#61 Hermeticism (part 4)
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.
#60 Hermeticism (part 3) The Elements
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.
https://www.spreaker.com/user/9404101/60-hermeticism-part-3-the-elements
#58 Hermeticism (part 1)
In the first of our new multi-part series on Hermeticism we explore the early origins of this esoteric tradition in the empire of Alexander the Great and the subsequent rule of his general Ptolmey’s rule over Egypt. This episode sets the scene for our upcoming examination of the Corpus Hermeticum starting from the next episode. Link.
#57 MOVIE HERETICS: Cobra Kai
Moving on to the subject of Karate this episode, we review the TV series Cobra Kai (2018-2020) and compare it to the original classic Karate Kid movie.
https://www.spreaker.com/user/9404101/57-movie-heretics-cobra-kai
#56 The Tai Chi Myth (part 6) The Same Form
In our last look at Tai Chi for a while, we examine the context of the times in which Chen Zhaopei and Chen Fake became prominent for their martial arts in Beijing, and then at a national level, joining the wave of commerciality that had been originally instigated by the legacy of Yang Luchan and the Wu brothers. In addition we explain why the forms are similar in general order between the Yang/Wu and Chen lineages.
#55 The Tai Chi Myth (part 5) Modernisers vs Conservatives
In this episode we examine the Chen family’s relationship with General Yuan Shikai, the friction between modernising and conservative factions within China and the events of the Boxer Rebellion.
#54 The Tai Chi Myth (part 4) The Fall and Rise of Yang Luchan
In this episode we look at the events surrounding Yang Luchan’s expulsion from the imperial service in 1861 in the context of the rise to power of Empress Dowager Cixi. We also examine how the involvement of the western powers in Chinese affairs directly led to the Self Strenghtening Movement and the establishment of the first public martial arts schools in North China.
https://www.spreaker.com/user/9404101/54-the-tai-chi-myth-part-4-the-fall-and-
#53 The Tai Chi Myth (part 3) Wu and Chen First Contact
In this episode we look at how the effects of the Taiping Northern Expedition and the Nian Rebellion of the mid-Nineteenth Century drew the Confucian Wu brothers and the fighters of Chen Village towards each other for the first time.
#52 The Tai Chi Myth (part 2) Tai Chi as a Brand
In this episode we examine the context in which the relationship between Yang Luchan, Wu Chengqing and Wu Yuxiang developed during the years of the Taiping Rebellion and the new regime of Emperor Xianfeng.
The myth of Tai Chi Chuan
Did Tai Chi exist before 1850? In this episode we begin a new series of episodes on this subject by setting the scene and historical background to the mythmaking around the origins of Tai Chi that occurred starting from the middle of the Nineteenth Century in response to social turmoil and unrest exemplified by the Taiping Rebellion and Opium Wars.
