Ultraculture With Jason Louv

Ep. 235: The Dark Night of the Soul

In this episode, Jason explores one of the most important texts in world spirituality: The Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross. St. John was a 16th-century Carmelite monk who helped St. Teresa of Ávila reform the Carmelite order—and was kidnapped and imprisoned by rival monks for nine months, during which he composed this classic text on spiritual transformation. In this episode, you'll learn: - Why the "dark night" is not depression, but a necessary stage of spiritual development - The three signs that distinguish true spiritual purgation from mere lukewarmness - How God "weans" the soul like a mother teaching a child to walk - Why divine light appears as darkness to the unprepared soul ("a ray of darkness") - The ten steps of the ladder of love leading to union with God - How suffering is more secure than pleasure on the spiritual path Key quote: "He who shines with the greatest light shall cast the darkest shadow." If you've ever felt spiritually dry, disconnected, or like God has withdrawn His presence—this episode reveals why that experience is not only normal, but essential. --- 🔥 JOIN THE WINTER SOLSTICE WORKING — December 20-21 This episode connects directly to what Temple and I are doing this weekend: a live two-day intensive timed to the exact astronomical moment of the Winter Solstice—the longest night of the year, when darkness peaks and light begins its return. This is not a course you watch alone. It's a live working we do together: - Death meditations & shadow integration - Kabbalistic pathworking - Guided Bardo journeys - A ritual timed to the precise moment of the solstice Join us for the most potent time of the year for powerful, deep inner work. → solstice.magick.me

Ep. 234: Eliphas Levi on How to Become an Adept [BLACK FRIDAY FINAL DAY]

BLACK FRIDAY ENDS TOMORROW AT MIDNIGHT: friday.magick.me [https://friday.magick.me] This episode goes out on the final day of the Black Friday sale for a reason. What you're about to hear is Eliphas Levi's chapter on The Magician from Transcendental Magic (1856)—the first chapter of the first modern book on ceremonial magic ever written. Levi is going to lay out exactly what it takes to become an adept—"a person who is achieved by will and by work." He's going to talk about the four powers of the Sphinx: To know, to dare, to will, to keep silence. He's going to talk about why most people never make it. And he's going to say something that hit me hard when I first read it: "Those qualified for initiation no longer finding initiators, and the leaders of conscience becoming in the laps of time as uninstructed as the vulgar, the blind have grown weary of following the blind." That's the problem I've spent ten years trying to solve. That's why Magick.Me exists. That's why I built The Adept Initiative. Listen to Levi. Really listen. And then decide: Are you ready? KEY PASSAGES: • "To know, to dare, to will, to keep silence—such are the four words of the magus" • "Those qualified for initiation no longer finding initiators, the blind have grown weary of following the blind" • "Once started, we must reach the end or perish. To doubt is to lose one's reason, to pause is to fail, to recoil is to plunge into an abyss" BLACK FRIDAY ENDS TUESDAY MIDNIGHT: → The Adept's Path — $397 Adept Initiative I & II + Solstice Working (Dec 20-21) This is where Levi would tell you to start. → Complete Mastery — $997 (Limited spots available) Everything + 12-month library access + Solstice If you want to go deep—if you want the complete toolkit—this is it. → ULTIMATE — $1,797 (Limited spots available) Complete Mastery + year of direct mentorship with Jason This is for people who heard what Levi said and thought: "I'm ready. I want an initiator." 👉 friday.magick.me [https://friday.magick.me] Links & Resources: 🔥 BLACK FRIDAY SALE: https://friday.magick.me [https://friday.magick.me] 🌈 Magick.Me - Online School for Magick, Meditation, and Mysticism: https://www.magick.me [https://www.magick.me/] 🧘‍♂️ Free Guided Meditation and Mailing List: https://start.magick.me [https://start.magick.me/] 🌌 See you in class! ✨

Ep. 233: What's the Epistemology, Kenneth? How to Actually Tell Truth From Lies

BLACK FRIDAY SALE: https://friday.magick.me — Our best three offers OF ALL TIME. Sale ends December 2nd or when we run out (slots limited)! In this episode, Jason dives deep into epistemology—how we actually determine what's true and what's not in an age of overwhelming information, AI-generated content, and competing narratives. He explores practical frameworks for critical thinking, discusses the difference between knowledge and belief, and offers tools for navigating uncertainty without falling into either gullibility or paranoid skepticism. Topics covered: epistemological frameworks, critical thinking tools, media literacy, discernment practices, the role of intuition vs. analysis, and how magickal practice can sharpen your ability to perceive truth.

Ep. 232: Magick (For Sane-Ass Adults)

BLACK FRIDAY SALE: https://friday.magick.me [https://friday.magick.me] - Three paths to mastering magick, available through December 2nd only! After a year away, Jason Louv returns to discuss practical, modern Thelemic magick for functional adults. In this episode, he explores what it actually means to discover your True Will, the four fundamental principles of magick, and how to live authentically in alignment with your deepest purpose. This isn't magick for escapists or those seeking to avoid reality—it's magick for people who want to engage more fully with life, take responsibility for their existence, and become the best version of themselves. Jason breaks down the core practices and mindset shifts that have helped thousands of students transform their lives through the Western esoteric tradition. Links & Resources: 🔥 BLACK FRIDAY SALE: https://friday.magick.me [https://friday.magick.me] - Our best three offers OF ALL TIME. Sale ends December 2nd or when we run out (slots limited)! 🌈 Magick.Me - Online School for Magick, Meditation, and Mysticism: https://www.magick.me [https://www.magick.me/] 🧘‍♂️ Free Guided Meditation and Mailing List: https://start.magick.me [https://start.magick.me/] 🌌 See you in class! ✨

Ep. 231: "FURRIES ARE SHAMANS!" Ari Freeman On the Horrors of Furry & Brony Sorcery

Watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWQOytkpsz0&t=1989s] Yes hello! Thee Very Wizard of New Zealand himself, Ari Freeman unlocks the DREAD and FORBIDDEN SECRETS of Furry Sorcery and Brony Tulpas in this conversation with Jason Louv in this, the first "actual YouTube show" episode of the Ultraculture Podcast! THINGS MAN WAS NOT MEANT TO KNOW become, most unfortunately, KNOWN. Dare ye enter the Thunderdome??? About Ari: Leading what appears to be a charmed life, Ari Freeman is, aside from being a professional musician, a writer, fortune teller, and music teacher from Christchurch New Zealand. Recognisable as the frontman of the psychedelic funk band Rhomboid, and in his one-man-band project Blues Professor. He served seven years as the apprentice to the Wizard of New Zealand before becoming a published author of 'occult books for sceptics'. His first book Pragmatic Magical Thinking is out with Aeon Books (London) and a two volume Tarot manual, Psychic Results for Sceptics & Magical Results for the Reality Hacker come out in May and November of 2025. His solo album You Can See Everything If You Look From Nowhere is set for release on 30th March 2025. Ari performed all the instruments, many of which he built himself, sang and recorded this multi-dimensional album entirely in his home studio. Links & Resources: 🌈 Magick.Me - Online School for Magick, Meditation, and Mysticism: https://www.magick.me [https://www.magick.me/] 🃏🔮✨ Introduction to Magick - The world's best course on practicing real magick, right where you are sitting now: https://www.magick.me/p/intro-magick [https://www.magick.me/p/intro-magick] 🧘‍♂️ (NEW!) Free Guided Meditation and Mailing List: https://start.magick.me [https://start.magick.me/] 📖 (NEW!) Free Introductory Magick Course: https://www.magick.me/p/why-magick [https://www.magick.me/p/why-magick] 🌌 See you in class! ✨