Occult of Personality podcast

Gordon White, author of Star.Ships: A Prehistory of the Spirits, published by Scarlet Imprint, is our guest in podcast episode 162.“Gordon White is one of the most exciting writers of modern magic. His website, RuneSoup.com is one of the most widely read practical sorcery blogs on the internet. In his digital œuvre he engages with everything from entheogens, synchronicities, UFOs, ‘alternative’ history, career guidance, graphic novels, the future of media, probability and divination to pop culture. His archonology series crowns him as the dark prince of modern chaos magic... “Gordon White is no basement mage; he is a success in many spheres, working for some of the world’s largest digital and social media companies… Gordon has dived in search of sharks and lost cities, traveled extensively and researched voraciously. Though known for his grasp of current events, his ideas are based on a deeper understanding of our disputed ancient histories. These are the subject of his book with Scarlet Imprint, Star.Ships: A Prehistory of the Spirits.”“A defining text of the new magical renaissance, Star.Ships addresses the question of who we are now by tracing where we come from, and by drawing out the stories and the spirits that have journeyed and evolved with us. The goal is, as Gordon writes, the restoration of context. “To this end, White applies his globally-recognised data and demographics skills to realise a groundbreaking work of truly interdisciplinary research. Utilising mythological, linguistic and astronomical data to reconstruct palaeolithic magical beliefs, he maps them to the human journey out of Africa; explores which aspects of these beliefs and practices have survived into the Western tradition; and what the implications (and applications) of those survivals may be for us. “Written for a magically literate and operative audience, Star.Ships displays the flair, wit and engagement with evidence that adherents of his runesoup blog have come to expect from Gordon. Star.Ships beckons those who are willing to engage in the adventure to follow the great river of history that flows into and out of an ocean of stars.”In my opinion, Gordon White has produced a brilliant book that changes our understanding of humanity’s history by extending our view into the misty antediluvian past. Star.Ships is groundbreaking and I’m in awe of the scope and masterful presentation of the material. I highly recommend Star.Ships by Gordon White and despite the fact that the book was recently published, it is already crucial to the conversation about humanity’s past. White’s own knowledge and experience of esotericism sets his work head and shoulders above any other investigators of lost civilizations.http://occultofpersonality.net/gordon-whitehttp://scarletimprint.com/books/star-ships/http://runesoup.com/

Author Timothy Hogan is our guest in podcast episode 161 to discuss his most recent book The Way of the Templar: A Manual for the Modern Knight Templar.Timothy Hogan is an author and lecturer on the mysteries of the Western esoteric tradition. He has been received, knighted, and initiated within several Templar lineages around the world. He is the current Grand Master of the Knights Templar (Ordre Souverain du Temple Initiatique) and is President of CIRCES International. He regularly speaks around the world in both public and private venues. He has appeared previously in Occult of Personality podcast episode 91 to discuss his books The Alchemical Keys to Masonic Ritual and The 32 Secret Paths of Solomon, and episode 124 talking about Entering the Chain of Union, his acclaimed book on comparative Western esotericism.“This is not a standard book on the Knights Templar. This book is a manual for the modern day Knight Templar. This book includes the secret history of the Templar Order, much of which has never been published in one place like this before. The book also contains an exploration of the Templar philosophy and challenges for the future. Rather than just exploring profane Templar history, this book provides the story behind the story. Regardless of what Templar lineage you may or may not belong to, the information provided in these pages are sure to resonate with anyone who has the heart of a Templar. It is a book written to prepare the Way for the Gnosis of the Grail, and to provide a sense of mission and direction to those brave chevalier preparing to do the Great Work in the Aquarian House we are collectively entering. Non nobis Domine, non nobis. Sed nomine Tuo da gloriam!”“The Knight Templar … the warrior monk … the Grail guardian. Such images conjure thoughts in the imagination that have inspired some to the greatest acts of nobility on the one hand, and have led others into escapism or worse – into zealous fanaticism with ideas of crusading against the others in the One human family… [R]egardless of what tradition or lineages a would be Templar comes from, it should be stressed, that the heart of a true Templar is found in one who desires with all of their being to protect the sacred – regardless of its source… By its very nature then, the foundation of Templarism rests on a gnosis, or a direct personal experiential knowledge of God and the divine – regardless of what cultural names are used for this Source. To keep this principle in mind is to drink from the Holy Grail.” – Timothy Hogan, Introduction, p.9-10Timothy Hogan is a listener favorite for a number of reasons and it’s always a pleasure to hear the revelations he shares! The Way of the Templar reveals a good amount of information that I’ve never seen anywhere before which does fill in a lot of gaps. Whether you find it convincing or too convenient, I think it’s worth reading. I also appreciated the less fundamentalist and more tolerant perspective promoted by Hogan in this book. Additionally, the advice included at the conclusion to the book, “Templar Ideas to Remember” is worth it in and of itself. I highly recommend The Way of the Templar for all those interested in the saga of the Knights Templar, as well as guidance in applying the Templar philosophy in your life.In the Occult of Personality Membership Section, author Timothy Hogan talks more about the secret history of the Knights Templar, including the connections with gnosticism, the Larmenius Charter and survival of the original Templar Grand Master lineage, and much, much more. Don’t miss that revealing conversation. Just go to occultofpersonality.net/membership and sign up if you haven’t already. It’s the best way to support the podcast while receiving access to a tremendous amount of additional exclusive content.

Artist Natan Alexander is our guest in podcast episode 160 to discuss the magickal art of tattoo and more.“Natan Alexander is an award winning tattoo artist, an officer of the Ordo Templi Orientis at Knights Templar Oasis in Salem, Massachusetts, and an occult artist working in various mediums in addition to tattooing. He owns and works out of Witch City Ink, Salem’s finest tattoo studio, and Lightwave Tattoos, in Saugus, Massachusetts. Once a year, Natan also organizes the Boston Tattoo Convention, the largest international tattoo event in the New England area and now in its fifteenth year.”“Thelema and magick have been a huge shaping force in Natan’s development, both as an individual and as an artist. As a Master Mason for over a decade and a member of the A.’.A.’. , he brings an initiate’s understanding of the symbolism and inner meanings behind the art he creates. Natan is a regular and devoted world traveler, researching the origins and energies of the cultures and ideas that inspire his art.”I’ve known Natan personally for a several years now and consider him a friend and brother. His artwork is truly magickal and has the power to transform. Creative, talented, well-spoken, well-traveled, and with years of magickal practice under his belt, Natan’s success is built upon a solid foundation. I think you’ll enjoy this interview as much as I did, and don’t miss the second half of the interview in the membership section!In the Occult of Personality Membership Section, artist Natan Alexander discusses his near lifelong interest in Thelema and magick, the Star & Snake artist residency and retreat space, altered states of consciousness, advice on achieving success in magick and in life, and much, much more. Don’t miss that fascinating conversation. Just go to occultofpersonality.net/membership and join now. It’s the best way to support the podcast while receiving access to a tremendous amount of additional exclusive content.

Guido Mina di Sospiro, the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of The Metaphysics of Ping-Pong: Table Tennis as a Journey of Self-Discovery, is our guest in podcast episode 159. Listeners may recall that Mina di Sospiro co-authored The Forbidden Book: A Novel with scholar of esotericism Joscelyn Godwin, featured in podcast episode 121.To spin or not to spin? – that is the metaphysical question.When a mortifying defeat to his teenage son rekindles his lifelong passion for table tennis, keen philosopher Guido Mina di Sospiro sets out to learn the game properly.Guido’s love for spinning a feather-weight ball takes him from his local ping-pong club, populated by idiosyncratic players with extraordinary stories to tell, to training drills with a world-class coach. This seemingly harmless game also leads him into sticky situations in the CIA headquarters and the ganglands of Washington, D.C. Woven throughout his ping-pong epiphany are philosophical ruminations on Plato and Aristotle, metaphysicians and empiricists, Jung’s dark shadow, Sun Tzu’s war tactics, the I Ching, and much more.As Guido’s journey takes him from Big Sur to a nail-biting showdown in China against a string of elite players, he finds ping-pong can teach us a surprising amount about life.“Down the centuries Taoism, Zen, and Sufism have created a large repertoire of short and seemingly mundane stories whose goal is that of violating logic and challenging our assumptions. Twentieth-century traditionalists have done much of the same by turning received notions upside down. Ping-pong, as i will show, has so many baffling and refreshingly illogical qualities about it that, whenever I happened to play an occasional game, somehow it echoed inside me in a new and increasingly more resonant way. And as a result, I marveled all the more at how magical it was that little ball and make it fly and bounce on the table and off the opponent’s racket in mysterious ways.” – Guido Mina di Sospiro, Prelude to The Metaphysics of Ping-Pong, p. 7Guido Mina di Sospiro has been fascinated by table tennis since childhood and regularly plays competitively. An award-winning, internationally acclaimed author, he has written four books published worldwide.

Wicca: The Ancient Way, recently republished by the Hermetic Arts Learning Center, is the subject of podcast episode 158. We’re joined by Apollonius Mithras who is part of the Isis-Urania lineage of Traditional Witchcraft, the same that produced this text.http://astore.amazon.com/occulofperso-20/detail/1505287898

Literary journalist and novelist C.M. Mayo, author of Metaphysical Odyssey into the Mexican Revolution: Francisco I. Madero and his secret book, Spiritist Manual, is our guest in podcast episode 157. An El Paso, Texas native, raised in Northern California, educated at the University of Chicago, C.M. Mayo is an award-winning literary journalist, novelist, poet, and translator, who has been living in and writing about Mexico for over 25 years. She is also host of the long-standing lit-blog, Madam Mayo, and the Marfa Mondays Podcasting Project.Her most recent book, a paradigm-exploding and profoundly researched examination of the esoteric philosophy of the leader of Mexico’s 1910 Revolution, is Metaphysical Odyssey Into the Mexican Revolution: Francisco I. Madero and his Secret Book, Spiritist Manual. In 2015 it won the National Indie Excellence Award for History.In a blend of biography, personal essay, and a rendition of deeply researched metaphysical and Mexican history that reads like a novel, award-winning writer and noted literary translator C.M. Mayo provides a rich introduction and the first translation of the secret book by Francisco I. Madero, leader of Mexico’s 1910 Revolution and President of Mexico from 1911 to 1913.“Mayo… provides not only an English translation of Madero’s Spiritist Manual, but also a lively intoduction… The author argues effectively that Madero’s manual is essential to understanding his revolutionary zeal.”http://occultofpersonality.net/c-m-mayo-metaphysical-odyssey-into-the-mexican-revolution/

Carl Abrahamsson, author of the anthology Reasonances, published by Scarlet Imprint, is our guest in podcast episode 156. In addition to his writings, Abrahamsson is known for his work in music, film, art, culture, and occulture.http://occultofpersonality.net/carl-abrahamsson/

Craig Williams, author of Cave of the Numinous: Tantric Physics I, from Theion Publishing, returns as our guest in podcast episode 155.http://occultofpersonality.net/craig-williams-cave-of-the-numinous/

Angel Millar, author of the groundbreaking new book The Crescent and the Compass: Islam, Freemasonry, Esotericism, and Revolution in the Modern Age, published by Numen Books, is our guest in podcast episode 154.http://occultofpersonality.net/the-crescent-and-the-compass-with-angel-millar/