Podcast episode
We discuss several case-studies of consequential (and weird) "extremists" among the early shī`a, looking at the complex relationships between their ideas and the non-rejected, "approved" forms of Islām. The extremists aren't as extreme as some would like to make them.
Blog post
Two lecturers in philosophy from the University of Arkansas invited me on their show Philosophy on the Fringes to discuss western esotericism and the esoteric Plato.
Podcast episode
We discuss the Iraqi context of the early shī‘ī movements, explore some of the political, esoteric, and politicesoteric concerns of the early partisans of the ahl al-bayt, and then give a basic run-down of some of the most important shiite movements and their imams.
Podcast episode
We discuss politico-religious developments among the Believers in the eighth century, setting the stage for a series of episodes exploring developments in esoteric Islām in the Umayyad period. We also discuss our evidence for how the Believers' movement became ‘Islām’ in the first place, also seemingly an Umayyad phenomenon.
Podcast episode
In this interview, Part II of our discussion of quotidian magical practices in the East-Roman world with Alicia Walker, we explore a wealth of materia magica, which is a fancy way of saying "magical things". Come for the alchemical enamel-ware, stay for the multipurpose magic ring.
Roots of Magic episode
Sara Chiarini has been studying practices for gaining knowledge in the Greek Magical Papyri. The conversation covers typologies, the types of practices involved in doing ancient knowledge-ritual, and the difficult question of ‘belief’ in the efficacy of such practices among practitioners.
An introduction to the podcast, discussing briefly what we mean by ‘western esotericism’. This episode also answers the burning question, ‘What’s so “secret” about The Secret History of Western Esotericism Podcast?’ and features a short quiz to test your knowledge of western esoteric history.
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