ESOTERICA
ESOTERICA
0
Dr. Justin Sledge explores the arcane in history, philosophy, and religion, covering topics such as alchemy, magic, Kabbalah, mysticism, hermetic philosophy, theosophy, and the occult using academic scholarship. The podcast also offers a study guide, rare occult books, and merchandise for enthusiasts.
Episodios
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Esoteric Film Review and Analysis - A Dark Song 09.10.2026 14mA review and analysis of the 2016 film A Dark Song. I'll be discussing the esoteric and occult aspects of the film including the Abramelin operation, Aleister Crowley's infamous invocation at Boleskine, and some thoughts on how the film deals with the Faustian trope in a novel manner.A whole video on the Abramelin operation will appear in the future as part of Esoterica's series on books of magic - stay tuned!Support Esoterica on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannelRecommended Readings:A Dark Song trailer and rent - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-S3JqJZJ3sDehn, Guth, Duquette - The Book of Abramelin: A New Translation - 978-0892542147 - The best edition of the text (sadly, no critical edition of the text exists to date)Mathers - The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage - 978-0486232119 - Classic but defectiveSadly, it appears that Crowley's Confessions are out of print and very exspensive but I am sure they can be found onlineThe Boleskine House Foundation - https://www.boleskinehouse.org/ - contact them to help restore this important piece of Scottish and Esoteric history!#occult #abramelin #crowley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Necromancy - How to Read a Historical Book of Magic / Necromancy - Reading a Real Necronomicon 09.10.2026 54mThis episode celebrates 1000 Subscribers! This time we answers fans of the channel's request for an analysis of a historical book of magic. What if you were to stumble onto an actual copy of the something like the Necronomicon of HP Lovecraft / Evil Dead lore? How would you go about actually reading it? Here, we discuss at length, the various processes scholars perform to understand medieval books - from book binding, to writing media, to medieval Latin and the complex set of abbreviations that often encode the writing of the middle ages - by looking at a page from CLM 849 or the Munich Necromancer's Manual. As you will see, this specific spell is uses demonic magic to produce a magical cloak capable of rendering the magus invisible to all all manner of beings.Uploaded 26-06-20Recommended Readings:Richard Kieckhefer - Forbidden Rites: A Necromancer’s Manual of the Fifteenth Century - ISBN-13: 978-0271017518 Bernhard Bischoff - Latin Palaeography: Antiquity and the Middle Ages - 978-0521367264You can also enter for the manuscript just contacting me via my website (https://www.justinsledge.com/contact) with favorite reflections on an episode - I don't this to be strictly based on patron support and that helps to meet legal guidelines so you don't need to pay anything at all to enter!#magic #necromancy #manuscript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Kabbalah + Alchemy + Magic - The Refiner's Fire - אש מצרף - Transmutation and Jewish Mystical Theurgy 09.10.2026 25mAlchemy and Kabbalah are a match made in heaven. In this episode we explore a text which combines alchemy, kabbalah and magic into a united theory of both mystical theurgy and the transformation of nature - the Esh M'tzaref or The Refiner's Fire ( אש מצרף ). Here we find gematria, magic squares and an amazing combination of alchemical theory and practice along with synthesized with the sefirot of the Kabbalah and just a dash of magic!Uploaded 05-02-21Recommending Readings:Patai - The Jewish Alchemists - 9780691006420Kabbalah Denudata - https://www.google.com/books/edition/Kabbala_denudata_seu_Doctrina_Hebraeorum/yIlOquc5yOUC?hl=en&gbpv=0Linden, Stanton J. (ed.) The Alchemy Reader: From Hermes Trismegistus to Isaac Newton. 978-0521796620. Nicely edited collection of alchemical primary texts.Principe, Lawrence. The Secrets of Alchemy. 978-0226103792. An up-to-date history of alchemy.Newman, William. Newton the Alchemist: Science, Enigma, and the Quest for Nature's "Secret Fire" 978-0691174877. Cutting edge research on alchemy in the 17th century. Roob, Alexander(ed.) Alchemy and Mysticism. 978-3836549363. A collection of alchemical imagery and symbolism, also a nice coffee table book!Spiritual / Psychology School of Interpretation Atwood, Mary Anne. A Suggestive Inquiry into the Hermetic Mystery….(many re-print editions). The first text to introduce the ‘spiritual interpretation” of alchemy.Eliade, Mircea. The Forge and the Crucible: The Origins and Structure of Alchemy. 978-0226203904. Religious-philosophical interpretation of alchemy.von Franz, Marie-Louise. Alchemy: An Introduction to the Symbolism and the Psychology. 978-0919123045. An introduction to the Jungian psychological interpretation of alchemy.#alchemy #kabbalah #magic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Introduction to Merkavah Mysticism - 1 of 15 - To Ascend in Peace 09.10.2026 56mWelcome to our seminar on Merkavah MysticismUploaded 22-07-25Hundreds of years prior to the rise of the Kabbalah, shaman-like rabbinic mystics were described as having made the terrifying and awe-inspiring descent into the Divine Palaces. There they met with and bypassed fearsome angels with magical codes, gained control over angelic powers, became transformed into beings of fire, gained vast wisdom and mounted the very throne of G!d to carefully measure the vast dimensions of the divine body. These experiences and their praxes are recorded in about 50 manuscripts now known as the Hekhalot (lit. palaces) literature. Outside of specialists this late-classical form of (a)(de)scent mysticism is poorly understood and little appreciated. In this course, we will explore the foundations, social origins, myth-world, praxes and the afterlife of Merkavah Mysticism. Consider Supporting Esoterica!Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannelOne Time Donation Support - Paypal Donation - https://www.paypal.me/esotericachannelMerch - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoydhtfFSk1fZXNRnkGnneQ/storeNew to Studying Esotericism? Check out my Reading Guide here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharingRare Occult Books - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/Course Syllabus: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1URUIb_AkZGM3hXzTnPFAwQYkZf_WgL0Q9wWWqSr2ug0/edit?usp=sharingCourse Materials: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-93Z0g92p4xMTFRjk5KznFvh65oRjFAo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Introduction to Merkavah Mysticism - 3a of 15 - The Apocalyptic Matrix 09.10.2026 1h 3mWelcome to our seminar on Merkavah MysticismUploaded 05-08-25Hundreds of years prior to the rise of the Kabbalah, shaman-like rabbinic mystics were described as having made the terrifying and awe-inspiring descent into the Divine Palaces. There they met with and bypassed fearsome angels with magical codes, gained control over angelic powers, became transformed into beings of fire, gained vast wisdom and mounted the very throne of G!d to carefully measure the vast dimensions of the divine body. These experiences and their praxes are recorded in about 50 manuscripts now known as the Hekhalot (lit. palaces) literature. Outside of specialists this late-classical form of (a)(de)scent mysticism is poorly understood and little appreciated. In this course, we will explore the foundations, social origins, myth-world, praxes and the afterlife of Merkavah Mysticism. Consider Supporting Esoterica!Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannelOne Time Donation Support - Paypal Donation - https://www.paypal.me/esotericachannelMerch - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoydhtfFSk1fZXNRnkGnneQ/storeNew to Studying Esotericism? Check out my Reading Guide here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharingRare Occult Books - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/Course Syllabus: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1URUIb_AkZGM3hXzTnPFAwQYkZf_WgL0Q9wWWqSr2ug0/edit?usp=sharingCourse Materials: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-93Z0g92p4xMTFRjk5KznFvh65oRjFAo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Roman Ghost Story - Pliny and the Stoic in a Haunted House - Read in Latin 09.10.2026 26mThere is a longstanding tradition - though nearly extinct now - of telling ghost stories around Christmas-time. In this episode of Esoterica we are going to conjure the tradition up by exploring a Roman ghost story recounted by Pliny the Younger. Here we find a Stoic philosopher in a house haunted by a chain-shaking specter. We'll discover all the classic haunted house tropes here dating back nearly 2000 years! I'll also be reading the tale aloud in both Latin and English if you want to hear it as well.Uploaded 25-12-20Recommended Reading:Pliny's letters in Latin - http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Plin.+Ep.+7.27The Latter in English - http://www.attalus.org/old/pliny7.html (scroll down to the Sura )Ogden - Magic, Witchcraft and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds - 978-0195385205#latin #ghoststory #stoicism Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Alchemy - Origins of Alchemy in Europe - First Alchemy Book - The Composition of Alchemy ( 1144 ) 09.10.2026 34mAlchemy is one of the more obscure aspect of western esotericism and the history of science. In this episode of Esoterica, we explore the first known European alchemical text The Book of the Composition of Alchemy (Liber de compositione alchemiae) translated from the Kitab al-Kimya (from the circle of Jabbir ibn Hayyan c. 8th CE) by Robert of Chester on February 11th 1144. The book features in microcosm much that will become commonplace in the alchemical tradition: romantic tales of holy masters, the stone of the philosophers, the transmutation of substances, the famous Green Lion, and more. By studying this foundational alchemical text we may better understand the history of alchemy and chemistry.Uploaded 04-12-20Recommended Reading and Links:Stavenhagen - A Testament Of Alchemy - 978-0874510959Al-Hassan - THE ARABIC ORIGINAL OF LIBER DE COMPOSITIONE ALCHEMIAE The Epistle of Maryānus, the Hermit and Philosopher, to Prince Khālid ibn Yazīd - https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/arabic-sciences-and-philosophy/article/abs/arabic-original-of-liber-de-compositione-alchemiae-the-epistle-of-maryanus-the-hermit-and-philosopher-to-prince-khalid-ibn-yazid/BD9E8994AF1B205A13B1498DE548DCA5Auriferae artis (Latin text) - https://www.google.com/books/edition/Auriferae_artis_quam_chemiam_vocant_anti/A2FWAAAAcAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0Alchemy website - https://www.alchemywebsite.com/Purchase some of Adam McLean's art - https://www.ebay.com/str/Esoteric-paintingsLinden, Stanton J. (ed.) The Alchemy Reader: From Hermes Trismegistus to Isaac Newton. 978-0521796620. Nicely edited collection of alchemical primary texts.Principe, Lawrence. The Secrets of Alchemy. 978-0226103792. An up-to-date history of alchemy.Newman, William. Newton the Alchemist: Science, Enigma, and the Quest for Nature's "Secret Fire" 978-0691174877. Cutting edge research on alchemy in the 17th century. Roob, Alexander(ed.) Alchemy and Mysticism. 978-3836549363. A collection of alchemical imagery and symbolism, also a nice coffee table book!Spiritual / Psychology School of Interpretation Atwood, Mary Anne. A Suggestive Inquiry into the Hermetic Mystery….(many re-print editions). The first text to introduce the ‘spiritual interpretation” of alchemy.Eliade, Mircea. The Forge and the Crucible: The Origins and Structure of Alchemy. 978-0226203904. Religious-philosophical interpretation of alchemy.von Franz, Marie-Louise. Alchemy: An Introduction to the Symbolism and the Psychology. 978-0919123045. An introduction to the Jungian psychological interpretation of alchemy.#alchemy #hermetic #transmutation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
SOLD OUT! Join @ESOTERICA and @Atun-Shei Films Tour of Esoteric New England 2026 09.10.2026 5mJoin Andy Rakich (Atun-Shei Films) and Dr. Justin Sledge (Esoterica) for an October tour of Esoteric New England, October 9-16 2026:Uploaded 31-10-25Purchase Tickets here - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/shop/p/esoteric-new-england-with-andy-justin-october-2026Donate to the budget of "The Alchemist" ► https://www.paypal.me/atunsheifilmsThe tour will start in rural Rhode Island visiting forgotten King Philip's War battlefields, then pass through Providence to see H.P. Lovecraft's old neighborhood. Entering Massachusetts, we'll visit New Bedford, historic center of the whaling industry, and get to see living history sites at Plimoth Patuxet Museums. We'll enjoy fireside drinks in an early 18th century haunted house, explore Walden Pond and the sites where the Revolutionary War began, and check out the headquarters of a Puritan alchemist. Finally, we'll wrap things up (where else) in Salem, center of the 1692 witchcraft delusion and the Halloween capital of America. Full itinerary will be sent upon ticket purchase.Exact times will be provided closer to the start of the tour.This tour will be primarily a fundraiser for Andy and Justin’s short “The Alchemist” with the hopes of eventually producing a feature length version. You’ll get to see scripts, our look-book, and help shape our vision for the project: an attempt to center historically accurate alchemy in film.What’s Included: A week of on-location tours, education, meals, drinks and hang-outs with Andy and Justin. What’s NOT included: Airfare, hotels, transportation, meals, drinks, site tickets. This will be a bit of gonzo tourism. Participants will have access to a private discord server to coordinate shared hotels, overland transportation to sites, etc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Introduction to Merkavah Mysticism - 8 of 15 - Who is Able to See it? 09.10.2026 1h 9mWelcome to our seminar on Merkavah MysticismUploaded 25-09-25Hundreds of years prior to the rise of the Kabbalah, shaman-like rabbinic mystics were described as having made the terrifying and awe-inspiring descent into the Divine Palaces. There they met with and bypassed fearsome angels with magical codes, gained control over angelic powers, became transformed into beings of fire, gained vast wisdom and mounted the very throne of G!d to carefully measure the vast dimensions of the divine body. These experiences and their praxes are recorded in about 50 manuscripts now known as the Hekhalot (lit. palaces) literature. Outside of specialists this late-classical form of (a)(de)scent mysticism is poorly understood and little appreciated. In this course, we will explore the foundations, social origins, myth-world, praxes and the afterlife of Merkavah Mysticism. Consider Supporting Esoterica!Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannelOne Time Donation Support - Paypal Donation - https://www.paypal.me/esotericachannelMerch - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoydhtfFSk1fZXNRnkGnneQ/storeNew to Studying Esotericism? Check out my Reading Guide here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharingRare Occult Books - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/Course Syllabus: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1URUIb_AkZGM3hXzTnPFAwQYkZf_WgL0Q9wWWqSr2ug0/edit?usp=sharingCourse Materials: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-93Z0g92p4xMTFRjk5KznFvh65oRjFAo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
The Kabbalah of Christ - Foundations of Occult Qabalah 09.10.2026 37mHow did Jewish Kabbalah become Hermetic Qabalah? To understand that process we have to go back to the late 17th century. There, we find one of the most important translations of Kabbalah in von Rosenroth's mammoth Kabbalah Denudata. Attached in the second volume is an introduction to Kabbalah which inverts centuries of Christian appropriation. Rather than conforming Kabbalah to Christianity, Franciscus Mercurius van Helmont argues that the Lurianic Kabbalah is the true Christianity. This dramatic - and heretical - shift, signals the origins of Qabalah that is neither Jewish nor Christian, but a Hermetic Qabalah. Thus, the origins of the Qabalah as most contemporary occultists know it.Uploaded 11-07-25Consider Supporting Esoterica!Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannelOne Time Donation Support - Paypal Donation - https://www.paypal.me/esotericachannelMerch - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoydhtfFSk1fZXNRnkGnneQ/storeNew to Studying Esotericism? Check out my Reading Guide here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharingRare Occult Books - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/Recommended Readings:Spector - Francis Mercury Van Helmont's Sketch of Christian KabbalismCoudert - Leibniz and the Kabbalah Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Why the Historical Jesus Matters - Conversation with @JamesTaborVideos 09.10.2026 1h 49mDr. James Tabor, renowned scholar of the early Jesus movement, and I discuss the early world of the Jesus Movement, John the Baptist and the Apocalyptic origins of the movement.Uploaded 29-08-25Find Dr. Tabor on Youtube - @JamesTaborVideos Dr. Tabor's blog - https://jamestabor.com/Dr. Tabor's books - https://amzn.to/4lTCNfH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
A Primer on Western Esotericism 09.10.2026 14mAn introduction to the relatively new field of western esotericism focusing on the scope of field including magic, mysticism, alchemy, theosophy, and more; several of the dominant academic approaches to the field; where to study western esotericism at the university levelSupport Esoterica on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannelRecommended Readings:Antoine Faivre - Western Esotericism: A Concise History - ISBN-13: 978-1438433783Arthur Versluis - Magic and Mysticism: An Introduction to Western Esoteric Traditions - ISBN-13: 978-0742558366Kocku Von Stuckrad - Western Esotericism - A Brief History of Secret Knowledge - ISBN-13: 978-1844657476Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke - The Western Esoteric Traditions: A Historical Introduction - ISBN-13: 978-0195320992Wouter J. Hanegraaff - Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed - ISBN-13: 978-1441136466#esotericism #occultism #hermeticism Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
The Philosophy of Witchcraft 09.10.2026 53mThe apex of the Witch Trials coincided with the emergence of Modern Philosophy. But, what did these new philosophers think about Witches, Witchcraft, Demonology and the trials raging around them? From Agrippa, Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza and beyond, let's explore how the major philosophers of early modernity reasoned about the realm of the supernatural and witchcraft. Uploaded 17-10-25Consider Supporting Esoterica!Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannelOne Time Donation Support - Paypal Donation - https://www.paypal.me/esotericachannelMerch - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoydhtfFSk1fZXNRnkGnneQ/storeNew to Studying Esotericism? Check out my Reading Guide here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharingRare Occult Books - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/Recommended Readings:Levack - The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europehttps://amzn.to/3xqE1vrLevack - The Witchcraft Sourcebookhttps://amzn.to/3xn6B0MPeters - Witchcraft in Europe, 400-1700: A Documentary Historyhttps://amzn.to/4aP0LUCMackay - The Hammer of Witches: A Complete Translation of the Malleus Maleficarumhttps://amzn.to/4cRfIHyClark - Thinking with Demons: The Idea of Witchcraft in Early Modern Europehttps://amzn.to/4cS3JtkHutton - The Witch https://amzn.to/43TnyML Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
How Medieval Incantations Worked 09.10.2026 29mMagical and medicine have long shared a contested border. However, with the introduction of learned medicine into Europe, magical incantations were increasingly sidelined for Galenic principles and practice. However, Urso of Salerno (d. c. 1220) rejected both Church skepticism and Galenic orthodoxy by incorporating Incantations into his medical practice. In his Aphorisms Urso provides one of the most sophisticated theories for the function and application of magical Incantations. Let's explore how medieval incantations worked!Uploaded 05-12-25Consider Supporting Esoterica!Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannelMerch - https://www.youtube.com/@TheEsotericaChannel/storeNew to Studying Esotericism? Check out my Reading Guide here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharingRare Occult Books - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/Recommended Reading:Van der Lugt - The Learned Physician as a Charismatic HealerBulletin of the History of MedicineVol. 87, No. 3 (Fall 2013), pp. 307-346 (40 pages)https://www.jstor.org/stable/26305934 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Who was Asherah - Wife of Yahweh? 09.10.2026 43mDid Yahweh have a Wife? Asherah is an goddess and cultic object well, though mysteriously, attested in the Hebrew Bible - but what do we really know about Asherah? Let's explore the the history of this goddess: divine matriarch, consort and power behind the throne. From ancient Babylon, the Hittite Empire, the Canaanites, the Hebrew Bible and South Arabian texts let's see what we can learn about this goddess. Do recently discovered inscriptions even indicate that she was the lost or even suppressed Wife of Yahweh? And, how does the Kabbalah restore Asherah as the Divine Feminine? Let's explore the history and mythology of Asherah.Uploaded 07-11-25Consider Supporting Esoterica!Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannelOne Time Donation Support - Paypal Donation - https://www.paypal.me/esotericachannelMerch - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoydhtfFSk1fZXNRnkGnneQ/storeNew to Studying Esotericism? Check out my Reading Guide here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharingRare Occult Books - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/Recommended Readings:Did God Have a Wife? - https://amzn.to/4oweMOeA Reassessment of Asherah - https://amzn.to/3Lpy3CbThe Cult of Asherah in Ancient Israel and Judah - https://amzn.to/47rcM3G Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Magic and Disease - Thinking about the history of magic in the time of COVID-19 08.10.2026 13mHuman beings have fought disease since the dawn of history employing a wide range of tools especially including magic. This episode of Esoterica is a brief tour of some of the magical tools, spells, charms, and amulets magician-doctors have used in their fight against illness through the ages. We begin at the dawn of civilization in ancient Nippur and travel through the times of the Greco-Egyptians, the black death, medieval Christian England, the Renaissance before ending with a Jewish angelic incantation against illness printed in Amsterdam in 1701. Of course, this is only a glimpse of the enormous anti-disease magic out there but I hope it provide some historical and human insight into this ongoing struggle with COVID-19 we are all enduring. I hope you and your loved ones stay safe out there!Uploaded 24-07-20#magic #disease #history Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Kabbalah and Zohar - Advice and Tips for Starting to Study the Zohar - the core text of the Kabbalah 08.10.2026 43mI was recently asked about tips for how to start studying the Zohar, the core text in the development of the Jewish Mystical tradition or Kabbalah. I've been study this incredibly challenging text from both religious and academic perspectives for years and here are some tips and advice for anyone - Jewish, non-Jewish, academic, secular, occultist, or just fan of literature - for starting to study this amazing text. Also note the links to the texts below including some recommendations for editions to study at any level of Zohar study.Uploaded 16-06-20Sample Section of Talmud - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RLHGFBVl79KWYav7HSgAMblU7Q5lOP4RpTBSjm47tA4/edit?usp=sharingZohar Editions from Starter to AdvancedZohar: Annotated and Explained - 978-1893361515 - Best text for absolute beginnerZohar: The Book of Enlightenment (Classics of Western Spirituality) - 978-0809123872 - More diverse texts, still great for absolute beginnerThe Pritzker Zohar in 12 volumes - https://www.sup.org/zohar/ - Best translation in EnglishSefer Zohar (Hebrew/Aramaic) - Margaliot 3 volume edition - Standard edition for both Academic and Religious referenceFrom here, move on to both academic and religious commentariesThe Zohar can be incredibly challenging to study. Here is a short syllabus in graduated form from easier (Midrash haNe'elam) to more difficult (Idra Rabba) sections:Midrash haNe'elam / The Hidden Midrash - (2:4a–5b, 14a–22a, 2:35b–40b 46b-47b and volume 11 of the Pritzker Zohar vol. 11 )The Sava (2:94b–114a - Pritzker Zohar vol. 5) and Yanuka pericopes (3:186a–92a - Pritzker Zohar vol. 9)The main body of the Zohar - The Introduction being a real challengeIdra Zuta or the The Lesser Assembly (3:287b–96b - Pritzker Zohar vol. 9)Sifra di-Tzeni'uta (2:176b–179a - Pritzker Zohar vol. 9)Idra Rabba or The Greater Assembly (3:127b–145a - Pritzker Zohar vol. 8)#kabbalah #zohar #mysticism Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Greek Roman Egyptian Magic - Greek Magical Papyri - Books of Magic 08.10.2026 45mWe explore the earliest collection of magical texts in the ancient world - The Greek Magical Papyri (PGM) and the Egyptian Demotic spells. The PGM is the greatest collection of ancient magic. Written on papyrus these collections of spells, incantations, evocations, represent the rich cross-pollination between various cultures, religious systems, and forms of magic and divination. From Egyptian, Roman, Jewish, Greek cultures and religions emerges an amazing religious and magical syncretism. This video introduces the PGM and discusses a collection of spells including: an invisibility lotion, the invocation of Helios, a rare example of lesbian love magic, a curse for your boss, magical athletic ability, protection from demons, an anger management spell and more. This video is part of a series on books of magic in history - subscribe for future videos!Uploaded 15-05-20Support Esoterica on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannelRecommended Readings:Betz - The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation - 978-0226044477Ankarloo and Clark - Witchcraft and Magic in Europe vol II - Ancient Greece and Rome - 978-0812217056Ogden - Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman World - 978-0195385205Waston - Magic in Ancient Greece and Rome - 978-1788312981Harris - Ancient Egyptian Magic - 978-1578635917#magic #egyptan #greek Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
The Evolution of Ghosts 08.10.2026 42mGhosts have a history. Despite seeming like a timeless aspect of religion, metaphysics and culture, ghosts have evolved through time. From polemics with 'pagan' Romans, encounters with Germanic mythology and combat with Enlightenment Rationalism, Ghosts have greatly transformed through time. Let's explore the evolution of the western Ghost.Uploaded 10-10-25Consider Supporting Esoterica!Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannelOne Time Donation Support - Paypal Donation - https://www.paypal.me/esotericachannelMerch - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoydhtfFSk1fZXNRnkGnneQ/storeNew to Studying Esotericism? Check out my Reading Guide here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharingRare Occult Books - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/Recommended Readings:Medieval Ghost Stories: An Anthology of Miracles, Marvels and Prodigies - https://amzn.to/437On0cGhosts in the Middle Ages: The Living and the Dead in Medieval Society - https://amzn.to/3IX7pQ3Afterlives: The Return of the Dead in the Middle Ages - https://amzn.to/4344vjh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Dead Sea Scrolls : Encoded Cryptic Astrological Calendar and Copper Treasure Scrolls 08.10.2026 25mThe Dead Sea Scrolls are one of the most spectacular and important archaeological finds of all time. While the Biblical, Non-Canonical and Sectarian texts are more or less well known there remains many esoteric texts have also surfaced. In this episode of Esoterica we explore the enciphered calendar texts traceable to the Book of Enoch, the oldest astrological texts in Judaism, divination by thunder, encoded sectarian texts and even a treasure map cryptically detailing the location of over 100 tons of gold and silver.Uploaded 11-09-20Recommended Readings:Collins - The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Biography - 978-0691191713Vermes - The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English - 978-0141197319Lim and Collins - The Oxford Handbook of the Dead Sea Scrolls - 978-0199663088Stern - Calendars in Antiquity: Empires, States, and Societies - 978-0199589449Ben-Dov - Head of All Years: Astronomy and Calendars at Qumran in Their Ancient Context - 978-9004170889Discoveries in the Judaean Desert - https://global.oup.com/academic/content/series/d/discoveries-in-the-judaean-desert-djd/and Articles by Stephen Pfann#deadseascrolls #astrology #treasure Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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