Plant Cunning Podcast

Today on Plant Cunning, Christopher Warnock returns to discuss his new book, Telesmanica, an comprehensive, operative manual of astrological magic. He explains how the book expands beyond technique into worldview, methodology, causality, and the internal logic behind elections, arguing that many contemporary approaches are “bricolage,” mixing techniques without coherent structure or testing. Warnock contrasts modern atheistic materialism with traditional spiritual-first worldviews, using models like ecological “patterning” and mapping to explain how models are tested for usefulness. He outlines his approach to talismans—prioritizing timing, images, and mathematical ratios over materials—emphasizing practical constraints, rigorous selection of key chart factors, and a devotional practice focused on relationship with celestial spirits rather than guaranteed outcomes.
01:04 Why did Christopher Warnock write Telesmanica?
08:59 Worldview and Spiritual Reality
15:02 Models, Meaning and Belief
26:40 Bricolage in Modern Astrology
33:20 Astrology as Language and Intuition
37:32 Getting Readings Wrong
38:25 When Magic Doesn’t Fit
39:17 Worldview and Causality
40:10 What a Talisman Is
41:05 Picking the Right Election
42:41 In Picatrix, Context Matters
45:50 The Cookbook Perspective
52:57 Devotional Angel Practice
54:46 Reality Warping and Limits
56:02 Camouflage Magic Explained
57:54 Modern Anxiety and Ritual
59:10 Problematic Images and Archetypes
01:02:16 Ducks and Spiritual Freedom
01:08:24 Hermetic Lineage History
01:12:52 Reviving a Lost Tradition
01:15:16 Robert Zoller's Advice
01:16:10 Daily Devotional Power
01:17:09 Tradition Beyond Social Media
01:18:36 What Traditional Really Means
01:20:20 Medieval Renaissance Lineage
01:23:32 Applying vs Separating Aspects
01:24:58 Bricolage and Chart Noise
01:26:28 Meta Perspective and Meaning
01:30:00 Why does Christopher Warnock prioritize election and image over materials in the creation of talismans?
01:32:35 Occult Virtue and Platonic Ideas
01:36:43 Practical Talisman Use and Care
01:41:58 Meaning, Nihilism, and Collapse
01:45:37 Preserving Esoteric Texts in an age of Decline
01:47:20 Consciousness Beyond Humanity

Plant Cunning Conference – In-Person in New York – July 24-26, 2026
MycoSymbiotics Mushroom & Art Festival July 29- August 2d, 2026Today on the podcast, AC & Isaac Hill interview mushroom citizen scientist and community builder William Padilla-Brown about his path into mycology, from early curiosity about consciousness and “plant medicine” to diet-driven health struggles that pushed him into growing his own food, foraging, and functional mushrooms. He credits discovering online superfood and medicinal-mushroom content (including David Avocado Wolfe) as a turning point, then explains how mushroom videos took off on YouTube and led him to start MycoSymbiotics and launch MycoFest in 2015 to create a lasting community and legacy for his family. Will recounts cultivating cordyceps after finding a specimen at the first festival, rejecting the idea that it was “impossible,” and learning through observation—treating life as a readable language. He describes MycoSymbiotics’ cutting edge work: wild strain selection, DNA barcoding, cultivation, extraction, third‑party analytics, and making potent products affordable. The conversation also covers ecological literacy through mushrooms, conservation concerns like Pine Barrens development and matsutake habitat loss, the importance and diversity of native truffles (including training a dog to find tuber canaliculatum), aroma as a form of “medicine,” modern distraction and nervous-system hijacking, and adapting to AI by leaning into uniquely human creativity. He closes with MycoFest details (first weekend of August; July 31–Aug 2; MycoFest.net; Artemis, PA; code MYCOMMUNITY), plus MycoSymbiotics sites, classes, a farmer co‑op, and local projects.
00:00 Meet William Padilla-Brown
01:55 Origins in Plant Medicine
06:03 Health Wake Up Call
09:09 David Wolfe and Medicinals
11:28 Myco Symbiote to MycoFest
13:12 Nothing Is Impossible
15:30 Learning From Living Signs
21:05 Mycology Cutting Edge Today
23:44 Matsutake and Habitat Threats
25:29 Truffles as Ecological Gateway
27:16 Native Truffles in Pennsylvania
30:14 Truffles and Sensory Depth
30:41 Overstimulation and Numbness
31:54 Aroma as Medicine
33:58 Capitalism and Responsibility
36:16 Distraction Casino Reality
38:53 Using the System for Good
40:53 Social Media and Rage Bait
44:27 AI Music and Human Spark
48:55 MycoFest and Community Wrap

Today on the Plant Cunning Podcast, Isaac and AC welcome back Will Morris, PhD, DAOM, MSEd, LAc, RH, a interdisciplinary healer and scholar whose work spans traditional Western and Vedic astrology, Chinese medicine, pulse diagnosis, sound healing, and education. Will explains his compulsive, spiritually driven path across traditions and how transdisciplinary study reveals shared underlying structures, including medical frameworks of location, process, and severity and recurring 12-fold patterns across nature and culture. He critiques mainstream scientific testing of astrology as method-driven, politically shaped, and often logically flawed, arguing the right assessment depends on the question and may require qualitative approaches. The conversation explores intuition, divination versus science, horary use in clinical settings, dreamwork and oneirobotany, mugwort’s shamanic origins, catnip’s “wind” associations, and Will’s upcoming books, including Evidence Ecology: Science and Astrology.
02:10 Why Study Many Traditions?
03:39 Life Path Music to Astrology
08:36 The Benefits of Transdisciplinary Studies
12:00 The Science Industry and Astrology
13:13 Is Astrology Divination or Science?
19:31 Testing Astrology Properly
27:59 Clinical Astrology in Practice
31:07 Book of Dreams and Yesod
32:48 Dreamwork Pulse and Herbs
36:59 Sedative Herbs Mix
37:10 Catnip and Wind Pathology
39:08 Eight Winds and Charts
40:32 Wind as Science Debate
41:23 Dream Plants: Mugwort
42:17 Dybbuk Clearing Story
44:58 Artemisia and Dreamwork
49:08 Cycles and Plant Motion
51:47 Pan Celestial Thesis
01:01:24 Land, Climate and Relocation
01:05:16 Universalism vs Relativism
01:08:15 Books and Future Projects
01:13:45 Closing Thanks

In this episode of the Plant Cunning Podcast, Isaac and AC interview Jorge Nájera in Guadalajara about Mexico’s ceremonial magic scene and his role leading the Fraternidad del Círculo Dorado (Circulo Dorado Web) a mystical and magical school founded in 1986. Najera recounts how a small study group grew through work with BOTA, Golden Dawn-style ritual, Freemasonry, and later affiliation with the Servants of the Light (SOL) lineage of Dion Fortune and Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki. He describes meeting Ashcroft-Nowicki, trips to Egypt, learning to build an “astral temple” and inner contacts, then adapting SOL material for Spanish-speaking students by creating their own structured curriculum centered on astrology, Hermetic and Sephardic Kabbalah, and coherent symbolism. He explains the school’s three-degree model, its emphasis on lived experience and service, and how COVID shifted much of their work online, including new digital tools.
01:04 Meet Jorge in Guadalajara
01:55 Founding the School in 1986
03:08 Early Growth
05:02 Joining Servants of the Light
08:11 Egypt Trip and London Temple
11:06 Astral Temple Training
13:11 Adapting SOL for Latin America
14:56 Building the Curriculum
16:07 Kabbalah as Foundation
19:22 Courses and Temple System
21:05 Jorge’s Early Influences
25:10 Astrology Awakening and Teaching
29:58 Fruits and Mission of the School
33:26 From Rituals to Creativity
34:57 Information vs Wisdom
37:34 Mystery Schools Go Digital
42:14 How does a Mystery School work in the Age of Aquarius?
46:10 The Importance of Coherent Symbolic Training
50:52 The Degrees of Initiation
56:24 The Ideal Student
01:00:02 How to Connect and Closing

Get your tickets for the Plant Cunning Conference here: Plant Cunning Conference – In-Person in New York – July 24-26, 2026Find out more about Laurie here: Laurie Szott-Rogers Bio - Self Heal DistributingThis episode of the Plant Cunning Podcast features herbalist, author, gardener, and educator Laurie Szott-Rogers discussing her new book, From Soil to Soul, and her blend of herbalism, astrology, archetypes, tarot, and dreamwork. Laurie shares how dandelion first drew her into plant medicine, her path from early interests and government work to partnering with her husband Robert Rogers, and what her current life looks like in Alberta’s cold climate gardening. She explains her “24 herbs” framework, the Plant Council concept, and how she writes from the plants’ perspectives using attunement, trance, drumming, and automatic writing. The conversation also addresses AI-generated imagery, explores dandelion’s archetypal qualities, and dives into tarragon’s dragon mythology and its King of Swords tarot association, along with practical uses like tarragon pesto.00:00 Meet Laurie Szott-Rogers00:23 Plant Cunning Conference Plug01:41 Her Plant Path Origins02:25 Dandelion First Love03:47 Astrology Meets Herbalism05:43 Life in Alberta Garden09:04 Store Products and Teaching10:17 Council of Plants Concept13:29 Attunement and Plant Rituals16:02 Writing as the Plants17:23 From Soil to Soul and AI Art21:08 Recipes and Dandelion Archetype22:42 Dandelion Resilience Medicine25:05 Planetary Archetypes in Dandelion26:43 Bitterness Shadow and Renewal28:08 Why Humans Love Archetypes29:48 Plant Surprises Mint Myth31:28 Tarragon Dragons and Growing32:55 Tarragon Pesto Kitchen Uses35:03 Tarot Links King of Swords38:42 Neoshamanic Plant Journeying41:07 Next Projects Oracle Deck42:27 Where to Find the Book43:21 Closing Thanks and Farewell