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FeedsThe Physical Body, with Edward MasonThe study of the Occult, the Qabalah, Meditation and Magick can occasionally lead one to get caught up in intangibles, or maybe too much ‘in their head.’ But the Physical Body is no less a part of the equation of our continuing Initiation. Edward Mason and I will take a look at Groundedness, and appreciation for the physical body, as correctives. Categories: Multimedia, Other Web Sites
Deep Dip: Liber AlephLiber Aleph, the Book of Wisdom or Folly, is addressed by Crowley to his Magical Son, Charles Stansfeld Jones — better known as Frater Achad. It covers the gamut of the Thelemic perspective on pretty much everything, and as such is an indispensable guide and reference. We’ll take a look at a set of chapters therein on the subject of the Will, and Sin. Categories: Multimedia, Other Web Sites
Holy Books: The Parricidal Pomp of Atheists, from Liber LXVIn ‘The Book of the Heart Girt with a Serpent,’ more commonly known as Liber LXV, many parables abound which are instructive of Thelemic spirituality. But in chapter V we encounter a parricidal pomp of atheists. I’ll look at Crowley’s commentary and see how this passage exemplifies Thelemic thought, in the first of our episodes highlighting and delving into the Holy Books of Thelema. Categories: Multimedia, Other Web Sites
USGL annual report for fiscal year 2023 publishedThe U.S. Grand Lodge O.T.O. annual report for fiscal year 2023 has been published. This and all previous annual reports can be found here. Categories: Other Web Sites, Thelemic Orders
Thelema Now Jack GrayleIn this Thelema NOW episode, Harper interviews Jack Grayle, well-known author of the Hekataeon, on the occasion of the release of his new book, Sigrun and the Mist. This book houses the script for a play, written in iambic pentameter, exploring what it is to be truly human through the lens of Norse mythology. When then gods stir our lives, we evolve, or a part of us dies. Jack has assembled a veritable cornucopia of talent to support this project, including historians, witches, artists, models, and photographers. This book is not to be missed! To purchase book: Sigrun & the Mist by Jack Grayle (Limited Edition) - Miskatonic Books Jack's other title, Hekataeon, can be viewed here.
Deep Dip: Pistis SophiaCrowley calls the Pistis Sophia ‘an admirable introduction to the study of Gnosticism’, and includes it in the Curriculum of A∴A∴. But how does Gnosticism relate to Thelema? We’ll delve into the first half of this early-Christian text to see if we can find connections, and contextualize magical ideas about Gnosticism before the discovery of the Nag Hammadi library. Categories: Multimedia, Other Web Sites
Pansophers Episode 4 – Mark Stavish-Preserving Esoteric TraditionDear Listeners, welcome to Season 1 Episode 4 of Panosophers’ Podcast. May we express our gratitude for your ongoing support and attention to this venture.
This week, we have the company of Mark Stavish.
Mark is the founder and director of The Institute for Hermetic Studies (IHS). Mark holds degrees in Theology, Communications and Counseling. He is a prolific author of depth titles on Mystery subjects, centered on Western Kabbalistic knowledge. Mark is a longtime friend of our sibling podcast, Thoth-Hermes, and a trove of additional prior conversations may be found there.
The overarching theme of the next two hours centers on: “what can you handle?” It is plainspoken and direct, while brotherly and benevolent. We encourage you to listen with ears open to hear.
Mark and Rudolf dive in with the starting context for the IHS: 1990s, East-Coast America. A time of in-person groups, Gnosis Magazine, and the grit of self-publishing material perhaps too deep for the balance sheets of popular booksellers. Mark shares stark realities of rejection and adaptation for the sake of creating inheritance to future Seekers- rather than status or income streams.
With his characteristic energy, Mark challenges listeners throughout the dialogue. He names the essential need for Initiates to handle stark reality, including worldviews not their own, beyond personal identity and ideology. In doing so, he identifies the need to produce a life-giving vision of the future, least populations be drawn into that which appears to be but is not. As Mark states, this has little to do with who one wants to see elected US President in “the next election”.
It is this call to Depth that sees Mark and Rudolf explore essential questions:
What is ‘tradition’ and why is it a responsibility?
What is ‘initiation’ and the mindset of a true Initiate?
How does ‘virtue’ relate to potency?
Mark issues the Saturnian challenge to grow past “Tik-Tok clutter” and “podcasting, publishing, and product” marketplace of Occultism. He names the Aquarian postwar Esoteric awakening as a response to mass trauma, “most vibrant when truly counter-cultural” and small-group relational. Along the way, even the esoteric Christ is alluded to warmly.
Turning to ethics around public divination of societal energies, Rudolf and Mark note the need for maturity in any Initiate claiming to do this. The qualifications include a true education in all of politics, history and economics- imbuing a nuance which returns to Tradition.
May this bring a cornucopia of fruit for all of us.
Music played in this episode
Find out everything about our musical guest today, KARL YOUNG, and about the Shakuhachi, the Japanese bamboo flute, on his own website.
Click here
All tracks are from his CD "Lost in the Wood"
1) FOREST FLOWER
(Track starts at 5:52)
2) YAMAGOE
(Track starts at 53:34)
3) MURASAKI MURAIKI
(Track starts at 1:39:12)
Intro and Outro Musicespecially written and recorded for the Pansophers Podcast by Chris Roberts
S11-E3 Remember the Future-Eric WargoYou can also see this episode as a video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/BoFy2Q_o6GI Kenneth Grant & Da'ath pt.2, with Edward MasonLast time, Edward Mason and I discussed the subject of Kenneth Grant and the so-called ‘false Sephirah’ of Da’ath. Rather than coming to a strict end, our conversation flowered out into a fractal proliferation of further knowledge on the subject. Categories: Multimedia, Other Web Sites
Pansophers Episode 3 – Travis Trinca-Stories of InitationGreetings and welcome to Episode 3 of Panosopher’s Podcast. In this conversation, Rudolf meets with Australian Freemason Travis Trinca. This autumn, Travis released “The Temple and the Vault” (Lewis Masonic Publishing); a dedicated cross-tradition study of landscape and ritual in the search for Truth. Gentle yet candid, our author shares his personal initiatory journey- starting out in an a-religious family home, an extended journey with Rosicrucianism, and then entering into Freemasonry after the birth of his son. In non-Temple life, Travis holds an MBA and the accomplishments of adulthood. Within the Temple, he celebrates an ever-unfolding journey to spiritual maturity. Travis and Rudolf explore the landscape of mythic truth, Romanticism, and the interface of historic legend in our current time. They look at the implications of 20th Century “research” focused regard of historical figures, versus a past tolerance for thematic embellishment. Do mythic landscapes and ritual translate effectively over centuries? To what extent is it the responsibility of an Order to adapt and re-present the themes of the original analogies? To what extend is this the responsibility of the individual truth-seeking Initiate? What are our capacities? In their collective cornucopia of knowledge, Travis and Rudolf enthusiastically speak not only about Freemasonry, but also the Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC); The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn; and the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (SRIA). Unity is found in diversity, and the interface between text, tradition, and Truth-seeking. May this conversation prompt Meaning in all listeners. Pansophers Episode 2 – Christopher McIntosh-Germany, Russia and the othersFor those devoted to the Rosicrucian tradition, Christopher McIntosh needs no introduction. In this conversation, Rudolf brings us closer to the man behind the foundational works that have shaped our understanding of Rosicrucianism. His books—The Rosicrucians, The Rose Cross and the Age of Reason, and his recent Rosicrucian Trilogy containing new translations of the original three Manifestos—stand as indispensable guides through the movement’s rich history and symbolic mysteries. McIntosh, a widely respected speaker on Rosicrucianism’s historical context, now opens a more personal window into the motivations and philosophies that drive his work, demonstrating how his passion for these mysteries can continue to inspire seekers today. In perfect timing with Pansopher’s recent relaunch, McIntosh unveils a deeply personal narrative that intertwines with the cultural and spiritual backdrop of Germany—expanding his focus to explore the often-overlooked roots of the German occult tradition. In his latest book, Occult Germany, he draws on three decades of personal experience living in Germany to reveal the subtle influences and hidden currents that have helped shaped modern occultism. In this conversation, McIntosh offers his perspective on how these forces have worked behind the scenes, nurturing the esoteric landscape in ways that are both illuminating and unexpected. Exploring Germany’s rich contributions to alchemy, theosophy, and Rosicrucianism, McIntosh brings us even deeper, turning to the often-overlooked realms of German folk and pagan traditions. This area, rarely discussed in esoteric circles—especially given the cultural aftermath of WWII—emerges here as a key influence on modern occultism. McIntosh unpacks the enduring legacy of German Romanticism, Wagner’s mythic visions, the Grail legends, and figures like Gustav Meyrink, all of whom contribute to the rich and largely untold story of Germany’s spiritual heritage. Deep Dip: Liber O (and our Astral Experiments)Liber O is a short, quick entry-point to doing Thelemic practices. As concise as it is, we’ll see what we can mine out of it by dipping deeper, and we’ll also share some of our own experiences, employing its methods for Astral travel. Categories: Multimedia, Other Web Sites
S11-E2 Thinking impossibly-Jeffrey KripalYou can also see this episode as a video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/aQDFyRibqkI “Science can explain everything except us”: a joke or a koan? This is the humor of our guest today. Welcome to Season 11, Episode 2 of Thoth-Hermes podcast. Today, Rudolf and Karin interview author Jeffery Kripal. In July, Kripal’s latest book “How to Think Impossibly: About Souls, UFOs, Time, Belief, and Everything Else” was released through University of Chicago Press. In this conversation, Professor Kripal and our two hosts wrestle with the foundations of lexicon and concepts underlying contemporary dialogue around Flip-worthy alternative spiritual experiences, and the interaction with religion as an academic subject. This is an excellent conversation to reflect on how we each personally describe our Magic, and why- regardless of alignment for or against the definitions ventured. Jeffrey Kripal entered formal study of religion in the 1980s, after a Catholic upbringing; he centered on exploring comparative mystical literature. Kripal ultimately gained a home as a historian of comparative religions, spending time at Esalen Institute in California while teaching at Rice University in Texas. Noticing the “flatland” quality of religious scholarship, Kripal moved towards authorship around transcendent and alternative expressions of human spirituality. Soaked in the humanities, Kripal articulates a longstanding interest in cultivating engagement between the study of anomalous or transcendent experience and pure sciences, in this STEM-centered culture. Kripal celebrates that “the human being overflows itself” as “embodied consciousness” and is completely clear: “I am pro-science”. He asserts this while fearlessly naming the Shadow of science: global warming, nuclear armament, and other successful, perilous products of science. And put him down as an “AI skeptic”. Supernatural… superhuman… transhuman… posthuman… paranormal… occult… magic. These are all English-language terms used in the attempt to describe the transcendent, mysterious, edgy aspects of our capacity as spiritual beings. Along the way, Kripal challenges Science-centered academics to being to name their own anomalous experiences before the safety of retirement, and further for thinkers in general to move away from the habit of explaining away those events by returning to previously-disowned religious narratives. Do we speak of “angels” or “entities” when we encounter one? And why? Kripal is clear that he is at heart a “comparativist” and thereby intends to open people up to alternatives from default religious worldviews, while not necessarily advocating any given one as a “better” alternative. This he includes as a larger part of his concepts of “thinking impossibly” and “thinking-with” other authentic seekers. In exploring vocabulary, Kripal himself leans towards “superhumanism” terminology, offering the possibility that actual “humanist” worldview may be best found there. He asserts that ideas come from superhuman encounter, where we contact a consciousness that exceeds (but gifts) our individual capacity. Kripal explicitly acknowledges critical theory, specifically naming examples of his view of its validity, and then offers that religion’s suppression of authentic spiritual experience may be considered an additional vein. In cocreation with Karin, our guest also challenge’s academic science’s constraint of repeatability: “you don’t go to the North Pole to look at zebras”. Indeed. Please enjoy this episode and familiarize yourself with Professor Kripal’s wide writings. Da'ath, and Kenneth Grant, with Edward MasonThe so-called false Sephirah on the Tree of Life, called Da’ath, and the Magician and author Kenneth Grant, share something in common: beginners are often warned against pursuing interest in either of them, by those who feel such interest will prove unhealthy or dangerous. But Edward Mason and I will discuss Da’ath, with reference to Kenneth Grant, to see what comes through for us. Categories: Multimedia, Other Web Sites
Pansophers Episode 1 – Tobias Churton-InvisiblesWelcome to Episode 1 of The Pansophers’ Podcast! Today, Rudolf talks with esteemed UK author and academic, Tobias Churton. In a wide-ranging conversation, the men discuss the Search for Self as well as Wisdom in the context of history. Particular focus is brought to aspects of Freemasonic and Rosicrucian history. Tobias defines his experience of “Pansophia”- the mind of God, Wisdom, and the interrelatedness of knowledge. This conversation unfolds through the knowledge that “this life is only a beginning”, the distractions of political ideology and institutional religion; and the Rosicrucian paradox of being not of this World yet engaged and seed-bearing within it. We explore a move towards freedom of “Science” as a democratic access to “Knowledge,” and “Art” as “Magic”. Tobias outlines a vision that sees dialogues and colloquium find energy over our monologue-culture, and a move from over-specialization of knowledge into a more dynamic, holistic approach to study. In passing, he notes the “cosmic” view most experts attribute to their knowledge, yet without the benefit of cross-disciplinary application. Deep Dip: Notes for an Astral AtlasCrowley’s short paper, ‘Notes for an Astral Atlas,’ argues for the possibility of contact with non-human intelligences, by way of the Astral Plane. It also urges the need for both an open mind, and a persistent skepticism. We’ll dip into this essay that reads like Magick’s answer to David Hume. Categories: Multimedia, Other Web Sites
Pansophers Podcast – Episode 0Greetings and welcome to the Pansophers Podcast! We are excited to announce the launch of our new podcast, expanding on the content found on the popular pansophers.com website and blog. Our goal is to explore the Universal in the Underlying and apply it to modern Mystery traditions. From now on, on this website you will not only find an extended blog, but also many other options: teaching, possibility of publishing and many more, and of course, this podcast. All areas Rosicrucian, Hermetic, Neoplatonic ... and above all magical are open to investigation. Sam Robinson as the initial creator of pansophers.com, Ian Gladwin, Ike Baker and podcast host Rudolf Berger will be the main leaders of that new venture, all four well versed in the matter and not unknown to anyone interested in the field of the Western Tradition. In this episode, we introduce ourselves and our new venture and invite you to join us for Episode 1 on October 13th! Special thanks to Chris Roberts for our Intro and Outro Music, and to Joshua Kirch for the music titles played during the show. Lectio Divina, with Edward MasonThe Holy Books of Thelema contain poetic passages that can seem at times sublime or obscure, opulent or opaque. While memorization can seal the text of such books up into one’s blood, the practice of reading passages aloud in a ceremonial fashion can add a new level of engagement and interaction with these writings. Edward Mason will join me for a chat on this subject. Categories: Multimedia, Other Web Sites
S11-E1 – AI and the Occult-Karin ValisYou can also see this episode as a video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/y8xE8bT-Oog Access Karin Valis' Blog https://mercurialminutes.github.io/ |
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