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On this week's episode of The Philosopher's Zone, ALAN SAUNDERS talks about Plotinus, one of the often mentioned figures in Ken Wilber's integral theory, but a philosopher many of us know little about. Here is a brief introduction from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, linked to below.
Plotinus (204/5 - 270 C.E.), is generally regarded as the founder of Neoplatonism. He is one of the most influential philosophers in antiquity after Plato and Aristotle. The term 'Neoplatonism' is an invention of early 19th century European scholarship and indicates the penchant of historians for dividing 'periods' in history. In this case, the term was intended to indicate that Plotinus initiated a new phase in the development of the Platonic tradition. What this 'newness' amounted to, if anything, is controversial, largely because one's assessment of it depends upon one's assessment of what Platonism is. In fact, Plotinus (like all his successors) regarded himself simply as a Platonist, that is, as an expositor and defender of the philosophical position whose greatest exponent was Plato himself. Originality was thus not held as a premium by Plotinus. Nevertheless, Plotinus realized that Plato needed to be interpreted. In addition, between Plato and himself, Plotinus found roughly 600 years of philosophical writing, much of it reflecting engagement with Plato and the tradition of philosophy he initiated. Consequently, there were at least two avenues for originality open to Plotinus, even if it was not his intention to say fundamentally new things. The first was in trying to say what Plato meant on the basis of what he wrote or said or what others reported him to have said. This was the task of exploring the philosophical position that we happen to call 'Platonism'. The second was in defending Plato against those who, Plotinus thought, had misunderstood him and therefore unfairly criticized him. Plotinus found himself, especially as a teacher, taking up these two avenues. His originality must be sought for by following his path.Saunders' guest is PETER ADAMSON, a professor in the Department of Philosophy, King's College London.
WHO WAS PLOTINUS?
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He believed in the One, a fundamental principle of the universe. He believed in the Intellect and the Soul. He also thought that matter was evil. This week, the Philosopher's Zone enters the strange world of Plotinus, a great philosopher who kept the pagan flame alight at a time when the Roman empire was about to give itself up to Christianity.
Show Transcript
Guests
PETER ADAMSON
Professor
Department of Philosophy
King's College London
United Kingdom
Further Information
PLOTINUS - STANFORD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PHILOSOPHY
Presenter
Alan Saunders
Tags: The Philosopher's Zone, Who was Plotinus?, Alan Saunders, Peter Adamson, Philosophy, history, Integral theory, Plotinus, paganism, great chain of being, nonduality, Neoplatonism
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This morning I read a Golden Dawn blog claiming that the Golden Dawn is really about "the coming New Age shift" in 2012. This Golden Dawn order elsewhere claims that the Emerald Tablet of Hermes is really about "The Law of Attraction" as popularized in New Age film, "The Secret. "
On his website, Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn guru Robert Zink even claims that his "Astral Initiation" can make you a "full Golden Dawn initiate" without ever leaving your own living room. All you have to do is send him 185 - and for your trouble - he will even throw in a free CD on how to "Unleash Your Inner Adept!"
So why all of this New Age hype about the Golden Dawn? It actually makes sense when you consider the enormous market potential of all things New Age. "The Secret" film, for example, grossed over 50 million.
Admittedly, Robert Zink has gone far in transforming his Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn into a New Age school.
The traditional Golden Dawn, however, is not about "The Law of Attraction" nor even about "the coming shift in 2012."
In fact, the traditional Golden Dawn is not even New Age wisdom. The Golden Dawn is ageless wisdom.
Rooted in the Hermetic and Rosicrucian traditions, the classical Golden Dawn teaches the ancient Egyptian Royal Art of Alchemy, Astrology, and Theurgy (Magic). The Golden Dawn is a true Hermetic school with the ultimate aim of accelerating of energetic evolution in order to attain Solar Ascension and Conscious Immortality.
As you can well imagine, such lofty goals are not easily attained. The Golden Dawn as a spiritual path demands an enormous amount of time, energy, discipline, and dedication. This is why - despite Robert Zink's New Age Golden Dawn rebranding - the Golden Dawn will never have mass appeal like the New Age movement.
Admittedly, there is indeed an astral component even to true Golden Dawn initiation. But when someone promises you that - without ever leaving your own living room - you can become a "full Golden Dawn initiate for only 185 (reduced this week only to 97)" - You can be 100% certain they are selling you blue sky!
In reaity, the Golden Dawn is not a spiritual path for the many. In fact, the Golden Dawn is not really a spiritual path even for the few.
But for those extremely rare individuals who have "the right stuff" - and who are ready for a quantum leap in their spiritual evolution - the Golden Dawn offers more for Western individuals than any other spiritual tradition or school.
For true Golden Dawn initiation and training in the spiritual disciplines of the traditional Golden Dawn, you are invited to visit the website of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the outer order of the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega(R).
Sub Umbra Alarum Tuarum, Yeheshua
G.H. Frater Lux Ex Septentrionis
David Griffin
Imperator Ordinis, Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
outer order of the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega
"Ex Deo Nascimur.
In Yeheshua Morimur.
Per Sanctum Spiritum Reviviscimus"
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BY JOSH LOEBDRESSED in flowing robes and painted green from head to toe, about 100 Pagans descended on Holborn on Sunday to parade through the streets in celebration of spring.The walk was organised by Geraldine Beskin, who runs London's oldest Pagan and occult bookshop, the Atlantis in Museum Street, Bloomsbury. She said it marked a crucial date in the Pagan calendar, adding: "It is a celebration of the rebirth of spring. We are a very egalitarian religion - we celebrate both females and males. But this celebration is about the male energy. It is about procreation. Sex is necessary for new life."She dismissed myths about Paganism that suggested much of the religion was about moonlit orgies."We are not promiscuous but we are also not prudish," said Ms Beskin. "Sex and birth is essential and we mark that."More than 60,000 people registered their religion as Pagans on the last census.
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A Golden Dawn Temple
In recent years, our order, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the outer order of the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega(R), has grown into the largest and most successful Golden Dawn order in the world. This is primarily because, in 2002, our order reestablished contact with the Secret Chiefs of the Third Order.
In 1891, S.L. MacGregor Mathers had established contact with this same, hidden continental order of Hermetic and Rosicrucian Masters that he called the Secret Chiefs of the Third Order. At that time, the Secret Chiefs transmitted to Mathers the first installment of the curriculum for the Golden Dawn's forthcoming Second Order. Armed with this material, Mathers founded the RR et AC in 1892.
S.L. MacGregor Mathers
Golden Dawn and Alpha et Omega Founder
Sadly, before Mathers ever received from the Secret Chiefs the rest of the curriculum of Golden Dawn's magical system for the higher Inner Order grades of Adeptus Major (6=5) and Adeptus Exemptus (7=4), the Golden Dawn erupted in schism and Aleister Crowley treacherously published the beginner's magic of the (5=6) Adeptus Minor grade.
Aleister Crowley
Golden Dawn Traitor
Due to the profanation through publication by Crowley of the beginner's level of the Golden Dawn magical system, the Secret Chiefs refused to transmit to Mathers the rest of the Second Order curriculum. This resulted in the Golden Dawn remaining an incomplete, truncated system for over a Century.
In 2002, as a sign of good faith, the Secret Chiefs transmitted to the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega the initiation rituals and basic curriculum, originally intended for the Third Order of the original Golden Dawn.
David Griffin
S.L. MacGregor Mathers' Successor as Archon Basileus
of the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega(R)
Today, in order to heal the wounds inflicted on the Golden Dawn tradition by profanation from Crowley and Regardie, the Secret Chiefs are finally transmitting the rest of the Inner Order magical curriculum, (6=5) Adeptus Major and (7=4) Adeptus Exemptus, that Mathers was prevented from receiving due to the 1903 schism and to the profanation by Crowley.
As all of this remains oath bound material, there is very little that I may say in public about it. I have been authorized to say this much, however.
As proof of the advanced Second Order transmission, I offer one small example of how the Adeptus Major (6=5) and Adeptus Exemptus (7=4) material completes the (5=6) Adeptus Minor material profaned by Crowley and Regardie. Let us consider the Golden Dawn's use of the magical squares originally published by Cornelius Agrippa in Three Books on Occult Philosophy.
The Golden Dawn's (5=6) Adeptus Minor grade does not really add much of interest to the knowledge of the magick of magical squares beyond that published by Agrippa. The mere advanced (6=5) Adeptus Major and (7=4) Adeptus Exemptus grade curriculum, however, teaches how each Adept can construct their own magical squares, as well as the deeper secrets of the squares publlshed by Agrippa.
For example, until my publishing this article, no one in the entire esoteric community has known that the squares published by Agrippa and included in the Golden Dawn's (5=6) Adeptus Minor grade curriculum are not the real squares, but are only encrypted versions, and only the tip of the iceburg of a vast, incredible system of theurgy that unlocks untold numbers of parallel dimensions on the inner planes, ultimately culminating in union with the Divine at the center of the square, properly understood as a three dimensional cube.
Until this article, no one has understood either what the "planetary seals" published by Agrippa really are, when in fact, they are keys to "unseal" the "sealed" squares in order to reveal the true, unencrypted magic squares, and to unleash the true magick and full power of the system.
Once unlocked with the proper initiatic keys, these magical squares reveal to the advanced Adept the entire, secret magical hierarchy of entities of the Golden Dawn system of magical squares, that remain safely encrypted from those who would seek cheap notoriety by publishing the secret names and sigils of the true, servient spirits of Agrippa's squares.
Please note that the Golden Dawn's advanced Second Order teachings on the vast theurgical system occulted behind the encrypted version of the magic squares published by Agrippa and included in the published Golden Dawn material, is but one small example to show how the Golden Dawn (6=5) Adeptus Major and (7=4) Adeptus Exemptus material completes the published Golden Dawn (5=6) Adeptus Minor material. There are many such ways that the higher grades complete the published material, although at this juncture I am only permitted to draw attention to this one example, since all of the advanced Second Order teachings beyond Adeptus Minor (5=6) remain unpublished and unprofaned, oath bound material.
Let it be known that the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega does not want to dominate any other order. On the contrary, we want to see the entire Golden Dawn community continue to grow in the direction that was originally intended for the Golden Dawn by the Secret Chiefs of the Third Order. We therefore have no problem with sharing the teachings of the higher grades beyond (5=6) Adeptus Minor with Inner Order Adepts from Golden Dawn orders and temples other than the AO.
Please understand, however, that we must be extremely careful about whom we share this unprofaned material with, as I am personally accountable to ensure that this material will not be profaned like the (5=6) Adeptus Minor material was by Crowley. To qualify, therefore, you must have not only been physically initiated as a (5=6) Adpetus Minor, but you must prove yourself trustworthy, be willing to swear to keep the advanced grade material secret, and you must actually keep your word as well.
Unfortunately, there are individuals in our Golden Dawn community who would stop at nothing in order to gain cheap notoriety. These individuals would publish anything they can get their hands on just for cheap fame. And by this, they prove that they are not true initiates, because initiatic secrecy has at all times been considered necessary not as a question of power, but rather as a question of sacredness. The Divine Science should never be profaned.
Sadly, Nick Farrell recently proved that the spirit of treachery of Aleister Crowley is alive and well, by senselessly profaning through publication the Mathers' sacred recension of the Alpha et Omega rituals, together with some hitherto minor, yet sacred nonetheless (5=6) Adeptus Minor A.O. documents. Like Crowley before him, Farrell has therefore proven himself untrustworthy with anything beyond well known and published material. Thus, by his own hand, Frater Farrell has forever blocked his initiatic progress at the (5=6) Adeptus Minor level of published, well known material.
Adepti of all temples and orders of the Golden Dawn community!
What is it that YOU are really interested in?
Is cheap notoriety truly all you want?
Or are you not more interested in spiritual development?
Do you really want to remain spiritually stuck forever at the (5=6) Adeptus Minor level?
Or is your true heart's desire not rather to become "more than human" by practicing the COMPLETE Golden Dawn system of magick and theurgy?
The price of this higher knowledge is nobility of purpose, hard work, and to actually KEEP SACRED the initiatic secrets of the Golden Dawn, as have all true and faithful Hermetic and Rosicrucian Adepts of all centuries have that have come before us.
Adepts from any Golden Dawn order or temple interested in advanced training in the Golden Dawn system magick and theurgy for the Grades beyond the well known, published material of the (5=6) Adeptus Minor grade are invited to contact me discreetly using the contact link at the Golden Dawn website here.
Sub Umbra Alarum Tuarum,GH Frater Lux ex Septentrionis, 8=3
by David Griffin
Imperator Ordinis,
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Archon Basileus, Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega
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