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Wake Up, Underworld!

Wake Up, Underworld!

Written by: Cameron Steele and Justin Little
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What does it mean to practice magick as a path to enlightenment? Does practical magick have a role on the spiritual path? What exactly is the Western Magickal or Esoteric Tradition and who are its main thinkers and key figures? What does this tradition have to do with other spiritual pursuits or paths, from Buddhism to Animism, the Twelve Steps of AA to Christian Hermeticism? What do magick and awakening have to offer a person struggling with the anxieties of our age, its loneliness and algorithms? What is synchronicity and how does it relate to prophecy? These are some of the questions co-hosts Justin Little and Cameron Steele explore on Wake Up, Underworld! We delve into postmodern disenchantment, practical magick, and spiritual awakening within the context of the Western Magickal Tradition, alive and well thanks to Alan Chapman’s Magia, and, ever-present throughout human history as the tradition behind traditions. You can expect true stories of real magick, deep conversations about occult texts, and heartfelt explorations of the surprising, beautiful, and enduring presence of magick in the heart of spirituality, Reality, and the human being itself.

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Cameron Steele and Justin Little Spirituality
Episodes
  • "A Higher Order of Relationship Altogether"

    "A Higher Order of Relationship Altogether"
    Sep 23 2026
    We begin with reflections on what’s left out of current conversations around the Odyssey after Christopher Nolan’s reboot. Is it possible to see the good news in the groundwater of contemporary discourse? How might we adopt a position of hanging back, looking as if to see, letting the message behind the messaging come through? These questions lead us into Cameron’s backstory as an investigative crime reporter receiving messages from and writing poetry alongside the dead in the Deep South of the United States. People enjoy quoting the imminently quotable Simone Weil these days — “attention is the purest form of devotion” and “to know truth is to accept death” — but what does the mystic really mean with these statements? How does proximity to death trick us, even when we’re apparently seeing beyond it, never mind accepting it? What’s the difference between performing bravado — an apparently unflinching devotion to the facts of life, in the face of death — and a strength that comes precisely from a recognition of one’s humility and madness? What’s the difference between turning a tarot card over in an attempt to know and reading the cards as part of the mystery of love? Can you honestly tell when you’re doing one thing or the other? Can you know which voice is speaking to you in the dark? We explore these questions and more in a pursuit of a “higher order of relationship altogether.” Mentioned in the show: The Odyssey by Homer The Odyssey: A Graphic Novel by Gareth HindsThe Prince of Egypt "Sing for Our Time Too! The Divine Song of the Odyssey" by Mark Vernon The Red Book: Liber Secundus, Chapter Three, "One of the Lowly" by CG JungMagick Without Tears by Aleister Crowley, edited by Alan Chapman and Duncan Barford Gravity and Grace by Simone WeilThe Creative Tarot by Jessa Crispin"What is Spiritual Development For?" Episode 241 of Conner Habib's podcast Against Everything With Conner Habib, with guests Alan Chapman and Duncan Barford Duncan Barford's work and books, all found at Occult Experiments in the HomeAlan Chapman's MagiaCameron's writing on her newsletter "interruptions"Cameron's new book Interruption: Divinatory Essays on Illness and Narrative, published by Sul Books this weekThe title of this episode comes from Cristina Campo's wonderful essay collection The UnforgivablePreorder Cameron's book "Interruption"Read Justin's essay "Spiritus Contra Spiritum"Show Art by Beck Corriganhttps://beckcorrigan.cargo.site/about-contactMusic by Justin Little Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    2 hrs and 7 mins
  • “Tending to the Bonds Between the Seen and Unseen Worlds”

    “Tending to the Bonds Between the Seen and Unseen Worlds”
    Sep 9 2026
    What is the relationship between mystical experience on drugs and spiritual awakening that happens when sober? What does it mean to look back upon a life of addiction, drug use, and “being the worst version of oneself” and to see that even the rock bottoms were supposed to be there? Is there a way to express the inevitability of one’s path without affirming what looks like “trauma for one’s own good?”1 What is the use of understanding one’s mundane suffering and spiritual realizations as part of a cycle of creation, an expression of a complete cosmology that we participate in, whether we’re conscious of it or not? Is there a benefit to making such a cycle conscious? We raise these questions and more in our second episode of Wake Up, Underworld!, where co-hosts Justin Little and Cameron Steele explore Justin’s backstory and one example of what it looks like to wake up in the middle of hell. Perhaps it’s the case that passing the test of faith doesn’t simply reframe your life, such that it was never a test at all. Perhaps such passage is also a powerful magick that alters Reality, changing past, present, and future altogether.Read Justin's essay "Spiritus Contra Spiritum" Texts mentioned in the show:His Dark Materials series by Philip PullmanThe Chronicles of Narnia by CS LewisAlan Chapman’s MagiaReality by Peter KingsleyDrumming At the Edge of the Magic by Mickey HartThe Tibetan Book of the DeadOccult Experiments in the Home podcast by Duncan BarfordThe Baptist’s Head by Alan Chapman and Duncan Barford“Jason Louv and John Dee’s Empire of Angels” episode of the Occult of Personality podcast by Greg KaminskyOn Drugs by Justin Smith-Ruiu“On On Drugs” essay series by Mary Jane EyreThe Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley“Trauma for Your Own Good” episode of the Worp FM podcast by Alan Chapman and Duncan BarfordThe AA Big BookThe L. Ron Hubbard series produced by The Last Podcast on the LeftPeter Carroll’s books on Chaos MagickAdvanced Magick for Beginners by Alan ChapmanDr. Rachel Elior’s academic work on mysticism and magick within Jewish culturePreorder Cameron's book "Interruption"Read Justin's essay "Spiritus Contra Spiritum"Show Art by Beck Corriganhttps://beckcorrigan.cargo.site/about-contactMusic by Justin Little Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    2 hrs and 22 mins
  • Anarchy with Common Sense

    Anarchy with Common Sense
    Aug 26 2026
    "Anarchy with Common Sense," our first episode explores "work" -- as well as the material obsession with career, status, and money (or the lack of any of these) -- as the true opiate of the masses. We talk about the Great Work of magick as the true opportunity to grow what you care about without fighting shadows. Sometimes that opportunity comes to you through the sudden tragedy of illness; sometimes it comes to you in the only week you've had off work in years. Why is that? What is that about? The conversation explores the Great Work through the lenses of personal experience and spiritual practice, amidst the backdrop of late-stage capitalism in the West. You can find the podcast on any of your favorite podcast streaming services or on Acast. If you enjoyed listening, please like, subscribe, and share, or let us know in the comments!Texts mentioned: Magia by Alan ChapmanThe Lost Soul by Olga Tokarczuk and Joanna ConcegoMagick Without Tears by Aleister Crowley, edited by Alan Chapman and Duncan Barford The Baptist's Head by Alan Chapman and Duncan Barford The Last Night: Anti-work, Atheism, and Adventure by Federico Campagna Be Creative by Angela McRobbieThe Red Book by CG JungThe Introduction to the Black Books, by Sonu Shamdasani and CG JungThe Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Magetao te ching by Ko Hsüan (Aleister Crowley)Cosmic Trigger by Robert Anton WilsonNeurologic by Timothy Leary The Philosophy of Freedom by Rudolph Steiner Seven Lectures on Inner Development by Valentin TombergMeditations on the Tarot by Valentin TombergThe Occult of Personality Podcast by Greg KaminskyThe Qabbalistic Tarot by Robert WangThe Mystical Qabbalah by Dion FortunePreorder Cameron's book "Interruption"Read Justin's essay "Spiritus Contra Spiritum"Show Art by Beck Corriganhttps://beckcorrigan.cargo.site/about-contactMusic by Justin Little Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 46 mins
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