Our good friend Christopher Moors of CreativeCosmos.org returns in this episode to discuss the exploration of the inner realms. Chris begins our conversation by talking about bringing the soul into the body, making space for this process to occur, separating the subtle from the gross, and being open to new feelings and experiences. This leads into talking about the myriad ways that conscious unfoldment might manifest. Psychic abilities like intuition, telepathy, clairvoyance, clairaudience, and visions have been experienced by those who align the outer and inner worlds. We also speak about animals and interacting with them. The concept of the soul journey and walking the path round out our conversation. Watch for Christopher’s upcoming new book entitled “Ruminations of the Universe”. Less

Paul Tisdell is a surfer, initiate, scribe, and teacher. He joins us to discuss his awakening process and spiritual journey, the compilation of Wisdom, and his work in the field of Hermes. Our conversation begins with Paul describing how he was made aware of his purpose and the amazing experiences that this journey entailed. He talks about his initiation, trials, and the concept that rose above all others – Love. Our conversation also covers the Royal Art of Alchemy, the sacred flame, Tarot, Qabalah, the importance of timing, and his impressions of teaching the Wisdom. Less

Our friend Bishop T Allen Greenfield returns to the show to talk about Gnostic history and philosophy. Dr. Greenfield is particularly well-qualified to discuss this subject considering his extensive experience in Gnostic churches serving as bishop. Our conversation covers the definition of Gnosis and Gnostic, the history of ancient sects, the philosophy through the ages, modern permutations of the Gnostic doctrine, and Dr. Greenfield’s own personal lineage. Notable points include differing perspectives on the concept of the Demiurgus and the resultant differences in the views on body and spirit, the secret societies and esoteric orders that have carried the Wisdom, and Apostolic succession. Less

Mitch Horowitz, editor-in-chief of Tarcher/Penguin Books, returns in this episode to discuss the life and Great Work of Dr. Paul Foster Case (1884 – 1954). Dr. Case was, in my opinion, the preeminent scholar teaching the Tarot and Qabalah in the 20th century. His masterful work, “The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages,” stands alone as perhaps the single greatest book on the major arcana to date. Our conversation covers Case’s early life in the greater Rochester, NY area, his musical abilities, self-reliance and self-education, interest in the Mysteries, his work with Tarot and other occult subjects, and the organizations that he built to disseminate the Wisdom. In studying the life and Work of Dr. Case, Mitch extracts the important detail that we must be scholars in the same tradition in order that occult subjects are treated with the reverence they deserve. Thanks again to Mitch for another wonderfully informative and enlightening discussion! Less

In this episode, we enter the Labyrinth of the Psychonaut, the domain of Steve Willner. Steve creates videos that highlight the synchromystic connections between movies, music, poetry, science, and philosophy. By highlighting seemingly disparate connections, Steve’s videos blur the lines between the areas of the spiritual, metaphysical, mystical, and physical. One of his most popular videos is entitled, “Hollow Earth, Agartha, DNA, Serpent Magnetism.” Ultimately, Steve’s work points directly to the concept that the Universe is alive, sentient, and communicating with us, if we’ll only listen. In our conversation, we cover many topics including those of religion, consciousness, new physics, sacred geometry, ancient civilizations, and the epic battle between the forces of Light and Darkness. Less

In this episode, Kentroversy returns to discuss ancient Egypt. Our conversation covers many different topics, including past lives, alternative history, religion, Hermetics, Alchemy, Tarot, and Magick. Although neither of us are “experts” in an academic sense with regard to egyptology, we have both spent years investigating the research available on the mysteries of the ancient world. Kent also shares his personal esoteric connection. Of course, the architecture and craftsmanship has to be addressed, mainly the pyramids and temples. The appearance of high civilization followed by a descent in technology, architecture, art, etc. cannot be avoided. We also talk about The Emerald Tablet, the concept of Hermes Trismegistus, and much, much more. “He who desires to attain the understanding of the Grand Word and the possession of the Great Secret, ought carefully to read the Hermetic philosophers, and will undoubtedly attain initiation, as others have done; but he must take, for the key of their allegories, the single dogma of Hermes, contained in his Table of Emerald.” - Albert Pike, “Morals and Dogma” As always, Kent brings interesting and original ideas to the table for this latest installment of our ongoing dialogue. Hopefully you enjoy our conversations as much as we do. Less

In this episode, we’re joined by student, teacher, and author Jason Augustus Newcomb. Our wide-ranging conversation covers many areas including, Jason’s path, his work with “The New Hermetics,” magickal practice, consciousness, and his writings. Among his newer books that we discuss are “The Book of Magick Power,” a comprehensive and practical guide to the study and practice of the Art, and “The Brotherhood of Light and Darkness,” an occult novel set in modern times. “I’d like to see people who are magickal attempting to get along better with one another. Not necessarily working together in circles, but working together in harmony to create a Divine world here on this plane. And I’d like to see people being good to each other. The injustices of the world are all within each of us …” - Jason Augustus Newcomb Less

In this episode, we’re joined by author Christopher Knowles. The discussion revolves around his new book, “Our Gods Wear Spandex, The Secret History of Comic Book Heroes.” We talk about the history of comic books and how the ideas contained and promoted in this medium can be traced directly to esoteric and occult concepts. “The collision of science, morality, and magic is being played out hundreds of times a month in comic books and other media, showing us the implications of superhuman potential. Is this an unconscious form of preparation for an inevitable shift in human reality? Should we pay more careful attention to the visionaries and lunatics who anticipate the future in comic-book storylines? In that supernatural realm called the human imagination, comic-book creators like Alan Moore and Alex Ross may be time-travelers, forecasting the future for us and showing us the way. It’s funny how it all seems so similar to the ancient myths. The past and future are always with us.” - Christopher Knowles, “Our Gods Wear Spandex, The Secret History of Comic Book Heroes” Chris’ new book does a fantastic job of explaining how comic books relate to ancient mythology and the New Age. It is well-written, and very finely illustrated by Joseph Michael Linsner. If you have any interest in comic books, their history, and their connections with occult and esoteric ideas and mythology, you will definitely want to pick it up. The connections that Knowles highlights in his book have always been there, but it isn’t until now that they have been fully exposed by someone who understands their significance. Our modern mythology may indeed just be repackaged classics from ancient times. This book is not only fascinating, but fun as well. Less

This week’s guest is Greg, from the Occult of Personality podcast. The talk begins with the reading of a passage on Ascended Masters from the book LIBER ABA (Magick Book 4, pgs. 8 et seq) by Aleister Crowley, which discusses the Ascended Initiated Masters known as Christ, Buddha, and Mohammed. It is well-known to esotericists that Christ was initiated in the Great Pyramid of Egypt’s Giza Plateau. This is part of the missing years of Christ’s biography. Greg defines ASCENDED MASTERS in the following way: “A spiritual being who can inspire and assist, and even physically manifest, to guide those who the Master has chosen to [guide their spiritual ascension]. The purpose of this is to uplift humanity in some sense or another.” We spoke about the Comte de Saint-Germain and Sir Francis Bacon primarily among them. When I brought up my feeling that organized religion exists to PREVENT ENLIGHTENMENT—Greg replied with the following: “Organized religion is an attempt to give people a faith, a commonality, an experience, a tradition, and an identity. Mystery Schools exist to encourage enlightenment, ascension, and personal development.” Greg posited that Sir Francis Bacon was the highest-ever initiate that the world has ever seen. Sir Francis Bacon’s faked funeral (from Manly P. Hall’s The Riddle of the Rosicrucians): “After Bacon’s mock funeral in England, he returned to the continent where he lived for more than twenty years as the head of his Secret Society.” We also spoke about Bacon’s role in the Rosicrucian Order, and his involvement in the writing attributed to William Shakespeare. He was also responsible for many ciphers and steganography—the art and science of writing hidden messages in such a way that no one apart from the sender and intended recipient even realizes there is a hidden message. Greg and I also spoke about GARBAGE OCCULTISM—such as that which can be seen in products such as the GUMMY BEARS Tarot Deck. Lest anyone listening thinks I am joking about a Tarot Deck based on GUMMY BEARS - here is the proof. U.S. Game Systems, Inc. has released this Tarot pack, which is based on the Rider-Waite pack. This kind of thing denigrates the serious nature of Tarot, and this pack was designed by German artist Dietmar Bittrich - who calls himself the “Gummy Bear Oracle.” Give me an effing break, will ya?! I mentioned to Greg that I felt that I had been drafted into my life’s work, instead of my choosing it for myself. Greg responded by saying: “Life will take you where you are meant to go.” We then discussed the esoteric experiences of my two-and-three-quarters year-old son, and a being he describes as DONDO (e.g., Don-Doe): I would encourage all interested in what Greg has to say, to check out his website – Occult of Personality – and his podcast of the same name – which discusses many fascinating subjects – and is well worth your attention. Opening Song – TELL THE TRUTH (excerpt) by David Lee Roth; from the album: ‘A Little Ain’t Enough’ (1991) Closing Song – SPIRITS IN THE MATERIAL WORLD (excerpt) by The Police; from the album: ‘Ghost In The Machine’ (1980) © 2007 Kentroversy Tapes All rights reserved. Used with permission. Less

In this episode, Jennifer Emick, the guide to alternative religions on About.com joins me to discuss the Alternative Religions web site, her interest in the esoteric and mystical side of spirituality, the importance of tolerance concerning religious views and practices, and the positive and negative aspects of spirituality. Her balanced perspective is appreciated as promoting both understanding and reasoned analysis. Of particular interest are the ideas about the degeneration of spiritual ideas and groups after the teachers depart, as well as the humanity and flaws of these teachers. This is usually illustrated by the advancement in the significance of dogma. Jennifer describes the struggle by witches for mainstream acceptance versus identification with past persecution. She discusses how this acceptance and recognition can result in a loss of freedom. We also touch upon the concept that most, if not all, religions originate from a teacher well-versed in the ancient Mysteries. Less

“The doctrine of the Trinity that is this convoluted, Hellenistic, philosophical thing where they fight about five words that all mean the same thing…it has something larger behind it than that, something more important than that. It is the church in the 3rd and the 4th centuries’ attempt to express the Christian experience of God, and to safeguard its integrity. So what this day is about is yours and mine, our, experience of God. “What our forebears in the faith had to say is that Yahweh God, the source of all that is, in whom we live and move and have our being, the primordial life force who became the god of the children of Israel, the god of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Sarah and Elizabeth and Rachel-that reality, whatever its cosmic, infinite, beyond our minds’ capacity to understand, reality-that thing which people fell on their faces and said ‘Holy, Holy, Holy,’ to—that God somehow was distinctively and decisively present in Jesus of Nazareth, who walked in the midst of human experience and human history, not as some third thing, but as one of us. That there was something distinct and unique about the way god was present in him, and which got extended to all of us. And it was decisive because now history could be divided up into all that went before him, and all that comes after: Anno Domini. “And even more exciting and more unbelievable is that this Yahweh God who was decisively and distinctively present in Jesus of Nazareth is present in you and me and in the community of faith in which we live, as Holy Spirit. “That experience, that incredible, intimate, Trinitarian experience, that hope that someday we will see what John of Patmos saw, not as a vision, not in a dream, but as reality, we will stand face to face with God and share the life of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—that’s the Christian experience of God. Something mystical. Something cosmic. “Yes, Christianity is fundamentally a mystical religion. But we’ve turned it into an ethical religion. “I’ve always been amazed by that. If you find something that you have to fall down in front of and say ‘Holy, Holy, Holy,’ it’s going to change your ethics. But changing your ethics may never bring you face to face with something you’re willing to say ‘Holy, Holy, Holy,’ to.” Less

Frater W.I.T. joins us for a discussion of his book, “Enochian Initiation,” in which he describes the effects of the process by which he completed a number of magickal workings. We review a bit of the history of the Enochian tradition of Dr. John Dee, the various interpretations of magickal results, and how these workings relate to consciousness and reality. I think you’ll find Scott’s experiences and willingness to share them is noteworthy in an excellent analysis of the implications of the Enochian system. Less

Joining us from Scotland is author and researcher Brian J. Allan. Brian has had a “lifelong fascination with the weird paradoxes of the occult and supernatural.” Brian is the author of “The View from the Abyss,” and the highly-acclaimed, “Rosslyn, Between Two Worlds.” Brian also runs the Paranormal Encounters Group, which investigates paranormal activity using a variety of methods. Based on his many years of research into occult paranormal phenomena, he has also written a number of excellent articles on a variety of subjects. Listen as Brian describes some of his most interesting research, including some new findings at Rosslyn Chapel that are truly revelatory! Less

John Crow is devotee of Thelema. His podcast, “Thelema Coast to Coast,” is quite popular as it highlights the current state of the Thelemic community, the published works of Aleister Crowley, the Ordo Templi Orientis, and other related subjects. John joins us to discuss his podcast, his thoughts on Thelema, his expulsion from the O.T.O. and reasons for it, the problems within organizational hierarchies, and lineage assertions. Thanks again to John for spending some of his very limited free time with us! relevant links: Thelema Coast to Coast — http://www.thelemacoasttocoast.com/ The Treasure House of Pearls (John’s blog) — http://www.thelema.nu/ Less

I’m very pleased to introduce Synkronos23 (http://synkronos23.vox.com/). She’s a truthseeker and researcher of many, if not all, the same topics that listeners of this show are familiar with – the occult, astrology, ancient civilizations, the origins of religion (astrotheology), magick, secret societies, and conspiracy. In this episode, we discuss some of her recent articles, including ancient Egyptian Mystery initiation, Columbia, and mainly Alistair Crowley and what she describes as “The Crowley Conspiracy.” Thanks again Synkronos23! Less