Courses on History

Course XXV - Teaching 10: Giovanni Pico della Mirandola

Giovanni Pico della Mirandola is one of the most controversial figures in the literary and philosophical world. Even lights of the emerging and glorious Renaissance were unable to dissipate the medieval darkness of fraud and superstitions around the figure of this man, since he was truly one of the main connections between the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

Course XXV - Teaching 11: Tritemius the Humanist

Tritemius appears at Renaissance’s dawn and fosters its scientific aspect by becoming the father of outstanding humanists. He was born on February 1, 1462 and died on December 13, 1518. His true name was Heidenberg, though he was known as Tritemius (John), or Trittenheim (Germany) after the place of his birth.

Course XXV - Teaching 12: Paracelsus

Paracelsus was born in Einsiedeln, Switzerland; his father was a prestigious physician; he guided his first steps in science by taking him later to Carintia, where practically he learnt in mines and forges the properties of metals that were so useful for him as the foundation of a methodical study of therapeutic elements.

Course XXV - Teaching 13: Mystics of Port Royal

It is impossible to speak of the life of Pascal not describing previously Port Royal, which was so closely linked with the soul and mission of this Great Initiate. In 1602, when the new abbess Angelique Arnaud, at the age of 11, entered the ancient monastery of Citeaux, nobody suspected that a new era started for the church of France, and for the spiritual development of Christendom.

Course XXV - Teaching 14: Visions of Emmanuel Swedenborg

Emmanuel Swedenborg was born in Stockholm, Sweden, on January 29, 1688, and died in London on March 29, 1772. Son of a Lutheran Bishop, he completed his studies in Upsala, and in 1709 he moved to England where he devoted himself entirely to scientific researches, revealing a marked predilection for Newton and his theories.

Course XXV - Teaching 15: Saint Martin

Called “The Unknown Philosopher”, the pseudonym he adopted for his writings, he was born in Amboise (France), on January 18, 1743, in a family of the Nobility. He was educated by his father according to serious costumes of those days, and by his stepmother, since his mother had died in giving birth to him; the former did it with such tenderness that this impression would be decisive in the future for his affections.

Course XXV - Teaching 16: The Unknown Philosopher

Saint Martin is the connection between mystical lodges of the French pre-Revolution and social lodges of the liberal time. By the end of the eighteen century, France was full of Masonic lodges founded by Cagliostro and, near Paris, in Versailles, Martines de Pasqualis had founded those lodges that later would be named lodges of the Philaletes and Great Prophets.

Course XXVI - Teaching 1: Legends about the Esoteric Orders

Michael, Chief of the Host of Fire, had purified a Holy Mount amid thunders, lightnings and flames. For centuries, a volcanic and powerful fire shone on this Mountain and, vomiting burning lava and red-hot stones formed an impenetrable circle.

Course XXVI - Teaching 2: Esoteric Arabian Wisdom and the Veiled Woman

As you know, Eastern people not only admitted women in the Order; also women were fit to the supreme authority. And it was a woman who led the destinies of Hoggard’s Table approximately 2500 years before Christ.

Course XXVI - Teaching 3: The Ancient Egypt

Here we must repeat again an ancient and ever-present question: is there a God Creator, or is there not a God Creator? And in possession of clear personal ideas one has to respond conscientiously.