Episode 33: The Magic of the Orphic Hymns with Ronnie Pontiac

In this episode, the esoteric scholar Ronnie Pontiac returns to talk about his latest book: The Magic of the Orphic Hymns: A New Translation for the Modern Mystic.

Co-authored by Tamra Lucid, his wife, this brilliant collaboration takes the reader on a winding journey through history, striking a perfect balance between dense scholarship and poetic musing. And they conclude with their own renditions of the hymns, beautifully distilled with poetic skill and the finesse of musicians. 

Reading this book feels like uncorking a dusty bottle of ancient spirits. The history is allowed to breathe, inviting you to swirl things around and develop your own taste for the mysteries of Orpheus. 

Tamra and Ronnie present the Orphic Hymns as being much more than beautiful relics. The hymns are magical, invoking the past as the eternal present and inspiring a prismatic vision of the divine. 

Many decades of research and experiments inspired The Magic of the Orphic Hymns. In their early 20’s, Tamra and Ronnie were mentored by the legendary, Manly P. Hall. And when they were asked to help him with a republication of the Orphic Hymns, they fell in love with these ancient rituals. 

In this interview, Ronnie and I discuss:

• How an OG episode of Star Trek inspired Ronnie’s first religious experience. 
• Why the Orphic Hymns have been called “the most powerful form of magic.”
• Personal stories of real magical results from the Orphic hymns. 
• How Aeolian Heart was born from an Orphic ritual
• How the magic of the Orphic Hymns gave birth to the Renaissance
• The Orphic Hymns and Marsilio Ficino.
• Orpheus with a thousand faces: a savior, hero, coward and narcissist
• Orpheus' underworld journey and its symbolism.
• Orpheus' legacy and impact on written history. 
• How Orpheus has always been countercultural 
• How Orpheus inspired Christianity 
• What Orphic initiates believed about death and the after-life.
• Why the phrase: “I am the child of earth and starry-heaven” is the password to eternity.

Enjoy! 

If you want to learn more about Tamra and Ronnie, please listen to my other interviews with them. 

Click here to listen to Tamra and I discuss her exquisite memoir, Making the Ordinary Extraordinary. 

Click here to listen to Ronnie discuss his epic tome: American Metaphysical Religion: Esoteric and Mystical Traditions of the New World

 

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