On Thursday April 30th, 2020 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present a discussion and review of the 1934 to 1954 science-fiction Lensman series, by Edward Elmer Smith, PhD, a scientist in the food industry specializing in pastry, whose major accomplishment in food engineering was making powdered sugar adhere to doughnuts, and whose…
On Thursday June 12th, 2014 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present a discussion on ancient and modern Multiverse concepts in relation to Hermetic Magick, the Qabalah, astrology and Fortean phenomenon. We will examine philosophical. scientific, literary and cinematic models of the Multiverse, sometimes called the “Holographic Universe” or “Parallel Worlds.” We will…
On Thursday April 30th, 2020 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present a discussion and review of the 1934 to 1954 science-fiction Lensman series, by Edward Elmer Smith, PhD, a scientist in the food industry specializing in pastry, whose major accomplishment in food engineering was making powdered sugar adhere to doughnuts, and whose major accomplishment in science fiction writing was the creation of a sub-genre called “Space Opera” His Lensman series and its concepts and themes influenced Frank Herbert’s Dune, Roddenberry’s Star Trek, and Lucas’ Star Wars. It even re-influenced the screen version of one of Smith’s inspirations The 1912 Burroughs’ John Carter, when Burroughs’s Therns were rewritten by Andrew Stanton as Smith’s evil “Eddorians” and their medallions given the powers of an Arisian Lens. Smith developed the concept of the Multiverse, laser and particle weapons and super computers years before they appeared. His concept of the Lensmen as an incorruptible Galactic police force, guided by secret masters from a hidden planet seems to have been inspired by Theosophy’s “Ascended Masters” from Tibet, and King Arthur’s knights of the Round Table and the Holy Grail. The Lensmen are obviously the origin of the Star War’s Jedi. Another imitator of Doc Smith was Issac Asimov with his Foundation Series. Asimov was so successful with his Foundation series that he beat out Doc Smith for the 1966 Hugo award for “the best all time science-fiction series.” But at least they declared that Doc’s epic was runner up. So if you would like to look deeper into this and even review what happened when Doc ran one of his Lensmen for president and how Clarissa MacDoughil became the first Lenswoman, tune in and we’ll activate the lens.
On Thursday May 28th, 2014 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will
review the 2008 book “The Music of Pythagoras” by musicologist Kitty
Ferguson. This is a wonderfully erudite and deeply meaningful book on
the accomplishments, and lasting influence of the most important of the
pre-Socratean philosophers, and perhaps the most important ancient
avatar of the Western Esoteric Tradition. As a musicologist Ferguson is
able to fully expound on the master’s development of “The Music of the
Spheres” from mythical Orpheus through Kepler to Close Encounters of the
Third Kind (we can all whistle that one). The Pythagorean harmonious
universe of music, mathematics, and geometry has been re-validated in
modern times with the advent of new theories in quantum physics. It was,
of course, the bed rock of Qabalah, Alchemy and Magick. We will
demonstrate some applications of the Pythagorean magical scale used to
activate psychic centers (chakras) and discuss the employment of these
techniques in magical operations. So tune in, tune up and we’ll sing
along with the planets.
Introduction to Hermetic and Solomonic ceremonial magick, as taught and practiced by The Church of Hermetic Sciences and The Order of the Temple of Astarte (O.T.A.). We will outline Hermetic philosophy and its history, drawing a distinction between Hermetic magick and witchcraft and satanism. We will discuss the principles of invocation (calling down angels) and evocation (calling up spirits), and the aspects of astrology, kabbalah and alchemy that bear upon Hermetic magick. We will describe the inner workings of the magical visionary process, explaining the hypnotic and subjective nature of this phenomenon, while maintaining the inner spiritual reality of the human imagination.
The Hermetic Hour 