30 MARCH 2023 - Mondrian and theosophy | Michel Didier, art historian (Language: Dutch)

Zoom tickets

This lecture will also be streamed live from the Grand Sael of the Embassy of the Free Mind via Zoom. You can also ask questions via Zoom after the lecture. You will receive the Zoom link when you purchase a Zoom ticket. Within two weeks after the lecture, you will receive a personal link to the recording of the lecture. So if you cannot be there on the evening itself, you can still follow the lecture.

2 APRIL 2023 - Rare Book Tour

The Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica is on the Dutch Memory of the World Register. A rare book tour in the Embassy of the Free Mind can be a multi-disciplinary experience: one of the highlights in the tour is a copy of Michael Maier’s Atalanta fugiens, a beautiful book of alchemical emblems printed in 1618. In the early 17th century it inspired a German prince to commission a painter to copy them on oak panels, some of which you will find in the rare book room, which is closed during regular visits. Compare the original and the copy and decide which you like best!

In this tour you will also be able to admire many books, including one embellished with coloured woodcuts printed in the late 15th century, the dawn of printing. We will also present the story of the Grail in an elegant French edition of 1523, a copy of a book that was placed on the Index of Forbidden Books (whose proud possessor liked to make it known), and another text that was censored in various ways by disapproving monks in in Germany in the early 16th century. Books printed on parchment and paper, books dealing with alchemy, magic, kabbalah: we invite you to come and see!

DATE: Sunday 2 April
TIME: 12.00 - 13.00h
TICKETS: € 17.50 (excl. museum ticket; Stadspas, Museumkaart and ICOM card are accepted). Online booking mandatory for both the museum ticket and the tour.
LANGUAGE: English

5, 12, 19, 26 APRIL 2023 - GRAIL TOUR | Rachel Ritman

Seeking the Grail? Look no further! Come discover the unique 'Grail of Amsterdam' we have on show in our museum. For centuries, the stories surrounding the Grail have appealed to the imagination. One of the top items in our collection is the ‘Grail of Amsterdam’, which was commissioned by Joost and Rachel Ritman, and which took the Russian lacquer miniature painter Oleg An ten years to complete. The top half of the Grail visualizes the biblical background of the Grail tradition; the bottom half depicts the Grail legends that originated in the Middle Ages.

This in-depth tour explains the unique Grail artwork at the Embassy of the Free Mind and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition. Book your ticket in advance, because there is only a limited amount of places available!

Date: 5, 12, 19, 26 April
Time: 15.30h - 17.00h
Tickets: € 10,- excl. museum admission (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)
Language: Dutch, or English on request

8 APRIL 2023 - Historical Guided Tour | House with the Heads

The Embassy of the Free Mind is located in the 17th-century canal house called Huis met de Hoofden - House with the Heads. Since it was built in 1622, the house has seen many inhabitants. The second owners of the house, the De Geer family, already created a haven for free thinking here in the 17th century. Which elements in the house still date from that time? Which characteristics reveal the influence of subsequent owners of the house? And what is the true story behind the six heads on the facade of the house?

9 APRIL 2023 - The Materiality of the Book

A Book is far more than a text. The content of a book, and its form interact in ways that reflect the era in which a book was made. Bindings, illustrations and typefaces tell us something, and so do the remarks and other traces of use of earlier owners of our books that date from the 15th-18th century.

Dr Paul Dijstelberge will take you on a tour in our library with a unique selection of books (chosen by him, but also by you) and unveil a history that often can be found in the smallest details.

DATE: Sunday 9 April
TIME: 15.00 - 16.00h
TICKETS: € 17.50 (excl. museum ticket; Stadspas, Museumkaart and ICOM card are accepted). Online booking mandatory for both the museum ticket and the tour.
LANGUAGE: Dutch

13 APRIL 2023 - The Renaissance started in Baghdad | Koert Debeuf, Professor Middle East Studies, Brussels University

In most history books the European Renaissance is described as a revival of Greek and Roman literature, architecture and philosophy, after old manuscripts had been found back in monasteries. However, the truth is more complex, and actually more interesting. Aristotelean, Platonic and Neoplatonic ideas moved from Athens and Alexandria to Harran, in today’s Turkey. From there, they moved to Baghdad, where these pagan ideas had to be made compatible with a monotheistic religion: Islam. These new ideas then travelled to Cairo and Cordoba in Al Andalus. The Latin translations of these Arabic works caused an intellectual revolution in Paris, from where it moved to Italy where they triggered the philosophical Renaissance.

The idea that many cultures have contributed to philosophy was recognised during the Renaissance. One proof is the painting of Raphael, The School of Athens, (1513), where we not only find Greek philosophers, but also Hermes Tresmegistes, Plotinus, Averroes, and most probably also Zoroaster. The idea of philosophia perennis, or eternal philosophy, was at the heart of Renaissance philosophical thinking. The aim of the lecture is to show how these ideas travelled and eventually shaped the European mind. The intellectual journey will end in The Netherlands, with Spinoza and his friends, who triggered the European Enlightenment.

Programme

The café is open from 18:15. The lecture starts at 19:30. From 20:30-21:00 there will be an opportunity to ask questions. Afterwards, you can have a drink in the café.

About the speaker

Dr. Koert Debeuf is a professor Middle East Studies at the Brussels University (VUB). He holds a PhD in Philosophy (VUB) and a MA in Ancient History (Universities of Leuven and Bologna). His doctorate studied the influence of Arabic philosophy on European philosophy and why this disappeared from the European books of history of philosophy. From 2011 tot 2016 Debeuf lived and worked in Cairo as an envoy of the Liberal and Democrat group in the European Parliament. It gave him the opportunity to travel intensively in the Arab world, and also to study Islamic history. From 2003 to 2008 Debeuf was strategic advisor, speechwriter and spokesperson of the Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt. After 2016, he was director of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy Europe and Editor in Chief of the EUobserver. He has written several books on politics and geopolitics. His book “Tribalization. Why war is coming” (2018) was translated into Arabic and Japanese. His last book “Waarom dit niet de laatste oorlog is. Over de psychologie van internationale conflicten” (2022) was translated into French. Debeuf is often asked as an analyst on geopolitics in international media.

Date: 13 April 2023
Time: 19.30 - 21:00h

Tickets:
regular € 15
Zoom €12,50
student €8,50

Language: English

Zoom tickets

16 APRIL 2023 - Rare Book Tour

DATE: Sunday 16 April
TIME: 15.30 - 16.30h
TICKETS: € 17.50 (excl. museum ticket; Stadspas, Museumkaart and ICOM card are accepted). Online booking mandatory for both the museum ticket and the tour.
LANGUAGE: English

21 APRIL 2023 - Lunch Concert Nonthapat Chaiviratnukul, saxophone; Teesin Puriwatthanapong, viola; Chayuth Kaivikai, cello

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind
This is a concert series by students from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam at the Embassy of the Free Mind. Every third Friday of the month conservatory students will give a concert in the 'Grote Sael' in the House with the Heads. A very special collaboration, because the House with the Heads, now home of the Embassy of the Free Mind, housed the Amsterdam conservatory from 1909 to 1931. Truly a historical venue for the musicians of today.

On 21 April there will be a performance by Nonthapat Chaiviratnukul, saxophone; Teesin Puriwatthanapong, viola, and Chayuth Kaivikai, cello. They will play a selection from the Goldberg Variations by J.S. Bach, Schubert's String Trio D471 and the Trio for flute, violin and cello op. 40 by Roussel, all arranged for soprano saxophone, viola and cello.

Date: Friday 21 April 2023
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 15 / student € 8,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

3, 10, 17, 24, 31 MAY 2023 - GRAIL TOUR | Rachel Ritman

This in-depth tour explains the unique Grail artwork at the Embassy of the Free Mind and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition. Book your ticket in advance, because there is only a limited amount of places available!

Date: 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 May 2023
Time: 15.30h - 17.00h
Tickets: € 10,- excl. museum admission (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)
Language: Dutch, or English on request

3 MAY 2023 - Workshop ‘As above, so below' for children aged 4-8 | Ankie Hettema

As above, so below. As it is in the great, so it is in the small

Children's workshop on the second hermetic principle of life.
Of course you have already discovered that
stones can shine,
flowers can smell wonderful,
fish, even under water have very beautiful colors,
that tigers are beautifully striped
and people have lights in their eyes when they laugh.

How is all that possible?
Hermes will think along with us.
What would Hermes mean by "as above, so below"?
With 'as it is in the great, so is it in the small'?
A mysterious letter arrives about the "great forest of shadows".
Can you stand on your shadow? Who do you see when you look in the mirror?
Are you coming to mirror?

This workshop is a follow-up to Ankie's previous workshops on the insights of Hermes, but can also be followed separately. The ticket is valid for one child plus one accompanying person. While the children do the workshop, you can visit the museum or enjoy our garden

About Ankie Hettema

Ankie Hettema is author of Hemel en aarde in de wereld van het kind (Heaven and Earth in The Child’s World). Starting from the idea that you can only reshape the world and society in a truly innovative way when you start with the basis – with the child – she describes seven life principles. In her own teaching practice, too, she has been carrying children along in the wisdom of Hermes: ‘Children who know where they started from, have a head start in life.’

The ticket is valid for one child plus one supervisor. While the children are doing the workshop, you can tour the museum or enjoy our garden.

Date
Wednesday 3 May 2023

Time
11.00-12.30, including a break

Tickets
€ 10,-. (incl. entrance supervisor)

Language
Dutch

Max. number of participants
10 (excl. guides). If the workshop is sold out, please send us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If there are enough participants we will organize a second workshop.

6 MAY 2023 - Historical Guided Tour | House with the Heads

7, 28 May 2023 - Guided tour 'House of Living Books' exhibit | Corey Andrews, Ritman Research Institute

‘As above, so below’ is one of the primary principles of hermetic philosophy, named after Hermes Trismegistus. Mankind, nature and the cosmos are connected in both a material and spiritual way.

This philosophy inspired countless people during its resurgence in the 15th entry. It made people change their view of the world. Every second and last Sunday of the month we offer you this opportunity as well: change your view of the world with our guided tour through the exhibition ‘House of the Living Books’ - a unique look into the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica.

DATE: Sunday 7, 28 May 2023
TIME: 15.30 - 16.30h
TICKETS: € 10.00 (excl. museum ticket; Stadspas, Museumkaart and ICOM card are accepted).
LANGUAGE: English

5 MAY 2023 - Freedom Meal

On 5 May we celebrate freedom at the Embassy of the Free Mind. You are welcome to join us for a (vegetarian) meal from 12:00 to 16:00 while we talk together about what freedom means to you. There are eight different sessions. Four of these sessions are with Nizar el Manouzi (!) (from Dutch childrens program Klokhuis) for children (from 8 to 12 years old). If the weather allows it we will have our meals and chats in the garden surrounded by 2000 tulips. Entrance and food are free.

DATE: Friday 5 May
TIME: 12.00 - 16.00h
TICKETS: Free
LANGUAGE: Dutch

14 MAY 2023 - The Materiality of the Book

Dr Paul Dijstelberge will take you on a tour in our library with a unique selection of books (chosen by him, but also by you) and unveil a history that often can be found in the smallest details.

DATE: Sunday 14 May
TIME: 15.00 - 16.00h
TICKETS: € 17.50 (excl. museum ticket; Stadspas, Museumkaart and ICOM card are accepted). Online booking mandatory for both the museum ticket and the tour.
LANGUAGE: Dutch

19 MAY 2023 - Lunch Concert by Irene Sorozabal, mezzosoprano, and Katherine Orfanoudaki, harpsichord

On 19 May mezzosoprano Irene Sorozabal and harpsichordist Katherine Orfanoudaki will give a concert. The programme will be announced soon.

Date: Friday 19 May 2023
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 15 / student € 8,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

21 MAY 2023 - Rare Book Tour

DATE: Sunday 21 May
TIME: 15.30 - 16.30h
TICKETS: € 17.50 (excl. museum ticket; Stadspas, Museumkaart and ICOM card are accepted). Online booking mandatory for both the museum ticket and the tour.
LANGUAGE: English

25 MAY 2023 - Theater Show by Harpert Michielsen 'Why Spinoza?'

Please note, the performance is Dutch-spoken

Harpert Michielsen is an author, history freak and a natural born storyteller. He studied History at the University of Amsterdam and also graduated from the Maastricht School for Theatre. Harpert has always aimed to combine his love for history with his theatre profession, and developed a new concept: Stand Up History. He creates shows around persons you have seen in street names, but have no clue who they actually were. His show ‘Hoezo Spinoza?’ (‘Why Spinoza?’) stands midway between a TED-talk and a theatre show. He takes you to the 17th century-world of Spinoza and his contemporaries. Why do we find Spinoza so important? Why is he part of the Dutch historical canon? Why was he denounced? Why Spinoza? Harpert plays the show through the entire country, as well as Belgium. Because Spinoza is more relevant than ever!

Date: 25 May
Time: 17.30 - 18.45h (doors open from 17.00)
Tickets: € 47,50 incl. Lebanese buffet
Language: Dutch

3 JUNE 2023 - Historical Guided Tour | House with the Heads

7, 14, 21 en 28 JUNE 2023 - Flora Fantastica Kids workshop | group 1 14:30-15:30, group 2 16:00-17:00 (Language: Dutch)

Flora Fantastica Children's Workshops for children from 6 to 8 years old

Beautiful flowers, unusual animals, mysterious symbols... What stories do they tell? What do you see?

In these creative workshops children get to work with special images from the old-book collection of the Embassy of the Free Mind. Under the guidance of professional visual artist and teacher Isabel Alonso Pola, they are encouraged to look closely, interpret, further fantasize and create their own visual work. In it, they shape their thoughts about the symbols and elements of nature they see in the images. They are stimulated in the use of their imagination and are given plenty of space to explore their ideas and talents.

The children are introduced to various visual techniques and, under the guidance of storyteller and collector Annet Breure, learn to give words to what they make and think.

In four workshops, we work towards an exhibition in which the children present both their visual work and their stories (in the form of an audio tour), alongside the images that have served as sources of inspiration.

The workshops form a whole; therefore, it is desired that children attend all four workshops. The workshops are suitable for children ages 6,7 and 8.

About the workshop teachers

Isabel Alonso Pola is a visual artist and museum educator at the Rijksmuseum and the Hermitage, among others.

Annet Breure is a storyteller and collector at plantenverhalen.nl and was previously commissioned by 't Valkhof Nijmegen, Centraal Museum Utrecht and the OBA.

Dates: wed 7, 14, 21 and 28 june

Time: 14.30-15.30 (group 1); 16.00-17.00 (group 2)

Number of participants: max. 12 children per group

Cost: € 10 per child for the whole series (four workshops)

Language: Dutch

Mede mogelijk gemaakt door het Fonds voor Cultuurparticipatie en het Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Noord-Holland

16 JUNE 2023 - Lunch Concert by Haruna Hosokawa, violin, and Runa Kimura, violin

On 16 June there will be a performance by violinists Haruna Hosokawa and Runa Kimura. The programme will be announced soon.

Date: Friday 16 June 2023
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 15 / student € 8,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

18, 25 JUNE 2023 - Guided tour 'House of Living Books' exhibit | Corey Andrews, Ritman Research Institute

‘As above, so below’ is one of the primary principles of hermetic philosophy, named after Hermes Trismegistus. Mankind, nature and the cosmos are connected in both a material and spiritual way.

DATE: Sunday 18, 25 June 2023
TIME: 15.30 - 16.30h
TICKETS: € 10.00 (excl. museum ticket; Stadspas, Museumkaart and ICOM card are accepted).
LANGUAGE: English

17 MARCH 2023 - Lunch Concert by Celeste Engel, violin, and Niya Ralinova, cello

Contrary to previous announcements, this concert will go ahead. There is a small programme change: Nata Roinishvili will perform instead of Celeste Engel.

On 17 March there will be a performance by Amard Duo, formed by violinist Nata Roinishvili and cellist Niya Ralinova. They will play duo's for violin and cello op. 39 by Reinhold Gliere, and Handel-Halvorsen's Passagaclia.

Nata Roinishvili, violin, and Niya Ralinova, cello, met in 2018, when they were both accepted to their bachelor studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Already in their first year they became very close friends and later on started playing together in several orchestra projects and as a duo. Both musicians are prize-winners of several international competitions and give concerts at home and abroad.

Date: Friday 17 March 2023
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 15 / student € 8,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

26 FEBRUARY 2023 - Rare Book Tour

DATE: Sunday 26 February 2023
TIME: 15.30 - 16.30h
TICKETS: € 17.50 (excl. museum ticket; Stadspas, Museumkaart and ICOM card are accepted). Online booking mandatory for both the museum ticket and the tour.
LANGUAGE: English

23 FEBRUARY 2023 - Roundtable 'Between Philosophy and Mysticism: Henri and Mina Bergson and the Golden Dawn' | John Ó Maoilearca, Professor Critical and Historical Studies at Kingston University, London

This roundtable covers a fascinating yet little known moment in history. At the turn of the twentieth century, the brother and sister, Henri Bergson and Mina Bergson, were both living in Paris and working on seemingly very different but nonetheless complementary approaches to questions concerning the nature of matter, spirit, time, and memory. He was a leading professor within the French academy. She was a celebrated feminist and occultist, performing on theatre stages around Paris. Mina Bergson, also known as Moina Mathers, was also leading one of the most important occult societies of that era, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.

Neo-pagan power couple

The brother was a respectable if controversial intellectual, the sister a notorious mystic-artist who, together with husband and fellow-occultist Samuel Mathers, have been described as the ‘neo-pagan power couple’ of the Belle Époque. Henri’s peculiar ideas about time and memory (the past actually survives in the present) form strange resonances with Mina’s writings and practices concerning visualisation and performance.

Rites of Isis

Her employment of the Rites of Isis was also a performance of the past: Mina would invoke deities who hadn’t existed for over 4000 years. Her approach arose within the tradition of Western esotericism rather than Western philosophy, a difference that will motivate a discussion of how the methods of ‘standard’ (Western) philosophy might differ and overlap with those of esotericism and mysticism.

Programme

A roundtable involves a panel of speakers who offer an exchange on the same topic. Often, one speaker will introduce a subject and other experts will respond by delving deeper into specific aspects. A moderator ensures that all voices are heard and may invite the audience to participate in an exchange following the main presentations.

Professor John Ó Maoilearca (Kingston University London) will present his new book on the two Bergsons, Vestiges of a Philosophy (Oxford UP 2023). This will be followed by a conversation with philosopher Iris van der Tuin (University of Utrecht), art theorist Juliet Chambers-Coe (University of Essex, UK) and the audience. This convergence of ideas and practices of the Bergson siblings will be tackled alongside themes in contemporary materialist philosophy, bodily performance, as well as the relationship between mysticism and philosophy. Chambers-Coe will also lead exercises in the technique of visualisation.

Copies of Vestiges of a Philosophy will be available for inspection, order, and purchase.

Date: 23 February 2023
Time: 19.30h - 21:00h (cafe open from 18:15)

Tickets:
regular € 15
Zoom €12,50
student €8,50

Language: English

Zoom tickets

About the speaker

John Ó Maoilearca is Honorary Professor in the Department of Critical and Historical Studies at Kingston University, London, having previously lectured in philosophy departments at the University of Sunderland, England, and the University of Dundee, Scotland. He has published twelve books, including (as author), Bergson and Philosophy (1999), Post-Continental Philosophy (2006), Philosophy and the Moving Image (2010), and All Thoughts Are Equal (2015). His latest work, Vestiges of a Philosophy, examines the convergence of ideas between a philosopher (Henri Bergson) and a mystic (his sister, Mina Bergson) during the Belle Époque in order to tackle themes in contemporary materialist philosophy, spiritualism, memory studies, and the relationship between mysticism and philosophy.

22 FEBRUARY 2023 - GRAIL TOUR | Rachel Ritman

This in-depth tour explains the unique Grail artwork at the Embassy of the Free Mind and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition. Book your ticket in advance, because there is only a limited amount of places available!

Date: 22 February 2023
Time: 15.30h - 17.00h
Tickets: € 10,- excl. museum admission (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)
Language: Dutch, or English on request

17 FEBRUARY 2023 - Lunch Concert by Duo Dufonte: Iara de Carvalho Perillo, flute; Hedwig Brieffies, harp

On 17 February there will be a concert by Duo Dufonte: Iara de Carvalho Perillo, flute; Hedwig Brieffies, harp. They will play music by Carlos Bonet, Hendrik Andriessen, Eugène Bozza, Marius Flothuis and Astor Piazzolla.

Duo Dufonte was founded in 2019 by Hedwig Brieffies, harp, and Iara de Carvalho Perillo, flute, both students at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where Hedwig studies with Erika Waardenburg and Iara with Marieke Schneemann. As a duo they took masterclasses with Gwyneth Wentink, Miriam Overlach and the Borealis Trio.
Duo Dufonte can regularly be seen in (lunchtime) concerts and competitions. In January 2020 Hedwig and Iara won second prize in the category ‘Ensemble’ at the Rosa Spier Harp Competiton. They bring a broad and versatile repertoire from different countries and time periods; in addition to works by Fauré, Bozza and Piazzolla they perform works by more modern composers such as Hendrik Andriessen and Marius Flothuis.

Date: Friday 17 February 2023
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 15 / student € 8,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

9 February - Show by Harpert Michielsen 'Why Spinoza?' (Language: Dutch)

DATE: Thursday 9 February 2023
TIME: 17.30 - 18.30 (Door opens at 17.00)
TICKETS: € 25.00 incl. buffet and beverage
LANGUAGE: Dutch

5 FEBRUARY 2023 - Guided tour 'House of Living Books' exhibit | Corey Andrews, Ritman Research Institute

‘As above, so below’ is one of the primary principles of hermetic philosophy, named after Hermes Trismegistus. Mankind, nature and the cosmos are connected in both a material and spiritual way.

DATE: Sunday 5 February 2023
TIME: 15.30 - 16.30h
TICKETS: € 10.00 (excl. museum ticket; Stadspas, Museumkaart and ICOM card are accepted).
LANGUAGE: English

28 JANUARY 2023 - Rare Book Tour

DATE: Saturday 28 January 2023
TIME: 15.30 - 16.30h
TICKETS: € 17.50 (excl. museum ticket; Stadspas, Museumkaart and ICOM card are accepted). Online booking mandatory for both the museum ticket and the tour.
LANGUAGE: English

26 JANUARY 2023 - Of Gold & Lapis Lazuli: the tomb of Tutankhamun | Corina Zuiderduin, art historian (Language: Dutch)

Of gold and lapis lazuli

Hundred years ago, Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered. Howard Carter found statues so beautiful and fascinating at the same time that they left a lasting impression. Archaeologists took almost three months to identify and photograph all the objects from the antechamber. In 2023, it will be 100 years since Howard Carter's team arrived at the burial chamber with the golden coffins. A journey of wondrous revelations began. Casket after casket emerged. Some more beautiful than others.

In this lecture, we will take a closer look at the coffins and some of Tutankhamun's other objects.

According to the ancient Egyptians, people can change into flowers, birds or even become of gold and semi-precious stones. You can see this in the statues from Tutankhamun's tomb. What did the ancient Egyptians want to express by this? And why did Tutankhamun lie in so many different coffins?

Corina Zuiderduin gives an inspiring new vision of the wisdom already to be found in the oldest cultures.

About the speaker

Corina Zuiderduin MA studied art history at Leiden University, where she specialised in art, symbolism and religion from various cultures, especially Egyptian ones. She has also been teaching visual education classes at the National Museum of Antiquities for 15 years, where participants sit among thousands of years-old statues.

Her strongly visual approach combined with the study of original ancient Egyptian texts provided several new insights. During her studies at Leiden University, she came into contact with Professor Olaf Kaper, who was so surprised by her different way of looking at things and the results it yielded that he encouraged her to turn her thesis into a book: The beautiful west, myths and symbols in Egypt.

Online tickets

This lecture will also be streamed live from the Grand Sael of the Embassy of the Free Mind via Zoom. You can also ask questions via Zoom after the lecture. You will receive the Zoom link when you purchase an online ticket. Within two weeks after the lecture, you will receive a personal link to the recording of the lecture. So if you cannot be there on the evening itself, you can still follow the lecture.

Date: Thursday 26 January 2023

Time: 19:30 - 21:00

Tickets:

Regular €15

Online €12.50

Student €8,50

Language: Dutch

22 JANUARY 2023 - Guided tour 'House of Living Books' exhibit | Corey Andrews, Ritman Research Institute

‘As above, so below’ is one of the primary principles of hermetic philosophy, named after Hermes Trismegistus. Mankind, nature and the cosmos are connected in both a material and spiritual way.

DATE: Sunday 15, 22 January 2023
TIME: 15.30 - 16.30h
TICKETS: € 10.00 (excl. museum ticket; Stadspas, Museumkaart and ICOM card are accepted).
LANGUAGE: English

20 JANUARY 2023 - Lunch Concert by Diana Sanz Pascual, cello

On 20 January we welcome cellist Diana Sanz Pascual. She will play the full Cello Suite no. 3 in C by J.S. Bach and movements from the Sonata for cello solo by Paul Hindemith.

Diana Sanz Pascual began her cello studies at the age of 7. She obtained her Bachelor Degree at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid with Prof. Ángel García Jermann, and continued her education with Michal Dmochowski. During the past two years, Diana studied a for a Master Degree at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Prof. Gideon den Herder.She has taken masterclasses with renowned cellists such as Jean-Guihen Queyras, Christophe Coin, Wolfgang E. Schmidt, Troels Savane, Rafael Rosenfeld and Dimitri Ferschtman, among others.
Always interested in chamber music, she is currently a member of the Trio Alba (clarinet, cello and piano) and the Nim Duo (cello and saxophone), as well as a founder member of the Koma String Quartet.
Diana often plays in professional orchestras in the Netherlands and Spain, which has led her to occasionally play with Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Residentie Orkest or the Orquesta y Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid.

Date: Friday 20 January 2023
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 15 / student € 8,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

14 JANUARY 2023 - Historical Guided Tour | House with the Heads

18 JANUARY 2023 - GRAIL TOUR | Rachel Ritman

This in-depth tour explains the unique Grail artwork at the Embassy of the Free Mind and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition. Book your ticket in advance, because there is only a limited amount of places available!

Date: 4, 11, 18, 25 January 2023
Time: 15.30h - 17.00h
Tickets: € 10,- excl. museum admission (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)
Language: Dutch, or English on request

4 JANUARY - Workshop ‘Movement around a central point' for children age 4-8 by Ankie Hettema

Please note, this workshop is Dutch-spoken

De zon, de maan en de aarde zijn rond.
De dagen en seizoenen gaan rond.
De klok gaat rond. De wind wervelt rond.
Vogels bouwen hun nesten in het rond.
En jij dan? Hoe zit het met jou?

Onze vriend Hermes Trismegistus
gaat vertellen van een zon, die binnen in jou straalt.
Hoe kan dat nou, zal je vragen?
Laten we op ontdekking uitgaan!
Wat zien we in de natuur?
Wat horen we in muziek?
Wat voelen we in ons lichaam?
Wat doe jij het liefste?

Beelden, verhalen, muziek en creativiteit
bewaren in kinderen de herinnering aan
de oneindigheid van het leven
waarin zij mede een belangrijke plaats innemen.

In deze workshop onderzoeken kinderen hoe de dingen om een vast punt heen bewegen. Samen met Ankie Hettema gaan ze op onderzoek bij de afbeeldingen die in de Embassy of the Free Mind hangen. Doe mee en ontdek wat de natuur jou laat zien, wat muziek jou laat horen, en wat er in je lichaam gebeurt.

Deze workshop is een vervolg op de eerdere workshops van Ankie over de inzichten van Hermes, maar kan ook los worden gevolgd. Het ticket is geldig voor één kind plus één begeleider. Terwijl de kinderen de workshop doen, kun je het museum bekijken of van onze tuin genieten.

16 DECEMBER 2022 - Lunch Concert Fiachra D'hOra, viola

On 16 December violist Fiachra D'hOra will give a concert. He will play the Prelude from Cello Suite no. 3 by J.S. Bach, Capriccio for solo viola by Henri Vieuxtemps, and Cello Suite no. 1 by J.S. Bach.

Dublin born viola player Fiachra D'hOra is currently undertaking his Bachelor’s degree with Nobuko Imai and Marjolein Dispa at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. In June 2017, he was joint winner of Ireland’s National Concert Hall Young Musicians’ Award. He performed a sold-out solo recital in March 2019 in the National Concert Hall in Dublin. He was also the featured young musician at the Westport Festival of Chamber Music later that year with a solo recital which was broadcast by RTE Lyric FM.
He won third prize in the sixth National Dutch Viola Competition 2019, and won the popular vote for his concerto performance with the Conservatorium van Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra. In November 2019, he performed as a soloist with the Ulster Orchestra (Northern Ireland) playing Walton’s viola concerto. In March 2021 he recorded an arrangement of J.S. Bach’s D minor Harpsichord Concerto BWV 1052 alongside Camerata Ireland for a livestream concert. He was a young artist at the Clandeboyne Festival 2021.

Date: Friday 16 December 2022
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 / student € 8,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

15 DECEMBER 2022 - LECTURE "The Mysticism of the New Age III: the Creator and us servants " by Maarten Zweers (Language: Dutch)

The Mysticism of the New Age: On Hermes wings across the Holy Line

Engineer Maarten Zweers consistently tries to think through everything in a logical abstract way, seeking the logical connection between what religions, sciences, arts and mystical thinking offer us in their approach to the great themes of life. How can we use this knowledge and insights of the past for the world of tomorrow?

Maarten Zweers gives three lectures at the Embassy of the Free Mind, which together form a series.

In the final lecture of this triptych, we explore what the Creator intends for the new man. For most people, the Creator, Architect, Demiurge or whatever we want to call Him, is the starting point of their religious thinking. But in mystical thinking, He is not. We will gain insights into what the cosmic God intends with His Creation within the greater whole of Mystery and what the mission is of all life, including man, within His Creation. Then it will also become clear why and how the new man can attain new mysticism.

Lecture Ticket and Soup

For this lecture, it is also possible to buy a ticket Lecture + Soup. You can then join at the cafe at 18:00 for homemade soup with bread.

Online Tickets

This lecture will also be streamed live from the Embassy of the Free Mind via Zoom. You can also ask questions via Zoom after the lecture. You will receive the Zoom link when you purchase an online ticket. Within two weeks after the lecture, you will receive a personal link to the recording of the lecture. So if you cannot be there on the evening itself, you can still follow the lecture.

Date: 15 December 2022

Time: 19:30-21:00 (walk-in from 18:30)

Tickets:

€15 regular
€12.50 online
€22.50 lecture + soup

Language: Dutch

About the speaker

Maarten Zweers' work is difficult to describe in a single word. His ideas are universal and in fact concern all aspects of our human existence. The exact-thinking engineer is visible everywhere. Clearly and completely logically, he makes connections between life themes, which we usually think are incompatible. He approaches psychological, social, scientific, religious and artistic themes by their essence, revealing unsuspected connections.

Maarten Zweers is a gifted speaker and storyteller. His lectures are an experience for the mind and heart and a unique combination of rationality, enthusiasm and emotional depth, partly because of the beautiful musical fragments he often uses to support his arguments.

The man of the new age is essentially different. Spectacular scientific discoveries force a different view of the world and life. Consequently, man is in need of a totally new mysticism. This is what the webinars and lectures he gives these days are about. Revolutionary thoughts on life, cosmos and man's ultimate mission in life are at the heart of his discourse.

Maarten Zweers (1948, Delft engineer, singer, theatre director for 10 years) has an experience of more than 30 years of giving lectures on philosophical themes and symbolic theatre works. He published several papers.

1 DECEMBER 2022 - LECTURE "The Mysticism of the New Age II: The Mystery and its secrets " by Maarten Zweers (Language: Dutch)

The Mysticism of the New Age: On Hermes wings across the Holy Line

Maarten Zweers gives three lectures at the Embassy of the Free Mind, which together form a series.

During the second lecture we will discover that everything is connected via a line, sometimes called the 'Sacred Line' for that reason. Even though the word mystery suggests that there is nothing to know or understand about it, this is not the case. Ancient mystics understood this already.

Using a mystical framework, we learn to see that the most important mystical notions of various ancient mystical movements are benchmarks for deeper understanding. From the cosmic beyond, we zoom in on the adventure of the cosmic God. With the help of 'Hermes, the messenger of the gods', we descend across the Sacred Line and learn to discover all sorts of things.

Lecture Ticket and Soup

For this lecture, it is also possible to buy a ticket Lecture + Soup. You can then join at the cafe at 18:00 for homemade soup with bread.

Online Tickets

Date: 1 December 2022

Time: 19:30-21:00 (walk-in from 18:30)

Tickets

€15 regular
€12.50 online
€22.50 lecture + soup

Language: Dutch

About the speaker

24 NOVEMBER 2022 - Show Harpert Michielsen 'Why Spinoza?'

Harpert Michielsen

DATE: Thursday 24 November 2022
TIME: 17.30 - 18.30 (Door opens at 17.00)
TICKETS: € 25.00 incl. buffet and beverage
LANGUAGE: Dutch

Please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if the show is sold out. You can be out on the waiting list and be informed about future shows.

18 NOVEMBER 2022 - Lunch Concert Nathalie Flintrop, cello

On 18 November cellist Nathalie Flintrop will give a concert. She will play movements from Cello Suite No. 3 in C majeur by Johann Sebastian Bach and the Sonata for Cello Solo in c mineur by Eugène Ysaÿe.

Photo: Kirsten van Santen

Nathalie performed as a soloist with Vivarte String Orchestra and Arenberg Orchestra in Louvain. She was also first cello in the Euregio Youth Orchestra, which won the National Youth Orchestra Competition in 2018. In 2020 she joined the Dutch National Youth Orchestra. Additionally, she is co-founder and producer of the Noordwijk Chamber Music Festival, where she also teaches and performs. With her own string quartet Rijkskwartet she performed at Podium Witteman, the Grachtenfestival and Wonderfeel Festival, and toured Portugal.

Date: Friday 18 November 2022
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 / student € 8,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

17 NOVEMBER 2022 - LECTURE "The Mysticism of the New Age I: A new humanity develops a new mysticism" by Maarten Zweers

The Mysticism of the New Age: On Hermes wings across the Holy Line

Maarten Zweers gives three lectures at the Embassy of the Free Mind, which together form a series.

The first lecture of this triptych will focus on the question, why and wherein humans are approaching life so differently than in the past. As humanity, we are at the tipping point of entering a new global society, in which we as people with essentially different capabilities will have a different view of the world and life. Through those different capabilities and outlook on life, we will also develop a different 'mysticism' that will be accessible to all.

Lecture Ticket and Soup

For this lecture, it is also possible to buy a ticket Lecture + Soup. You can then join at the cafe at 18:00 for homemade soup with bread.

Online Tickets

Date: 17 November 2022

Time: 19:30-21:00 (walk-in from 18:30)

Tickets

€15 regular

€12.50 online

€22.50 lecture + soup

Language: Dutch

About the speaker

13 NOVEMBER 2022 - Guided tour 'House of Living Books' exhibit | Corey Andrews, Ritman Research Institute

‘As above, so below’ is one of the primary principles of hermetic philosophy, named after Hermes Trismegistus. Mankind, nature and the cosmos are connected in both a material and spiritual way.

DATE: Sunday 13 November 2022
TIME: 15.30 - 16.30h
TICKETS: € 10.00 (excl. museum ticket; Stadspas, Museumkaart and ICOM card are accepted).
LANGUAGE: English

10, 11, 12 NOVEMBER 2022 - Amsterdam as Haven for Religious Refugees in the Early Modern Period (Academic Conference)

In the 17th century Amsterdam became a hotbed of religious exchange, as religious exiles from all over the continent flocked to the Netherlands and especially its capital city because of relatively lax laws on religious expression and publishing. One center of such exchange was the so-called House with the Heads on Keizersgracht, the home of Louis de Geer and later his son Laurens. Both men acted as patrons to a variety of religious free thinkers and reformers. Figures such as Jan Comenius, Friedrich Breckling and Christian Hoburg gathered in the de Geer home to discuss their ideas. Today, the House with the Heads is home to the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica and its associated museum, the Embassy of the Free Mind. We are currently preparing an exhibition on the history of the House with the Heads. As part of these preparations, we are hosting a conference 11-12 November 2022 on the role of Amsterdam as a haven for religious refugees.

Over two days, a group of international experts will explore different groups’ or individuals’ experiences (Jews, Radical Pietists, Huguenots, etc.), the role of publishing in the city, patronage, conflicts between groups, urban versus rural strategies for survival, the role of war in the era and other related topics. The conference will take place on-site, but will also accommodate speakers from afar through digital connection. Likewise, the public can attend in person or remotely. A conference publication is planned.

Those who wish to attend in person should contact the Director of the Ritman Research Institute, Lucinda Martin: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Those who wish to view lectures remotely by zoom should request a link from Junior Researcher Kyra Gerber: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

See the full programme here.

Image: Jews in the Synagogue. After:Rembrandt van Rijn

10 NOVEMBER 2022 - LECTURE 'The Book Culture of the First Generations of Portuguese Jewish Refugees in Amsterdam' | Emile Schrijver, general director of the Jewish Cultural Quarter and Jewish Museum

The first Portuguese Jews reached the city of Amsterdam at the end of the sixteenth century. In the course of the decades that followed they developed a unique book culture that reflected the complexities of the escape of Iberian Jewry from the Peninsula more than a century earlier in many different ways. This lecture will discuss the calligraphy and typography, the multiculturalism, the politics and the complex interrelation with pre-expulsion Jewry of a unique Amsterdam Portuguese-Jewish book culture.

About the speaker

Emile Schrijver is the General Director of the Jewish Cultural Quarter in Amsterdam and professor in the history of the Jewish book at the University of Amsterdam. He is also Curator of the Braginsky Collection of Hebrew Manuscripts and Printed Books in Zurich, Switzerland and General Editor of the Encyclopedia of Jewish Book Cultures.

This public lecture is also the Keynote Address for the Conference, “Amsterdam as Haven for Religious Refugees in the Early Modern Period”, 10-12 November 2022.

Date: Thursday 10 november 2022
Time: 19.30 - 21:00 uur

19:30 (Zoom 1:30 pm EST): Greeting by Lucinda Martin, Director Ritman Research Institute: Introduction, “The House with the Heads as Refuge in the 17^th Century”

19:45: Emile Schrijver, General Director, Jewish Cultural Quarter Amsterdam: "The Book Culture of the First Generations of Portuguese Jewish Refugees in Amsterdam"

Tickets:
€ 15 regular
€12,50 online
€8,50 student

Language: English

Online lecture

You can also watch this lecture online via a Zoom livestream. You can buy an Online Ticket. You will also be able to ask questions during the Q&A. You can buy an online ticket and you will receive the Zoom link. In the two weeks after the lecture, you will receive a private link to the recording of the lecture. So even if you can't join on the evening of the lecture, you will still be able to watch the event.

5 NOVEMBER 2022 - Museum Night All is One

Museum Night Amsterdam returns to the city on 5 November. See Amsterdam's museums in a completely new light , after sunset.

During the Museum Night, musicians from the Conservatorium Amsterdam play in the Grote Sael while you explore the collection yourself. For this we have made various quests with the themes: Nature, Harmony, DNA of Life and Transformation. In the Reading Room upstairs, in collaboration with Playpowerlabs, a demonstration of Cymatics will be given - which shows that everything resonates and that vibration can be visible. The Phoenix Lounge features an exhibition on Embassy's main areas of collection: alchemy, kabbalah, mysticism, magic, theosophy, Rosicrucianism, astrology and free thought in general. The cafe is of course also open for a snack & a drink, such as an alchemical soft drink. Natural Visuals by VJ Judocus.

Order your tickets at www.museumnacht.amsterdam.

Date: Saturday 5 november 2022
Time: 19.00 - 2:00h
Tickets: €22,50 www.museumnacht.amsterdam

21 OCTOBER - Lunch Concert Tony Geitani, live electronics

In the framework of the Amsterdam Dance Festival, we present a musician who combines classical music with live electrinics: Tony Geitani. An adventure for the ears! The programme will be announced soon.

Date: Friday 21 October
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 / student € 8,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

20 OCTOBER - Lecture 'Hermetic Spirituality and Altered states of Knowledge' | Wouter Hanegraaff, Professor of History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents at the University of Amsterdam

In this lecture, Wouter Hanegraaff will talk about his new book Hermetic Spirituality and the Historical Imagination: Altered States of Knowledge in Late Antiquity (Cambridge University Press 2022). The Hermetic literature has mostly been interpreted as philosophical treatises about theological topics, but Hanegraaff challenges this dominant narrative. He wants to demonstrate that, in fact, it was concerned with powerful experiential practices intended for healing the soul from mental delusion. The “Way of Hermes” involved radical alterations of consciousness in which practitioners claimed to perceive the true nature of reality behind the hallucinatory veil of appearances. Hanegraaff will explain how they went through a training regime that involved luminous visions, exorcism, spiritual rebirth, cosmic consciousness, and union with the divine beauty of universal goodness and truth. The final goal was to attain the salvational knowledge known as gnōsis.

Date
20 October

Time
19.30-21:00h

Tickets
€ 15 regular
€12,50 online
€8,50 student

Language
English

Online lecture

About Wouter Hanegraaff

Wouter J. Hanegraaff (1961) is Professor of History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents at the University of Amsterdam, a member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Arts and Sciences, and an honorary member of the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism (ESSWE).

16 SEPTEMBER - Lunch Concert Serguei Milstein, violin; Francisca Barradas Galante, viola

On 16 September there will be a performance by violinist Serguei Milstein and violist Francisca Barradas Galante. they will play Duo in B flat Major by W.A. Mozart, the song Ave Maria by F. Schubert arranged for violin and viola, and Passacaglia by G.F. Händel-Johan Halvorsen.

Serguei Milstein and Francisca Barradas Galante have studied at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam since 2020. They both have won prizes at various national and international competitions, such as the 'Flame' Competition in Paris, Concurso Nacional de Cordas Vasco Barbosa in Portugal and the Prinses Christina Concours and Britten Concours in the Netherlands. They both perform regularly at music festivals throughout Europe.

Date: Friday 16 September
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 / student € 8,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

15 SEPTEMBER - ONLINE and OFFLINE ACADEMIC LECTURE | Introducing the Bhagavad Gita: From the Mahabharata to Mme. Blavatsky (and beyond) by Joel Bordeaux, International Center of Asian Studies

Few Sanskrit texts have been so consistently and radically reinterpreted as the Bhagavad Gita. Over the past 2000 years, religious and political leaders, as well as scientists and litterateurs both in India and abroad, have found inspiration for their various endeavors in this short and deceptively simple poem excerpted from the Mahabharata epic. The text supports such diverse analyses easily since the Gita itself is so omnivorously synthetic, incorporating sacrificial ritualism, dualist metaphysics, early forms of yoga, and even aspects of Buddhism within a devotional and arguably monotheistic framework.

This lecture provides an overview of the Gita and some of the ways its philosophical and theological solutions to the core issues driving the Mahabharata as a whole— power and ethics, agency and asceticism —have been reimagined from the time of its composition through the Victorian Era and into our own. Special attention will be given to the translation and reception of the text in Transcendentalist, Theosophical, and related circles; asking in which contexts and to what ends these authors invoke the Bhagavad Gita as an authority.

About Joel Bordeaux
Joel Bordeaux is a Research Fellow at the International Institute for Asian Studies and an Instructor in Religious Studies at Leiden University. He is a specialist in South Asian religions and received his PhD in the same from Columbia University in 2015. He has published work on Hindu goddess traditions, representations of Tibetan Buddhism in Anglophone popular culture, and the ‘Yogi’ castes of West Bengal. He is a member of the research group Body and Embodiment in the Middle Bengali Imaginary based at Jagiellonian University (Kraków) and has forthcoming articles on statecraft and politics in early modern India and on cross-pollination between Hindu and Buddhist ritual.

Online and offline lecture
The lecture will be live streamed from the Grote Sael in the Embassy of the Free Mind through Zoom, so you can watch the talk at home. You will also be able to ask questions. You will receive the Zoom link on your online ticket. A few days after the lecture, you will receive a private link to the recording of the lecture. So even if you can't join on the evening of the lecture, you will still be able to watch the event. The recording will be available until 3 weeks after the lecture. Additionally there are seats available in the Grote Sael for those who want to attend the lecture in person.

Date
Thursday 15 September

Time
7.30 - 8.45 pm CEST
7.30 - 8.45 pm AMSTERDAM
1.30 - 2.45 pm NEW YORK
10.30 - 11.45 am LOS ANGELES

Tickets
Grote Sael: € 12.50 / student € 8.50. Door open: 18.15 uur.
Online: € 12.50 / $ 15 / student € 8.50 / $ 10

Language
English

11 SEPTEMBER - Guided tour 'House of Living Books' exhibit | Corey Andrews, Ritman Research Institute

‘As above, so below’ is one of the primary principles of hermetic philosophy, named after Hermes Trismegistus. Mankind, nature and the cosmos are connected in both a material and spiritual way.

DATE: Sunday 11 September
TIME: 15.30 - 16.30h
TICKETS: € 10.00 (excl. museum ticket; Stadspas, Museumkaart and ICOM card are accepted).
LANGUAGE: English

25 May 11 September I THE TIME OF THE LILY: The mystical Philosopher Jacob Boehme and the Renewal of the World (Wrocław University Museum, Poland)

Attention! This exhibition does not take place at the Embassy of the Free Mind, but at the Wrocław University Museum. The exhibition includes books on loan from our collection, the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica.

For the last five years, the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica and Embassy of the Free Mind have partnered with the Dresden State Art Collections to present a series of exhibitions on the work and influence of Jacob Böhme (1575-1624). After stops in Dresden (2017) and Coventry and Amsterdam (2019), the next exhibition will take place at the University Museum of Wrocław.

Böhme’s thought has had a lasting influence on literature, philosophy, religion and art over the centuries. His work arose during a time when Europe was shaken by great turmoil. Wars, religious conflicts and epidemics led many people to believe that the end of time was near. In this situation, the shoemaker and lay philosopher from Görlitz tried to provide answers to existential questions. Boehme's writings were controversial and at times even banned, but his writings survived, mainly thanks to his supporters in Silesia and Lusatia, who made handwritten copies of his writings and circulated them underground in their networks. In this way, Boehme's works eventually reached the Netherlands in the 17th century, where they were printed for the first time, translated into other languages, and disseminated more widely.

The history of Jacob Böhme's writings is connected with the war in several ways. After the authorities banned Böhme from writing, he initially obeyed. On the eve of the Thirty Years' War, however, he resumed his writing in light of the time of crisis. During the Second World War, it was again Boehme’s supporters ideas who secretly preserved his manuscripts in the German town of Linz on the Rhine. Since the Nazis suspected forbidden ideas in them, the writings were confiscated. However, Böhme experts succeeded in having the confiscated works transferred to his hometown of Görlitz. There they were brought to safety from the destruction of the war in places on both sides of the Neisse, which is why today they are partly in Germany and partly in Poland. However, some writings were lost.

The exhibition at the University Museum in Wrocław presents Boehme's basic ideas, outlines his beginnings as a mystical philosopher in Görlitz, and sheds light on his networks in Silesia and Lusatia. The reception of his works in the Netherlands and England is also a topic, as are the winding paths through which his manuscripts reached their present-day repositories in the 20th century. An important collection is located in the Wrocław University Library. The exhibition shows important documents from this collection, supplemented by loans from the Oberlausitzische Bibliothek der Wissenschaften in Görlitz and the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica in Amsterdam.

Even though Böhme lived in a time of great political and religious turmoil, he did not doubt the beginning of renewal. In reference to the lily as a symbol of hope and new life, he called the coming era of peace the "time of the lily." His appeal to people to face the challenges of their time is as relevant today as it was 400 years ago.

A catalog is being published by Sandsteinverlag and will be available for sale at the Embassy of the Free Mind.

4 SEPTEMBER - Rare Book Tour

A rare book tour in the Embassy of the Free Mind can be a multi-disciplinary experience: one of the highlights in the tour is a copy of Michael Maier’s Atalanta fugiens, a beautiful book of alchemical emblems printed in 1618. In the early 17th century it inspired a German prince to commission a painter to copy them on oak panels, some of which you will find in the rare book room, which is closed during regular visits. Compare the original and the copy and decide which you like best!

DATE: Sunday 4 September
TIME: 15.30 - 16.30h
TICKETS: € 17.50 (excl. museum ticket; Stadspas, Museumkaart and ICOM card are accepted). Online booking mandatory for both the museum ticket and the tour.
LANGUAGE: English

24 AUGUST - Workshop ‘Cause and Effect – I do that and this is what happens next’ For children aged 4-8, by Ankie Hettema

There is a cause for everything. Everything has an effect.
It’s one long chain, one thing follows another.
It’s almost like a trail. You fit in there.
Have you ever noticed that what you do really matters?
If you don’t look after your pet, what happens?
And what if people don’t look after nature?
What are you good at? What are you less good at?
Why are we all born so different?
Events in your own life can be confusing
and can make you wonder: ‘who am I really’?

In this workshop Ankie Hettema takes the children along a trail that leads to a treasure. But it takes a little hunting to find it! On the basis of stories, play and creative assignments, children reflect on one of the principles of Hermes Trismegistus: cause and effect. Come find out what happens when little hare hears a big thud! This workshop is a follow-up of previous workshops by Ankie on Hermetic insights, but can also be attended separately. The ticket is valid for one child plus one adult. While the children are at the workshop, why not visit the museum or enjoy our garden!

About Ankie Hettema
Ankie Hettema is author of Hemel en aarde in de wereld van het kind (Heaven and Earth in The Child’s World). Starting from the idea that you can only reshape the world and society in a truly innovative way when you start with the basis – with the child – she describes seven life principles. In her own teaching practice, too, she has been carrying children along in the wisdom of Hermes: ‘Children who know where they started from, have a head start in life.’

The ticket is valid for one child plus one supervisor. While the children are doing the workshop, you can tour the museum or enjoy our garden.

Date
Wednesday, August 24

Time
11.00-12.30, including a break

Tickets
€ 10,-. (incl. entrance supervisor)

Language
Dutch

21 AUGUST - Rare Book Tour

DATE: Sunday 21 August
TIME: 15.30 - 16.30h
TICKETS: € 17.50 (excl. museum ticket; Stadspas, Museumkaart and ICOM card are accepted). Online booking mandatory for both the museum ticket and the tour.
LANGUAGE: English

13 AUGUST - Historical Guided Tour | House with the Heads

15 JULY - Lunch Concert Hedwig Brieffies, harp

On 15 July there will be a concert by harpist Hedwig Brieffies. She will play a versatile programme with music by C.Ph.E. Bach, Jacques Ibert, Mateo Albéniz and Henriette Renié.

Hedwig Brieffies (2001) was admitted to the Sweelinck Academy, the Young Talents Department of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in 2017. Here she was taught by Erika Waardenburg. In 2019 she started in the bachelor's degree programme in harp, studying with principal subject teachers Erika Waardenburg and Gwyneth Wentink. Additionally she takes lessons with Sandrine Chatron, Miriam Overlach and Constance Allanic and has takenmasterclasses with Sivan Magen and Anneleen Schuitemaker. In January 2020, she won second prize at the Rosa Spier Harp Competition with her ensemble Duo Dufonte, which she founded with flutist Iara de Carvalho Perillo, oprichtte, de tweede prijs op het Rosa Spier Harpconcours in de categorie Ensemble.

Date: Friday 15 July
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 / student € 8,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

13 JULY - GRAIL TOUR | Guided Tour by Rachel Ritman

This in-depth tour explains the unique Grail artwork at the Embassy of the Free Mind and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition. Book your ticket in advance, because there is only a limited amount of places available!

Date: 6, 13 July
Time: 15.30h - 16.30h
Tickets: € 10,- excl. museum admission (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)
Language: Dutch, or English on request

10 JULY - Rare Book Tour

DATE: Sunday 10 July
TIME: 15.30 - 16.30h
TICKETS: € 17.50 (excl. museum ticket; Stadspas, Museumkaart and ICOM card are accepted). Online booking mandatory for both the museum ticket and the tour.
LANGUAGE: English

9 JULY - Historical Guided Tour | House with the Heads

7 JULY - ONLINE AND OFFLINE LECTURE I Comenius and the Rosicrucians - Andreae and Comenius, two great men of the spirit, two disciples, both faithful to Christ

The exhibition The Rosicrucian Revolution at the Embassy of the Free Mind offers an opportunity to examine the spiritual affinity between J.V. Andreae (1586-1654), the reputed author of the Rosicrucian Manifestos, and J.A. Comenius (1592-1670), a great thinker and educational innovator who was made welcome in the House with the Heads. Although it is possible they only met once, it is generally assumed that Comenius took over the torch of spiritual and social renewal from Andreae. There excisted a certain spiritual kinship can be felt between the two. Comenius had the greatest admiration for Andreae, although he was certainly not a slavish follower. In the lecture we will explore some similarities and differences.

About the speaker
Peter Huijs, (Tegelen 1951) is an art historian, who has previously published on the sources of the original Rosicrucian movement. In ‘Geroepen door het Wereldhart’ presented the history of the Lectorium Rosicrucianum and its founders. In ‘Gnosis, Stromen van Licht in Europa’ he discussed persons who devoted their lives to the hidden current of esoteric Christianity. ‘Volmaakt Licht’ is a volume of essays on the science of the soul. He is a publisher at Rozenkruis Pers and an editor of the international periodical Pentagram.

Datum
Thursday 7 July

Time
7.30 - 8.45 pm CEST
7.30 - 8.45 pm AMSTERDAM
1.30 - 2.45 pm NEW YORK
10.30 - 11.45 am LOS ANGELES

Tickets
Grote Sael: € 12.50 / student € 8.50. Door open: 18.15 uur.
Online: € 12.50 / $ 15 / student € 8.50 / $ 10

Language
Dutch

30 JUNE - ONLINE AND OFFLINE LECTURE I Reformation, Revolution, Renovation: The Rosicrucian Call for a General Reformation in Its Historical Context by Lyke de Vries

At the centre of the Rosicrucian manifestos was a call for ‘general reformation.’ Written at the beginning of the seventeenth century, their anonymous authors claimed to be members of a secret fraternity that set out to transform the world, in particular the church, state, and knowledge. The texts stirred up so much controversy that for over a decade they were the focus of a large international dispute. In this lecture, Lyke de Vries will argue that the manifestos were revolutionary mission statements that broke dramatically with orthodox traditions and reform ideals. She will situate the Rosicrucian manifestos in the transformative context of the early modern period, and discuss their tumultuous reception by both those who welcomed and those who deplored them.

This book is for sale in our webshop.

About the speaker

Lyke de Vries, Ph.D. (2020, Radboud University Nijmegen) is a research fellow and lecturer in the history of philosophy and scientia at Radboud University. Her research takes an interdisciplinary approach to the challenge of excavating the roots of modern concepts of change and progress, primarily in heterodox traditions marginal to the paradigms dominating current historiography on the early modern period.

Online and offline lecture
The lecture will be live streamed from the Grote Sael in the Embassy of the Free Mind through Zoom, so you can watch the talk at home. You will also be able to ask questions. You will receive the Zoom link on your online ticket. A few days after the lecture, you will receive a private link to the recording of the lecture. So even if you can't join on the evening of the lecture, you will still be able to watch the event. The recording will be available for three weeks afterwards. Additionally there are seats available in the Grote Sael for those who want to attend the lecture in person.

Datum
Thursday 30 June

Time
7.30 - 8.45 pm CEST
7.30 - 8.45 pm AMSTERDAM
1.30 - 2.45 pm NEW YORK
10.30 - 11.45 am LOS ANGELES

Tickets
Grote Sael: € 12.50 / student € 8.50. Door open: 18.15 uur.
Online: € 12.50 / $ 15 / student € 8.50 / $ 10

Language
English

1, 8, 15, 22, 29 JUNE - GUIDED TOUR | Grail Guided Tour by Rachel Ritman

This in-depth tour explains the unique Grail artwork at the Embassy of the Free Mind and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition. Book your ticket in advance, because there is only a limited amount of places available!

Date: 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 June
Time: 15.30h - 16.30h
Tickets: € 10,- excl. museum admission (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)
Language: Dutch, or English on request

25 JUNE - Historical Guided Tour | House with the Heads

9, 23 JUNE - GUIDED TOUR of the exhibition The Rosicrucian Revolution. Tradition and renewal by one of our curators

Rosicrucians, anthroposophy, Theosophy, Freemasonry... the spiritual landscape today is multicolored. Yet all of these groups find inspiration from a common source: the Rosicrucians, who called for reform in the early 17th century, sparking a furor throughout Europe. What exactly did the authors who brought the Rosicrucian stories into the world want? No less than an overall reform of man and society, and of science and religion. But why did their peaceful message evoke so much resistance as well as acclaim? And what is so appealing about their ideas that they have continued to resonate throughout the centuries?

In this guided tour, you will hear the story of this brotherhood, their ideas and their sympathizers through original writings from the 17th century. You will also see, through objects from anthroposophy, theosophy, freemasonry and modern Rosicrucian movements, how these movements incorporated the ideals into their thinking.

More about the exhibition.

Date: 9 June (English), 23 June (Dutch)
Time: 15.30 - 16.30h
Tickets: € 10,00 (excluding museum admission, free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.)

17 to 19 JUNE - Open Garden Days

This year, the Embassy of the Free Mind participates in the Open Garden Days. With this year's theme "A visit to the private canal gardens", visitors will have the opportunity to visit a variety of canal gardens - also called the city's best kept secret, because they are not visible from the streets. The theme also refers to the historical fact that almost all of these gardens were once laid out as private gardens attached to a private house. Around 25 canal gardens - nowadays still part of a private house or belonging to an institution - will open to the public during the Open Garden Days 2022.

For more information: https://www.opentuinendagen.nl
Tickets: https://www.opentuinendagen.nl/#3

17 JUNE - Lunch Concert Nina Spinozi, soprano; Odée Mertzweiller, guitar

On 17 June we will have a performance by Nina Spinozi, soprano, and Odée Mertzweiller, guitar. They wil perform a programme with an Italian atmosphere: works by Vivaldi, Rossini, and Bellini, in original arrangements for guitar and voice.

Date: Friday 17 June
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 / student € 8,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

16, 17 JUNE - Art School Days 2022

On Thursday 16 June and Friday 17 June, the Embassy of the Free Mind participates in the Art School Days 2022. In groups of 10 (children from Group 8), children will be guided through the museum for 30 minutes in a storytelling way, followed by a Philophy workshop where we explore the theme freedom and free thinking. http://www.kunstschooldag.nl

Date: Thursday 16 and Friday 17 June

12 JUNE - Rare Book Tour

In this tour you will be able to admire many books, including an alchemical book with images and paintings of the same illustrations that once belonged to Princess Christina of the Netherlands. A magical manuscript used to call upon angels will be included, as will the tiniest book in our library. We will also present a copy of a book that was placed on the Index of Forbidden Books (whose proud possessor liked to make it known), and another text that was censored in various ways by disapproving monks in Germany in the early 16th century.

DATE: Sunday 12 June
TIME: 15.30 - 16.30h
TICKETS: € 17.50 (excl. museum ticket; Stadspas, Museumkaart and ICOM card are accepted). Online booking mandatory for both the museum ticket and the tour.
LANGUAGE: English

9 JUNE - ONLINE AND OFFLINE LECTURE I Jumping Tiger, Soaring Dragon: Taoist Internal Alchemy, by Dr. Dan KJ Vercammen

A Taoist alchemist lives forever. At least if (s)he succeeds in the practice! Immortality is a main theme in the history of Taoist Alchemy. The understanding of what immortality actually means differs from one Taoist tradition or practitioner to the other. And so, there is another important alchemical theme: freedom, of thought and interpretation, but also being free from the limitations of the human existence. In this lecture we shall briefly touch upon the history of alchemy, but the images and symbols of Taoist Internal Alchemy and their relationship with the actual practice are the main subject, because they offer a fascinating source of information. When Taoist Experimental/External Alchemy proved to be too expensive and because it didn't really deliver the expected results, the internal alternative, usually called “Neidan (Internal Cinnabar)”, became the obvious method. However, the terminology, rituals, symbols, and some of the accompanying external practices remained.The different sources of Neidan and the physical effects of the internal work are expressed in the symbolical language that we encounter in the many texts and oral transmissions of Taoist Alchemy. We meet the Inner Child or Holy Embryo and feel it kicking in its womb; we refine metal ores, wander through a wonderful body country and travel through space-time; we also enjoy joining with a partner in the bedroom as a means to unite with Dao, the Way. This alchemical work is the practical way to communicate with that which creates everything but is itself not created, that which kills everything but doesn't die: the Dao. Feel free to tag along.

About the speaker

Dan KJ Vercammen studied anthropology and sinology at Ghent University and ancient Chinese philosophy at Fudan University, Shanghai. From 1986 till 1990 he worked as a researcher at the Sinology Department of Gent University. In 1990 he successfully defended his PhD thesis on Chinese Internal Martial Arts and their relationship with Internal Alchemy (summa cum laude). In 1985 – 1986 he studied, lived, and worked in Shanghai, mainly to do anthropological fieldwork on the subjects of Taoism, Internal Alchemy, and Taoist Medicine. He later made yearly fieldwork trips to work with old masters and informants on his fields of expertise. This process also resulted in him becoming a master of Taoist Alchemy, Taoist Medicine, and Internal Martial Arts. In 1990, with his late wife, An Woestenborghs, he created the research institute Taoist Alchemical Studies Center TASC and the China Arts College CAC, where one can engage in the theoretical and practical study of Taoist culture and philosophy. At this institute in Antwerp there is also a vast library of Chinese and other reference works on Taoist culture and practices. He continues to teach and do research at this institute. Vercammen wrote and published more than 40 books and articles about (mainly) Taoist cultural subjects and lectures at universities and conferences in Europe and China. He is also an Ambassador of the Embassy of the Free Mind and a Director of the World Sinology Organisation (Beijing).
Finally, he is also a painter, calligrapher, and poet.

Online and offline lecture
The lecture will be live streamed from the Grote Sael in the Embassy of the Free Mind through Zoom, so you can watch the talk at home. You will also be able to ask questions. You will receive the Zoom link on your online ticket. A few days after the lecture, you will receive a private link to the recording of the lecture. So even if you can't join on the evening of the lecture, you will still be able to watch the event. The recording will be available for three weeks afterwards. Additionally there are seats available in the Grote Sael for those who want to attend the lecture in person.

Datum
Thursday 9 June

Time
7.30 - 8.45 pm CEST
7.30 - 8.45 pm AMSTERDAM
1.30 - 2.45 pm NEW YORK
10.30 - 11.45 am LOS ANGELES

Tickets
Grote Sael: € 12.50 / student € 8.50. Door open: 18.15 uur.
Online: € 12.50 / $ 15 / student € 8.50 / $ 10

Language
English

28 MAY - Historical Guided Tour | House with the Heads

4, 11, 18, 25 MAY - GUIDED TOUR | Grail Guided Tour by Rachel Ritman

The tour on 25 May has been cancelled!

This in-depth tour explains the unique Grail artwork at the Embassy of the Free Mind and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition. Book your ticket in advance, because there is only a limited amount of places available!

Date: 4, 11, 18, 25 May
Time: 15.30h - 16.30h
Tickets: € 10,- excl. museum admission (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)
Language: Dutch, or English on request

20 MAY - Lunch Concert Elisa Misas Santín, violin; Ines López Gallagher, cello

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind
This concert is a part of a series by Conservatorium van Amsterdam students at the Embassy of the Free Mind. Every third Friday of the month, conservatory students will perform for you in the 'Grote Sael' of the House with the Heads. A very special collaboration, because the House with the Heads, now home of the Embassy of the Free Mind, housed the Amsterdam conservatory from 1909 to 1931. Truly a historical venue for the musicians of today.

On 20 May we welcome violinist Elisa Misas Santín and cellist Ines López Gallagher. They will play sonatas and duos by F. de los Ríos, Ignaz Pleyel, Paul Hindemith and Jean-Baptiste Barrière.

Prize-winning musicians Elisa Misas Santín and Ines López Gallagher have already performed extensively with ensembles and orchestras at home and abroad. Om 20 May they will take you on a trip through the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries with a versatile programme.

Date: Friday 20 May
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 / student € 8,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

8 MAY - Rare Book Tour

DATE: Sunday 8 May
TIME: 15.30 - 16.30h
TICKETS: € 17.50 (excl. museum ticket; Stadspas, Museumkaart and ICOM card are accepted). Online booking mandatory for both the museum ticket and the tour.
LANGUAGE: Dutch, or English if requested

5 MAY - "Freedom soup" (vegetarian 'meal in a bowl' included) and philosophy in the garden of Museum Embassy of the Free Mind

On 5 May, we celebrate the liberation of the Netherlands in 1945 and the fact that we can live in freedom. On this day, we will not only celebrate, but also reflect on freedom in our Museum Embassy of the Free Mind. You are invited to eat the soup of freedom while we philosophise with you about what freedom means to you. The food-with-philosophy sessions each take 30 minutes. Afterwards, you are warmly invited to take a look around our museum. If the weather permits it, we will hold the sessions in our garden in the company of many tulips. Learn more about 4 and 5 May here!

Date: 5 May
Time: 12.00h - 16.00h (divided into eight time slots of 30 minutes, starting: 12.00, 12.30h, 13.00h, 13.30h, 14.00h, 14.30h, 15.00h, 15.30h)
Tickets: free, reservation is required, vegetarian 'meal in a bowl' included
Language: Dutch, or English on request

4 MAY - Workshop ‘Alles verandert, niets gaat verloren’ voor kinderen van 4-8 jaar, door Ankie Hettema

Please note: this workshop is in Dutch

Kijk om je heen! Zie wat er verandert! Uit de kale takken van de winterse bomen groeien roze en witte bloemen. Achter de eend zwemmen plotseling zes of zeven jonge eendenkuikens. De cocon van de rups springt open en een vlinder komt tevoorschijn. In de sloot verandert een dikkopje in een kikker. Wat is er in jouw leven veranderd? Niets gaat verloren, hoe zo dan?

Ankie Hettema’s eerdere workshop in de Embassy of the Free Mind, ‘Natuurwet van tegendelen en harmonie’, maakte zoveel enthousiasme los bij de kinderen dat we er graag een vervolg aan geven. In deze workshop onderzoekt Ankie Hettema samen met de kinderen de kracht van verandering en terugkeer in ons leven, met behulp van verhalen, proefjes, afbeeldingen in de Embassy of the Free Mind en veel creativiteit!

Over Ankie Hettema
Ankie Hettema is auteur van het boek Hemel en aarde in de wereld van het kind. Vanuit de gedachte dat je de samenleving en de wereld alleen werkelijk vernieuwend kunt vormgeven als je aan de basis begint - bij het kind - beschrijft ze hierin zeven levensprincipes. Ook in haar eigen onderwijspraktijk nam ze kinderen jarenlang mee in de wijsheid van Hermes, want: ‘Kinderen die hun oorsprong kennen, hebben een voorsprong in het leven.’

Het ticket is geldig voor één kind plus één begeleider. Terwijl de kinderen de workshop doen, kun je het museum bekijken of van onze tuin genieten.

Date
Wednesday 4 May

Time
11.00-12.30h, incl. break

Tickets
€ 10,-. (incl. supervisor)

Language
Dutch

Max. number of participants deelnemers
10 (excl. adults)

30 APRIL - Historical Guided Tour | House with the Heads

24 april - WORKSHOP voor kinderen | De geheimen en wonderen van het leven, door Hans Melissen

Please note: This event will be in Dutch!

De geheimen en wonderen van het leven - daarover gaat Hans Melissen, schrijver van het boek Hoe Muis de wereld schiep, met kinderen in gesprek.

Hoe Muis de wereld schiep vertelt het verhaal van een muis die in het totale donker leeft en alleen maar zijn gedachten als gezelschap heeft. Die gedachten zijn zo mooi dat hij op een gegeven moment bedenkt dat hij daarmee ook het donker waarin hij woont kan veranderen. En zo denkt hij stukje bij beetje het hele universum bij elkaar. Aan de hand van dit boek kunnen kinderen nadenken over levensvragen als: wat is de oorsprong van alle bestaan? Wat is het geheim van het leven? Wat is het verschil tussen een mens en een dier? Wat is niets? Hoe ver kunnen we denken? Vragen die de mensen al eeuwenlang bezighouden: vanaf de alleroudste verhalen tot aan de meest spectaculaire films zien we hoe mensen proberen de raadsels van ons bestaan te ontrafelen. De fantasie is het begin van alle ontdekkingen. En op 24 april gaat Hans Melissen met de kinderen onderzoeken hoe ver het onbegrensde denken ons kan brengen. In zijn eerdere gesprekken met kinderen, onder andere bij de Embassy of the Free Mind, merkte Hans dat de ongebreidelde fantasie een enorme verrijking kan zijn in hun bestaan.

Over Hans Melissen
Hans Melissen is scenarioschrijver en schreef veel jeugddrama voor toneel, film en televisie. Tevens verschenen er verhalenbundels en boeken die gerelateerd zijn aan zijn culinaire hobby. Hoe Muis de wereld schiep wordt momenteelin het Engels vertaald.

Datum: Sunday, 24 April
Tijd: 11.00 - 12.30h
Tickets: € 10 (Incl. admission supervisor)

ONLINE & OFFLINE LECTURE I "Harmonia Universalis: Perennial Wisdom and Future Design", by assistant professor Derek Lomas

Harmony is a secular value that has played a central role in various cultures for thousands of years. Harmony is not "sameness" or the absence of conflict, but rather a dynamic process of integrating diverse elements into a whole. As a design philosophy, harmony is used to explain aesthetic beauty, ethical action, political systems, thriving teams and sustainable design. This lecture explores harmony as an eternal, universal wisdom that can be observed in both prehistory, classical civilisations and the modern era and that may have implications for the design of a more sustainable future. This lecture explores how immaterial, mathematical harmonies can manifest in the cosmos, both as a connection between human cultures and as a conceptual guide to further human development.

In a book from 2010, Charles, Prince of Wales, made a remarkable proposal: that esoteric wisdom about Harmony could hold the key to a more sustainable future. The future King of England proposed a "call to revolution" to bring human development into harmony with nature and to break the modernist separation of science and spirituality. At the end of a timeline of 40,000 years of harmony in human culture, this lecture considers how harmony might inform the design of the future.

An assistant professor of Human-Centered Design at TU Delft, Derek Lomas researches design for wellbeing, the design of systems to support wellbeing, and the role of resonance in design. He holds a bachelor in Cognitive Science (YaIe University), a master in Design (UC San Diego) and a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction (Carnegie Mellon University). He lives in Amsterdam with his family.

Additionally there are seats available in the Grote Sael for those who want to attend the lecture in person.

Datum
Thursday 21 April

Time
7.30 - 8.45 pm CEST
7.30 - 8.45 pm AMSTERDAM
1.30 - 2.45 pm NEW YORK
10.30 - 11.45 am LOS ANGELES

Tickets
Grote Sael: € 12.50 / student € 8.50. Door open: 18.15 uur.
Online: € 12.50 / $ 15 / student € 8.50 / $ 10

Language
English

21 APRIL - Rare Book Tour by our Curator

In this tour you will also be able to admire a book embellished with coloured woodcuts printed in the 15th century, the dawn of printing. We will also present the story of the Grail in an elegant French edition of 1523, a copy of a book that was placed on the Index and the proud possessor liked to make it known, and another text that was censored in various ways by disapproving monks in in Germany in the early 16th century. Books printed on parchment and paper, books dealing with alchemy, magic, kabbalah: we invite you to come and see!

DATE: 21 April
TIME: 15.30 - 16.30h
TICKETS: € 17.50 (excl. museum ticket; Stadspas, Museumkaart and ICOM card are accepted). Online booking mandatory for both the museum ticket and the tour.
LANGUAGE: Dutch, or English if requested

20 APRIL - GUIDED TOUR | Grail Guided Tour by Rachel Ritman

This in-depth tour explains the unique Grail artwork at the Embassy of the Free Mind and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition. Book your ticket in advance, because there is only a limited amount of places available!

Date: 13, 20 April
Time: 15.30h - 16.30h
Tickets: € 10,- excl. museum admission (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)
Language: Dutch, or English on request

16 APRIL - GUIDED TOUR of the Exhibition Open Book - A Journey of Discovery through the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica Collection

The core collection of the library in the Embassy of the Free Mind, the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica, contains c. 2300 books and 300 manuscripts from the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, the period from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment. When we think of the Renaissance, we often think of the rediscovery of classical Antiquity, while we generally associate the Enlightenment with rational thought. But a lot more was happening at the time. Our core collection throws a unique light on a vibrant spiritual tradition that continued to flourish in this period.

In this tour you will meet the books in the current exhibition and hear about the reactions they provoked. Showing original editions and manuscripts, the exhibition tells the story of outstanding collection items, which will be introduced by one of our specialists. You will also have the chance to have an in-depth chat with our specialists about the exhibition topics that interest you most and learn more about our unique collection.

Time
15.00h

Language:
English

Tickets
€ 10,- excl. museum admission, Museumkaart, Stadspas Amsterdam or ICOM card are valid. Booking an online ticket in advance is mandatory.

Date
Saturday 16 April

6, 7, 8, 9, 10 APRIL - National Museum Week 2022 - Discover your world, find the Grail

Looking for the Grail? Look no further! Discover the unique 'Grail of Amsterdam' on display in our museum. The stories surrounding the Grail have captured the imagination for centuries. One of the masterpieces of our collection is the 'Grail of Amsterdam', commissioned by Joost and Rachel Ritman and painted by the Russian lacquer painter Oleg An over a period of ten years. The upper half of the Grail visualises the biblical background of the Grail tradition; the lower half shows the Grail legends that arose in the Middle Ages.This in-depth tour by Rachel Ritman explains the unique Grail artwork in the Embassy of the Free Mind and the many Grail stories depicted on it, with emphasis on the medieval tradition. Book your ticket in advance, as there are only a limited number of places available!

Date: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 April
Time:
6 April: 15.30h-16.30h
7, 8, 9, 10 April 15.00h - 16.00h
Tickets: € 10,- excl. museum admission (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)
Language: Dutch, or English on request

31 MARCH - ONLINE AND OFFLINE LECTURE I Discovering hermetic wisdom in global values research - Practical applications for fostering sustainability and human thriving, by Martijn Lampert

The discovery of texts ascribed to the Egyptian sage Hermes Trismegistus in 15th-century Italy had a wide impact on Western thinking. Especially the idea that the universe (the macrocosm) and human beings (the microcosm) are connected and mirror each other, inspired many thinkers to look differently at our place in the world and the essential qualities of nature. Today, we are living in a new renaissance of rapid societal transformation.

The well-known phrase ‘think global, act local’ reflects the hermetic principle of correspondence between the microcosm and the macrocosm. How can hermetic knowledge be discovered in and applied to understanding international trends and for accelerating the sustainability transformation? Glocalities Research Director Martijn Lampert has conducted 7 years of values research in 35 countries, among more than 300,000 people. In this talk he will share learnings and examples of his findings related to hermetic principles. His research unveils the world of cross-cultural values, mythological archetypes, ties between the global and the local level and the relation with sustainability.

The Glocalities research insights have been applied in many projects related to human flourishing:
* A TEDx Johannesburg talk honouring the talents of the young generation, in the light of Nelson Mandela’s vision of a Great Generation and the Sustainable Development Goals.
* A joint message of friendship across religions, by Pope Francis, Dalai Lama, Amma and many more of the world’s religious leaders.
* Sharing research into trust in the United Nations, in the light the 75th anniversary of the UN.
* Researching international values trends in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.
*Publishing about the global rise in environmental concern in advance of the COP 26 meeting in Glasgow.

During his talk Martijn will show how hermetic principles such as interconnectedness, polarities, the creative power of imagination, the urge for freedom, the tree of wisdom and archetypes can be detected in international survey research. With examples he will share his vision on how hermetic wisdom can be applied to fostering social and environmental sustainability.

About Martijn Lampert

Martijn Lampert is Co-Founder and Research Director at Glocalities, a values-based international research and consultancy agency based in Amsterdam. In1997, Lampert started his career researching the presence of Dionysian and Apollonian principles (or archetypes) in Dutch society, and relating these principles to the values, lifestyles and behaviours of Dutch citizens. Lampert has been researching values, culture and the web of meaning ever since, first as Research Director at Motivaction and since 2018 at Motivaction’s international sister company Glocalities.

With his team Lampert generates and shares in-depth insights into people's values, international trends, generations and sustainability, based on interviews with more than 300,000 respondents. The Glocalities research programme now covers 35 countries and 83% of the world economy.

Lampert has been quoted by the New York Times, Forbes, the Financial Times, Business Insider, the Guardian, Frankfurter Allgemeine, Handelsblatt, El Pais, India Times, Newsweek and many more. He provides strategic advice to makers and international organizations in the commercial, NGO, and public sectors, enabling them to use social intelligence to achieve their goals and foster sustainability in an ever-changing sociocultural context. Lampert frequently lectures about sociocultural trends and has published two books on generational change. His most recent reports can be downloaded at www.glocalities.com/reports.

Additionally there are seats available in the Grote Sael for those who want to attend the lecture in person.

Datum
Thursday 31 March

Time
7.30 - 8.45 pm CEST
7.30 - 8.45 pm AMSTERDAM
1.30 - 2.45 pm NEW YORK
10.30 - 11.45 am LOS ANGELES

Tickets
Grote Sael: € 12.50 / student € 8.50. Door open: 18.15 uur.
Online: € 12.50 / $ 15 / student € 8.50 / $ 10

Language
Engels

30 MARCH - GUIDED TOUR | Grail Guided Tour by Rachel Ritman

This in-depth tour explains the unique Grail artwork at the Embassy of the Free Mind and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition. Book your ticket in advance, because there is only a limited amount of places available!

Date: 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 March
Time: 15.30h - 16.30h
Tickets: € 10,- excl. museum admission (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)
Language: Dutch, or English on request

26 MARCH - Historical Guided Tour | House with the Heads

26 MARCH - VOORSTELLING & BORREL | Hoezo Spinoza? door Harpert Michielsen

Let op! Deze is nu helaas uitverkocht. Wil je alsnog graag komen? Stuur een mailtje naar This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. en we zetten je op de wachtlijst voor deze of een toekomstige voorstelling.

Please note: This event will be in Dutch!

Het is belangrijk het menselijk handelen niet te bespotten, niet te betreuren, niet te veroordelen, maar te begrijpen.

Spinoza wordt in Nederland omarmd als de ultieme ‘denker des vaderlands’, die in Amsterdam naamgever is van een straat, een standbeeld, een lyceum, een campus, een lezing en meer. Ooit sierde zijn portret het biljet van duizend gulden en de Spinoza-premie is de hoogst mogelijke wetenschappelijke prijs. Kortom Spinoza is onze hoogste waarde.
Maar wat weten we eigenlijk van hem? Wie was die man en wat is zijn gedachtegoed? Waarom is hij juist nu belangrijk? Hoezo Spinoza?

In zijn werk Ethica, eigenlijk een ondoordringbaar zelfhulpboek avant-la-lettre, beschrijft Spinoza met wetenschappelijke precisie hoe we het hoogste geluk kunnen bereiken. Maar hij laat ons ook achter met vragen. Wat bedoelt hij nou precies? De antwoorden van Spinoza kunnen ons richting en troost bieden Hij weet immers wat het betekent om in isolement te leven; in 1656 werd hij door de Portugees-Israëlitische Gemeente uit de joodse gemeenschap verstoten. Hij leefde, als tweede-generatie-immigrant, tussen twee culturen en overleefde twee pestepidemieën. Spinoza vond waardigheid en vrijheid in zichzelf. In zijn werk legt hij uit hoe we ons hoofd niet op hol moeten laten brengen door angst en woede, hoe we onszelf kunnen bevrijden van ons streven naar geld, roem en status. Hij vertelt ons hoe we gelukkig kunnen worden door dit juist niet meer na te streven, maar door tolerant, begripvol en tevreden te zijn met het hier en nu.

Harpert Michielsen is zelf geen filosoof, maar theatermaker, waardoor hij het werk van Spinoza bekijkt als een nieuwsgierige leek. Hij neemt het publiek mee in een wonderlijke ontdekkingstocht door het leven en denken van deze nieuwe Nederlander uit de 17e eeuw.

Over Harpert Michielsen
Harpert Michielsen studeerde in 1998 af aan de Toneelacademie Maastricht. Daarvoor studeerde hij geschiedenis aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam. Hij speelde onder meer bij De Trust (Theatercompagnie) en Het Nationale Toneel en had rollen in producties van De Warme Winkel, Het Onafhankelijk Toneel, Het Huis van Bourgondië en De Toneelschuur. Ook maakte hij muziektheaterproducties en speelde hij in de tv-series De erfenis, Land van Lubbers, GTST en De luizenmoeder, Ik weet wie je bent, Dit zijn wij en Swanenburg.

Vanuit zijn liefde voor geschiedenis maakt Michielsen intieme voorstellingen over bijzondere Amsterdammers, van wie je de straatnaam wel kent, maar geen idee hebt wie ze nou echt zijn. Hij noemt het Stand-up History: met zijn ervaring als acteur en zijn talent als verteller brengt hij een mix van theater en storytelling. Dit resulteerde in de voorstellingen Sarphati: een ongekende volksheld en De Blues van Kattenburg die hij op verschillende locaties in het land speelt. Bij de Embassy of the Free Mind laat hij het publiek nu kennismaken met het leven en werk van Spinoza.

Datum
za 26 maart

Tijd
16.00 uur inloop
16.30-17.30 uur voorstelling
17.30-18.30 uur drankje & hapje

Taal
Nederlands

Tickets
€ 25,- incl. drankje en hapje

25 MARCH - GUIDED TOUR of the Exhibition Open Book - A Journey of Discovery through the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica Collection

Time
15.30h

Language:
Dutch or English, depending on the group

Tickets
€ 10,- excl. museum admission, Museumkaart, Stadspas Amsterdam or ICOM card are valid. Booking an online ticket in advance is mandatory.

Dates

Friday 4 March
Saturday 12 March
Friday 25 March

24 MARCH - Online & Offline Lecture, Dan maak je maar zin! by Peter Henk Steenhuis

Please note, this lecture is in Dutch

In deze interactieve lezing neemt Peter Henk Steenhuis je mee op een zoektocht naar een succesvol leven. Want wie wil dat nou niet? We zijn ‘Veroordeeld tot succes’ - de titel van het boek dat tegelijkertijd met de lezing ten doop wordt gehouden. Daarom wensen we elkaar de hele dag succes. Maar wat bedoelen we ermee als we zeggen: ‘Succes hè!’

‘Succes’ stamt af van het Latijnse werkwoord succedere, dat ‘lukken, slagen’ betekent. In onze tijd vatten we succes vooral op als meetlatsucces: sneller, hoger, dieper, groter, meer. Maar als je leert om anders tegen succes aan te kijken, kun je misschien wel op veel meer terreinen slagen. Om dat te kunnen, moet je er wel achterkomen wat je wilt, waar jij zin in hebt. Om dat ene woordje, ‘zin’, draait het in deze lezing. In dialoog met het publiek gaat Peter Henk Steenhuis in op de verschillende kanten van zin, op het lijflijke aspect, de esthetische kant, de rationele kant maar ook op de waaromvraag van ons leven. De waaromvraag naar de betekenis van ons leven.

Die vraag is een spirituele vraag, waarop iedereen een ander antwoord geeft. De boeken en afbeeldingen in de Embassy of the Free Mind kunnen boeiende aanknopingspunten bieden om een bewustwording op gang te brengen, zodat je zelf je antwoorden op de zin-vragen kunt geven. Want dan zal jij slagen in de zoektocht naar jouw succes.

About Peter Henk Steenhuis

Peter Henk Steenhuis (1969) is journalist en schrijft veel over filosofie en zingeving. Zijn boeken Filosofie van het kijken en Denken over dichten stonden op de shortlist van de Socratesbeker. Eerder verscheen van zijn hand Zin in het alledaagse.

Additionally there are seats available in the Grote Sael for those who want to attend the lecture in person.

Date
Thursday 24 March

Time
19.30 - 20.45 uur CET
19.30 - 20.45 uur AMSTERDAM
14.30 - 15.45 uur NEW YORK
11.30 - 12.45 uur LOS ANGELES

Tickets

Grote Sael: € 12,50 / student € 8,50. Door open: 18.15 uur.
Online: € 12,50 / $ 15 / student € 8,50 / $ 10

Language
Dutch

24 MARCH - Rare Book Tour by our Curator

DATE: 24 March
TIME: 15.00 - 16.00h
TICKETS: € 17.50 (excl. museum ticket; Stadspas, Museumkaart and ICOM card are accepted). Online booking mandatory for both the museum ticket and the tour.
LANGUAGE: Dutch, or English if requested

18 MARCH - Lunch Concert by Chi-Chun Chen, saxophone; Hy-Huu Dang, saxophone

On 18 March we will have a concert by TaiLu Duo, with saxophonists Chi-Chun Chen and Hy-Huu Dang. They will play Duo for flute and clarinet, op. 46 No. 1 by Kaspar Kummer; Idylle (for violin and viola) by Charles Koechlin; Clarinet Duets by Rimsky-Korsakov and Carmen Opera Medley for alto and tenor saxophone by Chi-Chun Chen

Chi-Chun Chen and Hy-Huu Dang are both classical saxophone students of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in the class of Arno Bornkamp and Willem van Merwijk. Together, they formed a brand-new saxophone duo to play the big music works in a small setting, in their own arrangements.

Date: Friday 18 March
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 / student € 8,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

17 MARCH - ONLINE AND OFFLINE LECTURE - Count Michael Maier: Alchemy, Myth and Rosicrucian Brotherhood in the Golden Age of Emblematic Alchemy, by Dr. Peter Forshaw

Michael Maier (1566-1622) is an exponent of mytho-alchemy, the idea that Greek and Egyptian mythology concealed alchemical secrets. He was also a staunch advocate of the Rosicrucian Brotherhood. In this lecture we will look at several works of this prolific author.

Maier is best-known for the images and music in his multimedia work Atalanta fugiens (Atalanta fleeing, 1617/18), with its 50 engravings, each accompanied by a 3-voice canon or fugue and discussion of the symbolic context for the image. The Embassy of the Free Mind is fortunate to own several 17^th-century paintings of these images, which will be shown during the lecture. Other works that will be discussed are Maier’s first work on mytho-alchemy, Arcana Arcanissima (Most Secret Secrets, 1614), in which he sets forth his argument that Egyptian and Greek myths conceal alchemical secrets, and Symbola Aureae Mensae (Symbols of the Golden Table, 1617), where he introduces a list of 12 important alchemists, ranging from Hermes Trismegistus in ancient Egypt to his contemporary, the ‘Anonymous Pole’.

We will also look at Maier’s defense of alchemy, represented as an owl undergoing trial by other birds in Jocus Severus(Serious Joke, 1617); his knowledge of laboratory practice in Examen fucorum pseudo-chymicorum detectorum (Swarm of Pseudo-Chymical Drones, 1617); and Viatorium, hoc est, De Montibus Planetarum septem seu Metallorum (A Travel-Guide, that is, On the Seven Mountains of the Planets or Metals, 1618).

In addition to this alchemical material, we shall consider Maier’s enthusiasm for the Rosicrucian Manifestos and his publications in support of the Rosicrucians, Silentium post clamores (Silence after the Clamours, 1617) and Themis Aurea (Golden Themis, 1618).

From 2010-2020 he was editor-in-chief of Aries: Journal for the Study of Western Esotericism. He is co-editor of The Word and the World: Biblical Exegesis and Early Modern Science (2007), Laus Platonici Philosophi: Marsilio Ficino and his Influence (2011), and Hermes Explains: Thirty Questions about Western Esotericism (2019), and editor of Lux in Tenebris: The Visual and the Symbolic in Western Esotericism (2017). He is author of the forthcoming 2-volume monograph The Mage’s Images: Heinrich Khunrath in his Oratory and Laboratory, for Brill’s Aries Book Series, together with an annotated English translation of Khunrath's Amphitheatrum sapientiae aeternae (Amphitheatre of Eternal Wisdom, 1609).

Additionally there are seats available in the Grote Sael for those who want to attend the lecture in person.

Date
Thursday 17 March

Tijd
7.30 - 8.45pm CET
7.30 - 8.45pm AMSTERDAM
2.30 - 3.45pm NEW YORK
11.30am - 12.45pm LOS ANGELES

Tickets
Grote Sael: € 12.50 / student € 8.50. Door open: 18.15 uur.
Online: € 12.50 / $ 15 / student € 8.50 / $ 10

Language
English

25 FEBRUARY - GUIDED TOUR of the Exhibition Open Book - A Journey of Discovery through the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica Collection

Time
15.30h

Dates
Friday 25 February

23 February - GUIDED TOUR | Grail Guided Tour by Rachel Ritman

This in-depth tour by Rachel Ritman explains the unique Grail art we own and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition. Book your ticket in advance, because there is only a limited amount of places available!

Date: Wednesday 2, 16, 23 February
Time: 15.30h - 16.30h
Tickets: € 10,- excl. museum admission (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)
Language: Dutch or English on request

PLEASE NOTE: only 5 people can join each tour, in order to keep enough distance. During the entire tour we will ensure that 1.5 metres are respected between both visitors and the staff of the Embassy of the Free Mind.

23 FEBRUARY - Workshop for children age 4-8, ‘Natuurwet van tegendelen en harmonie’, by Ankie Hettema

Please note: this workshop is in Dutch

Dag en nacht, hoog en laag, binnen en buiten, boos en blij… hou het maar bij! Het leven hupt van het één naar het ander - twee horen bij elkaar. Wat wisselt in jou? Wat maakt je licht, wat zwaar? Wat kan klein zijn en wat groot? Ontdek hoe tegenstellingen werken, kijk, zoek, luister en doe!

Ankie Hettema’s eerdere workshop in de Embassy of the Free Mind, ‘De zeven hermetische principes’ maakte zoveel enthousiasme los bij de kinderen dat we er graag een vervolg aan geven. In deze workshop onderzoekt Ankie Hettema samen met de kinderen de werking van tegenstellingen buiten in de natuur en binnen in onszelf, met behulp van verhalen, proefjes, afbeeldingen in de Embassy of the Free Mind en veel creativiteit!

Het ticket is geldig voor één kind plus één begeleider. Terwijl de kinderen de workshop doen, kun je het museum bekijken of van onze tuin genieten.

Date
Wednesday 23 February

Time
11.00-12.30h, incl. break
and 13.00-14.30h, incl. break

Tickets
€ 10,-. (incl. supervisor)

Language
Dutch

Max. number of participants deelnemers
10 (excl. adults)

19 FEBRUARY - Historical Guided Tour | House with the Heads

In this guided tour Jozef Ritman, who is in charge of the preservation of this listed building, will give you an insider’s view of this monumental house which is included in the top 100 of Dutch heritage sites. Combine the tour with a visit to our new exhibition, an exclusive lunch concert on 12 June, or enjoy the colourful garden!

Time: 15.30h - 16.45h
Dates: 19 February
Tickets: € 10 (excl. museum ticket, Stadspas and Museumkaart are accepted). Online booking is mandatory for both the museum ticket and the tour.
Language: Dutch, or English if requested

PLEASE NOTE: only 4 people can join each tour, in order to keep enough distance. During the entire tour we will ensure that 1.5 metres are respected between both visitors and the staff of the Embassy of the Free Mind.

18 FEBRUARY - Lunch Concert Emma Warmelink, cello

On 18 February there wil be a concert by cellist Emma Warmelink. She will play the Allemande from Cello Suite no. 4 and Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Bourree I & II, Gigue from Cello Suite no. 3 by J.S. Bach.

Emma Warmelink is an ardent orchestra and ensemble player. She has played in the EUYO (European Union Youth Orchestra) since 2020 and is academist 2020 en 2021 of the Pacific Music Festival in Japan. She is a founding member of Zèta Trio, with which she won first prize as well as the audience prize at the ‘Grote Kamermuziekprijs Rotterdam’. Emma plays a 17-century cello by Hendrik Jacobs, lent her by an anonymous donor.

Date: Friday 18 February
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 / student € 8,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

17 FEBRUARY - Rare Book Tour by our Curator

DATE: 17 Feburary
TIME: 15.00 - 16.00h
TICKETS: € 17.50 (excl. museum ticket; Stadspas, Museumkaart and ICOM card are accepted). Online booking mandatory for both the museum ticket and the tour.
LANGUAGE: Dutch, or English if requested

PLEASE NOTE: only 4 people can join each tour, in order to keep enough distance. During the entire tour we will ensure that 1.5 metres are respected between both visitors and the staff of the Embassy of the Free Mind.

18 DECEMBER - Historical Guided Tour | House with the Heads

The Embassy of the Free Mind is located in the 17th-century canal house called Huis met de Hoofden - House with the Heads. Since it was built in 1622, the house has seen many inhabitants. The second owners of the house, the De Geer family, already created a haven for free thinking here in the 17th century. Which elements in the house still date from that time? Which characteristics reveal the influence of subsequent owners of the house? And what is the true story behind the six heads on the facade of the house?

In this guided tour Jozef Ritman, who is in charge of the preservation of this listed building, will give you an insider’s view of this monumental house which is included in the top 100 of Dutch heritage sites. Combine the tour with a visit to our colourful garden!

Date: 18 December
Time: 15.30h - 16.15h
Tickets: € 10 (excl. museum ticket. Stadspas and Museumkaart are accepted). Online booking is mandatory for both the museum ticket and the tour.
Language: Dutch, or English if requested

17 DECEMBER - Lunch Concert, Duo Era: Khrystyna Kulchynska, cello; Dafne Paris, harp

On 17 December we welcome Duo Era, with cellist Khrystyna Kulchynska and harpist Dafne Paris. More information will follow soon.

Duo Era was formed by cellist Khrystyna Kulchynska and harpist Dafne Paris, who met while studying at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. One of the strong points of this ensemble is the atmosphere and the way the musicians incorporate their diverse backgrounds and cultural heritage (Italian, Dutch, Ukrainian and Russian) into their music. Duo Era wants to expand the repertoire for the special combination of cello and harp and to give concerts that also involve other art disciplines. They are currently working on projects in which music, visual arts and poetry merge, for which they are supported by the Keep an Eye Foundation.

In addition to their duo, Khrystyna and Dafne play in various orchestras and ensembles and perform regularly in Europe's major cities.

On 17 December Duo Era will play a versatile programme with works by Ravel, Tchaikovsky, Isang Yun, Reinhold Glière and Luigi Maurizio Tedeschi.

Date: Friday 17 December
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 / student € 8,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

11 DECEMBER - Koerbagh City Trail

Learn to think for yourself. Don’t let anybody else do the thinking for you, or decide what you must think or believe. It might have been the personal motto of the Amsterdam lawyer and physician Adriaan Koerbagh. He was a radical enlightener, like his far more famous contemporary and fellow townsman Spinoza. Koerbagh urged the importance of reason and deliberately wrote in Dutch – unlike Spinoza, who wrote in Latin – to make the ‘ordinary’ people see sense. It cost him his life. His book Een ligt schijnende in duystere plaatsen (A Light Shining in Dark Places), which was the main reason for his arrest and imprisonment, was considered so ‘pernicious and blasphemous’ that it was suppressed. It was only published in 2011.

In this city trail, part of the exhibition Advocate of Free Thought. Adriaan Koerbagh (1633-1669), a guide will take you past places that were important in the lives of Adriaan Koerbagh, his brother Johannes – like Adriaan a radical freethinker – and some of their circle. During this three-hour walking tour you will encounter former meeting places of freethinkers, the sites of the printing houses where the printers and publishers disseminated their ideas, the Koerbaghs’ parental home, the former town hall (now Royal Palace) with its notorious torture chamber where Adriaan was interrogated, and other memorable places. Meet Adriaan Koerbagh, his friends and his philosophy, stretch your legs and feast your mind!

Starting Point
We assemble in the café of the Embassy of the Free Mind for the Koerbagh City Trail. After an introduction to the EFM and the exhibition we start our tour. You will receive a map. Please note: The Koerbagh City Trail will be in Dutch.
You can also walk the city trail on your own, using the exhibition guide and the extra city plan provided. The exhibition guide is available in English.

Dates
Wednesday 1 December
Saturday 11 December

Time
13.30h

Language
Dutch

Tickets 
€ 20

10 DECEMBER - GUIDED TOUR of the Exhibition Advocate of Free Thought. Adriaan Koerbagh (1633-1669) by one of our curators

Learn to think for yourself. Don’t let anybody else do the thinking for you, or decide what you must think or believe. It might have been the personal motto of the Amsterdam lawyer and physician Adriaan Koerbagh. He was a radical enlightener, like his far more famous contemporary and fellow townsman Spinoza. Koerbagh urged the importance of reason and deliberately wrote in Dutch – unlike Spinoza, who wrote in Latin – to make the ‘ordinary’ people see sense. It cost him his life. His book Een ligt schijnende in duystere plaatsen (A Light Shining in Dark Places), which was the main reason for his arrest and imprisonment, was considered so ‘pernicious and blasphemous’ that it was suppressed. It was only published in 2011.

In this tour you will meet this remarkable freethinker, his ideas, his circle of radical thinkers in Amsterdam, and the reactions his ideas provoked. Showing original editions and legal documents, the exhibition tells the story of the rediscovery of the light of reason, the liberating promise of understanding and the personal autonomy of every individual, but also of the persistence of ingrained convictions. A tribute to an independent mind whose philosophy is still as relevant today as it was then.

Dates
Friday 3 December - Dutch
Friday 10 December - English

Time
15.30h

Tickets
€ 10,- excl. museum admission, Museumkaart, Stadspas Amsterdam or ICOM card are valid. Booking an online ticket in advance is mandatory.

24 NOVEMBER - GUIDED TOUR | Grail Guided Tour by Rachel Ritman

On several dates in November from 15.30h to 16.30h Rachel Ritman will give her guided tour on the Grail. This in-depth tour explains the unique Grail artwork at the Embassy of the Free Mind and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition. Book your ticket in advance, because there is only a limited amount of places available!

Date: 3, 10, 17 and 24 November
Time: 15.30h - 16.30h
Tickets: € 10,- excl. museum admission (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)
Language: Dutch, or English on request

19 NOVEMBER - Lunch Concert, Grimm Duette: Natalie Kulina, violin; Francisca Portugal, violin

On 19 November we welcome Grimm Duette, formed by violinists Natalie Kulina and Francisca Portugal, two musical storytellers! More information will follow soon.

Francisca Portugal (1998, Portugal) and Natalie Kulina (1996, Czech Republic) have been playing together as Grimm Duette since 2017 when they met through their studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. The name directly refers to the brothers Grimm, who encompassed regular human experiences and stories with a touch of magic and gift of storytelling.
Grimm Duette brings classical music almost anywhere. Their concerts over the years had led them outdoors, to a cave, to castles, rural towns, but also to schools, programmes, and housing facilities for the elderly and socially disadvantaged: places in which residents for different reasons usually do not have many opportunities to visit the concert halls. For this reason, they have arranged several famous virtuoso masterworks or even large symphonic works into fantasies with the setting of two violins, introducing the music they love to their audiences, while also being able to retell those stories with their narrative and musical language, fitted to each of them as individual players and as an ensemble. They never shy away from exploring their different backgrounds and interests to create an engaging programme, inclusive of any musical genre or historical timestamp, searching for the forgotten gems in the cultural heritage of their countries, working with composers, theatre artists or looking into their shared passion, literature, for inspiration.

Date: Friday 19 November
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 / student € 8,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

18 NOVEMBER - ONLINE LECTURE | Koerbagh and Spinoza: cliff edge versus caution, by Jonathan Israel

Please note: contrary to previous reports Jonathan Israel will not come to Amsterdam due to Covid-19. The lecture can only be attended online. Due to the new Covid-19 measures it is not possible to watch the livestream at the EFM.

Adriaan Koerbagh (1633-1669) stands out as one of the most remarkable, tragic and until recently unfairly underrated figures of the Dutch Golden Age. He and his younger brother, Johannes, were sons of a successful ceramics manufacturer who had died young, in 1644, and left them in sufficiently affluent circumstances for them to devote their lives to study and the pursuit of truth without needing to work at all in the usual sense. Born the year after Spinoza, Adriaan Koerbagh and his younger brother, were lifelong allies in arms as brave enlighteners and intellectual innovators, heretics against the religious ideas of the time, and defenders of basic human freedoms, especially the right of every human to think, believe, say, criticize and write whatever seems right, valuable and reasonable to them.

By the mid-1660s both brothers were residing mainly in their home city, Amsterdam, where both absorbed basic elements of Spinoza’s clandestine philosophy and developed into particular enthusiasts for the crusade launched by Franciscus van den Enden, and Spinoza’s physician friends whom they probably had got to know as students in Leiden, that is especially Lodewijk Meijer’s and Johannes Bouwmeester’s call for what we should term popular enlightenment and spreading Spinoza’s basic philosophical stance, as well as spreading among the general public the most up-to-date ideas about medicine, astronomy and science and doing so in ordinary Dutch language accessible to all.

Koerbagh’s books, it has been observed, ‘are certainly far more outspokenly anti-Christian than anything that Spinoza ever dared to write.’ This explains why Adriaan Koerbagh was subjected to such exceptionally severe punishment. Indeed, there was no better or bolder early summing up of the core message of Spinozism and the very essence of Radical Enlightenment.

About Jonathan Israel
Jonathan Israel’s work is concerned with European and European colonial history from the Renaissance to the eighteenth century. His recent work focuses on the impact of radical thought (especially Spinoza, Bayle, Diderot, and the eighteenth-century French materialists) on the Enlightenment and on the emergence of modern ideas of democracy, equality, toleration, freedom of the press, and individual freedom. His books include The Dutch Republic: Its Rise, Greatness, and Fall, 1477–1806 (1995); Radical Enlightenment: Philosophy and the Making of Modernity, 1650–1750 (2001); Enlightenment Contested: Philosophy, Modernity, and the Emancipation of Man 1670–1752 (2006); and A Revolution of the Mind: Radical Enlightenment and the Intellectual Origins of Modern Democracy (2009).
In Radical Enlightenment, Jonathan Israel considered that the ‘tragic story of the brothers Koerbagh may very well have been the very first example in Europe of official suppression of philosophical “enlightenment” of the people, as distinct from traditional suppression of theological blasphemy’.

Online lecture
The lecture will be live streamed from the Embassy of the Free Mind through Zoom, so you can watch the talk at home. You will also be able to ask questions. You will receive the Zoom link on your online ticket. A few days after the lecture, you will receive a private link to the recording of the lecture. So even if you can't join on the evening of the lecture, you will still be able to watch the event. The recording will be available until 17 December.

Date 
Thursday 18 November 2021

Time
7.30 - 8.45 pm CEST
7.30 - 8.45 pm AMSTERDAM
1.30 - 2.45 pm NEW YORK
10.30 am - 11.45 am LOS ANGELES

Tickets 
Online: € 12.50 / $ 15
Student online € 8.50 / $ 10

Language 
English

6 NOVEMBER - MUSEUMNIGHT AMSTERDAM 2021 | Theme: As Above, So Below

The Embassy of the Free Mind invites you to discover… yourself! With us you can look into two ancient "mirrors": one above us, which is astrology, and one below, which is alchemy. These two are connected according to the age-old Hermetic principle 'as above, so below'. The principle also refers to the interconnection of the macrocosm, the universe, with the microcosm, the individual. When you get to know yourself, you also get to know the universe… and when you know the universe, you know yourself.

Programm

Tarot Reading and Astrology - Curious about what the cards can tell you about yourself, your traits and your life choices? Let one of our experts lay tarot cards for you. Also, did you know that your zodiac sign can tell you a lot more about yourself than you thought? Our astrology specialists will show you!

Alchemical cocktail bar - Enjoy a cocktail from our special alchemical cocktail bar. The Philosopher's Stone, the elixir of life, drinkable gold... who knows, you might just find something special at the bottom of your glass! If not, you chances are you will have a wonderful drink you've never tasted before. Behind the bar will be alchemical vessels filled with flowers and herbs that have been used as ingredients in the drinks. The bar also includes a set of small bottles with special mixtures, which are extracted with pipettes by hand in order to make every cocktail truly unique. The bar includes many other extras, such as flowers that change color, drinks that make crackling sounds and ice that creates steam which flows over the bar and out of your glass.

Guided tours and talks - Learn about that mysterious connection between the stars, the planets in the sky and the plants, metals and minerals on earth in the short talks given every half hour. You can also go on a journey of discovery looking at the pictures on our walls and learn to read the symbolic secret language of alchemists.

Mirrors from heaven - About 1000 BCE, the Persian poet Ferdowsi de Shahnameh wrote the Book of Kings. The Persian kings are said to have possessed the cup or chalice of Jamshid, which was filled with the elixir of immortality and in which they could see the seven circles of the universe. Bowls and cups filled with water were used in ancient times as 'mirrors of the sky'. They were used to take astronomical and astrological measurements. They were also a metaphor for enlightened kingship, which should aim to connect the wisdom given from above with the people below. Today, we call these vessels grails. At the Embassy of the Free Mind, we have our own Grail of Amsterdam. During museum night, you are invited to learn about the symbolism behind the quest for the Holy Grail.

Know thyself: A search for your inner self - Do you want to take your daily horoscope a little bit further and learn more about yourself and your zodiac sign? How much is there you don't know about yourself yet? Find out for yourself by answering a few questions! Alternatively, you can flip through our 17th-century pop-up book, which tell you how to see and understand the cosmos within yourself.

Fake Tattoo - Do you want to walk around with a cool (fake) tattoo of the Monas Hieroglyphica by John Dee, the symbol in which the sun, the moon and four elements are incorporated? Visit the Embassy of the Free Mind during museum night and get your tattoo!

Tombola - Would you like to win a poster, a rare book tour, free access to our museum for a year or a tarot reading? Then buy raffle tickets for our tombola at the counter! The winners will be announced via Instagram

Date
6 November 2021

Tickets are for sale via the Museumnacht Amsterdam website, but be quick as they are expected to sell out quickly. With your ticket you also have immediate access to the other participating museums in Amsterdam.

Time
19.00 - 00.00h

5 NOVEMBER - GUIDED TOUR of the Exhibition Advocate of Free Thought. Adriaan Koerbagh (1633-1669) by one of our curators

Dates
Friday 5 November - English

Time
15.30h

Tickets
€ 10,- excl. museum admission, Museumkaart, Stadspas Amsterdam or ICOM card are valid. Booking an online ticket in advance is mandatory.

4 NOVEMBER | ONLINE and OFFLINE LECTURE | In de voetsporen van Adriaan Koerbagh: Ericus Walten, by Rindert Jagersma

Please note, this lecture will be Dutch-spoken

Adriaan Koerbagh was niet de enige die streed voor het vrije denken in de 17e eeuw en dat met de dood moest bekopen. In deze lezing maken we kennis met de vrijdenker Ericus Walten (1662-1697), die Koerbaghs overtuigingen deelde, en uiteindelijk ook diens lot.
Met een ongewoon scherpe en onderhoudende pen bemoeide Walten zich met vrijwel alle belangrijke politieke, theologische en filosofische kwesties van zijn tijd. Geïnspireerd door Adriaan Koerbaghs Bloemhof (1668) schreef hij pamfletten tegen bijgeloof, de inmenging van de kerk in overheidszaken en nam hij het op voor Balthasar Bekker en diens De Betoverde Weereld (1691). Jonathan Israel noemde Walten ‘de meest compromisloze voorvechter van tolerantie, constitutioneel bestuur, en het beperken van het gezag van de kerk van de vroege Nederlandse verlichting’.

Mede dankzij Waltens pamfletten raakte de bevolking bekend met radicale, nieuwe ideeën. Zijn ideeën en geschriften kwamen Walten echter duur te staan. Op 19 maart 1694, na slechts vijf jaar als uiterst productief pamflettist actief te zijn geweest, werd hij in Den Haag gearresteerd en opgesloten in de Gevangenpoort, waar hij uiteindelijk zelfmoord pleegde.
In deze lezing gaat Rindert Jagersma in op het leven en werk van Ericus Walten en zijn gedachtengoed.

About Rindert Jagersma
Rindert Jagersma is als boekwetenschapper gespecialiseerd in de Nederlandse boekhandel rond 1700. Hij is verbonden aan de Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen waar hij binnen het MEDIATE-project (Measuring Enlightenment: Disseminating Ideas, Authors, and Texts in Europe, 1665-1830) onderzoek doet naar Nederlandse boekveilingcatalogi. Jagersma’s eerdere publicaties betroffen onder meer de pamflettist Ericus Walten en de verspreiding van het gedachtegoed van de vroege of radicale Verlichting, de kwantitatieve benadering van de vroegmoderne boekhandel en de identificatie van de voorheen anonieme drukkers van Benedictus de Spinoza (1632-1677).

Online and offline lecture
The lecture will be live streamed from the Embassy of the Free Mind through Zoom, so you can watch the talk at home. You will also be able to ask questions. You will receive the Zoom link on your online ticket.
Additionally there are 40 seats available in the Grote Sael of the Embassy of the Free Mind, where the lecture will be held, for those who want to attend the lecture in person.

Incl. recording 
A few days after the lecture, you will receive a private link to the recording of the lecture. So even if you can't join on the evening of the lecture, you will still be able to watch the event. The recording will be available until 4 December.

Date 
Thursday 4 November 2021

Time
7.30 - 8.45 pm CET
7.30 - 8.45 pm AMSTERDAM
2.30 - 3.45 pm NEW YORK
11.30 am - 12.45 pm LOS ANGELES

Tickets 
Grote Sael: € 12.50 / $ 15. Door open: 6.15 pm. 
Online: € 12.50 / $ 15
Student online € 8.50 / $ 10

Language 
Dutch

3, 10, 17, 24 OCTOBER - GUIDED TOUR | Grail Guided Tour by Rachel Ritman

On several dates in November from 15.30h to 16.30h Rachel Ritman will give her guided tour on the Grail. This in-depth tour explains the unique Grail artwork at the Embassy of the Free Mind and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition. Book your ticket in advance, because there is only a limited amount of places available!

Date: 6, 13, 20 and 27 October
Time: 15.30h - 16.30h
Tickets: € 10,- excl. museum admission (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)
Language: Dutch, or English on request

15 and 29 OCTOBER - GUIDED TOUR of the Exhibition Advocate of Free Thought. Adriaan Koerbagh (1633-1669) by one of our curators

Dates
Friday 8 October - Dutch
Friday 15 October - English
Friday 29 October - Dutch

Time
15.30h

Tickets
€ 10,- excl. museum admission, Museumkaart, Stadspas Amsterdam or ICOM card are valid. Booking an online ticket in advance is mandatory.

20 OCTOBER - Workshop Filosoferen voor kinderen

Please note, this workshop is in Dutch

Op woensdag 20 oktober geeft Riëtte van der Plas van 11.00-12.00 uur in de EFM een workshop Filosoferen voor kinderen. Samen met Riëtte gaan kinderen het hebben over vragen als ‘wat betekent vrijheid voor jou?’ Ook is er ruimte voor ‘verwonder’-vragen als: ‘Hoe weet je zeker dat de wijzer op de klok niet sneller doordraait als je niet kijkt?’ Of: ‘Hoe weet je dat dit geen droom is?’ Of: ‘Bestaat iets nog steeds als jij er niet naar kijkt?’ ‘Worden vliegtuigen echt kleiner als ze ver weg vliegen?’ ’Is een muis een vleermuis zonder vleugels?’
De workshop is voor kinderen van 6-14 jaar. De entree is incl. één begeleider.

Riëtte van der Plas (1961) studeerde Nederlands en filosofie aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam, waar ze ook de cursus 'Filosoferen met kinderen' volgde. Riëtte vindt het leuk om kinderen te stimuleren zelfstandig te denken. Ook begeleidde ze kinderen op een basisschool om ze op een speelse manier te leren mediteren.

Date
Wednesday 20 October

Time
11.00-12.00h

Age
6-14

Max. number of participants
10

Tickets
€ 10,-. The entrance fee includes one adult.

Language
Dutch

20 and 30 OCTOBER - Koerbagh City Trail

Dates
Saturday 9 October
Wednesday 20 October
Saturday 30 October

Time
13.30h

Language
Dutch

Tickets 
€ 20

7 OCTOBER | ONLINE and OFFLINE LECTURE | The Fate of a Heretic, by Bart Leeuwenburgh

Please note: this lecture is Dutch-spoken

On 27 July 1668 Adriaan Koerbagh (1633-1669) heard the following sentence demanded against him in the torture room of Amsterdam’s town hall (now a royal palace). His tongue was to be pierced, his right thumb severed, his books were to be burned and his goods confiscated. He would also be incarcerated in the house of correction for thirty years. Koerbagh was on trial for having written two books that year. Who was this rebel thinker? What drove him to publicly express radical criticism of a number of central Christian doctrines and dogmas, such as the Holy Trinity and the divinity of Jesus?

The first book Koerbagh published that year was Een Bloemhof van allerley lieflykheyd sonder verdriet (A Flower Garden of All Kinds of Loveliness), a dictionary of loan words mainly of German, French and Latin origin. After that he turned to Een Ligt Schijnende in Duystere Plaatsen, om te verligten de voornaamste saaken der Godsgeleertheyd en Godsdienst (A Light Shining in Dark Places, to Illuminate the Main Questions of Theology and Religion), a treatise in which he lambasted a range of dogmas of the Reformed Church. The publication of Ligt was successfully prevented by the authorities. In both Bloemhof and Ligt, Koerbagh had not only raised serious doubts about the dogmas of the official reformed church, he also attacked them with sardonic glee.

In short: who was this lawyer and physician from Amsterdam who died in prison a year later and who is now regarded as one of the founders of the Dutch Enlightenment? In this lecture we are going to look for an answer to this question.

About Bart Leeuwenburgh
Bart Leeuwenburgh (1960) is Lecturer in the History of Philosophy at Erasmus University’s Erasmus School of Philosophy. He is particularly interested in the historical development of the tension between philosophy, science and religion. He obtained his doctorate in 2009 with a reconstruction of the way educated Dutchmen looked at Darwin’s theory of evolution from a philosophical point of view. In 2013 he published Het noodlot van een ketter (The Fate of a Heretic), a biography on the life and work of Adriaan Koerbagh. He is currently completing an anthology in modern Dutch of De Betoverde Wereld (The Enchanted World), a notorious bestseller published in 1691 by the seventeenth-century theologian and clergyman Balthasar Bekker (1634-1698).

Date 
Thursday 7 October 2021

Time
7.30 - 8.45 pm CEST
7.30 - 8.45 pm AMSTERDAM
1.30 - 2.45 pm NEW YORK
10.30 am - 11.45 am LOS ANGELES

Tickets 
Grote Sael: € 12.50 / $ 15. Door open: 6.15 pm. 
Online: € 12.50 / $ 15
Student online € 8.50 / $ 10

Language 
Dutch

29 SEPTEMBER - Koerbagh City Trail

Dates
Saturday 18 September
Wednesday 29 September

Time
13.30h

Language
Dutch

Tickets 
€ 20

22 and 29 SEPTEMBER - GUIDED TOUR | Grail Guided Tour by Rachel Ritman

On several dates in September from 15.30h to 16.30h Rachel Ritman will give her guided tour on the Grail. This in-depth tour explains the unique Grail artwork at the Embassy of the Free Mind and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition. Book your ticket in advance, because there is only a limited amount of places available!

Date: 22 and 29 September
Time: 15.30h - 16.30h
Tickets: € 10,- excl. museum admission (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)
Language: Dutch, or English on request

24 SEPTEMBER - GUIDED TOUR of the Exhibition Advocate of Free Thought. Adriaan Koerbagh (1633-1669) by one of our curators

Dates
Friday 17 September - Dutch
Friday 24 September - English

Time
15.30h

Tickets
€ 10,- excl. museum admission, Museumkaart, Stadspas Amsterdam or ICOM card are valid. Booking an online ticket in advance is mandatory.

17 SEPTEMBER - Lunch Concert, Mylô Dúo: Maria Louisa Olmos Ros, clarinet; Silvia Gallego Sánchez, double bass

On 17 September we will again welcome Mylô Dúo, formed by Maria Louisa Olmos Ros, clarinet, and Silvia Gallego Sánchez, double bass. They will play the Duo for bassoon and clarinet no. 1 by Beethoven, Nine pieces for clarinet and double bass by Hindemith and Benny's Gig by Morton Gould.

Milô Dúo demonstrates how extraordinary the timbre of this combination is: the low and deep sound of the double bass mixed with the large range in pitch of the clarinet gives the music a rich, varied character and also creates a humorous atmosphere, especially in music of the twentieth century.

Maria Louisa Olmos Ros and Silvia Gallego Sànchez have studied with masters on the clarinet and double bass, such as Harmen de Boer and Rick Stotijn. They have performed extensively in their hometowns Marcia and Albacete and look forward to sharing their musical enthusiasm with the Netherlands.

Please note: Due to Covid-19 regulations we can allow a maximum of 20 visitors in the room. Online booking is mandatory for both the museum ticket and the concert. Since the interest in our lunch concerts far exceeds the number of seats available, we kindly ask you to inform us by sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you do not want to use your ticket. Then we can make someone else happy with a seat. If you do not use your ticket without cancellation, we will charge you a no-show fee of €20.

Date: Friday 17 September
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

16 SEPTEMBER - DUTCH | ONLINE OPENING of the exhibition Advocate of Free Thought. Adriaan Koerbagh (1633-1669)

On 16 September the exhibition Advocate of Free Thought. Adriaan Koerbagh (1633-1669) will open at the Embassy of the Free Mind. There are tickets available to celebrate this special event with us through Zoom.

Programme
17.30 Welcome by curator Cis van Heertum
17.35 Hannah Laurens: Who was Adriaan Koerbagh?
17.45 Jonathan Israel: What did Adrian Koerbagh think?
18.00 Musical interlude
18.05 Erik van Muiswinkel: opening of the exhibition
18.30 End of the online opening

Who was Adriaan Koerbagh, and why this decidated exhibition?
‘Learn to think for yourself. Don't let someone else do the thinking for you, or decide what you must think or believe.’ It might have been the personal motto of the Amsterdam physician and lawyer Adriaan Koerbagh. He was a radical enlightener, like his far more famous contemporary Spinoza. Reason is the greatest gift of God, Koerbagh felt, and everyone has access to it. Not blind faith, but knowledge acquired through reason would lead to happiness.

Koerbagh belonged to a circle of radical freethinkers, amongst whom Spinoza. Unlike Spinoza, however, who wrote in Latin, Koerbagh deliberately wrote in Dutch because he wanted to open the eyes of the ‘ordinary people’. His dictionary Een Bloemhof van allerlei lieflijkheyd sonder verdriet (A Flower Garden of All Kinds of Loveliness without Sorrow) included such fierce criticism of established religion that he sought refuge in the free town of Culemborg. From there he sent the manuscript of his book Een ligt schijnende in duystere plaatsen (A Light Shining in Dark Places), an elaboration of the ideas he had expressed in Bloemhof, to a Utrecht printer. The latter, frightened by its ‘pernicious and blasphemous’ contents, informed the authorities. Koerbagh was arrested, sentenced, and died in prison. It was not until 2011 that Een ligt actually saw the light of day. Koerbagh's message is just as relevant today as it was then.

Online event
The event will be live streamed from the Embassy of the Free Mind through Zoom. You will receive the Zoom link on your online ticket.

Incl. recording
A few days after the event, you will receive a private link to the recording of the opening ceremony. So even if you can't join on the evening of the event, you will still be able to watch it.

Date
Thursday 16 September 2021

Time
5.30 - 6.30 pm CEST
5.30 - 6.30 pm AMSTERDAM
11.30 am - 12.30 pm NEW YORK
8.30 - 9.30 am LOS ANGELES

Tickets
€ 5,- / $ 6

Language
Dutch

10, 11 and 12 September - SYMPOSIUM | The Golden Thread of the Free Mind

The Embassy of the Free Mind is a partner for the symposium The Golden Thread of the Free Mind, to be held on 10,11, and 12 September in Tarascon-sur-Ariège on the occasion of the presentation of the book Places where the Spirit breathes – The Sabarthez as a mirror of humanity. Antoine Gadal 1877-1962, Life, work and transmission of the Cathar Gnosis. For this book, the “Gadal Archive” in the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica was largely drawn on.

The symposium brings a selection of international scientists, philosophers and musicians together, presenting subjects that shed a light on the ancient old human history of this region. The symposium focuses on the human being and his free mind. In various themes, authors from different fields show how that this free mind manifested itself in that special region of the Ariège that is the Sabarthez. The background of the fascinating rock paintings, the hidden oral tradition of the region, the art of the free mind in the Middle Ages, the tension between materialism and idealism throughout history, the role of women in Catharism and the courtly love of the troubadours are some of the topics that leading speakers will cover.
The symposium includes a unique concert by Hespèrion XXI, conducted by Jordi Savall (vielle, rebec), in the huge cave of Lombrives.

Dates
10, 11 and 12 September

Location
Tarascon-sur-Ariège:
Espace François Mitterrand, Avenue Paul Joucla
Maison des Jeunes et de la Culture, 4 Rue de l’Horte

Fee
€ 150,- excl. lodging and meals

Organisation
Rozekruis Pers in Haarlem

Partners
Municipalité Tarascon
Embassy of the Free Mind in Amsterdam

9 SEPTEMBER - ONLINE AND OFFLINE LECTURE | Alchemical Symbolism in Psychoanalysis, by Hans van den Hooff

Early in his career, the Swiss psychiatrist C.G. Jung (1865-1961) was working closely with Freud. The two grew apart as Jung increasingly differed with Freud over the latter’s insistence on the sexual bases of neurosis. Following his work with (psychotic) patients in the psychiatric Burghölzli clinic, Jung discovered the relevance of alchemical symbolism as representations of the structure and dynamics of the deeper layers of the human psyche. In the second half of his career, Jung studied old alchemical texts and images and extensively published on the correlates between alchemy and psychology. His main books on this topic are: Psychology and Alchemy, Alchemical studies and Mysterium Coniunctionis.

The Embassy of the Free Mind houses one of the largest collections of alchemical books in the world, many of which have been studied and discussed by Jung and other Jungian psychoanalysts and scholars.
In this lecture we will introduce some of Jung’s work on alchemy and psychology and present some examples of alchemical imagery with clinical psychotherapeutic relevance.

About Hans van den Hooff
Dr Hans van den Hooff is a psychoanalyst (C.G. Jung) in private practice in Amsterdam working with people from different backgrounds: young entrepreneurs and artists, corporate leaders, people from the health care sector, from the academic world and others. He works with relatively many expatriates. Before he worked as a psychotherapist and a Jungian Analyst in London.
Hans van den Hooff has been writing and lecturing internationally in the fields of analytical psychology. He is a Senior Analyst with the Independent Group of Analytical Psychologists (IGAP), a member of the International Association of Analytical Psychology (IAAP), a member of the International Society for the Psychoanalytical Study of Organizations (ISPSO) and the Netherlands Association of Analytical Psychologists (NAAP).

Earlier he has been a consultant and partner with management consulting firms and worked as a physicist for Shell in Europe and the US. He holds a PhD in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Amsterdam and qualified as a psychotherapist and Jungian Analyst in London.

Online and offline lecture
The lecture will be live streamed from the Embassy of the Free Mind through Zoom, so you can watch the talk at home. You will also be able to ask questions. You will receive the Zoom link on your online ticket.
Additionally there are 12 seats available in the Grote Sael of the Embassy of the Free Mind, where the lecture will be held, for those who want to attend the lecture in person.

Date 
Thursday 9 September 2021

Time
7.30 - 8.45 pm CEST
7.30 - 8.45 pm AMSTERDAM
1.30 - 2.45 pm NEW YORK
10.30 am - 11.45 am LOS ANGELES

Tickets 
Grote Sael: € 12.50 / $ 15 (please note, there are only 12 seats available). Door open: 6.15 pm. 
Online: € 12.50 / $ 15
Student online € 8.50 / $ 10

Language 
English

8 SEPTEMBER - TOUR OF THE EXHIBITION | Secrets of Nature by one of our curators

Last chance, because this exhibition ends 12 September!
This tour is Dutch-spoken

Travel with one of our curators to a time when the world was still full of secrets. Although the knowledge about natural processes increased steadily in the 17th century and the first major scientific discoveries were made, it still proved difficult to explain many phenomena. The images and books in our new exhibition Secrets of Nature are at the crossroads of two worlds: the ‘enchanted’ and the ‘mechanistic’ world view. Some authors still interpret natural phenomena as symbolic. The strange signs on herrings caught in 1587 were thus seen to point to the biblical End of Times. Other works exemplify a more modern scientific view of the world, such as a human anatomy atlas, based on new scientific insights. It can be opened layer by layer to reveal the ‘secrets’ of organs, bones and veins.

The exhibition highlights the Swiss scholar Scheuchzer, who epitomizes this period of transition, both literally and figuratively. As a naturalist and a firm believer, he tried to harmonize his scientific discoveries with the creation story as told in the Bible. The result is an impressive series of engravings, some of which you will be introduced to during this tour.

Date: Wednesday 8 Septeber
Time: 15.30h
Tickets: € 10,- excl. museum admission, Museumkaart, Stadspas Amsterdam or ICOM card are valid. Booking an online ticket in advance is mandatory.
Language: Dutch

26 AUGUST - TOUR OF THE EXHIBITION | Secrets of Nature by one of our curators

This tour is Dutch-spoken

Date: Thursday 26 August
Time: 15.30h
Tickets: € 10,- excl. museum admission, Museumkaart, Stadspas Amsterdam or ICOM card are valid. Booking an online ticket in advance is mandatory.
Language: Dutch

20 AUGUST - Lunch Concert, Wendy Palomeque, marimba

On 20 August there will be a performance by Wendy Palomeque, marimba. She will play popular Mexican songs, Tango for Gary by Saúl Cosentino, Marimba d’Amore by Keiko Abe and movements from Fertility Rites by Christos Hatzis.

Wendy Palomeque is one of Mexico’s most outstanding young marimba players. Born and raised in Chiapas, southern Mexico, a state in which the marimba is a musical icon and the prevailing folkloric instrument, she represents the fourth generation of marimba players of the renowned Palomeque family.
Wendy graduated from the Chiapas University of Sciences and Arts (UNICACH) and, with honours, from the LUCA University (Leuven College of Arts). She has received lessons from renowned marimbists and percussionists from all over the world. She performed at several editions of the International Festival of Marimbists (Chiapas, Mexico), at the III Latin American Competition of Marimbists (Chiapas, Mexico) and the International Festival of Percussion (Ibague, Colombia).
In addition to classical marimba Wendy also plays traditional marimbas (from Chiapas, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Colombia, and Africa), taking classes with traditional marimbists, academics and researchers of these instruments. As a traditional marimbist she has performed in various states of Mexico, in Colombia and Ireland.
Currently she lives in Amsterdam, working on exciting new projects and collaborations and forging the next phase of her career.

Date: Friday 20 August
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

11 AUGUST | Workshop ‘The Seven Hermetic Principles’ for children age 4-8, by Ankie Hettema

Please note, this workshop will be given in Dutch!

Wie is die man met die ingewikkelde naam: Hermes Trismegistus? En wat heeft hij te vertellen, dat mensen vandaag de dag nog steeds inspireert? Om ook kinderen kennis te laten maken met de oeroude maar nog steeds springlevende wijsheid van Hermes geeft Ankie Hettema op 11 augustus een workshop voor kinderen van 4-8 jaar in de Embassy of the Free Mind.

In deze workshop laat Ankie Hettema de kinderen de relatie tussen de kosmos, de natuur en de mens beleven. De sterren, de wereld, de aarde, de bergen, de bomen, de bloemen én de mensen komen allemaal uit één bron, zegt Hermes. En ook dat alles verandert, maar niets echt verdwijnt. Dat gaan de kinderen zelf onderzoeken, in de natuur en in henzelf. En het blijft niet bij kijken en luisteren: kwasten en verf liggen klaar

Ankie Hettema is auteur van het boek Hemel en aarde in de wereld van het kind. Vanuit de gedachte dat je de samenleving en de wereld alleen werkelijk vernieuwend kunt vormgeven als je aan de basis begint - bij het kind - beschrijft ze hierin zeven levensprincipes. Ook in haar eigen onderwijspraktijk nam ze kinderen jarenlang mee in de wijsheid van Hermes, want: ‘Kinderen die hun oorsprong kennen, hebben een voorsprong in het leven.’

Het ticket is geldig voor één kind plus één begeleider. Terwijl de kinderen de workshop doen, kun je het museum bekijken of van onze tuin genieten.

Datum 
11 augustus

Tijd 
11.00-12.30 uur, incl. pauze

Tickets 
€ 10,-. Het boek ‘Hemel en aarde in de wereld van het kind' (winkelprijs € 24,95) is op vertoon van het ticket voor € 20,- te koop in onze museumshop. Het boek is niet nodig om de workshop te kunnen volgen.

Taal 
Nederlands

Max. aantal deelnemers 
10 (excl. begeleiders). Mocht de workshop uitverkocht zijn, stuur ons een mailtje via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Bij voldoende belangstelling organiseren we een tweede workshop.

5 AUGUST - DUTCH |ONLINE and OFFLINE PRESENTATION | Children who can leap - seven key hermetic thoughts, by Ankie Hettema

Please note, this lecture is in Dutch.

Children who can leap…
into the future…
across borders…
towards the other…
untrammeled by the past…
keep a free mind…
live with a loving heart…

‘Man is a great miracle’ – words from the Asclepius, a text attributed to the legendary sage Hermes Trismegistus. Anyone who is aware of their origin has a head start in life. They can leap. Today, the emphasis in life is mainly on hard materialism, which compromises our umanity and our duty of care towards our planet earth. The greatness of Hermes lies in his capacity to be a complete human being, in the union of body, mind and soul. In finding a good balance in life. This is what Ankie Hettema wants to achieve with children. The seven key hermetic thoughts discussed in this presentation show us how to connect with our own inner self and that of the child.

About Ankie Hettema
Ankie Hettema (1954) has more than thirty years’ experience as a primary school teacher for groups 1-8 (4-year-olds to 12-year-olds). She has also worked as a design and technology teacher and as a remedial teacher. She is a member of the Lectorium Rosicrucianum, which awards an important place to gnostic-hermetic philosophy. In 2017 she completed a class in ‘philosophizing with children’ at the Avans University of Applied Sciences in Breda. The core of her work is the connectedness between people, nature and the cosmos, based on the idea that everything is connected and influences each other, on the relationship between cosmic order and the innerness of people and that attunement makes it possible to live a life in understanding, joy and unity.

Her book Hemel en aarde in de wereld van het kind (Heaven and Earth in the World of the Child) was published in 2021. In this book, Ankie Hettema shows how she brings her vision of life to bear on her interaction with the class, in a way that turns the child’s life into a feast of learning. She knows how to share the miracle that is life with the children she teaches. Any moment you engage with a child, whether as a parent, a grandfather or grandmother or in any other relationship, you can tap into this possibility that is open to you. If you live in awareness, you can help raise the children’s awareness in a playful manner.

Online and offline presentation
The presentation will be livestreamed via Zoom, so you can attend from home. You can also ask questions via Zoom. You will receive the Zoom link on your online ticket and will be sent a personal link to the video of the presentation a few days after the event. If you are unable to join us that evening, either online or offline, you will still be able to follow the presentation. The video is available until 5 September.

There are 12 seats available in the Grote Sael of the Embassy of the Free Mind for those who want to attend the presentation in person.

Date
Thursday 5 August

Tickets
Online and offline: € 12,50

Language
Dutch

Time
19.30 - 20.45h CEST
19.30 - 20.45h AMSTERDAM
1.30 - 2.45h NEW YORK
10.30 - 11.45h LOS ANGELES

4 AUGUST - TOUR OF THE EXHIBITION | Secrets of Nature by one of our curators

This tour is English-spoken

Date: Wednesday 4 August
Time: 15.30h
Tickets: € 10,- excl. museum admission, Museumkaart, Stadspas Amsterdam or ICOM card are valid. Booking an online ticket in advance is mandatory.
Language: English

29 JULY - TOUR OF THE EXHIBITION | Secrets of Nature by one of our curators

This tour is Dutch-spoken

Date: Thursday 29 July
Time: 15.30h
Tickets: € 10,- excl. museum admission, Museumkaart, Stadspas Amsterdam or ICOM card are valid. Booking an online ticket in advance is mandatory.
Language: Dutch

26-27 JULY - STUDENT CONFERENCE | Esotericism and the Varieties of Transformation

The student conference, 'Esotericism and the Varieties of Transformation', will stream live from the Embassy of the Free Mind on 26-27th July! Presentations will be delivered on-site as well as online.

We have a rich variety of presentations planned, with topics on nuclear science and alchemy, early modern Portugese messianism, Medusean metamorphoses, and much more! Keynote presentation featuring the inimitable, Dr. J. Christian Greer.

Conference program

Heartfelt thanks to our sponsors & partners: The Embassy of the Free Mind, Amsterdams Universiteitsfonds, Center for Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents, and the ESSWE Sponsorship Programme. Also a big thanks to all our presenters whose unceasing enthusiasm and flexibility has made this event possible in the strangest of times.

Link to FB event: https://fb.me/e/4QBg3Mwjg

Instagram: @esotransformation

Images:

Valère Bernard (1860-1936), 'Figures (Méduse)'

The alchemical hermaphrodite, 'Rosarium philosophorum', 18th century engraving

Registration to attend on-site is no longer possible. To attend online, write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You will receive a link before the conference. Online attendance is FREE of charge.

Date: Monday 26 10.00 - 16.45 and Tuesday 27 July 10.00 - 16.45
Tickets: Online ticket FREE
Language: English

7, 14, 21 JULY - GUIDED TOUR | Grail Guided Tour by Rachel Ritman

On several dates in July from 15.30h to 16.30h Rachel Ritman will give her guided tour on the Grail. This in-depth tour explains the unique Grail art we own and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition. Book your ticket in advance, because there is only a limited amount of places available!

Date: 7, 14, 21 July
Time: 15.30h - 16.30h
Tickets: € 10,- excl. museum admission (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)
Language: Dutch, or English if requested

16 JULY - LUNCH CONCERT | Charlotte Gulikers, cello

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind

This is a concert series by students from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam at the Embassy of the Free Mind. Every third Friday of the month conservatory students will give a concert in the 'Grote Sael' in the House with the Heads. A very special collaboration, because the House with the Heads, now home of the Embassy of the Free Mind, housed the Amsterdam conservatory from 1909 to 1931. Truly a historical venue for the musicians of today.

On 16 July we will welcome cellist Charlotte Gulikers. She will play the Suite no. 2 for cello solo, BWV 1007, by J.S. Bach.

Charlotte Gulikers (1995) studied with Maarten Mostert in the bachelor’s degree programme at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam (CvA), graduating in 2018. Currently she studies with Pieter Wispelweij in the CvA’s master degree programme. In addition to modern cello she studies Baroque cello, regularly taking masterclasses on both instruments.
She won three prizes at the Princess Christina Competition and received an honourable mention at the Britten Cello Competition in 2013.

Charlotte performed as a soloist with Camerata Amstelveen and the Viotta Symphony Orchestra. She played several times with the National Youth Orchestra and has been a member of the international Theresia Orchestra since 2019. She regularly gives concerts with her brother, violinist Maxime Gulikers, including a performance at the Janine Jansen Festival in Utrecht.

Charlotte plays a Cornelis Weel cello from 1853, Utrecht.

Date: Friday 16 July
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

8 JULY - ONLINE and OFFLINE LECTURE | Alchemical Shadows in Artificial Intelligence, by Patricia Pisters

Please note, the lecture will be streamed live from the Grote Sael of the Embassy of the Free Mind. Additionally, there are a limited number of special tickets available for a seat in the Grote Sael.

In his famous poem Eidolons (1876) Walt Whitman extends the Greek concept for image/shadow/spirit to include the soul of the Earth (‘the mighty Earth eidolon’) and even the stars and planets. In this lecture Patricia Pisters will depart from Whitman’s cosmic interpretation of perception and reframe it within contemporary debates on ‘new materialism’ where human fate is entangled with nonhuman (earth/cosmic) forces.

Pisters will focus on the question what our perception and interpretation of our high-tech world can learn from ancient sources from the alchemical tradition, a tradition that is full of ‘spirits of the earth’. As such, alchemy itself can be considered as the low-tech (fore)shadow of our high-tech future that still holds infinite wisdoms that are worthwhile reconsidering.

Margherita Pavesi Mazzoni, 'Nigredo, Albedo, Rubedo: pilgrimage of the soul through metamorphosis,‘ 2016

Michael Maier, Atalanta Fugiens, 1618, emblema XVII. “A Fourfold Fireball controls this work

About Patricia Pisters
Patricia Pisters is professor of film at the Department of Media Studies of the University of Amsterdam. She is one of the founding editors of the open access journal Necsus: European Journal of Media Studies and the author of The Neuro-Image: A Film-Philosophy of Digital Screen Culture (Stanford University Press). Her latest book is about women directors and the poetics of horror, entitled New Blood in Contemporary Cinema (Edinburgh University Press 2020). Her work on filmmakers as metallurgists and digital alchemists was presented at the Alchemy Film Festival in Hawick (Scotland 2017) at the Alchemical Visions symposium. See the registration of this presentation here.

Her video experiment Emerald Transmutations can be see and read about here. See for articles, her blog, and other audio-visual material also www.patriciapisters.com

Online and offline lecture
The lecture will be live streamed through Zoom, so you can watch the talk at home. You will also be able to ask questions. You will receive the Zoom link on your online ticket.

Additionally there are 12 seats available in the Grote Sael of the Embassy of the Free Mind, where the lecture will be held, for those who want to attend the lecture in person.

Incl. recording
A few days after the lecture, you will receive a private link to the recording of the lecture. So even if you can't join on the evening of the lecture, you will still be able to watch the event. The recording will be available until 8 August.

Date
Thursday 8 July 2021

Time
7.30 - 8.45 pm CET
7.30 - 8.45 pm AMSTERDAM
1.30 - 2.45 pm NEW YORK
10.30 am - 11.45 am LOS ANGELES

Tickets
Grote Sael: € 20,- / $ 25 (please note, there are only 12 seats available). Door open: 6.15 pm.
online: € 15,- / $ 18
students online: € 9,50 / $ 11

Language
English

20, 27 JUNE - FAIRY TALES AND FOLKLORE | Reading sessions at the Embassy of the Free Mind

Once upon a time is happening right now at the Embassy of the Free Mind!
Come meet the talking animals, witches, princes and princesses of your favourite fairy tale in our museum garden.

On three Sundays this June and July, our intern Kelly Willersen will read stories from fairy tale and folklore books. After she has finished reading, she will tell you about some of the symbols, motifs and likely cultural meanings of the story she has just read. Young and old (who can still be young at heart!) are welcome to join her in the garden at set time slots throughout the day.

The program changes every week, so there’s a tale for everyone!

The program:

20th of June: Villains in Fairy Tales

10:30   De reus zonder hart
13:30   Vasilissa de wonderschone (also in English)
15:00   Beowulf
16:00   De demonenprinses

27th of June
Program to be announced.

Time: 10.30 and 11.30am, 3 and 4pm
Language: Dutch and English

NB: Due to the COVID-19 measures, it is also necessary to book an entrance ticket for the museum in advance to participate in this program.

26 JUNE - Historical Guided Tour | House with the Heads

In this guided tour Jozef Ritman, who is in charge of the preservation of this listed building, will give you an insider’s view of this monumental house which is included in the top 100 of Dutch heritage sites. Combine the tour with a visit to our colourful garden!

Date: 26 June
Time: 12.00h - 12.45h
Tickets: € 10 (excl. museum ticket. Stadspas and Museumkaart are accepted). Online booking is mandatory for both the museum ticket and the tour.
Language: Dutch, or English if requested

9, 16, 23 and 30 June - Grail Guided Tour by Rachel Ritman

On several dates in June from 15.30h to 16.30h Rachel Ritman will give her guided tour on the Grail. This in-depth tour explains the unique Grail art we own and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition. Book your ticket in advance, because there is only a limited amount of places available!

Date: 9, 16, 23, 30 June
Time: 15.30h - 16.30h
Tickets: € 10,- excl. museum admission (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)
Language: Dutch, or English if requested

17 and 23 JUNE - TOUR OF THE EXHIBITION | Secrets of Nature by one of our curators

Date: Friday 17 June (Dutch) and Friday 23 June (English)
Time: 15.30h
Tickets: € 10,- excl. museum admission, Museumkaart, Stadspas Amsterdam or ICOM card are valid. Booking an online ticket in advance is mandatory.
Language: 17 June (Dutch) en 23 June (English)

18 JUNE - Lunch Concert, Maat Saxophone Quartet

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind

This is a concert series by students from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam at the Embassy of the Free Mind. Every third Friday of the month conservatory students will give a concert in the 'Grote Sael' in the House with the Heads. A very special collaboration, because the House with the Heads, now home of the Embassy of the Free Mind, housed the Amsterdam conservatory from 1909 to 1931. Truly a historical venue for the musicians of today.

On 18 June there will be a concert by Maat Saxophone Quartet. They will play Grave et Presto by Jean Rivier, La fille aux cheveux de lin and Arabesque by Claude Debussy and Dichter und Bauer by Franz von Suppé.

Maat Saxophone Quartet is a young ensemble with a passion for chamber music. Hailing from Portugal, the members met at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where they study with Arno Bornkamp and Willem van Merwijk. Additionally they study at the Netherlands String Quartet Academy. Prize-winners of the most prestigious classical music competition in Portugal ‘Prémio Jovens Músicos’ (2018), the ensemble established itself as one of the upcoming new chamber music groups in the Netherlands and Portugal.
Maat’s passion for new music leads them to work closely with young composers, commissioning new pieces which not only represent great additions to the repertoire of this formation, but also revealing the inherent powers of Maat Saxophone Quartet. In April 2020 they released their first CD, Ciudades.

Please note: Due to Covid-19 regulations we can allow a maximum of 20 visitors in the room. Online booking is mandatory for both the museum ticket and the concert. Since the interest in our lunch concerts far exceeds the number of seats available, we kindly ask you to inform us bij sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you do not want to use your ticket. Then we can make someone else happy with a seat.

Date: Friday 18 June
Time: 13.30h - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50; students € 8,50; free entrance with Museumkaart, Stadspas Amsterdam or ICOM card. Booking an online ticket in advance is mandatory.

20 MAY - ONLINE LECTURE - The Mage’s Images: Heinrich Khunrath's ‘Wonder Book’ and its Reception from the 17th Century to modern ‘Occulture’, by Peter J. Forshaw

One of the treasures in the Embassy of the Free Mind’s library collection is Heinrich Khunrath's Amphitheatrum Sapientiae Aeternae (Amphitheatre of Eternal Wisdom, 1609). With its aim to teach 'in Scripture and Picture' it is a prime representative of the EFM’s philosophy of 'Teaching by Images': so during this lecture you will get to know many illustrations.

The lecture begins with a discussion of Khunrath’s practices and his fascination with new combinations of occult disciplines. He calls them 'Christian Kabbalist', 'Divinely Magical' and ‘Physico-Chymical’; three new names which are mentioned in the title. In another work, De Igne Magorum Philosophorumque (On the Fire of the Mages and Sages, 1608), Khunrath even went so far as to argue that ‘Cabala, Magic and Alchemy conjoined, should and must be used together with and alongside one another.’ In this lecture we will try to figure out what he meant by that.

We will then move on to look at the reception of Khunrath's work over the centuries, with praise and condemnation from Rosicrucians, Pietists, Boehmists, Freemasons, Mesmerists, and its influence on the French Occult Revival and the psychological alchemy of Carl Jung, and its presence in the writing of Umberto Eco. You will probably be most surprised to discover that his illustrations nowadays may be found in television series and even in fashion. Khunrath is still very much alive in an ‘Occultural’ context!

About Peter Forshaw
Peter J. Forshaw is Associate Professor in History of Western Esotericism in the Early Modern Period at the University of Amsterdam's Center for the History of Hermetic Philosophy, where he specialises in the intellectual and cultural history of occult philosophy (in particular alchemy, magic, and Christian cabala) and its relation to religion, science and medicine. He is also Head of the Ritman Research Institute at the Embassy of the Free Mind, where he works on the Geheime Figuren and Teaching by Images projects, as well as on the construction of an Alchemy Laboratory display. From 2010-2020 he was editor-in-chief of Aries: Journal for the Study of Western Esotericism. He is co-editor of The Word and the World: Biblical Exegesis and Early Modern Science (2007), Laus Platonici Philosophi: Marsilio Ficino and his Influence (2011), and Hermes Explains: Thirty Questions about Western Esotericism (2019); editor of Lux in Tenebris: The Visual and the Symbolic in Western Esotericism (2017) and author of the forthcoming two-volume monograph The Mage’s Images: Heinrich Khunrath in his Oratory and Laboratory, for Brill’s Aries Book Series: Texts and Studies in Western Esotericism, together with an annotated English translation of Khunrath's Amphitheatre of Eternal Wisdom.

Online lecture
The lecture will be live streamed through Zoom, so you can watch the talk at home. You will also be able to ask questions. You will receive the Zoom link on your online ticket.

Incl. recording
A few days after the lecture, you will receive a private link to the recording of the lecture. So even if you can't join on the evening of the lecture, you will still be able to watch the event. The recording will be available until 20 June.

Date: Thursday 20 May 2021
Time: 7.30 - 8.45 pm CET
7.30 - 8.45 pm AMSTERDAM
1.30 - 2.45 pm NEW YORK
10.30 am - 11.45 am LOS ANGELES
Tickets: € 15 / $ 18
Language: English

18 MARCH - ONLINE LECTURE | The Art of Transformation. A brief introduction to alchemy, with curator Cis van Heertum

This online lecture offers you an enticing look at one of our main collecting areas that continues to appeal to the imagination: alchemy. Indeed, the name of our library collection, Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica, was intended as homage to the ‘patron saint’ of alchemy, Hermes Trismegistus, the thrice-greatest Hermes, who was ‘born’ in Alexandria in Egypt, that melting pot of cultures, in the early centuries of our Common Era.

Alchemy came to Western Europe thanks to translations from the Arabic in the twelfth century, spawning a rich body of alchemical works, often beautifully illustrated with highly symbolic imagery. In this lecture you will see images of some of the most famous alchemical books, both from the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica Collection and other major alchemy collections. De alchemia by ‘Geber Arabis’, ‘ the Bible of the medieval alchemists’, is one of those books, but you will also meet other renowned alchemical authors. Think of Heinrich Khunrath for instance, whose ‘oratory-laboratory’ shows us that alchemy is so much more than just a practical art, or the enigmatic Basilius Valentinus.

Most of these famous alchemists are German, but we’ll end in the Embassy of the Free Mind’s hometown of Amsterdam with a Dutch alchemist, who in the 1660s lived not far from the House with the Heads on Keizersgracht. An anatomist who gave his name to ossicles and valves in our bodies, but also a practising alchemist, who provided a wonderful annotated edition of a work by Basilius Valentinus. Written in Latin, the work was translated into English by Richard Russell, that industrious ‘lover of Chymistry’, into English as The triumphant chariot of antimony in 1678.

So join us on 18 March for a look at the art of transformation!

About Cis van Heertum
Cis van Heertum has been working as a curator of the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica collection since 1991. She has curated a number of exhibitions, including ‘Alchemy on the Amstel’, on chemical medicine in the Dutch Golden Age (2013), and ‘Hermes Trismegistus. Master of Change’, on the many faces of Hermes Trismegistus (2015). She is currently working on an exhibition on the radical enlightener Adriaan Koerbagh (1633-1669), which is scheduled to open at the Embassy of the Free Mind in September 2021.

She has written a number of articles based on or inspired by the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica collection, including “This mysterious individual, William Stirling”: unpublished letters relating to the author of The Canon (1897)’, English Studies (2007) and (with fellow curator José Bouman) ‘Jacob Böhme in Amsterdam’, in Oog voor de wereld. De visionaire denker Jacob Böhme, eds. Claudia Brink, Lucinda Martin & Cecilia Muratori. Dresden: Staatliche Kunstsammlungen 2019.

Online lecture
The lecture will be live streamed through Zoom, so you can watch the talk at home. You will also be able to ask questions. You will receive the Zoom link on your online ticket.

Incl. recording
A few days after the lecture, you will receive a private link to the recording of the lecture. So even if you can't join on the evening of the lecture, you will still be able to watch the event. The recording will be available until 18 April.

Date: Thursday 18 March 2021
Time:
7.30 - 8.45 pm CET
7.30 - 8.45 pm AMSTERDAM
2.30 - 3.45 pm NEW YORK
11.30 am - 12.45 pm LOS ANGELES
Tickets: € 15 / $ 18
Language: English

4 MARCH - ONLINE LECTURE | Bloom from within: Florence and the Medici book collection

Welcome to a lively talk about the beauty of Florence, presented by a local guide, and truly accessible to everyone. You will meet the protagonists of the Early Renaissance through inspiring pictures, videos and stories about art and architecture, art patrons and famous artists of the Quattrocento (the 15th century).

With ‘Pure beauty belongs to everyone’ as her motto, Elena Fulceri will take you on a tour to explore the Renaissance architecture of the Palazzo Medici Riccardi and meet the members of the Florentine family who gave such a great impulse to the blossoming of the arts. They also brought together an unprecedented collection of manuscripts and books still housed in Florence and even in Amsterdam, at the Embassy of the Free Mind. For it was none other than Cosimo de’ Medici who, by asking Marsilio Ficino to translate the Corpus Hermeticum, started the Renaissance of hermetic philosophy in the West, the philosophy that is at the core of our book collection.

In her talk Elena will share pictures of the marvellous Biblioteca Laurenziana, which was designed by Michelangelo, presenting timeless treasures and showing illuminated pages of age-old books on philosophy and music alongside symbols inspired by the search of “Sommo Bene” (Supreme Good).
If you want to know more about Florence’s local treasures, artworks and exquisite poetry (with an English translation) come and join us for a journey into Florence’s essential beauty under the guidance of a native local expert and researcher.
Photo's by Elena Fulceri @florencewithflair

About Elena Fulceri
Elena Fulceri is a proud member of Il Cammino di Dante, a local association that celebrates Dante’s 700th anniversary with special events including lectures about the quest for freedom, so perfectly suited to the spirit of the Embassy of Free Mind. A graduate from the University of Florence with a specialisation in Renaissance Florentine art and manuscripts, Elena is a native licensed guide of the city of Florence and founder of www.florencewithflair.com. Since 2009 she has been working in archives, but has also been guiding travellers and scholars through less well known collections. Her passion for original manuscripts took her to London, Manchester and eventually to Amsterdam, to trace the rare books that were once part of Florentine collections.

Elena has a particular love for Renaissance philosophy, particularly Giovanni Pico della Mirandola and Marsilio Ficino, who worked in Florence at the time of the Medici dynasty. She visited the Embassy of the Free Mind twice and had the pleasure to accompany the founders of the Embassy of the Free Mind in Florence in 2018.

Online lecture
The lecture will be live streamed through Zoom, so you can watch the talk at home. You will also be able to ask questions. You will receive the Zoom link on your online ticket.

Incl. recording
A few days after the lecture, you will receive a private link to the recording of the lecture. So even if you can't join on the evening of the lecture, you will still be able to watch the event. The recording will be available until 31 March.

Date: Thursday 4 March 2021
Time:
7.30 - 8.45 pm AMSTERDAM
1.30 - 2.45 pm NEW YORK
10.30 am - 11.45 pm LOS ANGELES
Tickets: € 15 / $ 18
Language: English

18 FEBRUARY - ONLINE LECTURE | Magdalene Unveiled. Hidden sources restore her disfigured image

English presentation of the Dutch book Maria Magdalena ontsluierd. Verborgen bronnen herstellen haar geschonden beeld, to be published in February 2021.

Recently feminist theologists have been questioning the historicity of Mary Magdalene. Could she be a composite figure, composed of several other Marys, for example Mary of Bethany and Mary the mother of Jesus? What is the viewpoint of spiritual women studies?

Dr. Annine van der Meer, who obtained her PhD under the guidance of Prof. Gilles Quispel, researched historical source texts to gain a better insight into the figure of Mary Magdalene and how her image has been distorted throughout history. In her book she compares the Gospel of the Beloved Disciple, attributed to John, with the Gospel of the Beloved Companion, given back to the world in 2010 and written before the year 50 AD by Mary Magdalene herself, introducing herself in this beautiful text as Miryam the Migdala, the beloved companion of Yeshua, his wife, eyewitness and author. Crucial statements of Miryam in her texts seem to have been omitted in the Gospel of ‘John’ that underwent a second redaction around 90 AD. Miryams Gospel provides revolutionary insights about her leadership of the disciples after the resurrection of Jesus. It is the missing link that brings the pieces of her shattered image together.

ONLINE LECTURE: The lecture will be live streamed through Zoom from Amsterdam so you can watch the talk at home. You will be able to ask Dr. Annine van der Meer questions via Zoom. You will receive the Zoom link on your online ticket.

INCL. RECORDING

After the lecture, you will receive a private link to the recording of the lecture. So even if you can't join on the evening of the lecture itself, you will still be able to watch the event. The recording will be available until 18 March 2021.

ABOUT THE LECTURER

Dr Annine E.G. van der Meer (1953) is a Dutch historian of religion and holds a PhD in theology from the University of Utrecht. She was the last and only female student who wrote her doctoral thesis under the guidance of prof. dr. Gilles Quispel, who passed away in 2006. She has written several authoritative books on the hidden history of the sacred feminine and of women and their forgotten contribution to evolution and civilisation, digging Her-Story out from under His-Story in order to write Our-Story. Where necessary, she balances the established image of woman and man for the purpose of achieving equality, harmony, balance and peace for the world. In 2008 she founded Pansophia Foundation, which she led until 2018; a school of Wisdom in the 21st century, where the raising of consciousness, spirituality and empowerment of women were combined. In 2015 she founded her own publishing house Pansophia Press, in which she continues this Wisdom-work.

Author’s website: www.pansophia-press.nl or www.anninevandermeer.nl

About the book

Title: Maria Magdalena ontsluierd. Verborgen bronnen herstellen haar geschonden beeld.

Author: Dr. Annine E. G. van der Meer.

Price: 36,95 euro

ISBN 9789082672992

Ca. 600 pages. With many black and white images

See here/hier the trailer of the book.

The book is available in the webshop of Pansophia-press.nl

Short CV of the Author

Author’s website: www.pansophia-press.nl or www.anninevandermeer.nl

Date: Thursday 18 February 2021
Time: 7.30 - 8.45 pm AMSTERDAM
1.30 - 2.45 pm NEW YORK
10.30 am - 11.45 pm LOS ANGELES
Tickets: € 15 / $ 18
Language: English

11 FEBRUARY - Boekpresentatie - Spinozaland | De ontdekking van de vrijheid - Amsterdam, 1677 - Maxime Rovere - Uitgeverij Balans.

Programma
- Welkomstwoord door Cis van Heertum
- Overhandiging eerste exemplaar aan Daan Roovers, Denker des Vaderlands
- Interview met de auteur door Karianne Marx van de Amsterdamse Spinoza Kring (in het Engels)

Spinozaland is een boek dat zich niet makkelijk laat karakteriseren. Het is fictie, maar wel gebaseerd op een enorme hoeveelheid historisch bronnenmateriaal en –onderzoek. Bovendien is het ook een filosofisch boek, waarin de ideeëngeschiedenis met veel verrassende inzichten tot leven komt.

De oorspronkelijke titel: Le Clan Spinoza, geeft het al aan, Spinoza is weliswaar een centrale figuur, maar de vele kleurrijke personages in zijn omgeving zijn minstens zo belangrijk. Zoals Wiep van Bunge in het voorwoord zegt:

"In Roveres perspectief was Spinoza inderdaad de aanjager en uiteindelijk de belangrijkste woordvoerder van een hele generatie van Amsterdamse vrijdenkers, actief in het derde kwart van de zeventiende eeuw. Spinoza was echter geen reus, omringd door dwergen. Wat hij schreef ontstond uit een proces van permanente interactie van de filosoof met zijn onmiddellijke omgeving, dat wil zeggen met zijn vrienden – van Juan de Prado en Franciscus van den Enden tot Lodewijk Meyer en Adriaan Koerbagh."

In deze Nederlandse editie zijn door vertaalster Hendrickje Spoor en Spinozakenner Frank Mertens, in samenspraak met de auteur, een groot aantal nuanceringen en correcties aangebracht, zodat deze editie nu als de meest accurate versie beschouwd kan worden.

In feite kunnen we Le Clan Spinoza als een ‘work in progress’ beschouwen. Bij een dergelijke hoeveelheid bronnenmateriaal kan het niet anders dan dat er nog meer correcties en aanvullingen aan het licht zullen komen. Bovendien zet het onderzoek zich voort, het boek is dus nooit af! De lezer wordt dan ook uitgenodigd om zijn kritische visie en eventuele aanvullingen te delen op de website www.leclanspinoza.com

Maxime Rovere is filosoof en Spinoza-specialist. Hij publiceerde onder meer een Franse vertaling van Spinoza’s briefwisseling en de filosofische studie: Exister. Méthodes de Spinoza. Hij was tot 2019 docent filosofie aan de universiteit van Rio de Janeiro, volgde een fellowship aan het NIAS in Amsterdam en is wetenschappelijk onderzoeker bij het IHRIM in Lyon. Spinozaland, waarvan in Frankrijk meer dan 20.000 exemplaren werden verkocht, is zijn eerste publieksboek.

Date: Thursday 11 February 2021
Time: 15.30 pm
Language: Dutch

4 FEBRUARY - ONLINE LECTURE | The Artist Mindset. Why we need imagination, beauty and play in our current world

Online Zoom Lecture by Merlijn Twaalfhoven

In addition to lectures on topics that are directly related to our collection, the Embassy of the Free Mind schedules lectures by artists and researchers interested in exploring free thought from a community perspective. We are therefore happy to invite you to the following online Zoom lecture by Merlijn Twaalfhoven:

“The Artist Mindset. Why we need imagination, beauty and play in our current world.”

The current challenges of our society are overwhelming. We look to scientists, politicians, economists or technological entrepreneurs for solutions, but they don’t seem capable to deliver the large changes that are needed to protect the living planet. Is there a unifying narrative that can give us direction? Where can we find guidance through times of uncertainty?

Merlijn Twaalfhoven, author of the book “It’s up to us” (Het is aan ons) developed the notion of the artist mindset as a practical way to navigate our time. He shows how artists, thinkers and philosophers through the ages could help us to slow down, sharpen our perception, create space for play and experiment and help us see the essence that is beneath the appearance of things. The old stories, images and books from the Embassy of the Free Mind help us to see how creativity, curiosity, free thinking and posing beautiful questions might be the essence of being human. When we activate our artist mindset, each one of us can find a way out of the hustle and confusion of our daily lives and create space for practical idealism.

ONLINE LECTURE: The lecture will be live streamed through Zoom from Amsterdam so you can watch the talk at home. You will be able to ask Merlijn questions via Zoom. You will receive the Zoom link on your online ticket

INCL. RECORDING
After the lecture, you will receive a private link to the recording of the lecture. So even if you can't join on the evening of the lecture itself, you will still be able to watch the event. The recording will be available until 28 February 2021.

ABOUT THE LECTURER

Merlijn Twaalfhoven is a Dutch composer and founder of The Turn Club, a lab for arts in society. He received a UNESCO award and collaborated with the Kronos Quartet and the New York Philharmonic. He worked in refugee camps and across dividing lines in Cyprus, Palestine and Syria, involving children, the local communities and professional musicians. His projects explore the richness of cultural diversity and human interaction, often engaging musicians of contrasting styles, local traditions, or children in large events. He collaborates with artists, scientists, diplomats, and other idealists in new and creative ways. Striving for a world without boundaries between art and society, his goal is to revive the creative and artistic potential in everyone in order to create new meaningful connections and understanding between people. Advocating a larger role for artists in society, he has presented practical and direct ways for artists to become engaged in global issues of today such as growing inequality, climate change, and disruptive technological change at conferences such as the European Cultural Forum, Aspen Ideas Festival, TEDx Amsterdam, International Conference on Sustainable Development and in universities across Europe, in the USA (Georgetown, Fordham, and Columbia) and Japan (GeiDai).

For a short English article about Merlijn's vision on what we can learn from artists in today's world, read here.

Date: Thursday 4 February 2021
Time: 7.30 - 8.45 pm AMSTERDAM
1.30 - 2.45 pm NEW YORK
10.30 am - 11.45 pm LOS ANGELES
Tickets: € 15 / $ 18
Language: English

17 and 27 DECEMBER - Online Lecture | Divine Darkness (Extra Event)

ONLINE LECTURE BY DR. COLETTE KAVANAGH

Divine Darkness

Today we are living in a time of spirit. Everything must be fast and light: fast-connecting devices, fast food, fast service, fast dating, fast epidemic, fast quarantine, fast “lockdown” and even fast vaccines. Spirit is masculine energy and it is wonderful. It helps us to breathe new life into things, to innovate, create, and inspire us to new heights and accomplishments. But when it is disembodied from feminine energy, from matter, reaching ever upward, we may fall like Icarus risking “burn out”.

Surrounded by darkness, we are invited to slow down, deeply reflect, sleep, and make communion with intuitively felt wisdom and intelligence grounded in our bodies and the world. The darkness penetrates our soul and reminds us of the sacredness of all things - it helps us to see with different eyes.

This is why Colette named her talk “Divine Darkness”. For centuries, we have been demonising both “darkness” and “blackness” as metaphors for evil, decadence and an inferior way of being in the world. It’s in our language, our religions and our psychic reality. This has negative consequences, racism being one of them, and it has resulted in disrespecting feminine qualities also.

Dr. Colette Kavanagh comes from Ireland where the Stone Age temple "Newgrange", originally called Brú na Bóinne (ancient name Síd in Bhru), stands for over five thousand two hundred years. It covers roughly one acre of land, is six hundred years older than the Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, and one thousand years older than Stonehenge in England.

The word “Sid” means “otherworldly,” while Brú in the Old Irish language means “womb.” It is, therefore, not surprising that the temple’s form appears to represent the female body which in the Neolithic period and the times of Old Europe was a common metaphor for fertility and nature.
Each year at the Winter Solstice, the Sun enters the narrow passageway of the temple illuminating the rear, circular chamber and shining directly on a triple spiral carved on the rear wall. The alchemical dictum, ‘As above, so below’ suggests that this annual cosmic event celebrated the sacred marriage or Hieros Gamos in the human psyche as a ritual, symbolic penetration of the male (sun or spirit) and the female (earth or matter).

We need this wisdom now more than ever to continually rebalance the energetic “light” of spirit and the reflective “dark” of the soul. Spirit without a body is a ghost. Body without spirit is a corpse. The marriage of these opposites is necessary to create the cosmos as well as a well-balanced life.

ONLINE LECTURE: The lecture will be live streamed through Zoom from Amsterdam so everyone who is interested can watch the talk at home. You will be able to ask questions via Zoom to Colette Kavanagh. You will receive the Zoom link in your ticket.

INCL. RECORDING
After the lecture, you will receive a private link to the recording of the lecture. So even if you can't join on the evening of the lecture itself you will still be able to watch the event!

ABOUT THE LECTURER
Dr. Colette Kavanagh is a Cultural Psychologist, an international lecturer, and a published writer who grew up in Ireland. She acquired her Ph.D. at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, California. Her subject: Myth and Symbol in Art, Literature and Religion, with special emphasis in Depth Psychology (psychology of the unconscious), led her to explore the connection between ancient myths, symbols and modern culture. Her understanding of liminality, transition and change: how cultures evolve and develop, was the focus of her Ph.D. dissertation and her on-going research.

Despite her passionate interest in modern culture, she also loves to explore the stories, myths, poetry and rituals that have sustained her Irish ancestors for generations, thereby grasping the deep-seeded truths and beliefs that have been passed on from generation to generation and built the culture in which they lived.

Date: Sunday 27 December 2020
Tickets: € 12.50 / $ 15
Language: English

Time: 7.30 - 8.45 pm AMSTERDAM
1.30 - 2.45 pm NEW YORK
10.30 am - 11.45 pm LOS ANGELES

2, 9, 16, 23, 30 December - Grail Guided Tour by Rachel Ritman - Cancelled

On several dates in December from 15.30h to 16.30h Rachel Ritman will give her guided tour on the Grail. This in-depth tour explains the unique Grail art we own and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition. Book your ticket in advance, because there is only a limited amount of places available!

Date: 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 December
Time: 15.30h - 16.30h
Tickets: € 10 - excl. museum admission (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)
Language: Dutch, or English if requested

20 NOVEMBER - Lunch Concert, Van A'dam Ensemble

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind

On 20 November there will be a performance by Van A'dam Ensemble, with Maria Lagrifa, harp; Edgar Milhões, double bass; Daniel Perzhan, violin, and Cláudia Ribas, mezzo soprano. They sill play a programma with classical, traditional, and contenporary Portuguese music, inluding music by Fernando Lapa, Vanna da Motta, José Firmino, José Afonso and A.V. d'Almeida.

The Van A'dam Ensemble was created in 2018 by three Portuguese students of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam – Cláudia Ribas (mezzosoprano), Daniel Perzhan (violin), and Maria Lagrifa (harp). The group was created to perform for the chamber music exams at the Conservatorium and by 2019 grew into its final shape with the addition of its news element, the double bassist Edgar Milhões. Since then, the ensemble has arranged and performed some of Mahler's songs, such as "Um Mitternacht" and "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen" and a new project to spread Portuguese music, by a concert that showcases the various styles of Portuguese music, from classical to traditional to contemporaneous. They are now working as well on a programme that mixes music from Spain and from Argentina.

Please note: Due to Covid-19 regulations we can allow a maximum of 20 visitors in the room. Online booking is mandatory for both the museum ticket and the concert.

Date: Friday 20 November
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50; students € 8,50; free entrance with Museumkaart, Stadspas Amsterdam or ICOM card. Booking an online ticket in advance is mandatory.

4, 25 November - Grail Guided Tour by Rachel Ritman

Please note: due to our temporary closure, the guided tours on 11 & 18 November unfortunately can't take place.

On several dates in October and November from 15.30h to 16.30h Rachel Ritman will give her guided tour on the Grail. This in-depth tour explains the unique Grail art we own and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition. Book your ticket in advance, because there is only a limited amount of places available!

Date: 7, 14, 21, 28 October & 4, 11, 18, 25 November. Please note: due to our temporary closure, the guided tours on 11 & 18 November unfortunately can't take place.
Time: 15.30h - 16.30h
Tickets: € 10 - excl. museum admission (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)
Language: Dutch, or English if requested

26 NOVEMBER - Online Lezing HERMES IS NOOIT WEGGEWEEST, door Jacob Slavenburg & John van Schaik

In het recent verschenen boek 'HERMES TRISMEGISTUS; Hermopolis, Florence, Leuven, Amsterdam' (09/2020) beschrijven John van Schaik en Jacob Slavenburg aspecten van de geschiedenis van de Hermetica. Hermes Trismegistus, de mythische, centrale figuur in het hermetisme, is niet weg te denken uit onze Europese cultuurgeschiedenis. Hij speelde een belangrijkere rol dan aanvankelijk gedacht in het denken van vele geleerden en wetenschappers.

De lezing zal beginnen met een algemeen overzicht van de Hermetica door Jacob Slavenburg, met de focus voor de receptie in Nederland. Speciale aandacht besteedt Jacob aan het humanisme van Pico della Mirandola en Dirck Volkertsz. Coornhert.

Vervolgens zal John van Schaik vertellen hoe Isaac Newton en Herman Boerhave betrokken waren in de hermetica. Waarom leren we hier niet over op school?

Fouding father van de moderne mechanische wetenschap Isaac Newton vertaalde het hermetische credo Tabula Smaragdina. Founding father van de medische wetenschap Herman Boerhave werd op zijn oude dag nog pleitbezorger van de ‘hermetisten’. Maar dat lees je (bijna) niet in de boeken over de geschiedenis van de natuurwetenschappen. John haalt de hermetische Newton en Boerhave onder de geschiedvervalsing vandaan.

Zoals de subtitel van het boek aangeeft is er ook aandacht voor de Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica | The Ritman Library. John en Jacob zijn beiden leerlingen van Gilles Quispel en Roelof van den Broek, de auteurs die voor de Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica de hermetische teksten in het Nederlands hebben vertaald en uitgebreid toegelicht.

Vanwege de huidige omstandigheden heeft er tot nog toe geen presentatie van dit in september uitgebrachte boek kunnen plaatsvinden dus aan ons de eer deze nu online te hosten. Mis het niet!

De lezing wordt gehouden via Zoom. Het is daarbij mogelijk vragen te stellen. In de week van de lezing zal je via e-mail de Zoom link ontvangen.
Kan je niet op de 26e? Geen zorgen, want na afloop van de lezing ontvang je per e-mail een link naar de opname van de lezing die t/m 31 januari 2021 te bekijken zal zijn.

Over de sprekers

Jacob Slavenburg (1943) volgde de Lerarenopleiding Katholieke leergangen (aktes A en B) en daarna de doctoraalstudie Geschiedenis aan de Universiteit van Utrecht (algemene geschiedenis, godsdienstgeschiedenis, kunstgeschiedenis). Hij is medevertaler van de Nag Hammadi-geschriften in het Nederlands en publiceerde ruim dertig boeken over gnosis, het vroege christendom, spirituele bewegingen en de hermetica, waaronder vier samen met John van Schaik.

John van Schaik (1956) volgde de biologisch-dynamische landbouwschool, werkte vijftien jaar in de verslavingszorg en behaalde in 1992 zijn licentiaat met als onderwerp de middeleeuwse mystiek van Jan van Ruusbroec. John promoveerde in 2004 op een onderzoek waarin hij het godsbeeld van de manicheeërs vergeleek met dat van de katharen. Sindsdien publiceerde hij vele boeken op het gebied van de mystiek, gnosis en esoterie, waarvan vier met plezier met Jacob Slavenburg.

Date: Thursday 26 November 2020. (kan je niet? Je ontvangt na afloop van de lezing de opname in je email!)
Time: 19.30h - 20.45h
Tickets: € 12,50 incl. opname achteraf
Language: Dutch

9, 24 & 31 OCTOBER (English) - Curator's Tour: Light in Dark Places with The Ritman Library rare books

Light and Darkness, they are of great importance in the philosophy of Jacob Böhme, who was the centre of the exhibition that was on view in the Embassy of the Free Mind until the end of July. Light is usually associated with something that is positive, darkness with something negative. In enlightening the mind and the light of reason, darkness does not have any function: it simply has to go. In most of the works shown in the Embassy of the Free Mind, however, light and darkness form a creative union. From alchemy, magic, mysticism to a magnificent Bible: the curators like to tell you all about it in the Kleine Sael where three showcases are filled with rare books on the theme 'Light in Dark Places'.

Time: 15.30h - 16.30h
Dates: 15 & 29 October (Dutch) and 9, 24 & 31 October (English)
Tickets: € 12.50 (excl. museum ticket. Stadspas and Museumkaart are accepted). Online booking is mandatory for both the museum ticket and the tour.
Language: Dutch or English, depending on the date (see above)

7, 14, 21, 28 October - Grail Guided Tour by Rachel Ritman

On several dates in October and November from 15.30h to 16.30h Rachel Ritman will give her guided tour on the Grail. This in-depth tour explains the unique Grail art we own and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition. Book your ticket in advance, because there is only a limited amount of places available!

Date: 7, 14, 21, 28 October & 4, 11, 18, 25 November
Time: 15.30h - 16.30h
Tickets: € 10 - excl. museum admission (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)
Language: Dutch, or English if requested

29 OCTOBER - Online Lecture | The Woman in the Sun and the Art of Renewing Humanity

By Lucinda Martin

We are very excited to announce this online lecture, by none other than Lucinda Martin. At the beginning of this year, Lucinda spoke on the Feminine in God in the writings of Jacob Böhme. On 29 October she will be back in Amsterdam to give a lecture on a 17th century theme that might be just as relevant in today's world... Read the lecture description below, and book your ticket!

In the seventeenth century, plagues, wars and natural disasters led people to believe that the Apocalypse predicted in the Book of Revelations was beginning. Authors of the time called for the public to prepare for the Last Judgement, when people would be sent to either heaven or hell and when the earth would be returned to a state of innocence and humans would receive “new bodies.” Religious thinkers speculated about this process. What steps were necessary and how would “reborn” human beings look?

This lecture discusses a number of 17th-century illustrations that present the process of renewal for both individual believers and the world. A special focus will be on the ideas of the author and activist Johanna Eleonora Petersen. These include the doctrine of a female person in the godhead alongside the Father, Son and Holy Ghost; the idea that rebirth is an alchemical-spiritual process; and the goal of a union of righteous Jews and Christians as “God’s chosen people.”

The presentation will reveal how Petersen and other contemporary authors intended artworks not just as illustrations, but as step-by-step aids to help people actually achieve rebirth and usher in a new time of healing and peace on earth.

Date: Thursday 29 October 2020
Time: 19.30 - 20.30h CET Amsterdam
Tickets: € 12.50
Language: English

Book your ticket here.

ONLINE LECTURE: The lecture will be live streamed through Zoom from Amsterdam so everyone who is interested can watch the talk at home. You will be able to ask questions via Zoom to Lucinda Martin. You will receive a Zoom link via email in the week of the lecture.

All participants with an online ticket with receive a private link to the recording of the lecture that will be available until 31 December 2020. So even if you can't join on the evening of the lecture itself you will still be able to watch the event!

PLEASE NOTE: The offline lecture that we announced earlier has unfortunately been cancelled. All visitors who have booked the offline lecture will receive a Zoom link to attend the lecture online.

About the lecturer

Lucinda Martin is an American scholar, currently working at the Gotha Research Centre of the University of Erfurt in Germany. She leads a German Research Council project on religious minorities in the 16th-18th centuries who were inspired by the mystical philosopher Jacob Böhme. The project deals especially with radical religion as a forerunner of modern human rights. Martin has published extensively on religious correspondence networks, on female spirituality, and on art and religion. She is the co-curator of a series of international exhibitions about Jacob Böhme, including a recent exhibition at the Embassy of the Free Mind.

17 OCTOBER - Historical Guided Tour | House with the Heads

16 OCTOBER - Lunch Concert, Duetto on Alti: Gita Vata León, flute; Alejandro Cabrera Cano, violin

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind

On 16 October Duetto on Alti, with Gita Vata León, flute, and Alejandro Cabrera Cano, violin, will play Duet in a minor by J. J. Quantz, the first movement from Divertimento by R. G. Escher, Monteclair’s Concerto for two flutes and Beethovens Allegro and Minuet.

Duetto On Alti was formed at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam by two gifted and passionate musicians who want to connect people through art. With this ensemble they want to present and expand the possibilities of the beautiful combination of flute and violin, aiming to reach the heart of the audience with their exciting performances
Gita Vata León and Alejandro Cabrera Cano both immersed themselves in music at a very young age. Immediately, they felt a connection with their instruments and knew it would become their main concern in life. After a quick development they decided to continue their studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, working with prestigious teachers and colleagues.
From very early music to the most contemporary compositions, tapping from an immense source of music history, this duo aims to explore and offer all kind of textures and tastes.

Please note: Due to Covid-19 regulations we can allow a maximum of 20 visitors in the room. Online booking is mandatory for both the museum ticket and the concert.

Date: Friday 16 October
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50; students € 8,50; free entrance with Museumkaart, Stadspas Amsterdam or ICOM card. Booking an online ticket in advance is mandatory.

5, 12, 18, 25 SEPTEMBER - Historical Guided Tour | House with the Heads

In this guided tour Jozef Ritman, who is in charge of the preservation of this listed building, will give you an insider’s view of this monumental house which is included in the top 100 of Dutch heritage sites. Combine the tour with a visit to our new exhibition, an exclusive lunch concert on 12 June, or enjoy the colourful garden!

Time: 5 september. Please mind that this tour starts at 11.30h instead of the usual 15.30h
Time: 12, 18, 25 september 15.30h - 16.45h
Tickets: € 10 (excl. museum ticket. Stadspas and Museumkaart are accepted). Online booking is mandatory for both the museum ticket and the tour.
Language: Dutch, or English if requested

PLEASE NOTE: only 4 people can join each tour, in order to keep enough distance. During the entire tour we will ensure that 1.5 metres are respected between both visitors and the staff of the Embassy of the Free Mind.

9, 23, 30 SEPTEMBER The 'Grail of Amsterdam' - Special Guided Tour by Rachel Ritman

Now that the Jacob Böhme exhibition is over, the Grail tours by Rachel Ritman are starting again! For centuries, the stories surrounding the Grail have appealed to the imagination. One of the top items in our collection is the ‘Grail of Amsterdam’, which was commissioned by Joost and Rachel Ritman, and which took the Russian lacquer miniature painter Oleg An ten years to complete. The top half of the Grail visualizes the biblical background of the Grail tradition; the bottom half depicts the Grail legends that originated in the Middle Ages.

On several dates in September from 15.30h to 16.45h Rachel Ritman will give her guided tour on the Grail again. This in-depth tour explains the unique Grail art we own and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition. Book your ticket in advance, because there is only a limited amount of places available!

Date: 9, 23, 30 September
Time: 15.30h - 16.45h
Tickets: € 10 - excl. museum admission (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)
Language: Dutch, or English if requested

25 SEPTEMBER - Evening opening | Highlights guided tours + free drink in our museum café

On Friday 25 September there will be several guided tours on Embassy of the Free Mind highlights taking place because of the Soulpicks festival. The tours can be given in English upon request. See for more information here. Please mind that there are only limited places available. Museum admission from 16:00h on only costs €10 (instead of the usual €12.50) or free with Museumkaart and the tour costs €5 (instead of the usual €7.50). A free drink from our museum café is included in the museum ticket.

Date: 25 September
Time: 16, 17, 18, 19 en 20h. Duration 30 minutes.
Tickets: € 10 (ipv €12,50) entree ticket museum (vanaf 16 uur) en €5 (ipv €7,50) voor de rondleiding. Een gratis drankje uit het museumcafé zit bij het entreebewijs inbegrepen. Online reserveren is aangeraden om zeker te zijn van een kaartje. Museumkaart en Stadspas/ICOM/Adam Net kaart worden geaccepteerd.
Language: Dutch, or Engels at request.

Er kunnen slechts 5 personen deelnemen per tour, om voldoende afstand te houden. Gedurende de gehele tour zullen we ervoor zorgen dat 1,5 meter tussen zowel bezoekers als het personeel van de EFM wordt gerespecteerd.

18 SEPTEMBER - Lunch Concert, Michela Zanoni, harp

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind

On 18 September there will be a performance by harpist Michela Zanoni. She plays the Deux Divertissements by André Caplet and Benjamin Britten's Suite for Harp.

Michela Zanoni (Genova) is a versatile and engaging solo, chamber and orchestral harpist. After graduating with honours from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London she now studies with Erika Waardenburg in the master programme at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.
Michela has won several scholarships, grants and prizes at prestigious competitions. She was Principal Harpist of the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra from 2017 to 2019 and toured with the Mediterranean Youth Orchestra in 2016. She has performed at prestigious venues, including Cadogan Hall in London, Palais des Congrès and Grand Théâtre de Provence in Marseilles.
As a soloist and chamber musician, she has performed at St Martin-in-the-Fields, the Royal Festival Hall in London and at the Farmleigh House in Dublin for the H.S.H Prince Albert II of Monaco's state visit to Ireland.

Please note: Due to Covid-19 regulations we can allow a maximum of 20 visitors in the room. Online booking is mandatory for both the museum ticket and the concert.

Date: Friday 18 September
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50; students € 8,50; free entrance with Museumkaart, Stadspas Amsterdam or ICOM card. Booking an online ticket in advance is mandatory.

21 AUGUST - Lunch Concert, Kalle de Bie, cello

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind

On 21 August there will be a performance by cellist Kalle de Bie. Kalle will play the well-known Prelude from J.S. Bach's Suite no. 1 in G major BWV 1007, and the fiendishly virtuosic Suite for Cello Op. 72 by the British composer Benjamin Britten, who dedicated this piece to the world-famous cellist Mstislav Rostropovich.

Kalle de Bie (1994) was admitted to the Sweelinck Academy, the Conservatorium van Amsterdam’s study programme for gifted children in 2008. There he studied with Jeroen den Herder. From 2012 he continued his studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Jeroen den Herder, Jelena Očić en Dmitri Ferschtman, obtaining his master’s diploma in 2018. From 2016-2018 Kalle also participated in the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra Academy. Additionally he took masterclasses with musicians such as Anner Bijlsma, Uzi Wiesel, Itamar Golan, Leonid Gorokhov and Valter Dešpalj. At the moment Kalle is studying with the famous cello pedagogue Reinhard Latzko in the postgraduate programme at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna.Kalle is a laureate of several competitions at home and abroad, including the Princess Christina Competition (2013), III Elsky Competition in Minsk (2014) and the 12th International Competition for young Musicians ‘Ferdo Livadic’ (2015). In October 2016 he was awarded the incentive prize and the Start-in-Splendor Prize at the National Cello Competition in Amsterdam.

A passionate performer of chamber music, Kalle has been a member of several successful chamber music ensembles since 2006. He was coached by the famous violin pedagogue Coosje Wijzenbeek and took chamber music lessons with the Jeruzalem Quartet, the Borodin Quartet and the Emerson Quartet. Currently he is the cellist of the Brackman Trio and Ensemble Sognante.
Kalle plays a beautiful Italian cello from 1870, built by Gaetano Chiocchi, which has been made available to him by the Nationaal Muziekinstrumenten Fonds.

Please note: Due to Covid-19 regulations we can allow a maximum of 20 visitors in the room. Online booking is mandatory for both the museum ticket and the concert.

Date: Friday 21 August
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50; students € 8,50; free entrance with Museumkaart, Stadspas Amsterdam or ICOM card. Booking an online ticket in advance is mandatory.

8 AUGUST - Rare Book Tour by our Curator

DATE: 8 August
TIME: 11.00 - 12.00h & 15.00 - 16.00h
TICKETS: € 15.50 (excl. museum ticket; Stadspas, Museumkaart and ICOM card are accepted). Online booking mandatory for both the museum ticket and the tour.
LANGUAGE: Dutch, or English if requested

1, 8, 15 and 22 JULY - 'Oog in Oog met Jacob Böhme', Guided Tour with Rachel Ritman

Dive into the depth of the ideas of the German seer and philosopher Jacob Böhme (1575-1624) through the eyes of Rachel Ritman. Rachel has been studying Böhme's ideas for more than ten years. Böhme created a highly original body of thought that focuses on the origins and workings of creation. As if in a flash he understood the forces, laws and motives that govern the cosmos and mankind, and, through all this, also the divine origin itself. He saw in everything the indescribable unity that excludes nothing.

This series of conversations is based on Oog in Oog with Jacob Böhme, the booklet by Rachel that was launched on 13 December 2019. Oog in oog met Jacob Böhme highlights Böhme's ideas and how they relate to those of other 17th-century thinkers, including Benedictus de Spinoza, Robert Fludd and Jan Amos Comenius. You are welcome to join one, more or all of the afternoons! No question is too crazy for Rachel and she loves to hear your insights.

Date: 1, 8, 15 and 22 July
Time: 15.30 - 16.30h
Language: Dutch; English on request
Tickets: € 8,50 (excl. museum entrance). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas Amsterdam.

Please note: due to the Covid-19 measures it is only possible to participate in the tour with a ticket purchased online in advance. It is not possible to buy tickets at the door. A maximum of 4 visitors can participate at a time. You are requested to keep a distance of 1.5m from your fellow visitors during the tour. The tour takes place in the Phoenix Room; during the tour this room is closed to other visitors.

17 JULY - Lunch Concert, Duo Due: Hawijch Elders, violin; Lotte Grotholt, viola

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind

On 17 July there will be a performance by Duo Due: Hawijch Elders, violin, and Lotte Grotholt, viola. They will perform the Duo in G major by W. A. Mozart, H.W. Ernst's ‘The Last Rose of Summer’, movements from the Inventions by J.S. Bach, Duo's from Béla Bartók's 44 Duets for 2 violins, and the Duo in C major by Jean Sibelius.

Hawijch Elders and Lotte Grotholt both study at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, Hawijch with Ilya Grubert and Lotte with Marjolein Dispa. They have performed extensively at home and abroad and won prizes at prestigious competitions.

Hawijch’s solo performances include violin concertos by Beethoven, Sibelius, Bach, Paganini, Britten and Dvořák with orchestras such as Real Filharmonía de Galicia, the New Philharmonic Utrecht, Orquestra Clássica da Madeira, Domestica Rotterdam, the Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra, the Residentie Orkest and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra. She won no less than four prizes at the 37th ‘Premio Rodolfo Lipizer’ International Violin Competition. She also won second prize and the Audience Prize at the prestigious Oskar Back Competition. Previously, she won prizes at the Princess Christina Competition, the Netherlands Violin Competition-Iordens, and the Classic Young Masters Award. In 2019 she was awarded a Violin Grant by Het Kersjes Fonds.

Lotte plays the modern viola as well as the Baroque viola, performing at festivals such as Virtuose e Belcanto, the Aurora Music Festival and Allegro Vivo. She plays with several orchestras, including the National Youth Orchestra. She also played with the Romanian Youth Orchestra as part of an exchange programme. With the Marcante Ensemble she won the Govert van Wijn Prize at the Maassluise Muziekweek 2017.
Lotte is also a composer. She won incentive prizes at the Princess Christina Composition Competition in 2014 and 2016. As a result, her composition was performed byTrio Brulesco in The Hague and Sint Niklaas.

Please note: Due to Covid-19 regulations we can allow a maximum of 20 visitors in the room. Online booking is mandatory for both the museum ticket and the concert.

Date: Friday 17 July
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50; students € 8,50; free entrance with Museumkaart, Stadspas Amsterdam or ICOM card. Booking an online ticket in advance is mandatory.

8, 15, and 16 JULY - Jacob Böhme Exhibition | Curator's Guided Tour

During this special guided tour, curator José Bouman will take you through the exhibition and introduce you to Böhme's world and that of his followers in Amsterdam. Böhme’s ‘triumph’ began in Amsterdam: it was solely thanks to a 17th-century Amsterdam merchant living on Warmoesstraat that most of Böhme’s works were printed for the first time, in translation. The important role of Beyerland, Böhme’s Amsterdam publisher, is highlighted in this exhibition: we can almost sit next to him and see how he was working on his translations of Böhme.

Who was Jacob Böhme (1575-1624)? Was he a simple shoemaker or one of the most important of German thinkers? In 1600 Böhme had an experience that granted him an all-encompassing insight into the secrets of nature and the cosmos. It took him more than ten years to express this vision in writing in his first work, Aurora. In 1613 it was confiscated by the local authorities and its author placed under a writing ban. However, this did not stop him from writing over thirty works during his lifetime. Böhme asked many questions, like ‘Do you think God is only the God of Christians?’ and ‘What do you think the earth and stars are made of?’ The answers Böhme himself found are developed in the themes chosen for the exhibition: Nature, Opposition, Fall, Creation, Rebirth and Freedom. He also was a champion of toleration: he was an outspoken opponent of war, violence and the persecution of minorities. His ideas had a major impact on later philosophers, physicists and artists.

Language: Dutch, English upon request
Date: 8, 11, 15, and 16 July
Time: 14.30 - 15.30h
Tickets: € 8,50 - excl. admission (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)

PLEASE NOTE: only 4 people can join each tour, in order to keep enough distance. During the entire tour we will ensure that 1.5 metres are respected between both visitors and the staff of the Embassy of the Free Mind.

3 JULY - Historical Guided Tour | House with the Heads

In this guided tour Jozef Ritman, who is in charge of the preservation of this listed building, will give you an insider’s view of this monumental house which is included in the top 100 of Dutch heritage sites. Combine the tour with a visit to our new exhibition, an exclusive lunch concert on 12 June, or enjoy the colourful garden!

Time: 15.30h - 16.45h
Dates: 3 July
Tickets: € 8.50 (excl. museum ticket, Stadspas and Museumkaart are accepted). Online booking is mandatory for both the museum ticket and the tour.
Language: Dutch, or English if requested

PLEASE NOTE: only 4 people can join each tour, in order to keep enough distance. During the entire tour we will ensure that 1.5 metres are respected between both visitors and the staff of the Embassy of the Free Mind.

14, 21 and 28 JUNE - ONLINE Course | Jung & the Great Work of Alchemy, with Faranak Mirjalili

The mysteries of alchemy have drawn many to the secrets hidden within its ancient images and texts. To this day there remains an aura of mystery around these extraordinary teachings which originated in Egypt. One of the profound thinkers in recent history was the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung who made alchemy accessible to the man and woman of our time. He discovered in the alchemical tradition the phases of transformation that the deep psyche undergoes as it moves through the process of awakening that he called “individuation”. After his own deep initiatory encounter with the collective unconscious, beginning in 1913, he discovered that the imagery and texts of the alchemists were very similar to the material surfacing in his own dreams and active imaginations as well as in those of his patients. This gave him the foundation for his own work in making the mysteries of the psyche accessible to his contemporaries and to us.

In this course we will explore the tradition of alchemy from a depth-psychological perspective, being led by the work of Anne Baring who has written and reflected expansively on this subject. We will examine the alchemical stages of Nigredo, Albedo, and Rubedo in both microcosm as well as macrocosm. What do these stages mean for us individually and how can we view our current collective crisis through this lens? What stage of alchemy are we in collectively and how can this lens help us in this time of the pandemic?

12, 19 and 26 JUNE - Historical Guided Tour | House with the Heads

In this guided tour Jozef Ritman, who is in charge of the preservation of this listed building, will give you an insider’s view of this monumental house which is included in the top 100 of Dutch heritage sites. Combine the tour with a visit to our new exhibition, an exclusive lunch concert on 12 June, or enjoy the colourful garden!

Time: 15.30h - 16.45h
Dates: 12 - 19 - 26 June
Tickets: € 8.50 (excl. museum ticket, Stadspas and Museumkaart are accepted). Online booking mandatory for both the museum ticket and the tour.
Language: Dutch, or English if requested

PLEASE NOTE: only 4 people can join each tour, in order to keep enough distance. During the entire tour we will ensure that 1.5 metres are respected between both visitors and the staff of the Embassy of the Free Mind.

12 JUNE - ONLINE Lunch Concert, Odée Mertzweiller, guitar; Juliusz Warsawski, guitar (please note, the date has been changed!)

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind

On 12 June there will be a performance by the Classical guitar duo Fonoduo, formed by Odée Mertzweiller and Juliusz Warsawski. They will take you on a concert journey through Brazil, Argentina, Italy, Middle East & more. Among a variety of musical periods the duo will bring these places and traditions to life.

Programme
Alberto Ginastera - from Estancia op. 8*: Danza del Trigo; Pequeña danza
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco - Prélude et fugue in C sharp minor
Alexander Scriabin - Etude 1 in C sharp minor op. 2 *
Jean Philippe Rameau - Le Rappel des Oiseaux
Nikolai Medtner - Forgotten Melodies - no VI. *
Sergio Assad - Recife dos Corais; Vittoria Regia

* Arranged by Fonoduo

Sharing many artistic interests in the disciplines of music, photography, and cooking, the idea of forming a guitar duet came naturally to Odée and Juliusz. Nourished with their classical education, interest and penchant for other kinds of arts, the duo is an artistic project reflecting these influences, constantly looking to flourish by sharing and performing music.

They started to study with Izhar Elias as their mentor and had masterclasses with Gabriel Bianco and Duo Melis. The duo played concerts in the Netherlands and Belgium including the Hertz concert hall in TivoliVredenburg - Utrecht, Bernard Haitinkzaal and Sweelinckzaal in Amsterdam. Aiming to create a picturesque guitar program, including orchestral and piano arrangements of their favourite composers, they highlight the colours, dynamic range and sensitivity of their instruments. With their eyes on the future, the two young talents continues their personal development looking for sharing their art with the audience.

Please note: Due to Covid-19 regulations it is unfortunately not possible to attend this concert in person. The concert will be livestreamed via Zoom. Via the link below you can buy a ticket for € 3,-, after which you will be sent a link with further instructions. All support is welcome at this time!

Date: Friday 12 June
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h CEST
Tickets: € 3,-

3, 10 and 17 JUNE - 'Oog in Oog met Jacob Böhme', Guided Tour with Rachel Ritman

Date: 3, 10 and 17 June
Time: 15.30 - 16.30h
Language: Dutch; English on request
Tickets: € 8,50 (excl. museum entrance). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas Amsterdam.

Meeting Jacob Böhme

The German mystic Jacob Böhme (1575-1624) asked himself many questions. Such as: "Why must love and pain, friend and enemy be together? And, "Do you think that God is only the God of Christians?
He formulated his own highly original answers to these questions. Answers that are now surprisingly relevant.

At the Embassy of the Free Mind we like questions. Your questions. And also your answers. If you've never heard of Jacob Böhme, but are curious about what he was thinking and what we has to offer today, you're welcome to take this guided tour with Natalie Koch about themes from the exhibition. What did Böhme think about light and darkness, nature, freedom and creation? Why was he suppressed for so long? Why was his work distributed from Amsterdam, only after his death? No prior knowledge of Böhme's philosophy is necessary.

The themes have been chosen on the basis of the book Oog voor de wereld. De visionaire denker Jacob Böhme (available in English as Eye for the world. The visionary thinker Jacob Böhme), which offers a clear and in-depth introduction to Böhme's philosophy. The book costs €18,- and is for sale in the museum shop.

Time: 15.30 - 16.30h
Tickets: € 8,50 (excl. museum entrance). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas Amsterdam. Every 2nd time you come you get 50% discount on the introduction

Language: Dutch, or English if requested

Reading Group on John Dee's 'Monas Hieroglyphica', every Wednesday until 15 April

Starting on Wednesday 26 February, the Embassy of the Free Mind is delighted to announce a reading group of the Monas Hieroglyphica (1564) of the English Elizabethan mathematician and magician John Dee (1527-1608/9).

In a series of 8 sessions of 1.5 hours Dr Stephen Clucas (University of London) and Dr Peter Forshaw (University of Amsterdam and head of the Ritman Research institute at Embassy of the Free Mind), shall guide a small reading group through the intricacies of this enigmatic work, which Dee claims to have ‘Mathematically, Magically, Cabalistically and Anagogically explained’. We shall consider Dee’s introductory letter to the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II and then look closely at the 24 Theorems of the text itself, including discussion of the curious diagrams. Participants will be provided with a pdf of Josten’s translation of the Monas, originally published in Ambix.

Date: Wednesday, until 15 April
Time: 17.00 - 18.30h
Tickets: € 10,00 | students € 7,50 per session. Limited space available!
Language: English

5 MARCH - DUTCH | Lezing: Wat is de verbinding tussen spiritualiteit en realiteit?

In alle culturen zijn er vele verhalen die vertellen dat naast de materiële wereld er een spirituele werkelijkheid zou bestaan. Kijken wij naar onze eigen materiële wereld dan blijkt, dat slechts 4% van ons universum materie is en dat we van de resterende 96 % geen benul hebben. Dus enige nederigheid is wel op zijn plaats, vooral als je bedenkt dat onze waarneming van die materie ook nog te beperkt en onjuist is. Al meer dan honderd jaar is het zeker dat ruimte en tijd relatief zijn, en dat de meter en de seconde geen vaste waarden hebben. Sterker nog, tijd en ruimte bestaan niet maar ontstaan, en als ons heelal over 10^100 jaar is uitgedoofd, verdwijnen ruimte en tijd weer en gaat alles op in het grote Niets.

De Duitse filosoof Jacob Böhme had in 1600 een visioen en zag hoe het spirituele vorm krijgt in het materiële en hoe alles één is. Het Niets is het Alles, en hier heersen symmetrie en harmonie. Het Goddelijke Niets - Alles kan zich alleen manifesteren als deze symmetrie gebroken wordt, waardoor materie en krachten ontstaan.
Zo kan het goddelijke zich alleen uiten in een polariteit. Het goede en het kwade zijn in wezen één, maar tegengesteld. Zij kunnen niet zonder elkaar bestaan en zij zijn de bron van sterke krachten.
Vergelijkbaar is het, als er bij een symmetrische luchtdruk geen wind is, maar dat die pas ontstaat bij een verschil in druk. Deze kracht verdwijnt weer zodra het verschil wordt opgeheven.

Als we nu ruim 400 jaar later het visionaire beeld van Jacob Böhme naast de huidige kennis van de kwantummechanica leggen, dan blijkt er een onwaarschijnlijk grote overeenkomst te zijn. Het voor ons zeer mystieke karakter van de kwantummechanische wetten, hoe alles uit het Niets ontstaat, blijkt zo reëel en correct te zijn, dat we er nu kwantumcomputers mee kunnen maken. Vanuit deze wetenschappelijke kennis kunnen we alleen maar met diep respect concluderen hoe geweldig de ideeën van Jacob Böhme zijn.

Pierre Capel is emeritus hoogleraar experimentele immunologie, die de wetenschap een warm hart toedraagt en zijn kennis voor een breed publiek toegankelijk wil maken. Hij laat je genieten van de wetenschappelijke wereld die zich uitstrekt van de kwantum mechanica, waarin de echte werkelijkheid al onze gangbare logica ver te boven gaat tot aan de dynamiek van de moleculaire genetica. Hij laat je verbazen over de biochemie van gevoelens, waarbij de ‘softe sector’ en de harde wetenschap vloeiend in elkaar overgaan, waardoor duidelijk wordt hoe yoga en meditatie direct het gebruik van ons DNA kunnen beïnvloeden.

Date: Thursday 5 March
Time: 19.00 - 21.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 | students € 10,-
Language: Dutch

More info

1 MARCH - Call for Papers for the international conference to commemorate Ioannes Amos Comenius (1592-1670) and the 350th anniversary of his death

Naarden/Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 12 – 15 November 2020

Pansophia was one of the leading principles – if not the most important one – in the work of Ioannes Amos Comenius (1592-1670). But the idea of pansophia represented much broader intellectual current in the early modern thought. This conference will address the pansophia phenomenon as interpreted by Comenius, his forerunners, followers and critics. For Comenius, pansophia means the system of universal knowledge which represents harmony of all things. As a theologian, he grounded this idea metaphysically as the divine order of all things. As a pedagogue, he wanted to teach “everything to everyone”. As an universal reformer, he proposed an emendation of human affairs: philosophy (or knowledge), religion and politics.

Interested presenters are asked to send an abstract (100-300 words, in English or German) and a short academic biography (including name, degree, and current affiliation) by 15 January 2020 to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The conference committee will make the final selections by 1 March 2020.

28 FEBRUARY - Hoe zie jij de wereld? Interactieve kinderrondleiding

De hele dag door zien we van alles, maar… kijk je ook echt? Wat zie jij?

Misschien heb je wel eens opgemerkt dat de wereld uit tweetallen bestaat: mooi en lelijk, donker en licht, goed en kwaad. Als je erop gaat letten zie je deze tweetallen overal! In films, series, boeken, of het nieuws.

Tijdens een interactieve kinderrondleiding gaan we deze tweetallen samen bestuderen en leer je meer over een filosoof – Jacob Böhme – van bijna 400 jaar geleden. Wat hebben zijn ideeën ons in 2020 nog te vertellen? Je leert meer over Jacob Böhme in de tentoonstelling OOG VOOR DE WERELD in het museum Embassy of the Free Mind. Jacob Böhme leefde in de 16e eeuw, een tijd waarin je niet alles mocht schrijven, zeggen en denken wat je wilde. Hij was een vrije denker, die door een reeks visioenen “begreep” hoe de wereld in elkaar zat.

Jacob zag het helemaal voor zich. God, goed en kwaad, mannelijk, vrouwelijk, alles is deel van het geheel, alles is een! Zijn ideeën hebben schrijvers en kunstenaars in de eeuwen erna geïnspireerd tot het maken van boeken met prachtige tekeningen. Velen hiervan kan je in de Embassy of the Free Mind komen bekijken en bespreken tijdens onze interactieve rondleiding in de Voorjaarsvakantie.

Wil jij je kind iets bijzonders bijbrengen en kennis laten maken met de vrijdenkers traditie van Amsterdam?
Kom dan naar deze ouder-kind rondleiding van de Embassy of the Free Mind. Met haar betoverende collectie historische boeken waar Dumbledore jaloers op zou worden, neemt de rondleiding je mee naar een tijd waarin je nog niet zomaar alles mocht schrijven, zeggen en denken wat je wilde. Maar toch waren er mensen die dat durfden! Ontdek wat bijzondere boeken jou te vertellen hebben en of je net zo'n vrijdenker bent als Jacob Böhme!

Datum: Donderdag 20 februari en vrijdag 28 februari 2020
Tijd: 14.00-15.00 uur
Tickets: € 7,50 per persoon (excl. museum entree) - toegang gratis voor kinderen, voor volwassenen € 12,50 / gratis met Museumkaart en Stadspas Amsterdam - Tickets vanaf maandag 10 februari te koop!
Taal: Nederlands (to book an English children's tour please send us an email)

22 FEBRUARY - Lecture | Occult Vision: John Dee, Seeing and Skrying

This lecture by Dr Stephen Clucas considers the nature of vision or ‘seeing’ in the angelic conversations of the sixteenth-century English mathematician and magus John Dee (1527-1609), and its origins in a tradition stretching back into the middle ages and beyond dealing with the inward senses and particularly the ‘inward eye’. The medieval magical arts which were the immediate model for Dee’s own crystallomantic practices (‘skrying’) speak explicitly about the illumination of the ‘spiritual eyes’ of the practitioner, and Dee reflects on the necessity of relying on the ‘eyes of faith’ when dealing with spirits. The collection of the Embassy of the Free Mind is an ideal resource for investigating this occult philosophical tradition, and Clucas will be working in the Embassy’s library during his time as a Senior Research Fellowship at the Vossius Center for the History of the Humanities and Sciences, which is focused on the boundaries between magic and science in Dee’s work. He shall also be working closely with head of the Ritman Research Institute, Dr Peter Forshaw.

Dr Stephen Clucas is Reader in Early Modern Intellectual History at Birkbeck, University of London. He was one of the founding editors of the journal Intellectual History Review, from 2007-2020. He has worked extensively on occult philosophy in the sixteenth century, and has edited a number of books in the field, including John Dee: Interdisciplinary Studies in English Renaissance Thought (2006), and Laus Platonici Philosophi: Marsilio Ficino and his Influence (2011; with Peter Forshaw and Valery Rees). In 2011, a collection of his essays was published entitled Magic, Memory and Natural Philosophy in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries.

Date: Saturday 22 February 2020
Time: 19.00 - 21.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 | Students € 10
Language: English

21 FEBRUARY - Lunch Concert, Canal City Flute Quartet: Ema Bajc, Alexandre Tkaboca, Ramakrishnan Kumaran and Mirna Ackers

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind

On 21 February there wil be a performance by the Canal City Flute Quartet. Canal City Flute Quartet is four master students of Kersten McCall, principal flute of the Koninklijk Concertgebouw Orkest: Mirna Ackers, Ema Bajc, Rama Kumaran, and Alexandre Tkaboca. They bring diverse influences from their study programmes at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam (Orchestral Performance, Flutes in Historical Perspective), and from their roots in America, India, France, Slovenia, Germany, and the Netherlands. They will play Mendelssohn's Scherzo from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, Debussy's Arabesque No. 2 and Kuhlau's Grand Flute Quartet op. 103.

Date: Friday 21 February
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

20 FEBRUARY - Lecture: The Invisible Worlds of John Pordage.

What if there were other, invisible worlds which exist alongside ours, inaccessible except to a select few? What might these worlds be like? How could you visit them?

John Pordage, a seventeenth century English mystic and follower of Boehme's teachings described rich, imaginal worlds, each inhabited by supernatural and eternal beings.
Pordage claimed to have received divinely inspired visions, revealing to him secrets of the universe and which opened his eyes to other worlds that exist in parallel to ours. He saw the beings who inhabit these and observed how both nature and mankind came into existence.

Over the course of his life, Pordage became adept at receiving visions and achieving an altered state of consciousness, allowing him to travel between these worlds. He believed that his purpose in life was to bring this hidden knowledge into the world so we too can understand our place within the universe.

Although inspired by Boehme, Pordage wanted to provide a clearer, more ordered explanation, and presented his cosmology in a structured way, describing it with great beauty and precision.
Join us for an evening of exploration into questions that have intrigued mankind for centuries and see how Pordage answered these questions.

Sarah Green is a Ph.D. student at Bristol University, England, studying early modern metaphysics and esotericism. She is a part-time Doctoral Researcher at the University of Bristol, studying the history of western esotericism, cosmology and metaphysics in the early modern period . She researches hidden (or occult) knowledge and ideas, the development of Theosophy in the seventeenth century and early modern religious radicalism and dissent.

Date: Thursday 20 February
Time: 19.00 - 21.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 | students € 10,-
Language: English

20 FEBRUARY - Jacob Böhme Exhibition - Curator's Guided Tour

Geen fotobeschrijving beschikbaar.

Language: Dutch
Date: 20 February 2020 (Dutch-spoken tour on 12 March)
Time: 15.30 - 16.30h
Tickets: € 8,50 - excl. museum ticket (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)

6 FEBRUARY - The Feminine in God: Divine Wisdom and the Writings of Jacob Böhme - Lecture

The idea of a female element within the Godhead has ancient roots. In the Hebrew Old Testament, the feminine name "Chokma" refers to the Creative aspect of God. Both the Old and New Testaments contain passages in which female "Wisdom" speaks in a strong voice and is responsible for all related to knowledge. "Sophia" -- Greek for Wisdom -- was important among early Christians. While Sophia has always been important in the Eastern Church, she was often suppressed in the West, because of fears that a female element in the Godhead might threaten the Trinity.
In her lecture at the Embassy of the Free Mind on the Feminine in God, Lucinda Martin will briefly survey the history of this subject, focussing especially on Sophia in the writings of Jacob Böhme, who is often regarded as the "Father of Western Sophiology". Martin will discuss why Sophia was of interest to Böhme and his contemporaries in the 16th and 17th centuries and will address the question why Sophia becomes important at particular times in history. Following the lecture, there will be an opportunity to visit the Böhme exhibition currently on view and further discuss questions raised in the lecture.

Lucinda Martin is an American scholar, currently working at the Gotha Research Centre of the University of Erfurt in Germany. She leads a German Research Council project on religious minorities in the 16th-18th centuries who were inspired by the mystical philosopher Jacob Böhme. The project deals especially with radical religion as a forerunner of modern human rights. Martin has published extensively on religious correspondence networks, on female spirituality, and on art and religion. She is the co-curator of a series of international exhibitions about Jacob Böhme, including the exhibition currently on view at the Embassy of the Free Mind.

Date: Thursday 6 February
Time: 19.00 - 21.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 | students € 10,-
Language: English

6 FEBRUARY - Jacob Böhme Exhibition - Curator's Guided Tour

Geen fotobeschrijving beschikbaar.

Language: English
Date: 6 February 2020 (Dutch-spoken tour on 12 March)
Time: 15.30 - 16.30h
Tickets: € 8,50 - excl. museum ticket (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)

29 JANUARY - Oog in Oog met Jacob Böhme met Rachel Ritman

Date: every Wednesday from 8 januari
Time: 15.30 - 16.30h
Tickets: € 8,50 (excl. admission museum). Free admission with Museumkaart and Stadspas Amsterdam.
Language: Dutch, or English on request

23 JANUARY - Vrouw aan de hemelpoort. De dubbelstaartige meermin als inwijdster, door Selma Sevenhuijsen

23 JANUARY - Jacob Böhme Exhibition - Curator's Guided Tour

Geen fotobeschrijving beschikbaar.

Language: English
Date: 23 January 2020. Another tour in English will be on 5 March (Dutch-spoken tours on 20 February and 12 March)
Time: 14.30 - 15.30h
Tickets: € 8,50 - excl. museum ticket (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)

17 JANUARY - Guided Tour about the History of the House with the Heads by Jozef Ritman

Please note, this tour will be in English. There will be a tour in Dutch on 22 November 2019. Read more

Jozef Ritman is in charge of the preservation of this monumental house, which is included in the top 100 of Dutch heritage sites, and carries out research into the history of the house and its owners. He enjoys telling visitors about the new and interesting facts he regularly discovers.

Date: 17 January
Time: 11.30 - 12.45h
Tickets: € 8.50 (excl. museum ticket, Stadspas and Museumkaart are accepted)
Language: English

17 JANUARY - Lunch Concert, Nicolae Stiuca, accordion; Benjamin Konrad, violin

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind

On 17 January there wil be a concert by accordionist Nicolae Știuca, and violinist Benjamin Konrad. They will play movements from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, a Toccata by J.S. Bach, Vittorio Monti's famous Czardas, a rhapsodical piece based on the Hungarian dance of the same name, and other popular pieces.

Nicolae Știuca (1996, Chisinau, Moldava) and Benjamin Konrad (1985) both come from musical families: Nicolae's parents both are professional accordionists and teachers, and Benjamin is the grandson of György Konrád, violist of the world-famous Tátrai Quartet. Nicolae studies with Marieke Grotenhuis and Marko Kassl in the bachelor's degree programme of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, for which he was awarded the prestigious 'Holland Scholarship' by the Dutch Ministry of Culture. He is winner of more than twenty national and international competitions in Moldava, Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. He has performed throughout the Netherlands and abroad.
Benjamin Konrad (1985) studied with István Párkányi, first violinist of the former Orlando Quartet and founding member of the Párkányi Quartet, and with Johannes Leertouwer in the bachelor's degree programme at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Currently he studies in the master's degree programme with Sven Arne Tepl. In 2012-2013 he participated in the Nedpho-CVA Master Academy for master students.

Date: Friday 17 January
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

10 JANUARY - Unravel Secret Symbols Geheime Figuren Manuscript

Do you like puzzles? And secret symbols? Then come join our Secret Symbols meeting with Dr. Peter Forshaw, head of our Ritman Research Institute, and our student volunteers who are currently working on a 1943 manuscript copy of the Geheime Figuren. This unique manuscript not only includes imagery from the Geheime Figuren but also alchemical classics such as Splendor Solis. The Geheime Figuren contain theosophical, kabbalistic, magical, Hermetic, astronomical and chymical images.

Join Peter and his History of Hermetic Philosophy students in our Grote Sael and discuss the symbolic meaning of the image they are currently investigating.

(Hot chocolate and home made apple pie available in our café!)

Date: 10 January
Time: 11.30 - 12.30h
Tickets: Free (excl. €12,50 museum ticket, Stadspas A'dam and Museumkaart are accepted).
Language: English

2 JANUARY - Jacob Böhme Exhibition - Curator's Guided Tour

Geen fotobeschrijving beschikbaar.

LANGUAGE: English
DATE: 2 January 2020. Other tours in English will be on 6 February and 5 March (Dutch-spoken tours on 23 January 2020, 20 February and 12 March)
TIME: 15.30 - 16.30h
TICKETS: € 8,50 - excl. museum ticket (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)

27 DECEMBER - DARE TO ASK QUESTIONS: CHILDREN'S GUIDED TOUR

An inspiring tour for all children from the age of 8 and older who dare to ask questions. Do you know where the earth and stars come from? What makes the grass, plants and trees spring up? These are questions which any child or adult might want to find the answers to. They are also the sort of questions people have been asking for centuries. In the 17th century, the German philosopher Jacob Böhme pondered exactly these questions about the origin and meaning of things.

Geen fotobeschrijving beschikbaar.

Come and discover the secrets of nature and the cosmos with us in this visual exhibition. Life is full of answers, so dare ask your questions! Discover the images in our collection and the mysteries they convey. An insightful and intimate activity for the entire family.

Date: Friday 27 December 2019 & Friday 3 January 2020
Time: 15.00-16.00h
Tickets: € 7.50 per person (excl. museum ticket) - admission free for children, for adults € 12.50 / free with Museumkaart and Stadspas Amsterdam
Language: Dutch (to book an English children's tour please send us an email)

14 DECEMBER - Jacob Böhme Exhibition - Curator's Guided Tour

During this special guided tour, the German curators of the exhibition will take you through the exhibition and introduce you to Böhme's world and that of his followers in Amsterdam. Böhme’s ‘triumph’ began in Amsterdam: it was solely thanks to a 17th-century Amsterdam merchant living on Warmoesstraat that most of Böhme’s works were printed for the first time, in translation. The important role of Beyerland, Böhme’s Amsterdam publisher, is highlighted in this exhibition: we can almost sit next to him and see how he was working on his translations of Böhme.

Geen fotobeschrijving beschikbaar.

Language: English
Date: 14 December 2019. Other Curator's Guided Tours will be given by José Bouman and will be in English on 2 January 2020, 6 February and 5 March (Dutch-spoken tours on 19 December, 2019, 23 January 2020, 20 February and 12 March)
Time: 15.30 - 16.30h
Tickets: € 8,50 - excl. museum ticket (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)

4 & 11 DECEMBER - The 'Grail of Amsterdam' - Special Guided Tour by Rachel Ritman

For centuries, the stories surrounding the Grail have appealed to the imagination. One of our top items in our collection is the ‘Grail of Amsterdam’, which was commissioned by Joost and Rachel Ritman, and which took the Russian lacquer miniature painter Oleg An ten years to complete. The top half of the Grail visualizes the biblical background of the Grail tradition; the bottom half depicts the Grail legends that originated in the Middle Ages.

On several dates in December from 3.30h to 4.45h Rachel Ritman will give a special guided Grail tour! This in-depth tour explains the unique Grail art we own and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition. Book your ticket in advance, because there is only a limited amount of places available!

Date: 4 & 11 December
Time: 3.30h - 4.45h
Tickets: € 8,50 - excl. museum admission (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)
Language: Dutch, or English if requested

28 NOVEMBER - Lecture, Arthur Dee: Rosicrucian Secrets, by Megan Piorko

This lecture by Megan Piorko will examine the multiple states of Arthur Dee’s sole publication, Fasciculus Chemicus (1631), but will concentrate on a rare version of which only a few copies exist today. This state was dedicated to the Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross both explicitly and through hidden messages in the printed text. The lecture will address the issues of clandestine publication practices in Paris during this period, the Rosicrucianist phenomenon in Paris in the early seventeenth century, and the connection between alchemy and the Brotherhood.

Arthur Dee was the first-born son to renowned alchemist John Dee. He studied alchemy with his father as a child and continued his formal education at University of Basel where he studied medicine. Arthur would go on to serve as physician in multiple royal capacities, most notably to the Tsar in Russia. His medical practice was heavily influenced by Paracelsian alchemy, and his text concentrates on alchemical processes that he first learned from his father and later supplemented with his own laboratory studies and chymical readings. The Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica Collection at the Embassy of the Free Mind houses over 25,000 works, including Hermetic, alchemical, Rosicrucian texts amongst which the second edition of John Dee’s Monas Hieroglyphica, as well as a copy of Elias Ashmole’s 1650 English translation of Fasciculus Chemicus (now in the Royal Library in The Hague).

Megan Piorko is a doctoral candidate at Georgia State University in the history department where she studies under the advisement of Dr. Nick Wilding. She currently holds a dissertation fellowship in Philadelphia at the Consortium for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine. Her dissertation, Chymical Collections: Seventeenth-Century Textual Transmutations in the work of Arthur Dee, is situated at the intersection of the history of the book and history of science. She applies her background in art history to the study of texts through a material investigation of their use and reuse. The complex and hermetic imagery of alchemical texts sparked her interest in the history of science during her early post-graduate studies. She has received multiple research fellowships from institutions such as the Science History Institute, the Renaissance Society of America, and the Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry, the latter to which she currently serves as Student Representative.

Date: Thursday 28 November
Time: 19.00 - 21.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 | Students € 10
Language: English

16, 23 and 30 November - Course, Base Metal into Gold: Jung & the Great Work of Alchemy by Jungian Analyst Faranak Mirjalili - SOLD OUT !

The mysteries of alchemy have drawn many to the secrets hidden within its ancient images and texts. To this day there remains an aura of mystery around these extraordinary teachings which originated in Egypt. One of the profound thinkers in recent history was the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung who made alchemy accessible to the man and woman of our time. He discovered in the alchemical tradition the phases of transformation that the deep psyche undergoes as it moves through the process of awakening that he called “individuation”.

Dates: 16, 23 and 30 November
Time: 11.30h - 13.30h
Language: English
Course fee: € 75,-
Please note: only 15 places available!

SOLD OUT !

15 NOVEMBER - Lunch concert, Mylô Dúo: Maria Louisa Olmos Ros, clarinet; Silvia Gallego Sánchez, double bass

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind

On 15 November we will welcome Mylô Dúo, formed by Maria Louisa Olmos Ros, clarinet, and Silvia Gallego Sánchez, double bass. They will play Beethoven's Duo for bassoon and clarinet No. 1 in C major; Nine pieces for clarinet and double bass by Paul Hindemith and Benny's Gig by Morton Gould.

Mylô Dúo was founded in 2018 at the Conservatorium of Amsterdam by clarinettist Maria Louisa Olmos Ros and double bassist Silvia Gallego Sánchez. Clarinet and double bass is an unusual line-up, and the musicians have therefore set up the duo specifically to promote the double bass in chamber music and discover new dimensions in works written for other string instruments, such as cello and viola. The combination of clarinet and double bass gives well-known duets a different, more varied spectrum in terms of timbre and dynamics.
Milô Dúo demonstrates how extraordinary the timbre of this combination is: the low and deep sound of the double bass mixed with the large range in pitch of the clarinet gives the music a rich, varied character and also creates a humorous atmosphere, especially in music of the twentieth century.

Date: Friday 15 November
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

8 NOVEMBER - Kabbalah & Alchemy: Guided Tour by curator Cis van Heertum

  What is kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition, exactly? Kabbalists based themselves on the assumption that the Hebrew language was divine in origin, the language also in which God had created heaven and earth. By meditating on the letters of the Hebrew alphabet and the various divine names, kabbalists hoped to be able to come closer to God.

And what then is alchemy, the art of changing lead into gold, also the predecessor of our current physics? Alchemists tried to convert base metals into precious ones, such as silver and gold. This process was known as transmutation. Alchemists broke down substances to purify them and recombined them. In the Middle Ages many alchemists sought for the Philosophers’ Stone, the substance with which they could perform a successful transmutation.

Join us on this guided tour by Embassy of the Free Mind curator Cis van Heertum and learn more about the current exhibition 'Kabbalah & Alchemy' and its secrets on display.

Date: 8 November (a tour in Dutch will take place on 15 November, read more here)
Time: 15.30-16.30h
Tickets: € 8,50 (excl. admission museum; Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart are valid)
Language: English

Please note: Limited amount of places available so make sure to book in advance!

2, 9, 16, 23, 30 NOVEMBER & 7 DECEMBER - Course, Hildegard of Bingen: a twelfth-century visionary woman. Scivias, a pilgrimage of the soul.

Please note: this course will be in Dutch

Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was a brilliant woman, an exceptional thinker and gifted composer. In her time she had great influence as a visionary, founder of two monasteries, scholar, and author of many writings. Yet until the end of her life she called herself "indocta" (unlearned). Only in her forty-third year of life did she put her visions and spiritual experiences in writing, encouraged by God to do so. This is how her first trilogy, Liber Scivias (the Book of Know the Roads) about the pilgrimage of the soul, was conceived as her personal history of history, as well as a spiritual travel guide.

In this course, Hildegard of Bingen translator Mieke Rademakers-Kock will discuss six visions from Scivias. The course will be in Dutch. Read more

2 NOVEMBER - Discover, hear, see and taste during Museum Night 2019

Come and discover the Embassy of the Free Mind during Museum Night 2019! Especially for this occasion we have put together a programme to nourish al your senses. Take your mind on a journey of exploration, see our exhibition Kabbalah & Alchemy, listen to short lectures on alchemical symbols and kabbalah or to singer/songwriter Joëlle’s dreamy pop songs, and taste the cocktalis that we will brew for you in our alchemical laboratory. Read more

Date: 2 November
Time: 19.00-2.00h

2 NOVEMBER - Introduction to the living kabbalah: a balancing act

This event will be in Dutch

How to live your life in this demanding time, to dare to express your mind in freedom, to let your heart speak in fullness, to make the purity of your soul sound?
Life revolves around balance, balance and inner harmony. How to find, save and express that? The moment you realize that you are the vehicle of divine principles of life, you will find your inner map: the tree of life, the sefirot, within yourself.

In an hour and a half Marianne van Wijngaarden takes you into the wonderful world of kabbalah and how you can apply this wisdom in your life. Read more

Date: Saturday 2 November
Time: 15.00-16.30h
Tickets: € 8,50 per person (excl. museum entrance) - Museumkaart and Stadspas Amsterdam are accepted
Language: Dutch

31 OCTOBER - Lecture by artist Joseph Sassoon Semah: The meaning of Tetragrammaton and Pentagrammaton and The Black Square

What is the Tetragrammaton, or even the Pentagrammaton? We often see the image of the Tetragrammaton and Pentagrammaton in art and culture, but also in the work of artist Joseph Sassoon Semah (Iraq, 1948) and in the collection of The Embassy of the Free Mind. In this lecture Joseph Sassoon Semah will reflect on the work of Barnett Newman, Marcel Duchamp, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola; Johannes Reuchlin and Vincent van Gogh and their sources of inspiration and the collection of the Embassy of the Free Mind.

Joseph Semah Sassoon will also talk about the meaning of The Black Square, the reference to the destruction of the Second Solomonic Temple by Herod (29 or 30 July 70 C.E.), and the perfection of its dimensions. This lecture will be given in the context of Joseph Semah Sassoon’s project called ‘On Friendship/(Collateral Damage) III – The Third GaLUT: Baghdad, Jerusalem, Amsterdam’, an aesthetic and poetic research into the cities Baghdad, Jerusalem and Amsterdam. For more information about this project see here.

Barnett Newman

Barnett Newman Joseph Sassoon Semah

The Name 1949 The Name השם (HaSheM) 1983

oil paint on canvas 121,9 x 152,4 cm ink, pencil on paper 30 x 21 cm

collection Daros, Switzerland

HaSheM, in Hebrew 'The Name'.
Religious Jews use the word השם HaSheM for what is unnameable, יהוה YHVH.

Joseph Sassoon Semah reads the work of Barnett Newman, The Name I, from the tradition of the source text, the Hebrew. Right to left: we see a four-striped canvas, entitled The Name I. The first line is very thin, the third is thicker, the second and the fourth are identical, and the thickest. The first line stands for י YUD, the second and the fourth for ה HeH and the third for ו VaV. When we read this, from right to left, we see that Newman has painted the name YAHUVEH YHVH; Tetragrammaton.

Since the late 1970s artist Joseph Sassoon Semah has developed an extensive artistic oeuvre based on his survey into the relationship between Jewish identity and modernist art that consists of drawings, paintings, sculptures, installations, performances and texts. Semah seeks to ‘correct’ art history and philosophy. He argues that more attention needs to be given to different sources so a broader basis for other perspectives is created. He asks the simple question how modernism looks from a Jewish perspective. He shares his lost rich Jewish Babylonian cultural heritage through art, performances and debates. He asks the public to review their own art, culture, traditions and identity.

 Artist Joseph Sassoon Semah was born in Baghdad (Iraq, 1948), as one of the last of a Babylonian Jewish family lineage, the grandson of Chief Rabbi Hacham Sassoon Kadoori (1885-1971). Kadoori was the head of the Babylonian Jewish community and preached of peace between Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Baghdad once was one of the most diverse and tolerant cities in the world. The Babylonian Jews in Iraq were one of the oldest and historically seen, the most important Jewish community, until they were forced to leave Iraq in the early 1950s. As a Babylonian Jew who emigrated to the West (Amsterdam), Joseph Sassoon Semah is part of GaLUT (Exile), an endless cycle of diaspora and return. You long for your country of birth and search for a way to relate to your cultural heritage and traditions. Heritage reminds us of our history.

Date: Thursday 31 October
Tijd: 19.00-21.00h (doors open at 18.15h)
Tickets: € 12,50 | Students € 10,-
Language: English
Special: After this lecture we will exclusively open our new exhibition 'Kabbalah & Alchemy' for a quick preview of the unique works on display.

2, 9, 16, 23, 30 OCTOBER - The 'Grail of Amsterdam' - Special Guided Tour by Rachel Ritman

For centuries, the stories surrounding the Grail have appealed to the imagination. One of our top items in our collection is the ‘Grail of Amsterdam’, which was commissioned by Joost and Rachel Ritman, and which took the Russian lacquer miniature painter Oleg An ten years to complete. The top half of the Grail visualizes the biblical background of the Grail tradition; the bottom half depicts the Grail legends that originated in the Middle Ages.

On several dates in September from 15.30-16.45h Rachel Ritman will give a special guided Grail tour! This in-depth tour explains the unique Grail art we own and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition. Book your ticket in advance, because there is only a limited amount of places available!

Dates: 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 October
Time: 15.30-16.45h
Tickets: € 8,50 - excl. museum admission (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)

23 & 25 OCTOBER - Kinderrondleiding: Reis mee in het magische dierenrijk!

Ben je 8 jaar of ouder en wil je meer leren over de geheimen van de natuur? Stap dan samen met Beatrice Augrandjean in een wereld vol magische en alchemistische dieren! Een leeuw die de zon opeet, een slang die in zijn staart bijt, een adelaar met twee koppen, een draak met een kroon, die zijn niet zomaar verzonnen. Kom ontdekken wat ze te vertellen hebben, duik mee in oude handschriften, en teken je eigen fantasiedier!

En wat is de levensboom uit de joodse kabbala nu eigenlijk precies? De tien cirkels gaan over ideeën die mensen door de eeuwen heen belangrijk hebben gevonden. Welke denk je dat dat zijn? En welke tien dingen vind jij zelf belangrijk in je leven?

Kom ook en laat je inspireren door de Embassy of the Free Mind!

Datum: 23 & 25 October
Tijd: 15.00-16.00h
Tickets: tour € 7,50 per persoon (excl. toegang museum) - toegang gratis voor kinderen, voor volwassenen € 12,50 / gratis met Museumkaart en Stadspas

Taal: Nederlands

18 OCTOBER - Lunch concert, Pollock Duo: Sergio Sánchez Martín and Guy Foret, clarinet

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind

On 18 October Pollock Duo, formed by clarinettists Sergio Sánchez Martín and Guy Foret, will give a performance. They will play a selection from Siete canciones populares españolas by Manuel de Falla, a selection from Mozarts 12 Duets K.487, and works by Roland Dormans, Marc-Henri Cykiert and Christos Kavour.

Pollock Duo is a Spanish/Belgian clarinet duet founded in 2016 by the clarinet players Sergio Sánchez Martín and Guy Foret. Their main purpose is to promote the work of contemporary composers, while also incorporating some classics in their repertoire. As contemporary music lovers, they often work with composers and premiere new pieces.

Date: Friday 18 October
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

17 OCTOBER - Comenius and Rembrandt. Lecture by curator Henk Roos

This lecture will be in Dutch. Please click here to read more

Date: 17 October
Time: 19.00-21.00h (door open 18.15h)
Tickets: € 12,50 | Students € 10,-
Language: Dutch

10 OCTOBER - Theatre Performance, Rembrandt - Dwars & eigenzinnig

Please note: this performance will be in Dutch

Because the performance on 4 October sold out so quickly, we now offer a second performance of the theatre play Rembrandt - Dwars & eigenzinnig on 10 October. In October it is 350 years ago that artist Rembrandt van Rijn died, and in order to commemorate this, theatre company Tafel van Vijf will perform Rembrandt - Dwars & eigenzinnig, a play about Rembrandt's eventful life, his passion for painting, but also the downsides of his enthusiasm. Rembrandt is an intimate theatre performance. The actors will play pop-folk music during the performance, sing and play various acoustic instruments. Because the intimacy is part of the unique experience, only a limited number of tickets is available. So be quick!

There is a special reason why the performance takes place at the EFM. In the 17th century, the famous De Geer family lived in the House with the Heads. Rembrandt painted various family members and regularly visited the family in this unique house, where philosophers such as Comenius and others gathered to discuss.

Date: 10 October
Time: 19.00-20.00h
Tickets: € 20,-
Language: Dutch

6, 7 and 8 OCTOBER - International Conference - The Role of the Netherlands in the Reception of Jacob Böhme

The Embassy of the Free Mind is proud to host the conference ‘The Role of the Netherlands in the Reception of Jacob Böhme’ from 6 - 8 October. The mystical philosopher Jacob Böhme (1575-1624) was a prolific writer, but did not intend to publish any of his works. Yet he enjoyed an impressive international reception. The Netherlands and Amsterdam in particular played a key role in the dissemination of Böhme’s thought: it is here that main editions of his works were published. This conference is organised by Claudia Brink, Lucinda Martin and Cecilia Muratori as part of the ‘Jacob Böhme Exhibition Project’ supported by the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden. The next exhibition on Böhme will be organized in collaboration with the Embassy of the Free Mind, also the venue of the exhibition ‘Eye for the World. The visionary thinker Jacob Böhme’ from 14th December 2019-15 March 2020.

The conference opens on 6 October with a keynote lecture by Carlos Gilly at 18.30, followed by a reception. The full programme will be published on our website. You are invited to attend one of these events.

Sunday 6 October: 18.30-21.00 uur lecture + reception € 20,- / students € 10,- including drink and snack
Monday 7 October: 9.30-18.00 uur conference day 1 € 10,- / students € 5,-, lunch not included
Tuesday 8 October: 9.30-12.50 uur conference day 2 € 5,- students € 2,50
Language: German and English

Sandwiches and soup will be sold in our café during lunch break on Monday.

4 OCTOBER - Theatre Performance, Rembrandt - Dwars & eigenzinnig

Please note: this performance will be in Dutch

On October 4 there will be something very special at the Embassy of the Free Mind: for the first time there will be a theatre performance in the Grote Sael.
On Friday, October 4, it is exactly 350 years ago that artist Rembrandt van Rijn died, and in order to commemorate this, theatre company Tafel van Vijf will perform Rembrandt - Dwars & eigenzinnig, a play about Rembrandt's eventful life, his passion for painting, but also the downsides of his enthusiasm. Rembrandt is an intimate theatre performance. The actors will play pop-folk music during the performance, sing and play various acoustic instruments. Because the intimacy is part of the unique experience, only a limited number of tickets is available. So be quick!

There is a special reason why the performance takes place at the Embassy of the Free Mind. In the 17th century, the famous De Geer family lived in the House with the Heads. Rembrandt painted various family members and regularly visited the family in this unique house, where philosophers such as Comenius and others gathered to discuss.

Date: 4 October
Time: 19.00-20.00h
Tickets: € 20,- (SOLD OUT)

27 SEPTEMBER - Kabbalah & Alchemy: Guided Tour by curator Cis van Heertum

Join us on this guided tour by Embassy of the Free Mind curator Cis van Heertum and learn more about the current exhibition 'Kabbalah & Alchemy' and its secrets on display.

Dates: 27 September and 8 November (tours in Dutch will take place on 11 October & 15 November, read more here)
Time: 15.30-16.30h
Tickets: € 8,50 (excl. admission museum; Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart are valid)
Language: English

Please note: Limited amount of places available so make sure to book in advance!

11, 18, 25 SEPTEMBER - The 'Grail of Amsterdam' - Special Guided Tour by Rachel Ritman

On several dates in September from 15.30-16.45h Rachel Ritman will give a special guided Grail tour! This in-depth tour explains the unique Grail art we own and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition. Book your ticket in advance, because there is only a limited amount of places available!

Dates: 11, 18, 25 September
Time: 15.30-16.45h
Tickets: € 8,50 - excl. museum admission (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)

20 SEPTEMBER - Lunch concert, The Sphere Quartet

On 20 September we will welcome The Sphere Quartet, consisting of Stephanie van Duijn, violin; Phoebe Tarleton, violin; Elisa Misas Santin, viola, and Henrique Constância, cello. The Sphere Quartet will play the first two movements from Quartet op. 18 no. 1 by Ludwig van Beethoven and the first movement from Benjamin Britten’s Quartet no. 2.

The Sphere Quartet, an international quartet which is based in Amsterdam is made up of musicians from the UK, USA/Netherlands, Spain and Portugal. The group was formed in October 2018 when they met while studying at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.
The quartet won first prize at the Maassluis Jong Talent Concours in February 2019 and participated in their first international competition this summer at the Virtuoso and Belcanto Festival in Lucca. They have recently begun having lessons from the Nederlandse Strijkkwartet Academie (NSKA). So far they have worked with Marc Danel, Richard Lester, Dennis Brott, Lukas Hagen and Luc-Marie Aguera.

Date: Friday 20 September
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

19 SEPTEMBER - Lecture, Scivias: de praktische mystiek van Hildegard van Bingen, by Mieke Kock-Rademakers

Please note: this lecture will be in Dutch

Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was a brilliant woman, an exceptional thinker and gifted composer. In her time she had great influence as a visionary, founder of two monasteries, scholar, and author of many writings. Yet until the end of her life she called herself "indocta" (unlearned). Only in her forty-third year of life did she put her visions and spiritual experiences in writing, encouraged by God to do so. This is how her first trilogy, Liber Scivias (The Book Know the Roads) about the pilgrimage of the soul, was conceived as her personal history of history, as well as a spiritual travel guide.

The lecture will be in Dutch. More information.

Mieke Kock-Rademakers (1944) is a classicist, philosopher and translator of the work 'Scivias' - Ken de Wegen - by Hildegard of Bingen. She was a teacher of classical languages in secondary education and leads several reading circles. As a philosopher she focuses in particular on Plato, Aristotle and the Neo-Platonic tradition. Her doctoral thesis dealt with Heidegger's translation of Plato’s cave allegory. Her work focuses on the train of thought in language. To this end, she approaches the texts from a philosophical-anthropological perspective with the question: "What inspires man" and "How does this question answer itself in the course of history".

She is also interested in early music. Thus she came in contact with Cercamon (o.l.v. Lida Dekkers) and Cantus Modalis (o.l.v. Rebecca Stewart). She translated and interpreted medieval lyrics for both ensembles. This is how she came across Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), a brilliant woman, independent thinker and gifted composer. A visionary, founder of two monasteries, (church) scholar, naturopath and author of many writings, she was very influential in her time.

In 2017 Mieke Kock-Rademakers completed the translation of Hildegard's first vision trilogy, Liber Scivias. She approaches the texts according to the medieval, monastic method of the lectio divina, in order to better understand their mystical expressiveness. It is the first time that Liber Scivias has appeared in our language area, translated from the original Latin text.

Date: 19 September 
Time: 19.00h (door open: 18.15h)
Tickets: € 12,50 / students € 10,-
Language: Nederlands

12 SEPTEMBER - Lecture, Bijbelse vrouwen en kabbala

Please note: this lecture will be in Dutch. Click here for more information.

 Date: 12 September
Time 19.00h (door open: 18.15h)
Tickets € 12,50 / students € 10,-
Language: Dutch

5 SEPTEMBER - Dreams and Changes

Chamber Music by Hermetic Philosopher and Musician Robert Fludd (1574-1637) + Rare Books Tour by Esther Ritman and musician Loren Ludwig

Robert Fludd (1574-1637) is the author of more than twenty philosophical, medical and scientific works. Music occupies a central place in his writings, yet the music that appears in his discussion of the harmony of the universe (macrocosm) and the harmony of man (microcosm), as well as his substantive writing on music theory and organology, is silent - a symbolic and theoretical phenomenon only. Yet Fludd was also a performer and composer. Ten trios by Fludd survived in a single source from the first half of the seventeenth century. Until today, these pieces have remained hidden between the dusty pages of a manuscript in New Haven, CT, and have never been heard or played. Hearing Fludd's imaginative chamber music will offer listeners new insights into Fludd's bold musical philosophy and the striking imagery of his publications. The performance of Fludd's music will be followed by the opportunity to view some of Fludd's extraordinary publications from the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica collecting in the rare books room, all explained by director Esther Ritman and musician Loren Ludwig.

Performers:
Loren Ludwig: Treble Viol
Oliver Weston: Bass Viol
Marjan Banis: Recorder

Loren Ludwig is a performer/scholar based in Baltimore, MD, USA. Praised for his “outstanding” playing by the Washington Post, Loren is a co-founder of LeStrange Viols and Science Ficta and performs with ACRONYM and numerous ensembles specializing in sixteenth and seventeenth century music in the US and abroad. As a musicologist, Loren researches what he terms “polyphonic intimacy,” the idea that music in the Western tradition is constructed to foster social relationships among its performers and listeners. Loren received a PhD in musicology from the University of Virginia and his work has been supported by the Fulbright Program, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the American Musicological Society, and the Viola da Gamba society of America.

Date: Thursday 5 September
Time: 15.00 - 16.00h
Tickets: € 10,00 | Students € 8,50

Language: English

Special: The 30 minutes concert with Fludd's music will be followed by a 30 minutes Robert Fludd Rare Books tour by director Esther Ritman

28 AUGUST - Kinderrondleiding: de geheimen van de natuur

Is jouw kind 8 jaar of ouder en wil hij/zij meer leren over de geheimen van de natuur? Ga dan met Beatrice Augrandjean op speurtocht naar de symboliek van dieren en de geheimen van oude handschriften. Samen ontrafelen we wat sommige dieren symboliseren door de afbeeldingen in het museum te ontdekken. Hoeveel beelden van de ouroboros, de slang die in zijn eigen staart bijt, kun je in het museum vinden? Wat kunnen deze dieren je vertellen over alchemie? Je kunt ook je eigen alchemistische dieren of andere fantasiebeesten tekenen.

En wat is de ‘levensboom’ uit de Joodse traditie, de Kabbala, eigenlijk? Welke tien dingen vind jij belangrijk in je leven?

Waarom zijn boeken, gebonden pagina's vol tekst, zo bijzonder en wat kunnen ze ons vertellen?

Kom ook en laat je inspireren door de Embassy of the Free Mind!

Datum: 28 August + 23 & 25 October
Tijd: 15.00-16.00h
Tickets: tour € 7,50 per persoon (excl. toegang museum) - toegang gratis voor kinderen, voor volwassenen € 12,50 / gratis met Museumkaart en Stadspas

Taal: Nederlands

22 AUGUST - Lecture, 'Kabbalah, messianism and magic – the Iberian Jewish identity in Amsterdam' by Ets Haim Jewish library Amsterdam curator Heide Warncke

More than 400 years ago, the first Portuguese Jews settled in Amsterdam. They came from the Iberian Peninsula where they were forced to convert to Catholicism under the Inquisition. The collection of the Ets Haim library offers a spectacular view into the lives of this 17th- and 18th-century Portuguese congregation. It shows that much of pre-expulsion Jewish intellectual and spiritual heritage found its way into the Amsterdam community.

After a short introduction about the history of Ets Haim, Heide Warncke will shed light on the practice of kabbalah in Amsterdam Jewish life. How did the leaders of the community integrate kabbalistic ideas? What was the main focus of kabbalistic thought in the city? How did the congregation react to the false messiah Shabetai Zevi? And how did kabbalistic and messianistic ideas live on after this episode? Manuscripts will be shown that give evidence of the spiritual life of the Jewish community. Finally a Hebrew manuscript will be discussed that goes back to ancient Islamic magic used to foretell the future or discern hidden things.

The Ets Haim library is part of the Jewish Cultural Quarter, whose current ‘Kabbalah’ exhibition has six exceptional prints and manuscripts on loan from the EFM, which in turn received seven unique manuscripts from Ets Haim on loan for the exhibition Kabbala & Alchemy that opened on June 12. This exchange underlines a beautiful collaboration that has existed for more than thirty years between the Embassy of the Free Mind with its Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica Collection and the Jewish Cultural Quarter with the associated Ets Haim - Livraria Montezinos.

Heide Warncke (1964) was born in Hamburg and studied Semitic Languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, Yiddish) at the University of Amsterdam. After finishing her studies, she became project leader for the cataloguing of the old printed Hebraica and Judaica at the Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana, the Jewish Special Collections at the University of Amsterdam. There she discovered her fascination for Jewish book history. As a library specialist she has also been working for several smaller Jewish libraries in Holland. She started working at the Ets Haim – Livraria Montezinos Library (part of the Jewish Cultural Quarter) in Amsterdam in 2012 and has been appointed curator of Ets Haim in 2016. Currently she is doing a Ph.D. research on the subject of Hebrew printing in Amsterdam.

Date: Thursday 22 August
Time: 19.00-21.00h (doors open: 18.15h)
Tickets: € 12,50 | Students € 10 (SOLD OUT)
Language: English
Special: After this lecture we will exclusively open our new exhibition 'Kabbalah & Alchemy' for a quick preview of the unique works on display.

21 AUGUST - Kabbalah Guided Tour

In collaboration with Ets Haim

There are two exhibitions on kabbalah in Amsterdam this year, one in the Jewish Cultural Quarter and the other one in the Embassy of the Free Mind. The exhibition Kabbalah and Alchemy (13 June - 16 November, Embassy of the Free Mind) explores the phenomenon of ‘Cabala chymica’, an alchemical take on kabbalah. The exhibition Kabbalah - the Art of Jewish Mysticism (until 25 August, Jewish Cultural Quarter) highlights the numerous aspects of Kabbalah in stunning combinations of age-old objects and modern works of art.

English tour
10.30-11.30h EFM / 13.30-14.30h JCQ

Dutch tour
10.30-11.30h JCQ / 13.30-14.30h EFM

Date: Wednesday 21 August
Combined tickets: € 15.00 (excl. museum admission)

16 AUGUST - Lunch concert in the Embassy of the Free Mind

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind

Joëlles concert at the EFM on 21 December 2018 was a great success; many listeners enjoyed her beautiful voice and dreamy songs. So, on 16 August she will be back, this time with violist Duleen van Gunsteren.

After a year in New York, Dutch singer Joëlle returned to Amsterdam with her suitcase full of beautiful songs. The release of her debut EP Silhouette, with a video clip, in 2018, has resulted in many appearances on stage, on radio and TV and in the press. In the autumn of 2019 her second EP will be released.

Together with violist Duleen van Gunsteren Joëlle presents an attractive blend of dreamy pop songs which echo her Indian roots. In her music she draws inspiration from life in New York and the stories of her Hindustani grandmother.

Date: Friday 16 August
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

14 AUGUST - Grachtenfestival Concert, Eduardo Paredes, violin; Willem Stam, cello

This year the Embassy of the Free Mind will again host a Grachtenfestival concert. On 14 August the Brazilian-Bolivian violinist Eduardo Paredes and the Canadian cellist Willem Stam will play duos for violin and cello by Rebecca Clarke, Maurice Ravel and Erwin Schulhoff. Fascinating music for violin and cello from the early 20th century performed by two top string players in the intimate, atmospheric Grote Sael of the House with the Heads.

Date: Wednesday 14 August
Time: 14.00 - 15.00h
Tickets: € 17,- 
More information and reservations: click here

19 JULY - Lunch concert in the Embassy of the Free Mind

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind

On 19 July there will be a performance by flute duo Quardici, formed by Mirna Ackers and Agnese Lecchi. They will play a selection from 15 Inventionen by J.S. Bach, Fauré's Pavane and the Duo concertant no. 1 op. 10 by Kuhlau.

The flute duo Quardici was formed by Agnese Lecchi (Italian) and Mirna Ackers (Dutch), and has been performing around Amsterdam since 2017.
At the age of 15, Mirna Ackers (1995) was admitted to the Sweelinck Academy for exceptionally gifted young musicians at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam where she studied with Marieke Schneemann. She is currently in the class of Kersten McCall (Principal of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra) for her master studies and in the coming concert season 2019-2020 she will be an academist in the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra. Agnese Lecchi (1994) started her studies privately in Italy at the age of 8; after graduating in Brescia at the Conservatorio Luca Marenzio, she was admitted to the Conservatorium van Amsterdam for the master programme, where she studies with Kersten McCall and became friends with, indeed, Mirna.
Agnese and Mirna have a lot in common: not only they did study together, but they’re also both co-principals of the NJO (National Youth Orchestra of the Netherlands), and had the chance to follow masterclasses with the best musicians in Europe and America: Jacques Zoon, Felix Renggli, Emily Beynon, Denis Bouriakov, Philippe Bernold, Marco Zoni. They both won several important prizes in both national and international competitions.
The duo has played in festivals like Happy BachDag but it is also giving concerts in cultural locations around Amsterdam. They perform music arranged for two flutes from Bach to modern music.

Date: Friday 19 July
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

17 JULY - Alchemical animal hunt for children

Please note: this tour will be in Dutch

Are you 8 years or older and do you want to learn more about the secrets of nature? Then go on a quest with Beatrice Augrandjean for the symbolism of animals and the secrets of ancient manuscripts. Together we will unravel what some animals symbolize by discovering the images in the museum. How many images of the ouroboros, the snake that bites its own tail, can you find in the museum? What can these animals tell you about alchemy? You can also draw your own alchemical animals or other fantasy animals.

And what is the "tree of life" from the Jewish tradition, the Kabbalah, anyway? Which ten things do you find important in your life?
Why are books, bound pages full of text, so special and what can they tell us?

Come and be inspired by the Embassy of the Free Mind!

Date: Wednesday 17 July
Time: 15.00-16.00h
Tickets: guided tour € 7,50 per person (excl. museum entrance fee) - free entrance for children, € 12,50 for adults / free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas
Language: Dutch

11 JULY - Lecture, Jewish Kabbalah and Western Esotericism: An Introduction

Throughout the centuries, Jewish Kabbalah has captured the imagination of many esoteric enthusiasts. From its tantalizing eastern wisdom parallels such as the chakra systems and use of mantras, to the vast subjects of reincarnation, angelology and demonology – it is no wonder then that this highly secretive knowledge served as an inspiration for many western occult trends such as alchemy and magic. This lecture aims to bridge the gap between Western Esotericism and its Jewish mystical sources. Focus will be placed on the main historical trends leading up to and including Kabbalah, as well as key concepts such as the sefirot of the Tree of Life and the cosmological structure of the metaphysical universe. In addition, the reception of this knowledge will be explored through the lenses of some of the principal figures in the western tradition. By the end of this introduction, participants will be armed with new insights which would allow them to decipher the kabbalistic symbolism of the many images being displayed at the Embassy of the Free Mind.

John MacMurphy is currently a PhD researcher at the University of Amsterdam, the center for the History of Hermetic Philosophy and related currents (HHP). He received his BA in Psychology from the University of California at Berkeley and his research MA degree from UvA in Religious Studies (Western Esotericism) – focusing on ecstatic Jewish esotericism. His work consists of exploring the encounter and relationship between Jewish Mysticism and different trends, systems and practices such as eastern meditation praxis, Tantra and sexuality, Lucid Dreaming and Jewish Alchemy. His current research consists of the reception of Lurianic Kabbalah within western occult traditions.

Some of his publications include:
* “Are Kabbalistic Meditations All About Ecstasy?” In Hermes Explains: Thirty Questions about Western Esotericism, edited by Wouter Hanegraaff, Peter Forshaw and Marco Pasi. Amsterdam: AUP, 2019. 
* “Distorted Transmission of Abraham Abulafia’s Kabbalah.” In Studies on Western Esotericism in Central and Eastern Europe, edited by Nemanja Radulović and Karolina Maria Hess. Szeged: JATE Press, 2019.
For his conference paper presentations: https://uva.academia.edu/JohnMacmurphy

Date: Thursday 11 July
Time: 19.00 - 21.00h (doors open at 18.15h)
Tickets: € 12,50 | Students € 10
Language: English
Special: After this lecture we will exclusively open our new exhibition 'Kabbalah & Alchemy' for a quick preview of the unique works on display.

16, 23 & 30 JUNE - Course The Dream of the Cosmos Cursus History of the Feminine Consciousness - Part Two

Following part I of the course entitled 'The Dream of the Cosmos. History of the Feminine Consciousness', now follows PART TWO of this course with a continuation of three lessons. It is not necessary to have followed the first part of the course.

Date: 16, 23 and 30 June
Time: 12.00-13.30 hours
Costs: € 60,-
Language: English

27 JUNE - Lecture, Homo universalis; a moral compass for a new European Renaissance

Please note: this lecture will be in Dutch

Worrying developments are piling up: climate change, migration flows, populism, trade conflicts, a shaky financial system and fragmentation of national and European politics. These problems can be traced back to the one-sided value orientation that dominates society, so that people and society become disastrous caricatures of themselves. In our time it is all about the one-sided overvaluation of materialistic and individualistic values. Morality and the human dimension have been lost.

By taking a few steps back from the current social situation, we can arrive at a new moral framework based on European philosophy, culture and history. Through the work of Shakespeare, which refers to the "quadrature of the circle" in a mysterious way, we arrive at the ideal image of the Renaissance as it was embodied in the homo universalis depicted by Leonardo da Vinci. This image of mankind can be traced back to Hermetic philosophy, in which man finds himself both in the square of the microcosm and in the circle of the macrocosm. The fundamental forces between the spiritual and the material and those between the universal and the individual are in balance. A moral compass can be derived from that image of man, with which we can find a way out of the confluence of worrying developments. Only when we, just like the homo universalis, manage to maintain the balance between fundamental human values, can there be human dignity and sustainability. This insight ultimately leads to a concrete social agenda.

Prof ir N.D. (Klaas) van Egmond has been an environmental researcher since 1972. From 1988 he was responsible for RIVM environmental research as Environment Director. From 2004 to 2008 he was director of the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (MNP, now the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency).
Since January 1, 2008, Klaas van Egmond has been a full-time faculty professor in Geosciences at Utrecht University. From 2012 to 2016 he was a crown-appointed member of the Social and Economic Council (SER). Together with colleague Herman Wijffels he is the initiator of the Sustainable Finance Lab, a think tank of economists that focuses on understanding the financial crisis and formulating sustainable solutions. Klaas van Egmond is increasingly concerned with the socio-cultural and financial-economic aspects of the sustainability issue. He has published a book entitled "A Form of Civilization" on this subject (2010). He published his second book in mid-2019: "Homo universalis; moral compass for a new European Renaissance ’. See also www.klaasvanegmond.nl

Date: Thursday 27 June
Time: 19.00 - 21.00h (doors open at 18.15h)
Tickets: € 12,50 | Students € 10
Language: Dutch

19 & 26 JUNE - The 'Grail of Amsterdam' - Special Guided Tour by Rachel Ritman

On 19 and 26 June from 15.30pm to 16.45h Rachel Ritman will give a special guided Grail tour! This in-depth tour explains the unique Grail art we own and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition. Book your ticket in advance, because there is only a limited amount of places available!

Dates: 19 and 26 June
Time: 15.30 - 16.45h
Tickets: € 8,50 - excl.. museum ticket (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)

21 JUNE - Lunch concert in the Embassy of the Free Mind

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind

On 21 June there will be a performance by harpist Josefien de Waele. She will play the Tango pour harpe by Jean-Micel Damase, the Sonata in c minor by Giovanni Battista Pescetti and the Ballade fantastique by Henriette Renié.

Josefien De Waele (1997, Ghent) has won prizes at (inter)national competitions such as the international harp competition Félix Godefroid (2017), the international music competition Petar Konjovic in Belgrade, Serbia (2015), BeNeLux harp competition Harpegio (2014/2010) and the music competition Marnixfactor (2013). As a result she performed at festivals including Seduced by Harps (2014) and the 20th edition of Harpe Diem (2013). Since 2015 Josefien has studied at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Erika Waardenburg and Sandrine Chatron. Additionally she has private lessons with Arielle Valibouse. She also took masterclasses and courses with many internationally renowned harpists.

As an orchestra musician Josefien has collaborated with conductors such as Marc Wigglesworth and Anthony Hermus, with the National Youth Orchestra (NJO), and with Vasily Petrenko, with the European Youth Orchestra (EUYO), giving concerts at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Royal Opera House Muscat, the Grand Auditorium Philharmonie Luxembourg, the Ateneul Român Boekarest, Teatro Nuovo Giovanni Udine and the Congresshalle Saarbrücken.
Her special interest in contemporary music, for harp solo as well as larger ensembles, has prompted her to further explore this field during her studies.

Date: Friday 17 May
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

13 JUNE - Lecture: Kabbalah – Not only for initiates

Please note: this lecture will be in Dutch

In 2016, a team of curators and experts from the Jewish Cultural Quarter (JCK) and the Jüdisches Museum Wien embarked on a comprehensive, joint project that resulted in two exhibitions on kabbalah in Vienna and Amsterdam in 2018 and 2019. Since the Middle Ages, Kabbalah ("reception") has been a collective term for traditions in Judaism that explore deeper, hidden layers of meaning in the Torah and the divine world. This "knowledge" that kabbalists consider to be an ancient knowledge was protected for many centuries with restrictive rules for sharing this information. Jewish mystics only shared this knowledge with those they thought they were able to receive. It is therefore remarkable that it was precisely this exclusively Jewish, esoteric knowledge that was eventually embraced by a much wider audience, Jewish and non-Jewish, ranging from scientists to artists and contemporary pop icons.
In this lecture, curator Mirjam Knotter presents the exciting search by the curators of the exhibitions for the reflection of kabbalistic concepts in both Jewish material culture and in modern and contemporary arts.

The exhibition at the JCK has six exceptional prints and manuscripts on loan from the EFM, which in turn receives seven unique manuscripts from Ets Haim on loan for the
exhibition Kabbala & Alchemy that opens June 12. This underlines a beautiful collaboration that has existed for more than thirty years between the Embassy of the Free Mind with its Collection Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica and the Jewish Cultural Quarter with the associated Ets Haim - Livraria Montezinos.

Mirjam Knotter (1968) is an art historian and curator of the Jewish Historical Museum and the Portuguese Synagogue in the Amsterdam Jewish Cultural Quarter and curator of the exhibition “Kabbala - The art of Jewish mysticism”. In recent years she has put together many exhibitions and has published on the interface between art, religion and identity, including Charlotte Salomon-Leven? Or theater? (2017); Benno Premsela-Max Heymans. Men with guts and style (2015); R.B. Kitaj: Unpacking My Library (2015); Sjtetl in the city. Antwerp through the Lens of Dan Zollman; the permanent exhibitions in the historic annexes of the Portuguese Synagogue (2011); William Kentridge-Black Box / Chambre Noire (2012) and De Joodse Rembrandt: the myth unraveled (2007).

Some of her publications:
* Kabbalah, Bielefeld 2018
* Benno Premsela-Max Heymans. Vormgeving, couture en homo-emancipatie in naoorlogs Nederland, Zwolle 2015
* R.B. Kitaj. Unpacking My Library, Amsterdam 2015
* The Jewish Rembrandt-The Myth Unraveled, Zwolle 2008
* ‘Les inscriptions hébraïques dans l’oeuvre de Rembrandt’, in: Rembrandt et la Nouvelle Jérusalem, Paris 2007, p. 54-71
* Spiritual Heritage, Shimmering Treasures. Unknown Collections of the Portuguese Synagogue, Amsterdam 2005

Date: Thursday 13 June
Time: 19.00 - 21.00h (doors open at 18.15h)
Tickets: € 12,50 | Students € 10
Language: Dutch

31 MAY - Lecture, Spinoza and the freedom to philosophize

This lecture will be in Dutch

Spinoza’s Theological-Political Treatise (1670), published anonymously in Amsterdam, is more than a radical plea for tolerance and freedom of expression, as the book is often seen. If Spinoza wrote only about a pragmatic defense of freedom of religion, he would not have had to take the risk of publishing a "forbidden book", because 17th-century Amsterdam was already a "free haven for those with a different opinion". Jews, Catholics, Protestants of all kinds, and Socinians lived together here and could rely on protection from the government.

The first part of the lecture will try to show that Spinoza wants to prove "scientifically" that freedom is essential for every religion. In his eyes religion is a general human phenomenon. This means that the outcome of the first sixteen chapters of the Theological-Political Treatise is that no religion can pretend to form the true religion. Spinoza shared this vision of the essential role of freedom of thought for religion with his friends such as the Mennonites Jarig Jelles and Pieter Balling and the radical Cartesians Adriaan Koerbagh and Lodewijk Meijer within the "circle of Spinoza".

In the second part, Henri Krop will discuss the Ethics. Sometimes Spinoza is seen as a secular philosopher, but he also wants to show how we can find a comprehensive wisdom that makes us free.

Benedictus de Spinoza. Porttrait added to a copy of 'De nagelate schriften'. [Amsterdam 1677]

H.A. Krop (* 1954) studied philosophy and theology in Leiden. In 1987 he defended a dissertation on the relationship between theology and philosophy according to the medieval philosopher Duns Scotus. Since 1988 he has been a lecturer in the history of thought at the Faculty of Philosophy at Erasmus University Rotterdam. His research has two main points: early modern philosophy in particular in the Republic, and Spinoza. In 2002 he published an annotated translation of Ethics, which is now in its 10th edition and in 2014 Spinoza, a paradoxical icon of the Netherlands. This book describes how Spinoza's philosophy has been an important source of inspiration in their search for wisdom in the last few centuries.

In 2008 Henri Krop contributed to the publication Libertas Philosophandi. Spinoza as a guide for a free world of publishing In the pelican of the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica. His essay is entitled "Henri Krop, Old and New in the Spinoza Library" and can be read in the book, available in the museum shop and via the webshop.

Date: Friday 31 May
Time: 19.00-20.30h (doors open 18.15h - home made soup awaiting you!)
Tickets: € 12,50 | Students € 10
Language: Dutch

19, 16 MAY & 2 JUNE - Course The Dream of the Cosmos Cursus History of the Feminine Consciousness

Following our lecture 'Introduction to the History of the Feminine' from 18 April, we now introduce a 3-class COURSE on the same theme: The Dream of the Cosmos: Introduction to the History of the Feminine. Feminine Consciousness and the Rise of a New Story.

Date: 19, 26 May & 2 June
Time: 12.00-13.30 hours
Costs: € 60,-
Language: Engels

17 May - Lunch concert in the Embassy of the Free Mind

This concert has been sold out. Tickets at the door are also no longer available.

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind

On 17 May Flora Guichard, cello, and Alexandre Prusse, accordion, will play music by Astor Piazzolla, David Popper, Bernard Cavanna, and Graciane Finzi.

In 2012, Flora Guichard started her studies at the Conservatoire à rayonnement régional de Paris, where she had the opportunity to work with musicians such as Marc-Olivier De Nattes and Constantin Bogdanas. She participated in different projects, such as the inauguration of the auditorium of Radio France in November 2014. After having obtained her diploma, she continued her studies at the ESMD of Lille in the class of Guillaume Lafeuille and Jean-Christophe Lannoy. During her studies, she received advice from Emmanuelle Bertrand, Raphaël Perraud, Louis Claret, Nicolas Hartmann and Sonia Wieder-Atherton. She continues her studies in the Conservatoire Royal of Bruxelles in Marie Hallynck’s class.
Flora is a member of the ensemble Koechel 440. With this ensemble she performed at the Philharmonie 2 in Paris and the Cherbourg Theater in partnership with the Association Cherbourgeoise de Défense de l’Art Lyrique, and in many other places at home and abroad. Additionally, she plays in several other ensembles and orchestras under the direction of Maxime Pascal, Quentin Hindley, Vahan Mardirossian, Vincent Barte, and Takenori Nemoto. She is also a member of the Douai Orchestra, in partnership with the National Orchestra of Lille.

Alexandre Prusse started to play the accordion in the south of France with Doris Stiegler. Initially interested in varity music of varieties, he switches to classical music. In 2012 he obtained his diploma at the Conservatory of Marseille where he studied with Damien Paradisi.
In 2017 he obtained his Bachelor’s degree at the ESMD of Lille in the class of Vincent Lhermet. He also took lessons with artists such as Claudio Jacomucci, Jacques Mornet, Matti Rantanen, Geir Draugsvoll, Helka Kymäläinen, Klemen Leben, Sylvain Gargalian, Marko Kassl and Marieke Hopman.
Alexandre distinguished himself in international competitions in New Zealand, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Scotland and won first prizes at the Castelfidardo International Competition (Italy) (2010) in the junior category, and the BACH-Pierre Barbizet Competition of the city of Marseille in 2011.
Alexandre performs widely as a soloist, in chamber music, or in ensembles including the Secession Orchestra, Douai Orchestra, Picardie Orchestra, Ensemble Vocal ADVENTI, and Les Concerts de poche. In 2018 he participated in the creation and tour of the show ”The Soldiers’ by JMR Lenz, staged by Anne-Laure Liégeois. As a result of his interest in contemporary music, he premiered works by Bernard Cavanna, Philippe Lussiaa-Berdou, Julien Tortorat and Denis Levaillant.

Date: Friday 17 May
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

9 May - Concert by Jason Daskalakis, classical guitar

Jason Daskalakis is a versatile classical guitarist and composer. Last year he featured in our lunch concert series with his duo partner Silvan de Smit, performing some of his own compositions. Now he is back with a one-hour solo concert, in which he will perform his own music, in addition to compositions by Erik Satie, Gentil Montana (Colombia) and Angel Villoldo (Argentina).

Programme
Jason Daskalakis - Leaving the Tribe; Popo; Parting Ways; Underwater Sunset; Spirit of the Father; Angel Villoldo - El Choclo; Erik Satie - Gnossienne No.3; Gentil Montana - Porro.

Born in Athens, Greece in 1991, Jason Daskalakis started playing classical guitar at the age of 6 and never stopped. In 2012 he graduated from the National Conservatory of Athens with the prize of Excellence. During this period he also followed classes of Music theory, Harmony, Chamber music, History, Analysis and more. He participated in numerous classical guitar competitions out of which he acquired two 1st prizes, one 2nd prize and one ‘appreciation prize’. In the meantime he attended festivals and masterclasses with great masters of the classical guitar world.

After some turmoil regarding which path to follow and after a series of different studies he decided to apply at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. In 2013 he got accepted and started studying at the CvA in the department of classical guitar with teachers Lydia Kennedy and Johannes Moller. During that time he learned to play more instruments, namely piano and percussion, and most importantly he began composing. He graduated in 2017 and since then is working as a performer and teacher in Amsterdam and other parts of the Netherlands. His first album release titled “Leaving the Tribe” is expected to be released before the summer of 2019.

Listen to Jason's performance of 'Parting Ways' here

Date: Thursday 9 May
Time: 19.00-20.30h (concert with intermission) (doors open 18.15h - home made soup awaiting you!)
Tickets: € 7,50

1 AND 22 MAY - The 'Grail of Amsterdam' - Special Guided Tour by Rachel Ritman

On several dates in May from 15.30pm to 16.45h Rachel Ritman will give a special guided Grail tour! This in-depth tour explains the unique Grail art we own and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition. Book your ticket in advance, because there is only a limited amount of places available!

Date: 1 and 22 May
Time: 15.30 - 16.45h
Tickets: € 8,50 - excl.. museum ticket (Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)

1 MAY - Alchemical animal hunt for children

Are you 8+ and would you like to learn more about making gold, the art of alchemy? Join director Esther Ritman on an alchemical beast hunt and discover what the animals symbolize by exploring the images in the museum. What are the black raven or the phoenix, all about? How many images of the ouroboros, the snake that bites in its own tail, can you discover in the museum? What can these animals tell you about alchemy? If you like, you are welcome to draw alchemical animals or other fantasy beasts yourself!

Date: Wednesday 1 May
Time: 15.30-16.30h
Tickets: Tour € 7,50 p.p. (excl. museum ticket) - entrance free for children, for adults €12,50 / free with Museumkaart and Stadspas
Language: Dutch

19 APRIL - Lunch concert in the Embassy of the Free Mind

This concert has been sold out. Tickets at the door are also no longer available.

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind

On 19 April Duo Due, formed by Zuzanna Skowrońska, violin, and Lotte Grotholt, viola, will play Béla Bartóks charming Duos for two violins; the romantic and elegant Duo in C major by Jean Sibelius and the first two movements of Bohuslav Martinu’s virtuosic Three Madrigals.

At the age of eleven, Zuzanna Skowrońska (1998) made her debut as a soloist with the school orchestra at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warschau, performing one of Vivaldi’s violin concertos. In 2015 she received a scholarship and was awarded the distinction ‘specialist violinist’ at the Wells Cathedral School, where she studied with Bridget Kirkland-Wilson and Catherine Lord. She gave many concerts in Great Britain, Germany and Switzerland as a member of the Wells Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Matthew Souter.
Zuzanna took masterclasses with artists including Konstanty Andrzej Kulka, Bartek Nizioł, Tomasz Tomaszewski, Janusz Wawrowski and Magdalena Rezler.
At the moment she studies with Liviu Prunaru in the second year of the bachelor’s degree programme at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.

Lotte Grotholt (1998) started out as a violinist, but she switched to the viola at the age of 16. She studied at the young talents department of the ARTEZ Conservatory and took masterclasses with Jurgen Kussmaul, Thomas Riebl, Jane Rogers, Pauline Sachse, Bruno Guiranna, Lucy van Dael and Nobuko Imai. At the moment she studies with Marjolein Dispa in the third year of the bachelor’s degree programme at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. She performs regulalrly with various chamber music ensembles and orchestras.
Additionally, Lotte is a composer: twice she has won an incentive prize at the Prinses Christina Composition Competition (in 2014 and 2016). As a result, her composition was performed by Trio Brulesco in The Hague and Sint Niklaas in 2016.
Lotte plays a Georg Aman viola (1704); she has a baroque viola bow put at her disposal by the Nationaal Muziekinstrumentenfonds.

Date: Friday 19 April
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

18 APRIL - Lecture, Dream of the Cosmos: Introduction to the History of the Feminine

Feminine Consciousness and the Rise of a New Story

Who and what is the Goddess? How did the world look like before patriarchy and the rise of science and technology? What price do we pay for the modern life we live, the comfort and technological advances we enjoy every day?
In this introductory talk, we will explore the history of Feminine Consciousness. Jungian researcher Faranak Mirjalili will take us back through reflecting on Anne Baring’s book The Dream of the Cosmos. A Quest for the Soul to a pre-patriarchal time; a time where feminine values were honoured, and her work considered important and essential. A time when the Earth was considered a sacred being that we could relate to, which gave us not only physical recourses but also spiritual nourishment and a deeper meaning to life. What happened to this consciousness and to the Soul of the World, what the ancient alchemists called the ‘Anima Mundi’? Can we redeem this ancient wisdom and what role does mythology, dreamwork and alchemy have in this?

Anne Baring is a pioneer in the historical research of the feminine aspect of the gods… She addresses the real cultural roots of the multifaceted crisis we currently experience globally - spiritually, psychologically, ecologically, socially, politically and economically. Baring derived inspiration from the ideas that are present in the Embassy of the Free Mind, which is also why she personally embraces the initiative. As a young researcher, Faranak Mirjalili will bring these ideas closer to us.

Faranak Mirjalili is a myth- and storyteller and a Jungian Dreamwork teacher. She is a student of the works of C. G. Jung and in training as a Jungian Analyst in The Netherlands. As a research student in the field of Feminine Consciousness and Embodiment, she focuses on the connection of the organs and spiritual centres of the body to the personal and collective unconscious, with an emphasis on the importance of the heart in the transformation of consciousness. Her interest and work are on how the body and wisdom of a new emerging Feminine can be of service in a time of global ecological crisis.

Faranak works in both groups and individually. Her work and research aim to break out of the individual therapy room and make space for group-work by connecting to the collective ‘Mundus Imaginalis’ through the world of Myth and Fairytales. She offers workshops in Europe and teaches myth and dreamwork internationally to students through her Online Program.

More info and online articles: www.faranakmirjalili.net

Date: Thursday 18 April
Time: 19.00-20.30h (doors open 18.30h - home made soup awaiting you!)
Tickets: € 12,50 | Students € 10
Language: English

12 APRIL - Historical 'House with the Heads' Guided Tour

This tour is in Dutch

The Embassy of the Free Mind is located in the 17th-century canal house called Huis met de Hoofden - House with the Heads. Since it was built in 1622, the house has seen many inhabitants. The second owners of the house, the De Geer family, already created a haven for free thinking here in the 17th century. Which elements in the house still date from that time? Which characteristics reveal the influence of subsequent owners of the house? And what is the true story behind the six heads on the facade of the house?

In this guided tour Jozef Ritman, who is in charge of the preservation of this listed building, will give you an insider’s view of this monumental house which is included in the top 100 of Dutch heritage sites.

Date: 12 April
Time: 15.30-16.45h
Tickets: € 8,50 (excl. museum ticket; Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)
Language: Dutch

13, 20, 27 MARCH, 3, 10 and 17 APRIL - Course, Hildegard of Bingens Scivias, pilgrimage of the soul, on its way to its destination

Please note: this course will be in Dutch!

The Embassy of the Free Mind organises its very first course, which consists of six meetings focusing on the work of the medieval visionary Hildegard of Bingen. Every meeting starts with a short introduction, after which one of Hildegard's visions is discussed, together with the accompanying miniature, made by the sisters of Hildegard's own monastery. In this way it is possible to gain insight into the total concept of Hildegard's trilogy and that her visions still have something to say today.

Dates: 13, 20, 27 March, 3, 10 and 17 April
Time: 15: 00-16: 30
Costs: € 120
Language: Dutch

21 MARCH - Lecture: The emotional DNA: from metaphysics to biochemistry, by Prof. Dr. Pierre Capel

Please note: this lecture will be in Dutch!

In our western culture there is a kind of declining appreciation: at the top is the logic, which is overvalued. Our emotions, on the other hand, are underestimated. Feelings of a supernatural - metaphysical - nature, are mainly neglected. For many people feelings are a kind of fog that floats through our body and people often don't know what to do with esoteric experiences. Recent scientific developments lead to a revaluation of these areas.

Biochemist Pierre Capel connects biochemistry with quantum mechanics and explains how this can contribute to our humanity. He demonstrates how feelings are linked to our biochemistry and thus have a huge impact on our functioning. Not functioning on some vague level, but directly on the cells in our body, even up to the use of our DNA by those cells. In this way, feelings are directly related to our health, including our lifespan.

While current biochemistry can explain a large part of our emotional world, recent developments in quantum mechanics not only prove the existence of information outside space / time, but they also show that the virtual world appears to be very real. These insights are even about to be applied in quantum computers. All these new insights can help to gain a clearer insight into the field of supernatural experiences.

On 21 March, at the Embassy of the Free Mind, which focuses on age-old wisdom with regard to the relationship between nature and man, we want to answer the question: what can these modern insights into biochemistry and quantum mechanics teach us? How can we apply these insights to each of us?

Pierre Capel is an emeritus professor of experimental immunology, who wants to make his knowledge accessible to a wide audience. He invites you to enjoy the scientific world that extends from quantum mechanics, in which real reality far surpasses all our common logic to the dynamics of molecular genetics. He will amaze you with the biochemistry of feelings, in which the "soft sector" and hard science merge smoothly, making it clear how yoga and meditation can directly influence the use of our DNA.

Time: 19.00-20.30h (doors open 18.30h)
Tickets: € 12,50 | Students € 10
Language: Dutch

15 MARCH - Lunch concert in the Embassy of the Free Mind

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind

On 15 March, Nuria Canales, traverso, and Yotam Haran, Baroque cello, will take the listener to the 17th and 18th century with J. Hotteterre's Suite III in G major; Jiří Čart’s Sonata in d minor and Jean Daniel Braun’s Sonata III in B minor.

Nuria Canales (Madrid, 1993) studied flute in Spain and graduated from the master programme in flute at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Currently she studies with Jed Wentz at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, having always had a great interest in Early Music. By the age of 10 she made her first appearance as a soloist, and since then she has collaborated with several orchestras as a soloist.

Yotam Haran (Jerusalem, Israel, 1992), completed his bachelor studies in cello in 2015 in Jerusalem and recently completed his master degree in baroque cello at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Viola de Hoog. Yotam has prepared a much complimented thesis on Luigi Boccherini's Cello sonata G1, and he is currently a doctoral candidate at Leiden University.

Date: Friday 15 March
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

14 MARCH - Lecture | Paganism and European Understanding of Other Cultures by Mgr. Pavel Horák, Ph.D.

As Europeans we have been exploring and trying to understand other cultures for many centuries now. In this pursuit, scholars have always been looking for something in particular. What exactly was it they were looking for, and did they ever find it? Why was it so important? This lecture suggests answers to these questions, and offers a new point of view on our past. Join a fascinating journey exploring our own history…

This lecture will introduce an intriguing story of how our European culture has been trying to understand different cultures. The journey starts in Renaissance Italy, explaining the concept of Prisca Theologia or ‘Ancient Theology’ – the idea that one theological truth can be found in every religion – the role of Hermetic writings and early modern imaginings of our ‘pagan’ past. Moving forward in time to the Enlightenment era and later on through the 19th century to today, we will see whether and how our understanding of different cultures has changed.

Mgr. Pavel Horák, Ph.D. (Přerov, Czech Republic, 1988) is a Czech researcher of religion and currently a visiting scholar at the Centre of History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents, UvA. In his research, he focuses on paganism, history of religion, esotericism and new religious movements.

Time: 19.00-20.30h (doors open 18.30h)
Tickets: € 12,50 | Students € 10
Language: English

27 FEBRUARY - Alchemical beast hunt for children - spring break

Are you 8+ and would you like to find out more about alchemy? Join Esther Ritman on an alchemical beast hunt and discover what the animals symbolize by exploring the images in the museum. What are the black raven or the phoenix, all about? How many images of the ouroboros, the snake that bites in its own tail, can you discover in the museum? What can these animals tell you about alchemy? If you like, you are welcome to draw alchemical animals or other fantasy beasts yourself!

Dates: Saturday 16 February 15.30-16.30h; Wednesday 27 February 13.30 -14.30h
Language: Dutch
Tickets: Tour € 7,50 per person (excl. museum ticket) - admission for children free, adults €12,50 /Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid.

15 FEBRUARY - Lunch concert in the Embassy of the Free Mind

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind

Our next concert is going to be an adventurous journey across time and continents! Samuel Bricault, flute, and Luke Starkey, lute, will perform music by Baroque composer Couperin, Irish folk tunes and Indian ragas. An inspiring blend of diverse styles in only one afternoon concert.

Inspired to learn the flute by the popular dances of his native Ariège, Samuel Bricault’s trajectory as musician has led him to embrace a multitude of repertoires and forms of expression. At the Paris Conservatoire, he completed his master’s degree and then the Artist Diploma with highest honors. Currently he studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.
Equally enthusiastic about performing contemporary music and Irish traditional music or jazz, he has explored improvisation as a contemporary practice as well as the tradition of Indian ragas. His artistry has led him to perform extensively in major French and European venues and festivals with leading orchestras (Paris Opera, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris ), contemporary ensembles and collectives (Le Balcon, Multilatérale, ensemble Itinéraire) and chamber music ensembles (Quatuor Van Kuijk, Claire Désert, Emmanuel Strausser, Olivier Charlier). He played with orchestras Katchaturian’s concerto at the Philharmonie de Paris, Mercadante’s concerto at the Teatro Mayor of Bogota, Vivaldi’s concertos at Ekaterinbourg’s Philharmonia (Russia). In 2014 he was finalist in Nicolet Competition in Canton (China). From London’s Royal Albert Hall to Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, from Paris’ Châtelet Theatre to the Shangai Symphony Hall and French National Radio, Samuel is constantly expanding the scope of his instrument and the world of music.

Graduating from Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2010, Luke Starkey is an active performer of early music on lute and theorbo based in Utrecht. Luke has received training in his lute studies from Lynda Sayce and Fred Jacobs, and has performed in festivals such as the Oude Muziek Festival in Utrecht and the Brecon Baroque Festival. He has also performed solo recitals and given talks about the history of the lute for The Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society and National Museum of Wales.

Date: Friday 15 February
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

31 JANUARY - Historical 'House with the Heads' Guided Tour

Date: 31 January
Time: 15.30-16.45h
Tickets: € 8,50 (excl. museum ticket; Stadspas Amsterdam and Museumkaart valid)
Language: Dutch, or English if requested

24 JANUARY - Realizing Yourself; An Infinite Game, Lecture by Alexander den Heijer

In his talk at the Embassy of the Free Mind, Alexander den Heijer will share his insights on purpose and self-realization. He will take us on an inner journey from the ego to the soul, and on an outer journey about how to find our place in the world as individuals and integrate ourselves fully. Alexander frequently visits the Embassy of the Free Mind to study the works of Hermes Trismegistus, Jacob Böhme and Carl Jung, some of his favourite sources of inspiration.

About Alexander den Heijer
Alexander den Heijer is a Dutch public speaker, trainer, and author of the book Nothing you don’t already know; remarkable reminders about meaning, purpose, and self-realization. With his workshops and talks he reaches thousands of people from all over the world. He is frequently invited by organizations to share his insights on self-realization, purpose, and (organizational) transformation. Alexander has always been fascinated by the question ‘What makes human beings flourish?’ This question sent him on an infinite quest to understand human beings, starting with himself.

Alexander draws inspiration from many disciplines, including physics, biology, psychology, philosophy, spirituality and ancient wisdom traditions. He believes no single discipline can provide the answer the questions that are facing us today. We must continue to draw from different perspectives to be able to understand and develop ourselves.

To learn more about Alexander, visit www.alexanderdenheijer.com

Date: Thursday 24 January
Time: 19.00-21.00h (doors open 18.30h)
Tickets: € 12,50 | Students € 10
Language: English

18 JANUARY - Lunch concert in the Embassy of the Free Mind

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind

On 18 January harpist Miriam Ruf will give a performance.

Miriam Ruf (1997, Günzburg, Germany,) has been studying at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam (CvA) with Erika Waardenburg and Sandrine Chatron since 2015. Additionally she followed master classes with Masumi Nagasawa, Frederique Cambreling, Gwyneth Wentink, Park Stickney and Giselle Herbet. In 2018 she was accepted into the“excellence programme, which allows her to intensify her orchestral studies. In the season 2018/19 she participates in the NedPho/CvA Orchestra Academy, an exclusive collaboration between the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and the CvA

Miriam has won several prizes at different competitions in Germany, such as two first prizes at the German national competition Jugend Musiziert, as well as prizes by the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben and the Zonta-Musikpreis. In 2015 Miriam received the Kulturpreis der Stadt Gersthofen. As a result she was also invited to several concerts, radio and CD-recordings. In 2018 she won the Audition Training for harpists at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.
With different ensembles and orchestras Miriam has played in concert halls such as the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, Tivoli Vredenburg Utrecht, Bayerischer Rundfunk in München and the Meistersingerhalle in Nürnberg. As a soloist she has played concertos by Reinecke, Mozart, Händel, Debussy and Glière with various orchestras.

Date: Friday 18 January
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 12,50 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

21 DECEMBER - Lunch concert in the Embassy of the Free Mind

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind

On December 21st we will have:

Joëlle Goercharn, lead vocals, piano
Loïse Campagna, double bass, vocals
Rachid Rejaibi, drums & percussion, vocals

This last lunch concert of 2018 will be something really special! Up to now we have offered a stage to classical musicians from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, but since there are other styles which would also sound great in our intimate ‘Grote Sael’, this time we will have singer-songwriter Joëlle Goercharn. Together with Loïse Campagna (double bass, vocals) and Rachid Rejaibi (drums & percussion, vocals) Joëlle will perform songs from her recently released debut album Silhouette.

After graduating from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam Joëlle decided to go to New York to immerse herself in songwriting. Supported by a grant from the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds she studied at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. After a year in New York she returned to Amsterdam with her suitcase full of beautiful songs, five of which feature on her recently released debut EP Silhouette.
Together with her eclectic band Joëlle presents an attractive blend of dreamy pop songs which echo her Indian roots. In her music she draws inspiration from life in New York and the stories of her Hindustani grandmother. Warm and mellow music for the dark and cold days of winter.

Listen to ‘Stained Glass’, a song in which Joëlle explores religion from her Hindustani and Catholic background. ‘This song is a message of hope,’ says Joëlle. ‘Sometimes it is better to just fall down and start over again, however fragile you are.’

Date: Friday 21 December
Time: 13.30 - 14.00h
Tickets: € 10 (museum entrance fee, the concert is free). Free entrance with Museumkaart and Stadspas.

14 DECEMBER - Mini conference “Nature and the Supernatural”

On Friday 14 December Research MA students from the University of Amsterdam will be holding a mini conference based on their research for the course ‘Nature and the Supernatural’. The conference will be take place in the Grote Sael at the Embassy of the Free Mind. Each student will give a presentation of approximately 15-20 minutes about such themes as ritual magic, myths from various cultures, and virtual beings.

PROGRAMME

09.55 Brief welcome and introduction

10.00 Panel 1: Magic, Virtual Beings, and the Imaginary (Chair - Andrea Franchetto)
Thomas Van Breda - Psychologized, Naturalized,...Pragmatized? Discerning Spirits in Occultist Magic
Margaréta Jurkovičová - Invisible Healing : The Power of Music in a Ritual of Spirit Possession
Stephanie Shea - Virtual Beings, Virtual Worlds: Exploring Imagination and the Internet as Liminal Spaces for the Development of Otherkin Identities

11.15 Coffee Break

11.30 Panel 2: Myths I: Power and Representation (Chair - Jafe Arnold)
Lucy Atkinson - Re-Imagining the Witch Mythology: Power in Nature and Sexuality out of a Disenchanted World
Ivonka Ciepielak - tba (Slavic mythology and female representations)

12.20 Lunch Break [lunch not included]

13.15 Panel 3: Myths II: History and Transformation (Chair - Tom Cowan)
Jafe Arnold - Chariots, Dismemberment, and the Storm-God: Indo-European Myth in the Babylonian Enuma Elis
Hillary Lowell - Yahweh’s Kings and Messiahs: Kingship and Messianism in the Old and New Testaments

14.05 short break

14.30 Panel 4: Accessing the Intermediary: Communication, Perception, and Materiality (Chair - Stephanie Shea)
Thomas Cowan - Geometry and Intermediary Access: a Transcultural Survey
Andrea Franchetto - Decoding the Almandal: a Material Perspective
Ilja van de Rhoer - Demonic alliances: Affect theory on the threshold

15.35 Panel 5: “To Be Announced” (Chair - Stephanie Shea)
Tarim Flach - tba

16.00 closing and remarks

DATE: Friday 14 December 2018
TIME: 10.00-17.00h
TICKETS: free upon show of a museum ticket (we accept Museumkaart and Stadspas)
LANGUAGE: English

12 DECEMBER The 'Grail of Amsterdam' - Special Guided Tour by Rachel Ritman

Every Wednesday in October Rachel Ritman will give an in-depth tour of this wonderful object and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition.

Date: Wednesday 12 December
Time: 15.30-16.30h
Tickets: € 7,50 excl. museum ticket

9 NOVEMBER Lecture by Peter Huijs- Jacob Boehme - A very bright morning star has arisen

Lecture on Jacob Böhme and the new Dutch translation based on the autograph of Morgenröthe im Aufgang (Aurora) by Peter Huijs

Jacob Böhme is an unsettling thinker who changes anyone who really reads him. He freely wrote about heaven and hell, the seven source spirits, angels and demons. He entered into dialogue with Lucifer himself and presented a challenge to academics, theologians and ministers. Above all, he wrote about man, that mysterious dual creature able to recognize all these things in himself – and much more, namely the entire godhead and the entire creation. You don’t even have to read a book to find this out for yourself. For, as Böhme put it, ‘You will not find a book that will enable you to explore divine wisdom better than a green and flourishing meadow. There you will see, smell and taste the wonderful power of God.’

The depth of Böhme’ s approach and insights are nothing short of revolutionary. In his Morgenröthe im Aufgang (Aurora) Böhme offers ‘a description based on nature how everything is’ and provides an explanation of […] ‘how both qualities have become good and evil, in which all things originate and how it works and is now. […].’

Are we still able to understand and follow this Philosophus Teutonicus, this German philosopher from the beginning of the 17th century? If so – can he still mean anything to us?

Peter Huijs, (Tegelen 1951) is an art historian, who has previously published on the sources of the original Rosicrucian movement. In ‘Geroepen door het Wereldhart’ presented the history of the Lectorium Rosicrucianum and its founders. In ‘Gnosis, Stromen van Licht in Europa’ he discussed persons who devoted their lives to the hidden current of esoteric Christianity. ‘Volmaakt Licht’ is a volume of essays on the science of the soul. He is a publisher at Rozenkruis Pers and an editor of the international periodical Pentagram.

Date: Thursday 29 November
Time: 7.00 - 9.00pm (doors open 6.30pm)
Tickets: € 10.00 / student € 8.00
Language: English

7 en 28 NOVEMBER The 'Grail of Amsterdam' - Special Guided Tour by Rachel Ritman

Every Wednesday in October Rachel Ritman will give an in-depth tour of this wonderful object and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition.

Date: 7 en 28 November
Time: 3.30pm-4.30pm
Tickets: € 7,50 excl. museum ticket

16 NOVEMBER - Lunch concert in the Embassy of the Free Mind

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind

This is a new concert series by students from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam at the Embassy of the Free Mind. Every third Friday of the month conservatory students will give a concert in the 'Grote Sael' in the House with the Heads. A very special collaboration, because the House with the Heads, now home of the Embassy of the Free Mind, housed the Amsterdam conservatory from 1909 to 1931. Truly a historical venue for the musicians of today.

On November 16th the Menuetto Trio is back with: Valle González Martín (oboe), Alejandro Peiteado Brea (clarinet) en Daniel Garrido Iglesias (bassoon)

Programme:
Sándor Veress (1907-1992) - Sonatina (1931)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) - Variationen Über das Thema Là ci darem la mano (1795)
Alexandre Tansman (1897-1986) - Suite pour Trio d'Anches (1949)

15 November - Lecture by director Esther Ritman on Robert Fludd

Presentation by director Esther Ritman on the extraordinary images from 17th-century English scientist and physician Robert Fludd. The lecture will be followed by a guided tour where the original engravings, visualizing the connection between the microcosm and the macrocosm, are on display. What can we learn today from Fludd’s mapping of the human mind?

Date: 15 November
Time: 7.00-9.00pm (doors open 6.30pm)
Tickets: € 15,- including tour
Language: English

1 NOVEMBER Lecture by Lauri Ockenström- Magical images and shaping selfhood: Renaissance readers and users of medieval talismans

In his widespread treatise on astrology, De vita coelitus comparanda (1489), Marsilio Ficino wrote: “Astrologers think that propitious images have a similar power, by which they somehow change the nature and behaviour of the wearer; restore him to a better state, so that he becomes now almost another person.”

The idea to which Ficino refers, the importance of intention and mental disposition in magical experiments, is a well-known fact in studies of the history of magic. The conception of magical images, inherited from medieval sources such as the Latin Picatrix was adapted in current theoretical axioms in the theory of humours, in pneumatology and in Neoplatonic cosmology. In this framework, an image did not just make its bearer subject to a planet, but also provided the bearer with a variety of new properties, making the bearer “another person.”

This lecture has two goals. First, it examines Renaissance authors, such as Ficino, Cornelius Agrippa and Camillo Leonardi, as readers of medieval image magic by exploring, through the example case of the memory talisman, the different ways in which the medieval material was received, adapted and applied in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.

Second, it focuses on mental dimensions of magical images in late medieval and early modern discussions. It explores magical images as instruments for shaping selfhood and identity, for contextualizing personal experiences, and for locating oneself in a complex universe of intertwined radiations. In the final section, the use of renaissance talismans is hypothetically compared to modern jewellery and the distinctive marks of cultural subgroups (such as band t-shirts) in the context of theories of collecting and subcultural capital.

Lauri Ockenström is a postdoctoral researcher in the department of Music, Art and Culture studies at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. He studied history, philosophy and art history in the University of Jyväskylä, specialising in Renaissance Neoplatonism. His licentiate thesis (2011) and doctoral dissertation, completed in 2014, explored Marsilio Ficino’s relations to different branches of Hermetic literature and medieval image magic.
Ockenström has published several articles on Ficino and medieval magic, such as Refined Resemblances: Three Categories of Astromagical Images in Marsilio Ficino’s De vita 3.18 and Their Indebtedness to “Abominable” Books” (Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft, 2014).

Date: 1 November
Time: 7.00 - 9.00pm (doors open 6.30pm)
Tickets: € 10.00 / student € 8.00

17, 24 and 31 OCTOBER The 'Grail of Amsterdam' - Special Guided Tour by Rachel Ritman

Every Wednesday in October Rachel Ritman will give an in-depth tour of this wonderful object and the many Grail stories it holds, with an emphasis on the medieval tradition.

Date: 17, 24 and 31 October
Time: 3.30pm-4.30pm
Tickets: € 7,50 excl. museum ticket

26 OCTOBER & 9 NOVEMBER Guided Tour by Master Bookbinder Geert van Daal

Master bookbinder Geert van Daal has been making magnificent bookbindings and boxes for the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica (BPH) since 1984. These objects are the outcome of a close and inspired collaboration between Geert van Daal and Joost Ritman, founder of the BPH. As a result, every object epitomizes the form and content of the books. Many of the bindings were hand-gilded using 22 to 24 carat gold. A retrospective exhibition of Geert van Daal’s magnificent oeuvre is on view in the Embassy of the Free Mind through 24 November.

Geert van Daal will offer a one-hour tour on Friday 26 October and Friday 9 November, highlighting many aspects of his spellbinding work.

Date: Friday 26 October and Friday 9 November
Time: 3.30-4.30pm
Tickets: € 7,50,- (museum ticket not included)
Language: Dutch, unless there will be non-Dutch speaking guests in which case the tour will be given in English.

19 OCTOBER - Lunch concert in the Embassy of the Free Mind

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind

On October 19th there will be a concert by Deborah Witteveen, saxophone, and Max van den Brand, bass trombone
Programme: J. Pz. Sweelinck - Mein junges Leben hat ein End; J.S. Bach - Violin partita no. 2 BWV 1004: Allemande, Courente; J. Naulais - Monologue; D. Schnyder - Tales from another time; J. Burgstaller - Lullaby; D. Schnyder - Schumacher March

Deborah Witteveen (1995) studies with Arno Bornkamp at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. She is winner of may prizes, including third prize at the first international saxophne competition in Wroclaw, Poland. She took masterclasses with artists such as Claude Delangle, Vincent David, Nobuya Sugawa and Johannes Thorell. She participated in the Orlando Festival and the Université Européenne de Saxophone in Gap, France.
Deborah performs at home and abroad. As a soloist she performed with the Orkest van het Oosten and the Gelders Fanfare Orkest. She also gave concerts with the Netherlands Wind Ensemble, including the 2017 New Year’s Concert at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
Currently she plays chamber music in various ensembles.

Max van den Brand is a versatile bass trombonist. He played with the Young Netherlands Wind Ensemble and several times with the Netherlands Wind Ensemble. In addition to many trombone, brass and wind ensembles, he is a member of professional orchestras at home and abroad. He graduated with honours form the bachelor’s degree programme at the Rotterdam Conservatory, where he studied with Brandt Attema and Alexander Verbeek. Currently he studies with Ben van Dijk, Jörgen van Rijen, Remko de Jager and Pierre Volders in the master’s degree programme at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.

Upcoming concerts:
Fri November 16th 13.30h - Menuetto Trio
Fri December 21st 13.30h - programme t.b.a.
Information may be subject to change.

10 OCTOBER Working wonders with gold - demonstration workshop on manual gilding

Already since 1984 master bookbinder Geert van Daal has been making magnificent bookbindings and boxes for the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica (BPH). These objects are the outcome of a close and inspired collaboration between Geert van Daal and Joost Ritman, founder of the BPH. As a result, every object epitomizes the form and content of the books. Many of the bindings were hand-gilded following a time-honoured method using 22 to 24 carat gold.

Are you curious to see how hand gilding is actually done? Join Geert van Daal in the Embassy of the Free Mind on Wednesday 10 October, when he will demonstrate in a half hour workshop how he decorates a book cover using 22-carat gold leaf with a thickness of 1/7000mm (it takes 7,000 gold leaves to obtain a 1mm-thick layer). He will explain about the gold leaf, how it is glued to the cover and which gilding tools he uses. Geert really works wonders with gold.

This demonstration workshop is part of the retrospective exhibition of Geert van Daal’s magnificent oeuvre on view in the Embassy of the Free Mind through 24 November.

Date: Wednesday 10 October
Time: 2.00-2.30pm and 3.00-3.30pm
Tickets: € 5,- (museum ticket not included)
Language: Dutch, unless there will be non-Dutch speaking guests in which case the demonstration will be given in English.

21 SEPTEMBER - Lunch concert in the Embassy of the Free Mind

Music at the Embassy of the Free Mind

Upcoming concerts:
Fri September 21st 13.30h- Karina Sosnowska, violin
Fri October 19th 13.30h - programme t.b.a.
Fri November 16th 13.30h - programme t.b.a.
Fri December 21st 13.30h - programme t.b.a.

Information may be subject to change.

16 SEPTEMBER - a chamber concert by Amsterdam Sinfonietta

On Sunday 16 September the leaders of the renowned string orchestra Amsterdam Sinfonietta will be performing together with the Scottish pianist together with Alasdair Beatson in the Embassy of the Free Mind in Amsterdam. The concert marks the start of the collaboration between the Ambassade Hotel, which previously organised two Musical Salons in its hotel and is a sponsor of the Amsterdam Sinfonietta, and the Embassy of the Free Mind. This afternoon music by Haydn and Korngold will be performed in an intimate setting. After the concert drinks will be offered in the café; the museum will also be open to the public.

The Ambassade Hotel is a beautiful canal hotel that is also well-known for its library and collection of CoBrA art. A sponsor and organiser of literary and musical salons, it is greatly involved in the cultural climate of Amsterdam.
The Embassy of the Free Mind is a museum library with a collection of 25,000 books and is a platform for free thinking. Both the collection and the location of the museum, the House with the Heads, are inseparably linked with Amsterdam’s history of freedom of religion and the press.
Amsterdam Sinfonietta is the only professional string orchestra in the Netherlands for thirty years running and performs throughout the world. In addition to the 22-strong orchestra’s own programme, the Amsterdam Sinfonietta performs a chamber music programme each year. Artistic director: Candida Thompson.

Concert: J. Haydn, Piano trio No. 39 ‘Gypsy’, and G / E.W. Korngold, Suite, Op. 23, for two violins, cello and piano left hand
Doors open: 3.30pm
Concert: 4.00-5.00pm
Our café will be open from 3.30-6.00pm

Date: Sunday 16 September
Venue: Grote Sael, House with the Heads, 123, Keizersgracht in Amsterdam

13 SEPTEMBER - THE RITMAN LIBRARY DOCUMENTARY SCREENING

07.30pm - 09.30om | € 10 | Language: English spoken with English subtitles | Duration: 90 minutes

Thursday 13 September we will be screening a unique film: a documentary about The Ritman Library! Sara Ferro and Chris Weil of Artoldo Pictures visited the library in the spring of 2016, not long before we moved out of the building on Bloemstraat. Their documentary offers a really unique view inside our previous location and the library there. The result is a 90-minutes long sequence of enchanting books, unique interviews, beautiful pearls of wisdom, side by side with a clear and concise history of western Esotericism by Dr. Marco Pasi, Associate Professor at the Chair of History of Hermetic philosophy and related currents at the University of Amsterdam. If you want to be immersed in a wealth of wisdom, history and previously unrecorded stories: you’ve just got to watch this movie!

Doors open: 7pm
Start film: 7.30pm
End: 9.30pm
There will be a twenty minute break in the movie
Our café will be open from 7-9.30pm

Movie description by Artoldo
This documentary shows you how rare old books about the divine essence of things, the hidden reality behind the curtain of visible life, can be the first companions for a soul seeking for an inner spiritual path, and how this path can guide you to the nature of the universe, shedding light on the intimate relationship between Microcosm and Macrocosm. How the rediscovery in early printed books of rejected knowledge and concealed truths can ignite a transcendent spark, help to pass a sort of mystical gate and find access to a circle of initiates. In a symbolical alchemical transmutation of one’s own reality. How some ancient metaphysical traditions can incorporate the Inviolable, Absolute and Permanent. How a certain particular world of bibliophiles ticks, what motivates them and how to come to terms with auctions while you build up your library – and above all why to build up a library. Understanding books as an engine of cultural revolutions and as a heritage of hard-fought theories and determined authors, all of which we can now enjoy freely. The founder of the BPH Joost Ritman, the director of the library Esther Ritman, the curators Cis van Heertum and José Bouman tell us about all this, while Marco Pasi of the University of Amsterdam narrates the wonderful and captivating history of Western Esotericism.

See legendary first editions, rare books and manuscripts like the famous Fama Fraternitatis, the Corpus Hermeticum, Tabula Smaragdina, Atalanta Fugiens, Spaccio della bestia trionfante, Plantin’s Polyglot Bible and discover amazing works of authors like Basilius Valentinus, Marsilio Ficino, Johannes Reuchlin, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim, Paracelsus, Giordano Bruno, Heinrich Khunrath, Michael Maier, Jacob Böhme, Lambspring, Robert Fludd, Daniel Mögling, Benedictus de Spinoza, Matthäus Merian and Stephan Michelspacher.

8 SEPTEMBER - GUIDED TOUR 'TEACHING BY IMAGES' BY ESTHER RITMAN

Teaching by Images is the trademark of the Embassy of the Free Mind. The inventor of visual education, the Czech philosopher Jan Amos Comenius, was a very welcome guest in the seventeenth century in the Huis met de Hoofden - House with the Heads, home to our museum. In the footsteps of Comenius we like to invite you to become intrigued and enchanted by the wonderful images from our collection, and learn something about the interconnectedness between the universe, nature and humanity. Book your ticket now to join a fascinating tour by director Esther Ritman on 8 September!

Date: 8 September at 11.30 am
Venue: Embassy of the Free Mind, Keizersgracht 123, Amsterdam
Language: English
Costs: € 10 excl. museum admission