Co-host, researcher, lecturer, and writer
Ike Baker is the creator of ARCANVM and co-host of Aetherica with Sky Mathis. His public website presents courses, lectures, private study, podcast appearances, and books on Western esotericism, theurgy, elemental and celestial magic, alchemy, and magical traditions of the West.
Open host profileAreas of Expertise
Books
Esoteric Mythology
The Generative and Transformative Power of Imagination
Inner Traditions / Simon & Schuster · Pre-order
Forthcoming book listed from Ike Baker's website with publisher and retailer pre-order links.
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Ætheric Magic
A Complete System of Elemental, Celestial & Alchemical Magic
Llewellyn · Available
A Llewellyn title by Ike Baker focused on ætheric magic, elemental work, celestial magic, and alchemical practice.
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A Formless Fire
Rediscovering the Magical Traditions of the West
Tria Prima · Available
A Tria Prima title by Ike Baker on Western magical traditions and esoteric practice.
View bookAetherica Appearances
Episode 18
Symbolism, Eminationism, Color Magick, Etheric Tides & Universal Planes
Symbolism, Eminationism, Color Magick, Etheric Tides & Universal Planes #18 In this episode of Aetherica, we continue our exploration of Dion Fortune by diving into symbolism, archetypal forces, color magic, psychosexual energy, and the deeper structure of ritual consciousness. The conversation opens with one of Fortune's most powerful insights from The Mystical Qabalah: "Symbols are to the mind what tools are to the hand." From there, we examine how symbols function not merely as intellectual references, but as operative bridges between visible and invisible reality—allowing the mind to infer and perceive structures that cannot be directly grasped
Episode 17
Dion Fortune , Theosophy , Hermeneutics, Qabalah, thought Forms, Negative Existence #17
Dion Fortune , Theosophy , Hermeneutics, Qabalah, thought Forms, Negative Existence #17 In this episode of Aetherica, we explore the life, work, and enduring significance of Dion Fortune—one of the most influential figures in modern Western esotericism. The conversation begins with a broad look at Fortune's background: her role in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn tradition, her relationship to the Alpha et Omega and Stella Matutina currents, her work in psychology, and how she became one of the key interpreters of magical Qabalah for the modern era through works such as The Mystical Qabalah and The Circuit of Force
Episode 16
Lilith , Magic vs Logic, and the Society of 8
Lilith , Magic vs Logic, and the Society of 8 In this episode of Aetherica, we explore some of the most fascinating and controversial territory in esoteric thought: Lilith, the limits of logic, the nature of magic, and the hidden formation of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The conversation begins with the figure of Lilith — her supposed relationship to Adam, her place in biblical and extra-biblical tradition, and the difference between later legend and actual source material
Episode 15
Evolutionary Arcana : Chronomancy, Time Travel, Magic, Tarot, and the Dead
Across these first thirty minutes, the conversation starts with "evolution" but quickly becomes a deeper occult meditation on what evolution would even mean if matter is not self-animating. Ike frames physical substance as something like Plotinus' "blanket"—inert, passive—while spirit, soul, or the anima mundi is the living hand moving underneath, shaping, organizing, and re-organizing form across time
Episode 14
Prophets, Laws & the Architechture of Order Ike Baker & Sky Mathis
the first 30 min of This section starts with Sodom & Gomorrah as a launchpad, but quickly becomes a bigger conversation about: Catastrophe as myth + archetype: even if a meteor/airburst or high-heat event did occur, the deeper point is the symbolic pattern: judgment, rupture, flight, the taboo of "looking back," transformation (Lot's wife as salt). Two "Gods" problem: the contrast between the warlike, contractual Yahweh/El (Old Testament tone) and the transcendent, aid-oriented Christ-current (New Testament tone), framed in a quasi-Gnostic/Marcionite way
Episode 13
Enochian, Golden Dawn Insights, and Agrippa
This segment is a deep dive into how the Golden Dawn is structured and why Enochian magic sits at its peak. first 30 min Description: Ike explains that although the Golden Dawn is often described as a "succession of grades," it's also divided into three overarching degrees: First Degree (Outer Order): Neophyte + the four elemental grades (Zelator, Theoricus, Practicus, Philosophus)
Episode 12
The Waters of Purification, the Fire of Consecration
Sky Mathis and Ike Baker open with a practical—but foundational—topic for the modern magician: purification and cleansing. Ike frames purification as not just "nice to have," but a required prerequisite for magic and especially initiation—and something that never truly ends
Episode 11
QABALISTICA PT 2 : Secret Names, Sacred Vibration, and the Architecture of Becoming
This segment deepens the Qabalistic "Q&A" by moving from definitions into cosmology, shadow-work models, and ritual mechanics. Ike lays out the Four Worlds as the core schema for how spirit descends into form—Atziluth (archetypal), Briah (creative), Yetzirah (formative), Assiah (action/making)—and links the model to the broader "spirit-to-matter" logic found in systems like Theosophy (even if the number of planes differs)
Episode 10
Qabalistica : Kabbalistic Frameworks: Jewish, Christian, Hermetic
Sky Mathis and Ike Baker open the episode as a Kabbalistic Q&A sparked by Sky's recent dive into Godwin's Kabbalistic Encyclopedia . Ike immediately frames the essential premise: there is no single "Kabbalah," but a long, evolving chain of mystical interpretation spanning early rabbinic speculation, Renaissance Christian Kabbalists, and modern occult schools—each with different assumptions, emphases, and technical languages
Episode 9
The Stone That Says I AM: Balance, Humility, and the Alchemy of Freedom (Freedom PT 3)
The Stone That Says I AM: Balance, Humility, and the Alchemy of Freedom (Freedom PT 3) In this third movement of Aetherica's exploration of freedom, Skyler Mathis and Ike Baker descend into the interior sanctum of the soul—where tyranny, liberation, and divine balance all meet within the human heart. The conversation begins with the Exodus as archetype—the eternal drama of release from bondage
Episode 8
Your Truth Vs The Good, Weighing the Heart & Freedom as Natural Law (Freedom PT 2 )
Your Truth Vs The Good, Weighing the Heart & Freedom as Natural Law (Freedom PT 2 ) Aetherica drops the culture war and heads for first principles. Sky and Ike trace freedom back to the metaphysical ground: Natura Naturans (nature that gives birth) and Natura Naturata (nature that is born), a Renaissance expansion of Plato's Anima Mundi
Episode 7
The Temple Has No Guard: Cycles, Slavery, Sovereignty, and Taking Back Your Mind (Freedom Pt 1)
In "The Temple Has No Guard: Cycles, Slavery, Sovereignty, and Taking Back Your Mind," Sky Mathis and Ike Baker probe liberty not as politics but as the condition of consciousness. Sky opens with a poetic first principles take: freedom = variation (potentiality) + attainability, expressed through choice and revealed by consequence—from the simple "red or green apple" to the higher-order freedom to eat or not eat at all (the "nested hierarchies of freedom")
Episode 6
Esoterica & Cryptographia, Trithemius, Ramond Llull, Quabalistic Pathworking & The Light Body
In this episode of Aetherica, Sky Mathis and Ike Baker explore the veiled language of initiation — the art of hidden writing, sacred letters, and the transmission of divine intelligence through symbol. They trace the lineage of Johannes Trithemius, the Renaissance abbot and cryptographer whose Steganographia encoded angelic hierarchies within ciphers, and Ramon Llull, the Catalan mystic whose Ars Magna sought to mechanize divine logic through the rotation of sacred alphabets
Episode 5
The Path of the Unknown Philosopher — Martinism, the Elu Cohen, and the Light of Christian Mysticism
The Path of the Unknown Philosopher — Martinism, the Elu Cohen, and the Light of Christian Mysticism In this fifth installment of Aetherica: The Astral Garden, Sky Mathis and Ike Baker open the doors to one of the most refined and spiritually profound traditions of Western esotericism: Martinism. Their conversation unfolds as both an historical overview and a meditative exploration of Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin, known to history as Le Philosophe Inconnu — The Unknown Philosopher
Episode 4
On The Mysteries
On The Mysteries In this fourth episode of Aetherica: The Astral Garden, Sky Mathis and Ike Baker open a contemplative discussion on the ancient roots and hidden continuity of Freemasonry and the Knights Templar, tracing their mythic and initiatory origins through the lens of ancient mystery cults. Inspired by The Origins of Freemasonry and the Knights Templar by John R
Episode 3
The Light-Bearer and the Shadow of Faith — Lucifer, the Nephilim, and the Crisis of Spiritual Rebellion
The Light-Bearer and the Shadow of Faith — Lucifer, the Nephilim, and the Crisis of Spiritual Rebellion In this striking third episode of Aetherica, Sky Mathis and Ike Baker wade into the deep waters of myth, rebellion, and theology—examining the Nephilim, the Lucifer archetype, and the modern fascination with spiritual defiance. The discussion begins with the biblical portrayal of the Nephilim, the hybrid offspring of "the sons of God" and "the daughters of men." Far from being romanticized demigods, they are described as violent and destructive beings—symbols of unrestrained power divorced from divine order
Episode 2
Power, Heresy, and the Evolution of the Church ( Ike Baker | Sky Mathis )
Power, Heresy, and the Evolution of the Church In this compelling second episode of Aetherica, Sky Mathis and Ike Baker trace the long arc of power, orthodoxy, and dissent in Christian history. The conversation opens with reflections on the Reformation and the question of whether institutional reform truly transformed the Church's deeper struggle with authority
Episode 1
The Vatican & The Jesuit Order — Hidden Currents in the Church of Rome
In this inaugural episode of Aetherica: The Podcast for the Modern Philosopher-Magician, host Sky Mathis and Ike Baker open the series with a deep and exploratory dialogue on the Vatican, the Society of Jesus (Jesuit Order), and their complex influence throughout history — both ecclesiastical and esoteric. The conversation begins with a grounding introduction to the Jesuit Order — its modern membership of roughly 17,000 members worldwide and its far-reaching influence across politics, education, theology, and mysticism
Episode 1
Ike Baker | Sky Mathis | Aetherica: The Vatican & The Jesiuit Order
Aetherica: The Vatican & The Jesiuit Order
Episode 12
QABALISTICA : KABBALAH CABALA QABALAH
What is the Qabalah when you stop treating it like a textbook and start encountering it as an initiatic instrument?
Episode 14
Prophets, Laws, and the Architecture of Order Episode 14
the first 30 min of This section starts with Sodom & Gomorrah as a launchpad, but quickly becomes a bigger conversation about:
Episode 15
Evolotionary Arcana, Chronomany, Time Travel, Magic, Tarot, and the Dead - Episode 15
Evolotionary Arcana, Chronomany, Time Travel, Magic, Tarot, and the Dead - Episode 15
Episode 17
Circuit of Force, Magnetic Interchange , Polarity Magic, Astral Light, Etheric Charge/ Forces #19
Circuit of Force, Magnetic Interchange , Polarity Magic, Astral Light, Etheric Charge/ Forces
Episode 20
The Magi and the Pre-Socratics — Occult Roots of Philosophy
The Magi and the Pre-Socratics — Occult Roots of Philosophy
Important Transcript Excerpts
0:00 · Podcast Intro & Guest Introduction
Dion Fortune , Theosophy , Hermeneutics, Qabalah, thought Forms, Negative Existence #17
All right, welcome to another episode of the Etherica podcast for the modern philosopher magician. I'm Sky Matthysse today joined with Ike Baker. How's it going? >> Howdy. >> Good, good, good. I'm very, very happy that we're here together doing this again. Um, it's been too long and it's been like two weeks since we said that. >> It has. You've been a busy man as usual, burning the midnight candle. >> That's right. We don't we don't use oil
0:00 · Intro and return from hiatus
Prophets, Laws & the Architechture of Order Ike Baker & Sky Mathis
All right, welcome to another episode of the Etherica podcast. I'm Sky Matthysse joined with Ike Baker. Ike, how are you doing? >> I am very good. I'm glad to be back with you. We were on a little bit of a of a hiatus there. We had some stuff going on in both of our lives, but uh I'm excited to be back with you, man. How are you? Me, too. I'm doing great. So, I'm looking forward to it. I've been uh lacking on the podcasts last week or so, so I'm excited to jump back in with you.
1:02:08 · Agrippa course details and closing announcements
Enochian, Golden Dawn Insights, and Agrippa
the third book on uh super celestial or divine magic. Um there are links to uh the IHS, the Institute of Hermetic Studies. There are links to this um course where you can sign up, you can register or learn a little bit more about it on on my Facebook and my web page which is ikebbaker.com. Um and all my links are there. Um just look around a little bit and uh you will also be able to you'll be given supplemental materials if you register for the class. you'll have lifetime access to the recordings of the class
1:02:49 · Agrippa course details and closing announcements
Enochian, Golden Dawn Insights, and Agrippa
because they they're going to be on uh these Zoom and Teachable platforms. It's not in person. Uh you can do this from the comfort of your your your office or your living room or even in your bed. Um and you'll have lifetime access to those recordings. And I'm also giving out a free ebook called Cornelius Sigria and the Magical Worldview, which will be available to all registrants of that class. Again, you can check that out on my web page, ikebaker.com. Um, and that also has all my socials. If
0:00 · Intro & episode setup
The Waters of Purification, the Fire of Consecration
Right. Welcome to another episode of the Atherica podcast. Podcast for the modern philosopher magician. I'm Sky Matthysse joined with Ike Baker. How you doing, Ike? >> Very good, man. I'm happy to be here with you tonight. >> Me as well. I'm excited. Um, we're going to discuss a little bit of esoteric symbolism, some of some kind of Golden Dawn insights, uh, then potentially get into some guy named Cornelius Sria. Apparently, he knew a thing or two about magic. Um, but
0:00 · Intro to Etherica and the topic of freedom
The Temple Has No Guard: Cycles, Slavery, Sovereignty, and Taking Back Your Mind (Freedom Pt 1)
[Music] Hello out there from the Garden of Astral Delights. This is the Etherica podcast. I'm Ike Baker and I'm joined today by my co-host >> Sky Matthysse. >> How you doing, man? >> Not too bad. How about yourself? >> Pretty good. Pretty good. Um, what have we got lined up tonight? What what what have you uple? >> Topic of tonight's going to be on freedom. Um, this is something you came to me with and I'm super stoked about it. I'm I'm looking forward to it a lot