

The Hermetic Hour
The Hermetic Hour
Tune in, turn on, and get magick with Poke Runyon, Archimage of the Ordo Templi Astartes. The O.T.A. is the oldest continually operating magical lodge in the US.
”Poke Runyon is the real deal ... an international magical treasure!” ~ Lon Milo DuQuette
”Poke Runyon is the real deal ... an international magical treasure!” ~ Lon Milo DuQuette
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 7, 2022 • 35min
The Hermetic Hour 2021 Year in Review
On January 6th 2022 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will review all our live broadcasts in 2021,starting with "The Lost Pillars of Enoch" from January 7th and summarizing all 19 new shows with "The Pagan Myth of Christmas" on December 23rd. So keep your pencils handy to jot down the one's you missed that you will want to search the archives for. And we had some very good shows in this sad year.We are already planning a great line-up for 2022. Starting with "Crowley in England" next week.

Dec 24, 2021 • 10min
The Pagan Myth of Christmas
On Thursday December 23rd,2021 the Hermetic Hour’s host Poke Runyon, will read his essay entitled The Pagan Myth of Christmas. As most of us know December 25th is a date selected to represent Winter Solstice, and thus correspond to the seasonal return of the Sun, making Jesus a Pagan Sun God. This is just one of the many Pagan myth themes adopted by Christianity in the formative years of the religion. The Cross of Crucifixion became the Cross of the Four Seasons, Churches were built on the sites of Pagan Temples. But what is not widely known is the connection between Paganism, Gnosticism, and Christianity. Jesus was a Pagan God modeled on Osiris and when we match him with the Canaanite Baal he becomes The Once and Future King of Israel the last of the Pagan Dying Gods. The Gnostic Christians believed there had been a succession of these redeemers represented by ancient Gods and Goddesses. So if you want to celebrate the mystery of Christmas, tune in and we’ll deck the halls.

Dec 17, 2021 • 47min
Creep Shadow, Creep by Abraham Merritt (re-broadcast)
On Thursday January 19th, 2017 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will review and discuss the 1934 horror classic "Creep Shadow, Creep" by Fantasy Grand Master Abraham Merritt. This forgotten tale has influenced such modern films and t.v. shows as Dark Shadows and recently "Outlander." It deals with a family feud that carries on for thousands of years between reincarnating ancestors of two ancient Breton Celtic clans. The lord of Carnac and the Royal family of the legendary sunken city of Ys. In their present (1930s) incarnations an anthropologist, specializing in the occult (like Indian Jones) and a psychiatrist specializing in hypnotic age-regression with a beautiful daughter who was and is a reincarnating evil soul-stealing witch. This story was the second in a series of such tales by Merritt, being the sequel to "Burn Witch, Burn" (1934) which was made into a film with Lionel Barrymore and influenced both Twilight Zone and the "Chucky" series. So if you want to discover the roots of ancient evil surviving in the deep mind, tune in and we will explore the dark world of the creeping shadows.

Dec 10, 2021 • 42min
Technocracy Rising by Patrick M. Wood (re-broadcast)
On Thursday December 29th, 2016 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon
will present a review and discussion on "Technocracy Rising" by Patrick
M. Woods 2015. This book documents the 1930's origin and rise of an
American totalitarian socio-political and economic system derived from
Plato's Republic that flourished after the 1929 crash and during the
prewar years of the Great Depression. In Technocracy scientists and
academics will manage the government of the country. Our Constitutional
Republic and its Capitalistic economy would be replaced by a
dictatorship. Technocracy's connection to the Eugenics movement and to
Nazism put it into eclipse until the 1970s -- When Technocracy reemerged
with David Rockefeller's Trilateral Commission and began to infiltrate
the U.S. government beginning with The Jimmy Carter administration in
the 1970s. Technocracy subverted the United Nations which soon became
its agent for a Technocratic World government. Like their cousins the
communists, the Technocrats claim to be democratic. They seek to replace
our currency based economic system with a cashless, energy credit
system. They have hijacked General System Theory to justify
environmental regulations to control energy. Of course the big problem
for the people under this system is loss of Freedom, loss of property,
loss of representation in government, and loss of what we consider basic
human rights. Even the socialist philosopher Bertrand Russell, when
examining Plato's Government of the philosopher kings, was forced to say
that only true democracy could protect basic human rights. So if you
want to know what the technocrats have in store for you when they get
back in office, tune in and we'll have a look.

Dec 3, 2021 • 1h 1min
”Aleister Crowley: The Beast in Berlin” by Tobias Churton (re-broadcast)
will review the 2014 book by Tobias Churton "Aleister Crowley The Beast
in Berlin". This is apparently an expansion and compilation of outcuts
from the author's biography of Crowley and should perhaps be considered
an appendix to that work. Unless you are an ardent Crowley aficionado
it is a hard read. The book is primarily made up of excerpts from
A.C.'s. diaries and his correspondence mostly during his 1930s Berlin
sojourn as a struggling artist in the decadent twilight days of the
Weimar Republic. Along with a running account of the Beast's
metaphysical politics, sexual magick and artistic endeavors, Churton
manages to give us an in-depth look at the decadent sub-culture of the
Weimar Berliners and an appreciation of Crowley's talents as an
artist. So if you'd like to accompany the Beast to the Cabaret, tune in
and enjoy the show.

Nov 26, 2021 • 54min
Codex Homunculi - How to Make Little People (re-broadcast)
On Thursday December 1st, 2016, the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon
will review the recently published compendium of manuscript translations
dealing with the Homunculus, compiled and edited by Joseph Uncello from
Four Hands Press, Viatorium and Ouroboros Press. This is one of the most
remarkable books on alchemy and magick to have appeared since the
release of Picatrix. We now have Paracelsus's own detailed accounts of
the Homunculus operation.The creation of a humanoid being, using male
sperm in an artificial female womb. This is followed by other
Renaissance period authors elaborating on the process and presenting
eyewitness accounts of successful Homunculi experiments. We are treated
to works that seem to be the source material for The Chemical Wedding of
Christian Rosencrutz, the Tyrol experiment cited by W. Somerset Maugham
in his 1908 novel "The Magician," and the little King and Queen created
by Dr. Pretorious in the 1934 horror film "The Bride of Frankenstein."
For comic relief we have an Arabic version of the operation using a
sheep and a cow (without their consent) and for cultural diversity we
are treated to a poetic Taoist perspective on the process, and for
redeeming social value. We have a Valentinean Christian approach to
making a Magical Child by the German philosopher Jacob Bohme, which may
well have been the inspiration for Aleister Crowley's "Moon Child" --
So, If you want to delve into the dark secrets of creation, join us and
we will open up the forbidden book: Codex Homunculi.

Nov 19, 2021 • 60min
Dr. Strange - Western Magick goes East (re-broadcast)
On Thursday November 10th, 2016 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon
will review the career of Steve Ditko's Dr. Stephen Strange, "Master of
the Mystic Arts" from his Marvel Comics' debut in 1963 to the 2016
Disney/Marvel film released this month. We will discuss Doc's ancestor
the 1930's Radio sorcerer "Chandu the Magician" and give a synopsis of
Strange's early comic book adventures and the live action films. Both
the 1978 and 2016 films emphasize Hermetic symbolism and method drawing
on Eastern yoga for power and technique; resulting in a system that is a
sort of astral Kung-Fu. In both films the Master Teacher is European,
whereas in the original comic book version he was a Tibetan Lama called
"The Ancient One." In the recent film there have been some changes in
the service of political correctness that are difficult to understand.
Why change Baron Mordo the original European villain into Doc's black
side-kick and then create a new villain to play Mordo's traditional role
played by a European actor. So, if you want to explore this and other
deep mysteries of Dr. Strange's magical universe, tune in and we'll
consult the Orb of Agamodo.

Nov 12, 2021 • 26min
How the Atheists Hijacked Christianity (re-broadcast)
On Thursday November 3rd, 2016 the Hermetic Hour with Host Poke Runyon
will present an essay on how the Atheistic Marxists hijacked Christian
idealism and used our two thousand years of devotion to Christian
principles of Altruism and charity against us in order to enslave us.
Also conceding the influence of Hermetic Elitism in this process, we
will trace the development through the Roman Church, the Illuminati, and
the Marxists to the modern New World Order. We will use "The Matrix" as
a metaphor for our present political and economic state. So if you want
to get unplugged tune in and take the red pill.

Nov 5, 2021 • 37min
Dark Lord Mot Channels King Ahab for Halloween
On Thursday November 4th, 2021 - The Hermetic Hour will present a reprise of the Channeling of Biblical King Ahab by V.H.Frater Solomon sitting on the "Bone Throne" in the Pavilion of the Gods at Rivendell following Mot Mass on October 30th. King Ahab was a King of ancient Israel, who along with his Phoenician wife Queen Jezebel, were demonized by Ezra and the prophet Isiah. This revelation presents them in a true and fair view, worthy to join the ranks of Melchizedek and Solomon as ancient avatars of our tradition. V.H. Frater Thabion will discuss Jezebel's first century a.d. namesake in the Book of Revelation, who was equally maligned and needs to be rehabilitated. So, if you want to look behind Biblical Fake News, tune in and find the truth.

Oct 29, 2021 • 49min
Nightmare Blues by Frank Herbert 1954 (re-broadcast)
On Thursday October 27th, 2016 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will recall and review Frank (Dune) Herbert's first published science fiction story "Nightmare Blues" (Operation Syndrome) 1954. This is an ominously prophetic and frightening tale of electronic mind control which seems to have been inspired by The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. A scientist (who ends up in a mad house) invents a machine that projects thoughts (a telepathy transceiver) which is stolen by a music industry producer promoter who uses it to enhance his star's vocal performances. However each city where they perform experiences catastrophic outbreaks of mass insanity. One of the mad scientist's former students, a psychologist, teams up with a ham radio operator to create an antidote machine. This story was published in 1954 and set in 1999. It deals with issues and theories that resonate today. So if you want to contemplate some high-tech horror, for Halloween tune in and we'll turn up the volume.