The Hermetic Hour

On Thursday September 20th, 2012, the Hermetic Hour host Poke Runyon and special guest Frater Osiris, Magister of the Atlanta Hermitage of the Church of the Hermetic Sciences, will recap the exciting magical weekend of festivities and initiatory rites held at the secluded estate of Frater Osiris and Soror Isis in the wooded hills north of Atlanta. The Festival of Seven Gates was performed by torchlight  at Morning Glory Henge within a beautiful garden setting on Saturday night. On Sunday Fra. Thabion and Sor. Zandria, assisted by Fra. Osiris and Sor. Isis, initiated the entire cast of Associate Members in attendance into the active fold of the Church in the Pastophoris rite of Crata Repoa, thus fully establishing the Encampment as a Hermitage of the Church. The entire weekend was wonderfully and graciously hosted, and skillfully organized and coordinated by Fra. Osiris and Sor. Isis. Associate Members from other nearby States made the trip to be initiated. The Atlanta Hermitage at Morning Glory Henge is now the Southeastern hub of CHS/OTA activity. So tune in and we'll exchange impressions of a truly magical event.

On Thursday September 13th, 2012 Hermetic Hour host Poke Runyon will announce the release (to Associate Members) of our latest DVD video production "Pathworkings of Magick." This project has been in the works for some time and required considerable technical audio and visual effort to accomplish. It is a completely unique and original approach to magical training. We are providing hypnotic, visionary journeys to the magical Inner Planes, just the way you would experience them in an O.T.A.  temple, but on your t.v. or computer screen. We use traditional Tattwa symbols, the same narrative scripts we use in the lodge room, and the same hypnotic induction. The entry scenes were filmed in Montsalvat Temple using the Soul Door dark mirror. All four basic elemental pathworkings (Air, Earth, Fire, and Water) are included, with "Attention Points" and detailed instructions. Because these programs do require a proper attitude and discipline to be effective, they are not offered to the public. Associate Members may order the video as part of their instruction. So, if you want to find out how you can journey to magical realms through your own small screen, tune in and we will turn you on.

On Thursday September 6th, 2012 the Hermetic Hour, with host Poke Runyon, will present a discussion on the work and the influence of the 19th century French occultist Eliphas Levi (Alphonse Constant), a former Catholic priest who embraced and codefied a Rosicrucian version of Kabbalah and Hermetic philosophy. Eliphas Levi launched the modern occult revival in 1856  with his book now titled "Transcendental Magic." He developed the theory of "Astral Light," and assigned Kabbalistic letter correspondences to the Tarot trumps. He considered the Tarot more ancient than the kabbalah itself. Levi was a seminal influence on Blavatsky, Pike, Westcott, Mathers and Crowley. He was sometimes wrong in his historical assumptions, but this was almost intentional on his part. He was creating a grand, unified scheme out of divergent myth-themes which he synthesized into what we now call The Western Esoteric Tradition. Tune in and we will spend an hour remembering "The French Magus."

On Thursday August 30th, 2012 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present a discussion on the persistent legend and rumor of Secret Underground Cities ruled by occult masters in Central Asia, Tibet and Mongolia. We will approach this subject from three directions: first the actual Asian source material: Shambalah, Oolamorang and the cave temples of India, second the Theosophic ruse of hiding their Hindu and Sikh masters in Tibet, resulting in a wide-spread Western misconception of Tibetan Buddhism. Third we will look at the confabulated writings of Lobsang Rampa (Cyril Hodgkins) and the German traveler's tale "Darkness Over Tibet" by T. Illion -- which may have influenced Himmler to send Nazi expeditions to Tibet in search of "The Masters". We will consider the more factual and authentic work of Ferdinand Ossendowski, "Beasts, Men, and Gods" and the Mongolian version of Shambalah which he confused with a French author's astral journey to Agartha in India. Finally we will consider the ancient evidence that has recently come to light indicating that some of this speculative, and misrepresented material may have some basis in fact. Behind every myth there is an element of truth -- so tune in and we will set forth like Indiana Jones in search of the remote and the mysterious.

The Hermetic Hour for Thursday August 23rd, 2012 will feature a discussion by host Poke Runyon on the 1st century " Alexandria Connection" where the elements that make up the Western Esoteric Tradition (Hermetic Tradition) came together and began the synthesis that was finally codified by Abbott Trithemius and Cornelius Agrippa in the 16th century. We will trace the Pythagorean, Ancient Egyptian, Gnostic, NeoPlatonic, Biblical (kabbalistic), Alchemical, Astrological, and even Christian influences that were shuffled together in a spiritual-intellectual ferment in what was perhaps the greatest university our Western world could boast of until the modern "Age of Enlightenment." We have dealt with this subject before, but this time we will focus on the particular people and their traditions: Alexander (Himself), Ptolemy the astrologer king, Hypatia the Pagan martyr, Hermes Trismegistus, and Marcus and Simon Magus. We will touch on the Greek Qabalah, the Osiris myth, and the influence of Zoroaster. So, if you have a burning desire to visit the Library of Alexandria, join us -- but no smoking inside, please...

On Thursday August 16th,2012 the Hermetic Hour, with host Poke Runyon, will present a discussion on The Fallen Angels in the Biblical, Islamic, and Hermetic Traditions. This naturally follows our discussion on Satan, Lucifer and The Devil -- which was and is a contrived derivation from the the original Fallen Angels (plural) concept. We will look at the lost Book of Enoch, The Sumerian, Greek and even Nordic versions of the story.(Mentioning Sitchen, Shaver, and Van Daniken) We will visit The Zohar for a version that goes back to Canaanite mythology,and connects with King Solomon -- who built the Great Temple with the help of "demons." We will connect with the Haranian Sabians and their planetary magick. Finally we will discuss Dee and Kelley's version of the Enochian Fallen Angel concept. So, if you want to learn how to work with the good bad guys, or maybe the bad good guys? tune in and we'll Enochiate you.

On Thursday, August 9th, 2012 The Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present a discussion on Satanism and its relation to the Western Esoteric Tradition. We will trace its early historical precedents: Set, Tiamat, Nergal, Ahriman, and how these demonic elements were incorporated into the Biblical tradition as contenders in the service of "God." We'll discuss Gnostic ideas about the Cain and Abel Biblical perversity, the evil Demiurge, and the medieval Luciferians. Moving into the Hermetic Tradition in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, we will explain High Magick's sophisticated idea, based on ancient Egyptian concepts, of controlling and using dark forces with the Power of Light. Then we will trace the descent of magick, following the Reformation, into the "Faustian School" of the Baroque period with its "Demonic Pacts," finally evolving into full-blown Satanism in the decadent Fin d' Sec le era in late 19th century France. We'll mention several books by famous authors taking the Devil's side, and we'll recount our afternoon with Tony Levy (Anton LaVey) and his wife, and I'll even recall my own meeting with The Devil Himself. The bottom-line in all of this is that Old Nick cannot be avoided in any serious practice of Magick based on Biblical traditions -- because he is very much a part of those traditions -- but he should never be worshiped or allowed to run your show. He's an adviser, a consultant, and even a friendly one at times, but always remember: he works for God and he plays God's game. Tune in and we'll tell you how to get to Heaven before the Devil knows you're dead.

On Thursday July 26th, 2012 the Hermetic Hour, with host Poke Runyon, will present a discussion on the magical work and writings of the British adept Dion Fortune. She was an exponent of the Golden Dawn tradition, the founder of The Society of the Inner Light, a writer of outstanding occult fiction -- Moon Magic, The Sea Priestess, the Dr. Taverner stories, and many other titles. Non-fiction titles include: Psychic Self-Defense, The Mystical Qabalah, and The Cosmic Doctrine. Our featured guest for this topic will be the noted occult leader and author Paul Clark, Steward of the Fraternity of Hidden Light, and a long-time student of Dion Fortune's teachings and writings. So, if you want to look behind the veil on Dion Fortune's magical universe, tune in and be enlightened.

The Hermetic Hour for July 19th, 2012 will feature a discussion moderated by your host Poke Runyon on the just released avant-garde (that's low-budget stylish) black & white grainy, creepy and 1920ish film SHADOWS written and directed by Richard Becker, Produced by Ed Fitch and starring, among others, your kindly old wizard-host as the murderous patriarch of a vampire clan. Shadows began production on weekends back in 1997 at Ed's spacious and decrepit manse in Midway City. The plot was suggested by Ed and involved innocent girls invited to a role-playing vampire game that turns out to be the real thing. We were hosting these events at Ed's and at Rivendell in those days, so why not make a movie? Richard Becker spent most of the twelve years on this project trying to piece together this weekend footage and make it into something that is actually stylish and fun to watch -- if you like this sort of thing. The film is now available on DVD on the internet. So tune in and we'll have the producer, the writer-director and one of featured players give you the inside story on SHADOWS.

On Thursday July 12th, 2012 the Hermetic Hour will present a discussion led by host Poke Runyon on Enochian magick's Aethyr skrying system.This is probably the most often used and most popular of the Enochian subsystems. We will briefly cover its origin and original intent: as a magical engine to control the politics of the world! How Crowley and others transformed it into a mystical assent of the spheres as set forth in Crowley's "Vision and the Voice." We will look at its relation to ancient Valentinian Gnostic Aeons, and we will outline a Watchtower opening and even let you take a little journey into TEX (that's pronounced Tay-ets), so if you want to meet the Enochians, tune in and find out what "Zacar od Zamran!" means.