The Hermetic Hour

On Thursday July 23rd, 2015 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present a discussion on the Astrolabe as a magical device. Those of you who have seen John Carter will recall the medallion of the Holy Therns that enabled them, and Carter, to transmit themselves to other planets in the solar system. It was a magical device that required a conjuration to make it work. There is a very impressive scene inside a Thern temple with an illuminated solar system on the transparent floor that shows the vectors and the formulas. (if you can read Barsoomian.) Now this was created by an earthling screenwriter, so do we, or did we, have anything like the Thern Medallion in our magical tradition to inspire him? Yes, the Astrolabe -- a marvelous hand held instrument from Classical times that could locate celestial objects (stars) calculate their exact altitude and position. Primarily used for navagation it was also used by astrologers and magicians. Combined with the Soma Sophia (the completely gridded celestial sphere, it also becomes a device to project consciousness (like the Thern Medallion) to other worlds. With Soma Sophia derived formulas of course. This is all Sixth Degree material but perhaps it will inspire some of you to keep climbing Mithra's ladder, So, if you are curious to know how wizards explore the heavens, tune in and we will plot a course and set sail.

On Thursday July 16th,2015 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon and Frater Solomon will discuss and briefly demonstrate a Pathworking to the late medieval artist Hieronymus Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights created and narrated by Frater Solomon. This was recently performed at Montsalvat for Inner Order members and, because of the complexity of the imagery it should be considered an advanced working. The presentation was enhanced by graphic backgrounds and sculptural figures on the altar, making it something of a "Perky Pat" layout. The spectral guide was a figure from Bosch's Revelation of St. John the Divine called "Tytinillus" a surrealistic version of a church choir procter with an insect's tail. So, if you want to open your third eye and step into fantasy-land we will tell you how it's done.

On Thursday, July 9th, 2015 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will have a discussion on "Cliodynamics" a new "science" of socioeconomic and political trend and event prediction. Contrary to popular belief this discipline was not spawned by Issac Asimov's Foundation Series (Hari Seldon's Plan) but is very reminiscent of it. One of the founders is Peter Truchin, a biologist at the University of Connecticut who has written a book called "War and Peace and War". In which he examines the rise and fall of empires on the cliodynamic scale. This book invites comparison to Oswald Spengler's "Decline of the West" which was avidly read by Hitler and George Bush's Neo-Cons.  It was the Machiavelli of the 19th century. Cliodynamics uses Malthusian mathematical formulas to predict economic and political events. So if you want to know what the boys in the think tanks are reading, tune in and we'll invoke the muse of history (Clio).

On Thursday July 2nd, 2015, the Hermetic Hours host Poke Runyon will present an essay on The Curse of the Maskim, the planetary demons of ancient Babylon. This will be an important commentary on the continuing influence of these ancient negative or demonic aspects of the seven planets upon magical theory and ritual. The origin of the Maskim in the underworld of early Mesopotamian mythology will be explained, along with their revolt against the heavenly powers and its inf lance on later Biblical themes of Wars in Heaven and Fallen Angels. The Maskim inf lance on Solomonic magick will be examined and Stephen Skinner's new book "Techniques of Solomonic Magic" will be critiqued in relation to this ancient demonic influence. The concepts of Earth centered verses Cosmic oriented astrology will be compared and explained -- This program may raise more questions than it answers but it will certainly stimulate thought, so tune in and cheer for the Lords of Chaos or the Forces of Light.

On Thursday June 25th, 2015 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will have as it's guest the leading authority on the African-American folk tradition of Hoodoo magic, or "Root Work," Catherine Yronwode of the Lucky Mojo Curio company. Catherine is the author of "Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic" and "Paper in My Shoe" along with several other related titles. She will explain the differences between Hoodoo, Santeria and Vodoun, and describe how this unique American folk-magic tradition arrived here with the slaves in the old South and continued to evolve incorporating European (Solomonic) and even Native American additions to become a living magical system now practiced all over the United States. So, if you want to catch up on your American magical cross-training (sneaky pete anthropology) this is a session you need to hear.

On Thursday June 18th, 2015 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present a discussion on ancient Mesopotamian Mythology and its relation to the Canaanite myths that comprise the Seasonal ceremonies of the Order of the Temple of Astarte. As our in studio guest we will have Frater Isa from our Ubar Encampment in Dallas, Texas. We will touch on such subjects as the Anunnaki (Elder Gods), How Man was created by the Earth Goddess as a slave of the Gods, how Oannes brought civilization to the Summerians, and the numerous parallels between Canaanite and Mesopotamian myth and legend. Our primary text will be John Gray's Near Eastern Mythology which is cross-comparitive. If you have been curious about the similarities between Ishtar and Astarte, or Baal and Marduk, then tune in and we will try to sort out the pre-Biblical family-trees for you.

On Thursday May 28th, 2015 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will have as its special guest Frater Julian of the Benjamin Franklin Encampment who is an expert in Pennsylvania folklore relating to witchcraft and magick. We will be discussing his paper on the mysterious Roman family in the colonial Quaker community, Johannes Kelpius "The Wizard of Wissahickon," and his Cave of Kelpius, and Apocalyptic prophecy in the 1690s. The Epherata Rosicrucian Cloister, then moving up toward modern times with Dutch pow-wow, hexcraft, the curious case of the Hexencat and its capture. The York County 1920s Hex murder case. So if you want to catch up on your American occult and witchcraft heritage be sure to tune in for Weird Pennsylvania on the air.

On Thursday May 2ist, 2015 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present an interview with British author and magician Jake Stratton-Kent. Jake Stratton-Kent is especially noted for his defense and support of the Goetic aspect of ceremonial magick and his research linking this practice to the deities and oracles of ancient Greek mythology, especially the denizens of the underworld or Tartarus ruled by Hades or Pluto. He is more partial to the Grimorium Verum than the Goetia or Lesser Key of Solomon although he stresses that both are essentially Goetic from the ancient Greek word "Goes" meaning a necromancer. So if you want to meet a master of art magical, tune in and spend an hour with maestro Jake Stratton-Kent.

On Thursday May 14th, 2015 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present the second part of a discussion on Gerald Gardner's 1949 novel of medieval British Magick and Witchcraft High Magic's Aid. The emphasis will be on readings of the actual rituals from the book, including "Making the Great Circle," "the Witch Cult initiation," and "The Spirit Dantalion." Poke will be joined by his long time friend and colleague Gardnerian Elder Ed Fitch as they discuss the influence of Solomonic Magick on Gardner's original version of modern Wicca. Gardner used rituals from both the Greater and Lesser Keys of Solomon in High Magic's Aid, so if you want to get the feel of the way it was in the beginning then tune in and we'll conjure some old fashioned spirits for you.

On Thursday May 7th, 2015 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will review and discuss Gerald Gardner's classic novel of medieval magick and witchcraft in England "High Magic's Aid." We consider this a very important work in the Modern Hermetic Tradition because it vividly describes the synthesis of surviving Paganism with the Solomonic school of ceremonial magick in the Middle Ages. A mix of esoteric themes that returned in the form of Gardenarian and Alexandrian Wicca in 1950s England, from which it quickly migrated to the United States. Gerald Gardner was a member of the O.T.O. and worked closely with Aleister Crowley to produce the first modern Book of Shadows. High Magic's Aid tells the story of three Saxon Solomonic magicians in the days of Robin Hood's King John 11th century, who are not able to work their magick effectively without the help of a female Witch. They rescue their priestess from the local inquisition and dig up her precious Athame and white handled knife without which they can not operate. The story is very well written and well researched. Better than Crowley's fiction although he was probably Gardner's editor. We strongly recommend this book to our neo-pagan and wiccan friends who may think that witchcraft and magick cannot co-exist. They can, and they did, and they do -- so if you want to know where and how the wizards and the witches got together tune in and "Merry Meet!" and "Blessed Be!"