Episodes
Longtime friend and incredible tattoo artist, conjurer, Quimbandeiro, and practitioner of Thai necromancy Gary Noriyuki joins the gang once more to talk all about the magic involved in ceremonial tattooing. From inheriting lineage taboos to maintaining pacts, Gary covers the ins and outs of receiving different kinds of sacred tattoos, touching on his own training in Sak Yant as well as fusions with conjure and planetary sorcery. He also introduces key concepts in how amulets and tattoos...
Published 11/24/24
Laroyê Exu, Exu é Mojubá! In this very special episode, Sfinga and Key welcome their Tata in Quimbanda de Angola, Tata Apokan (Jesse Hathaway Diaz), for a winding, serpentine foray through the world of Afro-Brazilian sorcery. In addition to touching on personal experiences in initiation, priesthood, and continual, expansive study within oral traditions, this episode also considers the importance of co-creating community, the nature of spirit possession, the history of Afro-Brazilian...
Published 11/10/24
It's the Halloween special! Sfinga, Salt, and B. Key dive into the world of fairytales, folklore, and dramatic plays to narrate six different stories—and reflect on each of the sorcerous lessons one can glean from them. From seafaring saints and Faustian conjurers to old witches and dragon-slaying princes, the gang giggles their way through all the memories of learning lore through stories around the autumn campfires. Support us on patreon.com/TheFrightfulHowls and follow us at...
Published 10/27/24
How do you determine which spirits are best suited to consult for which questions? What roles to concurrent auguries play alongside one's chosen divinatory system? How can over-divining block a result, and how can you know the answer generated by trance is the most accurate and precise one? How do we better our capacity to not only hear our spirits, but relay their messages in actionable, medicinal ways? The Dragon, Wolf, and Owl explore some of the ins and outs of fine-tuning one's...
Published 10/13/24
The gang reunite to discuss their favourite spells from the corpus of Coptic Magical Papyri. From contests with headless beings to rites to bring (and take away) fertility, the Dragon, Wolf, and Owl cover a wide spectrum of practical applications born of this often-neglected yet exceedingly rich collection of ancient magical technologies. Support us on patreon.com/TheFrightfulHowls and follow us at twitter.com/FrightfulHowls.
Published 09/29/24
B. Key provides an array of tips and tricks for dominating landlords—and by extension anyone in a position of financial authority over you. Whether it's propitiating the spirits of the land, fixing contractors and neighbours alike, or keeping the peace within the home, Key explores the ins and outs of how to stay safe, stay strapped, and stay secure with magic under the conditions of capitalism. Support us on patreon.com/TheFrightfulHowls and follow us at twitter.com/FrightfulHowls.
Published 09/15/24
Sfinga and B. Key are joined by the incredible Albert Björn Shiell, witch, sorcerer, and student of English and Icelandic folk magical traditions. Albert goes over his experience studying oral and literary traditions of Icelandic magic, and muses on the nature of integrating into not only a new culture and language, but a foreign country's animist landscape. The gang discusses what it means to actually breathe an animist life through conscious relationality with the natural world, all while...
Published 09/01/24
Sfinga and B. Key cover the 44 pentacles of the Key of Solomon, their construction, uses, and personal tips, tricks, and innovations they've gleaned from their experiments. The Dragon and Owl discuss at length the various ways in which the planetary pentacles can be used across the sorcerous board, as well as the magical implications of matching one's (nasty) freak. Support us on patreon.com/TheFrightfulHowls and follow us at twitter.com/FrightfulHowls.
Published 08/18/24
Dear friend and discerning sorcerer Caspar, also known as De Duivelbanner van Overijssel, joins the hosts to chat all things Dutch folk magic. In addition to discussing the diversity of Dutch folk practitioners, what duivelbanners are, differences between Protestant and Catholic traditions, and types of spirits one may encounter, the gang explores the importance of situating the "folk" in "folk magic". Key also touches on a fascinating and remarkably well-preserved set of fishing and...
Published 08/04/24
Salt opens the floor on the grounding elements of magical healing and sorcery in health. Exploring the logics of oral charms, Galenic medicine, and medical astrology, he leads the gang through a round table discussion of the key principles of protecting and nurturing long-term health in one's spiritual practice—through all holistic means, magical and mundane. Support us on patreon.com/TheFrightfulHowls and follow us at twitter.com/FrightfulHowls.
Published 07/21/24
B. Key brings the fire to passionately advocate for the use of magic in anti-fascist resistance. After a brief overview of some of the most critical Supreme Court cases that have eroded civil liberties in the United States, Key provides a miscellany of sorcerous workings to resist the state, evade the law, and protect our communities—especially those most vulnerable to state-enforced oppression—as well as a list of resources, organizations, and bail funds to contribute to in solidarity. ...
Published 07/07/24
Sorceress, Fairy Seer, Trollkvinne, and dear friend of the show Rose Aurora returns for a discussion about the various signs that manifest in clusters at birth, puberty, and beyond to delineate proclivities for certain kinds of magical pacts. We cover questions concerning lack of free will and choice, what does having "the gift" entail across our cultures, omens that are only recognized by those with the necessary training, nonhuman parentage, and why the most important "mark" above of all is...
Published 06/23/24
Sfinga leads the gang through a survey of the counter-magical tactics employed by witch bottles. From Blagrave’s "Astrological Practice of Physick" all the way to Harry Middleton Hyatt's collections on hoodoo and conjure, the Dragon, Wolf, and Owl engage in some quick maths: early modern humoural theory + pins + heat + a witch's bladder = an absolutely fantastic time reversing malefica. Support us on patreon.com/TheFrightfulHowls and follow us at twitter.com/FrightfulHowls.
Published 06/09/24
After six months of continuous labour, Sfinga and B. Key at last unveil as much as can be said publicly about their profound experience pilgrimaging to the Sanctuary and Rock of the Goddess of Love's birth. Pouring their hearts out in celebration of a theophany, numerous physical manifestations of spiritual presence, remarkable omens of nature, and half a year's worth of toiling over recipes, formulas, and enchantments, the best friends celebrate love in the name of love, beauty for the sake...
Published 05/26/24
This week we welcome diviner, perfumer, and conjurer Austin Fuller of BanexBramble and the Southern Bramble podcast. Austin joins Sfinga and B. Key in a heartfelt and riotous discussion on perfume and spiritual colognes, from their creation under the auspices of alchemical patrons to their use in glamour, sorcery, and the activation of spirits. We also consider the ultimate offering of learning skills in service of the spirits, be they languages, crafts, or apprenticeships in entire lineages...
Published 05/12/24
B. Key introduces the gang to his experiments with the aptly-named Book of the Images of the Twelve Hours of the Night. Beginning with an overview of the text itself and then diving deep into the properties of each associated talismanic image, the Owl goes over his personal experiences with the spirits and their manifestations, personal applications of the hours, and much encouragement to go forth and experiment with this fascinating work. Special thanks to Mihai Vârtejaru for his excellent...
Published 04/28/24
Mahigan Saint-Pierre of Kitchen Toad joins us once again to celebrate the feast of our most beloved Saint Expedite! We giggle about our formative experiences with the martyr, reminisce on baking late night pound cakes after our petitions manifested even more quickly than we'd dreamed, and ponder why Mahigan's statue of the saint looks exactly like Mark Zuckerberg. Mahi and B. Key also discuss their brand new collaborative launch, bringing everyone the victory of Today and their enemies the...
Published 04/19/24
Sorceress, diviner, and Chinese folk magic practitioner Red Hu leads the gang through the story of Daji, the intelligent, sadistic, and supernaturally seductive fox spirit who allegedly brought about the fall of the Shang dynasty. We cover her legend from Xu Zhonglin's "The Investiture of the Gods," discuss the survival of Chinese fox cults and folk Taoist traditions in Singapore, and share plenty of laughs about all the salacious details of Daji's #girlbossing along the way. Support us on...
Published 04/14/24
What lies at the heart of the concept of spiritual hygiene and what implications does it pose for sympathetic magic? Salt leads the team through an exploration of the relationship between different notions of ritual purity and spirit communion, a topic so often misconstrued with notions of morality, strict orthodoxy, and personal worth. Support us on patreon.com/TheFrightfulHowls and follow us at twitter.com/FrightfulHowls.  This episode has a companion course module available at...
Published 03/31/24
The gang explores the ins and outs of offering protocols, from divination to presentation to disposal. The Dragon, Wolf, and Owl dive deep in consideration of when to make them, what to give, how different actions and foods influence spirits during workings, and how to clean up and dispose of weekly treats and lavish annual feasts alike. Support us on patreon.com/TheFrightfulHowls and follow us at twitter.com/FrightfulHowls.
Published 03/17/24
B. Key leads the gang through an exploration of what to do when your magic doesn't work out the way you intend. From partial successes to outright roadblocks in materia, technique, taglocks, or spiritual sabotage, the Owl provides a thorough account of how to keep your wits sharp and your spells sharper. Support us on patreon.com/TheFrightfulHowls and follow us at twitter.com/FrightfulHowls.
Published 03/03/24
Salt brings out his astrological cunning to explain the importance of planetary conditions and necessity. Explaining the underlying implications of angularity, aspects and zodiacal shares, the Wolf explores how different contexts shape condition in the astrological figure. Support us on patreon.com/TheFrightfulHowls and follow us at twitter.com/FrightfulHowls.
Published 02/18/24
Astrologer, artist, author, and fellow podcaster J.M. Hamade of "starnightdwell" joins the gang for an exceptionally thoughtful conversation on the hidden djinn. From literary motifs in Qur'anic scripture, Arabic grimoires, and the One Thousand and One Nights to the trance possession rituals of Zār and Gnawa cults, J.M. provides a vivid and articulate account of the immense diversity of djinn traditions. Support us on patreon.com/TheFrightfulHowls and follow us at twitter.com/FrightfulHowls.
Published 02/05/24
Sfinga explores some of the historical, anthropological, and medical scholarship on the phenomena of kitsune-tsuki: fox spirit possession or "attachment". From Meiji Period medical and religious reforms to the anxieties of socio-economic upheaval in villages, the Dragon considers culturally-negotiated categories of "madness" and trance, the politics of witchcraft accusations, and the fox spirits at the center of it all. Support us on patreon.com/TheFrightfulHowls and follow us at...
Published 01/21/24