In this episode, I'm joined by the prolific Tobias Churton—author, scholar, and one of the most insightful voices on Western esotericism and early Christianity. We open with his recent book The Books of Enoch Revealed, and from there, the conversation unfolds across a wide and fascinating terrain.

Tobias breaks down the Enochic texts and their influence on Jewish mysticism, apocalyptic religion, and the foundations of early Christianity. We explore how the figure of Enoch shaped beliefs around sin, salvation, and the afterlife, and how Jesus' ministry can be reinterpreted through this powerful lens.

In the Plus show, Tobias and I dive deeper into the metaphysical heart of the Enochian tradition, focusing on the figure of Metatron—God’s scribe, “Little Yahweh,” and the transformed identity of Enoch himself. We explore the radical implications of Metatron’s throne in heaven, his relationship to the “Son of Man” archetype, and how this connects to early perceptions of Jesus as a divine intermediary or even a returned Enoch.

Tobias also expands on the cross-cultural evolution of heaven as both a theological concept and a political one. We touch on his forthcoming book, which maps the idea of heaven across history, geography, and belief systems—from the ziggurats of Mesopotamia to mystical ascent in Kabbalah and Islamic cosmology.

This episode is rich in historical insight, theological nuance, and unapologetic critique. Tobias brings the weight of scholarship, but also the fire of someone deeply passionate about preserving the sacred, the strange, and the profound.
Show notes:
https://www.tobiaschurton.com
https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9781644119259
https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-books-of-enoch-revealed-the-wicked-watchers-metatron-and-the-fruits-of-forbidden-knowledge-tobias-churton/21681258?ean=9781644119259

Keep in touch?https://linktr.ee/darraghmasonMusic by Obliqka https://soundcloud.com/obliqka

In this episode, I'm joined once again by the ever-brilliant Joshua Cutchin to discuss his latest book Fourth Wall Phantoms. This conversation is a deep dive into the fertile terrain between fiction and reality, where paranormal phenomena blur into imagination, archetype, and culture. He asks; What if stories were more than just stories? What if fictions came to life? What would that say about our greatest mysteries? What would that say about you?

Joshua shares how this book was a cleansing act for him—an unapologetic exploration of how stories, symbols, and media shape and even generate anomalous experiences. We talk about everything from the dream-logic of high strangeness to the surrealist lens through which we might better understand UFOs, spirits, and cryptids.

In the Plus show, Joshua notes a striking decline in classic alien abduction reports and explores how new kinds of contact experiences are emerging—ones that seem increasingly visionary, entangled with altered states of consciousness, and reflective of deeper shifts in cultural and psychic landscapes. We also touch on ideas that sit close to my own work: the transformative power of archetypes, the intoxicating grip of creative inspiration, and how folklore is not just a remnant of the past but an active force shaping our present. Joshua’s notion of spirits as stories—brought to life through belief, performance, and imagination—feels especially resonant here.

The conversation ends with some potent reflections on the current state of storytelling in Western culture. Are we running out of myths? Is the imagination drying up—or are we standing at the threshold of something new?
Show notes:
Website & book https://www.joshuacutchin.com/fourth-wall-phantoms

Keep in touch?https://linktr.ee/darraghmasonMusic by Obliqka https://soundcloud.com/obliqka

In this episode of Spirit Box, I had the pleasure of speaking with folklorist and writer Scott Richardson-Read the brilliant mind behind Cailleach’s Herbarium. The focus of today's chat is Scott’s new book 'Mill Dust And Dreaming Bread, exploring Scottish folk belief & folk magic'. Together, we explore the deep roots of Scottish folk beliefs, looking at how animistic worldviews were layered over time with Christian, Norse, and Anglo-Saxon influence. Scott introduced me to the Gaelic concept of Dùthchas—the inherited right to place and belonging—and we discussed its significance in shaping Highland identity and political history. We also touched on the shared rhythms of Irish and Scottish Gaelic, the legacy of Alexander Carmichael and the Carmina Gadelica, and the enduring power of charms and spoken magic. One story that really stood out was that of St. Columba lending out his sacred book, only to burn it upon its return—a tale that sparked a discussion about healing, miracle-working, and the threads of folk magic that persist beneath the surface of Christianity. Through it all, Scott painted a vivid picture of a world where people lived in deep, reciprocal relationship with land, weather, ancestors, and the unseen.
In the Plus show we ventured deeper into the mythic and cosmological territory of his book.

We talked about the Three Worlds, the Primordial Twin, and how these ancient ideas mirror spiritual systems across the globe. We explored the notion of a pact between realms, the sacred nature of hospitality, and what it means to live in a world where everything is animate and interconnected. One of the most fascinating parts of the Plus Show was our discussion on the origins of spoken healing charms—those poetic, potent utterances passed down through families to stop bleeding, mend bones, or ward off illness. Scott spoke beautifully about how these charms carry ancestral knowledge, and I shared stories of people I know who still use them today.

We also talked about the Cailleach, the powerful old woman of Gaelic tradition—part ancestor, part deity—who shapes weather and land and who remains a potent figure in both lore and personal practice. Scott spoke about how the Cailleach features in his work and how she represents the deep animism and ecological awareness at the heart of Scottish folk cosmology. We closed our conversation reflecting on the deep-time resonance of folklore—from the Milky Way as the Path of the White Cow to the sacred symbolism of rivers, straw, and cows. This wasn’t just a discussion about stories; it was about remembering who we are, where we come from, and how we might live again in right relationship with the world around us.

Show notes:
Get the book: https://cailleachs-herbarium.com/sample-page/shop/book/mill-dust-and-dreaming-bread-limited-special-edition/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaftMzheNukHpulzhH64G-Mln_jBm74bDGZYS1g-bIZh1LuZP_COI6SzSnp1Sg_aem_UdtHrClZcQ2j4aUkPomT-Q
Scott's instagram https://www.instagram.com/cailleachsherbarium/
Tigh na Bodach https://cailleachs-herbarium.com/2018/01/the-cailleach-scotlands-midwife-tigh-na-bodach/
The Three Realms https://cailleachs-herbarium.com/2023/11/scottish-cosmology-of-the-three-realms/
St Columba https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columba
Cailleach https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cailleach
Bodach https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodach
Donn Dubh