Huáscar Rising
Rune Soup
Hello from Cusco, where the streets are laid out like a puma and hawkers offer massages on every corner. I've been thinking about Huáscar, the last true Sapa Inca, who willingly took sacred knowledge into the underworld until the time was right for its return. What if the strange convergence we're witnessing - the grimoire revival, the sudden value of grandmother's recipes, and yes, even the rise of what I'm calling "orthodank" online - are all manifestations of the same archetypal energy? Things coming up from below, returning from the shadows at this precise moment in time. The question is:...
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Tolkien's Shire Anarchy and the Mandate of Heaven
Rune Soup
This week, I'm welcoming fellow substacker and Tolkien nerd, Charles McBride, whose essay 'Shire Anarchy' caught my eye in the cultural curiosity that is the substack notes app. We're diving into the political imagination behind Middle-Earth – a world where having a king is perfectly fine, as long as he's quite far away or, better yet, long dead. From childhood obsessions with Tolkien to the strange bedfellows his work creates in modern fandom, Charles and I explore what it means when the villain of the story isn't a particular people, but the very desire for total control. How did this...
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Bathed In A Blue Suede Light | Miguel Conner
Rune Soup
Everyone’s favourite gnostic raconteur, Miguel Conner, returns to the show this week to discuss his latest book, The Occult Elvis. The book becomes an entryway into a wide-ranging discussion on the role of shamans, cultural transformation, fate and the destiny of America. (Mere trifles!) Timestamps 00:00 Introduction to the Occult Elvis 04:03 The Spirituality of Rock Music 07:54 Elvis as a Magician and Shaman 11:52 The Blue Light Phenomenon 15:54 Elvis's Influence on American Identity 19:53 Elvis's Mystical Interests and Books 23:47 The Legacy of Elvis in Modern Culture 34:37 Exploring Fate...
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Gandalf And The Ice Wall: You Shall Not Pass?
Rune Soup
In this episode, I explore the shifting landscape of conspiracy culture and what I've been noticing about an emerging "conspiracy canon." Recording from my new apartment in Paraguay, I dive into observations from my recent event with Greg Carlwood in Florida, examining how conspiracy thinking has evolved from political analysis to metaphysical questioning. Using Charles Fort's framework of "dominants," I discuss how we're witnessing a paradigm shift toward a more meaning-centered worldview as a response to scientific materialism. Whether you consider yourself a conspiracy person or not, this...
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Amor Fatty
Rune Soup
Hi from the Amazon jungle. Honestly, if I’d known that AI would do such a good job of describing this podcast, I would have left it in charge and stayed longer. Although I will say, I asked it to write it in the style of the speaker, and it made me sound way more polite than I usually am to you scrubs. Enjoy! (PS - you will find the same show in your podcatcher, as normal.) In the heart of the Amazon, under a tin roof pummeled by tropical rain, I offer you a cosmic upgrade to Nietzsche's Amor Fati. While the German philosopher tells us to love our fate unconditionally, I'm proposing...
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Magic: You're Not Ready Till You're Ready
Rune Soup
A solo show from Asunción, Paraguay. I wanted to share some thoughts that I have been sitting with while remastering all the premium member courses, beginning with Grimoires. These thoughts turned into a full-length solo show. Hope you like it! AI certainly seems to have had an absolute blast listening to it: In this thought-provoking episode, Gordon White explores the concept of magical readiness and authenticity in practice. Recording from Paraguay, he delves into what it truly means to be "ready" for magic, challenging common assumptions about magical practice and discussing the difference...
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Magic: You're Not Ready Till You're Ready
Rune Soup
A solo show from Asunción, Paraguay. I wanted to share some thoughts that I have been sitting with while remastering all the premium member courses, beginning with Grimoires. These thoughts turned into a full-length solo show. Hope you like it! AI certainly seems to have had an absolute blast listening to it: In this thought-provoking episode, Gordon White explores the concept of magical readiness and authenticity in practice. Recording from Paraguay, he delves into what it truly means to be "ready" for magic, challenging common assumptions about magical practice and discussing the difference...
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Does the West Have a Magical Metaphysics? | John Michael Greer
Rune Soup
Ringing in the new year with a banger! John Michael Greer returns to the show to explore Whether we can say if 'western' magic has a discernable metaphysics. What those might be. Seeing as AI did such a good job of giving us a definition of metaphysics (which you will get in the show), here's what she thinks the episode is about: "The dialogue emphasizes the importance of directionality, the existence of intelligent non-human beings, and the overarching themes that unify magical practices across cultures. In this conversation, Gordon White delves into the complexities of historical...
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2025 Astrology Forecast (H1) | Austin Coppock
Rune Soup
Austin Coppock returns to the show for our traditional six-monthly astrological forecast, this time for the first half of 2025. We are calling this one Just The Tip (Of The Chainsword)! 00:00 Introduction to 2025 Astrology Predictions 02:56 The Significance of Warhammer 40K in 2025 05:45 Astrological Context: The Transition from 2024 to 2025 09:00 Civil Unrest and Mars Retrograde 11:53 Neptune and Saturn's Influence in 2025 15:00 The Impact of Neptune's Ingress into Aries 18:00 The Role of Heroism and Leadership in 2025 20:50 The Collapse of Narratives and Storytelling in Society 39:31 The...
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There is only ever one revolution (The Invisibles as model of Belonging)
Rune Soup
In this episode, Gordon discusses the evolution of his podcast, the connections between magical individuals, and the themes presented in Grant Morrison's comic series, The Invisibles. He explores The loneliness epidemic in modern society. The role of digital connectivity. The concept of the invisible college as a metaphor for shared vision and belonging among like-minded individuals. We also look at the intersections of various spiritual practices, the disintegration of civilisational fields, and the importance of finding resonance within an invisible college of shared beliefs and values. He...
info_outlineThis week, I'm welcoming fellow substacker and Tolkien nerd, Charles McBride, whose essay 'Shire Anarchy' caught my eye in the cultural curiosity that is the substack notes app.
We're diving into the political imagination behind Middle-Earth – a world where having a king is perfectly fine, as long as he's quite far away or, better yet, long dead.
From childhood obsessions with Tolkien to the strange bedfellows his work creates in modern fandom, Charles and I explore what it means when the villain of the story isn't a particular people, but the very desire for total control. How did this Franco-supporting Catholic writer end up crafting one of the most compelling visions of localism and self-governance in modern literature? And what might the hobbits teach us about freedom in an age of empire?
"I think Shire anarchy is best described in a sentence I wrote in the piece, where I said that all the affairs of hobbits are organized under the assumption that having a king was basically a good idea, so long as he was quite far away, or better yet, long dead. And I think that that kind of cuts to the heart of what this concept of Shire anarchy is. You have a society that holds a reverence for the past. And they believe that their system of political and social organization is derived from something authoritative in their deep, distant past."
Show Notes
Timestamps
02:00 - Charles' essay "Shire Anarchy" and initial connection
04:00 - Childhood experiences with Tolkien and homeschooling background
08:30 - Gordon's similar Tolkien childhood experiences
11:00 - Discussion of Substack platform and media evolution
14:00 - Tolkien's political views and introduction to "quiet radicalism"
15:30 - Explanation of Tolkien as an "anarcho-monarchist"
18:30 - Monarchy, pragmatism, and Tolkien's support for Franco
22:30 - The Ring as metaphor for power, greed, and capital
25:00 - Lord of the Rings' resilience against political appropriation
27:30 - Peter Jackson's film adaptation achievement
29:00 - Charles' viral thread about polarized Tolkien fandom
32:00 - CS Lewis vs. Tolkien on moral clarity and writing
35:30 - Lewis as a potential universalist and perennial philosophy
38:30 - Religious conversion, cultural identity, and belonging
42:30 - Modern politics, monarchy, and fascism as shadow kingship
45:00 - Definition and explanation of "Shire anarchy" concept
50:30 - Charles' personal political journey toward anarchism
54:00 - Political polarization and contemporary discourse
57:00 - Defining philosophical anarchism and attitudes toward hierarchy
59:30 - Religion as natural human function and political movements
63:00 - Discussion of The Hobbit movies and fan edits
69:00 - Concluding thoughts and where to find Charles online