Showing 9 articles
Qawwali: Call of the Spirit
Author: Harianto MehtaOctober 9, 2022
This article serves only as an introduction to the legendary origins, metaphysical purpose, and the traditional form used in the practice of Qawwali. It would be impossible to capture the cultural nuances, complex history, and social impact of the genre in this brief work, but I hope to share some principal themes that have emerged [...]
Anne Conway: the Ultimate Unity of Spirit and Matter
Author: Siobhan FarrarJuly 30, 2020
Seventeenth century England was a time of conflict and rapid change, and it is under such conditions that Countess Anne Conway, one of the few female philosophers of her time, developed her clarity of vision and influence. From her home at Ragley Hall and mostly through letters, Anne Conway was in continuous dialogue with the [...]
Esoteric Influences in the Work of William Blake
Author: Julian ScottJanuary 15, 2020
Many of the world’s great artists were inspired by the perennial, esoteric or occult philosophy and their works of art express timeless truths that continue to speak to our intuitions. The artist and poet William Blake is no exception, but it is not easy to locate him within the esoteric tradition, because he was subject [...]
Living the Spirit of Gandhiji
Author: Vivek DivekarNovember 30, 2018
Over the ages, many Individuals, even while seeking to overcome their own personal challenges have endeavoured and succeeded in contributing to Humanity. The greatness of these persons was defined by the spirit of purpose they exhibited during their lifetime. These were common men, who chose to walk in the footsteps trod earlier by giants. This [...]
My Mind & I
Author: Sangeeta IyerJuly 29, 2018
Does my mind exist outside of me? Who am I really, if not my mind? Many of us have experienced the predicament of almost having a face-off within ourselves, as if there were two people debating within us; one of whom we eventually align with. Sometimes, we’re even surprised to find that our mind seems [...]
The constitution of the human being in the Western tradition
Author: Agostino DominiciFebruary 7, 2017
From time immemorial, human beings have asked themselves the question ‘who am I?’ And philosophers, theologians and metaphysicians have all come up with different answers. The classification of the various human ‘constituents’, from one system of thought to another might have changed, but the underlying principles in question have remained the same. Thus, even though [...]
What is Soul?
Author: Julian ScottMay 11, 2016
Last summer we were privileged to host a talk at our centre on the subject of ‘Soul’ by Matthew Del Nevo, a visiting philosopher from Australia. Matthew is Associate Professor in Philosophy at the Catholic Institute of Sydney, where he lectures mainly in the area of the history of ideas and modern continental philosophy. He [...]
The Heroic Spirit
Author: Natalia LemaOctober 11, 2015
Many of us associate the term ‘hero’ with a brave character mostly from stories, myths and historical events: a very special person who is able to overcome weaknesses and fears, displaying great courage and other virtues such as sacrifice and strength. We might even think about a sort of warrior who is victorious, saves others [...]
Simply Philosophy
Author: Yaron BarzilayMay 12, 2014
When mention is made of philosophy, one might imagine that a rain of words will fall, combined with complicated sentences and theories.This way of seeing philosophy is far from the true spirit of philosophy which basically aims to bring us closer to simplicity and clarity. What we need is a simple definition of philosophy. The culture [...]