s ancient magic really more powerful, or are we mistaking age for effectiveness?In this episode of Angela’s Symposium, we challenge one of the most persistent assumptions in occult and esoteric communities: that older spells, rituals and magical systems must be more authentic, powerful or effective simply because they are ancient.Drawing on the academic study of magic, ritual and Western esotericism, we explore magic as a form of “ritual technology”, examining how traditions evolve through adaptation, experimentation, transmission and innovation. From the Greek Magical Papyri and Solomonic magic to Wicca and chaos magick, we ask what actually makes a ritual powerful, and whether modern magical practices can sometimes be better suited to contemporary practitioners than ancient ones.If you are interested in witchcraft, ceremonial magic, grimoires, occult history, Paganism or the academic study of esotericism, this episode offers a different way of thinking about the relationship between tradition, authenticity and magical efficacy.CONNECT & SUPPORT💖MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/coursesWEBSITE 🔗 https://www.drangelapuca.com/BOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/servicesSUBSTACK ✉️ https://substack.com/@drangelapucaBECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapucaSUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapucaONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposiumJOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/joinMY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/FOLLOW ME👣- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟- SUBSTACK 💌 https://substack.com/@drangelapuca- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥

What happens to spirituality when belief in traditional religion falls away? Can ritual, mysticism, awe, contemplation, divination, sacred stories and experiences of transcendence still have value without requiring supernatural explanations?

Britt Hartley is a religious deconstruction educator, author, and atheist spiritual director who helps people rebuild meaning, identity, and family culture after faith. She is the author of No Nonsense Spirituality and a doctoral student whose work explores existential crisis, secular spirituality, and life beyond traditional religion.

In this livestream, we will explore Britt’s concept of secular spirituality and her attempt to navigate a fascinating middle ground between organised religion, atheistic scepticism and contemporary alternative spirituality. We will discuss religious deconstruction, nihilism, meaning-making, mysticism, ritual and the psychology of spiritual experience, as well as the question of whether practices traditionally associated with religion and the occult can remain meaningful when their supernatural interpretations are suspended.

We will also venture into some particularly interesting territory for Angela’s Symposium: astrology, Tarot, psychedelics, intuition, altered states of consciousness, the Divine Feminine, cognitive bias, the relationship between mystical experience and metaphysical claims, and Britt’s distinction between useful spiritual tools and what she describes as “woo”.

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00:00:00 No Nonsense Spirituality Introduction

00:01:23 Meet Britt Hartley

00:05:20 From Mormonism to Atheist Spirituality – Britt Hartley’s Story

00:07:49 Hard vs Soft Polytheism: Can Atheists Be Pagan?

00:09:07 Why Humans Create Gods: Religion as a Human Project

00:12:33 Is Spiritual Atheism Actually a Form of Paganism?

00:13:34 Sufism, Shinto, Christian Mysticism and Spiritual Atheism

00:16:48 Chaos Magic, Fictional Deities and Spiritual Scepticism

00:19:42 Can Ritual Work Without Belief?

00:22:51 The Science of Ritual Without Metaphysical Belief

00:26:16 Why Practise Spirituality If You’re an Atheist?

00:33:40 How to Build a Secular Spiritual Practice

00:37:05 Situational Belief: Can Belief Be Used Temporarily?

00:41:22 Belief as a Spiritual Tool Without Dogma

00:43:59 Belief, Cognitive Bias and the Western Mind

00:49:03 Spiritual Tools Without Metaphysical Truth Claims

00:51:57 Nihilism, Phenomenology and What Is Really Real?

00:55:39 Philosophical Nihilism, Spiritual Experience and the Self

00:57:19 Is Belief Another Tool for Spiritual Practice?

00:59:05 Religious Trauma, Trance and Feeling Safe Without Belief

01:04:36 Does Everyone Need Religion or Spirituality?

01:08:17 The Paradox of Atheist Spirituality and Religious Belief

01:13:29 Clothing, Makeup and Adornment as Spiritual Practice

01:19:15 How you can support this valuable work

What lies beyond using runes as simple symbols for divination or spellcraft?

In this livestream, I speak with David Linder, author of Advanced Rune Magic: The Greater Mysteries of Nordic Spirituality, about the Elder Futhark as a path of experiential knowledge and self-transformation.

David approaches the twenty-four runes as interfaces with Runa, the greater Mystery. Drawing on the Rune Poems, Eddic mythology, historical context, meditation, galdor, talismans, and lived practice, he explores how runes can shape not only magical workings but the practitioner’s character, relationships, and engagement with the world.

We will also examine where historical reconstruction ends and personal gnosis begins, how modern practitioners can create responsibly within a living tradition, and why Odin’s ordeal on Yggdrasil offers a powerful model of sacrifice, initiation, and the reconstruction of the self.

Is rune magic ultimately about changing circumstances, or about becoming someone capable of changing the world?

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00:00:00 Advanced Rune Magic with David Linder

00:02:20 From Vikings to Heathenry and Rune Magic

00:05:29 What Makes Rune Magic ‘Advanced’?

00:07:59 What Are Runes? The Elder Futhark Explained

00:09:43 Elder Futhark, Rune Names and the Rune Poems

00:12:04 Runa: The Great Mystery Behind the Runes

00:16:24 How Do You Really ‘Know’ a Rune?

00:21:40 Experiencing Runes: Galdr, Trance and Runic Practice

00:23:57 Rune Magic, Animism and Signs from Nature

00:27:57 Odin and Rune Magic as Self-Transformation

00:31:08 Historical Sources vs Personal Gnosis in Norse Magic

00:35:09 Can We Reconstruct Ancient Rune Magic?

00:41:01 Mystical Experience vs Rational Decision-Making

00:43:55 Christian Influence on the Rune Poems and Eddas

00:46:10 Creating New Myths in Modern Norse Paganism

00:48:54 Rune Magic, Fate and the Three Norns

00:52:16 Hagalaz: Chaos, Destruction and Transformation

00:56:12 Dagaz and the Dangers of Spiritual Extremes

00:58:56 The Dark Side of Odin: What Should Practitioners Emulate?

01:01:48 Laguz, Jung and the Collective Unconscious

01:04:30 Rune Practice, Compassion and the Greater Good

01:07:59 Odin, Shiva, Ásatrú and Galdr

01:09:03 What Does It Mean to ‘Win the Runes’?

01:11:47 David Linder, Living Runes and Further Resources

01:13:10 How to join Angela’s team of esoteric excellence.

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