Showing 636 articles
The Comacine Masters
Author: Agostino DominiciMarch 28, 2026
I have always been fascinated by the tradition of sacred masonry, which throughout the ages has left us many remarkable and inspiring buildings. I am thinking especially of those medieval builders who assumed the role of architect-priests, carrying on an ancient tradition that goes back to Imhotep himself (circa 2700 BCE) – the famous priest, [...]
What the myths of Proteus and Janus tell us about Change and Transformation
Author: Sofia VenutiMarch 28, 2026
Our current sociopolitical climate can cause a fear of change and a want of permanence – of identity and ideology for example. The philosopher looks back and sees that the ancient world offers a sobering counterpoint: a reverence for change, mutability and the transient. This is vividly portrayed in the myths of Proteus, the elusive [...]
On Altruism in Nature
Author: Adhiyan JeevatholMarch 28, 2026
I remember a number of years ago in one of my lectures at university learning about the curious characteristics of Dictyostelium discoidem – otherwise known as cellular slime molds (CSMs). Not to be confused with the fungal moulds which we are more familiar with, CSMs are single-celled organisms that, when put in conditions of starvation, [...]
The Eternal Mystery of the Count of Saint Germain
Author: Laszlo BalizsMarch 28, 2026
In the glittering salons of eighteenth-century France, stories circulated of a man who seemed to live beyond the boundaries of ordinary life. In one of them, the story starts with a diamond. A jeweller once presented to Louis XV a brilliant stone with a blemish. The Count of Saint Germain, the enigmatic wizard already a [...]
The influence of esoteric philosophy on history and society
Author: Julian ScottMarch 28, 2026
The word ‘esoteric’ probably gives the impression of something obscure, reserved for the few, and having little resonance in the world outside some small, perhaps élite circles. However, nothing could be further from the truth. What I would like to show in this article is that, despite the fact that the word ‘eso-teric’ means ‘going [...]
George Eliot – Humanist, Sociologist and Knower of the Inner Life
Author: Julian PoweMarch 28, 2026
Eppie’s hand rests on the shoulder of her adoptive father, Silas Marner, as she looks her natural father, Godfrey, in the eye. Godfrey had deserted Eppie’s mother, who had then died shortly after giving birth to their daughter. He is now offering Eppie a life of comfort and thus redemption for himself. After finding and [...]
The Bhagavad Gita and the Inner Battle
Author: Siobhan FarrarMarch 28, 2026
The Bhagavad Gita is a philosophical treasure of the Indian wisdom tradition. A heroic tale which for the wisdom-seeker explains many spiritual truths about ‘the inner battle’ and the human condition. The name ‘Bhagavad Gita’ means ‘Song of God’. The story is about two branches of a single family descended from brothers Pandu and Dhritarashtra. [...]
When You look at this painting, what do YOU see?
Author: Dave ColeMarch 28, 2026
Is it just a depiction of a basket of rotting fruit? Or a philosophical discussion on the fragility of life? This painting is by one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance in Italy – Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, who depicted images of great realism with emphasis on tonal colour palette, using dark and light. [...]
The crisis of authority
Author: Sabine LeitnerMarch 28, 2026
It seems that respect for authority is declining in many parts of the world. In 2001 half of all Americans said that they trusted the government to do what is right always or most of the time. In 2023, only 16% said the same. Hardly a day passes by without news about some abuse of [...]
The ‘Houses of Life’ – the Wisdom and Mystery Schools in Ancient Egypt
Author: Sabine LeitnerMarch 28, 2026
I will never forget a very well-educated friend of mine who once said, with a hint of contempt in his voice, that the Egyptians didn’t have philosophy. He claimed they weren’t worth studying, and this is a view I have heard more than once – that Western civilization was born entirely of Greek and Roman [...]
Thinking in Systems
Author: Florimond KrinsMarch 28, 2026
In her book Thinking in Systems published posthumously, Donella H. Meadows, co-author of the ground-breaking The Limits to Growth (1972), shows us a different, yet not so new, way of looking at reality – a reality where all organisms, large and small, can be seen as systems, meaning that nothing in the universe truly works [...]
Reviving the Wisdom of the Ancients: Nutrition for the Body and Soul
Author: Laszlo BalizsFebruary 28, 2026
In today’s high-speed, ultra-modern world, when food delivery apps are our stove and nutritional advice comes from TikTok and the food celebrities of Instagram, it’s tempting to ignore the fact that eating is more than just filling our tummies. If we rewind the clock to the time of the ancient Greeks, we’d find that food [...]