“And what, Socrates, is the food of the soul? Surely, I said, knowledge is the food of the soul.” - Plato &l...
“And what, Socrates, is the food of the soul? Surely, I said, knowledge is the food of the soul.” - Plato “The principal goal of education is to create men who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done - men who are creative, inventive and discoverers” -Jean Piaget -
Welcome
Phoenix Rising Academy is an independent academic initiative, which considers itself to be the spiritual child of the Platonic Academy of antiquity. Traditional academia upholds the ideal of non-participatory, objective observation from the perspective of a post-Enlightenment rationalist discourse. In our view, such a discourse cannot do justice to the study of the human experience of the sacred, in its myriad forms and contexts, which requires self-reflection and creativity. We hold that education should not be reduced to utilitarian skills training, the simple acquisition of factual knowledge, and commercialised certification, but that it should address all of the intellectual faculties, aiming to stimulate the mind, stir the imagination and nourish the heart, reaching both outwards to the teaching and writing of others and inwards to the depths of the individual soul. We seek as much to share knowledge as to impart awareness, understanding and experience of the human condition, the dynamics of culture, and the power of the imagination, so as to permanently enrich lives, and counter cynicism, uncertainty, and the consumerist mentality around us, in a way which conventional education can never do. Phoenix Rising Academy aims to provide a flexible, holistic, and accessible approach to the study of topics in Western Esotericism and the Liberal Arts, making them available to all interested parties, wherever in the world they may be, and whatever their level of background knowledge of these topics. We are utterly committed to upholding the highest academic standards, while allowing space for a number of perspectives for which there is little space in existing academic fora for the study of Western Esotericism, including a closer exploration of the experiential dimensions of Western Esotericism, both as revealed through our objects of study, as well as those ways in which we may perceive them subjectively, as students of living traditions. Several courses in our Creative Arts curriculum deliberately bridge these two aspects of study through creative, yet entirely academic approaches. Our curriculum covers a wide range of topics within the Western Esoteric corpus, extending into Philosophy and the Arts, in an effort to create a truly cross-disciplinary curriculum. It is our sincere hope that anyone who has ever wondered about the deeper fabric of our culture; the seminal questions regarding the human condition, and who truly wishes to discover “what lies beyond the shadows of Plato's cave,” will find those answers which lead to new, stimulating, and potentially life-changing questions, here at Phoenix Rising. We invite you to join us on this neverending journey of discovery. With warmest wishes, Sasha Chaitow
Since philosophy is the art which teaches us how to live, and since children need to learn it as much as we do at other ages, why do we not instruct them in it? - Michel de Montaigne What is at issue is the conversion of the mind from the twilight of error to the truth, that climb up into the real world which we shall call true philosophy. - Plato -
MA W.Esot., MA Eng. Lit., PhD(c) Academy Director
Our Philosophy
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Contents
Contents
9. Curriculum 11.Esoteric Studies 12.Introductory Courses 25.Advanced Courses 41.Creative Arts 45.Introductory Courses 53.Advanced Courses 61.How to Apply 63.Faculty
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On the Academic Study of Western Esotericism An answer to traditionalist and purist concerns
Viewing esotericism and occultism as an object of academic study frequently causes intense debate and raises numerous questions, given the fact that the term “academic” bears connotations reminiscent of sterile reductionism - something that is indeed difficult to reconcile with the concept of living traditions which – according to the majority of practitioners – cannot possibly be reduced to objects of academic study. This would seem to be a justifiable concern, and has indeed been the object of much methodological debate amongst scholars of the esoteric. It is the same question once faced by anthropologists in the emic-etic debate, regarding the degree to which researchers should immerse themselves in the cultures they study in order to acquire an accurate understanding of their phenomenology, whilst remaining as objective as correct academic method demands. Although these are indeed valid questions, I wish to share a further personal concern, which in a sense comprises one of the main motives for the founding of Phoenix Rising Academy. Information is freely available as never before, and anyone wishing to search for information on any given esoteric tradition essentially has it at their fingertips, thanks to the internet. Thus at least one of the many layers of secrecy that once veiled esoteric traditions, has been permanently eliminated. Yet this information appears in whichever order a given search engine happens to present it, and will be read with as much critical ability as each particular reader happens to possess. We have all heard horror stories about teenagers who decide to experiment with Ouija boards – and that is the best case scenario – or decide to invoke whichever entity takes their fancy through the Solomonic seals, and sadly there have been many cases in which these teens have s uddenly become permanent guests of mental health facilities or St. Cyprian's (a Greek monastery famous for its exorcisms). This may be an extreme example, but less extreme examples may be even more dangerous: misinformation leading to miscomprehension, sometimes to varying levels of control, obsession, and always to a dangerous level of superficiality.
There are certainly organisations, orders and initiatory systems to which interested individuals may turn in order to discover more about the practical side of these topics, through which they may gradually acquire a more experiential understanding and worldview. This argument appears frequently when debating this issue. However, one point which is frequently omitted, even by the most erudite members of such organisations, is the fact that the structure and content of these initiatory systems, essentially derives from a pre- (or counter-) Enlightenment worldview. The Enlightenment caused a permanent rift between what might be considered a holistic view of the relationship between man and nature, philosophy and science, while rationalism became the only respectable way of viewing the world. Over the three or so centuries that have elapsed since then, our civilisation, culture and educational approach have become steeped in Enlightenment discourse, and the symbolic perception that lies at the heart of the initiatory process and which remains the key to esoteric experience, has been replaced by a somewhat egocentric – if not solipsistic – emphasis on the subjectivity of esotericism. This essentially means that once upon a time, the Western mentality – regardless of educational level – was forged by the perception that Gnosis is conferred through the realisation of our relationship with the macrocosm, a realisation that emerges through the perception of our relationship with Nature. In this case, the subjective experience that is acquired through an initiatory process is based on firm foundations, because our worldview and thought processes are in tune with the mentality that spawned it. When, however, our conditioning is such that our frame of reference is a diseased urban environment and the divisive, rationalistic mentality that is the legacy of the Enlightenment, then can we truly expect the same results? The academic study of Western Esoteric currents is in a position to provide valuable solutions to these issues. Since we have been conditioned by a rationalistic and reductionist system, the academic approach uses that same language – to a degree – in order to gradually introduce us to the necessary concepts that we need in order to truly understand notions such as magic, alchemy, initiation, and so forth. It also provides us with a correct historical understanding – not in the sense of endless lists and facts, but by demonstrating just how large and influential a section of our culture esotericism was and continues to be, where it continues to appear in our everyday lives, as well as helping us to discern the difference between true and spurious, or syncretic esoteric systems. This also makes it far harder to be deceived by sensationalized inaccuracies as frequently found in modern media, since the study of phenomenology is a key part of our method.
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On the Academic Study of Western Esotericism
An answer to traditionalist and purist concerns
Phenomenology essentially examines and seeks to understand the attributes and qualities of a given tradition. If, for example, we are studying alchemy, through learning about its origins we will discover that in early antiquity, it was considered a carefully kept secret of metallurgists, who were frequently revered as holy men or magic-workers. Learning metallurgy required a series of initiations, and the use of magical symbolism and prayer was an integral part of a metallurgist's work. This deep respect shown to nature and creative human intervention in natural processes remained the nucleus of alchemical practice, and the alchemical symbolism we are familiar with essentially emerged from this worldview, via syncretic cross-fertilization with the Hermetic and Neoplatonic traditions. By working with and purifying metal, the metallurgist, and later, the alchemist, was considered to be purifying nature, as well as his own soul. Although this is a rather oversimplified explanation, it should demonstrate that if one studies alchemical history, by default one is obliged to conceive of complex ideas and notions, since a siginificant part of our academic method is the process of 'seeing through the eyes of' those cultures and individuals whom we are studying. In order to achieve this, we need to “step into their shoes” to a certain degree – using that same empathic process we use when listening to a friend narrate an experience. And once we enter into this process, by necessity even learning becomes an experiential process. It may not be an initiatory experience in the ancient sense of the word, but we are still obliged to transform our whole mentality and thought-process, depending on the object of study, in order to achieve the requisite understanding. It is not enough to know that alchemy used to be a sacred metallurgical mystery. We need to subject ourselves to the thought-process of perceiving how and why it became a mystery, what the true meaning of “Mystery” is in terms of human intervention in nature. This process gradually leads to symbolic perception – as we, too, must think symbolically, in order to decode the essence of the tradition we are studying.
In addition, through the academic method we learn to recognise trustworthy sources. We develop symbolic perception since from the moment that we start to study topics that involve the very substance of the human soul and our relationship with the divine, it is inevitable that we will contemplate such issues on a subjective level. Those individuals who may wish to pursue a more practical approach to these traditions, whether alone or through one of the many esoteric schools and orders, acquires the knowledge, the discipline, the discernment and the composure with which to do so with true self-awareness, since they will not be at the mercy of their own limited knowledge, nor of the most charismatic preacher. We also become more conscientious and active citizens, given that our object of study is a large part of the very warp and weft of our culture. Therefore, for all of the above reasons, we at Phoenix Rising Academy hold that the academic study of Western Esotericism neither demythologises, nor distorts the reception of these traditions, but in contrast, it offers full phenomenological and historical erudition, which is in fact far more interesting and compelling than the spurious trivia surrounding them. Experiential involvement with the material is an inevitable part of the learning process, but at the same time critical discernment is cultivated, thus allowing for correct academic objectivity when necessary. Teaching, choice of material, and the learning process are carried out with absolute respect towards both the subject-matter and each individual student. We invite all interested parties to attend the Phoenix Rising Academy launch event at the University of Indianapolis Cultural Centre, in Athens, Greece, on October 15th 2010, at which many of the issues summarised above will be discussed in further detail.
The benefits of this process include the ability to correctly place the Western Esoteric traditions – both historically and phenomenologically, and achieve an almost intuitive understanding of which are essentially spurious or syncretic, and which are not. This is one of the main reasons for which we chose to offer a course on the traditional Jewish Kabbalah at the introductory level. It is vastly different to the later Renaissance Christian Cabala of Johannes Reuchlin and even more so, from the Hermetic Qabalah of 19th century magical orders. Of course the syncretic versions are of interest and value too, but it is our perception that if the roots are not understood, then our perception of the later versions will also remain limited.
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Why study with us?
Why study with us?
As a new and independent initiative (est. 2010), one of the Phoenix Rising Academy’s greatest priorities is to ensure academic excellence, while filling what its directors and faculty perceive to be a major gap in the Humanities in Western higher education. Following the pioneers in this field such as Antoine Faivre, Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke and Wouter Hanegraaff among many others, who have established programmes at the Sorbonne, the EXESESO MA and PhD programmes in Western Esotericism at Exeter University, and in the history of Hermetic Philosophy and related currents at the University of Amsterdam, we at Phoenix Rising seek to continue and augment these academic developments, in promoting and disseminating the understanding of the significance of Western Esotericism and related traditions. A further objective of the Phoenix Rising Academy is to play an active role in bridging the obsolete and reductionist divide between the sciences and the humanities, while acting as an educational prototype focusing on the essence of our topics, rather than reducing them to a series of reductionist categories. Yet perhaps the most important of all our objectives is to bring back a sense of the joy of learning, something sadly missing from today’s educational system. Contrary to popular belief, the word “academic” does not have to conjure images of endless, dry, dusty tomes. At Phoenix Rising, learning is a dynamic, self-directed experience of discovery of the enchantment of both the natural, and the human world.
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Contrary to commonly held views, the study of esoteric currents and the history of ideas is far more than a theoretical exercise in armchair philosophising. See the following pages to learn how the study of these topics can lead to a number of immediately applicable advantages that can enrich and develop students’ personal and professional lives.
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Curriculum Curriculum Standalone Courses and Seminars This option is particularly suited to students with limited time, or with very specialised interests. All introductory (100-level) courses are offered on a standalone basis, meaning that students are not obliged to take any other courses before or after the course of their choice. The same may apply to selected 200 level courses, or in exceptional circumstances (where potential students seeking advanced study can demonstrate their background knowledge of a topic). Students who complete any one course cycle will be awarded a certificate of attendance, and are eligible to take advanced courses in the same topic area, or alternatively, to continue with other introductory courses of their preference. Essentially, this allows students the opportunity to complete a full study programme, but with the added flexibility of selecting as many or as few courses as they wish at any given time, in any order they wish, with no further obligations. In this way, students can essentially follow the curriculum of the Introductory Programme, but at their own pace, and students who complete all of the same courses as in the Introductory programme will be awarded a full certificate regardless of how long they take to complete the programme. Strongly self-motivated students may also opt to audit selected c ourses. This means that rather than enrolling as full students on a course, they may attend only those lectures which interest them, or alternatively, access course material without completing the assignments. Significantly reduced fees apply in this case; however students wishing to select this option should be aware that they cannot be awarded a certificate of attendance for the course. Students who choose to audit onsite courses only, will be given a certificate of attendance only for those lectures which they have attended, but cannot receive a full certificate without completing all the course requirements. In this case the certificate will state that the student attended a “seminar” rather than that they have completed the course. Modular Courses This option is particularly suited to individuals with a specifically focused area of interest. Students wishing to study Alchemy, for example, would take Alchemy 110 (compulsory), at least one 200-level Alchemy course (of their choice) and at least one optional 300-level Alchemy course (of their choice). This would lead to attainment of a Module Certificate. In some cases (where more alternative advanced courses are offered) students may take more than one 200 and 300- level course, plus a -400-level course depending on topic area. This would then lead to an Extended Module certificate. There is also a transdisciplinary module option, where students may wish to combine courses from the esoteric studies curriculum and the arts curriculum. In this case they will be awarded a double Module certificate, for example “Art and alchemical symbolism.” It is also possible to apply for a double Extended Module Certificate which would entail taking two or more advanced courses from each discipline. Courses which complement each other in this way bear the designation CC on the course description pages. Full Introductory Programme* This programme is designed to be the equivalent of a 3-year BA degree (for information regarding accreditation please click here). Presently, students may complete an Introductory Programme in Esoteric Studies, or in Esotericism and Art. Thus, on completion of the course, students come away with a full grounding in the subject area of their choiceas well as specialisation in their selected area, and are awarded a Full Certificate reflecting their choice of major. Full Advanced Programmes* The Full Advanced Programme essentially comprises the equivalent of a taught Master’s Degree (for information regarding accreditation please click here). Although for the time being our selection of topics is limited, depending on demand this course level will be expanded in the near future.
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* 3 extended modules or 4 regular modules make up a full introductory course. * Alternatively, 3 Introductory courses can be taken during the first year, and advanced courses during the 2nd & 3rd years (subject to course and instructor availability) * Courses can be taken alone, subject to prerequisites.
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Esoteric Studies As explained on our Curriculum page, courses may be taken on a standalone or modular basis, and modules may be grouped in order to form a Full Introductory programme of study designed as an equivalent to a 3-year BA degree (for information regarding accreditation please click here). Students are free to make course selections for themselves as long as prerequisite requirements are fulfilled. Alternatively, they may select one of the following trajectories of study in order to better navigate our course selection, or in order to build towards a full programme of study.Each trajectory takes roughly 3 years to complete (unless courses are taken simultaneously), and courses can be taken in any order (subject to availability) as long as prerequisite requirements are fulfilled. This list is expected to be expanded in 2012
General Studies in Western Esoteric Traditions Core Introductory Courses Introduction to Western Esotericism The Imaginal Cosmos Introduction to Traditionalism Kabbalah: An Introduction to the Jewish Mystical Tradition Introduction to Esoteric Dualism Science and the Esoteric Imagination from the Renaissance to the Postmodern Core Advanced Courses Hermetism in Late Antiquity History and Phenomenology of Rosicrucianism I & II History of Esoteric Dualism Alchemy: Theoria & Praxis (available from 2012) Plus any two 300- or 400- level courses of your choice. Esoteric Studies specialising in Cosmology and Divination Core Introductory Courses Introduction to Western Esotericism The Imaginal Cosmos Studies in Divination Ancient Esoteric Traditions: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome Visions of the Night Sky in Antiquity: A Survey of Ethnoastronomy Core Advanced Courses Marsilio Ficino and Renaissance Astrology Plus any one 100-level OR two 200- level AND any three 300- or 400- level courses of your choice.
Forthcoming courses in preparation for 2012 and 2012 will cover topics including (but not limited to) Freemasonry, Gnosticism, Initiation, aspects of Western Alchemy, Music and Esotericism, Symbolist Art and Occultism.
Esoteric Studies specialising in Western Magic (extended programme) Core Introductory Courses Introduction to Western Esotericism History of the Golden Dawn Ancient Esoteric Traditions: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome Introduction to Esoteric Dualism Core Advanced Courses Marsilio Ficino and Renaissance Astrology Theory and Practices of the Golden Dawn Angelic Myth and Magic Demonology and Demonic Magic John Dee and the Magic of Visions Principles of Goetic Sorcery Plus any two 200- level AND any three 300- or 400- level courses of your choice. History of Western Esotericism Core Introductory Courses Introduction to Western Esotericism Ancient Esoteric Traditions: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome History of the Golden Dawn Science and the Esoteric Imagination from the Renaissance to the Postmodern Core Advanced Courses Hermetism in Late Antiquity History and Phenomenology of Rosicrucianism I & II History of Esoteric Dualism The Celts in the Esoteric Imagination Plus any one 100-level OR two 200- level AND any three 300- or 400- level courses of your choice.
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Esoteric Studies: Introductory courses
Our introductory course cycles are intended to familiarise students with the main concepts related to the study of esoteric thought, imaginal perception, and the creative process, while rooting them firmly within their historical and sociocultural milieu. We seek to understand how and why the worldview framing these ideas is significant to us today. We will discuss the early sources of these movements in NeoPlatonic thought, the practise of theurgy and pre-Christian traditions, and then trace them through their syncretic development particularly during and after the Renaissance, through early modern times and into the present day. Concepts introduced within the introductory courses are individually expanded upon within the Advanced course curriculum. The introductory course material lays the foundation for our advanced courses, and the majority are prerequisites for the equivalent advanced courses, so prospective students should check this before applying.
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Introduction to Western Esotericism Kabbalah: An Introduction to the Jewish Mystical Tradition WE 101 NE (online-English) / WE 101 S (onsite-Greek)/ WE 101 NG (online-Greek)
WE 160 NE (online-English)
Course Dates: Commences April 4th 2011 Instructor: Cody Bahir
ESOTERIC STUDIES INTRODUCTORY COURSES
Course Dates: TBA Instructor: Sasha Chaitow To introduce and familiarise students with the definitions, characteristics, contents and significance of the historical currents, related traditions, and literature which have come to be defined as the Western Esoteric corpus. Aspects to be discussed will include the historical backdrop against which Western Esotericism became a current in its own right, beginning with Neoplatonic thought and leading up to the early twentieth century. This course will also provide an overview of the major traditions, currents, and concepts intrinsic to Western Esotericism, including Hermeticism, Gnosticism, Magic, Kabbalah, Alchemy, theosophy and Initiatory Schools, thus providing students with a firm grounding for any further courses, whether introductory or advanced.
Course Objectives: To familiarize students with the historical development of the Jewish mystical tradition and the complexities of its cosmology, philosophy, theology and practice. We start by examining select biblical and rabbinic references to mystical practices and experiences. We then explore the early flowerings of the Kabbalistic tradition and the evolution of the doctrine of the Sefirot (Tree of Life) from the medieval period through the present as primarily embodied by the Zohar, Lurianic Kabbalah and Hasidism. This course will also cover such central topics as Theurgy, Tikkun (spiritual repair), Magic, ritual, meditation as well as heterodox movements in order to provide students with a firm foundation upon which to pursue further study of any aspect of Kabbalah.
Week 1
- Introduction to the Western Esoteric Corpus - History, Phenomenology, Theory and Method- Significance in Modern terms
Week 1
-Introduction to Mysticism of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament)
Week 2
Historical backdrop
Week 2
-Rabbinic sources and Cairo Genizah: Heicalot Literature (Chambers of the Palace)
Week 3
-Theories of matter and the soul-Hermetism -Pythagorean thought-Neoplatonism
Week 3
-Early Kabbalah: Sefer haBahir, Sefer Yezirah and the Tree of Life -Relationship to Gnosticism-Relationship to Platonism
Week 4
-Early Medieval Period: Hasidei Ashkenaz; German-Judeo
Week 4
Gnosticism- Origins- Characteristics -Influences on W.Esoteric currents-Later manifestations
Week 5
-Medieval Period: Propagation of the Doctrine of the Sefirot Joseph Gikatilla’s Sha’arei Orah (Gates of Light)
Week 6
- Zohar-Zoharic Concept of the Godhead-Zoharic Concept of the Demonic
Week 7
-Safed Reinassance: Lurianic Kabbalah-Isaac Luria and his Reinterpretation of the Zohar Shattering of the Vessels and Tikkun (Repair)
Week 5
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Within the wider academic field of Western Esotericism, scholars and new students often meet with the syncretic form of Christian Kabbalah while studying esoteric history in the Renaissance period, and scholarly debate has at times dealt with the question of whether Kabbalah can even be fully considered part of the Western Esoteric corpus per se. Phoenix Rising Academy holds that in order to fully comprehend and absorb the full import of later syncretic versions of Christian and Renaissance Cabalah and Hermetic Qabalah, it is of paramount importance that its original history and content within the heart of the Jewish mystical tradition be fully understood first. This becomes doubly significant for anyone wishing to enter into practical engagement with the topic beyond a scholarly perspective, and while such an approach is beyond the purview of Phoenix Rising Academy, we see it as a matter of scholarly and educational responsibility that we provide a thorough foundation in the topic, taught by an instructor who has himself engaged with the subject from both scholarly and experiential perspectives.
- Magic and the theory of Correspondences - Interrelationships and Influences
Week 6
Kabbalah-Jewish Mysticism-Christan Cabbala and the Renaissance - Qabalah and early modern esoteric schools
Week 7
Alchemy- Origins-Historiography -Practical & Spiritual-Main figures and concepts
Week 8
-Early Modern Period: Later Evolution of Lurianic Kabbalah in the Middle East and Eastern Europe Shabbatai Zvi: The Failed/False Messiah-Hasidism-Frankism: Reincarnation of the Failed/False Messiah
Week 8
Initiatory Schools- Historical Overview - Content, purpose, influences
Week 9
-Modern Period-Later Hasidism Western Esotericism-Popular Kabbalah
Week 9
Research paper due- Learning Journal due- Final examination
Week 10
-Research Paper Due--Oral presentation of Research Paper -Learning Journal Due
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The Imaginal Cosmos WE 140 NE (online-English)
Studies in Divination WE 145 NE (online-English)
Course Dates: Commences February 1st 2011 Instructor: Geoffrey Cornelius
ESOTERIC STUDIES INTRODUCTORY COURSES
Course Dates: January 2011-March 2011 Instructor: Angela Voss To introduce the imagination as the faculty of perception and knowledge of the soul, through studying key texts and images of the Western esoteric traditions; to learn about specific historical and cultural contexts, but also to consider the relevance of an imaginal perspective for our own life, work and creativity, and to gain an understanding of transpersonal and participatory approaches to research. In neoplatonic understanding, soul or psyche is envisioned as the mediator between two modes of being called ‘divine’ and ‘human’. Taking this as our central image, we will begin with Plato, whose creation myth in the Timaeus establishes the soul as the intelligent, primary substance of the cosmos, and the human being as partaking of this intelligence. We will then discover how the image of the anima mundi and revelation of the divine order develops through neoplatonic cosmology and ritual, the early Christian hermeneutic of the four senses of interpretation, the Sufi tradition as interpreted by Henry Corbin, the revival of Platonic and Hermetic mysteries in the Renaissance, and finally through the 20th century rebirth of soul-based knowledge in archetypal and depth psychology. Each theme will give rise to the question of the relationship of cosmos and consciousness, the nature of revelatory knowledge as opposed to human reason, and the role played by ritual, visual image and active imagining in accessing modes of understanding beyond the rational. Of central concern will be the question of academic and scholarly approaches to this material, for example, how can one study the ‘experiential’ moment of revelation or realisation, and bring such experience to bear on rational discourse ‘about’ it? Is creative engagement with poetic or art forms a bone fide research method? Is it possible to combine contemplative and critical modes in research? How can the integrity of individual participation and practice be incorporated into historical or cultural models?
Week 1
Cosmic imagination: Plato’s Timaeus and the birth of the soul
Week 2
Intellectual imagination: the myth of the cave
Week 3
Archetypal imagination: Plotinus and the cosmic ballet
Week 4
Embodied imagination: statue animation and theurgic ritual
Week 5
Symbolic imagination: The four senses of interpretation
Week 6
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Divine imagination: Ibn’ Arabi, Henry Corbin and the imaginal world
The aim of the course is to provide an introduction to the question ‘to what truth does divination lay claim?’ The focus is on the praxis of divination, that is, the implicit horizon of theory within which each act of divination is interpreted, rather than on a descriptive catalogue of practices. The question of meaning and truthfulness arises wherever there is divination, and our survey takes up in turn themes from anthropology, classical studies and religion to provide the basis for a wide-ranging but integrated approach to the study of divination across times and cultures. Amongst the dilemmas raised is the doubt as to whether divination has any object of knowledge at all (the rationalist critique), and whether divination outside the covenant of true religion is deceitful (the theological critique). A related question is how the phenomena of divination relate to ‘soul’ and whether they are supernatural (sacred or spiritual) or are better described as preternatural (beyond current scientific definitions of sensory experience). We also take up the question of the relationship of divination and prophecy. An important concern of the course is the requirement for a scholarly and academic treatment of the subject. We aim for a fruitful balance of etic (outsider/‘objective’) and emic (insider/‘subjective’) approaches, bringing insight and discrimination to the practitioner but not implying any precondition of ‘belief ’ in divination. The course will be of value to any student who is interested in the nature of imagination and symbol.
Week 1
Is there truly divination? An overview of the dilemma, ancient and modern.
Week 2
Participation and the cognitive continuum. The path through anthropology.
Week 3
Chicane. Symbol and double-thinking in African healing and divination.
Week 4
Socrates and Plato. The path of divination in the western mystery tradition.
Week 5
Sceptical tradition. Cicero’s critique in the context of Graeco-Roman divination.
Week 6
Providence and the daimon. Neo-Platonic theoria from Plutarch to Iamblichus.
Week 7
Erotic imagination: Botticelli’s Primavera and Birth of Venus
Week 8
Astrological imagination: Marsilio Ficino’s astral magic
Week 7
Symbolic cosmology. The ground-philosophy of astrology, ancient and modern.
Week 9
Hermetic imagination: Robert Fludd and the end of the Renaissance
Week 8
Covenant. The challenge to pagan divination from the Israelites to Augustine.
Week 10
Active imagination: Jung, Hillman and the return of the soul to the world
Week 9
Towards a hermeneutics of divination. Archaic, Christian and modern sources.
Week 11
Research Paper Due-Learning Journal Due-Final Examination
Week 10
Research Paper Due- Learning Journal Due- Final Examination- Oral presentation
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Ancient Esoteric Traditions: Mesopotamia, Visions of the Night Sky in Antiquity Egypt, Greece and Rome WE 155 NE (online-English)
WE 158 NE (online-English)
Course Dates: Commences January 17th 2011 Instructor: Andrea D. Lobel
Course Dates: Commences January 17th 2011
Dotted with its rich tapestry of celestial objects, the night sky has been a source of mystery and interest throughout history. This course will provide a theoretical survey of the field of ethnoastronomy, focusing on myths of the constellations, stars, sun, moon, and planets in antiquity, as well as early observational practices. Cultures surveyed will include Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt, Greece, Mesoamerica, and ancient Britain.
ESOTERIC STUDIES INTRODUCTORY COURSES
It is impossible to completely grasp the full flowering of medieval and modern esoteric traditions without delving into their origins in the ancient world. From the cuneiform tablets of Mesopotamia to the Roman mystery religion of Mithraism, magic and mysticism were ubiquitous in the ancient context, and were utilized by the elite and poor alike to further their religious and daily goals. Taking a historical approach, this course will provide a survey of a number of early mystical and magical traditions, including — but not limited to – Mesopotamian celestial divination and the beginnings of astrology, the Greek Magical Papyri, oracular divination, and Greco-Roman mystery religions (e.g., Orphism, Mithraism).
This course aims to address and respond to a number of key questions: Namely, how did differing ancient civilizations view the skies? How did they identify and label the patterns they saw, and how did the celestial objects inform their cultural mythologies? What kinds of calendar systems emerged from their observations of the skies? Finally, if known, what kind of astronomical observations and/or tools did these civilizations employ in their pursuit of heavenly knowledge, and how have archaeological findings enriched our awareness of these astronomical beliefs and practices.
Where appropriate, readings will be provided (in English translation) from several key texts, including the Greek Magical Papyri. The aim of the course is to trace a historical trajectory from the earliest extant evidence for magical and mystical beliefs and practices to their Classical and later Hellenistic counterparts. This will allow students to gain an appreciation both of the ways in which esoteric practices were approached by differing civilizations in antiquity, and of the ways in which these practices may have served as the seeds of other esoteric modes of thought and ritual throughout history.in order to provide students with a firm foundation upon which to pursue further study of any aspect of Kabbalah.
Week 1
Introduction: Defining Magic and Mysticism in the Ancient World
Week 1
An introduction to ethnoastronomy
Week 2
Mesopotamia: Beyond Celestial Divination
Week 2
The skies condensed: Essential astronomical concepts
Week 3
Mesopotamia: Legacy of the Chaldeans
Week 3
Mesopotamia: Celestial divination and sky myths
Week 4
Ancient Egypt: Of Divinities, Life, and Afterlife
Week 4
Ancient Egypt: Of celestial mythologies and hour-watching priests
Week 5
Ancient Egypt: Magical Scripts and Divinatory Practices
Week 5
Ancient Greece: Astronomy takes flight
Week 6
Mesoamerica: Mayan and Aztec astronomies
Week 7
The archaeoastronomy of ancient Britain
Week 8
Synthesis: Things are looking up.
Week 9
-Research paper due- Oral presentation of Research Paper- Learning Journal due
Week 6
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Instructor: Andrea D. Lobel
Divining the Future
Week 7
Greece: Magical Papyri, Amulets, and Mystery Cults
Week 8
-Rome: Miracle Workers and Magi
Week 9
Rome: The Mithraic Mysteries
Week 10
Synthesis: Through a Glass, Brightly
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Science and The Esoteric Imagination from Chinese Mysticism and Alchemy SE 190 NE (online-English) the Renaissance to the Postmodern EM 150 NE (online-English) Course Dates: TBA
ESOTERIC STUDIES INTRODUCTORY COURSES
Course Dates: Commences April 4, 2011 Instructor: Orlando Fernandez The purpose of this course is to show how the esoteric tradition has been closely involved with science from the Renaissance up to the present day.Science is not a self-contained adventure, it is one aspect of the many sided nature of the human experience and it is deeply entangled with politics, culture, music, art, religion and of course with the esoteric tradition.Thanks to significant academic efforts, recognition of the major role that the esoteric tradition has played in the evolution of science during the Renaissance has begun to become more widespread, as has its importance to the lives of many of the early scientists like Bacon, Descartes, Boyle, Newton and other major figures of the time. But the esoteric imagination has played an important role in classical and contemporary science as well, something that many may find surprising. In this course, our aim is to demonstrate not only that the esoteric tradition has been active within orthodox, mainstream science but also that the esoteric can coexist in perfect harmony with contemporary science and offer a vibrant and magical view of the world which contrasts with the mechanical, flat and dead image that is sometimes presented by some philosophers of science. To this end we will provide an overview of the relationship between science and the esoteric from the inception of the modern scientific method up to today. The course is designed as a chronological exploration of scientific ideas that have been inspired by the esoteric imagination, concentrating on the work of important scientists whose practices have been influenced by the esoteric either philosophically, or by experiential facts. We will not only acknowledge the historical events, but we will also deal with the scientific ideas themselves, and we will also review the use of science made by some important esotericists.
Week 1
Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10
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Week 11
Introduction exploring several esoteric themes that figure prominently in science: wholeness, unification, pythagoreanism and root matter among others. We will emphasize how an esoteric philosophy of science is not in contradiction with science, and will also review the important role that science played in the establishment of the academic field of Western Esotericism. The ideas and people that simultaneously gave rise to modern science and the modern Western esoteric tradition. Our study will include the relationship between alchemy and chemistry, Rosicrucianism and the formation of the new scientific spirit and the role of the Christian Kabbalah in the creation of Calculus. Classical science of the Enlightenment and the Romantic periods. The influence of the esoteric science of J. W. Goethe, the Naturphilosophie of Schelling and Hegel and its influence on important scientists; the idea of evolution, the mystical aspects of electricity and magnetism and the use of science by Eliphas Levi, H.P. Blavatsky and other Romantic esotericists. We will study the development of some important algebraic structures used today in fundamental physics and their relationship to panpsychism. Types of esotericism associated with contemporary science and with the `paradigm shift' that is claimed by the `New Science' movement. We include the contemporary analysis of the Infinite and its relationship with the Kabbalah, the esoteric influences in the interpretation of quantum mechanics, the fourth dimension and Relativity, and the main exponents of `New Science' at the end of the Twentieth century. -Research paper due- Oral presentation of Research Paper- Learning Journal due
Instructor: Cody Bahir
Daoism as a religion is perhaps the most widely misunderstood religious tradition in the West. This course aims to familiarize students with the religious tradition of Daoism in all of its complexity and diversity. We begin with an overview of the classical texts of the Yi Jing (I-Ching, the ancient divinatory and philosophical work), the Daode Jing (Tao Te Ching by Laozi (Lao Tzu), the foundational text of Daoism, the title of which gives the tradition its name) and Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu, the second most influential and widely known text of Classical Daoist Philosophy). We then turn our attention to the evolution of Internal Alchemy and Yin Yang-Five Elements Cosmology of the Han and Wei-Jin Dynasty periods and the development of the main Daoist movements such as Tian Shi (Celestial Masters), Shan Qing (Supreme Clarity), Tai Ping (Great Harmony) and Ling Bao (Numinous Treasure); exploring their beliefs, textual traditions, mystical and alchemical practices and history. This course will also cover such topics as Immortality and Transcendence, the Daozang (Daoist Canon), Chinese Alchemy and the relationships between Daoism as a religion to Classical Daoist Philosophy, Confucianism, Chinese folk religion, Shamanism and Mahayana as well as Tantric Buddhism in order to provide students with a firm foundation upon which to pursue further study.
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
Spring and Autumn Period (roughly 750-500 B.C.E.): Backdrop and Roots of Early Chinese Mysticism -Classical Chinese Philosophy and Metaphysics-Confucianism -Yi Jing (I-Ching) and the Daode Jing (Tao Te Ching) Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.E.): Further Developments - Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu), the second Daoist “Master” -The “Hundred Schools of Thought”, competing traditions and their contributions to Daoism Early Han Dynasty (206 B.C.E.-220 C.E.): Syncretism -Yin Yang-Five Element Cosmology - Chinese Folk Religion and Shamanism Han Dynasty Continued: Birth of Organized Mysticism and Immortality - The first Organized school of Daoism: Tianshi (Celestial Masters)- Development of the Taiping (Great Harmony): Messianism, Soteriology and the movements role in the demise of the Han Dynasty
Week 5
Jin Dynasty (265-420 C.E.)-Birth of the Shang Qing (Highest Clarity) School -Ling Bao (Numinous Treasure) School, its birth and demise -Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove: Daoist “Dark Learning” and Hedonism
Week 6
Daoist Arts- Internal Alchemy-External Alchemy -Arts of the Bedchamber (Daoist “Sexual Yoga”)-Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) -Qi Gong (Chi Kung)-Martial Arts
Week 7
Tang Dynasty (618-907 C.E.) -Interaction between Buddhism and Daoism
Week 8
Overview of the Developments and Contents of the Daozang (Daoist Canon)
Week 9
Later Developments and Contemporary Daoism- Initiation Rituals -Ecclesiastical Hierarchy- Contemporary Movements
Week 10
Research Paper Due- Learning Journal Due- Final Examination
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History of the Golden Dawn WM 120 NE (online-English)
Introduction to Esoteric Dualism WE 188 NE (online-English)
ESOTERIC STUDIES INTRODUCTORY COURSES
Course Dates: Commences January 17th 2011 Instructor: Austin Case The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn has been one of the most influential forces on the trends on esotericism within of the past century. Members of the order included such noted occultists as Samuel Liddell Mathers, William Butler Yeats, Aleister Crowley, and Arthur Edward Waite. However, despite the massive influence that this order has had on recent trends in esotericism, there is much uncertainty surrounding its origins, history, and eventual dissolution at the beginning of the twentieth century. This course will investigate the cloudy history of the order and the various interactions between the key members involved within it to obtain an image of the Golden Dawn that clears away much of the obscurities surrounding it.
Introduction to the Order: A brief look at England in the late 19th century and some ways that the G.D. influenced later occult currents-Historical context -Influence of the order upon later currents in Western Esotericism
Week 1
Introduction to dualism
Week 2
Influences Upon the Order: The influence of other esoteric currents (real and fictional) upon the G.D.- Literature-Theosophical Society- Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor
Week 2
Absolute dualism
Week 3
The Order’s Beginnings: Looking at the suspicious documents and Masonic society involved in establishing the order-The cipher manuscript-Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia
Week 3
Monarchian dualism
Week 4
The Heads of the Order: Background about the order’s enigmatic leaders -William Robert Woodman- William Wynn Westcott- Samuel Liddell Mathers
Week 4
Dialectical dualism
Week 5
Eschatological dualism
Week 6
Cosmic dualism
Week 7
Somatic and hylic dualism
Week 8
Ethical dualism
Week 9
Moral dualism
Week 10
Conclusions
Week 6
The Outer Order: Setting up the temples and looking at some of what a member of the order learned and went through in the order-Establishing the temples -The aspirant’s ascent-Symbols and ceremony The Inner Order: The section reserved for very promising members wherein magic could begin to be practiced-Ordo Rosae Rubeae et Aureae Crucis-Magical operations
Week 7
Key Members: Some details about the central figures and the relations between them -Biographical information-Personal interactions
Week 8
Disintegration in the Order: The breakdown of the order and the resulting chaos -The crisis-The interregnum-The Stella Matutina and other vestiges
Week 9
Research Paper Due-Learning Journal Due
Instructor: George Sieg
Dualism is a persistent feature of many religious systems, particularly Middle-Eastern systems influenced by Zoroastrianism, which themselves then influenced Western religion.This alone would be sufficient for it to appear as a significant factor in esotericism considering its close relationship with the content of exoteric religious systems in a variety of cultures. However, the transmission of dualism in esotericism is further intensified, and complicated, by the conflict and competition between different constructions of dualism within and amongst religious traditions. Particularly in Middle-Eastern and later Western religions where orthodoxy is as significant as orthopraxy, dissenting forms of dualism were frequently condemned as heresy and placed alongside heretical esoteric traditions and even identified with them. This had the twin effects of conflating dualism and esotericism in the minds of the orthodox, but also of driving various heretical groups into possible association with one another — or of constructing heretical identities which could then be assumed by later dissenters. Familiar and characteristic examples include Gnosticism and its offspring Catharism and Bogomilism, which feature prominently in the esoteric lore of the West. Rather than focusing on the historical transmission of these dualisms through esoteric systems (which occupies the following 200 level course, “History of Esoteric Dualism”), this course introduces dualism as a mode of belief and presents various theoretical models for explaining its impact and significance, particularly in the field of esotericism. It then presents five pairs of dualist belief structures, considering their origins, contexts, various manifestations, and relationship to other forms of dualism. It focuses on their manifestation in esoteric systems, and their effect on the content and practice of those esoteric systems which adopt them. Students will be acquainted with various primary dualist sources, and also some significant scholarly works dealing with the classification and analysis of such dualist systems.
Week 1
Week 5
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Course Dates: January 2011-March 2011
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Introduction to Traditionalism WE 175 NE (online-English)
Origins and History of Thelema WE 166 NE (online-English)
Course Dates: January 2011-March 2011 Instructor: George Sieg
ESOTERIC STUDIES INTRODUCTORY COURSES
To adherents and proponents of Tradition (not all of whom would identify with the label Traditionalist), the “history” of Tradition cannot be studied academically or historically because its origin not only chronologically predates history, but remains ontologically prior as well.
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They regard the “perennial philosophy” as entirely universal, supernal, and independent of all contingent, material factors. However, along with academics, they would nevertheless generally acknowledge French esotericist Rene Guenon (1886-1951) as a significant adherent of Tradition and exponent of its doctrines under the name of “Tradition” which came to characterize those whose perspective on the esoteric is summarized here. Deeply dedicated to esotericism, he rejected the modern occult revival and the totality of the modern world, condemning it as signifying the reign of materialistic quantity over spiritual quality. A diverse selection of other thinkers were influenced by Guenon and influenced others in their turn, giving rise to the “Traditionalist” school. This course considers the work of these various thinkers and aims to respect chronological and intellectual development while also giving a sound overview of the consistencies between Traditionalist adherents as well as their significant differences. The course will explore the nature of Tradition, its origins and setting as an esoteric school of thought, its relationship to other interpretations of esotericism, and touch on its role in both historical and contemporary esotericism. All the major Traditionalist figures will be considered at least briefly, and put into the wider context of the movement.
Week 1
What is "Tradition" for a "Traditionalist?"
Week 2
What is "Traditionalism" in the context of esotericism?
Week 3
Traditionalist reception of religion, mysticism, esotericism, and occultism
Week 4
Traditional perspective on the relationship between the esoteric and the exoteric
Week 5
Course Dates: 4th April 2011
Instructor: George Sieg
The philosophy of Thelema as pertaining to systematized Western Esotericism, and particularly, ceremonial magic, was promoted by Edward Alexander “Aleister” Crowley, a major figure of the modern occult revival. Prolific author, poet, expert chess player, adventurer, mountaineer, and possibly secret agent, Crowley was a man of diverse talents and ambitions whose overriding passion was occultism practiced, in his words, with “the method of science, the aim of religion.” He came to consider himself a religious prophet exceeding Biblical proportions as well as a master of “Magick,” proclaiming a New Aeon and new systems of esotericism to accompany it. Hastening the demise of one major magical order of the occult revival (the Golden Dawn), founding his own (the A.’.A.’.), and achieving leadership of another (Ordo Templi Orientis), Crowley regarded himself as the ultimate white magician and happily projected himself as the “wickedest man in the world,” taking delight in paradox, trickery, ostentation, and often outright outrageousness. A veteran world traveler, he was ultimately expelled from Sicily by order of Mussolini and ended his life shortly after the Second World War, not before commenting on the politics and society of what he considered to be the emergent “new aeon.” His contributions to Western Esotericism assimilate a number of pre-Crowleyan traditions, some of which directly refer to “Thelema” or an equivalent concept of will, others of which involved ancient traditions he consciously attempted to assimilate, and others which he merely hinted at or casually appropriated. He (after his predecessor in Theosophy, Helena Blavatsky, and his mentor in the Golden Dawn, Allen Bennett) was one of the first Western occultists to seriously consider Hermetic syncretism with eastern systems, and — after his predecessor Paschal Beverly Randolph, and along with his contemporary Austin Osman Spare — was also a major contributor to the development of sexual magic. (See Hugh Urban’s Magia Sexualis.) His Thelemic system of initiation and magic helped spawned a wide variety of offshoots and spinoffs; even his later detractors (such as contemporary Left-Hand Path systems) were often heavily influenced by his work. This course endeavors to consider Thelema as a trend emerging through Western Esotericism and locates its development with the biographical context of Crowley’s esoteric adventures, culminating in a consideration of the contemporary development of Thelema as a magical system.
Week 1
The children of Nuit in ancient Khem; the setting for "Ankh-af-na-khonsu;" pre-Osirian cults
Week 2
Early Semitic antecedents for the theology of Crowley's Book of the Law; Crowley's claim to restore a Sumerian and/or Yezidic tradition
Week 3
"Love, and do what thou wilt" -- Crowley's reception of Augustine
Week 4
Fais ce que tu voudras, Rabelais, the Hellfire Club, and foreshadowings of Thelema
Week 5
Crowley as Frater Perdurabo and the demise of the Golden Dawn; Crowley's reception of Theosophy
Week 6
Crowley as the Great Beast of Revelation, prophet of the New Aeon
Week 7
Crowley's Astrum Argentinum as his version of Eckartshausen's Great White Brotherhood
Week 8
Crowley as Baphomet: the secrets of the O.T.O.
Week 9
Crowley's contributions to western esotericism and magic; his reception of Eastern systems and yoga; his appreciation of Chinese esotericism; his appropriation of tantra
"Philosophia Perennis"
Week 6
Proponents of Tradition
Week 7
Tradition Against the Modern World
Week 8
Radical Traditionalism
Week 9
Kali Yuga
Week 10
Contemporary Thelema
Research Paper Due-Oral Presentation-Learning Journal Due-Final Exam
Week 11
Research Paper Due-Learning Journal Due-Oral Presentation
Week 10
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Esoteric Studies: Advanced courses
Our Advanced Courses extend and develop topics introduced in our Introductory Courses, and are especially suitable for students wishing to deepen their knowledge of a given subject. All advanced courses have prerequisite introductory courses, and it is normally not possible to skip these unless prospective students can demonstrate an advanced level of understanding of the concepts, bibliography and issues surrounding a given topic. If you believe this applies to you, then please contact the course instructor via the link on the relevant faculty page. You will be sent a brief questionnaire which will help the course instructor discern your understanding of the subject, and following a brief review process, you will be notified as to your eligibility for the advanced course. Please note that this also applies to students who wish to audit advanced courses. Phoenix Rising Academy’s advanced courses are also part of our tiered module system. Normally a module consists of one introductory course followed by two or three advanced courses and two or three supplementary seminars. Therefore, students can elect to take any or all of the advanced courses making up a module, in order to receive a module certificate, or to take only those advanced courses that interest them, in which case they will be awarded a separate course certificate for each.
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Make a circle out of a man and woman, derive from it a square,
and from the square a triangle: make a circle and you will have the philosopher’s stone
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Hermetism in Late Antiquity Marsilio Ficino and Renaissance Astrology WE 210 NE (online-English) / WE 211 NS (online-Spanish)
WM 275/390 NE/ex (online-English, extended course)
ESOTERIC STUDIES ADVANCED COURSES
Course Dates: Commences March 2011 Instructor: Iván Elvira Prerequisites: WE 101 (any language) The main goal of this course is to clarify the true roots of Western Esotericism in the so called Hermetica: a collection of philosophical, “practical” (astrological, magical and alchemical) and Esoteric texts originating in Egypt of Late Antiquity, and attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, a syncretic Greek-Egyptian divinity. We will examine primary texts, beginning with the fabled Corpus Hermeticum, the Asclepius, the Hermetic Nag Hammadi texts, the Stobaean Fragments, and the Armenian Definitions, as well as quotations of many philosophers and religious personalities such Iamblichus of Chalcis, St. Augustine of Hippo, Zosimos of Panopolis, and Cyril of Alexandria. Through this course you will gain insight to one of the most striking periods of human history, a new religious era which in essence marked the beginning of our current religious framework, presented as far as possible through the worldview of the mixed population of Ancient Hellenistic Civilization. This course provides a clear understanding of the origins, content, and complex socio-cultural milieu which gave rise to Hermetic Philosophy, and is a vital foundation for further study of later Western Esoteric currents related to and intertwined with the Corpus Hermeticum.
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
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Week 6
- Foreword to Hermetism: its real significance through History. - Methodological questions in the study of Late Antiquity Hermetica. - A polemic Hermetic dualism: Practical and Philosophical Hermetica. - Resources in the study of Hermetism in Late Antiquity. - Historical background: Hellenistic and Egyptian Civilizations. - Hellenistic Mysticism: The rise of a new religious era. - The hypothetical Egyptian roots of Hermetism. -Hermes-Thoth - The Hermetic Philosophy: tenets, concepts, influences and philosophical context. - The Hermetic Philosophical Texts: Corpus Hermeticum, Asclepius, the Hermetic Nag Hammadi texts, the Stobaean Fragments, and the Armenian Definitions.
-The Technical Hermetic Texts: The Alchimica Hermetica, the Astrological Hermetic Texts and the Papirii Graecae Magicae devoted to syncretic Hermes and Hermetic Philosophy itself.
- Review, Conclusions and summary.
-Research paper due-Oral presentation of Research Paper-Learning Journal due
Course Dates: April-June 2011 (precise dates TBA) Instructor: Angela Voss Prerequisites: WE 140 The Imaginal Cosmos This 9 week course will be an in depth reading of Marsilio Ficino’s text, De vita coelitus comparanda (‘On fitting your life to the heavens’). This extraordinary treatise is a manifesto of ‘natural magic’, involving the use of images and music to create a harmonious relationship between the human soul and the cosmos. Drawing on many sources, from neoplatonic philosophy and theurgy to Arabic magic and astrology, Ficino sets out a 15th century ‘self-help’ regime of ritual creativity using astrology, talismanic magic and invocations to the planetary spirits. Running throughout the work we find a continual preoccupation with the scruples of Christian orthodoxy regarding both magical practice, and the question of the ‘natural’ and ‘supernatural’ divide. Ficino negotiated his way very carefully through this dangerous territory, disguising any suspicion of ‘higher’ spiritual effects within a cosmic framework. Students will be required to engage with this text on both critical and experiential levels—we will experiment with some of Ficino’s techniques for inner harmonisation as well as study his theory. A working knowledge of both astrology and music theory would be useful but not essential. Students will need their own horoscope, which can be provided if necessary. Each week will consist of reading several short chapters and exploring the relevant background issues, sources and metaphysics, with creative assignments. Specific topics will include Neoplatonic cosmology and theurgy, fate and free will, Ficino’s theory of spiritus, astrological music therapy, talismanic images, electional astrology, conflicts with Christian orthodoxy, planets, gods and spirits, human and divine modes of knowledge, the role of desire and intention.
Week 1
Intellectual background: an overview
Week 2
Chapters 1-3
Week 3
Chapters 4-6
Week 4
Chapters 7-9
Week 5
Chapters 10-12
Week 6
Chapters 13-15
Week 7
Chapters 16-19
Week 8
Chapters 20-23
Week 9
Chapters 24-26, Apology
Week 10
-Research paper due-Oral presentation of Research Paper-Learning Journal due
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John Dee and the Magic of Visions History & Phenomenology of Rosicrucianism I & II WE 231 NE (Rosicrucianism I) (online-English) WE 232 NE (Rosicrucianism II) (online-English)
WE 260/312 NE (online-English)
ESOTERIC STUDIES ADVANCED COURSES
Course Dates: Commences April 4th 2011 Instructor: Martin Parrot Prerequisites:WE 101 (any language) Or WE 140 NE As the title implies, the primary objective of this course is to familiarize the student with the magic of John Dee situated in the broader context of 16th century magic and hermeticism. To this end, the focus will be placed on Dee’s philosophy and practice of magic as expressed in his angel conversations diary as well as some of his published writings. These will be carefully read in light of what we know of Dee’s own studies and beliefs, thus connecting him to the s vcientific, occult, and religious culture of his century. Moreover, throughout the course we will constantly engage in scholarly debates about the place of Dee in Renaissance and early modern history so as to ensure students have access to the most recent studies on the topic. Finally, an important component of the course surfacing each week as sets of philosophical questions will be learning how to reflexively engage with historical material, and critically think about culture, especially the culture of esotericism.
Who were the true Brethren of the Rosy Cross? Where did they come from and when did they first appear? What were their genuine teachings? These questions have been answered in different ways by the very disparate groups and individuals who have assumed the mantle of Rosicrucianism across the four centuries of this esoteric current’s development. Our course will explore the changing historical conceptions of the Brotherhood, its origins and its mission through a close examination of primary texts and their socio-political, religious and intellectual contexts. In examining the historical diversity of the Rosicrucian phenomenon we will also seek to identify unifying elements of Rosicrucian teachings through the centuries, concentrating in particular on motifs of gnosis and transfiguration. The possible relevance of Rosicrucianism to our contemporary lives will also be addressed as we consider the phenomenology of religious experiences apparently evinced by Rosicrucian texts, with particular emphasis on encounters with angels and transfigured beings. During this double course, students will be introduced to some central themes in the study of Western esotericism such as gnosis and transfiguration, divergent notions of the prisca sapientia or primeval wisdom tradition, the obfuscating role of pseudo-histories and the position of esoteric currents of thought vis-à-vis modernity and the Enlightenment. Our goal will be to develop the ability of students to critically analyse both primary and secondary sources, thus paying close attention to the historical record while simultaneously creating a valuable opportunity for personal reflection and the nurturing of a deeper understanding of the role of the subject in the uncovering of meaning. The courses are divided into four broad historical sections – two for each course, divided chronologically. Together they will last 13 weeks, each of which will be devoted to extracts from central Rosicrucian writings.
Week 1
Week 2
Introduction and Overview -John Dee (1527-1608): His Life and Works -Magic in 16th Century Europe: Witches, Magicians, and Uncertainty -Dee in Western History: the Interpretations of Yates, Harkness, and Szönyi
Week 1
Fama Fraternitatis (1614)
Week 1
Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia, College of Adepts: Grade VII°
Week 2
Johann Valentin Andreae, The Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz (1616)
Week 2
Hargrave Jennings, The Rosicrucians: Their Rites and Mysteries (1870)
Week 3
Robert Fludd, Apologia Compendiaria (1616)
Week 3
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Ritual of the 5°=6° Grade of Adeptus Minor
Week 4
Michael Maier, Allegoria Bella (1617)
Week 4
Max Heindel, The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception (1910)
Week 5
Samuel Richter, The True and Complete Preparation of the Philosophers’ Stone (1710)
Week 5
Harvey Spencer Lewis, Rosicrucian Manual (1927)
Week 6
Week 6
Dee and History -Situating Dee in History -The Concept of ‘Tradition’ in the Study of Esotericism: Problems and Uses
Testament of the Fraternity of the Rosy and Gold Cross (c. 1730)
Jan van Rijckenborgh, Elementary Philosophy of the Modern Rosycross (1984)
Week 7
Secret Symbols of the Rosicrucians (1785)
Week 7
Research paper due -Oral presentation of Research Paper -Learning Journal due
Conclusion-Research Paper and Learning Journal Due
Week 8
-Research Paper Due-Oral presentation of Research Paper-Learning Journal Due
-Cultural History? -‘Deep Play’ -‘The Past is a Foreign Country’ -Methodological Provisions for our Travels to Elizabethan England
Week 3
Studying at Mortlake: The Occult Philosophy -Trithemius and Agrippa -The Monas hieroglyphica: Natural Philosophy and the Perfection of Language -Dee and Renaissance Hermeticism
Week 4
The Angelic Conversations -Dee’s ritual practices in context: Christian Piety and the Ars Notoria -The Phenomenology of Renaissance and Early Modern Divination -Occult Philosophy, Science, and Religion in the Mysteriorum Libri Quinque
Week 5
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Course Dates: Commences March 2011 Instructor: Hereward Tilton Prerequisites: WE 101 (any language)
Week 6
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The Celts in the Esoteric Imagination Principles of Goëtic Sorcery WE 271/334 NE (online-English)
WM 360 EN (online-English)
Course Dates: April – May 2011 Instructor: Amy Hale Prerequisites: WE 101 (any language)
ESOTERIC STUDIES ADVANCED COURSES
Frequently when we consider the Western Esoteric Tradition we think of the legacy of Classical thought, practice and text with in a framework of mainly literate transmission. Peoples such as “the Celts” tend to be more associated with indigenous Pagan practice and non literate traditions, which in itself is a problematic distinction. Nevertheless, as the category of “Celtic” has developed over the past three hundred years and has been applied to both language groups and living people, Celtic motifs such as Druids, King Arthur and the Holy Grail have featured in the development of the Western Esoteric Tradition from Freemasonry and friendly societies to Earth Mysteries and the practice of sacred geometry. In this course we will discuss the ideological underpinnings of “Celticity” and how it has been used to develop certain themes in the canon of modern Western Esotericism and its intersection with broader political and intellectual movements. We will begin with an exploration of the modern development and construction of the category of “Celtic” so that we can discuss the various problems and discourses associated with this term. We will then examine themes which emerge in the modern Western Esoteric Tradition which have been labeled as Celtic or which have been associated with Celtic peoples for one reason or another, including Druidry and the Grail Quest. We will then cover the intersections between esoteric movements and the Celtic political revivals, including the work of W.B. Yeats and Irish Nationalism, and the earliest development of Neo Druidry in the context of Welsh identity politics. Finally we will look at a variety of expression of Celticity in the context of New Religious movements including Earth Mysteries, Wicca, Celtic reconstructionism and Goddess religion.
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
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The Celts and the Western Esoteric Tradition: Constructions and counterpoints
Druidry and the Imagined Wisdom of the East from 18th to the 20th c.
Course Dates: Commences October 2011 Instructor: Dr Simon Magus Prerequisites: WE 101 (any language) Or WE 140 And WE 231 & 232 The history of Western Esotericism, as now taught in the Academy in the United Kingdom and on the Continent, is noticeable in terms of its neglect of the medieval period. There are a number of reasons for this, both philosophical and methodological. There is a tendency to associate esoteric thought with Platonic idealism and intuitive thinking, and as part of the Romantic reaction to the Enlightenment and the advance of logic, reason and scientific empiricism. Thus, the Neoplatonism of Late Classical Antiquity, and its ‘rediscovery’ in the Italian quattrocento tends to be falsely polarised against Scholastic Aristotelianism, viewed both as the bastion of Christian orthodoxy, and as the progenitor of science in the medieval period. This Advanced course seeks to redress the balance by exploring the often practical magic of the Middle Ages. It will investigate in some depth the interface with Christianity, and the role of the Clergy in the preservation and transmission of these ideas: it will emphasise the continuity of ideas from antiquity, including those of Platonism, rather than any later imposed disjunction. The focus of course material will be on the history and anatomy of the Medieval grimoire, a discussion of the liturgical quality of medieval magical ritual, invocation and evocation and an overview of talismanic magic. Some time will be given to observations of medieval influences on magical practices, including sigilisation, in later authors.
Week 1
Introduction: Traditions of Medieval Pseudepigraphy
Week 2
The Ars Notoria and the Solomonic Cycle
Week 3
The Notion of a ‘Grammar’ of Magic
Week 4
Angelic and Demonic Hierarchies: the Clergy and Magia
Week 5
The process of sigillisation: Goëtia and the work of Austin Osman Spare
Week 6
A Note on Psychopathology and the Phenomenology of Magical Praxis
Week 7
Research paper due-Oral presentation of Research Paper-Learning Journal due
Magical revivals and Celtic identity politics in the 19th and 20th c.
The Grail Quest as Western Esoteric Motif
Week 5
Celts and Modern Pagan Religions: Building of the Noble Savage
Week 6
-Research paper due-Oral presentation of Research Paper-Learning Journal due
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Theory and Practice of the Golden Investigating Astral Projection Dawn WM 220 NE (online-English)
WM 320 NE (online-English)
Course Dates: Commences April 4th 2011 Instructor: Austin Case Prerequisites: WM 120
ESOTERIC STUDIES ADVANCED COURSES
Few esoteric currents have had as large an influence on recent trends in esotericism as the fin de siècle magical order known as the Hermetic Brotherhood of the Golden Dawn. The order’s syncretistic approach to theoretical and practical magic helped reestablish the paradigm of Western Esotericism in the past century. This course will critically investigate theories underlying the belief structure of members within the order as well as some of the primary magical workings used by members of the inner circle of the order.
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Each week of this 5-week course will focus on a particular facet of belief or practice in the order. The first week will be dedicated to becoming familiar with the various beliefs held by members of the order that (for them) explained how and why the various techniques employed by members would be efficacious and/or prudent. Students will be familiarized with certain key symbols employed by the order as well as the syncretistic approach used for combining various symbol systems. Subsequent weeks will focus on various magical practices used by members; various ceremonial rituals, clairvoyance and the use of talismans and sigils, and finally divination and Enochian magic.
Course Dates: Commences October 10th 2011 Instructor: Austin Case Prerequisites: WE 101 (any language) Or WM 120 And WM 220 The practice of astral projection has become a very prominent feature of many strands of esoteric practice, particularly over the past century. The exact definition of this practice is somewhat elusive (especially depending upon the source discussing it), though it essentially involves the separation of some subtle, spiritual, or ‘astral’ facet of oneself that is somehow distinct from the corporeal body, which is able to disconnect from the physical body and subsequently visit some alternate place. Although there have been numerous accounts from various shamanic, mystical, and esoteric religious traditions that bear these traits in common, the term ‘astral projection’ did not arise until the 19th century. This class will investigate the origins of astral projection within various 19th century magical orders (both real and fictional) and also examine possible explanatory models which approach the actual personal experiences of astral projectors. Teaching will take place over a 5 week period and each week will investigate the subject as it occurred within a different order or how the phenomena could be accounted for. The first week will look at the work ‘Ghost Land’ and how descriptions in this 19th century work of fiction perfectly fit descriptions of astral projection and also look at the magical society known as the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor and their techniques that parallel accounts of astral projection. The second week will look at how the early Theosophical Society and its secret Esoteric Section seemed to be heavily concerned with astral projection. The third week will look at how different forms of clairvoyance (only one of which is called astral projection) within the Golden Dawn fit various interpretations of astral projection, though their interpretation of visiting spiritual planes is different from the T. S.’s understanding of how astral projection relates to travel in the real world. The fourth week will investigate various interpretations of astral projection; psychological interpretations of out of the body experiences, phenomenological interpretations of personalized experiences which may or may not relate to some abstract sort of alternative sort of reality, and pragmatic approaches which focus less on the ‘how’ of astral projection but rather emphasize the value of the experience.
Week 1
Theory: The underlying notions and symbols of the G.D. -Imagination and willpower -Symbols: elemental, kabbalistic, and astrological
Week 1
Early Instances: Accounts of A.P. in 19th century fiction and the magical society of the H.B. of L. -‘Ghost Land’ -Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor
Week 2
Ceremonial Magic: Various ritual magic techniques of the order -Pentagram, hexagram, and rose cross rituals -Evocation -Consecration -Other rituals
Week 2
Theosophical Society: A. P. in the Esoteric Section of the T. S. and its relation to projecting in the real world -Early investigations -A.P. in mundane world
Week 3
Clairvoyance, Talismans, and Sigils: Methods of ‘second sight’ and the use of magical images -Skrying -Astral travel -Talismans -Sigils-Tattwas
Week 3
The Golden Dawn: A. P. and other practices resembling it in the G.D. and its relation to travelling in non-earthly planes -Various forms of clairvoyance -A.P. in spiritual planes
Week 4
Divination and Enochian Magic: Methods of determining future events and the angelic magic of John Dee as understood by the G.D. -Geomancy -Tarot -Enochian
Week 4
Approaches to the Phenomenon: Examining various ways to look at A. P. -Psychological -Phenomenological -Pragmatic
Week 5
-Research paper due-Learning Journal due
Week 5
-Research paper due-Learning Journal due
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History of Esoteric Dualism Angelic Myth and Magic WE 255 NE (online-English)
WE 266/342 NE(online-English)
Course Dates: April 2011-May 2011 Instructor: George Sieg Prerequisites: WE 188 NE Introduction to Esoteric Dualism
ESOTERIC STUDIES ADVANCED COURSES
The previous course (Introduction to Esoteric Dualism) analysed the interactions between dualism and esotericism in detail. This course chronicles the history of these interactions, beginning with the origins of dualism in Zoroastrian Iran. It considers possible causes of dualism and various theories as to its early transmission. It also explores the reception of Zoroastrian dualism by other cultures and traditions, notably Judaism, and considers how Zoroastrian dualist traditions (and other dualist traditions) have been received in esotericism, and transmitted from one belief system to another. Particular thought-forms and their propagation, such as apocalypticism, cosmic war, and mythological antagonist figures, will be examined in detail. The final two weeks of the course address the transmission of dualism into modern occultism. The modern occult revival was fraught with dualist constructions, projections, and antagonisms, which have significantly influenced its development from its inception. This has produced a continuity of dualism into contemporary esotericism and occultism, and its consequences can and will be analyzed critically in the conclusion of the course. In total, this course is a full historical survey of dualism in esotericism and occultism from prehistory to the present.
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
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Week 5
The origins of dualism in Iran and its reception in esotericism
Course Dates: April-June 2011 (precise dates TBA) Instructor: George Sieg Prerequisites: WE 188 NE: Introduction to Esoteric Dualism By virtue of their reliance on the figure of the “angel,” a nearly indispensable intermediary in the cosmologies and mythologies of even the more strict monotheistic systems, angelically oriented systems of esotericism and magic have run the gamut between self-consciously orthodox and extraordinarily heretical. This seems chiefly due to the ambiguity of the figure of the angel as one to be respected but not revered, invoked but not venerated, conjured but not commanded — at least according to most of the exoteric monotheisms in which angels prominently figure. In magical systems, the reverse have sometimes — but not always — been the case. As diverse in its manifestations as demonology and diabology, and often as subversive from the perspective of exoteric authorities, angelic magic has been a staple of Western esotericism for millennia. This course explores how and why, presenting a full historical survey of the conception of angels in the earliest periods, beginning immediately with their relevance to magical conjuration. It continues straight through to the contemporary period, in which angelic beliefs and practices are just as popular as ever, if not more, being a ubiquitous feature of various beliefs from intense and structured ceremonial or devotional occult practice, to the most populist forms of “new age” belief. Whether figured as the personal guardian angel of private, non-sectarian practice to the elusive and obscure Holy Guardian Angel of the infamous Abra-Melin Operation, the proliferation of angels throughout esoteric and occult belief systems would require numerous pin-heads to fully account, but this course will catch a significant sampling in its six weeks.
Week 1
Predecessors of angels in Semitic and Indo-Iranian belief
Week 2
Angels in Jewish cosmology, religion, mysticism, and esotericism; Reception of Jewish angels in Christian and Islamic esotericism and mysticism; comparison of Abrahamic angel beliefs to non-Abrahamic angelic beliefs and systems
Week 3
Transmission of angelic magic through the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance; comparison of the monotheistic traditions of angel magic
Week 4
Development of various interpretations of Kabbalistic angel magic; comparison with the angelic conversations of John Dee and Edward Kelly
Week 5
Angels and angelic magic in the modern occult revival
Week 6
Contemporary reception of angelic magic, including Enochian, and comparison to the significant role of angels in various manifestations of New Age religions, and new religious movements; consideration of the relationship of these systems to esotericism and occultism, and their different ways of receiving "angels."
Week 7
Research Paper Due-Learning Journal Due-Oral Presentation
Transmission to and through Judaism and the esoteric reception of Jewish apocalypticism
Dualism in the occult
The continuity of occult dualism through modern and into contemporary times
Research paper due-Oral presentation-Learning Journal due
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Demonology and Demonic Magic The Fallen Angels WE 267/343 NE(online-English)
Course Dates: April-June 2011 (precise dates TBA) Instructor: George Sieg Prerequisites: WE 188 NE Introduction to Esoteric Dualism
ESOTERIC STUDIES ADVANCED COURSES
While demons and the study of demons are often considered (particularly by exoteric dualist religions) to be an integral component of esoteric, magical, and occult practice, demonology and its practical applications in fact remain a specific and specialized aspect of these belief systems. In fact, their presence in archaic religious systems, including exoteric ones, was ubiquitous, and esoteric and magical systems of belief have often presented very particularized perspectives on the nature and function of these entities. This course will explore and consider these divergent worldviews, and also consider how dualistic systems have “demonized” a variety of spirits and mythic beings for a variety of purposes.
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The course is, in structure, a historical survey of these developments, focusing on the development of formal “demonic” magic, and how such a concept has been received, practiced, embraced, or rejected. Within each historical period, aspects such as dualism, “demonization,” magical theory and practice, and esoteric cosmology, will be considered in detail. The course will conclude with an examination of how these traditions have continued and been diversely recontextualized in the modern and contemporary periods, applying the same historical models and typologies to present systems of practice.
WE 433 NE(online-English)
Course Dates: October 2011 (precise dates TBA) Instructor: George Sieg
Mandatory Prerequisites: WE 188 NE: Introduction to Esoteric Dualism And WE 255 History of Esoteric Dualism. Conceptions of the fallen angels reside in a fascinating, liminal boundary between the angelic and the demonic. Variously figured as tempters, seducers, bringers of forbidden knowledge, castigated or incarcerated titans, or even self-sacrificing saviour figures, the fallen angels populate a very specific line of esoteric transmission critical to not only the history of dualism and esoteric dualism (particularly in the West) but also an interesting cosmological myth with a variety of surprising transmissions. One significant issue in the transmission of the fallen angel doctrine in the west is the curious consistency of some of Dee and Kelly’s work with the original Enochian tradition, apparently unknown to both operators at the time of their skryings. This pecularity, as well as other mysteries of the transmission of the fallen angels from ancient to contemporary tradtion, will be examined — during and after a full historical survey of the doctrine of the fallen angels beginning with the book of Enoch. In no way limited to Enochian traditions, the course will address the reception of fallen angels right up through the modern occult revival (includingTheosophy and Anthroposophy, and offshoots such as Elizabeth Clare Prophet’s apocalyptic new religious movement) and contemporary mythology ranging from the association of fallen angels with the UFO phenomenon and the increasingly prevalent conspiracist mythology focusing on the bloodlines (or even the full incarnations) of fallen angels, “draconian” and “reptilian” elites, and even stranger variations on an archaic theme.
Week 1
Overview of the concept of "demons," their role in spiritistic magical systems
Week 1
Enoch
Week 2
Mesopotamian demonology
Week 2
Fallen angels in Christianity and Islam
Week 3
Classical "daimonology"
Week 3
The role of Enoch and fallen angels in esotericism
Week 4
Medieval demonology
Week 4
Dee's reception of Enoch and the angels
Week 5
Issues of demonic magic in the Renaissance, debates surrounding demonic magic and witchcraft in the Early Modern period, the role of demons in the occult revival
Week 5
Fallen angels in the modern occult
Week 6
Contemporary demonic magic
Week 6
Contemporary reception of the fallen angels.
Week 7
Research Paper Due-Learning Journal Due-Oral Presentation
Week 7
Research Paper Due-Learning Journal Due-Oral Presentation
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History of Divination & Magic in the Sages, Mystics and Magicians of Antiquity Greco-Roman Period HM 322 NE (online-English)
HM 325/425 (online-English)
Course Dates: Commences April 4th 2011 Instructor: Andrea Lobel Prerequisites: WE 101 Or WE 140 Or WE 145 Or WE 155
ESOTERIC STUDIES ADVANCED COURSES
This advanced course is ideal for those with some background knowledge of either ancient Greek and Roman history or esoteric studies. In it, we will define and examine the roles of magic and divination in Classical Greece, Hellenistic Greece, and Rome, with the aim of providing an overview of the ways in which these practices were viewed both from within, and from without, by society at large.
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We will begin by examining the worlds of Classical and, later, Hellenistic Greece, including the Pythagorean tradition, divinatory oracles (e.g., the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi), Greek love magic and amulets, the Greek Magical Papyri, as well as the views of Plato, Theophrastus, and other ancient Greek authors on magic and divination. Next, we will move on to the nature of the magical and divinatory arts in ancient Rome, with a particular focus upon existence of Roman fear and ambivalence toward magic and witchcraft, as well as the overlap and differences that existed between private magical practices and official Roman religion.
Course Dates: Commences April 4th 2011 Instructor: Andrea Lobel Prerequisites: WE 101 Or WE 140 Or WE 145 Or WE 155 When approaching the question of which historical figures we might consider mystics, sages or magicians from our vantage point in the twenty-first century, it is vital to consider historical context. In this advanced course, we will examine a number of representative figures and characters of antiquity with the aim of both defining the nature of their approaches to the roles of wisdom and magic, as well as the relationships that existed between wise and/or magical individuals and existing socio-political and cultural power structures. By the end of this course, students will be able to distinguish sages, magicians and mystics one from the other, and will also have a better understanding of the social and historical contexts of each of the individuals or characters that we will examine. Beginning with a discussion of the characteristics and definitions of the sage, sorcerer or mage, witch, and mystic in antiquity, we will move on to portrayals of biblical characters associated with wisdom and/or magical traditions in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, including Abraham, Moses, Pharaoh’s Magicians, King Solomon, and Jesus. We will then turn to Greco-Roman magicians and mystics, such as Apollonius of Tyana, as well as the first-century Samaritan sorcerer Simon Magus, and then to selected wonder-workers and mystics of Late Antique Judaism and Christianity.
Week 1
Introduction: Defining Magic, Divination and Eras
Week 1
Introduction: Of Sages and Sorcerers
Week 2
Classical Greece: Magical Practices
Week 2
Biblical Sages and “Magicians”
Week 3
Classical Greece: The Oracles Speak
Week 3
Greco-Roman Personalities
Week 4
The Hellenistic Period: Of Papyri and Magica
Week 4
Jewish and Christian Mystics and Mages
Week 5
Rome: Questionable Magic -- From Pliny to Plutarch
Week 5
Late Antiquity and Beyond
Week 6
Synthesis: Situating Greek and Roman Magic and Divination in History
Week 6
Synthesis: The Gift of the Magi
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Creative Arts At Phoenix Rising Academy we see the dissemination of the practice and theory of the Arts as being an integral part of our mission. The Liberal Arts are inextricably linked with esoteric currents in a number of ways; through their frequent use as a vehicle for the manifestation of esoteric philosophy, through their subsequent impact on society, culture, and the collective imagination, and due to the way they were conceived of and used in the form of allegory and symbol within the esoteric traditions themselves. In addition, it is our firm conviction that everyone can learn to practice one or other of the liberal arts with productive and rewarding results, whether in terms of inner growth, or the refinement and development of inborn talents.
Phoenix Rising Academy is not an art school. Although we do offer courses designed to hone creative skills (Creative Writing courses in 2011, with further courses related to music and visual art in preparation for 2012-13), our principal concern is with the imagination and creative process itself. In keeping with our philosophy and ethos, our creative arts courses cover both theory and experiential practice, and are open to everybody, regardless of whether they have a background in the arts or not. Our courses are designed to permit students to experience the creative process for themselves, both from an observer’s, as well as a hands-on standpoint. Taken in combination with our Esoteric studies courses, this provides a balance between intellectual and imaginal approaches, culminating in a truly well-rounded educational and creative experience.
Concepts introduced within the introductory courses are individually expanded upon within the Advanced course curriculum.
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The introductory course material lays the foundation for our advanced courses, and the majority are prerequisites for the equivalent advanced courses, so prospective students should check this before applying.
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Creative Arts: Introductory & Advanced courses Introductory Courses
Advanced Courses
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Writing from Solitude Introduction to Creative Writing CW 225 NE (online-English)
CW 102 NE (online English)
CREATIVE ARTS INTRODUCTORY COURSES
Course Dates: Commences January 17th Instructor: Daryl Morazzini
Week 1 Week 2
Instructor: Romana Turina
To introduce and familiarise students with the process of creative writing from an organic point of view, in order to help them become familiar with a frame of mind designed to enable their flow of creativity. The course is organized in order to offer the student the chance to enter into a process of withdrawal into, not from, him or herself: abandoned and buried dreams will be faced, as will the concepts and sensations of creative grief and loss, the mourning of the deserted self, and future growth. Finally, what is known as creative block will be tackled and the system of resentment and jealousy behind it will be offered as a path to its resolution. This is a challenging introduction to the art of creative writing, designed to act as a guided encounter with one’s own creativity as well.
What is it that has pulled writers away from society and deep into the heart of solitude? What does writing from solitude sound like, look like? This eight-week class has two distinct goals. First, the class examines some of the classic literature written by authors, philosophers, and mystics on the relationship between Solitude and Writing. Drawing heavily from the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche, Rainer Maria Rilke, Thomas Merton, Annie Dillard, the Desert Fathers & Mothers, and a host of others, we will read the writings from deep within Solitude, the call to Solitude. Then, having reflected deeply on these writings, through a series of progressively challenging writer’s prompts, students will be encouraged to write (prose or poetry) of their own, reflecting on their own feelings and experiences with the subject of Solitude. Through a combination of deep reading, experiential assignments, and writing exercises, all designed to inspire authentic self-reflection and examination, this class will explore topics related to the study of solitude such as: silence, loneliness, exile, nature, divinity, death, and the mystical experience.
Topic: Introduction to Solitude Reading: Friedrich Nietzsche. Selections from the Prologue. The Wanderer (Old English Poem.-Dietrich Bonhoeffer: How Am I?
Week 1
- Introduction to the course, its aims and student/instructor duties. - The enemy within- The ally within- Creative paths
Topic: The Writer’s Tradition of Solitude Reading: Annie Dillard: The Writing Life. Martin Heidegger. Being & Time (selections).
Week 2
- Identity recovery- Skepticism - Attention- Rules of the Road to writing creatively. - Recovery of a sense of power.
Week 3
-Integrity in writing - Sense of possibility - Limits- Rivers
Week 4
- Recovering a sense of Abundance - Listening - The Jealousy Map
Week 5
- Sense of Strength - Age and Time- Fear and Compassion - Creative U-turns
Week 6
- The Keys to Self-protection - A Personal sense of autonomy - Acceptance and Success
Week 3
Topic: A Work from Solitude Reading: Dillard, Annie: For the Time Being
Week 4
Topic: “Flee from the Marketplace and its Flies!” Reading: Nietzsche, Friedrich: Thus Spoke Zarathustra.
Week 5
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Course Dates: TBA
Topic: The Mystical Tradition Thomas Merton: Echoing Silence: Thomas Merton and the Vocation of Writing. The Wisdom of the Desert.
Week 6
Topic: Mystics, Lovers, and Poets Reading: Rainer Marie Rilke: The Book of Hours
Week 7
Topic: Grief, Loss, Solitude. Reading: Rumi. The Book of Love.
Week 8
Topic: Solitude and the Natural World Reading: Henry David Thoreau. Walden.
Week 7
- Recovering a Sense of Faith - Imagination at Play - The Artist's way
Week 9
Learning Journal Due-Final work due-Discussion & Writing time
Week 8
- Epilogue and Discussion- Final Work + Essay: Writing time
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Introduction to Surrealism Occultism in Popular Culture CA 150 NE (online-English)
CREATIVE ARTS INTRODUCTORY COURSES
Course Dates: January 2011-March 2011 Instructor: Amy Hale
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This course will provide an introduction to the history of Surrealism as an artistic, intellectual and sometimes political movement. We will explore some of the major characters associated with the movement and examine the ways in which Surrealism continues to impact the world of thought and popular culture. Although Surrealism is popularly associated with a particular visual style or the incorporation of fantastic, dreamlike elements, in fact, Surrealism is more dependent on technique and philosophy, and incorporates literature, film, theater, and wider elements of performance. This course will provide a foundation of the primary stylistic and philosophical foundations for this intellectual movement as well as identification of its key figures and personalities. The course will begin historically, looking at the roots of Surrealism in nineteenth and early twentieth century writing and art, and then we will progress into the work of André Breton and the foundations of Surrealism in France in the 1920s. From there, we will explore Surrealism more thematically, considering politics, gender , the esoteric , performance and style. Finally we will look at the impact of Surrealism on other art movements and popular culture, visionary art and Neosurrealism.
CC 176 NE (online-English)
Course Dates: Commences January 17th 2011
Instructor: Jason Lawton Winslade
For many, popular culture often provides an introduction to the occult, whether through a Ouija board, an astrology column, a Tarot card reading, a comic book, or a Harry Potter novel. Popular literature, films, television, music, video games, comics – all are full of magic and mysticism. But what separates mere occult content from cultural artifacts that actually resonate with the philosophies and themes of Western Esotericism? This course will look more closely at these media manifestations of occultism, providing a foundation for further explorations of occulture. We will trace the connections between popular culture and the spread of occultism itself and analyze certain works of pop culture for their thematic and practical use of the ideas of occultism. We will also examine how some occultists have incorporated popular culture and mass media into their magical practice.
Introduction to popular culture: Disenchantment and Re-enchantment Alternative religion and pop culture-What is occulture?
Week 1
Proto Surrealism and Dada
Week 1
Week 2
Breton and the First Surrealist Manifesto
Week 2
Week 3
The International Surrealist Movement
Week 3
Week 4
Surrealism and Politics
Week 4
Occult Television Kabbalah and The X-Files Witchcraft, Magick and Buffy-Hermeticism and Carnivale
Week 5
Surrealism and Gender
Week 5
Occult Music in the 20th and 21st Century Led Zeppelin and rock music Psychic TV and trance culture-Goth and post-punk
Week 6
Surrealism and the Esoteric
Week 6
Occult Comic Books Occult Superheroes Alan Moore’s Promethea-Grant Morrison’s The Invisibles
Week 7
Surrealism and Performance
Week 7
Material Culture Ouija Boards, Tarot Cards, and Games Commercialization of magic and witchcraft-The Harry Potter phenomenon
Week 8
The Impact of Surrealism: The 1960s Forward
Week 8
21st Century Popular Occulture Fandom and video games Festival culture-Pop Magick
Week 9
Research Paper Due- Learning Journal Due- Oral Presentation
Week 9
Research Paper due-Final Exam-Learning Journal due
19th and 20th Century Occulture Stage Magic and Science Shows Occulture in the late 20th century-Satanic Panic Occult Film Paganism and Wicker Man Satanism and Rosemary’s Baby-Secret societies, conspiracy and modern film
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Occultism in Western Theatre and Performance CD 135 ΝΕ (online-English)
CREATIVE ARTS INTRODUCTORY COURSES
Course Dates: TBA Instructor: Jason Lawton Winslade
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From elaborate public Greek festivals to secret initiation rituals, occult traditions have continually made use of theatrical forms to manifest their stories, teachings, and ideas. This course surveys a broad range of such forms, investigating how theatre practitioners and ritualists have utilized esoteric and occult philosophies in performance throughout various historical and stylistic periods. Using current performance theories, students will evaluate these works and their place in the history of Western esotericism. We will start with ritual performances, festivals and plays in the ancient world, progress through Renaissance drama and masques, and explore the relationship between theatre and esoteric traditions like Rosicrucianism and Anthroposophy. We then consider the turn-of-the-century Symbolist movement in theatre, including various avant-garde practitioners like Antonin Artaud, W.B. Yeats, and Aleksander Blok. Finally, we study the experimental theatre of the 1960s and its link to contemporary performance art and ritual theatre revivals, particularly focusing on interpretations of the Rites of Eleusis.
Gothic Literature I: The European Tradition CL 141 NE (online-English)
Course Dates: Commences January 17th 2011
Instructor: Jason Lawton Winslade
What is meant by the term “Gothic?” Why has this literary form thrived and expanded, drawn in a host of new readers for nearly the last two-hundred years with its tales of horror, awe, the sublime, frightening monsters, unstable characters, haunted ruins, abbeys, and mansions? In this, part one class, we will examine the origins of Gothic Literature, the European traditions it arose from, and the literary devices it utilizes to achieve its powerful effect. Besides looking at the contemporary literary criticism on the subject, we will read many of the great founders of this tradition: Horace Walpole, William Beckford, Matthew Lewis, Clara Reeve, Anne Radcliffe, John Polidori, and Mary Shelley.
Week 1
-Introduction to performance theory: -The ritual origin theory of theatre. -Performance as transformation
Week 1
Topic: Introduction to The Gothic Reading: Fred Botting: The Gothic. Jerrold Hogle: The Cambridge Companion to Gothic Fiction (selections from).
Week 2
Sacred Theatre in the Western World Greek festival and the Rites of Eleusis -Egyptian stage magic, performing the Book of the Dead
Week 2
Topic: The First Gothic Novel Reading: Horace Walpole: The Castle of Otranto
Week 3
Topic: Gothic Manners and Mannerisms Reading: Clara Reeve: The Old English Baron. Selections from Hogle and Botting.
Week 3
-Esoteric Drama in the Renaissance and Enlightenment -The Elizabethans – Marlowe, Shakespeare, Dee. -Doctor Faustus, Macbeth, the Tempest- John Dee and Elizabethan Theatre.
Week 4
-Drama and Ritual in Modern Occultism, part I. -Rosicrucians and the Chemical Wedding-Masonic Initiation Ritual and The Magic Flute -The Golden Dawn and the Fin-de-Siecle Theatre
Week 4
Topic: “Eastern” Influences Reading: William Beckford: Vathek
Week 5
-Drama and Ritual in Modern Occultism, part II -Crowley’s Rites of Eleusis and the Gnostic Mass -Steiner’s Anthroposophical Theatre
Week 5
Topic: The Gothic Defined Reading: Matthew Lewis: The Monk. Selections from Hogle and Botting.
Week 6
-Symbolists and Surrealists -Artaud’s Alchemical Theatre -Yeats’ Symbolist Theatre-Russian and French Symbolism
Week 6
Topic: Women’s Literary Response to the Gothic Reading: Anne Radcliffe: The Italian. Selections from Hogle and Botting
Week 7
-Experimental Theatre in the late 20th Century -Peter Brook and Richard Foreman -Reviving ArtaudGrotowski’s Paratheatre
Week 7
Topic: The Vampire is Born. Reading: John Polidori: The Vampyre
Week 8
-Contemporary Performance Art and Ritual Revivals -Antero Alli, Alex Grey and Alan Moore -Contemporary Ritual Dramas-Initiating the Audience
Week 8
Topic: Science, Mysticism, Memoir, the Gothic Masterpiece Reading: Mary Shelley: Frankenstein
Week 9
Research Paper due. Final Exam
Week 9
-Research Paper Due-Oral presentation of Research Paper-Learning Journal Due
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Gothic Literature II: American Gothic CL 142 NE (online-English)online-English)
CREATIVE ARTS INTRODUCTORY COURSES
Course Dates: Commences April 4th 2011 Instructor: Daryl Morazzini In this, part two class, we will turn our gaze from Gothic Literature’s origins in Europe, to its journey over the Atlantic, and over to the United States. Gothic Literature, arriving at first in New England, and then spreading into the American South, carries on many of the major devices and tools of its European counterpart, while expanding and adding its own, unique essence to the tradition. The study here is two fold: First, students will be introduced to the “New England Gothic,” often times called, “The Dark Romantics,” and begin to ask questions such as: “What becomes of Gothic Literature once it reaches the shores of North America?” “How is the Dark Romantic Tradition keeping the European Gothic tradition alive? How is it transforming it?” Secondly, students will be introduced to a distinctive transformation within the Gothic Canon, that is, America’s, “Southern Gothic Tradition,” a world filled with wandering, isolated highways, conservative Christian values, and serial killers more Christ-like than they are infernal. Among the authors we will look at are: Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allen Poe, Herman Melville, William Faulkner, Kate Chopin, Eudora Welty, and Flannery O’Connor.
Week 1
Topic: What is meant by, “The American Gothic?” Reading: Washington Irving: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Rip Van Winkle.
Week 2
Topic: Birth of Short Fiction, Dark Romanticism, a Continuation of the Gothic Tradition Reading: Nataniel Hawthorne: Young Goodman Brown. The Birthmark. Rappaccini’s Daughter.-Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment.
Week 3 Week 4
Topic: The New England Gothic Defined Reading: Herman Mellville: The Bell Tower Bartleby the Skrivener-Moby Dick (selections)
Week 5
Topic: Birth of the Southern Gothic Reading: Flannery O’Connor: A Good Man is Hard to Find-Temple of the Holy Ghost -The River-Good Country People-The Life You Save May Be Your Own.
Week 6
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Topic: Edgar Allen Poe: Gothic Personified Reading: Edgar Allen Poe: The Black Cat-The Cask of Amontillado The Fall of the House of Usher-The Raven-Selected Poems
Topic: Developments of The Southern Gothic-Reading: William Faulkner: A Rose for Emily. E.B. White: The Door-Shirley Jackson: The Lovely House Sylvia Plath: Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams Harlan Ellison: Shattered Like a Glass Goblin.
Week 7
Topic: The Natural World of the Southern Gothic Reading: Eudora Welty: A Curtain of Green
Week 8
Topic: The Gothic Redefined (Again!)-H.P. Lovecraft Reading: H.P. Lovecraft: Call of Cthulhu-The Alchemist The Lurking Fear-The Rats in the Walls
Week 9
-Research Paper Due--Oral presentation of Research Paper--Learning Journal Due
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Occult Media Occultism in Cinema CM 245 NE (online-English)
CREATIVE ARTS ADVANCED COURSES
Course Dates: Starts April 4th 2011 Instructor: Jason Lawton Winslade Prerequisites: CC 176 Occultism in Popular Culture When occultism and esoteric practices are presented in popular media, they offer a unique opportunity to study the dissemination of esoteric knowledge to the masses as well as analyze cultural representations of magickal philosophy and alternative religions. From representations of magick and witchcraft on television shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Supernatural to occult narratives focused on revealing secrets like The X-Files and Lost, from the creation of occult folklore in The Blair Witch Project to the sensationalized representation of witches and Freemasons on The History Channel, or in reality shows like Wife Swap or Mad Mad House, popular media is full of cultural messages about occultism. Are the messages simply one of condemnation or sensationalism, or are there deeper messages at play? Can occult content on television engage the audience and offer the possibility for creative interpretation through fandom? In this course, we will study the esoteric themes inherent to media theory, and focus on notions of participatory culture, where fans approach media in creative and magickal ways. We will analyze particular television shows and fan creations that deal with either occult themes or represent occult practitioners, and investigate how audiences consciously utilize media to critique and question cultural values and even create magickal experiences. As part of the Creative Arts track, students interested in video production or in creating new media will have the opportunity to address the esoteric through their own creative work.
Week 1
Metaphysical media: occultism and media studies
Week 2
Magick and Witchcraft in Media and Television
Week 3
Week 4
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CM 246/313 NE (online-English)
Course Dates: Commences April 4 2011 Instructor: Jason Lawton Winslade Prerequisites: CC 176 Occultism in Popular Culture When film was invented as a medium, it was often considered magical in its ability to give life to still images. Like photography before it, film was rife with connections to spiritualism, obsessed with the irrational and the mysterious. Occult cinema presents us with narratives both celebrating and condemning transgression, offering mystical quests and characters who would contend with the forces of darkness by clinging to rationality, or by embracing self-actualization through the use of magic or technology. In this class, we will take a closer look at various representations of the occult on film seek to understand the cultural messages behind these films, and determine whether the philosophies of Western Esotericism are compatible with typical Hollywood audiences. Beginning with Walter Benjamin’s notion of the aura in works of art, we will first define film as a medium of representation and image reproduction. We will then analyze films addressing various occult themes. These films include the infamous Hammer horror films that attempted to integrate popular occult themes with cautionary tales, films such as Pi and Eyes Wide Shut, which depict various forms of cabalism, and sci-fi and fantasy films such as The Matrix that explore contemporary notions of self-actualization with Gnostic elements. Finally, we will look at the underground films of Kenneth Anger, an avant-garde filmmaker heavily inspired by Aleister Crowley’s Thelemic teachings, and discuss the possibilities for future esoteric cinema. As part of the Creative Arts track, students interested in film production will have the opportunity to address the esoteric through their own creative work.
Week 1
Film as magickal medium
Week 2
Horror and the Occult Revival
Week 3
Filming Conspiracy Theory: Secret Cabals in Cinema
Week 4
Thelema, Satanism, and the Avant-Garde
Week 5
Research paper and/or creative project due-Oral presentation of research paper Learning Journal due
Uncovering the Secret: Occult Narratives
Reality tv and initiation
Week 5
Documentaries, faux docs, and DIY
Week 6
Research paper and/or creative project due-Oral presentation of research paper Learning Journal due
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Esotericism in Comic Books and Graphic Literature CM 247/314 NE (online-English)
Yeats and the Occult CL 233 NE (online-English)
CREATIVE ARTS ADVANCED COURSES
Course Dates: Commences October 2011 Instructor: Jason Lawton Winslade Prerequisites: CC 176 Occultism in Popular Culture The close relationship between Western Esotericism and comics has existed since the inception of the medium, as evidenced by references to Freemasonry in one of the first comic strips ever, “The Yellow Kid,” published in American newspapers beginning in 1894. Before they created Superman, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster introduced “Doctor Occult” in 1935 as one of the first superheroes. The presence of the occult has been continuous in the medium ever since, with superheroes often obtaining their power through occult means, as well as magicians, mystics, witches, mediums and occult detectives. Arguably, the presence of esoteric symbolism in early comics is a further development of their use in political cartoons and alchemical illustrations. Like alchemical art, comics have the ability to use both words and images to express complex esoteric ideas. Though the occult is often a narrative shortcut to represent hidden power, both on the side of good and evil, cartoonists and authors have also used occult content and themes to explore broader issues, like colonialism, racism, social politics, and gender. Authors like Grant Morrison and Alan Moore have even introduced specific occult teachings to mainstream readership through their work. This course will build upon the foundation created in the introductory pop culture course. We will examine the medium of graphic literature as both a narrative form and an art form, specifically focusing on examples of esoteric imagery meant to induce a certain state of mind in the reader. We will begin with work that address the physiological components of comic reading, based on analyses of artistic conventions used in comic books. Next, we will trace the ways that comic books both represented and influenced popular culture through various volatile eras, and how esoteric thought was involved with that process. Finally, we will analyze in depth several works by notable authors who engage with ideas of magic, secret knowledge, and power. Students have the opportunity to engage in both original research and creative responses through the medium of graphic literature. Aspiring cartoonists and comic authors welcome.
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Week 3
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Comics as esoteric art: alchemy, initiation and the image
Ideology, politics, culture and occulture in comics
Course Dates: Commences October 2011 Instructor: Amy Clanton Prerequisites: WE 101 Or WM 120 NE William Butler Yeats: Nobel Laureate, Irish Senator, and magician. Yeats is perhaps the most renowned poet to openly declare his occult practices and beliefs and their essential influence upon his work, declaring in 1892, “The mystical life is the center of all that I do and all that I think and all that I write”. This course will allow students to read both major and lesser-known works of William Butler Yeats in the context of the occult ideas that influenced him. The course will begin with a general introduction to Yeats’s life and work and his early interest in Theosophy. We will then study Yeats’s involvement with Irish folklore and the Irish Literary Renaissance, including his efforts to found a school of Celtic Mysteries. We will continue with his work with the Golden Dawn, a practice that lasted nearly thirty years. The final section of the course will be devoted to his spiritualist collaboration with his wife in the creation of his treatise A Vision. Readings include selections from Yeats’s essays, poetry, plays, and fiction, as well as works by other prominent writers and occultists in his milieu. Course instruction will take the form of readings, recorded lectures with accompanying Powerpoint presentations, and discussion via online forum. Student progress will be evaluated through response papers, forum posts, oral evaluation, and a research paper.
Week 1
Eastern Esotericism Selections from Ideas of Good and Evil Selections from The Key to Theosophy, Blavatsky-“The Indian Upon God”
Week 2
Irish Myth and Folklore I Selections from The Celtic Twilight Selections from Gods and Fighting Men, Lady Augusta Gregor-The Wanderings of Oisin
Week 3
Irish Myth and Folklore II-“The Stolen Child”-“Fergus and the Druid”-“To Ireland in the Coming Times” “The Hosting of the Sidhe”-“The Everlasting Voices”-“The Unappeasable Host”-“Into the Twilight” “The Song of Wandering Aengus”-“He Mourns for the Change…”
Week 4
The Golden Dawn and Yeats's Celtic Mysteries-“Rosa Alchemica”-“The Secret Rose”-“The Two Trees” “To his Heart, Bidding it have no Fear”-“The Poet Pleads with the Elemental Powers”-“Byzantium”
Week 5
A Vision-Selections from YeatsVision.com, Neil Mann-“Leda and the Swan” “The Second Coming”-“Phases of the Moon”-“The Saint and the Hunchback” “Two Songs of a Fool”-“The Double Vision of Michael Robartes”
Week 6
A Vision-Selections from YeatsVision.com, Neil Mann Supernatural Songs
Week 7
-Research Paper Due--Oral presentation of Research Paper--Learning Journal Due
A history of occult comics Neil Gaiman’s Books of Magic, Doctor Strange, and other titles.
RCase Studies part 1: Alan Moore
Week 5
Case Studies part 2: Grant Morrison
Week 6
Research paper and/or creative project due-Oral presentation of research paper Learning Journal due
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Lovecraft: Writings and Mythos CL 201 NE (online-English)
CREATIVE ARTS ADVANCED COURSES
Course Dates: Commences April 4th Instructor: Daryl Morazzini Prerequisites: CL 141 Or CL 142 (Ideally Both)
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Despite dying in relative obscurity, perhaps few writers have had a greater impact on the literary genres of Horror, the Gothic, as well as on the Occult in general, as Howard Philips “H.P.” Lovecraft. Writers such as Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Allen Moore, and Joyce Carrol Oates, cite him as a major influence on their writing. Occult and Esoteric traditions (such as the works of, the Necronomicon) have sprung up from plots and stories in his works. Lovecraft’s, “cosmic horror,” especially his development of the Cthulhu Mythos, tackle tough theological and esoteric subjects, all the while, drawing the reader deeper into a n ever-expansively mystifying, yet, horrifying world. In this class we will examine the major writings of Lovecraft, as well as looking at the works that so deeply influenced his own thinking. Finally, the class will examine his influence on Occult and Literary traditions.
Week 1
Topic: Welcome to Lovecraft Reading: The Call of Cthulhu (from, Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos), The Cthulhu Mythos, Oxford Companion to H.P. Lovecraft (selections)
Week 2
Topic: Responses to Cthulhu-Reading: “The Return of the Sorcerer,” “The Dweller in Darkness,”“Beyond the Threshold,” “The Black Stone,” “The Mask of Cthulhu”
Week 3
Topic: Responses to Cthulhu Continued-Reading: “The Haunter of the Dark,”-“The Shadow from the Steeple,”-“Notebook Found in a Deserted House,”-“The Salem Horror,”-“The Haunter of the Graveyard,”-“The Trail of Cthulhu,”-Oxford Companion to Lovecraft (selections)
Week 4
Topic: On the Trail of the Necronomicon Reading: “Dagon and Other Macabre Tales,” “The Dunwich Horror and Others”
Week 5
Topic: Opening the Necronomicon Reading: “The Necronomicon,”-“The Nameless City,”-“Watchers Out of Darkness,” “A History of the Necronomicon”
Week 6
Topic: Cthulhu Demythed Reading: “At the Mountains of Madness”
Week 7
Topic: Cthulhu Demythed (continued) Reading: “At the Mountain of Madness” (continued), “The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym”
Week 8
Topic: Contemporary Continuation Reading: Students will look at a growing assortment of comics and graphic novels.
Week 9
-Research Paper Due-Oral presentation of Research Paper--Learning Journal Due
Feminine and Instinctual Archetypes in Creative Writing CW 203 EN (English-online
Course Dates: TBA Instructor: Romana Turina Prerequisites: CW 102 NE Or CW 225 NE
To introduce and familiarise students with the great variety of feminine archetypes and instinctual archetypal possibilities we rarely have access to, and whose original archetypical value can be rediscovered and tapped into, in order to enrich both the creative process and one’s own awareness. This arena of thoughts and studies will result in a pool to which every writer can turn their glance to find traditional and neglected female archetypes, as well as to create new archetypes able to break a tradition of obsolete and superimposed role models; an utterly essential exercise for a writer who is looking to give voice to new female figures in their writing. Through the material analyzed during the course, students will gradually become aware of the stereotypical archetypes most commonly used today with regard to female characters in storytelling and all narrative media. This process will offer them the insight and tools to work with, and perhaps even reverse this state of affairs, and create heroines that are intuitive and atypical; far-seeing, deep listening, and with a loyal heart; to name but a few possibilities. This course is a process designed to build the writer’s ability to open their mind to various hypotheses of work and as is frequently the case, will facilitate the creation of strong, multifaceted and focused female characters. It is hoped that as part of this creative experience, the writer will tap into an instinctual flow of creation, which does not mean to draw undone heroins, or wild, women who are out of control, quite the opposite. It provokes a new awareness in the writer’s mind, an ability to draw from the innate feminine powers of intuition and sensing, to come into one’s cycles, to find what one belongs to, to retain consciousness of our creative goals, and channel it successfully into our characters .
Week 1
- Introduction to the course, its aims and student/instructor duties. - Story as Medicine-- Archetypes and role model politics Readings: from Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, 'Afterwords: Story as Medicine'-'Singing over the Bones'
Week 2
- The Wild Woman- La Loba- The gathering of bones Readings: Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes.-Chapter 1
Week 3
- The Initiation- The sin-eaters- Vasalisa Readings: Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes.-Chapters 2 and 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
- Life/Death/Life- Symbolism in Exile's stories Readings: Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes.Chapters 5 and 6
- Self-preservation- Returning to OneSelf- Clear Water and archetypes of Renewal of the Creative Fire.-Readings: Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes.Chapters 8, 9, 10
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- Boundaries of Rage and Forgiveness- Secrets as SlayersReadings: Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. Chapters 12 and 13.-Final Essay : WRITING TIME
Interpreting the Cycle of Life in Creative Writing CW 204 NE (online English)
CREATIVE ARTS ADVANCED COURSES
Course Dates: Commences April 4th 2011 Instructor: Romana Turina Prerequisites: CW 102 NE Introduction to Creative Writing To introduce and familiarise students with the definitions of Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth, its characteristics, contents and significance in the current praxis and theory of creative writing. Aspects to be discussed will include the importance of archetypes and myths in the elaboration of human storytelling, seen as a vessel for an organic explanation of the cycle of life. This course will also provide a detailed analysis of concepts related to Western Esotericism throughout their elaboration in myths directly related to Buddhist and Hindu concepts, Jewish cabalistic concepts, Greek mythological and philosophical elements, and Eskimo and Irish legends. The course constitutes a complete insight into the use writers make of archetypes at the core of their storytelling; it offers the know-how every writer should have in order to translate an idea into an organized project, and therefore a feasible programme of work – through which one is able to guide one’s creative effort and make it a process of discovery and delivery.
Week 1
- Introduction to the course, its aims and student/instructor duties- The Monomyth - Comparative mythology as a introduction tohuman narration- Mythological Themes in Creative Literature-Readings: 'The Monomyth' (prologue of The Hero with a Thousand faces) Readings: from Mythic Dimension – Selected Essays 1959-1987- 'Comparative Mythology as an Introduction to Cross-Cultural Studies'- 'The Historical Development of Mythology.'
Week 2
- The occult in Myth and Literature- The call to adventure- Refusal of the Call - Supernatural Aid Readings: The Hero with a Thousand faces,Chapter I – sections 1, 2, 3.
Week 3
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- The crossing of the First Threshold- The Belly of the Whale- The Road of trials - the Meeting with the Goddess Readings: The Hero with a Thousand faces,Chapter I – sections 4, 5. + Chapter II – section 1, 2.
Week 4
- Woman as the Temptress- Atonement with the Father- Apotheosis- The Ultimate Boon Readings: The Hero with a Thousand faces, Chapter II – section 3, 4, 5, 6.
Week 5
- Refusal of the Return- The Magic Flight- Rescue from without- The Crossing - Master of two worlds and Freedom to live Readings: The Hero with a Thousand faces,Chapter III – section 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Week 6
- The Keys-Final Essay : WRITING TIME
Registration for Winter 2011: October 15 - December 15. 2010 Early bird registration Oct. 15 - 25
Winter courses start January 17. 2011 APPLY NOW! Places Limited Spring registration opens Jan 10th Spring term begins April 4th, 2001
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How to apply How to apply All prospective students need to complete the online application form. Language Requirements: The majority of our online courses are taught in English ONLY. Although a few courses may also be taught in Greek, students whose native language is not English must hold at least an Advanced level English Certificate (Any internationally accepted C1 or C2 certificate is acceptable, such as Michigan ALCE or ECPE, Cambridge CAE or CPE, TOEFL score of 110 or above) in order to apply successfully. In a very few cases we may be able to accept students without such certification who are able to demonstrate a satisfactory use of English. We are also able to provide intensive English tutoring online in order to help students reach the required English proficiency prior to embarking on one of our courses. Please contact us for further details. Time Commitment As also stated elsewhere on our website, although our priority is to offer a flexible and enjoyable learning experience, we also adhere to a high academic level, which requires a significant time commitment on the part of our students. Indicatively, a standalone introductory course running for 8 weeks requires 10-15 hours of study per week. Deadlines are strictly adhered to, as are participation requirements, and no “makeup” time can be allowed except in extreme cases, subject to the instructors’ and director’s discretion. Prospective students should familiarise themselves with our evaluation methods and requirements prior to application, and select the course tier and mode of study most appropriate for their lifestyle and other work/study commitments. Further advice on this point is available upon request.
Application Process: 1. Once you have selected your courses(s), ensure that application is still open (see individual course pages for details). Complete our online application form here. 2. Following a short (1-2 week) review process you will be informed whether your initial application has been successful. If there are any outstanding issues relating to your application you will be notified at this time. 3. Upon successful application you will be asked to proceed with fee payments in order to enrol. Course fees must be paid in full ten days prior to course commencement.
Application takes place through the website only http://www.phoenixrising.org.gr/en/structure/how-to-apply/
Fee Payment
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Different fee structures apply to the various study tiers that we offer, and depending on membership level or student status, students may be eligible for discounts on certain courses or segments of their module. Please familiarise yourself with the fee structure before applying.
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Faculty Faculty
Chinese Mysticism and AlchemyKabbalah: An Introduction to the Jewish Mystical Tradition
CODYBAHIR
Cody Bahir is currently working toward obtaining his PhD in Philosophy and Religion specializing in the intellectual and spiritual traditions of China at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Prior to pursuing his doctorate he was faculty at the graduate and rabbinic programs of the American Jewish University and Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion where he respectively obtained his BA in Classical Judaic Studies and MA in Jewish Studies, specializing in Medieval Kabbalah. His MA thesis was entitled Aina d’Satna I’la’ah: The Incarnate Wickedness of the Zoharic Evil Eye and its Transformation from Superstition to Cosmology.
AUSTINCASE
ORLANDOFERNANDEZ
In. to Western Esotericism-In. to Initiation (forthcoming 2012) Alchemy: Theoria and Praxis (forthcoming 2012)
AMYCLANTON
Dr Amy Hale is an Anthropologist specializing in contemporary Celtic cultures, with an emphasis on modern Cornwall and contemporary Esoteric culture and history. She received her PhD in 1998 from UCLA in Folklore and Mythology and her dissertation was on the intersections between various constructions of Celtic identity in Cornwall In terms of Western Esoteric Studies she has particular interests in the intersections between esoteric movements and intellectual history, identity politics, research methods and also in Pagan and esoteric spiritual tourism.
ANDREALOBEL
Yeats and the Occult
Amy Clanton is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of South Florida working on her dissertation under the direction of Dr. Phillip Sipiora. She expects to complete and defend her dissertation on the relationship between art and religion in the work of W. B. Yeats and Aleister Crowley by May 2011. She has experience teaching a variety of subjects in the humanities, including courses in English literature and composition, art history, and film.
Dr GEOFFREYCORNELIUS
Principles of Goetic Sorcery
Dr SIMONMAGUS
Dr Simon Magus, BSc (Hons) MB BS MA, is a psychiatrist based in London. He studied medicine at Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, now part of the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of London. He qualified in 1990, with a first class honours degree in anatomy, majoring in neuroanatomy. He completed a Masters degree in Western Esotericism at the Exeter Centre for the Study of Esotericism (EXESESO), University of Exeter in 2008 with a dissertation entitled Austin Osman Spare and the Conquest of the Imaginal: Paranoia, Metanoia and the Phronesis of the Magical Mind.Simon’s interest in esotericism predates his medical studies by several years.He is currently reading for a doctoral thesis at Exeter on esoteric thought in the life and work of H. Rider Haggard.
DARYLMORAZZINI
Writing from Solitude-Gothic Literature I: The European Tradition Gothic Literature II: American Gothic-Lovecraft: Writings and Mythos
Daryl Morazzini received his BA from the University of Southern Maine in Philosophy and History, with a minor in Creative Writing.He received his MFA in Creative Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts, in Creative NonFiction, while doing intense study on Mysticism, Esoterics, and the Goth in Literature.Daryl lives in Asheville, North Carolina, where he teaches Literature and Religion classes at Emmanuel College through their GPP program, as well as in person at Mars Hill College.
Geoffrey Cornelius has over many years undertaken the study of contemporary Western spirituality and divinatory practice, arguing for the appropriateness of academic exchange and discourse in these areas. His main area of divinatory interest and practice is astrology, but he has also studied New Age trends in Tarot and its adoption of I Ching, the classical Chinese oracle. His approach is informed by a wide range of reading in ancient and modern philosophy, psychoanalytic thought, and anthropology.
IVANELVIRA
Dr AMYHALE
Ancient Esoteric Traditions: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome Visions of the Night Sky in Antiquity: A Survey of Ethnoastronomy History of Divination and Magic: The Greco-Roman Period Sages, Mystics, and Magicians in Antiquity Andrea D. Lobel is a PhD candidate in Religion at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, specializing in the history of astronomy, astrology, and cosmology in early Judaism. She has designed and taught courses at both McGill University and Concordia. These have included an introductory course on western religious traditions, as well as an upper level course on the celestial myths and texts of the ancient Near East. Her MA thesis (McGill University) examined calendrical interpretations of Exodus 12:1-2 in ancient and medieval Judaism.
SASHACHAITOW
Sasha Chaitow is the founding director of Phoenix Rising. Sasha Chaitow is a graduate of EXESESO MA Western Esotericism (Exeter) and MA English Literature (IndianapolisAthens). She is assistant professor in Religious Studies at the University of Indianapolis Athens, and also an artist, writer, and events organiser. Her research interests include art and esotericism, mind and consciousness, ritual and initiation, and Modern Greek Masonic history.She is also an artist, painting portraits on commission and alchemically surrealist-symbolic images on inspiration. Sasha directed the 1st International Phoenix Rising Conference entitled “A Dying Society or a Renaissance for the 21st Century, ”.
Studies in Divination
Originally from Mexico, Orlando was first introduced to esotericism through his mother’s Mexican shamanic practice. During his adolescent years he felt that the Western Esoteric tradition was a better fit for him and started to study and practice with several esoteric organizations operating in Mexico City, such as the Theosophical Society, AMORC and Builders of the Adytum.Orlando’s scientific background and lifelong i nvolvement with esotericism led him to pursue doctoral research at EXESESO bridging the two, and he is presently finishing a PhD dissertation about the esoteric influences on the Ontological Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics proposed by the American physicist David Bohm. Orlando lives in Cambridge, UK with his wife and two children.
History of the Golden Dawn,Theory and Practice of the Golden Dawn, Introduction to Surrealism-The Celts in the Esoteric Imagination Investigating Astral Projection
Austin Christopher Case is an MA graduate and Merit scholarship recipient in Western Esotericism and Mysticism from the department of Religious Studies at the University of Amsterdam, and holds a BA in Religious Studies and Esoteric Studies with a Minor in Philosophy, from Webster University, St. Louis. His areas of focus have included ‘The Pragmatic Aspects of Paradigmatic Ritual Magic’ (BA thesis), while his MA thesis was entitled ‘Exploring Tenuous Spaces: A Psychological Investigation of Astral Projection in the Golden Dawn’ (acheived with Merit).
Science and the Esoteric Imagination from the Renaissance to the Post-Modern
Hermetism in Late Antiquity
Iván Elvira is a historian specialized in History of Hermeticism in Late Antiquity and in Theurgical Neoplatonism. Having previously studied Law and Politics, he is currently conducting research at the University of Granada on the relationship between ancient Hermetic texts and the rest of the philosophical, religious and magical currents within the wider context of Hellenistic Civilization in Late Antiquity, with the goal of contributing an open and multidisciplinary perspective to the study of Hermetism and hermeticism through the delineation of a holistic perspective within the study of Esoteric currents of that period.
John Dee and the Magic of Visions
MARTINPARROT
Martin Parrot has a MA from l’École d’Études Politiques de l’Université d’Ottawa where he wrote a thesis entitled L’Ébranlement de l’écrit: mouvement de l’existence, littérature, et geste politique dans la philosophie de Jan Patočka, and a MA in Humanities from York University with a thesis entitled The Volatile Hermes: A Critique of Frances A. Yates’ Approach to the History of Renaissance and Early Modern Hermeticism. Still at York for the PhD, his research has two main orientations: (1) the cultural history of Hermeticism and magic in the 16th and 17th centuries, and (2) methodology in history and cultural studies. His work draws heavily from historians such as Aby Warburg, Carlo Ginzburg, and Roger Chartier, but also from phenomenology past and present.
Faculty Faculty
Dr STANLEYSFEKAS
Dr. Stanley Sfekas is professor of philosophy and religion at the University of Indianapolis/Athens Campus and was born in the United States. After receiving his B.A. in Philosophy and English from the University of Maryland, he went on to earn both his M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy from New York University. His doctoral dissertation is titled “The Problem of Individuation in Aristotelian Metaphysics”. Dr. Sfekas has taught in various institutions of higher education including Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, The New York Institute of Technology, George Washington University in Washington D.C., and the American College of Southeastern Europe.Dr Sfekas has also published scholarly articles and books and has been a critic for the American Philosophical Association and several international journals, as well as a public lecturer in the Athenian academic community.
Dr GEORGESIEG
Int.Traditionalism-Origins and History of Thelema Int.Esoteric DualismHistory of Esoteric Dualism Angelic Myth and Magic-Demonology and Demonic Magic-The Fallen Angels
Dr. Sieg’s PhD thesis from the Exeter Centre for the Study of Esotericism, entitled Occult War: The Legacy of Iranian Dualism and Its Continuing Influence upon the Modern Occult Revival explored the origins of dualism in Zoroastrian Iran and their subsequent contributions to the history of religion and esotericism, culminating in the genesis of the concept of the “occult war.” Dr. Sieg is familiar with a wide spectrum of esoteric and occult belief systems and practices in both historical and contemporary contexts.
Dr HEREWARDTILTON
History and Phenomenology of Rosicrucianism I & II
Dr Hereward Tilton is a specialist in the history of esotericism in early modern Germany, having published work on early Rosicrucianism, alchemy, Paracelsianism and magic, most notably his book ‘The Quest for the Phoenix: Spiritual Alchemy and Rosicrucianism in the Work of Count Michael Maier (1569-1622)‘. He currently teaches on the Western esoteric traditions at the Exeter Centre for the Study of Esotericism at the University of Exeter. Although he has developed an unwavering commitment in his work to the integrity of primary sources, he remains dedicated to a deeper understanding of the experiential dimensions of Western esotericism, both as they are evinced in the texts we study and as they might be uncovered and explored in our own lives as students of living traditions.
ROMANATURINA
In. to Creative Writing-Feminine and Instinctual Archetypes in C.W. Archetypes: Interpreting the Cycle of Life in Creative Writing/strong
Romana Turina completed her BA in Contemporary Philosophy (Aesthetics – Università degli Studi di Trieste), and her MA in English Literature at the University of Indianapolis. She studied Philosophy under the supervision of Prof. M. Ferraris, pupil and friend of J. Derridà (father of Deconstruction theory in philosophy), and Prof. P.A.Rovatti, (analyst of the phenomenological method in philosophy). She is currently engaged in the pre-production of two documentaries based on her scripts and ideas, and following the production of a screenplay of hers into an animation. As a member of the Society for Animation Studies, she is currently organizing a conference on animation studies .
The Imaginal Cosmos- Marsilio Ficino and Renaissance Astrology
Dr ANGELAVOSS
Dr Angela Voss completed her first degree in Combined Arts at the University of Leicester, followed by a Diploma in Early Music at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Since 2000 she has been teaching at the University of Kent, at first for the MA in the Study of Mysticism and Religious Experience, out of which emerged the MA in the Cultural Study of Cosmology and Divination in 2006.She is currently a lecturer in Religious Studies in the School of European Culture and Languages at the University of Kent, where she is the Director of the MA in the Cultural Study of Cosmology and Divination.
Dr JASONL.WINSLADE
Occultism in Western Theatre and Performance Occultism in Popular Culture-Occult Media Occultism in Cinema-Es. in Comic Books and Graphic Literature Jason Lawton Winslade is an initiate in several esoteric traditions, including Hermeticism, Wicca, and the Academy, which led to his PhD in Performance Studies at Northwestern University in 2008. Since 1992, he has studied esotericism as both a scholar and a practitioner, combining his interest in ritual theatre, performance art, postmodern theory, popular culture, and ecstatic drumming and music. He concentrated on literature, theatre and film as an undergraduate at the University of Notre Dame, and specialized in avant-garde theatre and Native American art and performance for his MA at the University of Michigan.
Assessment Eligibility In general, the level of our courses is comparable to an advanced undergraduate or graduate level, and students are expected to be proficient in basic research skills, and critical evaluation of material. Eligibility requirements for introductory courses are reasonably flexible, however we recommend that prospective students should have completed at least their second year of undergraduate studies in order to comfortably approach our material. Our advanced courses have prerequisite introductory courses, and prospective students are advised to check individual course requirements before applying.
Assessment
Student assessment methods include critical written discussion of set questions, and longer essay questions, depending on the course instructor. A required element of most courses is a ‘learning journal,’ in which students record their responses to new material. Online students will be required to submit sections from their journal in the student online forum. The Learning Journal is an opportunity to explore the connections between ‘outer’ and ‘inner’ dimensions of the learning experience through narrative, image, poetry, symbolism, synchronicities or any other creative method, and needs to be specifically related to the student’s engagement with the course material. It could relate to current writing and research, or to challenges and issues raised in taught courses. To be awarded a certificate of attendance, students are expected to complete all written assignments according to the specifications of each course, and to meet any deadlines as laid out in each course syllabus. Some of these may include participation in online “webinars” and forum discussion. On-site courses also have a minimum attendance level, specified in each syllabus. Prospective students unable to commit to these requirements may also consider auditing courses. Apart from the course material and presentations made available through our distance learning interface, much of the bibliographical material will also be made available to enrolled students, though each course will also require some additional reading. The bibliography for each course will be sent to students upon enrollment.
Response and Research Papers
Response papers are requirements set mid-way through certain courses, particularly introductory level courses. Using the initial material taught, as well as guidance from the course instructor, students are expected to formulate a response to material covered thus far. This may incorporate material from the learning journal, or explore a particular aspect of the course material. Generally response papers should be no less than 1500 words in length and no more than 3000 words. They should adhere to the MLA academic style and document claims and references, but at this point students are encouraged to explore and discuss those aspects which truly interest them. Response papers should incorporate the students’ views and analysis of the question, with a comparative slant, and a selective bibliography should be included. Presentation of response papers includes an oral discussion with the course instructor (either in a classroom setting for onsite courses, or via Skype in the form of a conference call) whereby students will explain their thought process, discoveries, and possible concerns with regard to material covered and discussed in their paper. The oral discussion comprises 50% of the overall grade awarded for the paper. Research papers are longer papers (2500 words min./3000 words max.) in which students are expected to select a topic from the course material (in the case of introductory courses students will select a question from the list provided) and research it more extensively through systematic gathering of information. This is expected to be a properly cited and referenced academic paper, and students will be provided with bibliographical support. Examination questions apply only to selected introductory courses, in order to ascertain that students have a satisfactory grasp of the material covered. For onsite courses the examination will be administered in a classroom setting. For online courses students will take the examination online, and the examination process will incorporate a further oral discussion of the questions before the grade is finalised. In this case the oral discussion will also comprise 50% of the examination grade.
Assessment and Evaluation
Grading is also affected by attendance. The number of absences permitted is dependant on course length and requirements. Indicatively, 3 absences are permitted for a 9 week course where classes are held weekly. Please refer to individual course descriptions for details. Exceeding the attendance quota without sufficient explanation (e.g. a medical note) leads to automatic failure of the course without refund.
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Fees & Study Options Discounts 1. Free Members – 15% discount on selected seminars.
Phoenix Rising Academy offers a variety of payment options and reductions designed to facilitate students from a wide range of financial backgrounds, particularly in view of the current financial climate. Please be aware that Phoenix Rising Academy receives no funding or sponsorship from any organisation, governmental, or international body. Partial and full work-study scholarships are also available to students who are able to offer services to the Academy in exchange for waived fees. Please refer to the Scholarships page for details. A one-time processing fee of €50.00 is payable by all students on their first enrolment. It applies to all first-time students of the Academy regardless of other discounts. This will not be charged for further courses taken within the same academic year. Students returning after one academic year has elapsed are subject to a reduced enrolment fee of € 25.00.
Fees The following fees apply only to Phoenix Rising Academy Courses for the duration of the Academic year of 2011. Updated fees may apply from the Autumn term of 2011. Participation fees for Seminars, Lectures, Workshops and Events are calculated on a case-by-case basis.
2. Full Members – 10-15% discount on selected courses, free entrance to selected seminars. 3. Students/Unemployed/Senior citizens – 10-15% discount on selected courses and seminars. 4. Scholarship students** – as stated in the Scholarship table 5. Non-Members – full fees as stated on individual course descriptions To ensure maximum flexibility and accessibility, Phoenix Rising Academy incorporates an option whereby students may audit selected classes (please check individual courses for availability). In the case of onsite courses, this means that students may enrol at a reduced rate (paying only for the number of lectures they actually attend) and are not obliged to complete any assignments; essentially attending course lectures as if they were individual seminars. Auditing (guest) students selecting this option cannot receive a full certificate of attendance for the course, but will be awarded a seminar attendance certificate instead. Guest students will have limited access to material available on our online learning platform, and may also select to audit selected online courses. However, they cannot be awarded a certificate as the Academy will not be able to evaluate their interaction with the material. This option is best suited to full members who wish to supplement their existing knowledge of a topic without embarking on a full programme of study.
Course fees for Introductory courses in all subjects are set at €480 Auditing fees for Introductory courses (where applicable) in all subjects are set at € 250* The course fees for Advanced courses are set at €380 Auditing fees for Advanced courses (where applicable) are set at €200 Exceptions apply to the following extended courses. Fees for these courses are set as follows: WE 231 NE History and Phenomenology of Rosicrucianism I - € 395 (audit: € 220) WE 232 NE History and Phenomenology of Rosicrucianism II – € 395 (audit: € 220) WM 275/390 NE/ex Marsilio Ficino and Renaissance Astrology – € 480 (audit: N/A) CL 201 NE/ex Lovecraft: Writings and Mythos - € 480 (audit: € 250)
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Scholarships
Events The Phoenix Rising Academy prides itself on its frequent, inspiring, and inclusive events, ranging from small to the very large, and many of which are open to the public. Here you will find a list of our one- and two- day seminars and workshops, as well as details about our past and future conferences, symposia, and summer retreats on the picturesque island of Corfu. Seminars and Workshops One and two-day events to supplement our courses, introduce new topics, and provide a hands-on experiential learningexperience. Frequently featuring visiting speakers.
The current financial crisis has given us much food for thought, and one of our ideological constants is that education should be as widely available as possible, regardless of financial ability. The Phoenix Rising Academy receives no funding or sponsorship of any kind, and its existence has come about through the hard work of its founding members. Such a venture needs funds to sustain itself, but we have formulated a fee system that is as flexible and fair as possible while remaining financially viable. Phoenix Rising Academy remains senstitive to the widespread financial situation, and so, in keeping with our philosophy, we are delighted to be in a position to offer a limited number of partial and full work-study scholarships to students willing to offer specific services to the Academy.
Services needed by the Academy include administrative support, translation, copy-writing and editing, public relations management among others. Please see our website for a current list of available scholarships, and the precise terms of scholarship awards.
Conferences and Symposia Conferences are full length international academic gatherings lasting between two and s even days. Symposia are shorter and more focused events featuring a social dimension alongside lectures and presentations. Summer retreats The Phoenix Rising Academy’s “Summer School,” held on the beautiful island of Corfu! Two weeks of workshops, outdoor lectures and discussions in the spirit of the Platonic Academy, opportunities to meet faculty and other students, and plenty of free time to enjoy the sea and countryside.
The Phoenix Rising Academy aims to hold frequent international conferences and symposia to allow for direct interaction and constructive dialogue between students, faculty, and external researchers. These will be held in Greece, England, and possibly in other locales as well. As with the greatly successful 1st Phoenix Rising conference held in Athens in November 2009, the topics and themes of our conferences and symposia are selected with the aim of promoting, celebrating, and exploring the understanding of what Western Esotericism has to offer in the 21st century. Though its inclusion in the academy via several prestigious universities has done much to rehabilitate its misinterpretation and neglect as a topic of study, we are keen to bring this understanding to a wider audience, while also seeking to dispel many of the popular misconceptions that surround it. Commencing in the summer of 2011, the Phoenix Rising Academy will hold annual “summer schools” in Corfu, Greece, to be hosted at various venues on the island which has a long legacy of esoteric history. These will be two or three – week extended events, featuring live seminars and workshops with our faculty and guest speakers, group activities, round tables and discussions, our award ceremony, and allowing ample time for enjoyment of the beautiful natural surroundings.
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Subscribe to our free newsletter to receive advance notifications about all our events in Greece, England, and elsewhere!
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The information contained within the study site (www.phoenixrising.org.gr) forms part of the 2010-2011 entry prospectus. Every effort is made to ensure that the information presented is correct and up to date. The Academy will use reasonable endeavours to deliver programmes and other services in accordance with the descriptions provided. The Academy, however, reserves the right to make variations to programme and course contents, entry requirements and methods of delivery, and to discontinue, merge or combine programmes, both before and after a student’s admission to the Academy, if such action is reasonably considered necessary by the Academy. In the event that, prior to the student commencing the first term of study for any programme or course described in this Prospectus and website, the Academy discontinues the programme, the student may either (1) withdraw from the Academ without any liability for fees, or (2) transfer to such other programme (if any) as may be offered by the Academy for which the student is qualified. If in these circumstances the student wishes to withdraw from the Academy and to enrol in a course elsewhere, the Academy shall use its reasonable endeavours to assist the student. Once the student has commenced the first term of study, if: (a) the Academy’s ability to deliver programmes or other services in accordance with the descriptions provided is compromised by circumstances beyond the control of the Academy (eg third party industrial action), the Academy will use all reasonable endeavours to minimise disruption as far as it is practical to do so; (b) the programme is cancelled or substantially varied from that described in the Prospectus for reasons other than circumstances beyond the Academy’s reasonable control, the Academy will use reasonable endeavours to provide a suitable replacement programme. If the student does not wish to accept the replacement programme, the student shall be entitled to withdraw from the programme. In the event of such withdrawal the Academy shall make an appropriate refund o f course fees. Regulations for students All students will be required to abide by the Academy’s Terms, Conditions and Regulations as a condition of enrolment. These include, without prejudice to the generality of that statement, academic regulations, arrangements for appeals and grievances, disciplinary regulations and regulations covering the use of the website. Copies are available on request from Admissions (
[email protected]) and can be accessed by following the link to Terms & Conditions, from the Academy’s home page.
Artwork by Nepheli Zahou © Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved. Phoenix Rising Academy LLP. Reg.no. OC 355122. Suite B, 29 Harley Street, London, W1G 9QR, United Kingdom.
