Thoth-hermes Podcast

My guest in this episode is author and scholar Stewart Clelland who recently published a book, ‘The Green Book of the Élus Coëns’, which reflects the main topic of this episode, the very particular ‘Order of Knight-Masons Elect Priests of the Universe’, the Élus Coëns. Stewart Clelland was born and raised in the West of Scotland, in an area where freemasonry is part of the culture on a rather low-key basis. Having been drawn to writings of Nietzsche and Kant from an early age Stewart studied philosophy and later Western Esotericism at the University of Exeter. His goal was nothing else than to understand the spiritual tradition of masonry and the common boundaries of esotericism and freemasonry as well as where they do overlap indeed. Stewart’s research led him to the Élus Coëns, ‘The Order of Knight-Masons Elect Priests of the Universe’, which was founded in 1767 by Martinez de Pasqually in France. Actually, this organisation which certainly had an influence upon later esoteric orders of the 19th century and

My guest in this episode does not need a lot of introduction. Mark Stavish is the Director of Studies for the Institute for Hermetic Studies and has more than 25 years of experience in comparative religion, philosophy, psychology, mysticism and of course Traditional Western Esotericism. His books are internationally well-known and equally appreciated among students and teachers of the occult. Mark Stavish started the Institute for Hermetic Studies out of the idea of a local study group back in 1997. From there it grew steadily and soon offered not only seminars and workshops to which people were willing to drive long hours but also published study guides in readable forms that originated in recordings of some of the seminars and workshops. The Institute provides a complete overview of the essential ideas and practices of Western Esotericism. As promised in the episode, by clicking either on the above image or here, you will access the registration for that free 6-hour co

In this week’s episode, I’m very pleased to welcome author, teacher and practitioner of quite a few different (or not so different) occult traditions, Chris Allaun. Chris has published no fewer than five books in four years, the most recent fifth one, A Guide of Spirits, will be out on October 1, 2021 and we’ll be talking about it of course during our conversation. Chris grew up in a fairly spiritual family of Presbyterian Christians with a psychic mother who used to talk to him about ghosts and dreams, visions, spirits and angels. As long as they came from god, they were kind of acceptable. However, Chris soon found out that his connection to nature played a huge role in what he perceived to be the divine so at age 17 he started to read books on paganism and witchcraft and kept this interest to himself until his later college years. Due to his partly Cherokee Native American heritage Chris soon decided to dive deeper into indigenous spirituality, especially Lakota and Apache traditions. In 2000 the first for

My guest in this episode probably does not need a lot of introduction, please welcome author and High Priest of the Temple of Set for many years, Don Webb. From his early childhood on Don Webb was a weird child who growing up in Amarillo, Texas, benefited of two working parents and quite a few unsupervised hours after school. The TV show ‘Dark Shadows’ had a particular fascination on Don and he discovered at age 11-12 that séances might indeed work. During his college years Don explored Carlos Castaneda’s work and experimented with altered realities but found them not to be sufficient in taking him closer to what he was searching for. After basically having disengaged himself from spirituality at age 28, Don found the Temple of Set and decided to give it a try. Stephen Flowers, Ph.D., and Michael Aquino were both big influences on him and after moving rather quickly through the ranks Don became High Priest of the Temple in the early 90s. As there was a lot of misinformation out there on the Temple and its wor

Please welcome with me this week’s guest, Zemaemidjehuty Setepentoth, author with Theion Publishing, teacher at The Blackthorne School, expert on ancient Egyptian occult knowledge and magic and founder and Reverend of The Church of Flesh and Feather in Illinois. Zemmi, as he prefers to be called for the sake of keeping his name from being pronounced in rather creative ways, grew up in the mid-west, a deep Christian part of the US where the community demanded becoming Christian without offering resources or explanations. Due to the lack of being able to experience the divine within these narrow boundaries Zemmi started exploring different religions in his area as he felt a need for spirituality but couldn’t find the necessary elements there to develop it properly. However, a rather dramatic epiphany happened in Rome, Missouri, that we’ll be talking about in detail which ultimately inspired Zemmi to devote himself to the god Thoth. From then resources seemed to open up showing the path further ahead of him. Maj

Please welcome this week's guest on the show, Sara Mastros from Pittsburgh who teaches witchcraft, Greek and Near Eastern mythology, Jewish Kabbalah, Pythagorean Mysticism, and practical sorcery online, and at festivals all over the East Coast. Sara grew up in the Amish part of Pennsylvania although not Amish herself within a family that merged Greek and Jewish cultural backgrounds. Magic was not exactly taboo but it seemed that some family members hoped Sara would eventually grow out of this ‘episode’ which she was interested in from early age on. At age eight she ordered two books on witchcraft from a catalogue, namely ‘Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft’ and ‘Encyclopedia of White Magic’ by Paddy Slade. Those were the starting points of further explorations into the practice of witchcraft and magic which lead Sara to university libraries and further to the discovery of different grimoires. In the early 2000s, Sara began to work with the Greek Magical Papyri and then with the Orphic Hymns where some dou

My guest in this episode is Jack Fox-Williams, who graduated in philosophy and history at Goldsmith's University in London. Jack is a freelance writer in Cornwall, an amazing musician and vocalist and a curious-minded explorer of the relationship between science and occultism. Please pay special attention to the music played in the show as it is composed and performed by my guest himself. Jack Fox-Williams became interested in the occult at age 14-15 in discovering the writings of Aleister Crowley, like so many of us. He managed to look behind the veil of ‘forbidden knowledge’ which ultimately led him to many hours reading about history, psychology and philosophy and the bridges that connect these fields of research. Jack knows the world of academia quite well as he has studied not only history and philosophy but also holds a master in law. We’ll be talking a lot about his special interest in hermeticism, how and why it developed at a young age and how Jack is using it in order to expand his consciousness. Ja

Today's guest on the show is no other than widely read author, blogger, occultist, and former Grand Archdruid of the Ancient Order of Druids in America, John Michael Greer. We start engaging in a highly entertaining conversation with what it was like growing up in an American suburb in the 1960s/1970s when John Michael developed a sense for everything that appeared to be weird and labelled ‘rejected knowledge’. From his early childhood on the question that drove him through his entire life might be summed up with ‘What’s behind it?’. Indeed, what lies behind society and media that manipulated people then and still do in many different ways now? John Michael’s love for rejected or forbidden knowledge, the things people didn’t like to talk about led him to the world of occultism in his teen years and again his motivating question was what was going on within these circles. Engaging with groups happened at a later stage as John Michael preferred to work as a solitary practitioner from early on. After meeting his

In this brand new episode Rudolf has a fascinating conversation with Italian witch, High Priestess and teacher in the Temple of Ara tradition, Giulia Turolla. Having a background in academics, Giulia graduated with honours in Archaeology and Ancient World Cultures from the University of Bologna. Her focus is on ancient magical and religious technology and culture which she combines with her practice. Coming from an open minded Northern Italian family Giulia talks about her very first steps to Wiccan initiation in the beginning of 2000 in Italy where very few sources were available and even fewer people to connect with. She takes us on a journey exploring the diverse branches of Wicca and their different practical approaches and what role attorney, activist and one of the very first public witches in the USA Phyllis Currot played for her own personal path. Giulia has been leading circles for the Temple of Ara  in Italy since 2008 and actively teaching study groups and advanced workshops since 2012. Her persona

In this episode Rudolf welcomes legendary Jake Stratton-Kent who is one of the most knowledgeable authors and practitioners of grimoire magic and has been called the most notorious necromancer in England. Jake describes himself as a ‘very late Late Pagan’ which is a reference to his focus on the historical time where late Paganism overlaps with the early church period forming a fascinating and nurturing soil for magic as we think of it these days. Having started out as a solitary practitioner more than 40 years ago with Paul Huson’s ‘Mastering Witchcraft’ Jake worked his magical path through different techniques always seeking out the historical roots of ideas and ultimately coming back full circle to one of his very first interests, grimoire magic. Since then Jake has become a widely renowned authority on goetic workings and in this episode he shares why he was drawn to this kind of so-called ‘left-hand’ or ‘dark’ magic. Furthermore, Rudolf and Jake dive into the effectiveness of magic in general, necrom

My guest in this anniversary episode is photographer, author, stonecrafter, theologian, witch and devoted family man Daniel Yates (www.photophrenic.com) and we will be talking about existentialism, occultism and art, occult photography in particular, and how those tie in together. Daniel has been dedicating himself for more than 20 years to grassroot research into witchcraft practices in northern England. Having graduated at Liverpool Hope University in theology and religious studies his current postgraduate research focuses on seasonal effects on religious practices in pre-Roman Lancashire. Daniel’s photographic artwork for which he has received a variety of commendations and awards reflects major parts of his research. In June 2011 his art featured in two exhibitions in Liverpool and Manchester and a solo exhibition is scheduled for 2021. Daniel published his first book ‘Arcanum’ in October 2019 at Anathema Publishing (https://www.anathemapublishing.com/arcanum), the second one, ‘Poetica’, followed in Augus

In this very first episode of the brand new season 6, Rudolf welcomes Jonathan Goldman, M.A., talking about sound healing, harmonics and vibrations and how they affect us. Being an authority on healing with sound and a pioneer in the field of harmonics, Jonathan is probably best known for his numerous award-winning compositions like ‘The Lost Chord’, ‘The Divine Name’ (co-created with Gregg Braden) or ‘Holy Harmony’. Jonathan also provides three tracks to this episode presenting an impression of his amazing sound weaving skills. As an author Jonathan has published several much-acclaimed books like ‘Healing Sounds: The Power of Harmonics’ (Inner Traditions, https://www.innertraditions.com/books/healing-sounds), ‘The 7 Secrets of Sound Healing’ (Hay House, https://www.hayhouse.com/the-7-secrets-of-sound-healing-paperback-with-audio-download) or together with his wife Andi ‘Chakra Frequencies’ (Inner Traditions, https://www.innertraditions.com/books/chakra-frequencies), just to name a few. His book, ‘The Divine

AS PROMISED, AN INTERVIEW-ONLY EPISODE TODAY! I recorded this lovely talk with Canadian author RICHARD GAVIN back in September 2020, at the occasion of the release of his book "Grotesquerie". And it is MUCH MORE than an author talking about his books - we speak about the depths of initiation, artistry, occultism and psychology. While waiting for the new Season 6 to start on Easter Sunday, I am releasing this interview now. Just the interview with just a little explanatory intro, no music or other content. Hope you enjoy!

In this episode, Rudolf talks about a wide variety of aspects of being a scholar and an active esotericist, politics and the Occult, about Art and occultism, etc. to AMY HALE She is an Anthropologist and Folklorist specializing in modern Cornwall and contemporary esoteric history and culture. She has published academic and popular articles on topics such as modern Druidry, Cornish ethnonationalism, Arthurian lore, color theory, occult aesthetics, and extremist politics in modern Paganism. She has written widely on artist and occultist Ithell Colquhoun, and her biography of Colquhoun, Genius of the Fern Loved Gully, is available from Strange Attractor Press. (CLICK HERE TO BE BROUGHT TO THE PUBLISHER'S WEBSITE) She is also the editor of the forthcoming Essays on Women in Western Esotericism: Beyond Seeresses and Sea Priestesses (Palgrave Macmillan). She resides in Atlanta with her family, five cats, and a 250-year-old oak tree.   Other writings can be

She is certainly one of the most interesting young voices in the field of Occultism and Rudolf is very happy to welcome  GEORGIA VAN RAALTE in this Episode!   Georgia van Raalte is an academic, author, and Priestess of Babalon. She is a PhD candidate at the University of Surrey, where her research explores textual initiation, sexual magic, and the occult fiction of Dion Fortune. Her first book, The Priestess and Pearls: Rituals for the Journey to the Divine Feminine, features a series of rituals designed to re-integrate feminine subjectivity into ceremonial magic, and is published by Black Moon. She contributed to, co-edited and published MARAH, a new journal devoted to the art and practice of the divine feminine. Her second book, Approaching Babalon: Essays for the Abyss will be published by Templum Abyssi in Winter 2020. She runs Temple of Our Lady of the Abyss, a magical temple and ritual working group devoted to the Goddess Babalon, along with her partner. For the homepage of "The Temple of the Lady of th

Rudolf has the pleasure to welcome David Shoemaker on this new episode in a fascinating talk not only about O.T.O. and A.:A.:   Dr. David Shoemaker is a clinical psychologist in private practice, specializing in Jungian and cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy. David is the Chancellor and Prolocutor of the Temple of the Silver Star. He has been a member of O.T.O. and a student of A∴A∴ since 1993, and he has more than twenty years of experience supervising students in these organizations. David was the compiler of the TOTSS publication, Jane Wolfe: The Cefalu Diaries 1920-1923, and a co-editor of the collections of the writings of Phyllis Seckler (Soror Meral), The Thoth Tarot, Astrology, & Other Selected Writings, The Kabbalah, Magick, and Thelema. Selected Writings Volume II, and Collected Poems 1946-1996. He was also the co-editor of the collection of correspondence published as Karl Germer: Selected Letters 1928-1962. His popular book Living Thelema: A Practical Guide to Attainment in Aleister Crowley’s Sys

As an Academic Scholar on Western Esotericism, HENRIK BODGAN will be the first of a little series of personalities from that field to be interviewed on this podcast Henrik Bogdan is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Gothenburg. His main areas of research are Western esotericism, New Religious Movements and Freemasonry. He is the author of "Western Esotericism and Rituals of Initiation" (State University of New York Press, 2007), editor of "Brother Curwen, Brother Crowley: A Correspondence by Aleister Crowley and David Curwen" (Teitan Press, 2010); "Aleister Crowley and Western Esotericism" (Oxford University Press, 2012), "Occultism in a Global Perspective" (Acumen/Routledge, 2013), "Sexuality and New Religious Movements" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014), "Handbook of Freemasonry" (Brill Academic Publishers, 2014), "Kenneth Grant: A Bibliography" (Starfire Publishing, 2015), "Western Esotericism in Scandinavia" (Brill Academic Publishers, 2016), "Servants of the Star & the Snake: Essays in Honour

In this episode, we will have the opportunity to talk to almost a historical figure of modern Occultism:  PETER J. CARROLL Carroll's 1987 book Liber Null & Psychonaut is considered one of the defining works of the chaos magic movement. Carroll was a co-founder of the loosely organized group called the Illuminates of Thanateros. In 1995, Carroll announced his desire to step down from the "roles of magus and pontiff of chaos". Carroll has written columns for the Chaos International magazine currently edited by Ian Read, under the names Peter Carroll and Stokastikos, his magical name within the IOT. In 2005, he appeared as a chaos magic instructor at Maybe Logic Academy at the request of Robert Anton Wilson, and later founded Arcanorium Occult College with other known chaos magicians on staff including Lionel Snell, Ian Read and Jaq D. Hawkins. This experience re-awoke his interest in the subject of magic and he has since continued writing.   Click HERE to be brought to Peter J. Carroll's page

In this episode, Rudolf talks to New Zealand born artist and author Charlotte Rodgers, who now lives in the UK, about her background, her art, what her art means to her and why magic IS art! Charlotte Rodgers is an artist and author who is also an animist and nondenominational practising witch and magickian. She conceived and co-edited "A Contemporary Western Book of the Dead" and wrote "The Bloody Sacrifice" and "P is for Prostitution", all published by Mandrake of Oxford. Charlotte has had her work published in magazines which include The Cauldron, The Oracle and SilkMilk, and in anthologies published by Avalonia and Scarlet Imprint. She has spoken at Edinburgh, York and Leicester Universities; The Museum of Morbid Anatomy in New York; ‘Psychoanalysis Art and The Occult’ in London and at many other events and venues. In 2017 she was awarded an Arts Council grant to spend ten days investigating and blogging about the New York art world. The art of Charlotte Rodgers has been exhibited widely throughout the UK

​Our guest today, DEAN RADIN, PhD, is Chief Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Science (IONS), Distinguished Professor of Integral and Transpersonal Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), and a science adviser for several startup companies. His original career track as a concert violinist shifted into science after earning a BSEE degree in electrical engineering (magna cum laude and with honors in physics) from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and then a Masters in electrical engineering and PhD in psychology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. For a decade he worked on advanced R&D at AT&T Bell Laboratories and GTE Laboratories. For over three decades he has been engaged in research on the frontiers of consciousness. Before joining the research staff at IONS in 2001, he held appointments at Princeton University, University of Edinburgh, and SRI International (formerly known as Stanford [University] Research Institute). Find Dean Radin