Oct 13 2024 95 mins 2
This episode of The Hollow Path features one of our absolute favourites, Rosie Whinray: artist, writer, magician, and Wizard of Wellington!
We start off with a really fascinating discussion of what it means to be a Wizard, and how one might be called to such a path; of how such a vocation interacts with and depends on one's Place, one's Community, and a whole way of being in the world. The interwoven nature of a rigorous artistic practice with magic, and the necessity of giving a special quality of attention, of always being in that receptive state, to create, capture, and work on the world around us are fruitfully discussed.
Following this, we talk in depth about the practice of writing and how it works - and works on us. Rosie's insights into the economy of artistic practice are truly vital: we examine the importance of the conditions and resources we have to find the work, the practice, the activity, the creativity that best suits us. The discussion of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, the Gift Economy, and the importance of a "Room of One's Own", of security, peace, and stability, to being able to do the Work, is one that touches on many issues that I hold very dear myself. As ever, Rosie manages to put the words on things in a way that I find helps me to articulate them to myself, a way in which I find and recognise myself.
Her writing, which is available on her SubStack newsletter, Dear Magician, is, to my mind, some of the best stuff in the essay form that is going out there at the moment. There's a particular recent essay which we talk about in some detail, about housing, security, and instability, which may be a good place to start with her work, and which can be found here : "Precariat Blues".
It was an absolute pleasure to catch up with Rosie, who is a dear friend, and to take up once again one of those conversations that will never really end, stretching back into our roots and forward into our future. Long may it meander on!
NB You'll notice that there are a couple of little glitchy moments in the audio, where we miss a bit of what Rosie is saying; I added a "spoken footnote" at the end, to elaborate slightly on those points, per our later discussion of them. I also had some trouble with my mic at about the hour-mark, and the sound on my end is of much lesser quality from there on, but it remains quite telligible. Still, apologies for that, and I'll try to work my devices better.
Finally, as I mention in the Addendum, after our discussion of Gift Economy and Art, I want to emphasise that this podcast is, and always will be, completely free. I do not want to move to a subscription model or make premium content, neither for the podcast nor the blog or YouTube channel, though I admire those who can make that work. My books, of course, I sell (you can find my first Occult Thriller novel Unreal City, at all disreputable outlets, or order signed and stamped copies directly from me); for everything else, there's Gift Economy. This work wants to be free, in every sense. I want it to be accessible. However, if you feel the urge to offer me a gift in return, to keep this stuff coming, and make it easier for me to take the time to do it, and keep it available to others, then please, by all means, you may make a one-time or ongoing contribution here :
Buy Malachas a Concoction ... Chip in to keep us in candles and cobwebs! It is very much appreciated ...
The episode image is Rosie's Apple drawing, and the title-music, as ever, is "Far from Portland", by Lau.
THE HOLLOW PATH IS A MEETING OF MINDS AND HEARTS, TO FOSTER EXHANGES AROUND MAGIC, ART, ENCHANTMENT, CULTURE, POLITICS, AND POETICS ...
RE-ENCHANTMENT. RE-WILDING. RE-MEMBERING.
RESISTANCE.
