Podcast episodes – The Secret History of Western Esotericism Podcast (SHWEP) Earl Fontainelle
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- Education
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Exploring the forgotten and rejected story of Western thought
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Dylan Burns on Proclus the Successor
We welcome Dylan Burns back to the podcast to discuss the life, works, and philosophy of Proclus the Successor. ‘All in all, but appropriately to each’
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Hierocles of Alexandria and the Pythagorean Golden Verses
We discuss Hierocles of Alexandria, strudent of Plutarch of Athens made good. He wrote an esoteric commentary on the poem known as the Golden Verses of the Pythagoreans. The poem is full of good advice and the Commentary tells us a lot about the nature and purification of the luminous subtle body.
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The Great God Pan Lives: Introducing the Athenian Academy
We turn to the final flowering of polytheist Platonist philosophy, centred on Athens (and Alexandria). We review some useful historical data, discuss the history of ‘the Academy’ as a notional ‘school’ in antiquity, and introduce Plutarch of Athens and Syrianus, teachers of the great Proclus.
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Ↄ. Martiana on Martianus Capella and the Marriage of Philology and Mercury
We discuss Martianus Capella and his extraordinary and vexing philological ascent-account, the Marriage of Philology and Mercury. Ↄ. Martiana guides us through a geocentric kosmos where liberal arts are planetary spheres, gods are physical elements, the planets are daimones, but absolutely nothing is as it seems.
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Macrobius and the Commentary on Scipio’s Dream
We explore the rich seam of late-antique esoteric lore that is Macrobius' Commentary on the Dream of Scipio. We discuss who Macrobius was, what he wrote, what he wrote about, and introduce who read him later on. He emerges as a crucial transmitter of astrologised, arithmologically-informed Platonism to the Latin west in the middle ages.
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Augustine of Hippo: Saint of the Exoteric
We discuss Augustine the anti-esotericist, who denies that Christianity has any esoteric dimensions. He employs the esoteric to do so. Can you trust a guy who does that?
Customer Reviews
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My favourite podcast! Can we get some merch please?
Esoteric Teachings for all levels
Brilliant podcast set at an easy pace that should make historians, theologians or just the curious happy! Excellent depth of knowledge and understanding explained in a clear and transparent way, flashes of humour too to keep things light. Brilliant podcast.
Academic on western esotericism but fun
Everything out there on western esotericism is full of magical thinking but this one is different. It is academic, rigorous and factual but at the same time fun. Everyone involved really loves the subject and it shows. Probably the best source on western esotericism and tangentially classic philosophy and theology.