Hosted by author Ben Stimpson, Essence is a podcast all about story, journey, and self. Join Ben as he interviews fellow writers, therapists, spiritual practitioners and other amazing guests. Each season is general theme related to some area of Ben's own work, inviting writers and thinkers of that field on to discuss topics of interest and go deeper.
To learn more about Ben, visit www.benstimpson.com
My guest for this final episode of season 03 is the wonderful Devin Hunter.
Devin Hunter is the bestselling author of The Witch's Book of Power, The Witch's Book of Spirits, The Witch's Book of Mysteries, the critically acclaimed Modern Witch, and Crystal Magic for the Modern Witch. Initiated into multiple occult orders, Devin is the founder of the Sacred Fires Tradition of Witchcraft and co-founder of the Black Rose Tradition of Witchcraft. He hosts the Modern Witch podcast, recommended by both the AV Club and Glamour, and he's co-owner of Datura Trading Co.
Devin is also a novelist under the nom de plume, Darren Sparks., To find out more about his offerings, events and writing visit him at ModernWitch.com/Devin and www.darrensparks.com
23 Dec 2023
S03E19: Troy Kokoszka
My guest today is Troy Kokoszka, author of "Bogowie: Bogowie: A Study of Eastern Europe's Ancient Gods" from Moon Books.
T.D. Kokoszka grew up in Texas with a Jewish mother and a Polish-American father. While he was aware of roots going back to Eastern Europe from both families, he found it hard to learn very much about them. He knew that Polish people would whack one another with palm leaves around Easter, and he knew that his great-grandmother purportedly believed in forest spirits known as borowy. However, it wasn't until he was in his teens that he became vaguely aware of an ancient people known as the Slavs who gave rise to the Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Slovakian, Slovene, and Czech languages. It quickly became clear to him that this was a family of cultures currently under-represented in popular culture, and even in western scholarship. Not simply a regurgitation of scholarship from the Soviet period - and presenting new analyses by using previously neglected resources - Bogowie: A Study of Eastern Europe's Ancient Gods offers one of the most painstaking scholarly reconstructions of Slavic paganism.
These new resources include not only an overview of folklore from many different Slavic countries but also comparisons with 'ssetian culture and Mordvin culture, as well as a series of Slavic folktales that Kokoszka analyzes in depth, often making the case that the narratives involved are mythological and shockingly ancient. Readers will recognize many European folktale types and possibly learn to look at these folktales differently after reading this book.
23 Dec 2023
S03E18: Jhenah Telyndru
Jhenah Telyndru holds an MA in Celtic Studies from the University of Wales, Trinity St. David, and has a bachelor's degree in archaeology. She is the founder of the Sisterhood of Avalon, an international Celtic women's mysteries organization. Jhenah teaches four-day residential training retreats around North America and the UK, and facilitates pilgrimages to sacred sites in the British Isles and Ireland through Mythic Seeker Tours. She is a frequent presenter and guest speaker at academic conferences, religious symposia, Women's Spirituality gatherings, and Pagan festivals. A priestess in the Avalonian Tradition for over 25 years, Jhenah has been following a Pagan path since 1986. Visit her at www.ynysafallon.com and www.sisterhoodofavalon.org.
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