What Magic Is This?

It always felt somewhat incomplete; the Fistful of Fairies series here on What Magic is This? Podcast was in need of a revisitation. While the series went in many major and important directions, an overarching History of the supernatural entities which we call fairies just wasn't there. And so, for the 7th anniversary of the podcast, and with the release of the wonderful book Fairies: A History by Dr. Francis Young, as well as with his help- this oversight shall be addressed and the Fistful shall be completed.

There are very few books within the Western Magical Tradition which have had an impact and legacy beyond the tradition itself. In 1584 a book appeared written by a country gentleman that was unlike anything at the time and unlike anything since. Reginald Scot's The Discoverie of Witchcraft was a massive work which saw Reginald attempt to shine a light on Witchcraft in order to discredit the common belief that Witches and Witchcraft had as much power as people believed it did. In exhaustive detail, Scot put many spells, enchantments and rituals in his book which only saw his work be used for Magic as opposed to against it. Simply put, The Discoverie of Witchcraft is one of the most important books in Magical History. Period.

Playing cards have always been magical. While not as ubiquitous and long tenured as dice and other means of games and gambling, card games have been a part of western culture for over 600 years. Inevitably, as soon as something gets used for games, it immediately gets used for divination and fortune-telling as well. This form of divination has been called Cartomancy and since the 15th century it has an incredibly diverse and fascinating history, one which currently sees it as the second most popular form of divination in the western world.

If the western Magical tradition has one object which has bled into mainstream culture and seems like it is there to stay, it would be a pack of Tarot cards designed and released in 1909. Originally released as The Tarot, it would later be known as the Rider Waite Tarot, and for decades that is what it would remain. Yet, this name negated perhaps the most important element of these cards- the artist herself. Pamela Colman Smith was an exceptional talent who lived a fascinating and tumultuous life. While her deck is beyond notorious, her story is almost entirely unknown by most. Pamela would like you to join her in the Fools Gallery, for she has much to tell us these days.

If there is one thing that can put a fire into the heart of many a person over the last two thousand years, it is the enticement of buried treasure. Yet for centuries, buried riches weren't merely just items of value placed in the earth for people to seek out, treasure and the spirits which guarded it had a long tenured lore all its own. What's more, treasure was a magical enterprise- looking for it, digging it up and even how treasure behaved while it was buried. To this day, treasure and its allure has always been magical.