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ONLY EPISODES OF SEASONS 10 and 11 ARE PUBLISHED HERE. Seasons 1-9 can be found on other podcast providers, YouTube onr on the Podcast Website WWW.THOTHERMES.COM A podcast about the...
show more
ONLY EPISODES OF SEASONS 10 and 11 ARE PUBLISHED HERE.
Seasons 1-9 can be found on other podcast providers, YouTube onr on the Podcast Website WWW.THOTHERMES.COM
A podcast about the world of the Western Esoteric Tradition
Occult-Magic-Mysticism-Paranormal
show less
Seasons 1-9 can be found on other podcast providers, YouTube onr on the Podcast Website WWW.THOTHERMES.COM
A podcast about the world of the Western Esoteric Tradition
Occult-Magic-Mysticism-Paranormal
Thoth Hermes Podcast
Thoth Hermes Podcast
13 OCT 2024 · Welcome 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.
29 SEP 2024 · Greetings 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 https://www.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 webiste 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.
15 SEP 2024 · Support this podcast by becoming a patron! https://www.patreon.com/thpodcast
Access Karin Valis' Blog https://mercurialminutes.github.io/
And this is her Substack https://mercurialminutes.substack.com/
Glitched Encounters with the visual examples https://mercurialminutes.substack.com/p/glitched-encounters
Tarot of The Latent Spaces https://mercurialminutes.substack.com/p/tarot-of-the-latent-spaces-by-hermetechnics
Divine Embeddings: The Large Language Models and Sacred Alphabets Talk from the Occulture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1inYnG8gNVo
And finally, the very exciting Palinode Productions - Deep Learning Philosophy! https://www.palinode.productions/
Welcome to Season 11 of the Thoth-Hermes Podcast. On this first episode, Rudolf meets with guest Karin Valis to expand the growing conversation around Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Occultism. Karin is Slovakian, a Machine Learning Engineer and former teenage atheist “GO” game fanatic turned occultist This is to say that Karin is both a brilliant analytical mind and committed spiritual explorer. Karin is a blogger, conference speaker, musician, magazine editor and AI-integrated tarot deck creator. Most recently, she has been engaged in creating a philosophical learning platform designed to counterbalance the funnelling manipulation effect of Social Media on societal viewpoint dialogue.
A core question in the conversation today centers on how AI development can offer us insight into our very human development of occultism. Distinguishing the windows of learning available to us, Karin describes the mapping of semantic space in the meaning-making processes of AI model development. Karin highlights the parallels between Sacred Alphabet and Sacred Language concepts. Karin comments on theories of AI as a “super positioned simulacrum” of language model AI functioning as a multiverse generator. Karin and Rudolf, as both musicians and polyglots, describe the variance of spoken and written human language, embodied and disembodied: and the challenges that this presents to AI as a human tool.
Far from idealizing AI technology, several times Karin acknowledges the problems of AI: human workforce impact, and the “soulless” nature of AI prose. Her emphasis is AI as a tool to greater human creativity, as opposed to a replacement. Resourcing the knowledge of AI development as an opportunity- not replacement- for occult epistemology is an on-going theme in the episode.
Along the way, we hear about Karin’s experiences creating a recent tarot deck, a shocking synchronicity encountered during AI-enhanced editing of a shamanic ritual recording, and her recent exploration of AI in the context of Vanessa Sinclair and Carl Abrahamsson’s Cut-Up classes. Karin shares regarding her magazine, Gnostic Technology and her involvement with the European Foundation for Shamanic Studies. We hear about her expriences with technological, academic and occult conference audiences. Karin shares her intent to “soften the gaze” of the “tech bros” -which in response to Rudolf’s question- she describes as “complicated” in reception.
21 MAR 2024 · Support this podcast by becoming a patron! https://www.patreon.com/thpodcast
Hello Friends and Listeners,
as announced a couple of weeks ago Ike Baker from the great Arcanum Podcast and I have decided to produce a monthly show together, where we interview each time two people about a particular subject, mostly around occult and magical practices.
And here we are: Enjoy a great talk, which we had about Modern Alchemy, with Phoenix Aurelius and Daniel Wiseman.
This episode is also available as a Video on my and Ike's YouTube Channels. https://youtu.be/7WuPr5X_1EI
So this is the first episode of that kind, and it ends the long break that I took with this podcast This will not mean that I will do weekly show again, but from time to time in between those monthly talks will also present the kind of episodes that you have been used to.I hope you will enjoy this new format.
Enjoy and looking forward to other projects I will produce for you.And
LVX
Rudolf
12 NOV 2023 · Support this podcast by becoming a patron! https://www.patreon.com/thpodcast
07:20 MUSIC Over and Over
14:35 INTRO Interview
16:58 INTERVIEW Part 1
57:00 MUSIC Unio Mystica et Physica
1:00:49 INTERVIEW Part 2
1:45:49 MUSIC Gesund
1:49:48 OUTRO TALK
Welcome to Season 10, Episode 12 of the Thoth-Hermes Podcast. This afternoon’s dialogue finds Rudolf and Brian Cotnoir in circulatio on the experience of alchemy. Distilled in the process, Brian shares on his life as an author, filmmaker, and practicing physical alchemist of over 50 years. Please, listen for dispersion. Then consider his titles, On Alchemy (2023), Alchemy the Poetry of Matter (2017), many other publications and Zines!
Brian received his initiation of the Adult Library Card in 7th Grade, along with the core occult section maxim “don’t tell your parents”. We can speculate that many listeners would report a similar awakening. His first fleeting (20 minute) experience of New York City’s Weiser bookstore was also nascent. Continuing to function in consensus reality, Brian majored in Chemistry and minored in Physics, spending time also working at Weiser Books. An MFA in Film followed. Brian’s work on the big screen has been aired by HBO, PBS, Sundance Festival, and other luminary recognitions. Parallel to this, Brian has experimented as a true alchemist of physical matter- from mercury dime-making, to tea, to the slightly less mundane: all insightful to the “art of arts and the art of the creative act”.
Brian and Rudolf explore the esoteric discomfort with material and matter. Brian observes “you think because you have a brain”, recentering the necessity of both psyche and matter. Both men find parallels between matter and the creative process- Brian, in filmmaking and Rudolf in opera and stagecraft. The Secrets of the Maze are also ventured, as well as the Process of Reading. The conversation honors the human capacity for alchemical action as a gift and possible mission from the larger source. Our ability to separate, clarify, and recombine are core tasks to any creative endeavor, including the journey of an individual lifetime. Brian shares insight around his Zine making, as well as an invitation for future seekers to work the Zine themes into larger creations.
Brian will be featuring at the November 19th 2023 “Sunday Zine Fair” at the Brooklyn Museum, and welcomes any listeners to join him in conversation at that time.
5 NOV 2023 · Support this podcast by becoming a patron! https://www.patreon.com/thpodcast
06:15 MUSIC Dolphin Dance
13:20 INTRO Interview
15:30 INTERVIEW Part 1
51:45 MUSIC Ghosts
56:30 INTERVIEW Part 2
1:41:43 MUSIC Shingetsu
1:48:47 OUTRO TALK
This is a warm November welcome to Season 10 Episode 11 of Thoth-Hermes Podcast. Today’s show brings us into conversation with American writer Peter Levenda. Peter has authored a range of titles on histories of American occultism, Nazi occultism, and the dynamics of conspiracy theory. After successfully pursuing an international business career Information Technology, Peter attained an MA in Religious Studies and Asian Studies. Peter is a member of the American Academy of Religion, several societies, and a member of AFIO (the Association of Former Intelligence Officers).
Peter is careful to distinguish his expertise as around the context and content of conspiracy, rather than their promulgator. Repeatedly in the interview, he stresses the importance of listeners self-educating on the factors that make populations generally- and occultists specifically- vulnerable to conspiracy content. Peter also clearly notes that he is a “left-leaning” political “independent” capable of engaging with a variety of worldviews. Peter also offers the Adorno “Fascism Scale” as a resource for study.
Peter shares formative childhood experiences- rejecting his childhood Catholicism, while retaining the seed of mysticism. A fearful encounter on a mountain in 1963 cemented his personal conviction on the presence of More. High school found Peter conducting seances, reading Crowley and the Tao Te Ching. All of this is reported with a combination of good humor and lasting reverence.
Rudolf and Peter explore his writing, some of it based around his premise that “America is a haunted house” of unceded territory carrying the displaced and disregarded practices of the First Nations people. Additionally, the influence of encroaching European settlers’ own occult traditions and folkways. Turning to the West at large, Peter and Rudolf distinguish between the “traditionalist” and “surrealist” edges of esotericism; one edge flirting with the Authoritarian Right and the other edge liable to persecution from the former. Peter describes the use of “fiction” as parallel to Surrealism in the ability to analogize “truths” that cannot be proven as “non-fiction”, in the midst of grey area on both. Peter suggests this wisdom is present in many Holy Books.
Peter identifies “magic” as situated in a space between Science and Religion, with the Shadow of conspiracy theory. A comprehensive take-down of conspiracy mindedness in the contemporary United States follows, including: “longstanding” inadequacy of news media, a population demotivated to learn context for theories, and the dearth of “tik-tok enlightenment”. Peter further names related internal difficulties within occult groups, including sections of the contemporary Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO) and the leadership of the late James Wasserman; the New York-based Wasserman and Levenda were aquaintances for decades.
While not an OTO member, Peter suggests that Chapter 3 of The Book of the Law is a “cri de coeur” of colonized and oppressed spiritualities, while naming Crowley as a member of the “Victorian drawing room” British colonial system unable to acknowledge that facet of his prophecy. Peter invites the necessity and potency of African, Afro-Carribean, South American and Asian practices into modern Esotericism: “the Law is in front of us all”.
29 OCT 2023 · Support this podcast by becoming a patron! https://www.patreon.com/thpodcast
07:09 MUSIC Astrosome
11:52 INTRO Interview
19:30 INTERVIEW Part 1
1:00:51 MUSIC The Cave
1:08:09 INTERVIEW Part 2
1:46:29 MUSIC Eye of the Storm
1:53:18 OUTRO TALK
Greetings for Season 10, Episode 10 of Thoth-Hermes Podcast. In a calendrical resonance, Rudolf meets up with Robert Gordon- exactly one year after their last episode together! A gregarious Australian, Robert holds an M.A. in Museum Studies from University College London. In 2022, Lewis Masonic publishing released his book 21st Century Rosicrucianism.
Today’s exploration centers on Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly in the context of language-based models. Rudolf characterizes digital technology as typically either a non-topic or guarded subject in the worldviews of esotericists. Later, Robert observes that many depth creators in high-technology, green technology, and adjacent fields have esoteric involvement. With these twin realities concurrent, the discussion emphasizes the need for active contribution to societal conversations about AI as a “technology of the imagination”. As both men gamely note, we are in the 21st Century, not the 16th- as much as we seek to honor history.
Robert and Rudolf note the need for “reverential use of science”, Robert noting that Newton wrote more on theology than physics. Though exoteric religious doctrine is often at odds with the Esoteric (particularly in America), some parallels are noted. One is the belief in a higher Source as the bestower of human imagination, and consequently a form of sanctity in humans’ creative actions. Does AI connect to the Source through humanity? Is it fundamentally “natural” or “unnatural”? And how does the subjective, constructed nature of human-to-human communication mirror controversies with AI?
There is some specific time spent with the question of AI and it’s visual “art” forays. Robert truly “goes there” makes a comparison to alchemical manuscripts’ images. Can content and imaginal inputs from humans produce outputs with “soul”? Could the vast flow of creative information placed into AI datasets produce a new form of “collective unconscious”? In many cases, today’s conversation walks a non-directive, even-handed line between answering these questions and placing them back to the listener. The “hubris of the magi” narrative is acknowledged, as well as the mythos of Daedalus. Do we only hear about the hubris that creates catastrophe?
Other careful questions include: can we emphasize the use of AI for sorcery, hall-of-mirrors illusion, or as a possible bulwark against sorcery? Could AI be an actual human-created agent of healing in our society? Can we redevelop a cultural norm of functionally conversing with disagreement? Could AI help us? Does AI have to be marketplace centered or could it assist with counterbalance in the current corruption of political systems? Can AI possibly contribute or experience states that we broadly term as “shamanic”? Is there anything that this human creation can “unlock” for us? Can it become a “technological tradition of imagination”? What human wisdom is offered in the distinction between “dogmatic” and “voluntarily enigmatic”? These prompts are all introduced and posed on today’s episode. Enjoy!
22 OCT 2023 · Support this podcast by becoming a patron! https://www.patreon.com/thpodcast
07:52 MUSIC Time
12:30 INTRO Interview
15:56 INTERVIEW Part 1
53:49 MUSIC Bohemian Rhapsody
59:39 INTERVIEW Part 2
1:39:32 MUSIC Sound of Silence
1:43:05 OUTRO TALK
"What is clear is that there are three main themes running parallel through the grimoires, with greater or less importance in individual works. These themes are spirit conjuration, divination, and simple charms/spells for dealing with the hardships of daily life and seeking to improve it."
(David Rankine)
Welcome to Season 10, Episode 9 of Thoth-Hermes podcast. Today, Rudolf shares a conversation with author and occultist, David Rankine. The exploration ranges over the past 40 years of modern British esotericism, and into David’s commitment to writing and knowledge sharing as an offering to Mystery. This is an easy-listening dialogue that carries its own treasures of tight question-answer teachings along in the flow.
David quickly brings us into the 1980s UK occult scene, which he describes as collegial, confidential and non-competitive. Oxford, London and Leeds are all identified as hotspots during this period. Turning to the Now, David weighs the balance between organizations’ tension of socializing and secrecy. David and Rudolf explore the question: “What is a ‘serious magical attitude’?” with way of daily life, worldview and engagement in the 100th Monkey influence all composing the answer. Ethics are undergirding principle in this definition, noting that “serious magicians” are “seriously ethical”.
David describes his slow development towards ancestor magic, and its interaction with aging as a human and maturation as a magician. This conversation honors the slow, serious adaptation of practices over a magical lifetime. Rudolf quotes David’s definition of “magic” in his early book Becoming Magic, “consciously direct energy flowing towards evolution”. David also shares his concept of “conjuration”, as a Process- occasional, exceptional, purposeful- which develops a long-term symbiotic dynamic with a chosen spiritual entity. Not, as David notes, “a Pokemon collection”.
This year (2023) David published volumes 1 and 2 of The Grimoire Encyclopaedia…. With more yet to be revealed! Describing the construction process, David credits the necessity of his enthusiastic, persistent editor Erzebet Barthold. David also centers on the Bible as the foundational grimoire of record, providing a lens for panoramic view of historical Western magical publications. Rudolf asks the core question: “what defines a grimoire?” and David responds gamely. Enjoy!
15 OCT 2023 · Support this podcast by becoming a patron! https://www.patreon.com/thpodcast
06:45 MUSIC Ad Lucem
11:01 INTRO Interview
15:18 INTERVIEW Part 1
56:27 MUSIC Vorbeigeträumt
1:00:57 INTERVIEW Part 2
1:38:08 MUSIC Bas de Feu
1:41:22 OUTRO TALK
Today marks Season 10, Episode 8 of Thoth-Hermes Podcast. For this conversation, Rudolf reconvenes with Chuck “CR” Dunning. The conversation submerges into esoteric freemasonry, then transcends into the union of ritual and exoteric religion. Far from limited to the interests of masonry, this is a multi-layered dialogue about the timeless moebius between sincere seekers of “light, life and love”.
Chuck is a retired academic and psychotherapist, a self-disclosed Scottish Rite Mason, and author dedicated to guiding initiates into contemplative practice. Chuck has soft-spoken depth rare in today’s scholarly world. His most recent book is an accessible compass of the Rose Croix mysteries. A Rose Croix Oratory (Stone Guild, 2023) has been lauded by readers and reviewers, appreciating its hands-on, plain-language approach. An upcoming publication will delve into Platonic mysticism and its parallels with Craft Masonry.
The conversation speaks of the upper degrees’ mythos of descent, laying to waste, then renewal and ascension. The 17th and 18th Degree introduce a visceral story of a mourning initiate, who through persistence encounters the teaching figure of the Nazarene. An encounter with “love” as the “charitas” and “agape” archetype offered by this teacher. This is not the Jesus of fast-food and sound byte religion: it is a mystical encounter of visceral “faith, hope and love”. Religious acceptance is optional, but depth initiation is required. Chuck also notes that all three Abrahamic traditions have wisdom teachings represented over the course of the initiate’s journey.
Later, Rudolf and Chuck name interesting implications of the “priestcraft” of ritual found to create change in accordance with the Will of a Higher Power, to connect to the Divine, and to become more effective worldly agents for it. Chuck names the direct root connection with the Catholic Mass ritual as well as the Protestant Order of Service, even in those denominations who might strenuously distance themselves from the concept of “magic”. This flows from Chuck’s exploration of the Rose Croix texts and traditions that named ancient traditions illumination sources for the later emergence of Christianity.
Other joyful content along the way includes a service-centered interpretation of the potency of alchemy, magic/magia, and kaballah. We reflect on the verified “alchemy” of meditative practice on the neurochemical physiology of the practitioner. And define True Will as readiness for change away from herd behavior, resiliency under repeated testing, and skillful refinement of personal identity; requiring the recentering on faith, hope and love.
8 OCT 2023 · Support this podcast by becoming a patron! https://www.patreon.com/thpodcast
07:58 MUSIC Aufstehen
11:52 INTRO Interview
14:34 INTERVIEW Part 1
52:15 MUSIC Endlos fliegen
55:44 INTERVIEW Part 2
1:35:19 MUSIC Ausreden
1:37:27 OUTRO TALK
Autumnal greetings as we converge for Season 10, Episode 7 of Thoth-Hermes Podcast. Today, Rudolf is joined by Jon E. Graham, of Inner Traditions Bear and Company, to explore the current state of occult publishing. Jon joins us from the northeastern United States, in historic Vermont. Jon is a translator, author, and acquisitions editor at Inner Traditions.
Jon relates his longstanding interest in initiatory synthesis between Surrealism and Occultism, the path which brought him into esoteric publishing. Jon recommends The Esoteric Secrets of Surrealism as a prompt for curious listeners. A second set of parallels that run in the conversation are the creative processes of a publishing house (Jon’s temple) and that of an opera house (Rudolf’s lineage). Together, they explore the balance of “profitable” and “important”, as well as inclusion of new and established authors.
Several times, Jon emphasizes the influence occult practice (as simple as sincere meditation) can have in counterbalancing the online “noise machine” and superficiality of cultural dialogue. He is refreshingly blunt in his rejection of social media, specifically its influence against the clear depth of thought sought by true initiates. With reference to “occult activism”, Jon and Rudolf converge over the need for an attitude of contribution and compassion, based in rational assessment over denial, ideology and Jon’s term: “unicorn fantasy”.
Steadfast to his bricks-and-mortar preference, Jon asks the question held by more than one listener: will the Mortlake Books Colloquium, Texts and Traditions, return to Seattle? Enquiring minds need to know
.
Jon names a variety of publishing trends, celebrating the movement from “101” titles into substantive material, also noting the nascence of translated European texts. Authors named in this Deep Dive renaissance include previous Thoth-Hermes guests, Sasha Chaitow, Marlene Seven-Bremner, and Shani Oates. Jon calls out the need to avoid the mainline tendency to “karaoke publishing” (our second Harry Potter reference, two interviews in a row!)
Rudolf asks specifically regarding the vibrant trend of small, independent artisanal occult publishing houses, and the “book-objects” they create. Jon responds with respect and enthusiasm for all involved. Closing with intrigue, Jon references an upcoming creative focus: Odin and the Surrealist process. As Odin undertakes to “sacrifice myself to myself” to receive the rune-mysteries, Jon suggests that Surrealism has parallel in “the psychic realm that is made available through automatist practices”. May more be revealed.
ONLY EPISODES OF SEASONS 10 and 11 ARE PUBLISHED HERE. Seasons 1-9 can be found on other podcast providers, YouTube onr on the Podcast Website WWW.THOTHERMES.COM A podcast about the...
show more
ONLY EPISODES OF SEASONS 10 and 11 ARE PUBLISHED HERE.
Seasons 1-9 can be found on other podcast providers, YouTube onr on the Podcast Website WWW.THOTHERMES.COM
A podcast about the world of the Western Esoteric Tradition
Occult-Magic-Mysticism-Paranormal
show less
Seasons 1-9 can be found on other podcast providers, YouTube onr on the Podcast Website WWW.THOTHERMES.COM
A podcast about the world of the Western Esoteric Tradition
Occult-Magic-Mysticism-Paranormal
Information
Author | Rudolf M Berger |
Organization | Rudolf M Berger |
Categories | Religion & Spirituality |
Website | www.thothermes.com |
info@thothermes.com |
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