Episode 186: The Esoteric Proclus, Part I: The Life and Thought of an Esoteric Sage
The Podcast
The main SHWEP podcast is a roughly-chronological historical narrative: it starts way-back-when and moves forward from there. However, Episodes 0-4 are introductory materials. If you are a newcomer to the podcast, Episode Zero introduces the concept behind it. If you are a newcomer to the history of western esotericism, check out Episodes One, Two and Three, which provide a lot of useful background. If you want to skip the intro and start exploring the nitty-gritty of the history of western esotericism, start with Episode Four and go from there.
If you want to explore further, be sure to check out the SHWEP Oddcast, which features interviews with specialists that have not yet been integrated into the main SHWEP chronology.
Free and members-only | Members-only | Title list
Episode 185: Dylan Burns on Proclus the Successor
Members only: Ↄ. Martiana Rises to the Occasion
Episode 181: Macrobius and the Commentary on Scipio’s Dream
Members only: Mateusz Stróżyński on Spiritual Practices in Augustine
Members only: Mateusz Stróżyński on Augustine and Platonism
Episode 180: Augustine of Hippo: Saint of the Exoteric
Episode 179: The Manichæan Catholic: Augustine of Hippo
Members only: Stephen Cooper on Marius Victorinus, Philosophy, Panpsychism, and a Modern Religious Platonism
Episode 177: Gretchen Reydams-Schils on Calcidius and the Timæus
Episode 176: Plato Latinus
Members only: David Hernández de la Fuente on Nonnus of Panopolis
Members only: Storytime: Reading Synesius On Dreams
Episode 175: Jay Bregman on Synesius of Cyrene
Episode 174: Noble Lies and Philosophic Silence: Hypatia, Synesius, and the New Esotericism in the Fourth Century
Members only: Storytime: Reading Eunapius, Part III: The Diviners’ Purge and the End of the Theurgic Revolution
Episode 167: Jeremy Swist on the Emperor Julian, Part I: the Political Background and Political Project of the Emperor
Episode 166: Joel Kalvesmaki on Evagrius’ Kephalaia Gnōstika: Philosophy, Scripture, and Apophatic Mysticism
Episode 165: Joel Kalvesmaki on Evagrius of Pontus, the ‘Gnostic Trilogy’, and the Origenist Controversy
Members only: Into the Darkness with Michæl Motia
Episode 161: Claire Hall on Firmicus Maternus
Members only: Storytime: Reading ‘The Visions of Zosimus’
Members only: Bink Hallum on Zosimus Arabicus: The Final Quittance
Episode 158: Bink Hallum on the Extended Zosimus
Members only: Matteo Martelli Perfects the Tincture
Episode 157: Matteo Martelli Introduces Zosimus of Panopolis
Members only: Into the Light-Worlds with Charles Häberl
Episode 155: Charles Häberl on the Mandæans
Members only: Into Coptic Magic with Korshi Dosoo
Episode 153: Korshi Dosoo on Early Christian Magic
Episode 152: Prolegomena to Christian Magic
Episode 149: Exploring the Sefer ha-Razim
Members only: Beyond Curse-Tablets with Sarah Veale
Episode 148: Curses! Sarah Veale on Roman ‘Curse-Tablets’
Members only: Daniel Waller Bowls On
Episode 147: Daniel James Waller on the Jewish Incantation-Bowls
Episode 146: Gideon Bohak on Late-Antique Jewish Magic
Episode 143: Politics and Religion in Late Antiquity, Part I: Geopolitics, Empire, and Rabbinic Judaism
Episode 142: Run the Numbers: The Theology of Arithmetic
Members only: Brian Alt on Iamblichus, Late-Antique Egypt, and Ritual
Episode 141: Brian Alt on Sacred Materials, Divine Names, and Subtle Physiology in Iamblichean Theurgy
Members only: Gregory Shaw (Briefly) Divinises the Soul
Episode 138: The Great Theurgy Debate: Porphyry’s Letter to Anebo, Iamblichus’ Response, and the Question(s) of Ritual
Episode 137: The Esoteric Iamblichus
Episode 135: Esoteric Hermeneutics, Divine Hierarchy, and the Ineffable: The Philosophy of Iamblichus, Part I
Episode 134: Introducing Iamblichus of Chalcis
Members only: The Theory of the Soul-Vehicle in Late-Antique Platonism and Islamicate Medical Sciences
Episode 131: Soul-Flight, Noetic Bodies, and Pneumatic Vehicles: Toward a History of the Platonist Subtle Body
Episode 130: Methodologies for Studying the Subtle Body
Members only: Storytime: A cavern pleasant, though involv’d in night. Reading Porphyry’s On the Cave of the Nymphs, Part II
Members only: Storytime: A cavern pleasant, though involv’d in night. Reading Porphyry’s On the Cave of the Nymphs, Part I
Episode 128: Porphyry and the Barbarians: Ethnicity, Religious Practice, and Esoteric Interpretation
Episode 127: Dorian Greenbaum on Porphyry and Astrology
Members only: Noetic Triads and Lost Palimpsests: Introducing the Anonymous Commentary on the Parmenides
Members only: Ivan Miroshnikov on the Gospel of Thomas, Part II
Members only: Ivan Miroshnikov on the Gospel of Thomas, Part I
Members only: Charles M. Stang Doubles Down
Members only: Jason BeDuhn Separates the Light from the Darkness
Episode 123: Jason BeDuhn on Mani and Manichæism
Members only: Into the Otherworld with Radcliffe G. Edmonds III
Episode 122: Radcliffe G. Edmonds III on the ‘Mithrasliturgie’
Members only: Dylan Burns Ascends to the Plēroma
Episode 118: Dylan Burns on Sethian Gnosticism
Members only: The Secret (Life) of the One
Episode 117: The Esoteric Plotinus, Part II: Unsaying the Real
Members only: Marilynn Lawrence Casts the Chart
Episode 116: Plotinus on Astrology with Marilynn Lawrence
Members only: Ascending Further with Mateusz Stróżyński
Members only: The Secret Life of the Undescended Self
Episode 112: We are the One: Plotinus’ Participatory Metaphysics
Members only: Ammonius, Origen, and Plotinus: Exploring an Enigma
Episode 111: ‘The Philosopher of our Time’: Introducing Plotinus
Episode 110: Matthew Neujahr on the Sibylline Oracles
Episode 109: Christian Bull on the Way of Hermes in Antiquity
Members only: Anna van den Kerchove Hermeticises Further
Members only: Litwa Expands on the Hermetic Reception
Episode 107: M. David Litwa on Deification in the Hermetica
Members only: Storytime: Reading the Corpus Hermeticum, Part III
Members only: Storytime: Reading the Corpus Hermeticum, Part II
Members only: Storytime: Reading the Corpus Hermeticum, Part I
Episode 105: Other Hermetic Worlds: The Asclepius and Korê Kosmou
Episode 104: Wouter Hanegraaff on the Poimandres
Episode 103: Corpus Hermeticum I, the Poimandres
Episode 101: Brian Copenhaver on the Hermetica
Episode 100: Thrice-Greatest Hermes
Members only: Claire Hall on Prophecy in Origen
Episode 97: Aron Reppmann Introduces Origen of Alexandria
Members only: Speaking the Silence: On Reading Apophatic Language
Episode 95: The Third Century and (the Long) Late Antiquity
Episode 93: Henny Fiskå Hägg on Clement’s Apophatic Writing
Members only: Storytime: Exploring Book V of the Stromateis, Part II
Members only: Storytime: Exploring Book V of the Stromateis, Part I
Members only: The Writings of Clement of Alexandria
Episode 89: The Astrology of Vettius Valens
Episode 88: Claudius Ptolemy and the Tetrabiblos
Episode 87: Numerical Mysteries: Nichomachus of Gerasa, Arithmology, and Second-Century Neopythagoreanism
Episode 86: Matteo Martelli on the Pseudo-Democritus
Episode 85: Introducing Alchemy with Lawrence Principe
Episode 84: Other Gospels and Alien Gods: Marcion of Sinope
Members only: Geoffrey Smith Valentinicates Further
Episode 83: Geoffrey Smith on Valentinus and Valentinianism
Members only: Michael Williams on Early Christian Heterodoxies
Episode 79: Alone with the Alone: Numenius’ Metaphysics
Members only: Korshi Dosoo Papyrologises Magically
Members only: Sarah Iles Johnston on Hekatē
Episode 76: The Chaldæan Oracles and Theurgy
Episode 75: The Chaldæan Oracles
Episode 74: I’m Not Sorry: The Apology of Apuleius
Members only: Storytime: The Tale of Cupid and Psyche
Members only: Daniel Harris-McCoy Lives the Dream
Episode 70: Gil Renberg on Incubation
Episode 69: Plutarch’s Myths of Cosmic Ascent
Episode 68: Plutarch’s On Isis and Osiris
Members only: Græme Miles Apollonicates Further
Episode 65: Graeme Miles on Apollonius of Tyana
Members only: Jesus the Magician? Interrogating Ancient and Modern Discourses of Ritual Power in the Gospels
Members only: The Esoteric New Testament, Part I: The Gospel of Mark
Episode 64: The Enigma of Early Christianity
Members only: Beyond the ‘Underworld’ with Dylan Burns
Episode 63: Dylan Burns on the ‘Underworld of Platonism’
Members only: John Dillon Platonizes Further
Episode 62: John Dillon on Middle Platonism
Members only: Storytime: Reading Cicero’s Dream of Scipio
Episode 59: Introducing Rome
Episode 58: Justin Rogers on Philo in Early Christianity
Episode 57: The Esoteric Philo
Members only: Frances Flannery Dreams On
Episode 54: Frances Flannery on Jewish Dreams in Antiquity
Members only: Matthew Neujahr on Near-Eastern Roots of Apocalyptic
Episode 52: Enoch, Apocalyptic, and Abrahamic Faith
Episode 51: Enoch and the Book of Watchers
Episode 50: John J. Collins on Apocalyptic
Members only: Joel Kalvesmaki Expands Arithmetically
Episode 46: After Pythagoras
Episode 45: Stoic Physics and Esoteric Metaphysics
Episode 44: Esoteric Hermeneutics in Stoicism
Members only: Christopher Gill Gets Stoical
Episode 43: Christopher Gill on Stoicism
Members only: Chris Brennan Gets Fatal(istic)
Episode 42: Chris Brennan on Hellenistic Astrology
Episode 39: The Esoteric Aristotle, Part 2
Episode 38: The Esoteric Aristotle, Part I
Members only: Peter Adamson On Plato and Beyond
Episode 37: Peter Adamson on Plato
Episode 36: Plato’s Parmenides and Metaphysics
Episode 35: Mystery and Immortality: Plato’s Phædo
Episode 34: Mystery and Initiation in Plato
Episode 31: Sun, Line, Cave: Plato’s Inner Republic
Episode 30: Introducing Plato’s Republic
Episode 29: Otherworlds, Inner Worlds, and Utopias
Members only: Further Travels in Atlantis with Christopher Gill
Episode 28: Christopher Gill on Plato’s Atlantis
Episode 27: Plato’s Timæus
Episode 25: The Esoteric Plato
Members only: The Greek Iatromanteis: Katabasis, Metempsychosis, Soul-Flight, and the Question of ‘Shamanism’
Episode 23: Miguel Herrero de Jauregui on Ancient ‘Orphism’
Episode 20: All for One, and One for All: Parmenides of Elea
Episode 19: Riddle Me This: Heraclitus of Ephesus
Episode 18: Don’t Spill the Beans: Pythagorean Silence
Episode 17: The Enigma of Pythagoreanism
Episode 16: The Enigma of Pythagoras
Episode 15: For the Love of Wisdom: The Birth of Philosophy
Episode 14: Methodologies for the Study of Mysticism
Episode 13: From Mystery to ‘Mysticism’
Episode 12: Richard Seaford on the Mysteries
Episode 11: The Long Secret History of Judaism, Part I
Members only: Daniel Ogden on Three Ancient Mages
Episode 5: Methodologies for the Study of Magic
Members only: Robert Bolton on the (Immaterial, Immortal) Soul
Members only: Seaford on Soul, Ritual, and Money
Episode 4: Richard Seaford on the Origins of the Soul
Members only: Kocku von Stuckrad on Western Esotericism
Members only: Matthew Melvin-Koushki on ‘The West’
Members only: Wouter Hanegraaff on Western Esotericism
Episode 3: Wouter Hanegraaff on Western Esotericism
Episode 2: A Secret History of Secret History, Part II
Episode 1: A Secret History of Secret History, Part I
