Darragh Mason – The Song of the Dark Man

I’m confident you’re going to enjoy our conversation today as we dive deeply not only into the psychological but also into the deeply spiritual and paranormal manifestations of this fundamental archetype in the occult path. So without any further ado, sit back, relax, and remember to live deliciously.

Daraggh, thank you so much for taking the time to join me here in the Cult of You.

Thank you for the fun. I’m really pleased to be here.

I think it’s an honor for me. And like, I mean, we’re both hosts of our own shows. You’ve been doing this for years actively. It’s a process. And it’s nice to sit down and talk to someone else who’s exploring other people’s minds in this field and journey.

Before we get to the book, I want to get a sense of you. What really got you into taking this path so seriously, to the point where you wanted to investigate other people’s minds and bring this subject matter to the world?

It was just fundamental curiosity and trying to initially explore my own experiences and understand others’ experiences to try and make sense of my own. As that developed, it became more of a goal to look at different sides of esoteric and magical practices and the experiences of the other, to build a multi-sided structure that people could engage with and add more information to the rich corpus that’s there.

I’m personally grateful to have you in the field helping other minds explore these ideas. Tell me about the “Dark Man.” What prompted this work? The archetype and journey are familiar across many pantheons. What motivated you to put it all into an actual work?

Tracking back to when I first noticed the archetype, the folklore came first for me. I was doing a lot of work on Irish fairy lore and picking up thematic elements in fairy lore. One thing that stood out was this interrupted journey, where the Dark Man would interrupt people’s paths and lead them through tests of moral fiber and strength. It reminded me of Iblis, the Islamic Satan, who promised to lead people astray on the road after falling out with Allah. This thematic connection piqued my interest, as the Dark Man was often depicted as a black figure.

As I interviewed more people about magic, particularly witchcraft, I noticed this initiatory interaction with the Dark Man. It was a key factor in determining whether they went deeper into the practice and became true witches. This theme kept coming up, and it intrigued me.

I was also doing a lot of research into the Irish schools’ folklore collection, a massive body of work documenting folklore from Irish schools in the 1930s and 1950s. I roughly translated “The Dark Man” into Irish, and found a wealth of stories and references to this figure. This discovery was significant and led me to explore further.

While working on this research, I experienced a profound vision during a meditation practice. This vision was incredibly vivid and immersive, unlike anything I’d experienced before. It featured burning eyes, a silhouette of an angel, and the sigil of Lucifer. This vision was so intense that it derailed my practice for a few months. I eventually spoke to a witch friend about it, and she connected me with a psychic who had been following my podcast. We worked together through deep meditation and psychic exploration, which revealed connections to the Dark Man, witchcraft, and my paternal lineage.

I was also considering two book ideas: a collection of essays supported by my photographic work or an exploration of the Dark Man. Through divination, I was guided to pursue the Dark Man idea. This felt like my fate, and I became the vessel to bring this work to life.

There’s so much to explore here. The Dark Man is a significant figure, and your experiences with visualization and psychic phenomena are fascinating. Moving from visualization to visionary experiences can be incredibly immersive and sometimes frightening. These experiences raise questions about the nature of the other, whether it’s psychological, a living entity, or something else entirely.

You mentioned Iblis and the connections between Celtic and Irish folklore and jinn in Islamic traditions. These cross-cultural correlations are intriguing. Can you elaborate on this?

Absolutely. The Irish language is the oldest vernacular literary language in Western Europe, apart from Latin. The stories of fairies, the Tuatha Dé Danann, and the Fenian cycle date back to the 15th century and hint at even older oral histories. The Irish schools’ folklore collection is a generational oral tradition passed down through centuries.

I created a table comparing jinn, fairies, and alien-like experiences, and the correlations were remarkable. For example, Irish fairies are associated with pots of gold, and jinn are associated with treasure. Both beings can travel in the wind, with jinn linked to the heat of the wind and Irish fairies associated with fairy winds. Offerings for these beings are also similar, with milk curds in India and butter in Ireland.

There are also taboos and warnings, like throwing dirty water out with a warning to the unseen. These parallels between Irish and Islamic folklore are fascinating and suggest a shared human interaction with the other from different cultural perspectives.

The Dark Man is an initiatory power that manifests in various ways. He has no true face or name and can slip through any categorization. This shapeshifting ability makes him a master of deception and initiation.

There are so many rich stories and pieces of folklore to explore. Let’s touch on the Fenian cycle and the symbolism of the deer. The Fianna were noble warriors who spent their time hunting, fighting, and engaging with the spirit world. Finn McCool, the hero of the Fenian cycle, encountered the Dark Man in one of his stories.

The Fianna’s connection to the deer is significant. Finn McCool’s name means “bright,” and he encountered a beautiful fairy woman named Sciver who was running from the Dark Man. The Dark Man could be everywhere, and Sciver described seeing him in the water, bushes, sky, and grass. Finn and Sciver married, but while Finn was away, Sciver was tricked by the Dark Man, who had shifted to look like Finn. When she embraced him, he turned back into the black magician.

Finn returned to find Sciver gone. He searched for her, but she was nowhere to be found. The Dark Man had taken her. Distraught, Finn sought the help of a wise druid who told him that the Dark Man had taken Sciver to the Otherworld. Finn would have to journey there to rescue her. The druid provided Finn with a magical spear and a cloak of invisibility to aid him on his quest.

Finn entered the Otherworld through a hidden portal in a sacred grove. The journey was perilous, filled with challenges and trials that tested his strength, courage, and wit. He faced many guardians of the Otherworld, using the gifts given to him by the druid to overcome each obstacle. The cloak of invisibility allowed him to sneak past many dangers, while the magical spear helped him defeat those he could not avoid.

Finally, Finn reached the Dark Man’s fortress, a dark and foreboding place surrounded by impenetrable darkness. Using the cloak of invisibility, he sneaked into the fortress and found Sciver imprisoned in a tower. The reunion was bittersweet, as Sciver was weak from the Dark Man’s enchantments.

Finn and Sciver made their escape, but the Dark Man soon discovered their absence and pursued them with his minions. A fierce battle ensued, with Finn using the magical spear to fend off the Dark Man and his followers. The battle raged on until Finn finally struck the Dark Man with the spear, causing him to dissipate into shadows.

With the Dark Man defeated, Finn and Sciver returned to their world. However, Sciver was deeply affected by her time in the Otherworld and the encounter with the Dark Man. She struggled to adjust to normal life, haunted by the memories of her captivity and the Dark Man’s presence.

Finn, determined to help her heal, sought the counsel of a druid once more. The druid advised that Sciver needed to undergo a purification ritual to cleanse her of the Dark Man’s influence. The ritual was arduous, requiring Sciver to confront her fears and traumas. With Finn’s support and the druid’s guidance, Sciver gradually regained her strength and peace of mind.

The story of Finn and Sciver became a legend, a tale of bravery, love, and the battle against dark forces. It served as a reminder of the constant struggle between light and darkness and the power of love and courage to overcome even the most formidable adversaries.

In terms of personal experiences with the Dark Man, I’ve seen him in various forms—sometimes as an eight-foot-tall, jet-black figure that seems to suck the light out of the room, almost like a negative light. At other times, he appears with stars coming through his body, as if you’re seeing the cosmos in his form. These manifestations change all the time, reflecting the Dark Man’s shapeshifting nature and his role as an initiatory power. He has no true face or name and can slip through any categorization. This makes him the ultimate master of deception and initiation.

My encounters with the Dark Man have profoundly impacted my consciousness and understanding of the world. These experiences have shifted my perspective on reality, leading me to a deeper appreciation of the non-dualistic nature of existence. The Dark Man’s presence serves as a reminder of the interconnectedness of all things, including the darkness and challenges we face.

Through my journey, I’ve realized that the Dark Man is not just a figure of fear but a guide who challenges us to confront our deepest fears and grow beyond them. This has led me to a more holistic view of spirituality, one that embraces both light and darkness as essential aspects of our journey.

In conclusion, the Dark Man’s archetype is a powerful force that challenges and guides us through life’s trials. By embracing this journey, we can achieve greater self-awareness and spiritual growth. My experiences have taught me the importance of facing our fears and understanding the deeper connections that bind us all.