This week’s guest is probably no stranger to you all and he is certainly not to me! Please welcome my friend whose former co-host I had the pleasure to be, Harvard graduate with a Master in Medieval Studies, host and producer of the long-running podcast ‘Occult of Personality’, freemason, Buddhist Tantra practitioner and author Greg Kaminsky.

Only five months ago Greg published an amazing book called ‘Celestial Intelligences – Angelology, Cabala, and Gnosis: Giovanni Pico della Mirandola’s Quest for the Perennial Philosophy’.

In this episode Greg and I will be talking not only about the creative process of this book but also exploring the question what it meant and how he as a person and as an author was changed by it. We’ll dive deep into the meaning of the written word in the occult sense, the way of contemplation, how knowledge and experience become conveyable and also discuss the choices people in modern society make – partly influenced by technology – and how these choices impact their perception and vice versa.

Of course, we’re going to talk a lot about the man that Greg’s book focuses upon, 15th century philosopher Giovanni Pico della Mirandola and his ‘Oration on the Dignity of Man’ and Greg will also shed some light on his motivation to write this very specific book in the first place.

Furthermore, we’ll touch upon the necessities of correspondences and paraphernalia in practice, talk about different concepts of enlightenment in Eastern and Western traditions and actually try to define Gnosis itself.

Finally, Greg will not only tell us how he himself was changed by his work on the material for his book but also which specific adaptations resulted from that and he will uncover some of his most recent plans in relation to his ‘Occult of Personality’ podcast

The two beautiful editions of Greg Kaminsky’s “Celestial Intelligences”, published by Anathema Publishing

Music played in this episode

Our music in this episode has once again been presented by one of our friends and listeners, Robert Slover.

Robert has been playing and studying music (self taught) for almost 17 years now (half his life)
He generally writes his own music and plays the instruments (he can play quite a few).

You can find his YOUTUBE Channel by clicking on this line!

And if you prefer SOUNDCLOUD, click HERE!

I have picked among the many tracks he has produced three from very different styles, one Latin Jazz, one Psychedelic (or Trip Hop, as it is called, I love that expression!), the last World Music.

Enjoy!

1) IN THE KEY OF BLUE LATIN

(Track starts at 8:05)

2) EVAPORATE SUBLIME

(Track starts at 54:20)

3) THE SILK ROAD

(Track starts at 1:31:55)

Intro and Outro Music
especially written and recorded for the Thoth-Hermes Podcast by Chris Roberts