Heretics by Woven Energy

In this episode we begin an extended look at what Yoga was like before westerners got their hands on it.

Where did Stoicism start, and how was its founder different from later Stoics? What were the shamanistic aspects of early Stoicism? What is Tyrian Purple? How did Alexander the Great influence the development of Stoicism? How does the life of Zeno of Kition parallel the life of Yang Luchan?

What ways are there to be religious, and what constitutes a religion in the first place? Is Tai Chi a better religion than Christianity? Is there any difference between the New and Old Testaments? Why do so few people understand esotericism and its purpose, and why are organised religions afraid of it? These questions and more are examined in our latest episode.

Following on from the recent episode on Atlantis we pick up where we left off back in episode 35 with Thales and do a rapid survey of the development of the Ancient and Classical Greek miasma through to the time of Zeno.

Was Atlantis an ancient utopia or an evil empire? Why is the Atlantean Myth close to the heart of Western Civilisation? Could it really have existed? In this episode we head beneath the waves to discover the birth of the western experience with Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.

In the middle to late part of the Yuan Dynasty the former Confucian ruling class came back with a vengence and started a downward spiral that would ultimately lead to the fall of the dynasty. In this episode we examine how and why this happened, which will set the context for the important events at the end of the dynasty in the next episode.

Following on from last year's Merry Mithrasmas episode, this year we turn our attention to the early origins of word "Christmas" itself: in ancient Greek philosophy, Roman mystery religions and cannibalistic rites. Merry Yule!

Are the hill figures of Britain really ancient? What do they mean? In this episode we look at the symbolism of these enigmatic figures that have been preserved for centuries, and, in one exceptional case, for millennia by countless generations of people.

Was Aleister Crowley really the most wicked man in the world? What was the relationship between Aleister Crowley and Wicca? How did the events of his life shape the religious and spiritual traditions that he gave rise to?

What has Norse Mythology got to do with Shamanism? Were Odin and Thor usurpers of a more ancient tradition? Did the Vikings know they had Norse Mythology? Who were the Norns? These questions and more examined in this episode.

Shuai Jiao is a popular modern Chinese martial art, but is it related to other arts and if so, which ones? In this episode we also look at the Chinese cosmological concept of Qinglong, or the Azure Dragon.

Is Capitalism a religion? How did Christianity create it? Are there non-subjects that relate to how societies are run? Who stands to benefit? In this episode we look at the effects of the Reformation on belief systems and economic systems, and how they ultimately resulted in Capitalism as we know it today.

This episode explores the connection between the martial arts of the great Song generals' tradition and Chinese theatre, which was emerged during the height of the Yuan Dynasty.

We pick up our series on Xing Yi with a new dynasty, the Yuan, examining the social changes that Mongol rule brought to China and their implications for the martial arts through the lens of the artwork of the period.

How does Shamanism descend into belief-based religion over time? Why are many people uncomfortable drawing a link between Shamanism with the martial arts? Who was Mircea Eliade? These and many other questions are explored in our latest episode.

What does Shamanism have to do with the martial arts? What does Shamanism have to do with business? How is the Miasma involved? All this and more in our latest episode.

What are the internal martial arts? Does the term "Internal Martial Arts" have any legitimacy? What is a "fake" martial art? All this and more is explored in our new episode.

This time we look at Yiquan, a derivative of Xing Yi, putting it in the context of the Miasma of the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries.

Why is Baguazhang so strange? What does it have to do with Mongolia? In this episode we have a chat about this very unusual martial art, often considered a sister art to Xing Yi and Tai Chi.

In this episode we un-pause our series on Genesis, looking specifically at the figure of Enoch and the associated Enochian Literature. We examine the reasons why this literature has been suppressed by Christians since the time of Emperor Constantine.

Merry Mithrasmas! This is our episode for the 25th December, investigating the origins of Christianity in Mithraism and the pivotal role played by Constantine the Great.

In this episode we come to the end of Poemandres, the foundational text of the Corpus Hermeticum. Among other topics we discuss the various aspects of the miasma that a human being has to strip away in order to become a shaman.

We make further progress with Poemandres this time, looking at the Corpus Hermeticum's dual-perspective treatment of Shamanism and Esotericism, with a vivid description of the relationship between human beings and Nature.

In this episode we expore the meaning of the Hermetic Elements of Earth, Water, Air and Fire as a foundation for further exploration of Poemandres.

In part 2 of our series on Hermeticism we start exploring Poemandres, the foundational text of the Corpus Hermeticum. A certain amount of technical terminology is used, so listening to episode 5 of the Woven Energy Podcast first would be a useful prerequisite before listening to this episode.