Podcast episodes – The Secret History of Western Esotericism Podcast (SHWEP)

Frederico Fidler discusses Sallustius' manual on Platonist metaphysics and esoteric hermeneutics. They explore the ambiguity of Seleustius' identity, the role of rituals and sacrifices, the power of words and the world as a myth. They delve into the importance of interpretation, Sallustius' perspective on Egyptians and idolatry, the dating of a text and its relationship to Christianity, and ancient philosophers' perspective on Christianity compared to the focus of the analyzed work.

We discuss the dynamics of Julian's esoteric religious/political formulation of Hellenism, and reflect on some of the very strange things that happen when esoteric religions like Iamblichean theurgy (and Christianity) are taken out of the small conclave and projected onto the corridors of power.

Our discussion with Jeremy Swist on The Emperor turns metaphysical, theurgic, and religious, as we discuss Julian's incredible synthesis of Iamblichean theology and metaphysics, traditional religions, and politics. Come for the pagan counter-church, stay for the transcendent solar metaphysics.

Jeremy Swist, specialist on Late Platonism, late antiquity, and the great Julian the Faithful, lays out the political background and political project of The Emperor. Part I of a two-part discussion of late antiquity's greatest statesman. No bias here.

Explore the philosophy and mysticism of Evagrius' Kephalaia Gnōstika. Dive into theories of embodiment and the roles of souls and bodies according to Evagrius. Examine Evagrius' unique writing style and conceptual connections in the Kephalaia. Unravel the mysteries of a mysterious book and its influences and interpretations. Discover the esoteric reading of Moses and Aaron's snake fighting story and its theological implications.

Joel Kalvesmaki, expert on Evagrius of Pontus and the 'Second Origenist Controversy', discusses the life and work of the great sage, his 'gnostic trilogy', and the 'Second Origenist Controversy' which decided the fate of his opinions vis à vis Orthodoxy in the sixth century.

Having introduced the Cappadocians, we must of course explore the thought of the Divine Gregory of Nyssa. Michæl Motia is our expert guide through the territories both of late-antique religious politics and the illuminated darkness of divine unknowing at the heart of Christian mysticism.

In Part II with Father Sergey, we explore the Platonist ‘mystical’ themes, esoteric imagery of divine darkness, and the limits of human knowledge in the Cappadocians. Христос воскрес!

We discuss the great theologians, ascetics, and philosophers of fourth-century Christianity, the Cappadocian Fathers with Father Sergey Trostyanskiy. Come for the Philokalia, the collection which smuggles Origenistic and other anathematised ideas into the very bosom of orthodoxy, stay for the presence of divine darkness to the soul.

Firmicus Maternus, a fairly prominent fourth-century intellectual from Sicily, wrote two works which survive: one is our earliest-surviving manual of astrological practice in Latin, and it shows a full-blooded belief in astral determinism, and the second is a rabid Christian polemic against traditional religious practices. Discuss.