First Class Info
First shout out to Reed!
I wasn't aware the auto email from 3 days ago never sent. Apologies team.
This first meeting is a check in, and a chance to set expectations.
We will feel our way through all of this.
We will be using more of a practitioners approach to my Newhall course I just received word I will be teaching in the ‘23-’24 school year at the Graduate Theological Union.
Prepare for a quick meeting to set expectations going forward, so 75 minutes. After that it will be 2.5 hours with breaks.
If you can’t afford the books or find them online for free ( check out scribd, Jstor, or other spots) shoot me an email.
Here is a link to the article we will be discussing as a jumping off place: Introduction to Determined Spirits
You aren’t obligated to read it, but it will serve as the one of the main counter narrative points to so called western esoterica we will be using.
For this week you will need to pick one term to add to our “shared glossary of esoterica” as explained in the syllabus, and be ready to have fun and create our syllabus for this cohort based on this blanket one.
Finally here is the zoom link: rev/olosun/awo lenny duncan is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Table at Dawn
Time: Dec 17, 2022 01:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84965552122
Meeting ID: 849 6555 2122
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Welcome to: “a peoples history of magic and mystics of the americas”
Course Description
*a peoples history of magic and mystics of the americas*
A People’s History of Magic and Mysticism - is a course designed to offer students at the GTU the opportunity to gain skills or increased competency in the still-emergent field of what has been called “western esotericism,”or “mysticism. Students will get the opportunity to understand some of the major concepts, critiques, and debates in the field. It will also simultaneously offer a counter narrative critical of past academic claims around the history and construction of esotericism as we know it in the Americas.
Critical study of this field is needed not just because of its resurgence in American culture, but also to challenge its overtly Western European worldview and roots. Examining this area of emergent spirituality practiced by a large portion of modern society with an anti-racist and
decolonial lens, students and instructors, can start to disentangle these in the Northern American political construct of “whiteness”.
Student Learning Outcomes and Assessment
At the end of this course students will be able to:
Student Learning Outcome
Assessment
1.Demonstrate skills in the still emergent field of what has been called “western esotericism,” critiques, and debates in the field.
Activity to builds this skill two critical reflections or presentations.
2. Demonstrate understanding of some of the major concepts, terms, and language of western esotericism.
Activity to build this skill : Shared glossary of “Esoteric” challenge. Students' choice.
3. Demonstrate to class and instructors acquired or increased familiarity with critiques, and debates in the field.
Activity to build this skill-The Trial of Western Esotericism: “Is Magic Real?” exercise.
4. Will start to develop their own narrative, hermeneutic, and description of western esotericism, as we know it in the americas. They may use the counter narrative we develop in class critical or the more dominant non critical narrative. They are to pay attention to past academic claims around the history and construction of esotericism as we know it in the Americas in their own tradition. Students will use an interdisciplinary voice drawing from theological, sociological, anthropological, and historical resources as well as emerging voices in this field.
4. final critical reflection paper, presentation, video oral response, or voicethread response, using the evidence presented in assessment 3, students will answer the question if they believe “magic” is real.
Course Requirements
1. Two critical reflection papers or presentations due week 6 and 9. Critical reflections papers will be 5-7 pages long, double spaced, and can be theological, critical, or personal reflections of each student engaging at least two concepts from required readings up until that point. At least one concept in each paper must be from the writings of Dr. Paschal Beverley Randolph, or another Black esoteric practitioner in the America’s either covered in class, or brought into conversation by the student from outside the class with one concept from required readings. You are to compare and contrast the way each conceives similar constructs, practices, beliefs, and cosmologies.
While I encourage you to look at the nature and mechanics of the practices of each tradition: I will warn against “othering” anything we encounter unless you are prepared to defend the more “mystical”and “esoteric” in your own tradition.
Alternative: students may use these same requirements for content and create two video or voice thread submissions of 7-10 minutes in length, with or without powerpoint presentation. They are also due week 6 and 9 respectively.
Second Alternative: two pieces of art, or poetry, or other expression that embodies and engages these concepts and topics, with the same requirements of critical reflection by the student . An example is a student could design your own Tarot card as an example. Due week 6 and 9 respectively. Must be accompanied by a footnoted artist statement of 2 pages.
Students are encouraged to submit this assignment in whatever form best fits their learning style and not on other’s perceptions of what is, or is not, academic.
2. Students every week, starting on week one, will learn one term from the “Rocuscrician Glossary of Terms' ' , the glossary of “Alchemical Symbols” and other sundry items your mother told you not to read. All these items provided on moodle here: (Folder of a lot of random esoterica)
You will choose one term each week to be added to a classroom “Shared Glossary of Esoterica.”
Week one this will be facilitated in small groups, but starting week two this occur before the sacred encounter, students should be able to describe in their own language and terms the meaning of up to 2 terms, and their opinion of at least one that should be added to the “Shared Glossary of Esoterica.” Once in the shared glossary of esoterica it is the language the class must use in discussion, critical reflection assignments, and final projects. We are creating a living ontological construct, meaning it is not defined until we define it, it isn't something we consider as useful in this class until we decide it is.
This period will also serve as a “check in” time. To create a cohort of trust and understanding we will always privilege the care of a member of this class. If you want to talk, if you think we can help, if the check in period feels safe, we will not move on until you are seen and heard. These reflections can be as personal, or as surface, as you want, but know that we won’t start a class until we get to hear about your well being for the day even if it's just a thumbs up or a pass on sharing.
A student may also “challenge” any term they feel shouldn't be in the “Shared Glossary of Esoterica” instead of defining two and no matter the outcome they receive 100% that day. But if they lose the challenge they are not allowed to challenge again for 3 weeks.
Challenges to the “Shared Glossary of Esoterica” are decided by student vote via zoom, or note in a hat, or other anonymous means. If the student wins the challenge they can replace the term and definition with what they see fit.
Students are to be careful in challenges to use language that reflects an interfaith approach.
3. The Trial of Western Esotericism: “Is Magic Real?” exercise: Weeks 14 and 15 Students will break into two teams and present why or why not they believe magic, mysticism, seership, divination, and other forms of modern esotericism is “real” based on the concepts, thinkers, and competencies gained through the required readings, guest speakers, in class demonstrations, and artifact inspection. Students may only use the agreed upon “Shared Glossary of Esoterica” for language and terms to base their arguments with. (Pro-tip: don't want to argue this in front of a class? Request to be a juror and write one hell of a paper!)
4. One critical reflection paper or presentation due one week after week 16 . Critical reflections papers will be 7-10 pages long, double spaced, and can be theological, critical, or personal reflections of each student engaging the content of the The Trial of Western Esotericism: “Is Magic Real?” exercise.
Alternative: students may use these same requirements for content and create two video or voice thread submissions of 7-10 minutes in length, with or without powerpoint presentation.
Or one piece of art, or poetry, or other expression that embodies and engages these concepts and topics, with the same requirements of critical reflection by the student . An example is a student could design their own Tarot card as an example. Must be accompanied by a footnoted artist statement of 4 pages.
Or a magical item you will add to your practice with a two page cited paper.
Students must answer the question if they believe modern esoterica, commonly called magic, is real after this class.
Required Readings
Asprem, Egil. New Approaches to the Study of Esotericism. Leiden ; Boston: BRILL, 2020.
Bogdan, Henrik, and Gordan Djurdjevic, eds. Occultism in a Global Perspective. 1st edition. Durham,
England ; Bristol, CT: Routledge, 2013.
Deveney, John P. Paschal Beverly Randolph: A Nineteenth-Century Black American Spiritualist, Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician. State University of New York Press, 1997.
Egil Asprem, Julian Strube , New Approaches to the Study of Esotericism
Brill. (2021) Chapter: Towards the Study of Esotericism without
the “Western”: Esotericism from the Perspective of a Global Religious History
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1163/j.ctv1sr6jm4.6
Faivre, A., & Godwin, J. (1995). The Eternal Hermes: From greek god to alchemical magus. Phanes Press. Chapters 1-3 *
Faivre, Antoine, and Wouter J. Hanegraaff, eds. Western Esotericism and the Science of Religion.
Leuven, Netherlands: Peeters, 1998.
Ferguson, Christine. Determined Spirits: Eugenics, Heredity and Racial Regeneration in Anglo-American Spiritualist Writing, 1848-1930. Edinburgh University Press, 2012. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctt3fgsk6.
Goodrick-Clarke, Nicholas. The Western Esoteric Traditions: A Historical Introduction. Oxford
University Press, USA, 2008. Whole book
Gutierrez, Cathy. Handbook of Spiritualism and Channeling. Brill, 2015.
https://brill.com/view/title/24898. *
Hanegraaff, Wouter J. Esotericism and the Academy: Rejected Knowledge in Western Culture.
Reprint edition. Cambridge New York: Cambridge University Press, 2014. *
Hanegraaff, Wouter J. Selections from New Age Religion and Western Culture: Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1998. *
Kripal, Professor Jeffrey J. Secret Body: Erotic and Esoteric Currents in the History of Religions. Illustrated edition. Chicago ; London: University of Chicago Press, 2017
Urban, Hugh B. Magia Sexualis: Sex, Magic, and Liberation in Modern Western Esotericism. First edition. Berkeley, Calif: University of California Press, 2006.
Randolph, Paschal:Posthumus Magia Sexualis: Sexual practices for Magical Power.
Ward, Martha. Voodoo Queen: The Spirited Lives of Marie Laveau. University Press of Mississippi, 2004.
Catherine yronwode. Hoodoo and Root-Work Correspondence course. Lucky Mojo Curio Company Forestville, California. 2006 *
Suggested readings:
Asprem, Egil. New Approaches to the Study of Esotericism. Leiden ; Boston: BRILL, 2020.
Faivre, Antoine, and Wouter J. Hanegraaff, eds. Western Esotericism and the Science of Religion.
Leuven, Netherlands: Peeters, 1998.
Hanegraaff, Wouter J. Selections from Selections from Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed. 0 edition. London ; New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2013.
Hanegraaff, Wouter J., Jeffrey Kripal, and Jeffrey John Kripal. Hidden Intercourse: Eros and Sexuality in the History of Western Esotericism. BRILL, 2008.
Dec 16th
Topic: A People's History of Magic
Readings Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, selections from Western Esoteric Tradition: An Introduction (chapter 1)
https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1163/j.ctv1sr6jm4.6?socuuid=b58f803e-7fe4-4699-9d6f-559059b5286d
Activity: “The Unknown Master” part 1
Sacred Encounter: Honoring the Ancestors with Libations.
Group in class activity to start to create the “Shared Glossary of Esoterica.”
Class intro lecture and discussion.
Overview of the semester, syllabus.
Small group: Sending Activity-
Students prepared to engage readings and shared glossary of esoterica terms for small group activity.
week 2
Topic : Hermes Trismegistus: African Church Father?
Ferguson, Christine. Determined Spirits: Eugenics, Heredity and Racial Regeneration in Anglo-American Spiritualist Writing, 1848-1930. Edinburgh University Press, 2012. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctt3fgsk6. (chapter 1)
Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, selections from Western Esoteric Tradition: An Introduction (chapters 2,3 )
Deveney, John P. Paschal Beverly Randolph: A Nineteenth-Century Black American Spiritualist, Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician. State University of New York Press, 1997 (Intro- Chapter 1)
Faivre, A., & Godwin, J. (1995). The Eternal Hermes: From greek god to alchemical magus. Phanes Press. Chapters 1-3 *
Sacred Encounter:
Cartomancy: Hoodoo Tarot
Activity: Check ins and
Shared Glossary of Esoterica group discussion
Week 3
Topic: The Colonization of the Astral Plane.
Suggested Readings : Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, selections from Western Esoteric Tradition: An Introduction (chapters 4,5 )
Deveney, John P. Paschal Beverly Randolph: A Nineteenth-Century Black American Spiritualist, Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician. State University of New York Press, 1997 ( Chapter 2)
Ferguson, Christine. Determined Spirits: Eugenics, Heredity and Racial Regeneration in Anglo-American Spiritualist Writing, 1848-1930. Edinburgh University Press, 2012. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctt3fgsk6. (Chapter 3)
“The Unknown Master” Part 2
Sacred Encounters: Circle Casting, Glyphs, Scree’s, Witches Marks, Symbols of Power.
Activity: Check ins and
Shared Glossary of Esoterica group discussion
Small group Activity: Surprise!
Week 4
Topic: The Great Work
Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, selections from Western Esoteric Tradition: An Introduction (chapters 6,7 )
Deveney, John P. Paschal Beverly Randolph: A Nineteenth-Century Black American Spiritualist, Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician. State University of New York Press, 1997 (Chapter 3)
Selections from “The Ravelette, The Emerald Tablet, AE-Waites, True History of the Rosicrucians, Compendium Occult Law and Jungian Alchemy provided by instructor on Moodle.
Sacred Encounter: Is it communion, or Alchemy?
Check ins and
Shared Glossary of Esoterica group discussion
Month 5
Topic: A Decolonial Counter Narrative
Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, selections from Western Esoteric Tradition: An Introduction (chapters 8,9 )
Deveney, John P. Paschal Beverly Randolph: A Nineteenth-Century Black American Spiritualist, Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician. State University of New York Press, 1997 (Chapter 4)
Ferguson, Christine. Determined Spirits: Eugenics, Heredity and Racial Regeneration in Anglo-American Spiritualist Writing, 1848-1930. Edinburgh University Press, 2012. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctt3fgsk6. (Chapter 4 )
Sacred Encounter: Ifa Divination
Check ins and
Shared Glossary of Esoterica group discussion
Month 6
Topic: You got the Witches Mark
Ferguson, Christine. Determined Spirits: Eugenics, Heredity and Racial Regeneration in Anglo-American Spiritualist Writing, 1848-1930. Edinburgh University Press, 2012. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctt3fgsk6.
(Chapter 5)
Deveney, John P. Paschal Beverly Randolph: A Nineteenth-Century Black American Spiritualist, Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician. State University of New York Press, 1997 (Chapter 5)
Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, selections from Western Esoteric Tradition: An Introduction (chapters 8,9 )
Sacred Encounter:
Skree’s, glyphs, and magical symbols.
Check ins and
Shared Glossary of Esoterica group discussion
First critical reflection assignment due before class.
Month 7
Topic: Magical squares, Kadabras, and the esoteric gift of mathematics
Ferguson, Christine. Determined Spirits: Eugenics, Heredity and Racial Regeneration in Anglo-American Spiritualist Writing, 1848-1930. Edinburgh University Press, 2012. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctt3fgsk6.
(Chapter 6)
Deveney, John P. Paschal Beverly Randolph: A Nineteenth-Century Black American Spiritualist, Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician. State University of New York Press, 1997 (Chapter 6)
Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, selections from Western Esoteric Tradition: An Introduction (chapters 10,11 )
Sacred Encounter: Magic squares, tables, cadabras, and other wards made of patterns.
Check ins and
Shared Glossary of Esoterica group discussion
Month 8
Topic: Sacred Sexuality
Ferguson, Christine. Determined Spirits: Eugenics, Heredity and Racial Regeneration in Anglo-American Spiritualist Writing, 1848-1930. Edinburgh University Press, 2012. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctt3fgsk6.
(Chapter conclusion)
Deveney, John P. Paschal Beverly Randolph: A Nineteenth-Century Black American Spiritualist, Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician. State University of New York Press, 1997 (Chapter 7)
Book Title: Magia Sexualis ( Provided on Moodle)
Chapter Title: Sex Power Is God Power Paschal Beverly Randolph and the Birth of Sex Magic in Victorian America
Sacred Encounter: Osun, Oshun, and Divine embodiments of sensory and sensual pleasure.
Check ins and
Shared Glossary of Esoterica group discussion
Month 9
Topic: Cleansing white supremacy from Cleansing.
Deveney, John P. Paschal Beverly Randolph: A Nineteenth-Century Black American Spiritualist, Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician. State University of New York Press, 1997 (Chapter 8)
Sacred Encounter: Sheddings, egg ceremonies, and other Diasporia cleansing methods
Second Critical Reflection Assignment due before class.
Month 10
Deveney, John P. Paschal Beverly Randolph: A Nineteenth-Century Black American Spiritualist, Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician. State University of New York Press, 1997 (Chapter 9)
Check ins and
Shared Glossary of Esoterica group discussion
Sacred Encounter: The power of smell, scents, incense, and elements of air.
Month 11
Topic: Protect your neck
Deveney, John P. Paschal Beverly Randolph: A Nineteenth-Century Black American Spiritualist, Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician. State University of New York Press, 1997 (Chapter 10-fin)
Hanegraaff, Wouter J. Selections from New Age Religion and Western Culture: Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1998. *
Activity: Check ins and
Shared Glossary of Esoterica group discussion
Sacred Encounter: Protection spells, actions, dieties, Orisha, and other ways to drive away terror.
Month 12
Topic: Hoodoo you think you can Conjure with that Voodoo?
Ward, Martha. Voodoo Queen: The Spirited Lives of Marie Laveau. University Press of Mississippi, 2004.
(Chapters intro-4)
Randolph, Paschal:Posthumus Magia Sexualis: Sexual practices for Magical Power. ( Chapters intro-1)
Check ins and
Shared Glossary of Esoterica group discussion
Month 13
Topic: Hoodoo you think you can Conjure with that Voodoo? Part 2
Catherine Yronwode. Hoodoo and Root-Work Correspondence course. Lucky Mojo Curio Company Forestville, California. 2006 *
( Students will pick ten lessons to read for classroom discussion)
Jury will be selected, 1/3 rd of the class.
Rest of the class is split into prosecution and defense
Check ins and
Shared Glossary of Esoterica group discussion
Trial Rules, Language, teams for Trial of Western Esotericism. The charge is that Magic is not real.
Month 14
Topic: Trial of Western Esotericism
Students will come prepared to present 30 minute prosecution presentation, and 30m minute defense
The charge is that Magic is not real.
Month 15
Sending Ceremony. Second invitation.
Instructor Notes: Please read to know the “tone” or framing of the class
I believe by not applying the lens of decoloniality, and not examining this area of emergent spirituality practiced by a large portion of modern society, faith leaders continue its entanglement in the Northern American political construct of “whiteness”. We are at a critical time in our planet's development, with a cascading series of ecological crises on the horizon. and the very meaning of words like “Jesus”, “Freedom” and “Citizen’ under constant attack it is important to examine where a lot of people are drawing meaning. 33% claim to have never darkened to the doorstep of a church, synagogue or masjid. 22% claim to go every week.
What are those in the 45% up to?
With a modern renaissance of esoterica in the form of so called “tantric practices, astrology, cartomancy, yoga, ancient and or modern witchcraft, sorcery, folk magic, and plant medicine journeys ” kicked into hyper acceleration by the COVID-19 pandemic faith and thought leaders have to learn an entirely new language. If almost 45% are finding solace somewhere else, then what are those means? Are there whole traditions that the thorny problems of particularity, and salvific faith are not even a concern? Most important: do they “work” in people's lives?
We shall endeavor to ask what other esoterica and mysticism can teach us, whether in our grounded traditions of choice or birth, or what we will carry away with us from practices deemed “primitive”, or thrown into the “waste basket of modernity”. We will be incredibly critical of the enlightenment era project of progress and ask what it means for so-called “progressive” traditions today.
Students will engage the writing, thinking, and beliefs from source material of what the great 19th century spiritualism and occultism
In essence, Decolonial Counter Narrative Building, is an attempt at a practical application of some principles from the vast body of work of Decoloniality in my field of the Historical and Cultural studies of “New Religious Movements”, specifically American esotericism, and uncovering its radical roots.
Students will be exploring dominant historical narrative and divergence of that same narrative through a critical analysis of the classic works of “western esoterica”, its core thinkers, great movements, and scholars.
This course takes into account in its power analysis class, race, gender, and queer identity whether gender or sexuality in its reading of historical narrative.
Indigeneity will be treated as another field of science and a viable world view in opposition to the colonial project. While exploring the colonial project, its suppression of esoterica and mysticism. We will also explore the ontological frameworks with ecological consequences, specifically: humanity’s severed relationship to land/space.
We will privilege the ontological reality, self reports, narratives, sacred art, epistemologies, theologies, mysticism, of Black practitioners of esoterica in the Americas, and center their experiences.
We will look at one of the more important theories or premises of my dissertation work. Every few weeks of class is a chapter from my dissertation. This makes your feedback very important to me. We will look at one of my premises in particular: examining the esoteric beliefs and systems that upheld the colonial matrix of power, their adherents' heartfelt beliefs that they could remake the world like post reformation Europe through esoteric practices , the project called “The Great Work” or “Universal Reformation” and not dismiss what their fellow church members where up to.
My hope is we will start to identify white supremacy’s deleterious effects in the constructs of “modern magic”, esoterica, and spirituality, while gaining a more critical lens of the thought leader industrial complex and cottage industry built around it, including the recent revival of interest in “plant medicine.”
We will identify modern esoteric practices in the Americas through artifact inspection, in class demonstrations of esoteric practices by instructor, guest practitioners, academics, and using the shared “glossary” as agreed upon language, common in modern esoteric practice in the Americas.
We will finally have fun. Or at least I will. Who wants to be part of a revolution that isn't fun?
Written in love and liberation
rev/awo lenny duncan
PhD Student.