Recently posted

Podcast episode

Members only: Storytime: Reading the Hermetic Kyranides, Part I

We dive into the very complicated layering of texts which makes up the Kyranides, and explore the prologue, written by the unnamed East Roman compiler, which tells us a lot about the `authors' he compiled, and about why their work is esoteric. Featuring Hermes Trismegistos by way of Mesopotamia.

Roots of Magic episode

Sofie Schiødt on Studying Magical Spaces in Ancient Egypt

We speak with Egyptologist Sofie Schiødt about her work-in-progress at Würzburg, exploring the evidence for ancient Egyptian magic in situ. How did the ancient Egyptians relate to the spaces in which they performed rituals? How did the spaces relate to them? She plans to find out. 

Oddcast episode

William Gallois on the Amuletic Qayrawān in the Colonial Era

William Gallois was looking through hundreds of photographs of the city of Qayrawān, in modern-day Tunisia, from the period of French colonial occupation. He started to notice strange paintings in the backgrounds of these pictures ...

Podcast episode

Episode 168: Jeremy Swist on Julian, Part II: The Emperor’s Religio-Philosophic Project

Our discussion with Jeremy Swist on The Emperor turns metaphysical, theurgic, and religious, as we discuss Julian's incredible synthesis of Iamblichean theology and metaphysics, traditional religions, and politics. Come for the pagan counter-church, stay for the transcendent solar metaphysics.

Podcast episode

Episode 167: Jeremy Swist on the Emperor Julian, Part I: the Political Background and Political Project of the Emperor

Jeremy Swist, specialist on Late Platonism, late antiquity, and the great Julian the Faithful, lays out the political background and political project of The Emperor. Part I of a two-part discussion of late antiquity's greatest statesman. No bias here.

Podcast episode

Episode 100: Thrice-Greatest Hermes

We introduce the sage of sages, the barbarian philosopher of philosophers, the one and only (unless there were more of him) Thrice-Greatest Hermes. We also introduce his copious literary output, the Hermetica, and discuss these writings in an introductory way.

Listen to the Introduction

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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