The Hermetic Hour

On Thursday evening September 17th, 2015, The Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present the third in our series of discussions on the Sephiroth of the Qabalistic Tree of Life, the eighth sephira Hod which is called Splendor and the sphere of the intellect. Hod is considered the sphere of Magick because it is the workshop in which astral preforms are created and sent to Yesod for eventual manifestation in Malkuth. It is presided over by the archangel Michael (some say Raphael) and operated by the craftsman-alchemist gods of various traditions: Thoth, Hephaestus, Vulcan, Tubal Cain and in our Canaanite pantheon Kusor. It is also the sphere of the Elohim (the Gods) and the Beni Elohim (sons of the Gods) so we might say it is strongly Pagan. We consider it Kusor's library, laboratory and workshop. Once again we will cite Dion Fortune, John Michael Greer, and Gareth Knight and our Hermetic Yoga book. So, if you want to get something done magically we will visit the place where creativity flour

On Thursday August 25th, 2016 The Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present a discussion on two modern classics that hold up mirrors to modern society and recent history: George Orwell's 1984 (1949) and Ortega de Gassett's Revolt of the Masses (1929). Both authors were socialists and both were involved in the Spanish Civil War. 1984 is called a "dystopia"and describes British post World War II socialism evolving into a nightmarish double-plus-ungood (Stalinistic) tyranny where everyone is brainwashed into believing that: "War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery and Ignorance is Strength." In "Revolt of the Masses" Ortega de Gassett disputes the liberal dictum that universal literacy and education can ennoble and uplift "the common people" into a body politic capable of rational and reasonable self government, Hence democracy must be controlled by an intellectual elite (sound familiar). Both these books are classics and more important today than when they were written. We will try to put them in

On Thursday September 10th, 2015 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present the second in our series of discussions on the Sephiroth of the Tree of Life, Yesod, the Foundation, the treasury of Images, the ninth sphere. Yesod is considered the transition point from the Yetzirah to the Ashia dimensions, from the etheric to the astral. It is related to the Moon and is called the sphere of the emotions, of memories and dreams. It is the sexual center both physically and spiritually. It is essential to the art of magick. Again our texts will be John Michael Greer's Paths of Wisdom, Gareth Knight's A Practical Guide to Qabalistic Symbolism and Dion Fortune's Mystical Qabalah. So tune in and come along with us as we delve into the mysteries of Yesod and Levanah.

On Thursday September 3rd, 2015, the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present the first of a series of lectures on the Spheres of the Qabalistic Tree of Life and their relation to Hermetic Magick. The texts we will refer to are: Paths of Wisdom by John Michael Greer, The Mystical Qabalah by Dion Fortune and A Practical Guide to Qabalistic Symbolism by Gareth Knight, and Hermetic Yoga, Beyond the Middle Pillar, Volume One, by Frater Thabion. Malkuth is the sphere where the Holy Guardian Angel(s) are contacted (there are three of them) and where we find the treasure cave of The Dragon. So, if you want to start at bottom and then follow the Dragon upward tune in and we will begin the journey.

On Thursday August 27th, 2015 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present a discussion on the theory that the Biblical Jesus of Nazareth, grandson of King Herod the Great was in fact not only the King of the Jews but through marriage to Mary Magdalene, a Phoenician princess and priestess of the Goddess, could claim to be King of all Israel. The new Melchizedek. Frater Thabion (Poke) will again be joined by Biblical scholar Frater Solomon (Mike) in explaining this remarkable and exciting story. We will cite The Naassene document of Hippolytus, The Lost Gospel, by Jacobovici and Wilson, Robert Graves' King Jesus, and Joseph Raymond's Jesus the Herodian Messiah. This is the beginning of the Holy Grail mystery. Join us for an hour of amazing revelations.

On Thursday September 24th, the Hermetic Hour will present a live broadcast of the Festival of Seven Gates, Astarte’s descent into the Underworld to ressuerrect Prince Baal. This is our 46th annual performance of this ancient Autumn Equinox rite which was inspired by Ishtar’s descent and Princess Salome’s Dance of the Seven Veils. Tune in and celebrate with us. Astarte to the Dark Lord: “Seven Veils I left behind me, on the Gates through which I passed, Seven treasures given dearly, but I freely yield the last! For my hidden veil is darkness, where the final secrets lie…. In thy pride thou hast forgotten: Even Death must surley Die!”

On Thursday August 13th, 2015 The Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present a discussion on the Samaritans, and their position in Biblical and historical Palestine in relation to Magick and Qabalah. Poke will be joined by our Biblical scholar Frater Solomon. We will mention a remarkable discovery we have made in reviewing the newly translated Samaritan Torah, that tends to support our revision of the Tetragrammaton. We will also discuss the Samaritan Book of Joshua and Budge's comments indicating that the Samaritans developed gematria before the Judeans. Also that famous, or infamous Samaritan magician Simon Magus. Did he really fly? So if you want to find out what the "cursed Cutheans" have been up to tune in and we will climb Mount Gerizim.

On Thursday September 10th, 2020 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present an essay on Creative Freedom and Hermetic Philosophy. We will discuss the nature of God in the Hermetic Corpus and the concept that all humans are gifted with "Speech" (literacy) but only those who answer the call have "The Mind." This is a form of spiritual elitism more exclusive than Christian Salvation but more reflective of Human nature. We will trace the history of Hermetic study and practice in the Western World, its influence on Freemasonry and Western culture. We will examine its distortions which have given rise to the evils of the illuminati and communism. So, tune in and discover how to empower your dreams.

On Thursday August 6th, 2015 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present a shocking new Conspiracy Theory based on archaeology, ancient history, mythology and anthropologica and medical research. It boils down to this log line: "Refugees from Atlantis conquered the ancient world with bread and beer." We will be citing current books by David Perlmutter and William Davis along with a review of what human beings are designed to eat and what wolves are designed to eat. How hunting and gathering humans were re-programmed or genetically modified to eat grain as slaves of the Gods, and then they turned wolves into dogs by a similar process. This is all highly controversial but there is good science and anthropology behind it. So if you want to free yourself of your slave collar (that's the spare tire around your waist), then tune in and we will start the revolution!

On Thursday August 27th, the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present a newly discovered lost chapter from the Book of Shamgar which describes how the Purple Dragon and the Prophet Bezek found the Stone Pillar of Jacob upon which was inscribed Father Abraham’s Book of Creation (the Sepher Yetzirah). After fighting off bandits and the spells of a witch they brought the sacred stone back to the Tabernacle to take its rightful place beside the Ark of the Covenant and ensure Shamgar his election as Judge for the Tribe of Judah. This controversial document suggests that the Jewish tradition of Abraham’s authorship of the Sepher Yetzirah is correct and it also implies that he was the originator of the alphabet. So if you like ancient mysteries tune in and we’ll open the 32 gates wisdom.

On Thursday July 30th, 2015 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present a discussion on health and diet in relation to Hermetic Magick. We will discuss various aspects of health and diet including supplements, vitamins, so-called super foods and various diet regimes, therapies, exercises, colonics, "The five rites," energized water, and vegan advantages and problems. We will also discuss the great grain conspiracy and genetically altered food. So if you want to go on the wizard's diet, tune in and find out how to lose twenty pounds of ugly ectoplasm.  

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 navigation it was also used by astrologers and magicians. Combined with the Soma Sophia (the completely gridded ce

On Thursday August 6th, 2020 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present a review of William Leonard Pickard’s magisterial novelized biography “The Rose of Paracelsus”(2019). This 650 page masterwork is already considered literature by the academic community. Like Mallory’s “The Morte de Arthur” “The Rose” was entirely written in prison. It recounts Pickard’s academic, scientific, and extra-legal career from the early 1960s until his arrest and subsequent imprisonment in 2000. It is beautifully written, fast paced and well structured. It is subtitled “On Secrets and Sacraments” which aptly describes what it delivers. Pickard was not only a psychedelic alchemist, he was also an intelligence asset (say researcher) for the Ivy League think tanks and indirectly for government agents. So conspiracy theory and even UFO buffs will be pulling quotes from The Rose for the next decade. Pickard connected with an international network of psychedelic alchemists and visited each in a world tour that reads like a J

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 proctor 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 influence 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 July 2nd, 2020 - the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will reveal the lost Initiatory Scroll of the Soul Travel Boat written in the early days of the Order of the Temple of Astarte. This lost document was recently rediscovered while we were doing research for the second volume of Hermetic Yoga and we have decided to release it along with one of the advanced Pathworkings that uses The Soul Travel Boat. From Malkuth to Chesed via the 29th and 21st Paths. So if you want fly the skies of the Astral Plane with us tune in and climb aboard the Soul Travel Boat.  

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 Annunaki (Elder Gods), How Man was created by the Earth Goddess as a slave of the Gods, how Oannes brought civilization to the Sumerians, 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-comparative. 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 June 18th,2020 at 8:00 p.m. Pacific time the Hermetic Hour hosted by Poke Runyon will broadcast live the 46th Consecutive annual performance of the Order of the Temple of Astarte's Summer Solstice "Adonia" celebration. Based on the ancient Canaanite Ra Shamrah tablets the drama depicts the death of the Year King Prince Baal at the hands of the Dark Lord Mot on the longest, brightest day of the year after he has joyously served the Dew of Heaven to the celebrants in a Golden Goblet that would be remembered as the Holy Grail. He is mourned by his consort the Goddess Astarte who promises to resurrect Baal and vanquish Mot in the the Festival of Seven Gates at Autumn Equinox. This is the second time we have had to perform one of our Seasonal Rites on the radio rather than in our sacred henge at Rivendell but we urge you to vue our video version of this event in "Rites of Magick" on YouTube.     Baal: "Behold the Golden Dew of Heaven        Born of Thunder Clouds on High        Drink with me this