Loading...

PODCAST

ESOTERICA

I"m Dr. Justin Sledge and welcome to Esoterica: Where we explore the arcane in history, philosophy, and religion. This channel produces content relating to topics such as alchemy, magic, Kabbalah, mysticism, hermetic philosophy, theosophy, the occult and more using the best academic scholarship currently available. Support Esoterica with Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannel New to Esotericism? Checkout out my Study Guide -

education philosophy

All Episodes

39:02

The Kabbalah of Christ - Foundations of Occult Qabalah

ESOTERICA ·

2026/10/04

How 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

en

56:29

Introduction to Merkavah Mysticism - 1 of 15 - To...

ESOTERICA ·

2026/10/04

Welcome 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

en

65:42

Introduction to Merkavah Mysticism - 2 of 15 -...

ESOTERICA ·

2026/10/04

Welcome to our seminar on Merkavah MysticismUploaded 29-07-25Hundreds 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

en

31:58

Kabbalah - Sefer Bahir ( Book of Illumination ) and...

ESOTERICA ·

2026/10/04

Kabbalah has become, in many ways, the theology of Judaism and one of the pillars of esoteric spirituality more generally. Despite this, the origins of the Kabbalah remain mysterious. In this episode of Esoterica we explore some of the earliest texts, groups, and figures of the early Kabbalah including the Unique Cherub Circle, the Sefer Bahir and the Iyyun (Contemplation) circle.Uploaded 08-01-21Recommended Reading:Dan - The Early Kabbalah - 978-0809127696Verman - The Books of Contemplation -

en

79:37

Boleskine House - From Aleister Crowley to the Future...

ESOTERICA ·

2026/10/04

Boleskine House is most famous as the site of Aleister Crowley's attempt of the Abramelin Operation. Of course, there's so much more to the site. As part of of our exploration of the Abramelin Operation I interview Keith Reddy and Elin Morgan of the Boleskine House Foundation about the history, destruction, renovation and future of this grand Scottish home.Uploaded 22-01-21Support Boleskine House:https://www.boleskinehouse.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn

en

21:14

Corpus Hermeticum II - Hermetic Fragments and...

ESOTERICA ·

2026/10/04

In this episode of Esoterica we are going to introduce and explore the Hermetic Writings that survive outside the classic Greek tractates and the Latin Asclepius. Here we discover a staggering diversity of texts and traditions all of which give us a better glimpse onto the the spiritual philosophy of Hermeticism. In this episode we explore the Three Hermetic tracts in the Nag Hammadi Library, the copious Stobaean Fragments, Armenian Hermetic Definitions, Oxford and Vienna Papyri and an overview of

en

11:44

How I just got fired from Academia (and why that...

ESOTERICA ·

2026/10/03

So, my last teaching gig in the University was permanently canceled - What does this tell us about academia and what impact does that have for Esoterica?Support Esoterica - https://www.patreon.com/c/esotericachannelCheck out my upcoming Merkavah Class!Class Details - https://youtu.be/J8QE5Fsse1A?si=nZ3_gI-_61YL0CE6Course Syllabus: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1URUIb_AkZGM3hXzTnPFAwQYkZf_WgL0Q9wWWqSr2ug0/edit?usp=sharingCourse Materials:

en

21:27

Gnosticism - Thunder Perfect Mind - Divine Feminine -...

ESOTERICA ·

2026/09/21

One of the most enigmatic and alluring text in the Nag Hammadi Library of Gnostic texts is the famed hymn-poem Thunder: Perfect Mind. This episode explores the origins, structure, parallels with an eye to Thunder's treatment of gender, language and colonialism. We also explore to what degree we can call Thunder 'gnostic' at all - why did this document survive in the Nag Hammadi library at all?Recommended Readings:Thunder: Perfect Mind -

en

35:31

Is the Hermetic Philosophy a Forgery?

ESOTERICA ·

2026/09/21

The publication of the Hermetic Philosophy in 1471 heralded the possibility to returning to truly primordial wisdom. Indeed, mystical wisdom thought to have the power to restore Human Dignity through the unity of the microcosm with the macrocosm, the occult arts and reuniting the human soul with the divine. Along with Cabala, the Hermetic philosophers sought to reform all domains of philosophy and spirituality. But what if the Hermetica was just an ancient forgery? In 1614 Isaac Casaubon launched

en

39:20

Ancient Angel Magic - The Sword of Moses - Harba...

ESOTERICA ·

2026/09/20

The Sword of Moses is a c. 700-1000 CE text of Jewish angel magic which employs an elaborate system of magical words to activate various angelic powers. Indeed, the text itself is said to have been gifted to Moses by the angels themselves. In this episode of Esoterica we explore this ancient magical text, discuss the system of magical words, and detail some of the spells found in this curious text.Recommend Readings:Harari - The Sword of Moses (translation) -

en

69:18

Introduction to Merkavah Mysticism - 3b of 15 - The...

ESOTERICA ·

2026/09/20

Welcome to our seminar on Merkavah MysticismHundreds 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

en

29:35

Roman Ghost Story - Pliny and the Stoic in a Haunted...

ESOTERICA ·

2026/09/20

There 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

en

44:25

Gnosticism - The Apocryphon of John - The Fall of...

ESOTERICA ·

2026/09/20

Gnosticism has produced some of the richest and most difficult spiritual texts of the ancient world. With the discovery of the Nag Hammadi library one is confronted with numerous, often obscure and difficult texts - where to begin? This episode of Esoterica argues that the best first text is the Apocryphon / Secret Writing of John, a text found two recensions (long and short) in four manuscripts from antiquity. Here we introduce, summarize and discuss this amazing gnostic text.Recommended

en

35:24

The Three Books of Occult Philosophy - Cornelius...

ESOTERICA ·

2026/09/13

Cornelius Agrippa's 1533 The Three Books of Occult Philosophy is, perhaps, the most famous magical tome in western history. In it, he describes the process by which the magus may return to their prelapsarian, semi-divine state through the process of a reformed natural, celestial and ceremonial magic. Neither a textbook nor a summa, this work is often more celebrated or maligned than actually understood. What does Agrippa actually teach? How do we square his Hermetic idealism with his otherwise

en

70:24

Gospel of Thomas, Gnostic Egypt and Pistis Sophia w/...

ESOTERICA ·

2026/09/13

Conversation with Dr. M David Litwa on his recent work on the Gospel of Thomas, his upcoming trip to Egypt and why the Pistis Sophia doesn't get studied.Dr. Litwa's Youtube Channel - @m.davidlitwa Introduction to the Gospel of Thomas - https://amzn.to/41wMKZhEgypt Trip - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlF3lW3M1fEItinerary - https://travefy.com/trip/6yw9rqqtdjzsqz2afmhbc7ckkb53msqSign-up - https://portal.argosdestinations.com/public/form/view/68839f3cff70b48bc2be2200 Learn more about your ad

en

36:11

The Women Behind Enochian Magic w/@drangelapuca

ESOTERICA ·

2026/09/12

John Dee began to communicate with angels in the 1580s to discover the most fundamental truths of reality. Those angels would reveal novel magical systems, the language God spoke creation into being, techniques for metaphysical espionage, at least a couple detours for treasure hunting, before reaching a scandalous climax in the wife-swapping incident which effectively marks the end of the Angelic conversations. While most of the emphasis in these events are focused on Dee and Kelley, it’s often

en

36:49

Alchemy - Origins of Alchemy in Europe - First...

ESOTERICA ·

2026/09/12

Alchemy 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,

en

9:11

Winter Seminar - Philosophical Foundations of the...

ESOTERICA ·

2026/09/06

Just a short video celebrating 10 subscribers and announcing the topic of the winter seminar - The Philosophical Foundations of the Corpus Hermeticum. Thanks to everyone who supports the channel - I'm so happy to have reached 10k in only 8 months! Thanks especially to the patrons of the channel.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

68:47

Who was the Historical Jesus?

ESOTERICA ·

2026/09/06

There simply is no story about western civilization that is not bound up with Jesus and Christianity. And, in a sense we are always asking ourselves “Who was Jesus?” What were his teachings? What does his fate mean? Indeed, whether we are Christians or not, whether we even want to or not. And, so, I want to ask those questions and give you what I take to be reasonable historical and scholarly answers to them. Here is my take on the historical Jesus. Let's explore the questions who was Jesus, what

en

26:11

Kabbalah and Magic in the Renaissance : Hermetic...

ESOTERICA ·

2026/09/05

While not as famous as other kabbalists Jochanan Alemanno has exercised a substantial influence over the development of both Christian and Hermetic Kabbalah through his student Giovanni Pico Mirandola. In this episode of Esoterica we explore a Kabbalistic study guide written by Alemanno which progresses from basic literacy, rabbinic literature, philosophy, alchemy, to kabbalah and finally magic. Here we find a fascinating fusion of magic and kabbalah which opens the door for much in later occult

en

98 results

Similar Podcasts

Daily Facts

Amalia Dupray and Montgomery Jones.

Les dents et dodo

BFMTV

Out In The Hall

NHSA

Reading Teachers Lounge

Shannon Betts and Mary Saghafi

» Divine Intervention Podcasts

Divine-Favour Anene