The Hermetic Hour

On Thursday April 30th, 2020 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present a discussion and review of the 1934 to 1954 science-fiction Lensman series, by Edward Elmer Smith, PhD, a scientist in the food industry specializing in pastry, whose major accomplishment in food engineering was making powdered sugar adhere to doughnuts, and whose major accomplishment in science fiction writing was the creation of a sub-genre called “Space Opera” His Lensman series and its concepts and themes influenced Frank Herbert’s Dune, Roddenberry's Star Trek, and Lucas’ Star Wars. It even re-influenced the screen version of one of Smith’s inspirations The 1912 Burroughs’ John Carter, when Burroughs's Therns were rewritten by Andrew Stanton as Smith’s evil “Eddorians” and their medallions given the powers of an Arisian Lens. Smith developed the concept of the Multiverse, laser and particle weapons and super computers years before they appeared. His concept of the Lensmen as an incorruptible Galactic police force, guided by secret masters from a hidden planet seems to have been inspired by Theosophy’s “Ascended Masters” from Tibet, and King Arthur’s knights of the Round Table and the Holy Grail. The Lensmen are obviously the origin of the Star War's Jedi.  Another imitator of Doc Smith was Issac Asimov with his Foundation Series. Asimov was so successful with his Foundation series that he beat out Doc Smith for the 1966 Hugo award for “the best all time science-fiction series.” But at least they declared that Doc’s epic was runner up. So if you would like to look deeper into this and even review what happened when Doc ran one of his Lensmen for president and how Clarissa MacDoughil became the first Lenswoman, tune in and we’ll activate the lens.

On Thursday March 12th, 2020 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will review and discuss "The Grand Key of Solomon the King" (2009) and other works translated by Mamdouh Al Daye otherwise known as Nineveh Shadrach. Nineveh is a Golden Dawn adept whom we have known since 1998 when he sent us a copy of his first book "The Magical Tome of a Divine King;" this was also a Solomonic grimoire in Arabic called "The Medicine of Solomon" which was eventually pirated and became "The Book of Smokeless Fire." "The Grand Key of Solomon the King" is commonly referred to as "Al Ajnas" and is attributed to Asaph Ben Berechiam in the Ishtar Publishing edition, probably to help Solomonize the work. Arabic editions would be attributed to Asif ibn Barkhiya, an Arab version of the same legendary Jewish sage of Solomon's court who supposedly wrote the book. It dates back to the 12th century of the common era. Not quite as old as Picatrix but old enough to make it venerable on the magician's book shelf. I'll be joined by V.H.Frater SithMeth who has some thoughts on "The Book of Smokeless Fire." So if you would like to spend an hour in the study of forbidden and forgotten lore, sit on your magick carpet, rub your magick lamp and join us.

On Thursday August 31st the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon and his guest Lady Jo Carson of Feraferia will recall our adventures in our favorite Lemurian Jungle shrouded Lost City: Nan Madol -- way out in Pacific Micronesia. Lady Jo having done her 2009 film Dancing with Gaia featuring equally ancient ruins on Malta visited Nan Modal a few years after us. Our broadcast tonight is prompted by the recent Netflix and History Channel episodes featuring Graham Hancock and Hatcher Childress, respectively and respectfully, both of whom confirm and reprise the physical evidence for a pre-iceage lost continent in the Pacific which we presented on video sixteen years earlier. Of course since then Gobekli Tepe 12,000 B.C.and Gunung Padang 20,000 B.C. have been unearthed; which we will add to our Lenurian mix tonight. But even these revelations did not satisfy mainstream archeology. They have been persecuting Hancock while ignoring Hatcher Childress and our Beyond Lemuria which Childress used to carry in his catalog. Now you can get 'Beyond Lemuria' and Lady Jo's 'Dancing with Gaia' from < pokerunyon.com > So drop in and check us out.

The Hermetic Hour for Thursday August 24th, 2023 will feature a reading of the original introduction to the auto-biography of your host, Poke Runyon. This was a fictionalized version in which I, the fiction writer Poke Runyon interviews Thabion the Wizard. In other words I am interviewing myself. I decided on this literary device so that I could use fictitious names for people in the book who might not like what I had to say about them. But at this date most of those who might have been offended have passed away, so the fictionalizing device is no longer necessary. And yet the original is interesting and entertaining in its own right. A good exercise in getting to know yourself.

On Thursday August 17th, 2023 we will announce and launch Enoch Adamson's candidacy for President in 2024 on the Hermetic Party ticket. His platform will be the same as it was when he ran in 2020 because the issues are largely the same. Gun control, immigration, race relations, student loan debt, health care, credit card debt, foreign entanglements, U.F.O. disclosure etc., etc. But in reviewing our 2020 platform it was pointed out that Enoch had not addressed the Homeless problem and now we have the Ukraine problem. Both of which Enoch now address in Orwellian and historical analogy. We should be reminded the Enoch Adamson is Hermetic in his political philosophy. He believes that the American Eagle should have both a right wing and a left wing. If he only had one wing he would fly in circles and get nowhere. So tune in and let's help make humanity Great Again.

On Thursday February 27th, 2020 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present a discussion of the mysterious Ideomotor effect which motivates such divinatory devices as the Ouiji Board, the Pendulum and the Golden Dawn Ring and Disc. It is also related to dowsing rods and our Zero Lite. Although the effect is considered a scientific rationale for the phenomenon, it in itself is miraculous and may be more complex and supernatural than the de-bunkers imagine.So if you want to learn how to contact your deep mind, tune in and hang out with the pendulum swingers.

On Thursday February 20th, 2020 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present a lecture on the Lightning Flash or Flaming Sword on the Tree of Life and its relation to the Blasted Tower of the Tarot on the 27th Path. This is a remarkable synchronicity between Tarot symbolism and Qabalah. In this case it marks the dividing point of the united soul in its descent down the the Paths of the Tree Before the Fall. When the House of God is struck by Lightning Eve falls toward Netsach and Adam falls toward Hod. From then on the human soul is divided. The Goddess rules the Sphere of Nature on the pillar of Mercy and the Fool rules the Sphere of Knowledge on the pillar of Severity. From there on down to Malkuth they remain divided, united only in dreams. So if you want to know why you can’t find your Soul-Mate, tune in and we will tell you where to look.

On Thursday January 30th, 2020 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present a discussion on the beginning of magical training which we sometimes call "Franz Bardon for Dummies". We will certainly concede our debt to Bardon, and to Crowley but we will point out our improvements in their programs and explain the psychological and physical factors involved in conjuration to visible appearance, creative visualization, trance states, scrying and channeling and other skills and techniques the magician needs to master. So if you really want to know how to DO IT, remember the wisdom of the Sphinx who said: "In order for you to learn our teachings, we must first teach you how to learn." He also said:"He who doubts his powers, only lends power to his doubts."

On January 16th, 2020 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present a discussion on the controversial themes and symbols of the Medieval Holy Grail legend. We will first establish that the entire concept of “Lucifer the Light bringer” is a hoax launched in the Old Testament to cover-up Jehovah’s palace coup (the War in Heaven) and the subsequent exile of Elyon and his Elohim (the Fallen Angels). Next we will examine the Medieval Cathars, their origins and beliefs. We will consider the survival of Valentinian Gnosticism in Southern France and the Troubador Courts of Love. We will describe the Grail and its Hermetic-Sabian Celestial origin as set forth in von Eschenbach’s Parzival – and we will reveal what the physical Holy Grail really was. So if you want to know what those nasty French knights were hiding in their castle, join us on the quest.

On Thursday November 21st. 2019 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will review Tobias Churton's "Aleister Crowley in India." This is another in a series of books by Churton covering portions of Crowley's life and work, We have already reviewed his "The Beast in Berlin" and will certainly get to last year's "Aleister Crowley in America," but Crowley's India adventures should probably have been first in the series. I personally found this book to be fascinating. In its pages I rediscovered Crowley and relived the excitement of his early magical experiences along with big-game hunting and mountain climbing adventures. Churton had access to many records and archives not available to previous writers. We have a more Crowley-favorable version of the infamous Kangchenjunga tragedy than previously reported. The primary theme of this book is magical yoga or yoga for magick. We start with Crowley and Bennett in Ceylon studying Theravada Buddhism together and then on to Crowley's discovering and adapting the Gnostic tantric system of Sabhapaty Swami. So if you'd like to return to the thrilling days of yesteryear, then join us and sit down, shut-up and get-out with Aleister Crowley.