The Hermetic Hour

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.

The Hermetic Hour for Thursday, March 24th, 2011, with host Poke Runyon, will feature a discussion of our Spring Equinox "Sacred Marriage" ceremony, with readings for the pageant. This modern version of a 3500 year old pagan rite features a May Pole dance (March Pole actually), and a Communion of the Elements ceremony in which the seven sacraments are shared with the celebrants by the priest and priestess while the newly married God (Baal) and his bride (Astarte) look on from their bridal pavillion . This last Saturday, under a "Super" full moon, we performed the 36th consecutive presentation of "Nuptiae" at Montsalvat in Pasadena, with a newly initiated young couple taking the role of Baal and Astarte, bound together by the ribbons of the Ashera--or may Pole. So, tune in, and we'll try to recreate the experience for you.

The Hermetic Hour for March 17th, 2011 will continue with Poke Runyon's informal history of C.H.S./O.T.A., introducing Louis T. Culling, Israel Regardie, Grady McMurtry, and our intrigues with the nascent O.T.O. that was reforming after Jack Parsons blew himself up. We will also discuss our secret war on terrorists in Los Angeles, the Themis War, and the development of our Seasonals, and our yoga system. So tune in, turn on, and get ready to return to the thrilling days of yester-year. (like the Lone Ranger....)

The Hermetic Hour for this Thursday, March 10th, 2011, with host Poke Runyon, will feature an informal history of the Order of the Temple of Astarte (O.T.A.) and The Church of the Hermetic Sciences. We'll cover the whole story, from the psychedelic era of the late 1960s through the early 70s, and on into 80s and 90s. We'll try to be honest without getting too gossipy---but we can't avoid some controversial events and personalities. You'll meet Israel Regardie and Grady McMurtry, along with Louis T. Culling, Fred Adams, and Joe Wilson. We'll cover the birth of The Seventh Ray, and the Themis War. This will be a mixture of nostalgia and tradition. Most 21st century NeoPagans and magicians have no idea who started---and in some case revived---all this activity back in the late 60s. This will be a revelation for some, and nostalgia for others. Don't miss it.

On the Hermetic Hour this Thursday, March 3rd, 2011, at 8:00 p.m., the subject will be the American Keltic Neo-Pagan expression, specifically "The Roebuck," which is also called "the Clan of Tubal Cain" and, in its earlier American version,"The Order of 1734." The elders of this tradition are Ann and Dave Finnin, who will be with us in the studio. Ann is the author of "The Forge of Tubal Cain" (2008). Ann has been our guest before, discussing magical hypnosis. The main book behind Roy Bowers' unique expression of modern Neo-Paganism was Robert Graves' "The White Goddess" (1948), which was also a major influence on Fred Adams' Feraferia. So tune in and find out how all this fascinating material got over here--and how the Finnins went over to England and brought more back.