Online Courses on Esotericism & Witchcraft
Get the Tools to Change your Life with a Qualified Academic
Italian Folk Magic and Shamanism: A Practical Course in the Tradition of Segnature
Get a university-level education on Italian Folk Magic.
Scheduled Sessions:
Session 1 - Saturday 19th July 6 pm UK time/ 1 pm EDT
Session 2 - Sunday 20th July 6 pm UK time/ 1 pm EDT
Session 3 - Saturday 26th July 6 pm UK time/ 1 pm EDT
Session 4 - Sunday 27th July 6 pm UK time/ 1 pm EDT
Session 5 - Sunday 3rd August 6 pm UK time/ 1 pm EDT
Session 6 - Saturday 9th August 6 pm UK time/ 1 pm EDT
Session 7 - Sunday 10th August 6 pm UK time/ 1 pm EDT
Session 8 - Sunday 17th August 6 pm UK time/ 1 pm EDT
Session 9 - Sunday 31st August 6 pm UK time/ 1 pm EDT
Session 10 - Sunday 7th September 6 pm UK time/ 1 pm EDT
Session 11 - Sunday 14th September 6 pm UK time/ 1 pm EDT
Every Session will be on Zoom, 90 minutes long (60 minutes lecture + 30 minutes Q&A)
✨ Bonus Features
💬 Live Q&A Sessions
Get your questions answered, share your experiences, and engage with fellow learners.
🎁 Community Access
Join our private Inner Symposium Discord for discussion, sharing rituals, and building connections.
🎟 Discount Eligibility
Long-term patrons at Magus (6 months), Archmage (4 months), and top tiers (2 months) are eligible for a 50% discount on their course.
Message me on Patreon for details.
Course Breakdown
🜁 Session 1: Introduction to Segnature and Italian Folk Magic
Explore what makes Segnature a living magical tradition. We’ll examine the spiritual worldview behind Italian folk magic, the role of the healer in traditional communities, and the aims of this course. You'll also reflect on what it means to approach this tradition with respect, care, and responsibility.
🜁 Session 2: The Fantasy of the 'Old Religion'
Deconstruct the myth of a pan-European witch cult. This session delves into Charles Leland’s Aradia, the invention of Stregheria, and the difference between literary inventions and living traditions. We'll examine how authenticity is shaped and what makes a tradition real.
🜁 Session 3: From Heresy to Healing
Learn how Italian folk magic survived through centuries of persecution by embedding itself within Catholicism. We’ll explore syncretism, the use of saints and sacred icons, and how secrecy, community trust, and the domestic sphere became crucial to survival.
🜁 Session 4: Segnature as Indigenous Italian Shamanism
This session explores the academic foundations of Segnature as a form of vernacular shamanism, grounded in the work of Ginzburg and de Martino. We'll cover trance, dream, spirit journeying, the tarantella tradition, and the persistence of animist cosmologies in rural Italy.
🜁 Session 5: The Hidden Architecture of the Tradition
What exactly is a segnatura, and how many kinds are there? Learn about the gestures, spoken formulas, and regional patterns of this practice. We’ll also explore who the segnatori and segnatrici are, and how gender, family, and community shape the transmission of the craft.
🜁 Session 6: Authority, Initiation, and Ethics
Not everyone can practise this tradition. This session explores how the dono is received, when and how initiations take place, and how practitioners relate to ancestors and spirits of place. We’ll discuss issues of cultural appropriation and how to navigate the line between honouring and taking.
🜁 Session 7: Plants, Waters, Calendars and Devotion
Explore the core materia magica of Segnature: sacred plants, blessed water, household tools, and more. We’ll also look at how the ritual calendar works, the role of saints' days and lunar timing, and the importance of daily devotion and spiritual discipline.
🜁 Session 8: Healing with Words, Signs, and Spirit
Dive into practical healing magic. You’ll learn how to perform traditional segnature for physical ailments, fright (paura), emotional distress, and ancestral wounding. This session includes diagnostic methods (oil, water, salt), prayers, gestures, and formulas passed down through oral tradition.
🜁 Session 9: Folk Magic for Love, Money, and Protection
This session explores traditional workings for love, harmony, fertility, abundance, and defence. Learn how to break curses, dispel envy (invidia), create protective boundaries, and work safely with energies of blessing and reversal in domestic settings.
🜁 Session 10: Rites of Passage, Sacred Time, and Divination
Explore how Segnature engages with birth, menstruation, marriage, illness, and death. We'll also cover agricultural rites, seasonal observances, and folk divination methods including dream interpretation, intuitive knowing, and everyday omens.
🜁 Session 11: The Future of the Tradition
In this final session, we reflect on what it means to revive and adapt a living tradition without romanticising it. We'll discuss practice in diaspora and online spaces, the ethics of transmission, and how to honour lineages while evolving with integrity.
Left-Hand Path Traditions
Get a university-level education on left-hand path esoteric traditions.
Enrol in a university-level education on Left-Hand Path esoteric traditions, now available as recorded lectures and monthly live Q&A sessions.
Dive into the rich traditions and magical practices of the Left-Hand Path at your own pace, with the added benefit of engaging directly with me during monthly Q&A sessions.
Priced at £400 (discount available for patrons), you will receive access to recordings of the 16 meticulously crafted sessions.
This course provides comprehensive knowledge and empowers participants by fostering an unbiased academic understanding of the Left-Hand Path's diverse and often misunderstood aspects. Whether deepening your existing practice or new to these esoteric traditions – either as a scholar or a practitioner (or both!) - join me on this journey to get a university-level education that will transform your life.
BONUS: Signing up for this course will give you unlimited access to my private Inner Symposium community on Discord!
* Patrons who have been Magus tier for over two years, Archmage for over one year and top tiers for over three months will be eligible for a 50% discount. Message me on Patreon if you're eligible.
The course also offers an optional assignment to test your understanding, available at the end of your viewing.
Course Breakdown:
Foundations of the Left-Hand Path
1. Introduction to the Left-Hand Path: Uncover this alternative spiritual approach's basic principles and historical roots.
2. Vamachara Tantra, East and West: Explore the ‘Left-Hand’ Tantra practices and their significance across cultures.
3. Introduction to Aleister Crowley and Thelema: Dive into the life and teachings of Crowley and the foundational elements of Thelema.
4. Thelemic Rituals and Practices: Examine specific Thelemic rituals, focusing on their symbolism and practical applications.
The Dark Side of the LHP
5. LaVeyan and Theistic Satanism: Discuss the philosophical differences between LaVeyan Satanism and theistic approaches.
6. Luciferianism and Gnostic Satanism: Delve into the beliefs of Luciferianism and its connections with Gnostic traditions.
7. Demonology: Explore the study of demons, their classifications, historical and cultural significance, and their roles within various religious, mythological, and occult traditions.
8. Demonolatry: Examine the worship and veneration of demons, focusing on the historical context, rituals, and philosophical foundations of the practice.
Dragons, Sacred Kink & the Divine Feminine
9. The Typhonian Tradition: Focus on this unique current within Thelemic magick, emphasizing its mythology and practices.
10. Dragon Rouge: Investigate the esoteric system and magickal practices of Dragon Rouge.
11. Neo-Tantra, BDSM, Kink and Sex Magick: Analyze contemporary adaptations of tantric practices and sacred kink in Western magick.
12. Female Deities & Figures in Left-Hand Path Traditions: Examine various Left-Hand Path groups that focus on a central female deity, highlighting their beliefs, rituals, and influence. We will also cover Rosaleen Norton's work.
The Chaotic & the Shadow
13. Austin Osman Spare: Learn about Spare’s influence on modern magickal practices.
14. Chaos Magick: Unpack the principles and practical applications of Chaos Magick.
15. Qliphothic Magick: Engage with the darker aspects of Kabbalistic magick by exploring the Qliphoth.
16. Shadow Work: Examine the integration of Jungian Psychology and Shadow Work practices.
About Dr Angela Puca
Dr Angela Puca is an academic and a university lecturer who has taught at several universities worldwide and has been based at Leeds Trinity University since 2016.
She holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in philosophy. In 2021, The University of Leeds awarded her a PhD in Religious Studies on Italian Witchcraft and Shamanism, published by Brill.
Her research focuses on magic, witchcraft, Paganism, esotericism, shamanism, and related currents.
Author of several peer-reviewed publications and co-editor of ‘Pagan Religions in five Minutes’ for Equinox, she hopes to bridge the gap between academia and the communities of magic practitioners by delivering related scholarly content on her YouTube Channel and other social media platforms, named Angela's Symposium.
CONNECT & SUPPORT💖
BECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapuca
SUPPORT ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapuca
ONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposium
JOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/join
YOUTUBE CHANNEL 📹 https://www.youtube.com/@drangelapuca/featured
MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/
