The Orphic Hymns - Magick's Oldest Liturgy (re-broadcast)

On Thursday September 25th, 2014 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon
will present a discussion of The Orphic Hymns which are the Western Esoteric
Tradition's oldest liturgy. These hymns to the planets, the gods and
goddesses, the stars and all aspects of ancient Greek mythology were used by
the Orphic sect before the Golden Age of Greece, in the days of Pythagoras,
to guide the dead souls on their spiritual journey up through the celestial
spheres and into the realm of the zodiac and beyond. This was a special and
separate aspect of Greek mysticism which had its influence on Pythagoras`,
the Gnostics, the Mythraites, and the Italian Renaissance Hermetics. Most
recently Christopher Warnock has included the hymns in his "Planetary
Magick." We will concentrate on the 18th century Thomas Taylor
translation -- which we use -- and read a Robert Graves poem combining a
number of Orphic memorials into a connected instruction which may have
played some part in the Elusinian Mysteries. So. if you want to know what
that strange stuff they sing to harp music accompaniment at the beginning of
Seasonals, then tune in and we'll take you back three thousand years.