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 April 30th, 2015 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present a discussion on the quasi-Masonic Rite of Memphis, sometimes called the Rite of Memphis and Misraim which is highly irregular in orthodox Masonic circles and is usually considered a Clandestine (unrecognized and proscribed) organization to which regular Masons cannot belong. This collection of rites or degrees (96 of them) has a long and colorful history which we will delve into consulting Mackey, Calvin C. Brut, John Yarker and Allen Greenfield. In the 1880's the Rite of Memphis infiltrated the Scottish Rites Northern Jurisdiction and went into competition with Scottish Rite itself to see which system would become an accepted Advanced (Red Lodge) along with York Rite for regular American Masons. Scottish Rite's 33 degree system won the turf war, with Albert Pike's help and the Rite of M&M disappeared into the College of defunct Masonic Rites (yes there is such an institution). The same thing had happened to it in France a hundred years earlier when the Grand Orient absorbed it and locked it up in their archives -- but the M&M is not easily suppressed. Its founder, after signing it over to the Grand Orient, sneaked it into Moldavia (one of Dracula's hang outs) and it briefly rose again. Recently Masonic mavericks Allen Greenfield and Jeff Peace have tried to resurrect it here in the United States. Jeff Peace tried to get a number of regular Masons who were interested in the esoteric involved in M&M, at their peril. So if you would like to explore a delightfully conspiratorial and deliciously controversial secret society that claims to have "All the Secrets of ancient Masonry and certainly enough of its degrees" then tune in and we'll sail up the Nile to the Pyramids.

On Thursday April 16th, 2020 -- the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will celebrate its Tenth Anniversary. Like the seasonal Ceremonies of the O.T.A. the Hermetic Hour is the longest running periodic (in this case weekly) Magical podcast serving the Magical, neo-pagan community. We stayed the course for a whole decade, and will continue for another. Tonight's show will be a gathering of O.T.A, adepts familiar to our regular listeners: V'H. Frater Memnonides (Master Phylos) V.H. Soror Ariel (Lady Jo Carson) V.H. Frater Solomon (Michael) V.H. Frater SithMeth (Max) and especially V.H.Soror Zandria (Lawren) who imagined, created,on-goingly produces and edits the Hermetic Hour. She is now officially my better half and this show is more in her honor than in mine. So if you'd like to celebrate a Happy Anniversary with us, tune in  and get Magick!

On Thursday April 9th, 2020 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present a discussion and review of "Broth from the Cauldron" by Cerridwen Fallingstar who will join us in the discussion of her book. Cerridwen is a Neo-Pagan Witch who writes Historical novels based on her past lives. She lectures and teaches on shamanic magick, spiritual development and ecological philosophy. She has joined us in Feraferian rituals and is a leader in the Northern California Pagan scene. Broth from the Cauldron is somewhat auto-biographical with most chapters recounting personal experiences which are almost parables, describing the lessons her life's adventures have taught her; from her childhood to maturity living and practicing her Craft. So if you would like to spend an hour with the wisest of the witches join us and sip the Broth from the Cauldron.

On April 16th, 2015 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will review the new semi-biographical novel by fantasy grandmaster Michael Moorcock "The Whispering Swarm." This remarkable book should be of special interest to magicians and Hermetic students. Moorcock is the modern heir to the mantles of J.R.R. Tolkien, and Robert E.Howard. His fiction is deeply magical and steeped in Hermetic lore. The Whispering Swarm is somewhat experimental. His protagonist is himself and he tells his life story up to his passage from adolescence into adulthood through the entrance into a secret enclave in the multiverse, inhabited by historical and fictional characters he has read about. Raised in London during and after WWll, he discovers an ancient hidden medieval village called the Alsacia, or The Sanctuary, inhabited by magical monks in an old Abbey, a tavern full of swashbuckling cavaliers, including the Musketeers from Dumas and a glamorous Hughwaywoman called Molly Midnight. He also lives in the real world, having a wife and children and a job as an editor, but is driven to escape into The Sanctuary by the tumult of Whispering voices in his head (the Swarm). Most importantly it explores Moorcock's two warring personalities in emotional spiritual and political conflict. He is a romantic at heart and an agnostic socialist in intellect -- so he fights to save King Charles from Cromwell's Ax because his cavalier heroes need his abilities to walk between the worlds. One wonders all through the book, just how much of the fantasy is real, or a metaphor for reality. So, if you want to visit an adult's Land of Oz then follow us through the London fog to the hidden gates of the Sanctuary and we'll find the Swan with Two Necks tavern for a shant of ale and an hour of High Magical Adventure.

On Thursday April 2nd, 2015 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will review and discuss the newly published book "The Secret School of Wisdom" Authentic rituals and doctrines of the Illuminati edited by Joseph Wages, Rienhard Markner and translated by Jeva Singh Anand. Host Poke Runyon (Marion Roland) will be joined by his fellow Beyond Lemuria stars Merrick Rees Hamer (Master Phylos) and Frater Solomon (Samyaza) in our discussion of the various aspects of the Bavarian Illuminati: their Masonic infiltration, Christian-based socialist ideology, and conspiratorial agenda. We will discuss Adam Weishaupt's mysticism and contradict some previously held opinions about his atheism. We will discuss his relation with Baron von Knigge and some of the later individuals and organizations influenced by the Illuminati -- so If you want to immanenitize the eschaton (whatever that means) tune in and be illuminated.

Supporting the National Effort to restrict public events in order to suppress the Corona Virus, we have moved our Annual Spring Equinox, Nuptiae the Spring Marriage and Communion of the Elements ceremony from the Rivendell Henge to the Hermetic Hour. All our presenters will recite the ceremony on the air Thursday March 19th, 2020 at 8:00 p.m.  pacific time. We invite all our Active and Associate Members to listen in and we suggest that you have incense (frankincense or sandal wood) and a candle, a cup on Mead and a platter of wheat crackers so you may take communion with us. If you want to see what a Hermetic Communion looks like review "The Rites of Magick" which you all should have a copy of. Let us hope and pray that we don't have to do this for Summer Solstice. But let's make the best of this alternative. Take care and be well, Thabion, Poke Runyon host The Hermetic Hour.

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 March 26th, 2015 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present a review of the new book: "The Universal Master Key" alleged to be a newly discovered manuscript by the late Franz Bardon. This book is actually a reconstructed series of lectures by Bardon to his students on mastering and balancing the four Hermetic elements in the personality as set forth in the first section of his book Initiation into Hermetics. The texts of the lectures are rewritten from a collection of class notes by the students and rendered in Bardon's writing style by his publisher and editor Dieter Ruggeberg. The book is published by Faulks Books which mistakenly represents it on the internet as taken from a "newly discovered manuscript by Franz Bardon." However it does not appear to be entirely a hoax. If Dieter wrote the entire book, he has at least mastered Bardon's style and philosophic attitudes. The book is certainly worth a place in a Magician's Bardon collection. It is very moralistic and sermonizing in tone with a strong emphasis on ethics and spiritual integrity. It has its short-comings. It was supossed to be organized according to the qualities of each element but he seems to go off the track into a general discussion on how to live and die well in this and higher worlds -- so if want to revisit the Bardonian internal tetragrammaton process, tune in and we will go to Hermetic Sunday school with Reverand Franz. Next week we revisit the Bavarian Illuminati.

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.