I’ve never been a fan of arbitrary time demarcations. The sun and the moon and the star set the procession of time and mechanically implant our fate. But since so much has changed lately and continues with my Gnostic shenanigans (and fate is on the prowl), I thought it might be a good “time” to offer a transparent epistle on the direction of Aeon Byte Gnostic Radio.
2017 was indeed a pivotal year for this venture. Traffic, listens, and views increased considerably — even with YouTube classifying the show as “not suitable” and certain podcast channels purportedly censoring occult broadcasters. ABGR thrived, withstanding the cold, corporate censorship that seems to be striking those in the alternative media. This indicates that the show’s evolution is on the right track and the Gnostic viewpoint continues to resonate in society.
Early last year we rolled out a subscription service. I know many people feel that what is right and liberating should be free on the internet. Yet to take it to the proverbial “next step” this shift was necessary. In turn, we produced:
- More interviews (and longer to showcase guests and their work)
- Evocative videos
- In-depth articles and guest posts
- A more interactive presence on social media
Perhaps the greatest move, though, was tapping into a fantastic team that upgraded the quality of ABGR. I can’t thank enough the help of Luthien, Moon Dog, Zoei, and others. Dox them at your peril and opportunity.
So what content was the most popular and what does it tell us?
Let’s find out, here in the Desert of the Real (and check out a survey at the end for what you want to see more of this year).
Most popular articles
As mentioned, the site’s traffic surged in 2017, basically quadrupling visits, a mixture of Google rankings and social media interest. Here are the top eight articles:
- How the Archons Destroy Your Life
- The Five Most Dangerous Archons in the Gnostic Gospels
- A Complete Translation of the Gospel of Mary
- The Spiritual Meaning Behind the Story of Sophia
- 10 Expert Definitions of Gnosis That Will Lead You to the Mind of God
- Why Do Gnostics Consider Mary Magdalene the Greatest Apostle?
- Why Does the Demiurge Have a Lion Head?
- The Gnosis and Tragedy of the Yezidi
What does that tell us? Audiences are still hot to trot for Mary Magdalene and the Divine Feminine. At the same time, those perennial villains, the Archons, still keep us clicking for intel. Hell, it’s no secret that the concept of Archons has become more mainstream in the last few years, with even David Ike and Alex Jones mentioning it (and yes, the latter became mainstream in weird 2017). I mean, what is scarier than cosmic, bureaucratic overlords with a penchant for sexual harassment? (Guess the Archon’s fleshy representatives were fully exposed last year!)
Of this list, The Gnosis and Tragedy of the Yezidi and The Five Most Dangerous Archons in the Gnostic Gospels were released in 2017.
Most popular podcasts
For podcast popularity, that’s a hard to say for two reasons: Early last year we switched podcast providers, from the dreadful Screencast to Libsyn; and then late in the year, Libsyn changed its metrics platform and basically started from ground zero in November! The new boss can be worse than the old boss sometimes and in many ways…
However, we can measure interest through YouTube views. Here are the five most popular shows released in 2017:
- A Modern Gnostic View on the Purpose of Life with Tim Freke
- The Gospel of Thomas & Defeating the Archons with Frank Divita
- Decoding Dark City, The Matrix & Other Gnostic Movies with Fryderyk Kwiatkowski
- Deconstructing Gurdjieff with Tobias Churton
- French Occult & Gnostic Masters with Tobias Churton
No surprise seeing the wonderful Tim Freke at the top, neither is the impact of the elegant Tobias Churton. Both individuals have been championing ancient and modern Gnosticism since the last millennia. And both balance reason and mysticism when crafting their game-changing ideas.
As for most popular ever, here they are:
- The Reality of the Archons with Robert Price
- Marcion and the First Bible with Robert Price
- Who Was Moses? with Robert Price
- The True Origins & Identity of Baphomet with Tracy Twyman
- The Left-Hand Path with Edward Pandemonium
Again, the Archons are trendy, but Robert Price is an Aeon our audience loves engaging with. Go Barbelo Bob!
We do have the old YouTube channel, and it’s no surprise that Lon Milo DuQuette, Acharya S. (miss you!), Jordan Stratford, and Elaine Pagels are the most viewed (here is the list).
Moving into 2018
A last notable statistic has to do with countries that listen to ABGR. Not surprising, the first four is the usual Anglo suspects of U.S., Canada, England, and Australia. But in fifth place, we have French Polynesia! I don’t know what to say about that, but perhaps a Manichaean or Cathar breakaway sect got lost there and recently found iTunes.
In any event, make of all of this as you will. We can’t get enough of the Archons, but Gnosticism, in general, continues to intrigue audiences. As Chris Knowles said in our recent interview, religious interest seems to be dwindling in the West, but Gnosticism as a philosophy grows as people realize we are indeed living in Gnostic times and the Empire Never Ended.
In the end and in this false reality — no matter how popular or overlooked ABGR is today and tomorrow — I’m glad for those of you who are on this quest with me to break down the Black Iron Prison. Thanks for being here.
And, if possible and as mentioned, thanks for completing the below survey so I can calibrate more show topics this year: