Hello!
My name is Samuel Conrad, and I am 30, and have been practicing magick for seventeen years.
My devotions and pathworking have been focused for the past seven years on the Greek Rite, mainly in partnership with the Titanide Hekate, but also with the full quartet of the infernal court: Hades, Persephone, Hermes and of course, Enodia Herself.
This path is by no means exclusive, as I believe I the universality of the Greater Mystery, and my work within the scope of the Grecian Underworld is merely the expression of the Divine Metaphor which ‘clicks’ with me and enables my works fruition.
I had the benefit of having a pagan upbringing, in rural Virginia (USA), both my parents being adherents of alternative faiths, these perspectives being brought upon them via their own personal initiations, but also influenced by family tradition and folklore. This allowed me the freedom of choice where it mattered most, an unyielding faith in metaphysics, and the luxury of tutelage when most people were only able to ride a silver broomstick: I was exposed to Wicca at the beginning of highschool, and like all existing neopagan reconstructionists, have in some way been influenced by Gardener’s theology, even if only to adapt what I was already being shown or perceiving in my community at large.
In Appalachia, there exists an old tradition called ‘Granny Witching’ which for the most part consists of traditional medicine, folk-belief, Protestant Christianity cum veiled European paganism (the phrase, ‘She’s a Sunday Christian’ meaning that on Sunday, you won’t find a more devout Pentecostal, and on Monday, she’s back to feeding fairies butter and selling pennyroyal tea, being very apt terminology for the older women in our community). It was in this environment my parents and I grew up in, and adapted it onto a more polytheistic, or in my father’s case, Satanic lilt.
I recently have been paroled from prison for distribution of methamphetamines, and am currently rebuilding my life. This process is nothing new to me, as both of my parents have been to federal prison (my father is still incarcerated) and I have viewed my circumstance as further initiation into the mysteries of my path, for was not The Queen of Hell locked away against her will, only to find release come the blooming of the narcissus? And can I tell you how confirmative it was to see daffodils peeking through the snow after being granted an early release? Being locked-up definitely made me a better magickian, not only through forced innovation, but also through exposure, as I have developed some rapport with La Santissima Muerte, which has broadened my horizons. Also, it was initiatory for many reasons, not just because of the analog of Persephone, but also because I was able to practice tacere and it was able to see the people I was having dealings with (some of whom also have an appreciation for the supernatural) close ranks, not unsimilar to how I perceive a persecuted coven may have back in the day.
I have a Bible scripture tattooed on my left forearm, ACTS 19:34, which is worth a look-up.
Favorite poets include Sappho, Callimachus, Anne Sexton and Anne Carson; Valerie Worth is probably my absolute favorite, if only because of the nature of her corpus literatus. Am a Rice fan (Stan, Anne, and Christopher), love Margaret Atwood and am currently reading Andrzej Sapkowski’s ‘The Witcher’ series.
Favorite musicians include White (& plain ol’ Rob) Zombie, Korn, Florence + The Machine, Marilyn Manson, which is a very narrow list. I like most stuff from 1960-2000, assuming it’s Rock; I really dig tribal music.
I am a fan of contemporary pop culture and the place of Magi within it, from music, to television, film and literature. Magick is everywhere, and it’s legacy upon the American psyche is unending and current. Witches are no longer a thing of the past, relegated to back-alley abortions, love charms, and the horoscope section of the newspaper. We are torchbearers of enlightenment, as the Good Book says, ‘Eat the fruit and surely you will not die; for you will become like God, knowing Good and Evil.’ I believe that our role in shaping the destiny of our species is pivotal. I actively do so, and recommend you give a the proverbial apple to any who ask.
I am about a year-out from completing an Anthropology degree which I will likely never finish and I am okay with that; one of my professors wrote a book called ‘Metaphysics in Midwestern America’ (by Dr. Melinda Wagner) which is worth a read- if you can find a copy.
I am Gay, and HIV positive; neither would I change as they have exponentially increased my liminality, which has brought me closer to the mysteries of She Who Breaks-Open the Earth.
I believe that being a metaphysician is a lifestyle, and that to achieve gnosis, if you will, you must pick a path and follow it to the spring at it’s source. I believe that each path is one’s own, and I believe that there is no right or wrong way to practice your magick as revealed to you on your path. You won’t see me object to anything, and I am always game for participant observation until something crosses an ethical line for me. I believe in Divine initiations over human ones, and thank The Maker, whoever that might be, that they’ve given me the cognizance to recognize the difference.
Always question authority, always question reasoning, always question reality and preconceived notion so that you might develop your own. To do so, by my experience, is Divine. To shape and order your universe as you see fit is Divinity in it’s truest sense.
My current goal is to get my life back together after losing so much, and using it as an opportunity to put my practice on paper. I’d like this incarnation to go down in the annals of magick, and I have zero doubt that goal shall be achieved.
So, that’s me.