The Hermetic Hour

The Hermetic Hour for July 7th, 2011 will feature a discussion by host Poke Runyon on the origins of Hermetic Celestial Magick, pulling together several threads from ancient and classical times, and bringing the it up through the Renaissance to modern times. We will deal with the Greek Orphic tradition -- its possible Central Asian roots -- Alexandria,  Ptolemy  and astrology, the Gnostics and the Greek Qabalah, which actually may have preceded the Hebrew Kabbalah. We'll mention Marcus and the "Soma Sophia," the Gnostic "Aeons" and Enochian (both Ethiopian and the Dee and Kelley version). And of course Macrobius and the Music of the Spheres. Much of this background has been ignored by modern occult students who tend to get their cosmology third hand from writers following Levi and Blavatsky. It is good to get back to our roots -- so, tune in and we'll journey back to Alexandria and find out how it got started.

The Hermetic Hour for Thursday, June 30th, 2011, at 8:00 p.m., with host Poke Runyon, will feature as its call-in guest speaker, one of the most knowledgeable and talented authors of books on magick and the occult (also one of the most prolific!). Lon Milo DuQuette. Lon is an "International Treasure." He has probably introduced more serious students to magick than any writer since Aleister Crowley. Lon's books on modern magick, include Solomonic, Qabalistic, Enochian, the Crowley Tarot, his own Tarot, and a marvelous magical autobiography "My Life With the Spirits." His "The Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed ben Clifford," is the only Hermetic Qabalah book you'll ever need - and the only book of its kind that is as entertaining as it is profound. Lon is also a talented musician, a folksinger and song writer. He will be performing Friday night, 8:00 p.m. in at Piazza's in Long Beach. We'll give you directions - so, tune in, and let's find out what new treats Maestro DuQuette has in store for us.

This Thursday at 8:00p.m. host Poke Runyon will be re-capping and reviewing "Adonia", our 37th consecutive presentation of the reconstructed ancient Canaanite Summer Solstice rite following a great celebration at Montsalvat in Pasadena. For those of you who have "Rites of Magick," this is the seasonal ceremony depicted in that film. So tune in and we'll dance around the Circle with Ba'al as he asks: "Who drinks with me?"  

The Hermetic Hour for Thursday, June 16th, 2011 will feature a discussion, led by host Poke Runyon, on the controversial  Knight of the Sun, or Prince Adept, degree of Freemasonry. We will trace its history from its origin in the 1760s "Hermetic Rite" of  Swedenborgian mystic Antoine Pernety, through its adoption into Scottish Rite in the early 1800s, and its subsequent Hermetic reconstruction by Albert Pike in 1857. In 2004 Scottish Rite removed the Hermetic philosophy from the degree, relegating it to a lecture on esoteric symbolism. We'll discuss the Hermetic-magical significance of the original Knight of the Sun, and the relationship of this degree to the seventh degree of Crata Repoa. In this sense it is the "Kalachakra" of the West. Tune in and be enlightened.  

The Hermetic Hour for Thursday, June 9th, 2011, at 8:00 p.m. will present a very special program, hosted by Poke Runyon, discussing the mystical, historical and political aspects of the legendary Central Asian lost kingdom of Shambhala, and the Buddhist Tantric initiation into its mysteries called Kalachakra. Our very special call-in guest speaker will be Professor Andrei Znamenski, author of the new book "Red Shambhala," from Quest Publications. He has researched the ancient and modern history of this Eastern "Holy Grail" quest from hitherto closed Russian files. We will learn the real story behind adventures stranger than any Indiana Jones might have imagined. We will discuss the inner secrets of Kalachakra, and Shambhala, and how they were miss-used by Tsarists, Reds, Nazis, and militant Buddhists themselves. The web of mysticism and intrigue surrounding this apocalyptic Armageddon prophecy and its political implications has been the basis of a score of thrillers, conspiracy theories, and secret societies. Although we will debunk some of the Theosophic channelings behind the modern myth, the real story is perhaps even more exotic and exciting. Get set for a ride into high adventure, magick, and intrigue,  from Blavatsky and Dorjieff, through Ungern-Sternberg, to Nicolas Roerich, Henry Wallace, and FDR's "Shangrila." Andrei Znamenski has the inside track. This is one you don't want to miss.

The Hermetic Hour for Thursday, June 2nd, 2011 will be a workshop session, conducted by your host Poke Runyon, giving the theory, and practical instructions, for the creation of magical sigils, talismans, and lamens. We will discuss the various ways that sigils are created, and the several methods employed in creating talismans, sigils, and lamens. We will discuss the materials and tools you'll need--along with the reference texts. We will mention lunar aspects, planetary hours, and  astrological considerations. Techniques for charging before and during the operation will be covered---so, if you want to unlock "The Key of Solomon," tune in and learn how to activate your astral credit card.

The Hermetic Hour for Thursday, May 26th, 2011 will feature a discussion by host Poke Runyon on Magical equipment and Temple furnishings. Our call in guest will be "The Rustee Wizzerd," who is in the process of painting his room dark blue (as all wizard's should). We will get down to brass tacks (we use 'um), and give you would-be magi the inside info on what you really need, and how to acquire and/or construct your magical tools. I know that this aspect of magick is intimidating for some, while being too important for others. Actually you can do it all without any of our fancy toys, but then High Magick is "The Art of Kings" and kings like to do things in grand style. I think there is something wonderfully quixotic about the middle class suburbanite locked inside his two-car garage in a flowing robe, waving an exotic wand over a smoking altar upon which glows a crystal orb, suspended like a lost world in the midst of endless (dark blue) night. But, before you head out for Home Depot, and Michael's Crafts, listen in and make a list of what you're going to need.

The Hermetic Hour for Thursday May 19th, 2011, from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. will feature a discussion on paranormal technology, audio, visual electronic devices, and the phenomena produced by them. This includes EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) UHF and ELF amplifiers, ghost photography, electro-hypnotic devices (Proteus, Procyon AVS) and spirit radios then and now. Our expert call-in guests will be David Rountree, author of the definitive text on the subject: "Paranormal Technology," and Dr. X (Mark Nelson) author of "The Multiverse Receiver" in the latest issue of The Seventh Ray (Book III, The Green Ray). Your host, Poke Runyon, will act as moderator, and ask the kind of questions a non-technical, but interested listener would like to have answered about this fascinating subject. So, tune in and listen very, very carefully---you might hear voices.....  

The Hermetic Hour for Thursday, May 12th, 2011 will feature a commentary by Poke Runyon on his long-running serialized magical novel "Adamson's Quest" appearing in issues of The Seventh Ray. This is an inner-plane exploration of the lower paths and spheres of the qabalistic Tree of Life presented in the form of a fantasy adventure. The hero, Enoch Adamson, is sent by the sage Hermes Trismegistus on a quest to find "himself, among other things," dressed in the costume of the Tarot's Fool. The first chapter appeared in volume two, number two, 1973, and continued for seven more chapters until 1978 -- then, when The Seventh Ray was reborn in 1999, Adamson continued with chapter nine, followed by chapter ten in 2000, and now chapter eleven "Technopolis -- 2084" in the latest issue, Book III, The Green Ray. The complete first volume (first twelve chapters) will be published later this year. So, tune in and catch up on the longest running occult adventure series in recent history.  

The Hermetic Hour for Thursday, May 5th, 2011, with host Poke Runyon, will feature a discussion on Elemental Spirits in Hermetic Magick. Our featured guest speaker will be Hawaiian Hermetic magician, and "spiritual anthropologist" William R. Mistele, author of the book "Undines, Lessons from the Realm of the Water Spirits." This is a wonderful and very magical book by a magus who has mastered Franz Bardon's methods, and used them to make meaningful contact with the Elemental Realms. We will also touch on the old classic "Comte de Gabalis," and other aspects of nature's fairyland. So tune in and let's go scuba diving on the astral.  

The Hermetic Hour for this Thursday, April 28th, 2011 will feature a discussion by Poke Runyon on The Soma Sofia, which is featured in the latest issue of The Seventh Ray -- Book III, The "Green Ray."  The Soma Sofia is a reconstruction of a lost ancient system of Celestial Magick that divides the entire universe, or 'celestial sphere', into a grid which can be reduced or expanded with precision to apply alpha-numeric code letters, or formulas, to any star, or constellation. This idea or concept is attributed to the Gnostic magician Marcus in the 2nd century of the common era. It has been suggested that the Hebrew kabbalah was influenced by this concept. This may also be the original inspiration for the Enochian Watchtower Tablets. We will discuss the history of this fascinating rediscovery and its practical applications. Tune in and we'll get celestial!

On the Hermetic Hour for April 21st, 2011, host Poke Runyon will discuss our participation in the L.A. Times upcoming "Festival of Books" being held on April 30th and May 1st at the U.S.C. campus in Los Angeles. We are sharing booth 998 with the noted author of brain teasing puzzle books, Alan Stillson -- and he will be our featured call-in guest. Now, if you're wondering about the connection between magick and word-game puzzles, our booth's banner says it all: "Books for the Mind."  Magic squares, kameas, the astrological decans of our Soma Sofia, and the Enochian Tablets are all related to alpha-numeric acrostic puzzles. Alan is an expert in Sudoko, which is Japanese system very similar in structure to our Soma Sofia nine-chamber grid. Along with Alan's books, we will discuss what we have to offer, and we hope to see you local magi at the show.  

This Thursday, April 14th, 2011, will be the one-year anniversary of The Hermetic Hour, produced by Soror Zandria and hosted by Frater Thabion (Poke Runyon). We will review our previous programs, hitting the highlights, and discussing the concept and intention of our show. We will try to have our featured guests call in and recall their particular contributions. Some of you chat-room regulars can call in too. We'll describe and explain our Associate Member Program, and we'll also give an idea of what else we have to offer in the way of videos, books, journals, and up-coming projects and events; this Saturday we are showing Beyond Lemuria at a Masonic Lodge in Culver City. This is for Masons and their guests---so, those of you in the L.A. area who would like to attend (we provide free popcorn), contact me and I'll see if I can invite you as a guest. We'll also have a booth at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC on April 30 - May 1, 2011. Come on down and join us and get in the spirit of things.  

The Hermetic Hour for April 7th, 2011 will feature a discussion by host Poke Runyon on his article in the new Seventh Ray entitled "Dark Origins of the Werewolf Legend." As we are all aware the Hollywood Vampire fascination is beginning to wane, and the werewolves are making a comeback -- however, we are still in the dark about what werewolves really were (and perhaps still are). The real truth is more disturbing, and even terrifying, than the Hollywood fantasy. While we're at it, we'll get to the bottom of the vampire legend as well. This will be a walk on the dark side, so turn the lights down low and we'll whisper about things that go "bump" in the night.

The Hermetic Hour for Thursday, March 31st, 2011, with host, and editor Poke Runyon, will present a review of the third issue of American magick's oldest continuing journal, The Seventh Ray, running for 20 issues from 1972 through 1978; revived in 1999 (The Blue Ray) continued in 2000 (The Red Ray), and now out again in 2011 with Book III, The Green Ray. This is a parchment bound, 210 page journal with what we sincerely believe are the most significant original magical articles and features available in the 21st century. The "Soma Sofia" may well be the ancient origin of the Enochian watchtower tablets. The "Great Secret" is exactly that: "Immortality guaranteed." All this and more, much more, including the Seventh Ray cartoon. The Seventh Ray, Book III, The Green Ray, in now available from Amazon. So tune in and find out what it's all about.