Podcast Episodes
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Don’t Spill the Beans: Pythagorean Silence
One of the key legacies of ancient Pythagoreanism is its mystique of esoteric silence. We examine the figure of the late-antique 'Pythagorean' philos…
8 years, 8 months ago
The Enigma of Pythagoreanism
The historical journey from a holy man specialising in soul-manipulation to a fertile philosophic movement innovating in advanced mathematics, astron…
8 years, 8 months ago
The Enigma of Pythagoras
Pythagoras of Samos is revered in the western esoteric traditions as the founder of mathematical mysteries, the discoverer of musical harmony, and th…
8 years, 8 months ago
For the Love of Wisdom: The Birth of Philosophy
When we look at the origins of Greek philosophy, we rightly emphasise man's desire to understand the world and his place in it. But there was much mo…
8 years, 8 months ago
Methodologies for the Study of Mysticism
How can we even talk about mysticism, if we define mysticism as a phenomenon involving ineffable experiences? This episode negotiates the mind-bendin…
8 years, 9 months ago
From Mystery to ‘Mysticism’
What is the relationship between the ancient initiatory rituals known as mystery-cults and the modern concept of 'mysticism'? In this episode we surv…
8 years, 9 months ago
Richard Seaford on the Mysteries
With the inimitable Prof. Seaford as our mystagogue, we explore the world of the ancient Greek mystery-cults, the crucial source for western esoteric…
8 years, 9 months ago
The Long Secret History of Judaism, Part I
The Jews and Judaism are at the very core of western cuture and of western esotericism. This episode touches on the history of the early Jewish peopl…
8 years, 9 months ago
Prayer to the Gods of Night: The Near-Eastern Roots of Astrology
The earliest known science of astrology developed in Mesopotamia as one and the same science as the first known astronomy. We chart the earliest know…
8 years, 10 months ago
Esoteric Orientalism Part II: The Greeks are Always Children?
The ancient Greeks tell us that they acquired their knowledge of disciplines like philosophy, geometry, and astronomy from their near-eastern neighbo…
8 years, 10 months ago