Radical Elphame

This episode is a little different in all the best kinds of ways. I'm so happy to welcome back the delightful Joshua Cutchin to the show to chat about his fantastic new book, The Inverted Path. We go deep into the bizarre pan-paranormal phenomena we more colloquially call being "pixie-led," and its surprising manifestations from faerie folklore, to cryptid encounters, and UAP experiences. I also couldn't resist bringing back a previous guest, Celeste Mott, to join me for the Patreon portion of the chat, since I know Josh's work on so-called "fictional incursions" has been living rent-free in her head for a while now. To hear the full bonus portion of that conversation, you can join our Radical Elphame Patreon or Celeste's The Moth-Ur House Patreon. 
SHOW NOTES:
Josh's Website: joshuacutchin.com
Get Josh's new book: The Inverted Path
Josh's IG: w3eirdwayz
Celeste's Site: celestemott.com
Celeste's Substack: TheMothsMissives
Celeste's Patreon: TheMoth-UrHouse
Celeste on TikTok: @CelesteMoth
Celeste on IG: @celestemott
Celeste on YouTube: c/celestemott

Enjoy a Patreon preview of the second episode of The Imbas Transmissions. This time, we chat about the uncanny valley inherent to animistic encounter,  the witch as an agent of right-relation, and working with dead writers and magicians à la the frameworks described in the works of Dr. Alexander Cummins and the book Learning from Legendary Practitioners by Kadmus. You can receive full episodes of The Imbas Transmissions by joining the Radical Elphame or Chaise Levy Storyteller on Patreon, or by subscribing to Chaise's Inspiration, Move Me Brightly Substack.
Radical Elphame Patreon
Chaise's Patreon
Chaise's Substack: Inspiration, Move Me Brightly
The Hagstone Podcast
Theme Song: "Move it" by Dunham

I'm thrilled to share this chat I recently had with the animist stone carver and author Dave Stone. We talk about his latest books, Dragons of the Deep and Faeries of the Celtic Realms, as well as the value of an animist ontology when crafting art with a medium from the landscape. In our bonus Patreon conversation, we explore the "Well of Segais" myth as a possible Gaelic creation story, and a gnostic consideration of the role of the well maidens in pan-Celtic lore. 
SHOW NOTES:
 
Dave's Carvings: StoneMadCrafts
Dragons of the Deep: Moon Books
Faeries of the Celtic Realms: B&N
Dave's Substack: Eternal Echoes
Dave's IG: @stonemadcrafts

We are living in weird times. We can see the weirdening all around us. In our politics, in our ethics, in our communities, in our personal lives. This observation could lead me down the path of lofty rhetoric about how we navigate some of the darker implications of this weirdening we find ourselves in. Right now, though, I just want to point out some of the positive–or at least amusing–effects of this shift weirdward. I find myself amazed on an almost weekly basis by how much easier it is to talk to almost anyone about the kind of weird shit that I used to have to preface with a litany of qualifiers. Not only is the UFO Disclosure crowd talking about faeries, and demonologists talking about tulpas, and witches talking about hyperstition, but the guy I met at a children's birthday party not only wants to talk about his UFO sighting, but also is curious if I think the phenomenon is related to consciousness. A sommelier I met on a work trip, after an evening of bar hopping, casually mentioned the spirit guide he believes he has regular communication with, and goes to for advice. My Mother-in-Law randomly mentions, for the first time, that her relative in the Navy told her when she was a kid that he saw ships flying out of the Ocean and disappearing into the sky. My normie friends are experimenting more with psychedelics, astrology and Human Design is now acceptable icebreaker material in certain circles, and the somatic therapy I keep hearing about from my friends sounds a lot like techniques I would have previously lumped in with the occult. If I look back just a few years, say to 2020, this wasn't my everyday reality. I know this was the case because that's when I first heard Mana Aelin's podcast, The Real Witches of the End Times. This was far from the first paranormal or occult podcast I had heard, but there was something incredibly unique about it. Mana didn't present herself as an expert, didn't lean into a spooky or empowering vibe template, and didn't consider these subjects from the armchair or at a remove. She put out a show where people who seemed down-to-earth could talk casually about their–for the time–very weird experiences and beliefs as though they were completely normal. As a practitioner with a lack of community, I quickly fell in love with her show, and it was definitely a big inspiration for Radical Elphame. Now, though, living through this weirdward shift, I can't help but wonder if this is all Mana's manifestation, and we're just living in it. 
SHOW NOTES
Mana's Website: Mothmana.com
Mana's IG: @mothmanatarot
Mana's Podcast: Real Witches of the End Times

Enjoy a Patreon preview of the second episode of The Imbas Transmissions. This time, we sit down with the delightful Teagan West to talk animism, weaving the web of wyrd, and imbas as the dance between hunter and hunted. You can receive full episodes of The Imbas Transmissions by joining the Radical Elphame Patreon or Chaise Levy Storyteller on Patreon, or Chaise's Inspiration, Move Me Brightly Substack.
Teagan's Substack: The Altar of Stars
Teagan's Services: The Altar Healing
Teagan's Podcast: The Altar of Stars Podcast
Radical Elphame Patreon
Chaise's Patreon
Chaise's Substack: Inspiration, Move Me Brightly
The Hagstone Podcast
Theme Song: "Move it" by Dunham