Podcast episodes – The Secret History of Western Esotericism Podcast (SHWEP)

Ahab Bdaiwi on the Rise of Shi‘ī Esotericism

In Part I we looked at the political events leading up to the formation of the Shi'a. In Part II we see that it did not take long for things to get very esoteric. Come for the programmatic esoteric hermeneutics, stay for the occult sciences.

Ahab Bdaiwi on ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib, his Family, and the Origins of Shi‘ī Islam

We pick up from our last episode, where geopolitics and esotericism met in the crucible of Roman, Sassanian, and Arab political struggles. Ahab Bdaiwi threads the labyrinth of the earliest historical sources for the birth of the movement within Islām which came to be known as the Party of ‘Alī, or the Shi‘ā.

Seventh-Century History for Students of Western Esotericism

We return to the history of late antiquity in the eastern Mediterranean and central Asia. Momentous events occur, empires rise and fall, and Jews, Christians, and Muslims all suddenly develop new apocalyptic notions. Come for the dry historical exposition, stay for the esoteric divine kingship.

Introducing the Qur’an Part III: Qur’ānic Texts vs. the Qur’ān

We use the history of the text of the Qur'ān, from oral revelation to written ‘book’, as both a cool story and as an opportunity for various reflections on more esoteric aspects of the text.

Introducing the Qur’ān, Part II: Ambiguity and Esoteric Themes

We begin to explore the esoteric side of the Qur'ān, examining several case-studies in terms of ambiguity and esoteric themes. It turns out that every letter of the Qur'ān is an esoteric text.