Esoteric Quest News March 2010
Quest News is produced to introduce you to our staff and faculty, as well as to pass on exciting information about the upcoming Esoteric Quest Conference and Post Conference Tours. Our next conference is titled: An Esoteric Quest for Ancient Alexandria, Greco-Egyptian Birthplace of the Western Mind. This Quest will be taking place from June 12th – 17th, 2011, in Alexandria, Egypt. The conference will be followed by two optional journeys – one deeper into Ancient Egypt and the other to Cyprus. Please see http://www.esotericquest.org/ for more information.
Quest Faculty Member – Leonard George Leonard George, Ph.D, is a Canadian psychologist, educator, author and broadcaster. His academic affiliations include Capilano College, Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia. Author of two books, he has focused for many years on the spirituality of antiquity. Leonard has been on the faculty of many Esoteric Quest conferences including those in Samothraki (2008), Granada (2007) and Kutna Hora and Weimar (2006).
Why do you find ancient Alexandria such a fascinating and relevant place?
The most emblematic structure in the city was the Pharos, the giant lighthouse hailed by antique writers as a wonder of their world.
Alexandria itself became a sort of light-house: a beacon of culture, pleasure, curiosity and independent thought. Imagine a blend of Manhattan, San Francisco and New Orleans, but with sphinxes. Never before had there been such mingling of peoples and ideas. This mingling wasn’t without friction, to be sure. But friction lit the blaze that shines in memory to this day. Alexandria was a cosmopolis, a place that in its heart belonged to the tribe of questers more than it did to anyone’s empire.
And if you want dramatic history, you can’t ask for more: Alexander, the Ptolemies, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, Hypatia and on. Today the whole world is a mingling of peoples and ideas. Will the friction ignite the brilliance of a global society, or burn it? We could do worse than consult the example of old Alexandria for guidance. The tribe of questers still exists, of course. And every member, everywhere, will want to come to Alexandria next year to salute their forebears in this profound location.
You have described Alexandria as being the cradle of Western Esotericism. How did Hermeticism, Gnosticism and Neo-Platonism emerge there?
When I think of Alexandria, a poem by A.A. Milne comes to mind: “Halfway up the stairs isn’t up and isn’t down. It isn’t in the nursery, it isn’t in the town…” and the poem concludes “It isn’t really anywhere. It’s somewhere else instead!” On some level, the Alexandria we seek is there too. The city was dubbed ‘Alexandria ad Aegyptum’ – Alexandria BY Egypt, not IN Egypt. But it wasn’t in Rome or Greece or Libya or Judea or Palestine either. It was in Betweenworld. Such liminal zones allow new forms that aren’t bound by certainties and rules. And, sure enough, the native deities of Alexandria were spirits of the cracks, gate-crashers. Serapis: a mash of Osiris, Apis and Dionysus. Zeus Ammon: the bearded Greek god decked with curly horns from the Ammon cult of Egypt. Best known is Hermes Trismegistus: Greek Hermes shaken and stirred with Egyptian Thoth. And Isis (the Egyptian Aset): she kept her African foundation but got a total makeover, ending up a Macedonian matron waving Aset’s rattle and toting a jug of Nile water. The crossroads is a classic image of liminality, on the way to every destination but no destination itself. And there’s never been a crossroads like Alexandria. Here collided the flows of Egyptian, Hebrew, Greek and Roman influence, and more. Everyone passed through, from near and quite far. The first note of Buddhists in the West is found in a letter of Clement of Alexandria. In such a realm, it would be odd if wild spiritual hybrids like Gnosticism, Hermetism and Neoplatonism didn’t arise.
After our Esoteric Quest conference exploring the mysteries and philosophies of antiquity in Greece and Turkey, you journeyed throughout the Middle East, with a stop in Alexandria. What do you find fascinating about the city today?
There are two Alexandrias in the same spot. One is what you see with your physical eyes. It’s a sprawling city on the Mediterranean, aiming and generally not quite managing to feel like a modern place. I found folks very friendly, basic English is spoken widely (although every visitor should learn some Arabic phrases out of common respect), and the city is cleaner and more relaxed than elsewhere in Egypt.
After the sensory assault of Cairo, Alexandria is a blessing, the sea’s presence such refreshment. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is thoroughly modern. It’s a 21st century marvel, as cutting edge as it comes. But this Library reveres the soil it sprang from. In the lobby are monuments to Hypatia, the martyr of wisdom, and to Demetrius Phalereus, who inspired the founding of the world-renowned ancient Library, and outside is a statue of Ptolemy II. New Alexandria is built atop old Alexandria, which pokes through in a few highly important spots: for instance, the ruins of the Serapeion, a huge temple of Serapis (where, if you search carefully, you can find the site of the ‘daughter Library’, the public branch of the massive and currently still unlocated main Library); an unearthed civic complex with theatre and lecture halls; the just-discovered royal temple of the cat-goddess Bast (FYI, the Egyptian word for ‘cat’ was ‘mew’); and the catacombs, one of my favorite spots in all Egypt. These sites prompt the eyes of imagination, with which you can see the other Alexandria. Truth doesn’t change. So whatever was true and real about antiquity must still be there. Those who have eyes to see, will see. I did.
At our upcoming conference you will be giving a presentation on “Thoth, Hermes and the Hermetica”. Can you give us a foretaste of what you intend to offer?
Hermes Trismegistus: Hermes “Thrice Greatest”. The title first belonged to Thoth, which flags the fact that this divine being partook of both the Greek current brought by Alexander and the native Egyptian current.
We know of the Thrice Greatest One mainly from a small group of texts that miraculously survived two millennia of bonfires and zealots. These remnants tell of a “Path of Hermes”, clearly based on an earlier “Path of Thoth” – a journey that methodically roused the seeker’s awareness that he or she was part of something deep and sacred. In a way, this Path was like a fishing trip – it began with baiting the hook. The bait was knowledge and power. Come on in, we give lessons in Magic, Alchemy, Astrology! Become superior to others! But the Hermetic version of occult training was a means to an end, which was a shift in consciousness. To master these esoteric crafts the student had to peer below the surface of things, searching for hidden links. This deepening of focus, this esoteric gaze, revealed that chasing knowledge and power to score the usual tawdry goals was a waste of life. Sure, turn lead into gold. Go ahead, curse your enemy. But transmute the soul, not a chunk of metal; curse the enemy called selfishness, not a neighbor.
The deepened gaze, refined, led to vision, which led to a place beyond expression. And finally, the Path of Hermes led right back here, the seeker now set to convert knowledge and power into loving acts. The Hermetic Path is the earliest detailed map for esoteric questing that has come down to us. The Hermetic community of old Alexandria is the lineal ancestor of the New York Open Center.
How does a rich awareness of the culture of Alexandria complete or add to our insight into the Western Esoteric tradition during the last 2,000 years?
What came together in Alexandria was a skeleton of wisdom. The ages have enfleshed this skeleton with what we now call the Western Esoteric Tradition. But the bones are still down there, buried in every seeker. Recall the advice from Delphi, carved into marble so that it would last: “Know Yourself.” It’s extremely helpful to know one’s body, right down to the bone.
A Surprise Visitor
Those of you who participated a few years ago in the Esoteric Quest for the Mysteries and Philosophy of Antiquity on the island of Samothraki will remember Alan Cardew as one of our speakers. Alan is unexpectedly visiting New York from England where he teaches at the University of Essex. He has a long standing love of ancient Alexandria, has lectured for many years on its history and significance, and now has generously offered to speak at the Open Center.
On Friday, March 26th at 8pm, come hear Alan’s talk, and deepen your understanding of that great city in preparation for our Quest of 2011. The event is free; however, donations in any amount towards the Esoteric Quest Scholarship Fund will be graciously accepted.
Contact the Open Center Registration Department at 212-219-2527, ext. 2, to sign up for this special evening, and do feel free to invite a friend! You’ll find a description of his talk under “Upcoming Events” below.
An Esoteric Gathering In New York
August 27th to 29th 2010
As we have become accustomed to the rhythm of having an Esoteric Quest for each of the last four years, many of us are yearning this summer for our annual exploration of deep spiritual mysteries. However, the next full scale Quest will not take place until June of next year when we venture to Alexandria, Cyprus and Luxor. So, in the meanwhile, we thought we would create an “Esoteric Gathering” right here in New York City at the Open Center this summer. We are reminded by friends from California and Europe that New York in its own way is an exotic destination. Certainly, anyone who has taken the “Esoteric New York” walking tour knows this to be true.
So please save the date! We are still in the process of giving form to the weekend and will let you know as soon as it has taken shape. What we can say is that we will address at least three major areas
1. Picking up the esoteric threads from last year’s Quest for Inner America
2 Looking forward to the worlds of ancient Alexandria, Egypt and Cyprus next year
3 Contemplating esotericism in the contemporary world
We are also open to suggestions from Quest participants as we see this Gathering as an opportunity both for new learning and for building our Esoteric Quest Community. Please feel free to write to quest@opencenter.org. More details to follow soon.
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Upcoming Events at the New York Open Center
Finding the Golden Thread—Contemporary Mystery Wisdom: Rudolf Steiner, Love and Freedom
Ralph White
Monday, March 22, 8pm
Alexandria, Cults and Mysteries
Alan Cardew, Ph.D.
Friday, March 26, 8pm
Ancient Alexandria was the Open Center of Antiquity, bringing together the religious traditions of the ancient world, attempting to find a spiritual worldview underlying all systems of belief. Chaldean, Egyptian, Greek, and Hebrew systems and philosophy were fused together in the libraries of Alexandria. At the heart of this process was the Sarapeion, a library and temple devoted to the worship of Serapis, a god who was an amalgam of different metals, different times and different religions. This talk will examine the cult of Serapis and its relationship with the other more famous elements of the Alexandrian synthesis: Alchemy and Hermeticism.
Alan Cardew spoke at our Esoteric Quest for the Mysteries of Antiquity on the island of Samothraki. He is Director of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies, Director of the Centre for American Studies, and a member of the recently formed Centre for the Study of Myth at the University of Essex, England. He is currently pursuing research on the interpretation of myth and working on a book on the archaic and the primordial.
The Seven Soul Centers and the Western Path to Enlightenment
Robert M. Place
Friday, April 9, 7–10pm
The World of Ancient Alexandria
Ralph White, Brian Cotnoir and Richard Geldard
Friday, April 16, 7:30pm
Symbolist Egypt: Nativigating the Afterlife & the Doctrine of Immortality
John Anthony West
Friday, April 30, 7–10pm
A New York Esoteric Quest Gathering: Further Reflections on Inner America, Looking Forward to Alexandria, and Contemplating Esotericism in the World Today
With faculty members from past Quests!
August 27 – August 29
(more information to follow)
To register for any of the above events, please call the New York Open Center at 212-219-2527, ext. 2, or see www.opencenter.org.
Upcoming Events Beyond
The Road to Alexandria: The Quest for Meaning in the Ancient World
University of British Columbia
Leonard George
Saturday, April 10, 10am-5pm
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The Esoteric Quest is presented by The New York Open Center http://www.opencenter.org, is a non-profit holistic learning center offering evening events, full-day workshops, ongoing classes, advanced trainings, and graduate degree opportunities.