On Thursday August 25th, 2016 The Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present a discussion on two modern classics that hold up mirrors to modern society and recent history: George Orwell's 1984 (1949) and Ortega de Gassett's Revolt of the Masses (1929). Both authors were socialists and both were involved in the Spanish Civil War. 1984 is called a "dystopia"and describes British post World War II socialism evolving into a nightmarish double-plus-ungood (Stalinistic) tyranny where everyone is brainwashed into believing that: "War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery and Ignorance is Strength." In "Revolt of the Masses" Ortega de Gassett disputes the liberal dictum that universal literacy and education can ennoble and uplift "the common people" into a body politic capable of rational and reasonable self government, Hence democracy must be controlled by an intellectual elite (sound familiar). Both these books are classics and more important today than when they were written. We will try to put them in a Hermetic perspective for you (sociology is the new black magick) so if you want to peek into the future from way back when, tune in and we'll part the veil.