On Thursday January 6th, 2011 the Hermetic Hour's host Poke Runyon will discuss the concept, history, and current application of attaining

"Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel." This is actually a world-wide practice, and an essential stage in the development of any shaman or magician. All serious magical students

should make contact with their own guardian spirit. In the Western Tradition this is typified by the medieval "Book of Abramelin," in which a kabbalistic magician gives his son detailed instructions on how to conduct a year-long (or longer) devotional retreat in order to acquire

blessings, wisdom and power from his Holy Guardian Angel so that he can become the master of all spirits, good and evil. This book had a profound influence on Samuel Mathers, Aleister Crowley and Franz Bardon. Cagliostro even had a 41 day version of it in his Egyptian Masonry. In the O.T.A. we require a three-day version of it as

developed in Charles Russell's G.B.G. system. We have the anchorite do 22 rituals; one for each path on the Tree of Life during his or her stay in the Temple. A record is kept, and a juice fast is maintained. As far as we know, we are the only magical system in the West that has such a requirement at the present time. We place this in our third degree, as a prerequisite to advancement into the Inner Degrees of the Crata Repoa. If done correctly this can be one of the most profound spiritual experiences of a lifetime. I will share with you some of my

retreat experiences, and visionary knowings. I will suggest the "dos" and the "do nots" for those of you who might want to try it on your own

--- however, this is an intense, and demanding procedure which requires health, strength, maturity and self-discipline to accomplish. It should be properly supervised. So, turn on, tune in, and let's climb the Holy Mountain together.