Carroll 'Poke' Runyon is an anthropologist, ceremonial magician, author, and artist. His work is available in the form of books, magazine articles, and instructional DVDs.

Biography

Poke Runyon was born in Florida. He did miliatry service as a paratrooper, an his experiences in the military formed the basis for his novel Night Jump -- Cuba.

After his miliatry service ended, Runyon relocated to Southern California, where he founded the Ordo Templi Astartes (O.T.A.) in 1969, incorporated it in 1971, and was active in the Council of Themis, an early Neo-Pagan association that sought to link together the emerging Hermetic, Wiccan, and Pagan organizations of the 1970s. His flamboyant public persona reportedly formed the basis for the title character in the 1971 movie Simon, King Of The Witches .

Runyon received a Master's Degree in cultural anthropology from California State University at Northridge in 1980, specializing in Magick. After graduate school, he became a Freemason, and went through all the degrees of the Scottish Rite and the York Rite. He served as an officer in three active Golden Dawn temples, then founded his own church, the Church of Hermetic Sciences (C.H.S.). a Hermetic order practicing ceremonial magic.

The two orders Runyon founded, referred to collectively as the C.H.S./O.T.A., address different areas of magical, pagan, and occult ritual. The O.T.A. performs Canaanite seasonal ceremonies on the Solstice and Equinox holidays; the C.H.S. specializes in Solomonic Ritual Magick, summoning spirits to visible appearance in a dark mirror.

Contributions to occultism

Runyon's most notable contribution to the post-WW II occult revival has been his rediscovery and subsequent development of the facial reflection/distortion, dark mirror scrying method for spirit evocation. He has also worked extensively with material from the Medieval grimoire tradition, interpreting some of the techniques presented in these books with reference to the 20th century psychological theories of Carl Gustav Jung.

Runyon's best-known work on occultism is The Book of Solomon's Magick. His articles on magic and the Western Esoteric Tradition have appeared in Gnostica magazine, and in his order's journal, The Seventh Ray.

He has also produced instructional DVDs demonstrating rites of ceremonial magic. In addition to his writings on occultism, he has authored a number of novels in the adventure, science fiction and fantasy genres.

As an artist and craftsperson, he has designed and created patterns for altar tools that are used by many in the ceremonial magic community.

Partial bibliography

Books on occult topics

Seasonal Rites of Baal and Astarte & Prince Aqhat and the Magick Bow

Magick and Hypnosis

The Book of Solomon's Magick

Secrets of the Golden Dawn Cypher Manuscript

Instructional occult DVDs

"The Magic of Solomon" (DVD) (2nd edition, 2003)

Dark Mirror of Magick (DVD) (2nd edition, 2003)

Novels

Commando X (1967)

Night Jump -- Cuba (1978)

Drell Master (2001)

From the Tower of Darkness (2002)

External link

Church of Hermetic Sciences / Ordo Templi Astarte web site