Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn - Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1 - DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️ Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

    42 min
  6. 15 AUG

    Enochian Magic in Modern Occultism: From Dee to Chaos Magick and Beyond

    What do angels, secret languages, and occult orders have in common? Enochian magic. In this episode, we trace its evolution from John Dee’s apocalyptic visions in Elizabethan England to the ritual systems of the Golden Dawn, Aleister Crowley’s initiatory drama, and its surprising reinventions in contemporary occultism—from chaos magic to digital ritual tech. Drawing on original sources and modern scholarship, this deep dive explores how a forgotten angelic language became one of the most enduring and mysterious magical systems in the Western tradition. CONNECT & SUPPORT💖 MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/courses WEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletter BOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/services BECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapuca SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapuca ONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposium JOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/join MY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86 MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/ FOLLOW ME👣 - YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟 - Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸 - TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵 - Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦 - Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥 RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖 REFERENCES 📚 Asprem, E. (2020). Enochian magic and modern occulture. Palgrave Macmillan. Odeberg, H. (1928). 3 Enoch, or, The Hebrew Book of Enoch (Introduction, translation, and commentary). Cambridge University Press. Peterson, J. H. (Ed.). (2003). John Dee’s five books of mystery: Original sourcebook of Enochian magic. Weiser Books. Skinner, S. (Ed.). (2011). Dr. John Dee’s spiritual diaries (1583–1608). Golden Hoard Press. Szőnyi, G. E. (2004). John Dee’s occultism: Magical exaltation through powerful signs. SUNY Press. MY SET-UP 🛠️ - Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0 - Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS - Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB - Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK - Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn - Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1 - DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️ Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

    1h 3m
  7. 10 AUG

    Saint Cyprian’s Grimoire: Necromancy and Forbidden Magic

    Who was Saint Cyprian: a holy bishop, a legendary sorcerer, or both? In this video, I explore the enigmatic figure of Saint Cyprian through the lens of history, folk magic, and grimoire traditions. Drawing on academic sources and rare magical texts, we trace the evolution of his legend from early Christian writings to the Black Books of Norway, the Clavis Inferni, and Latin American necromantic practices. Discover how this patron saint of cunning folk became a master of crossroads magic, feared and venerated by magicians across the centuries. Based on peer-reviewed research and archival sources, this episode delves into the living tradition of Cyprianic magic, its dangers, ethics, and the enduring power of his mysterious book. CONNECT & SUPPORT💖 MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/courses WEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletter BOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/services BECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapuca SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapuca ONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposium JOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/join MY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86 MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/ FOLLOW ME👣 - YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟 - Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸 - TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵 - Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦 - Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥 RECOMMENDED READINGS 📖 REFERENCES 📚 MY SET-UP 🛠️ - Canon 90D camera 📸 https://amzn.to/3yQclh0 - Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 📷 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS - Teleprompter 🗒️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB - Shure SM7B Microphone 🎙️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK - Microphone stand 🎤 https://amzn.to/3FueJOn - Lights 💡 https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1 - DJI Wireless microphones 📡 https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ ⚠️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ⚠️ Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

    54 min

About

As an academic and university lecturer in Philosophy and Religious Studies, I'll share peer-reviewed research on MAGIC, ESOTERICISM, WITCHCRAFT, PAGANISM, SHAMANISM and related currents. CONNECT & SUPPORT💖 https://linktr.ee/angela_symposium Become a Paid Subscriber: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drangelapuca/subscribe

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