interesting item from JASON BISHOP newsletter
Feb. 11, 2008:
(QUOTE):
BEYOND LEMURIA : The Shaver Mystery and the Secrets of Mt. Shasta
www.beyondlemuria.com...
Beyond Lemuria is a science fiction fantasy film based on The Shaver Mystery from Amazing Stories by Richard S. Shaver, and A Dweller on Two Planets
by Phylos of Atlantis.
The action takes place on the slopes of Mt. Shasta, California and in the caverns near the mountain. The evil Draconians seek the ancient super
science of the subterranean Deros, while the spiritual Lithonians search for the wisdom of ancient avatars atop the Holy Mountain.
Hermes Trismegistus, Samyaza the Fallen Angel from the Book of Enoch, and the Master Jesus make visionary appearances.
Never before seen views of underwater Lemurian ruins at Nan Madol in the Pacific are shown and the darkest secrets of Nazi Occultism are revealed.
Beyond Lemuria is an occult, magical "Adventure in Wonder and Terror."
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SCRIPT By : Carroll “Poke” Runyon, the Head of the Order of the Temple of Astarte, author, Pagan Ceremonial Magician, and now movie-maker.
members.aol.com...
Secrets of the Golden Dawn Cypher Manuscript by Carroll Runyon
* Ordo Templi Astartes ( "O.T.A." )...Silverado, California
OTA-L · The Order of the Temple of Astarte :
health.groups.yahoo.com...
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Starring: Merrick Hamer as 'Phylos', Christopher Sanders as 'William Morgan', Ed Fitch as 'Colonel Rich', Emily Trempe as 'Lilith', Isabela
Shahira as 'The Lemurian Priestess', Mark Nelson as 'Dr. X' and Gregory Jednack as 'ZOLTAN Nodesque'.
Production Design by Poke Runyon, Special Effects by Doug Carey, Screenplay based on A Dweller on Two Planets by Frederick Spencer Oliver, and the
Shaver Mystery stories by Richard S. Shaver and Raymond A. Palmer in Amazing Stories. Wide-screen digital DVD format.
Photo Gallery :
beyondlemuria.com...
The Pluto's Cave Incident :
beyondlemuria.com...
View Trailer :
beyondlemuria.com...
YouTube Trailer :
youtube.com... (9 Minutes)
BEYOND LEMURIA is more than science-fiction.
It is a unique spiritual adventure presented in the format of a mystic initiation ritual.
The story unfolds as a symbolic morality play involving two groups of people,
portrayed by the same actors, but dedicated to different goals.
The sinister Draconians search for antediluvian secrets of poswer in the lava caves north of Mount Shasta while the spiritually minded Lothinians
seek enlightenment from the Ancient Masters on the slopes of the Holy Mountain--thus the dark depths and the shining heights of human nature are
explored against the awesome metaphor of Nature herself.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
BEYOND LEMURIA, The Shaver Mystery and the Secrets of Mt. Shasta
Digital motion picture in wide screen DVD format Running time: 120 minutes.
From: C.H.S. Productions in Association with Maelstrom Press, 2007 Those familiar with previous C.H.S. DVD occult documentaries (The Magick of
Solomon, Dark Mirror of Magick and The Rites of Magick) are in for a surprise when they see BEYOND LEMURIA. Yes, there is a minor element of History
Channel style documentary in this film but it is worked into the story as necessary background for what is otherwise a suspenseful, thought-provoking
science fiction drama.
BEYOND LEMURIA draws upon two contrasting, but related, aspects of modern American folklore that Hollywood and the current fantasy fiction industry
have forgotten: the 1940s Shaver Mystery and the 1930s tradition of Atlantean-Lemurian Mystic Masters on California s mysterious Mt. Shasta.
Both of these Atlantis-Lemuria survival themes were published as true accounts and both still resonate with thousands of believers. Science fiction
writer and surrealist painter Richard S. Shaver believed in the physical reality of the dark, subterranean realm of the Deros, degenerate survivors of
Atlantis and Lemuria who still inhabited a secret world-wide network of caverns --- and used ancient telepathic ray machines to spy on and torture
surface people. These demonic humanoids were responsible for much of the evil and mental illness in our surface world. Whether real or fanciful,
Shaver had created a modern, atomic age version of a medieval hell and a new form of demonology.
BEYOND LEMURIA postulates that Shaver's subterranean Dero world exists, but that it is in another dimension. This nearby shadow world can be
contacted and entered through a vortex generated by a machine called The Intragravatron.
The sinister Draconian Society has secretly funded the development of this device and plans to open the vortex at an inter-dimensional convergence
point deep in the lava caves on the northern slopes of Mt. Shasta. There actually is such a cavern complex and the C.H.S. cast and film crew went
there on location, filming deep in Pluto s Cave and high on the slopes of Mt. Shasta. In contrast to the evil Draconians, and their subterranean
quest, the transcendental Lithonian Brotherhood, headed by Master Phylos (Merrick Rees Hamer), a reincarnated Atlantean magical adept, journey to Mt.
Shasta to find spiritual enlightenment. The original story of Phylos was channeled by a 17 year old boy, Frederick Spenser Oliver, back in the late
19th century and published early in the 20th century as 'A Dweller on Two Planets'. This book became an occult classic. Phylos was the archetype of
all subsequent mystic masters, Atlantean and Lemurian, who have since appeared on the upper slopes of America s Sacred Mountain. To present these two
totally contrasting, and yet closely related, themes in a symbolic and artistic expression, script writer and producer Poke Runyon chose to
encapsulate the entire story in the context of an occult initiation ceremony. In the beginning of the film young candidate William Morgan (Cristofer
Sanders) stands before the altar in a mysterious temple. On the altar are two cups: one white and one black. He must choose which cup to drink. An
hour glass tells us that the decision must be made before the sand runs out...... --The Seventh Ray-- Book III, The Green Ray
Product Description
Beyond Lemuria is more than science fiction. It is a unique spiritual adventure presented in the format of a mystic initiation ritual. The story
unfolds as a symbolic morality play involving two groups of people portrayed by the same actors but dedicated to different goals. The sinister
'Draconians' search for antedilulvian secrets of power in the lava caves north of Mt. Shasta while the spiritually minded 'Lothinians' seek
enlightenment from the Ancient Masters on the slopes of America's Holy Mountain -- thus the dark depths and shining heights of human nature are
explored against the awesome metaphore of Nature Herself. ---- Based on true accounts of 'Phylos' the Atlantean who recovered his antediluvian
magical heritage in a mysterious temple on the slopes of Mt. Shasta in 1866, and the terrifying subterranean world of the 'Deros' described by the
late author and artist Richard S. Shaver in the 1940s. Beyond Lemuria is a remarkable film revealing truths that can only be presented in fictional
form. ----- Beyond Lemuria was filmed on location deep in the lava caves near Mt. Shasta, high upon the slopes of California's Sacred Mountain, and
in the jungle covered ruins of the ancient Lemurian lost city of Nan Madol in Micronesia. ----- Beyond Lemuria features living Spiritual Masters
taking the roles of Ancient Avatars channeled by the seekers of Light. There has never been a film quite like Beyond Lemuria. It will challenge your
perceptions of reality and your conceptions of Heaven and Hell. It is an adventure in wonder and terror. ------Beyond Lemuria was created and written
by anthropologist and documentary film maker Poke Runyon (The Magick of Solomon), Directed by Gregory Jednack (The Rites of Magick), filmed and edited
by Mitch Lieding (The Rites of Magick) with special effects by Doug Carey. Screeplay based on 'A Dweller on Two Planets' by Frederick Spencer Oliver
and 'The Shaver Mystery' in 'Amazing Stories' by Richard S. Shaver and Raymond A. Palmer. Production design by Poke Runyon, Website design:
Isabela Shahira, Executive Producer: Poke Runyon. Copyright 2007 by The Church of the Hermetic Sciences, Inc. Released by Maelstrom Press ----
Widescreen DVD -- Bonus Features include: Audio Commentary by Poke Runyon, Chapter Selection Menu, Trailer and an eight page booklet: Wisdom of the
Avatars of Mt. Shasta. ---
Customer REVIEWS
Occult Science Fiction -- Nothing else like it!, December 14, 2007
By Thabion "Thabion" (Orange, CA USA)
Beyond Lemuria, The Shaver Mystery and the Secrets of Mt. Shasta has got to be one of the most unusual and even controversial science
fiction/fantasy-horror type movies you'll see this year (or any other year, for that matter). What makes it so unique is that it has for its theme
and setting two aspects of American popular folklore that the rest of the sci-fi and fantasy industry, both in print and in movies, have ignored and
even suppressed: the Shaver Mystery of the 1940s and the spiritual Masters of California's Mt Shasta. The film also presents the actual secrets of
Western occultism -- presented by real magicians taking the roles of the Avatars (Lon Milo DuQuette as Hermes Trismegistus, Paul Clark as the Master
Jesus, and Merrick Rees Hamer as Phylos of Atlantis). This secret wisdom is revealed in far more depth than in The D'Vinci Code or The Fountain.
However, don't assume that this is a "docudrama." The film was actually shot on location in the lava caverns under Mt. Shasta and high on the
slopes of the mountain itself. Earlier exclusive footage of the "Lemurian" ruins of Nan Madol in the Pacific (both in the jungle and underwater) are
shown as background for the present day action.
The drama uses an occult initiation ceremony for its plot structure.
A young candidate William Morgan (Cristofer Sanders) must decide whether he will follow the Path of Light or the Path of Darkness. He seeks
enlightment up on the Holy Mountain following Master Phylos (Merrick Rees Hamer)--and in his dual role on the dark side, he searches for
super-scientific demonic powers in the caverns under the spell of the Nazi "Dero" vampire Zoltan Nodesque (Gregory Jednack).
Richard Shaver's subterranean "Dero" world inhabited by the degenerate survivors of a super-technological Atlantean-Lemurian civilization is
presented as existing in another dimension -- making it more plausible for the 21st century. The Deros are high-tech demons -- and one of the most
shocking scenes in the film is the stim-ray execution of Sister Lilith (Emily Trempe) at the hands of the voluptuous, evil Dero Princess (Isabela
Shahira) using a gigantic "Elder-Mech" ray machine which she plays like a color-organ.
Beyond Lemuria has everything from UFOs and Fallen Angels (Frater Solomon with horns, pointed ears, and a third eye) the sinister "Men in Black" (Ed
Fitch and Max), The mad scientist Dr. X (Mark Nelson)and a fundametalist preacher (Ed Fitch again) whom Jesus really does "Save" up on the Holy
Mountain. On top of all this, the producers have included a detailed commentary track and an attractive eight page booklet, "Wisdom of the Avatars of
Mt. Shasta," so you can review the teachings of the Masters as presented in the film.
It is written and produced by Poke Runyon (The Magick of Solomon -- also available from Amazon).
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Add "Beyond Lemuria" to your midnight movies collection, February 6, 2008
By Chas S. Clifton "Pagan Studies editor" (Colorado)
Imagine that cult film director Ed Wood was also a ceremonial magician.
Or imagine a merger of Dion Fortune and Elvira: Mistress of the Dark. She would be perfect to introduce this film.
Imagine giant caverns underground filled with degenerate descendants of the Lemurians, accessible from the lower slopes of Mount Shasta.
If you can imagine all that, you should watch Beyond Lemuria.
Written by Poke Runyon, well-known in West Coast Pagan and magickal circles, and including several other veterans of that scene in its cast (as well
as some much younger and cuter actresses to balance the mostly mature male cast), the movie was clearly a labor of love, with the director and cast
enjoying themselves almost too much.
You can't have an occult thriller without swirling visual vortices or bits of Central European menace: a black magician with a "broomhandle" Mauser
pistol strapped over his robe, or a sinister Romanian carrying (oddly) the Hungarian name of "Zoltan." And black magic must work, because that
particular cabal seems not to need California license plates on their black SUV. Evidently they are invisible to the cops.
At the heart of Beyond Lemuria are a 19th-century occult bestseller, A Dweller on Two Planets, by Frederick Spencer Oliver and the "Shaver
Mystery," which sustained the sales of the old SF pulp magazine Amazing Stories for years, not to mention being a staple topic in Fate magazine as
well.
Anyway, the good guys are all good and seek enlightenment. The bad guys are bad and seek power.
"Other members of the expedition were expendable," sneers the chief baddie.
A young initiate must choose between two paths. But evil is never permanently defeated.
You will have to buy it from the filmmakers or from Amazon, because you won't find this occult thriller at Netflix or showing at the local cineplex.
But once you own a copy, you can add it to your "midnight movie" collection.
Best line: "Now I don't care how politically correct and liberal you people are, believe me, these aliens are not people you want to have for your
next-door neighbors," delivered by Poke Runyon's character of an over-the-top anthropology professor.
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Review of Beyond Lemuria, December 17, 2007
By Mark L. Nelson (Los Angeles, CA)
Disclaimer:
Before my review and in the light of full disclosure, I should point out that I am one of the characters in the movie and that the writer / producer
Carroll (Poke) Runyon, has been a friend of mine for 35 years or so. Having said that, I will attempt to make every effort to be as unbiased as
possible anyway.
Commentary:
This movie is a remarkable achievement in my opinion. It is remarkable because it blends several established epic stories and traditions as well as
several philosophies into one metaphysical / philosophical story about the good and evil that exists in each of us. It then goes on to show what
happens to those who are friends of William Morgan, the principal character in the story, when he is presented with the unusual and mystical
opportunity to decide which path he will follow for the rest of his life: The path of materialism, power and greed, or the path of spiritualism,
enlightenment, wisdom and service to others. Whatever choice he makes will affect all of his friends and both choices, with its subsequent effects on
his friends, is played out in the movie to their conclusion in something of a vision that William Morgan has.
In the end, the enlightenment seeking Lothinians are presented with visions containing a message of wisdom and a warning. Each vision is unique to
each person on the mountain, crafted by the Creator to relate to the specific psychology and mindset of the recipient.
On the other hand, the materialistic Dragonians, seeking power and treasure in other dimensions deep within the Earth, each get what they desire
most, and in excess of their wildest dreams. So, which choice will be William Morgan's and thus the fate of his friends?
Some Praise for Cast & Crew:
In addition to the interesting story, the photography, photographic special effects, editing and sound done by Mitch Lieding are first rate. The
mechanical and electrical props done by Doug Carey on a shoestring budget are most excellent and could only have been done by the master that he is.
Most notable of those props by Doug is the Dero "Stim" (stimulant) Ray Laser-Light Organ, which was operated by the Dero Princess played by Isabela
Shahira in the movie. In addition there are the professional acting talents of Merrick Hamer, Ed Sitch (pen name Ed Fitch) Christopher Sanders, Emily
Trempe, Isabela Shahira and Gregory Jednack (Jednack both directed and played the satanic vampire Zoltan Nodesque), which added a level of quality
that you rarely see in productions costing less than tens of millions of dollars. As for the others in the movie with whom I did not have a chance to
work with directly, all I can say that without you and your talents this movie would not have been anywhere near as good as it is.
A little background if I may:
In order to fully appreciate the effort undertaken by the cast, crew and the writer / producer, it must be understood that this was not a Hollywood
production in the sense of having millions and millions of dollars to spend. Hollywood spends more on lipstick for one of its epics than was spent for
this entire production. Never the less this is a first rate, high quality and entertaining movie. Everything from the writing to the packaging is
first rate. This is so because this effort was not "just another job", but a "labor of love" by all involved, even though it was mostly a
volunteer effort.
Criticisms:
The only real criticism that I have is that the movie moves along pretty fast so you have to pay close attention to each line each actor says, as
there is a reason for everything that is said. This fast pace is necessary because the writer tries to compress several stories, histories and
philosophies, like the legends of Lemuria, the Shaver Mystery, mysteries of Mt. Shasta, Enochian Language, J.C. Browns Lost Treasure Map, spiritually
and religion, just to name a few, into a single story when any one of these subjects would be quite enough for a single two hour movie. So you may
need to see this more than once to get the full impact.
Suggestions For Viewing:
Because there is so much there and so little time to present it all, to fully understand and more fully enjoy the movie, try to read as much about it
as you can to get the idea and the feeling of the film. Read the product descriptions and postings here on Amazon.com as well as on the "Beyond
Lemuria" web site here:
www.beyondlemuria.com...
After reading the scrolling text on the above site, be sure to click on the picture of Mt. Shasta to enter the full site or you will miss the most
interesting parts of that site.
Also please note that the story line switches between the Lothinians (the good guys) and the Draconians (the bad guys) throughout the story.
Because the events are similar and because both groups are portrayed by the same actors, when a switch is made between the two groups it may not be
clear what has happened. To help remedy this, remember that the Lothinians are all wearing a medallion inscribed with the Unicursal Hexagram, which is
the symbol of their order, and are dressed principally in white or otherwise bright colors, which is befitting of the good guys. Conversely the bad
guys are all dressed in black and are all wearing the Dragon symbol around their necks, which is the symbol of their order.
Keeping this in mind helps the understanding, especially during the lecture hall scene where Dr. Roland speaks on "The Shaver Mystery and The
Secrets of Mt. Shasta". During this scene Dr. Roland begins by talking about "The Shaver Mystery" and the evil Shaver Dero. He then answers
questions from the bad William Morgan who is wearing the black clothing of the Draconian order. The order of events continues with a vision that
William Morgan has of his inner most desires of power and lust, then moves on to detail the activities of the Draconians during which two mysterious
deaths occur.
Then the scene then resets back to Dr. Roland still in the lecture hall, but this time he is discussing "The Secrets of Mt. Shasta". William
Morgan again has a vision. But this time he is the good William Morgan dressed in white and has a beautiful vision in an astral temple wherein he
receives the medallion with the symbol of the order of the Lothinians. The order of events continue on to show the further activities of the Lothinian
order during which a spiritual and physical healing occurs.
One can possibly better visualize the events in the story by relating the events in the story to the popularized scientific theory called Quantum
Physics. Part of this theory indicates that an event can contain all possibilities at the same time but that only one of those possibilities will
become "real" when the event is viewed. In the case of William Morgan only one of the two event paths become "real" when he makes a decision as to
which path he is to follow. Until that decision is made, both paths are "real".
In the light this then, we have William Morgan at a decision point. As a decision has not yet been made therefore both possibilities which would
arise from whichever decision he makes still exist and therefore are occurring simultaneously, but in separate timelines to their conclusion. William
Morgan sees both possibilities in his vision. To try to show this in the movie, a scene was added where the Lothinians and the Dragonians accidentally
run into each other while on the trip to Mt. Shasta during a rest stop in a restaurant parking lot. They end up parking next to each other as one
group arrives and the other is departing. The event is related in a sort of déjà vu venue wherein they see each other and sort of recognize each
other but ultimately dismiss the event. This event happened because their timelines meet at the same physical location and at the same time even
though they are on different paths.
Also of note is the scene on the Mt. Shasta where each of the Lothinians see a being, or entity, that appears above the Mountain. This is actually
a vision that each are having.
To further understand some of the subjects in the movie you might want look into The Shaver Mystery and alphabet, the book "Dweller on Two
Planets" by Phylos, Enochian and Dr. John Dee, Hermes Trismegistus and Hermeticism and even J.C. Browns Lost Treasure Map. You can find overviews of
these and other subjects on Wikipedia as various other sources by Googling them on the web.
Also be sure to review the commentaries by Poke Runyon that are included on the DVD with the movie as well as the enclosed booklet.
The Philosophy of "Beyond Lemuria":
The most important thing to remember from the movie is the universal message of the mythical Lothinian Brotherhood, which is one of inclusion rather
than exclusion. That message, in essence, is that all roads up the mountain lead to the summit. Though that road may be Christian, Jewish, Islamic or
the Mystical, if one is seeking the Divine with love and light, all those roads will lead to the summit - to that God who created you, who also
created me. To that God that is within you that is also within me, in equal measure.
"...For if it were not so, I would not have told you." Said by the Jesus vision in the movie,
And:
"...I must leave you with a warning: Wisdom and immortality are the treasures of enlightenment, but no one else can give you that which is yours to
find within yourself. No one else can make the decisions for you. Good and evil are for you alone to define. In Darkness you may find the Light, or
beyond the Light you may discover darkness --- for in truth you can't have one without the other. The choice must always be yours." Said to William
Morgan by Hermes Trismegistus in a vision.
I do hope you enjoy the movie. We had a great time making it. I would also like to say that I enjoyed working with everyone on this project and
hope to work with you all sometime again in the future.
Namaste - which means `The God within me salutes the God within you.'
~ Mark Nelson aka Dr. X (the bad guy), Dr. Xavier (the good guy) ~ v2
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