Andrew and Chaweon talk about the art of using glamour as a form of magic. This isn’t an episode just for those who like make up or feel beautiful. It is about how to use things like makeup, hair, fashion and more as acts of magic to help create the things you want in life. We also talk about charm and how to cultivate.
Finally, we talk at about Andrew’s moustache.
Or directly download the file here.
You can find the podcast on all services or if you’d like to get it in your email along with other blog posts click here to join the bi-weekly newsletter.
You can follow Chaweon on their YouTube channel of search hichaweon everywhere else.
Thanks for joining the conversation. Please share the podcast to help us grow and change the world.
Andrew
You can book time with Andrew through his site here.
Transcription
ANDREW: [00:00:00] Welcome to another episode of The Hermit’s Lamp podcast. I am here with Chaweon to talk about magic and to talk about glamour and all sorts of interesting things. I’ve been following their work for a while, [00:00:15] and a little while ago, they were discussing how they were working glamour to forward their podcast and some of the other stuff in their lives, and I thought, yes, this is this is a topic that I really have been looking for a chance to talk about and this is the person [00:00:30] that I’d love to talk about it with! So, for those who don’t know you yet, why don’t you introduce yourself? Chaweon?
CHAWEON: Oh, well, thank you for having me on your show. So, my name is Chaweon and I am Korean American, [00:00:45] and I started off in life as a hardcore atheist skeptic. I’ve only been doing magic for about two and a half three years, but, unknowingly, I’ve been doing glamour magic my whole life, and about [00:01:00] two years ago, I started to get more into magic and then that was about the time I started my YouTube channel. So my YouTube channel started off first as like a mukbang, which is the Korean word for like people just eating a massive obscene amount of food, but [00:01:15] then it slowly evolved into me talking to other magic practitioners. I was extremely lucky that Jason Miller, he was an early supporter of mine, and thanks [00:01:30] to the interview that I had with him, I was able to get other guests on I’ve had: Aidan Walker who you’ve had on many times . . .
ANDREW: Sure.
CHAWEON: Loved his book and throughout my journey– You can see on my YouTube channel, just with [00:01:45] each person that I talk to, I’m learning as I’m interviewing them. I’m not at all a very experienced witch, but it’s me talking to them, trying to get their expertise, and using my glamour magic or [00:02:00] trying to use glamour magic on each video. Like my goal in my YouTube channel is, every video I want to look like 1% cuter.
ANDREW: Uh-huh.
CHAWEON: I mean the thing about glamour magic, especially when it’s visual, is that you can tell when it works and you can tell when it doesn’t work, the feedback is instant, [00:02:15] it’s obvious, because it’s visual, so that’s kind of how I practice my magic through something as quote unquote mundane as doing a YouTube channel.
ANDREW: I think it’s great though. I think that. . . . You know, a long [00:02:30] time ago, I used to work in advertising, and, you know, I realized that, when I started wanting to freelance, that I needed to be way more charming than I actually had been, you know, and, and, and so, I [00:02:45] set it as a thing to work on, you know? And I did a little bit of magic around it for sure, and I did a lot of like, all right, every time I went in in public, where’s my opportunity to be to be [00:03:00] charming to somebody and how do I pursue that, you know? And just motion that comfort zone all the time, and then, after a while, you know, it didn’t take, didn’t even take as long as I thought, you know? It’s just started to switch into this capacity to drop [00:03:15] into different social situations and sort of find the right way to sort of be, to be myself, but would be within those spaces as well, you know, so.
CHAWEON: I think you’re very charming.
ANDREW: Well, thank you.
CHAWEON: No, I think that’s what [00:03:30] a lot of people get wrong about glamour magic. They think that it’s, you know, faking a persona. They think that– And I call that faux glamour, F-A-U-X glamour, because, you know, it’s almost like a pretending, [00:03:45] almost like you’re on Instagram and you’re pretending you’re in Paris when you’re not and pretending to have a great life when your life isn’t that great. That’s not glamour magic. That’s faux glamour and I consider that actually a type of black magic the advertising world, the marketing world tries [00:04:00] to put on people to make them feel bad, but real glamour magic–you can tell when somebody has real glamour magic because in their presence, you feel warm, you feel accepted, you feel empowered, just by being around them. And [00:04:15] so that’s how you know, when you go onto an Instagram account and you feel like “my life is shit” after seeing their Instagram account. That’s faux glamour. When you go on somebody’s Instagram account and you feel great after you see their pictures, even if they’re super beautiful. They’re living a super [00:04:30] amazing life. And you feel great about yourself. That’s how you know, they’re doing real glamour magic.
ANDREW: How did you learn this stuff? Where did that– I mean you talked about, you know, you’ve been doing it in one way your whole life, right? But where [00:04:45] did, where did the, not necessarily the transition from atheist to witch, but the transition from, you know, not being conscious of what you were doing as glamour magic to being conscious of it. How was that transition? How did that come about?
CHAWEON: [00:05:02] That’s a really good question. I think that all women and all people of color and people who are not on, you know, like the either/or spectrum all their life: They do have to practice some sort of glamour magic [00:05:17] because they’re trying to make themselves more palatable to the mainstream so that they can survive. So I think as a woman, as a person of color, as somebody who considers myself gender-fluid, I always had to do glamour magic, but when [00:05:32] I became conscious of it, was literally when I did my YouTube channel and the feedback that I was getting, like when I was doing my YouTube channel, people were saying things to me that were very complimentary.
And I realized that this [00:05:47] wasn’t like a natural talent that I had in terms of like, I’m not somebody who you can put in front of a camera and I like, no, you know, I’m not like this inborn actress. I don’t have that going on, and yet I couldn’t deny that when I looked at the video I was just like, [00:06:02] “Girl, you know, either the sun is like hitting you right or something like that, I don’t know what’s going on, but there’s something there.”
And so that’s when I started to study the YouTube videos and and I was just like, you know what? I think this [00:06:17] is glamour magic, I wasn’t sure, but I was like, “I think that’s what glamour magic is,” and then I started to experiment like, “What happens if when I look in the camera, I bring this like energy up?” And I don’t know how else to describe it, but it’s like what [00:06:32] happens if I bring this energy up to my eyes and then I looked at the videos, just like holy shit. I can see it. So I think it was literally like two years ago. I was like, “Oh, okay, I’m doing this.”
ANDREW: Yeah, that piece about, you [00:06:48] know, sort of the way in which you manage your presence around it, I think that that’s really profound. You know, when you find that, when you can figure out where that is, then people are super [00:07:04] receptive to that. You know, I used to officiate weddings at one point and it was one of the things that I always sort of did on the day of, right, you know, basically from the time I [00:07:19] showed up and was hanging out with a couple before the wedding to like the actual ceremony, you know? I wouldn’t usually stick around afterwards, but even afterwards for a little bit, you know, just having that presence and sort of seeing everybody from [00:07:34] that place and providing that energy to it, you know? And on the days where, you know, for whatever reasons, maybe I didn’t vibe with the couple as well, maybe I was just really tired, that was harder. You could see it, you know, everybody [00:07:49] could see it, right, and those were the ones where it felt more like a performance versus an actual connection and engagement.
CHAWEON: Absolutely, and that’s the reason why I consider glamour magic to be one of the most sophisticated types [00:08:04] of magic, because you have to be so self-aware, you have to do lots of shadow work. You have to be also kind of aware of yourself in the context of others. So you’re working on so many different levels. You have to be authentic, but you also have to be, [00:08:19] you know, just aware of how you are with just society and the realistic aspects of, “Okay, this is what society is like right now: How far can I push it, further my agenda, without getting completely like killed?”
But [00:08:34] I think also that the thing about glamour magic too is that it’s very democratic and it’s a meritocracy. So the thing is, is that I think a lot of people, a lot of women especially, they tell me: “Oh, you know, I don’t [00:08:49] know how to do makeup. I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how to do that. So I can’t do glamour magic.” And I’m like, no, that’s not glamour magic at all because glamour magic is something that you can develop, anybody can develop. So again, it’s like you don’t have to be [00:09:04] mainstream beautiful. All you really need to have is a willingness to be completely authentic and that is a type of bravery that I think most people don’t have. So just the fact that you can even entertain just being yourself means that you’re already one [00:09:19] foot into glamour magic.
ANDREW: Yeah, being open and being present with people.
CHAWEON: Yeah.
ANDREW: Like, that is a profound thing and that’s the thing that isn’t about what any of us look like.
CHAWEON: Yeah.
ANDREW: Or any of those kinds of things. It’s [00:09:34] about, you know, that inner state and that kind of inner coherence that we might have, right, if we’re able to show up in that way, you know? And I think of it– the Uber drivers that I have, you know, I live in a big city and I take a lot of Ubers, and you [00:09:50] know, some of those people are just so open and accessible and that’s really charming, you know? That pulls me in and then there’s the other people, you know, like my ride today, where they just sit and stare at the front window and driving, you know, the music’s really like loud, and it’s obvious they [00:10:05] don’t want to talk, that’s a completely different thing, and you know, in those situations, it’s random whoever you get, but but in life, it’s not, right? And so, if you are more in that first category of people then people are interested in, drawn to that more, [00:10:20] right?
CHAWEON: Absolutely, and think about it: The Uber driver who is more accessible and open and makes you feel comfortable just in their vibe, they’re more likely to get a bigger tip, and that’s just for everybody, just any aspect of life, where you [00:10:35] want to be successful instead of faking it when you’re just being you and you’re just brave and you’re just loving like everything about this human experience. It’s not even good. Look. It’s almost like because you’re being you and you’re bringing that out in other people. Your glamour [00:10:50] magic brings out the best in others and it’s just this domino effect. So this is why, for me, this, you know, faking faux glamour is so dangerous because in today’s world, that’s what we see so much of and that’s also [00:11:05] something that I want to make sure that people realize that is not glamour magic whatsoever.
ANDREW: Yeah, for sure, you know, and there are definitely people who cultivate that a lot too, right? You know, I run into them in various places, at conferences and [00:11:20] on the street and wherever, and you know, it’s– You can see that, what they’re looking for. I mean the, that ultimately it’s all ego, right? You know, it’s just all their ego trying [00:11:35] to become the center of attention to, you know, it’s got a sort of a narcissistic feel to it. There’s not space in the connection for anybody else, often. You know, those are the sides that I see as being problematic, kind of like you talked about earlier, right? Like, [00:11:50] how do you feel after you spend time with them? Do you feel like, “Oh my God, I just hung out with a fancy person?” Or do you feel like, “Wow, what a what a great and fulfilling connection I just had.”
CHAWEON: Exactly, and faux glamour is about [00:12:05] hierarchy. It’s this very, like, I don’t know, like toxic, even if it’s a woman doing faux glamour, it’s a toxic lead masculine way of like trying to make yourself higher than another person, making things very binary, [00:12:20] making things less fluid, and to me, glamour magic is the epitome of like what very empowered feminine magic is about, and when you think about what does feminine healthy energy feel like, it’s fluid. There [00:12:35] isn’t hierarchy, you know, there’s this watery depth to it. And that’s what we’re going for, the sort of like wonderful kind of like permeable sort of energy. And in that energy there is no room for I’m better than you, I [00:12:50] know more people than you, have more followers than you. There’s no room for that.
ANDREW: Yeah, for sure. Yeah. I think that, you know, it being tied to toxic masculinity, being tied to sort of capitalism and all that kind of consumerist [00:13:05] stuff, right? You know, I think that, that all of those pieces can– because we’ve, you know, predominantly all grown up in those kinds of elements or around those elements, right? That’s part of that going in [00:13:20] and exercising, you know, removing those things, basically being like, “Huh, that feels off, that feels like, that makes me feel grabby or greedy or competitive or this or that or whatever,” looking at [00:13:35] those feelings when they emerge, and you know, and then sort of saying: “Okay, well, what is that about me and where did I get that from and how do I, how to release that so I don’t need to carry that with me into this process?”
CHAWEON: Totally, [00:13:51] and I think that you know, people think that men can’t glamour magic, but, you know, men can often benefit the most from this feminine fluid non-hierarchical type of magic that is glamour magic.
ANDREW: Sure.
CHAWEON: And when you’re around a man who’s doing glamour [00:14:06] magic, right, again, it’s that same warm wonderful feeling, it’s not this, like, “Whose dick is bigger than whose?” you know? So again, it’s like the kind of magic that I do is very makeup-centric. So it’s very femme-centric, but there’s lots of different [00:14:21] types of glamour magic. It’s a very diverse democratic thing.
ANDREW: Sure. Have you seen my moustache? Right? [laughing] The amount of people who comment on it and engage with it and whatever, it’s like, you know, it’s funny. I have [00:14:37] been going through all the stuff in my house, you know, getting rid of stuff and reorganizing and stuff over the last couple of months. And I just found this picture that I’ve been like looking for, for a little while, which is me at [00:14:52] high school graduation: my 12-inch Mohawk and my fish tie and my fabulous plaid jacket that I wish I still had and you know, all this stuff. And this conversation today reminds me of the [00:15:07] various ways in which, you know, that was glamour magic, right? Being like those kind of expressions. So clearly articulate, define directions for connection, right?
And, you know, the people who would just come [00:15:22] up to me and start talking about my hair or whatever. Back then, you know, it both tended to draw predominantly great kinds of attention my way, contrary to what many people would think, and, and then, [00:15:37] occasionally it would steer the other people away. You know, where people would be like, “Don’t look at him, don’t look at him,” I’d be like, “Okay, whatever,” right? That… come on, but, but either way, you know, it sort of sets an energy into the world right now, you know, it’s the same, you [00:15:52] know, having a big handlebar moustache right before like, you see kids, they love it. Right? And I think that, yeah, I think the exactly who I think that you know, if you’re not certain about these kinds of things, look at what the, what kids [00:16:07] are drawn to, right? What did kids, how do kids engage with you, you know? Because in– With both of these things, you know, kids are like, “Oh my God, I love your moustache,” or they’re like, “I love your big spiky hair blah blah blah,” like, they don’t have that bias and they’re such a great [00:16:22] indicator of that glamour, you know. I’m sure that you get that too or they’re just like “Wow, look at how great your hair is,” or your, your eyes or whatever, right?
CHAWEON: I definitely have, especially like, even little boys, they [00:16:37] like the sparkles that I have on my face–
ANDREW: Sure.
CHAWEON: Fun. So what I found is that glamour magic, if we’re talking about visual glamour magic, there’s many different kinds, but visual glamour magic, for me, is when you’re wearing your heart on [00:16:52] your skin. So your outer matches your inner. And to have that congruence between inner and outer, that’s a skill, when you can go out into the world and the way that you present, it matches how you feel on the inside. That [00:17:07] is something that most people, in their life, they feel like they can’t do. They repress whatever it is. So when you’re going out with your mohawk, with your handlebar moustache, you know, you’re being you. And that’s like an aspect of you that matches how you feel on the inside, that sort [00:17:22] of like, maybe, for the handlebar moustache, it’s like more playful, like stylish aspect of you that’s like, you know, showing on your skin. And so the way that people interact with you when you’re being you, I would have to say, there’s [00:17:37] probably lots of people who wish that they could have the handlebar moustache, but I don’t know, they’re worried about what other people might think or who knows? And so they’re not able to just be themselves and be authentic, there’s that block. So again, [00:17:52] it’s like glamour magic, it requires this amazing amount of self-awareness and bravery.
ANDREW: Hmm. Yeah. It’s definitely true. And I also think it’s– It requires– It seems to me that it requires a real [00:18:08] centeredness.
CHAWEON: Yes.
ANDREW: Yourself, right? You know, I think about the, you know, like I was joking with, somebody was talking about clothing in there. Like, I’m sorry, we’ll pause for one second while the phone rings here. That’s the downside [00:18:24] to being at the shop. There’s no off button on the ringer. It’s like . . .
CHAWEON: I feel like you should put like a photo of your handlebar moustache. Like–
ANDREW: I’ve totally got to, yeah, for sure. Yeah, just [00:18:39] there should be like a gif or GIF of me just being like . . . [laughing]
CHAWEON: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I have a friend who does like photos like, you know, professional portraits and stuff like that. And they’re just in India right [00:18:54] now, but in, maybe, I think the back, next month when they’re back, I’m going to do a photo shoot and stuff and just, yeah, the whole, like, have it super waxed, and yeah, I definitely do like a couple more of those, you know bad guy kind of . . .
CHAWEON: That like Salvador [00:19:09] Dali sort of like–
ANDREW: Exactly, exactly. All right. I’m going to clap and we can get started again.
So, I think there’s also that temptation, sometimes, to look at [00:19:24] what other people are into and what other people are doing, you know, or to kind of get pulled off track by that, you know? Somebody was asking me a little while ago, because I’ve been reorganizing my house or having conversations about the kinds of things I have, and they’re asking me like, [00:19:39] a big fancy attire and I’m like, I own my kilt, and I think, I think I have a suit that probably doesn’t fit me anymore that I don’t, that I never want to wear again anyway, because my detour into that [00:19:54] stuff was just so incongruous with me and how I am, right? You know? I’m just, that’s not my thing. And yet, because of the fashion industry, because of media, you know, I think it’s so tempting [00:20:10] to kind of get drawn into those other areas, and you know? And we may find something exciting there. But we may also kind of come out the other side and be like, that’s really just not me and I don’t need to ever do that kind of thing. You know?
CHAWEON: Yeah, [00:20:26] I think the thing about glamour magic too is that there is a danger also of maybe taking it too seriously. So for me, glamour magic is very playful because you’re not taking the way that [00:20:41] you look or the way that you sound, you’re not taking the five senses. So seriously, when people start to identify too much with whatever it is, they’re too close or something and they stop experimenting. I mean, I’m glad that you went through, you know, your [00:20:56] little suit phase, you know, you had to go through it, see what it was like, you had to try it. The thing about all those people who haven’t had the handlebar moustache, maybe they would love it. They haven’t tried it. It’s true, right? So, I mean, like looking [00:21:11] at your– Right now I kind of wish that I could grow one as well, because I’m gonna be super awesome, just like when I’m thinking, just be like, you know, like kind of like playing with the ends of them, you know, and I’m gonna work, you know?
So the thing is, that people [00:21:26] who are really opposed to glamour magic, even if it’s authentic, they say that it’s superficial. I say, so what? Why is it that people put so much emphasis on whether it’s too much about the superficiality or too much against [00:21:41] it. When you’re too identified with the visuals and beauty, then you become a slave to it versus when you’re distant from it, when you’re just like, this is just the thing. This is my need to die. I’m going to die, whatever. I don’t give a shit, then it’s just fun, [00:21:56] then you can be like, I’m going to try this. I’m going to try gender to me. I’m gonna try, I’m a dude but I’m going to wear heels just because I’ve never worn heels and who knows, I might like it. Maybe I won’t. Oh, I hate it. Okay, but I tried it, whatever.
ANDREW: Yeah, for sure. I think, you [00:22:11] know, hopefully, we’re all going to live to be old and super wrinkly, and you know, like, yeah, it’s– People used to ask me stuff about my hair back when I had my Mohawk and whatever, you know, and I remember like, at [00:22:26] some point, in one of those conversations, like looking at my dad whose hair was kind of thinning and knowing that my grandparents on the other side, you know, their hair was kind of thinning. I’m like, I just want to have fun with my hair while I still have it, because I like that I have it. Someday, you know [00:22:41] what it’s like, like what are we going to worry about? It doesn’t really matter, you know?
CHAWEON: Exactly. Like right now, like, my tits are amazing. So of course, I’m going to just show them everywhere, because my tits, when I’m 80 years old, like I’m going to look back at all the [00:22:56] pictures where my tits are hanging out and I’m just gonna be like fuck. Yeah, you know what, so, but the thing is is that I can say that and think that without feeling like, “Oh my God, I’m going to die when I don’t have these tits anymore,” because again, there’s that distance. It’s just, this is [00:23:11] just this, sister look, it’s just your body, whatever, just have fun with it.
ANDREW: Yeah, I think that this– There can be so much seriousness around magic. Yeah, you know like, you know, see, [00:23:26] your piece about Instagram altars, see, you know, you know, like all sorts of stuff, right? We’ll link to that one in the show notes for people, go and read it, but, but, you know, the– And I remember being like [00:23:41] super serious about magic, you know, at one point in my life, right? Just like “This is such a serious topic; I must treat it with the most respect ever,” and you know, it’s not, it’s not that I don’t respect it any less at this point, but it’s also, [00:23:57] like, life is, life is really to be enjoyed and reveled in, right? You know? We come down here to have this experience, you know, from wherever we are on the other side, and to, you know, to be in a body and to [00:24:12] enjoy that and to experience it and to be playful and enjoy the different things that life has to offer, you know? Maybe I’m just too much of a Sagittarius but I was like, why do we not just enjoy all these things? You know? And why do we not let magic aid [00:24:27] us in all of those things, you know?
CHAWEON: Exactly, and that’s the wonderful thing about glamour magic for those who are just like, “Well, it sounds very self-centered and like you’re not really caring about what society’s doing,” and I totally beg to differ because [00:24:42] what glamour magic does is, it kind of positions you in a way that’s palatable to the mainstream, so that you can actually push the boundaries better than somebody who’s coming at it from a way that [00:24:57] society’s just gonna be like, “Whoa, too much too soon,” you know? So it’s kind of like, for example, you know, we all know of artists who, you know, we all say, “Oh, they were born 20 years too early,” you know, or they were just way ahead of their time versus [00:25:12] somebody who went in at the right time, you know? So the groundwork was already laid, like society, it moved a little bit too. Let’s say the left, you know, a little bit, a little bit, a little bit, and that’s what kind of magic is. It’s putting yourself in the place [00:25:27] so that you can push this idea just a little bit to the left because you’re not threatening. And I think Westerners, especially, are just like well, why should I pussyfoot? You know, why should I try to cater to or why should I try to be anything, but you know, there’s [00:25:42] this thing we have where there’s honor in being confrontational and being like that ass bitch, you know, like in your face, all that stuff. You can do that or you can do it with honey. It’s your choice and glamour magic is for those of us who would rather do [00:25:57] it with honey.
ANDREW: Mmm. Yeah, I think that– I think that it’s interesting how people from different backgrounds have different approaches to this kind of stuff. Right? And I think that– I think there’s a time and place for both, depending [00:26:12] on which you’re doing, but I think it’s really, you know, really, it’s really interesting. How, depending on what you do with stuff will depend on where it goes, you know? And [00:26:27] I think that there’s a time to, you know, you know, hold protests and stand in the street and yell about stuff, and that is, that can be its own glamour as well, right?
CHAWEON: Totally.
ANDREW: And there’s time to, you know to [00:26:42] be in a different space. You know what, it’s always like, you know, because I practice an Afro-Cuban religion, you know, it’s my background, and you know, I mean, Santería, the more common name for it, [00:26:57] that stuff tends to freak people out a lot. But whenever they have conversations with me about it, because I don’t have any, in part because I don’t have any internal conflict around it and any real concern about it, and [00:27:12] they’re like, “Oh, that actually sounds super reasonable.” I’m like, “I know, that’s why I’m involved. It’s super reasonable.” You know, it’s not this, that, or the other projection that people have put on it and those kinds of things really open people’s eyes to a different way [00:27:27] of looking at it, to a different way of experiencing it. So.
CHAWEON: Right, there’s all different types of glamour magic and one of the most successful types of glamour magic that anyone can do is becoming accessible. You know, I [00:27:42] call it kind of like the “girl next door/boy next door” sort of vibe. And that’s when you have somebody who you can just see is pushing society in some way, whether in their lifestyle or their looks, and yet when you approach them they’re so [00:27:57] warm and accessible and they take away that, scary, ooh, “too much, dude!” feel. And that’s sort of, glamour magic is again, after you leave talking to them, you feel warm and you feel great. The next time you, your friend [00:28:12] says some shit about that sort of lifestyle, you’re just like, “Well, but I met that dude and he was pretty cool.” Mmm. So, but that’s very difficult to do and I think that to do it successfully, you yourself, you have to be so like into like [00:28:27] your self-awareness and self-development and that’s hard work. So glamour magic is definitely not for those who want like an easy, easy way out or like easy way to become like I don’t know, Mcmagicky, with all the Mcmagicky [00:28:42] people. . . .
ANDREW: Magic, mcmagic, mcmagic.
[laughing]
CHAWEON: Exactly.
ANDREW: Well, I think that you know, let’s be honest, if you’re, if you’re looking for the easy way, don’t go to magic, go do something else. It’s not as straightforward as [00:28:57] that, usually. You know, I mean for simple things, yes, but for like sort of bigger life arc-altering work and stuff like that, you know, it’s a lot of work and it requires work on many levels. So yeah, for sure, so [00:29:13] I want to, I have a different thing that I also wanted to talk to you about. So you basically said, “Fuck this, I’m going to Bali a while again,” and just laughed, and I’m super curious about [00:29:28] how that happens. How did you get to making that decision, you know, tell us the tale.
CHAWEON: Okay. So, I’m Korean American. So I grew up all my life in America. [00:29:43] I’m an American citizen. But about three years ago, I went to Korea, and that’s my motherland and that’s actually when my magic came to be. So, coincidence that I started to [00:29:58] really get into my witchy stuff in, you know, like my ancestral homeland. I don’t know, but after a while, I was just like, you know what, Korea, I’ve extracted everything I need to get from Korea, and the last eclipse– You know, [00:30:13] when you’re doing magic, you know, it’s good to look at astrological transits. So the last eclipse, like last year, like in July or something, my work situation. It was just, you know, the rug was pulled out from under me, very typical eclipsey stuff, and [00:30:28] you know, when that happened, it was kind of like, you know, like in South Park, Cartman, where it’s like, “lucky guys, I’m going home,” you know, like it was sort of like that seal and I was just like, “Yeah, bye,” you know. It was this idea that magic, it will help me through making [00:30:43] this very impulsive within three months after deciding. You know, fuck.
Yeah, Bali. I was in Bali and I didn’t know why I exactly chose Bali but I was drawn to it and once I got to Bali, Bali [00:30:58] is hands down the most magical place I’ve ever been to, and there’s magic going on literally on the streets like 24/7. Hmm, especially in Ubud, which is the cultural center of Bali. So, how did I end up in Bali of all places? Right? [00:31:13] How did I go from, you know, skeptic in America to going to my ancestral homeland, becoming a witch, and then going to hands down the most magical place I’ve ever been to, baby, I’ll ever go to, I’m in Bali, and these things, these currents, [00:31:28] that magic, has brought into my life and steered me too without a doubt. I attribute it a hundred percent–well, you know, like 80 percent–to the magic that I was doing.
ANDREW: Hmm. And [00:31:43] so, what kind of– Like this is the glamour magic, was this other magic, like what kind of what kind of stuff where you up to at that point?
CHAWEON: Well, definitely glamour magic. It’s something that I practice every single day. But I was also working a lot with Hecate and [00:31:59] I was giving a lot of like just offering soul and spirit, you know, just like the basic stuff that Aidan Wachter talks about in Six Ways. So I love his book, and I think that all new bewitches should read that book and practices [00:32:14] that he lays out there, not difficult to do, and they have wonderful effects in your daily life. And so it was nothing even that huge except for, you know, like the sorcery packet in Jason Miller’s course that I’ve been taking and the glamour magic that I do and Aidan [00:32:29] Wachter’s Six Ways.
ANDREW: Hmm. Yeah Aidan’s book is fantastic. You know, I wish– I wish many years ago and that that had been the book I got first, you know, instead of finding, I mean, Magic in Theory and Practice,which [00:32:44] is what I started with, which is, which is great, but also like, yeah perplexing and contradictory, and so.
CHAWEON: You know, I kind of skipped over a lot of the books that a lot of magic people they started with [00:32:59] because, again, I’ve only been doing this for like consciously for the past two years.
ANDREW: Sure.
CHAWEON: So, like, it’s only now, like I just interviewed Marco Visconti, Marco Visconti, and [00:33:14] he’s like an Aleister Crowley expert. So it’s only now that I’m just like, “Oh shit, oh, yeah, Crowley,” right?
ANDREW: Yeah, that dude.
CHAWEON: That guy. Yeah! So like, the way that I got into magic, it was just so, I don’t [00:33:29] know, like, it’s non-traditional. But again, it’s like the magic that I was doing, I feel like anybody could have done it, and maybe they wouldn’t have had the exact same results as me, but definitely their life would have shifted, and you know, like, life would have pulled them in the [00:33:44] way that they were supposed to be going.
ANDREW: Yeah. Yeah. I think that when we start doing magic, then the world starts reciprocating, right?
CHAWEON: Oh, totally!
ANDREW: And, and, you know, I mean, in your case, and [00:33:59] in many people’s cases, maybe the ancestors start reciprocating, right? You know? And like pulling in a different direction, of helping you find those places where you feel so, something completely different, you know, and, [00:34:14] and that might be right around the corner from you, or it might be, you know, far far away, right?
CHAWEON: Absolutely. Like, so, Korea is a very neo-Confucian culture. So Confucius, for those of you who have [00:34:29] never heard of him, he was a Chinese philosopher. And he was around when like China was going through a shit ton of wars and he was just like, “Oh, chaos, this sucks, hey, let’s build like an ordered society, let’s build hierarchy, and people on top, [00:34:44] old people, dudes on top, and everybody just kind of like obeys and order,” and then Koreans were like, “Love that system, and we’re just going to take it even further. We’re going to inject steroids into that system.” And so a lot of [00:34:59] neo-Confucianism it has to do with ancestor veneration. So it’s like literally like in the DNA of like millions and millions of Koreans, like modern Koreans, like the ancestor veneration in Korea is like, there’s two major holidays in Korea. [00:35:14] And on those days, the country should sound, this is like a first world country, right, like super modern, it shuts down, and people, millions of people are setting out a table filled with like food for their ancestors and worshiping ancestors. [00:35:29] They may not understand why, but it’s happening across Korea on two days, specifically, millions of Koreans. And of course Americans, we don’t really do that.
Yeah, and Christianity when it came into Korea tried to discourage [00:35:44] that, but when I went back to Korea, and Koreans are very good at kind of meshing a lot of the old confusing ways. Christianity, and Korean Americans a lot more hardcore with their Christianity, but that’s totally different story. But when I went to Korea and I was in the presence [00:35:59] of the mountains, which are considered like ancestral, like, like holy places– By the way, North and South Korea: It’s like split in half, and there’s this mountain range that’s considered like the spine of the dragon that’s been cut in half because the country was cut in [00:36:14] half and even Kim Jong, Kim Jong Hoon, Kim Jong-il. Anyways, those guys, the North Korean dictators, like all their propaganda, it involves like them being on the mountains, like mountains are a huge deal in pre-industrial anything. [00:36:29] So, being in the land of the mountains, and my ancestors, and just being part of this magical current like, without a doubt. Like I think that ancestor veneration is probably one of the easiest [00:36:44] ways to get into magic.
ANDREW: Yeah, I think so. You know, in my tradition, everything starts there, right? Yes, but come with your ancestors, you know, sort of, it’s tough with your ancestors. You know, it’s the, it’s the place where you can gain the most ground the quickest. [00:36:59] It’s a place where people can do the most on their own, I think, and it’s the place that if you don’t sort it, that business, then like, you can work on your shadow all day long, but if you’re doing a lot [00:37:14] of magic and your ancestors and your relationship to the ancestors isn’t resolved, that’s basically just a big piece of ancestral shadow. They can always come in and mess things up, if you haven’t fixed it, you know.
CHAWEON: Yeah, I totally [00:37:29] forget where I read this, but it was about how, what happened to your grandmother, like DNA, like whatever sort of life that she led. It’s like in your DNA, as well as something about up to certain generations. So think about how [00:37:44] many people in the world, maybe the majority of the world’s population, they have so much trauma in their DNA, because of war and and all that. I mean, especially in places like Asia, Korean war happened in my grandmother’s [00:37:59] generation.
ANDREW: Sure.
CHAWEON: And if you’re in Southeast Asia, we’re talking the Vietnam War that happened after the Korean War, we’re talking about massacres that happened in Cambodia. Yeah. There’s a lot of trauma that’s in our DNA and I didn’t really believe in any of that to [00:38:14] be honest about the skeptic. But I remember there’s this one doctor. I think his name is Dr. Bruce Lipton or something like that, and he’s like a mainstream doctor, right? He’s not, you know, like this woo guy. Then, he was talking about DNA and about [00:38:29] the effects of basically ancestral trauma on DNA, and that’s when I was just like, oh, a little bit more open-minded about it. So if mainstream science is starting to sort of get into it more, I’m just like, oh well, magic was way ahead besides, I’m sure.
ANDREW: Yeah, and [00:38:44] I think, if we, if we think about, you know, the past several generations, right, like we don’t have to go back very far before there was probably difficulty, tragedy, poverty, [00:38:59] war, the Depression, you know, like all those wars and conflicts of the last century. And then also, just, you know, more random things, like violence, tragedy, you know, we go back a few generations. What was the infant mortality rate? [00:39:14] How many people watched their kids die? You know, I mean, so many of those things were just way of life, right? But that doesn’t mean that they didn’t come with trauma and they weren’t difficult and it didn’t mean that they’re not still affecting us [00:39:29] now. So for sure, yeah.
CHAWEON: Yeah, so I think that, clearing out the ancestral trauma. I interviewed Liv Wheeler, who’s a contemporary voice diviner. And this was [00:39:44] an interview that was the first interview that I did in Bali and it was such a neat coincidence that I was able to talk to her, and she works a lot with ancestral spirits, and she was talking about how she, you know, and people are sensitive. They can see how– I [00:40:00] don’t want to say that there are ghosts but like there’s ancestral residue that can stick to people.
ANDREW: Sure.
CHAWEON: So clearing it is, you know, like guys, like, that’s for everybody’s benefit, like it helps. The ancestors were [00:40:15] able to kind of like let go of their baggage, it helps you, so it’s like a win-win for everybody, for sure, ancestral cleaning.
ANDREW: Yeah, absolutely, or even just paying attention to them. Right? Like just, yeah, say [00:40:30] some prayers for them, you know. Let it go. For them, periodic knowledge that you know, like just, just that alone can make a huge, huge difference, right? You know, it doesn’t, it doesn’t need to be, you know, big shamanic this that or the other thing or elaborate ceremony [00:40:45] or whatever, you know, just be like, hey everybody. Hey, all you people that I came from, we’re saying these prayers for you. These are the prayers that I think you would like, you know, because that’s what you liked when you were alive, you know, or whatever, and it’s so helpful, right? Can [00:41:00] move so many things and provide some of the possibilities.
CHAWEON: Exactly and for the skeptics out there: When you do these rituals, okay, even if you don’t believe in any of the ancestral residues or anything like that, and you’re just like [00:41:15] well, you know, just doing it, just makes you feel better. It’s a placebo effect. So what, it helps you, it brings peace to your life anyways, so I don’t see any downside to it. That’s how I’ve always operated. I’m still a skeptic in a lot of ways. So [00:41:30] for me, it’s like, what do I say? In this mundane world that shows that it’s working, but I just go on that, and every time I’ve done magic my life has become more authentic and it’s moved in ways that feel better. So even [00:41:45] if I’m a skeptic, I’m okay with it.
ANDREW: So how has your skepticism changed over time?
CHAWEON: In a lot of ways, it’s become more entrenched, because now, I’m just like “Oh shit, I’m starting to really believe in this stuff, can’t [00:42:00] do that,” you know, got to stay like uber skeptical, especially now that I’m starting to be like, “Whoa, this is magic. Hmm.”
So there’s that, and I think that’s a very healthy way of moving through [00:42:15] magic because, okay, one of the things that I learned in Bali– There was this amazing Balinese friend that I have. Well not was, but he still is, not– Oh, and he was just a simple woodcarver, [00:42:30] and that’s you know, he was just a master woodcarver, him and his dad, and he was talking about how at the age of 40, a lot of Balinese people decide they’re going to retreat from public life and they’re going to just study. And in Bali, they do like a– It’s [00:42:45] mainly a Hindu island, but they do kind of like their own tropical Hinduism, but he was– Think how a lot of people, not a lot, but there’s all these people who decide you know, “I’m just going to read the books, I’m smart, I can learn [00:43:00] what I need to learn, like from these books and stuff,” and they don’t get a teacher. And you can tell, because these are people who become super ungrounded.
And he was like, “Oh, you know, you can tell that they didn’t have a teacher, because they’re going to go out and they’re going to like, talk to trees, but like like crazy [00:43:15] person, and you know, their life is going to go to shit, versus when you have a teacher and you’re grounded because you have somebody who can tell you, ‘Whoa, you’re seeing visions, kind of ignore that, maybe that’s just your imagination. Oh, you’re having visions and it came with this. Maybe there’s something to it.’” He [00:43:30] knows, having somebody to help guide you, so it’s almost like an outside skeptic. That’s very helpful. And that’s when I realized the importance of having teachers, mentors, and like a community outside to kind of help steer you away from being [00:43:45] way too ungrounded.
ANDREW: Yeah, I think, you know, as as a, I think godparent in my religion to people, you know, you could definitely sort of say that one of my [00:44:00] jobs is to be skeptical of some of that stuff for people, right? Good guy. Let’s get– “You had a dream. Let’s go ask. Let’s go actually ask the oracle that we use to speak with these spirits and see what they say.” Like, let’s see, you know, or whatever, right? And you know, and sometimes we find out something [00:44:15] really profound when we notice things and sometimes we find out that it didn’t mean anything, right?
I remember, I remember I was like doing this series of ceremonies and every [00:44:31] day I was doing this series of ceremonies for a while. And at the same point in the ritual, which was also kind of like the peak of the invocation parts, the sound would start happening in [00:44:46] my temple space. And I was like, “What is that? What is going on? What’s manifesting?” Whatever, and you know, and I go around, and I’m like, trying to figure out if it’s something, is it like the pipes, or is it this or that, nothing, [00:45:01] right? Like no obvious reason why that sound is there. So I went to my teacher and told him and he’s like, “I don’t know,” and I was like, “Oh I wanted to do something profound, but okay.” And, and [00:45:16] this went on for like, I forget how long I was doing this work, like maybe a month, maybe six weeks, and then right near the end, what I realized was that the oil lamp that I was using, it got hot enough, uh-huh, sounds right and it just [00:45:31] happened to coincide with that moment in the ritual. Right? So, you know, it’s just like things, that the phenomenon of things aren’t necessarily worth getting caught up in, they’re worth noticing, but they’re also worth saying, “Well, if that’s significant, [00:45:46] I’ll know that in time, but right now, I’m just going to notice it and carry on with what I’m doing,” right?
CHAWEON: I think there’s this thing where I just get very– Okay, because before the magic thing, I was one of those women who saw other women get really [00:46:01] into new age stuff, and you know, they’re like, so into crystals and like whatever and it was just kind of like, it was very annoying. I call it like the Gwyneth Paltrow effect, right? And it was very like, have you seen this YouTube video called like “Shit New Age Girls Say”? It’s [00:46:16] like a parody.
ANDREW: I’ve seen a bunch of those videos. I don’t know if I’ve seen that specific one, but–
CHAWEON: Oh, it’s so spot-on and I remember thinking, “Oh girl, you are so ungrounded. I can’t be around you,” you know? Like everything is pleiadian and alien spaceships [00:46:31] are, you know, right above you, and you know, like you’re going to wear purple skirt and shit because it’s like bringing your energy somewhere, and I was just like, I can’t deal.
ANDREW: Yeah.
CHAWEON: And I was like, okay super ungrounded energy. I don’t like that. And so, that’s the reason why, [00:46:46] the more I get into magic, the more like, stringent and hardcore my skeptic has to become, because I’m just like, if it doesn’t do that, then I’m afraid that, you know, like instead of being in this world and doing magic in this world, I’m just going to be like, often, [00:47:01] like I’m doing magic in like some abstract fourth, fifth, 20th dimension.
ANDREW: Sure or nowhere at all.
CHAWEON: Or nowhere at all. [laughs] And that’s no fun because we’re like, in this world, we’re living in this world, you know, like let’s have fun in this world.
ANDREW: [00:47:16] Yeah. Absolutely. Well, I want to thank you for taking time to hang out and chat with me today.
CHAWEON: Thank you.
ANDREW: And I understand you have a thing coming up a course on some of this stuff that might be of interest to [00:47:31] people who are listening.
CHAWEON: Yeah, so I’m actually putting on my very first magic class and it’s going to be about, surprise, surprise: glamour magic. And it’s called Fierce, like “ooh girl, you look fierce,” and it’s just [00:47:46] basically a very accessible way of starting out in glamour magic, so, bringing in archetypes to start putting makeup on your face, to invoke, evoke, and conjure up these archetypes. And so, this [00:48:01] is just for anybody who may not be a hundred percent into magic, or maybe you are, but I see it more as like also a really great introduction into a little bit of astrological magic but also it’s a whole lot of magic in terms of like makeup [00:48:16] magic. So I mean, makeup is like a huge part of like my identity. I used to be a makeup artist when I was in college. So it’s how to transform yourself using mundane tools. Instead of using like a wand, you’re using a [00:48:31] blush brush [laughing]; instead of drawing sigils on a piece of paper, you’re drawing a crisp cat eye with an eyeliner brush, hmm with liquid liner. Same thing. So it’s taking magic with makeup and transforming [00:48:46] yourself and doing it all with this like, real glamour, not faux glamour.
ANDREW: Perfect. And where do people who want to come and bask in your glamour find you on the social media these days?
CHAWEON: Oh, well, they can just Google Witches and Wine. [00:49:01] Usually my YouTube channelcomes up like first thing, and on, on social media, it’s, you can just look me up. It’s hichaweon, but I think it’s mainly through my YouTube channel, all my social media stuff is there.
ANDREW: Perfect. [00:49:16] Awesome. Well, thank you so much for making time to chat. It’s been a real pleasure.
CHAWEON: Thank you, Andrew. So good to talk to you.