Treasures of old stories
Author: Natalya PetlevychFebruary 7, 2017
Our hectic city lifestyle seems to be far away from the world of fairy tales. However, their charm and hidden wisdom has been woven into the history of the world for such a long time that it has become part of the present and enhances it. Wherever we travel, local legends, traditions and symbols tell us interesting stories and the landscape appears more alive, customs more understandable and the [...]
Philosophy for Living
Author: Yaron BarzilayFebruary 7, 2017
Today is a special day; it is the day that UNESCO marks as World Philosophy Day. It is great for us to be able to celebrate philosophy. Especially, since we shall also use the opportunity to launch a book written by Delia Steinberg Guzman (Honorary President of the International Organisation New Acropolis), titled Philosophy for Living. She has written quite a lot of books, published and [...]
Archetypal Astrology: re-enchanting the cosmos
Author: Agostino DominiciSeptember 7, 2016
In the last 50 years astrology has started to gain a level of intellectual respectability which would have been unthinkable before. This has been thanks to the recent contributions of many brilliant and open-minded thinkers who have come to embrace the teachings of this ancient discipline. A long time has passed since Voltaire defined astrology as “the mad daughter of a wise mother”. [...]
Saying it Right – Doing it Right
Author: Michael LassmanJuly 30, 2016
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” was a little ditty chanted in the school playgrounds of the 1960s as a retort from one child to another after being teased or taunted. In truth, it should have been “…but words will really hurt me” – why? Because they can and they do! Used well, words can heal, offer gentle care, understanding, show empathy and [...]
Accepting our Differences, Accepting Ourselves
Author: Gilad SommerJune 1, 2016
We are all different. This seems like an obvious statement, but it is often the obvious statements which require the most scrutiny and investigation, exactly because they are the ones we take least time to consider. Even though we all share the essential experience of a human being, each of us filters this experience through our own personal characteristics and background, and above all through [...]
The Pursuit of a Work-Life Balance
Author: Rahil MehtaMay 26, 2016
Human Beings have a natural need to improve and grow. Certain moments in our lives are decisive where we feel we made a breakthrough and in hindsight we may recognize the inspiration and experiences that guided us in those moments. Often we find that in such moments we are more goal-oriented and focussed, thereby able to make accurate decisions and push our boundaries, e.g. a sleepless night [...]
Best of the Human Potential through Sports
Author: Kurush DordiMay 26, 2016
The year is 1936. The Olympic Games in Munich are underway and Adolf Hitler, Chancellor of Germany, publicly comments, “The sportive, knightly battle awakens the best human characteristics. It doesn’t separate, but unites, the combatants in understanding and respect. It also helps to connect the countries in the spirit of peace. That’s why the Olympic flame should never die.” (1) Behind [...]
Habits and Automatism
Author: Natalia LemaMay 20, 2016
Amongst the many human conditions that characterise us, there is one that in a subtle way permeates who we are and what we do, not only on a physical level but also in terms of emotional and mental traits: habits or repetitive behaviour The very lack of awareness and the fact that we fall easily into an automatic way of acting makes it even harder to identify that acquired way of being or acting [...]
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 is also the author of several books, including his latest publication [...]
The Art of Creative Writing
Author: Natalia LemaApril 19, 2016
It is a common belief that writing is only for those who possess a talent and that creativity is something that some people have and others don’t. However, another way of looking at it is to see creativity as one of our human characteristics, and writing as a unique opportunity to nurture our mind and heart by allowing the authentic expression of our being. Writing is almost like a relationship [...]
How Can We Humanize the World We are Living In?
Author: Pierre PoulainMarch 23, 2016
When I was a child I was a fan of Science-Fiction books. I remember especially some classics such as the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov, and books written by Van Vogt, Philip K. Dick, Robert Heinlein or Philip Jose Farmer, just to mention a few. While reading those books I was dreaming of the future. We were in the seventies, and this moment of the 21th century was still the future. [...]
Beauty and Meaning
Author: Sabine LeitnerFebruary 29, 2016
Recently I have been pondering the ability to perceive beauty and meaning. In order to perceive anything it is necessary to develop organs of perception. In order to see we needed to develop eyes. Without ears, sound waves would be non-existent for us. If someone talked to us about fragrance and smells we wouldn’t know what they were talking about if we didn’t have a nose. However, at [...]