‘Free the Mind film’

     
This afternoon I plan to catch the 2:45 screening at The Quad of Free the Mind, the documentary by Phie Ambo released last year that explores research into how the human brain affects the physical body, and the difference meditation may make.

From the publicity, a note from the director:

We are entering a new era – a renaissance where everything gets turned upside down. In all fields, science makes new discoveries that constantly change our world view and leave nothing the way we first assumed. Our knowledge expands and gets more complex. Constantly, new fundamental questions are raised about who we are as human beings. The more questions asked, the more obvious it is to me how many things we still don’t understand. I find that very inspiring!

Free the Mind is the second part of my trilogy on the fundamental human questions. The first film Mechanical Love (2007) was about robot science. Characteristic for both films is their location in the field where science meets reality and where scientists use dashes and question marks instead of dots. In Free The Mind the central questions are: What is a thought, and how does it create a manifestation in the body?

Can we make a physical change of the brain only by the power of thoughts? My personal reason for choosing this subject was sudden panic attacks a couple of years ago. It was a very physical experience, and I felt as if the record in my mind was stuck and that it took a physical effort to get the pick up back in the groove. I found that meditation could be the push I needed, and I became interested in understanding how it was linked. It made me want to open up the skull and look into the brain and see what was really happening during meditation.

Free the Mind is the result of that study. The film is not an answer, but the beginning of an ongoing debate on what is the human being.

Phie Ambo,
May 2012


Maybe I will see you there.
     

‘The Significance of the Autumnal Equinox’

     
The Rosicrucian Order will host an aptly timed program titled “The Significance of the Autumnal Equinox” tomorrow at 5 p.m. at the Rosicrucian Cultural Center, located at 2303 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard (near 135th Street) in New York City.

From the publicity:

Our discussion will include not only a consideration of the Rosicrucian Autumn Equinox observances, but also their parallels in world spiritualties and cultures across the ages. Participants are invited to share their own experiences of the Fall of the year, and its resonances in their lives.

Magpie file photo

The presenter, Steven A. Armstrong, M.A. Hum., M.A., M.Div. is a professional historian, philosopher, and teacher based in the San Francisco Bay area. His current areas of interest include how the Primordial Tradition permeates all world traditions, and the way in which the Rosicrucian and Martinist paths provide a unique and unifying viewpoint on those traditions. Author of more than 30 published papers, articles and podcasts, and a lecturer for the RCUI, he is no stranger to NYC, as he received two of his Master’s Degrees at Fordham’s Rose Hill Campus, and did his undergraduate work just north of New York at Yale.

There is no cost to attend but, they say, donations are welcome.
     

‘JSTOR unveils JPASS, easy access’

     
JSTOR, the on-line trove of journals, papers, and other published research data for the use of libraries, publishers, and other institutions, today introduces an access plan to attract those of us who cannot afford the non-profit’s subscription fee. JPASS is intended for the individual JSTOR user, with options for both monthly and annual access.

JSTOR says more than 80 percent of its data will be available to JPASS clients. From the press release issued this morning:

JSTOR Introduces JPASS

Personal Access to Its Vast Digital Library

of Journal Archives for Individuals

New York, NY— JSTOR, the not-for-profit digital library that is a widely used resource for academic research, unveiled this week its latest effort to open its doors to people beyond universities, colleges, and high schools. Individuals can now get their own JPASS: a monthly or annual pass that provides access to 1,500 journals from JSTOR’s archive collection.

JPASS offers people unlimited online reading from an expansive library of high quality journals across 50 subject areas and the ability to download up to 10 articles a month or 120 per year. JPASS holders also get a MyJSTOR account, enabling them to access JSTOR 24/7 from any device by simply logging in. In addition, this personalized access provides users with the ability to set up alerts for specific search terms or journals; to save and export citations; and, as a unique feature, to enjoy a personal library of saved article downloads, which are preserved and accessible to them—even if their JPASS expires.

“We are incredibly excited to be offering JPASS as an additional access option for JSTOR,” said Jennifer Farthing, who is leading this and other individual access initiatives for the organization. “JPASS is for everyone who needs affordable, access to high-quality, trusted research—whether for a few days at a time or on a regular basis. It’s a great option if you are not able to get ready access through an educational institution or public library or if you need access beyond JSTOR’s free, limited reading program, Register & Read.”

So just who are these future JPASS holders? “As one indication, nearly 1 million people have registered with JSTOR and are using Register & Read today,” says Farthing. “Those that have told us about themselves include independent scholars, writers, business people, adjunct faculty, and life-long learners, among others. Many say they love our free reading program, but some tell us they’d love to be able to do more on JSTOR.”

Now they can. JPASS fees range from $19.50 for a monthly to $199 for an annual pass. Discounts are being made available to JSTOR’s Register & Read users as well as to members of scholarly societies whose journals are included in the JPASS Collection.
For more information on JPASS, visit http://jpass.jstor.org.

About JSTOR

JSTOR (www.jstor.org) is a digital library of more than 1,800 academic journals, 16,000 books, and 2 million primary source objects. JSTOR helps people discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content through a powerful research and teaching platform, and preserves this content for future generations. JSTOR is part of ITHAKA, a not-for-profit organization that also includes Ithaka S+R and Portico.
     

‘Tonight: Full Moon Meditation’

     
There will be a full moon this evening, in case you’re feeling some inexplicable ticking in your psyche today, so get to the Rosicrucian Cultural Center for the monthly Full Moon Meditation.

Rosicrucian teachings suggest that each of the celestial bodies, including the moon, has a particular influence on one’s consciousness.

The Cultural Center is located on Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard, near the corner of 135th Street, in New York City. Get there by 7:30, as the skies go dark.

I attended the gathering last month, and enjoyed a really unique experience and met a group of very friendly people.

And check out these photos of the moon, taken by NASA, and just recently compiled into animation-type footage to show the moon rotating, affording us earthlings a look at the far side of our closest celestial neighbor. The side we never get to see. NASA released this video Monday.
     

‘Anthroposophical Society this week’

   
These Anthroposophical Society events coming this week in and near New York City sound terrific.

What is Anthroposophy?

“Anthroposophy is a source of spiritual knowledge and a practice of inner development. Through it one seeks to penetrate the mystery of our relationship with the spiritual world by searching for answers and insights that come through a schooling of one’s inner life. It draws, and strives to build, on the spiritual research of Rudolf Steiner, who maintained that every human being (anthropos) has the inherent wisdom (sophia) to solve the riddles of existence and to transform both self and society. Rudolf Steiner shared the results of this research in 40 books and in over 6,000 lectures now available in 300 volumes. He is increasingly recognized as a seminal thinker of the 20th century and one of humanity’s great spiritual teachers.”

Anthroposophy NYC is located at 138 West 15th Street in Manhattan. The bookstore has resumed regular business hours.

From the publicity:

Wednesday, September 18

Ten Part Lecture Series Begins

David Anderson on Spiritual Beings and Their Work

7 p.m. - Regular Fees

Contrary to the commonly held view that behind all we perceive with our senses there is ultimately only dead substance being blown about by physical causes and effects, there is actually a world of many levels of being and consciousness. This year we will look at the invisible beings who, whether we are aware of them or not, are intimately involved with our lives. We will systematically survey the whole scale of these beings and examine how we fit into their organized interrelationships.

Part 1. We will begin with an overview of the spectrum of spiritual beings found in the various planes of being and learn how they cooperate to build up the world.

David Anderson: has taught drawing and Wagner painting at Rudolf Steiner School in New York City and around the world. He holds a Master of Arts Degree and certificates from Emerson College (Waldorf education), and the Wagner School at the Goetheanum (teaching painting).

The second presentation in this 10-part series will take place Wednesday, October 16.

Regular Program Fees – Discounts for All Programs
Non-members $20/*$15, Members $15/*$10, or one Frequency
Discount Ticket (FDT). *The discount in each case is for seniors 65+, full-time students, and active Waldorf teachers. FDTs may be bought at a 25 percent discount for 10 events, 15 percent for 5, and do not expire.

In case of inability to pay, best contribution is always allowed.


And:

The Challenge of Objectivity in Spiritual Research

Thursday, September 19 through Sunday, September 22

Chestnut Ridge, New York

Category: Eastern Region, Spiritual Research

2013 Living Questions Research Symposium

at Threefold Educational Center

All the technical achievements of our modern civilization are evidence of our ability to objectively understand the material world. But what about the non-material world, the world of consciousness, of soul, of spirit? Are there also ways of objectively investigating the world of soul and spirit? In particular, can the soul-spiritual dimension of the world be objectively investigated by soul-spiritual means? Are there non-material ways of researching the world that can lead to more than subjective belief or personal interpretation?

How should we regard the results of such spiritual research? How can their truth and objectivity be tested? How do the spiritual researchers themselves conduct their work and test their own results? How do they strive for objectivity in their particular field of inquiry and activity?

At this year’s Living Questions Research Symposium, we will actively explore these questions and also hear them addressed by practicing researchers in diverse fields of scientific and artistic endeavor. Join us.

Plan to attend our sixth annual fall research symposium, and take part in a living conversation on these vital questions. On tap:

Keynote talks by Michael D’Aleo, Gerald Karnow, and Laura Summer;

Interactive workshops led by Michael D’Aleo, Annelies Davidson, Laurie Portocarrero, Hans Schumm, and Gary Lamb;

Research Perspectives, Open Space Gatherings, guided conversation, and more.
     

‘Coming soon to the C.G. Jung Foundation’

   
The fall season at the C.G. Jung Foundation is scheduled to begin in a few weeks, and I should highlight a few events that may interest Magpie readers.

Courtesy zazzle.com

Saturday, October 5 is date of a full-day conference of discussions titled C.G. Jung in the 21st Century: His Impact on Science, Religion and Culture. Dr. John R. Haule will deliver the keynote address, discussing how “Jung’s doctrine of the archetypes anticipated Evolutionary Psychology by some 70 years, and is much better nuanced,” according to the conference announcement. “The complexes have been largely ‘explained’ by neuro-psychology, and brain science supports all of Jung’s claims about dreaming.”

In addition, Royce Froehlich, a faculty member at the Foundation, will present Jung and the Religious Spirit in the 21st Century, explaining “Jung’s ideas for maintaining a balanced attitude by adopting and adapting, creatively modifying homo sapiens’ innate religious function, part of the transformational process of evolving consciousness.”

Also on the agenda is Laurie Layton Schapira, president of the C.G. Jung Institute of New York, who will discuss the many ways Jung’s “psychological terms and constructs—shadow, archetype, collective unconscious, synchronicity, introvert/extravert—have even entered into the common parlance” since Jung’s death in 1961.

There is more on the schedule. Click here.

The cost per person is $60 for Foundation members, and $75 for the public.

Magpie file photo

This conference is independent of the fall course schedule, which will include a number of interesting classes, including:

Joseph Campbell and The Power of Myth
6 Wednesdays, 7 to 8:40 p.m.
Beginning November 6 (excluding November 27)

Instructor Fanny Brewster, Ph.D.

Joseph Campbell, following in the tradition of C.G. Jung, provided us with a contemporary perspective from which to view our lives, and deepen our life experiences through mythology. This year is the 25th anniversary of the widely successful The Power of Myth, initially previewed to television audiences in June, 1988. In this course, we will view the six episodes of the documentary, followed by a discussion of Joseph Campbell’s views on mythology, and how we can use our knowledge of it to live full, wonderfully powerful lives.
     

‘No Irving Place like home’

   

After more than fifty years at 32 Irving Place, the Rosicrucian Order’s New York City Lodge will pack up, move out, and return the keys to the landlord at the end of this month. The reason, as explained to me recently by a member, is the rising cost of rent.

Courtesy NYC Lodge

Unfortunately, it is an all-too-common refrain heard in the city that is transforming into the exclusive hyper-commercial center it obviously is becoming. Of course money never has been strange to New York City, and complaints of gentrification were on the record, even in Greenwich Village, a century or more ago, but now free enterprise is being supplanted by privilege enterprise. It is the relentless liquidation of beloved places where everyday people gather, as landlords decline to renew leases and opt instead to triple, quadruple, quintuple rents. These leases can be signed only by national chain stores, like the Ace Hardware and 7-Eleven which flank the Blue Note today (to say nothing of the proliferation of Starbucks and banks), or the incomprehensible boutiques that cater to the nonsensical rich. (There are three Marc Jacobs stores on Bleecker Street now.) It seems like every place that had any charm, every place you might have loved, every place where something important in your life happened is on the clock, waiting for that last day of whatever month in whichever year when the lease will be up, and the life’s work either must be relocated or surrendered entirely to the dollar Darwinism of the Bloomberg age. The billionaire mayor publicly laments not being able to lure all of Russia’s oligarchs to Manhattan to live. The obituaries of 2013 alone read like a book of lamentations as too many of the night clubs, eateries, bookshops, record stores, bakeries, and other landmarks of both time and place have shuttered, unable to pay the monies due monthly that dwarf the mortgage on my home. Can a small retail space on the ground floor of a 100-year-old building really be worth $60,000 a month? Today, evidently.

But I digress.

On Saturday, Rosicrucians from the lodge and their guests will gather at their longtime home to celebrate the spiritual life enjoyed there for the past half-century. And a celebration it will be, I’m sure. Rosicrucian teaching, in my limited understanding, explores the metaphysical, so I don’t doubt a new location will be settled without much disruption. I wish them the best.

     

‘Deism defined in its time’

     
The good people at 18th Century Bibles, through their Facebook page, today posted several definitions of "deist" and "deism" as published in The Encyclopedia Britannica in 1770 and An Universal Etymological English Dictionary of 1761.

From The Encyclopedia Britannica:

"Deists, in the modern sense of the word, are those persons in Christian countries, who, acknowledging all the obligations and duties of natural religion, disbelieve the Christian scheme, or revealed religion. They are so called from their belief in God alone, in opposition to Christians. The learned Dr Clarke taking the denomination in the most extensive signification, distinguishes deists into four sorts.

Courtesy 18th Century Bibles

1. Such as pretend to believe the existence of an eternal, infinite, independent, intelligent Being: and who teach, that this supreme Being made the world, though they fancy he does not at all concern himself in the management of it.

2. Those who believe not only the being, but also the providence of God with suspect to the natural world; but who, not allowing any difference between moral good and evil, deny actions of men; these things depending, as they imagine, on the arbitrary constitutions of human laws.

3. Those who having right apprehensions of God, and his all governing providence, and some notion of his moral perfections also; being prejudiced against the notion of the immortality of the human soul, believe that men perish entirely at death, and that one generation shall perpetually succeed another, without any future restoration or renovation of things.

4. Such as believe the existence of a supreme Being, together with his providence in the government of the world, as also the obligations of natural religion; but so far only as these things are discoverable by the light of nature alone, without believing any divine revelation. These last are the only true deists; but as the principles of these men would naturally lead them to embrace the Christian revelation, the learned author concludes there is now no consistent scheme of deism in the world."

From An Universal Etymological English Dictionary:

"Deism... is the Belief of those, who, denying all Revealed Religion, acknowledged only the Natural, viz. the Existence of one God, his Providence, Virtue, and Vice, the Immortality of the Soul, and Rewards and Punishments after Death."

Courtesy 18th Century Bibles

     

‘Fama and Confessio’

     

Courtesy Ouroboros Press

The Temple of the Rosy Cross, 1618.

Treat yourselves—well, some of you anyway—to copies of the limited edition imprints of the Rosicrucian Manifestos soon to be available from our friends at Ouroboros Press, printers of esoteric texts and supporters of education in our arts.

Of course the books are the Fama Fraternitatis and Confessio Fraternitatis, the heralds of the founding in the early 17th century of the Brethren of the Rosy Cross, an order outside of dogmatic religions that championed the search for the secrets to life, the universe, and everything via Alchemy and Kabbalah.

The texts’ origins, not unlike the origins of practically everything else one studies in the Western Mysteries, are obscure and confounding, and yet the so much is built upon the foundation they constructed that they are essential reading. And if you have to read a book, I suppose it may as well be a beautifully bound, heirloom quality masterpiece you will treasure for life.

And then there is the trade edition for guys like me. Click here to make your selections and place your advance orders.

Silkscreen on camel-stock prints, 18x24, of the artwork above also are available for purchase at $25 each.

Courtesy Ouroboros Press

    

‘Lubitz lecture next Monday’

    
Bro. Lenny is back on the road, scheduled to speak at Masonic Hall next Monday. From the publicity:

In the tradition of our ancient operative brethren, who were committed to their Labor throughout the year, as evidenced by both those who constructed the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem as well as those who built the Great Pyramid of Cheops without any cessation during the summer months, you are invited to a lecture titled “Isaac Newton and the Temple of Solomon” by W. Bro. Lenny Lubitz.

Monday, August 5 at 7:30 p.m.

Masonic Hall

71 West 23rd Street, Manhattan

Wendell Walker Room

On arrival, please proceed directly to the rear lobby (at the 24th Street entrance) to the Wendell Walker Room. Brothers of all ranks are welcome and encouraged to attend. Please RSVP by e-mail to prestonslevel (at) gmail.com with your full name on lodge
affiliation.

Fraternally,
The Preston’s Level Masonic Education Association
    

‘Morbid Manhattan Monday, Obscura Style’

     

Courtesy atlasobscura.com

I am baffled to no end over not having seen this headstone before, but with all the hours I’ve spent over the years inside Trinity Church and on its grounds, actively seeking Masonic clues on headstones and elsewhere, the final resting place of Bro. James Leeson eluded me until Bro. Isaac shared it on Facebook a little while ago. The credit goes to Laetitia Barbier, writing today on the Atlas Obscura website of her experience visiting Trinity. Barbier is a student at the Sorbonne working on a dissertation about the artist Joe Coleman (or perhaps has completed it already).

What is Atlas Obscura? I think that is answered best by the group’s three-part philosophy spelled out at the bottom of its website:

     1. There is something NEW under the sun, every day, all over the world.
     2. Around the corner is something that will SURPRISE the hell out of you.
     3. Atlas Obscura is for people who still believe in DISCOVERY.

(Earlier this year, a group of Atlas Obscura folks visited Masonic Hall to see the Livingston Library.)

Anyway, click here to see Ms. Barbier’s reportage. She does a great job of explaining the Masonic significance of the headstone, especially what is sometimes called the Masonic alphabet. We’ll forgive her for not addressing the Pot of Incense, a symbol not very well known outside the Craft. And check out Atlas Obscura too, which I am sure you will find to be worth your time.