Magic in the United States

Magical Futures

Today, tech-savvy magical practitioners are creating, remixing, and merging ideas, tools, and practices that are decidedly digital. LEDs instead of candles, Tarot apps instead of paper cards, VR rooms instead of temples – some practitioners are using digital tools to replace or supplement physical ones. And when practitioners interact with an AI as a spirit, they challenge conventional understandings of both the spiritual and the material — and reveal how we think about both. Featuring Alya Lux and Dr. Damien P. Williams.

Teen Witch

Sabrina, Willow, Thomasin, Queenie – many of us have a favorite teen witch from film or television. The teenage witch archetype has changed over the decades, from a silly materialist bobby soxer, to a raging force of rebellious autonomy. But until very recently, the teen witch has almost always been presented as middle-class, female, and white. And while media depictions of witches have inspired Seekers of the magical and sorcerous – the world of actual teen witches is still very much shrouded in mystery. Featuring Miranda Corcoran, Addy Ebrahimy, Heather Greene, and Susan Ridgely.

The Stars Ascending

Open almost any newspaper and you’ll find your horoscope. But this form of Western astrology has a long and complex history. It began thousands of years ago in Mesopotamia before European settlers brought it to North America, where they used it in farming and for answering questions. In this episode, we learn how astrology has survived and evolved in the United States and ask: is astrology a science or pseudoscience? Magic or art? Psychological tool or a divination method? The answer might just be like the stars: all of the above. Featuring Nicholas Campion, Tres Henry, Michael York, and Jake Zukowski.

The Sorcerous Saint

St. Cyprian of Antioch was a lesser-known Catholic saint with a fascinating folk history in the Iberian peninsula, Scandinavia, and Brazil. But around 2010, this folk saint of sorcery and magic immigrated to the United States and went pop in some communities of magical practitioners and found a new home in America. Featuring Jesse Hathaway Diaz, José Leitão, and Katarina Pejovic.

Teresita

Curanderismo originated in Central and South America and is a form of folk healing that merges Catholic and indigenous ideas into its own unique practice. Today, curanderismo is practiced in many Mexican American communities throughout the United States. A curandera or curandero not only treats physical ailments, but also supernatural ones, and often serves as an important community leader. The curandera Teresa Urrea was a prominent figure in the Mexican-U.S. border uprisings of the 1880s and her story bridges the physical and metaphysical border between these two young nations.  Featuring Brett Hendrickson, Jennifer Koshatka Seman, and Grace Sesma.