Courses
Courses in the Embassy of the Free Mind
During the exhibition Advocate of Free Thought. Adriaan Koerbagh (1633-1669) in the autumn of 2021, the Embassy of the Free Mind offers the following course.
Please note: due to circumstances the course Koerbagh on divine Being, man and society, by Hannah Laurens, has been cancelled
DUTCH | OFFLINE COURSE | Het vrije denken in de Gouden Eeuw: Koerbagh en Spinoza, door Henri Krop
Please note, this course will be Dutch-spoken
De reformatie van de zestiende eeuw maakte bij velen in Europa het verlangen naar vrijheid van denken met name over religieuze vragen wakker. In het begin van het Theologisch-politiek traktaat prijst Spinoza daarom ‘onze vrije republiek’, waar het iedereen is toegestaan om te denken over God zoals hem goeddunkt en Hem te vereren zoals hij wil. Dit veronderstelt de bevrijding van religieuze autoriteit en ging gepaard met een felle kritiek op manipulatie van ‘priesters’ en ‘dominees’ die zich het exclusieve recht aanmatigden de Bijbel uit te leggen.
Vanaf de reformatie stelden ‘gewone’ gelovigen de rede voor zo’n heerschappij van de clerus in de plaats. Ieder mens beschikt immers over het vermogen om te denken, omdat hij ‘geschapen is naar het evenbeeld van God’. Om de mens in staat te stellen effectief over zijn rede te beschikken diende zich in de zeventiende eeuw een machtig instrument aan: de nieuwe natuurwetenschap, die voortbouwde op de ontdekkingen van Copernicus en Galileï en de nieuwe filosofie van Descartes. Zij kon de menselijke rede bevrijden van haar horigheid aan traditie en vooroordeel. Dit proces van zelfbevrijding werd later Verlichting genoemd.
In deze lezingenreeks wordt besproken hoe de 17de-eeuwse denkers Benedictus de Spinoza en Adriaan Koerbagh dachten over vrijheid en hoe zij probeerden deze vrijheid mogelijk te maken. Deze serie vormt zo een inleiding op de tentoonstelling over Koerbagh die van 17 september t/m 19 december 2021 in de Embassy of the Free Mind te zien is.
Bijeenkomst 1: ‘Spinoza en Koerbagh als 17e -eeuwse Aboutalebs’
Spinoza stamt uit een familie van joodse vluchtelingen uit Spanje en Koerbaghs wortels liggen in Duitsland. Beiden maakten gebruik van de kansen die Nederland bood. Wat dachten en schreven ze en wat is de kern van hun beider filosofie?
Literatuur: Ethica Krop inleiding p. 7-9 en 11-20; Leeuwenburgh, Noodlot van een ketter, Inleiding, 7-12 en Krop, Paradoxale icoon van Nederland, p. 94-103.
Bijeenkomst 2: Spinoza en Koerbagh als vaders van de ‘Radicale Verlichting’?
Spinoza’s en Koerbaghs ideeën speelden een belangrijke rol in het ontstaan en de verbreiding van de ‘radicale’ Verlichting, die aan het begin staat van de achttiende-eeuwse Verlichting in Frankrijk en Duitsland. De kern van deze beweging is een pleidooi voor gelijkheid in de samenleving (democratie), mondig burgerschap en de vrijheid van drukpers.
Literatuur: TTP voorrede, p. 82-94 en Spinoza, Briefwisseling 8 en 9, p. 105-112 [Op-versie] .
Bijeenkomst 3: Koerbaghs pleidooi voor een zuiver Nederlands
Hoe kunnen ook gewone mensen in staat worden gesteld om de rede te gebruiken en over filosofische problemen na te denken los van enige elite? Koerbagh meende dat het belangrijk is dat wetenschap en filosofie gebruik maken van een door iedereen te begrijpen taal.
Literatuur: Koerbagh Bloemhof, voorrede, adoleren 24, agnus dei 33, Antichrist 46-47, archangel 58-59, Bibel, 95-97, Christus, 139-140, Clerec, 148, , duyvel 258-259engel 268, epiphanie 271-272,exodus 292-293, gedenkoffer 322, gereformeerd 327-328, heresie 337-338, idolatie 345-346, inquisitie 366-368, jubele 385-386, leviathan metaphysica, 444-445, sacrament 581-582, substantie 609, satan 670. [Digitale Bibliotheek Nederlandse Letteren]
Bijeenkomst 4: Spinoza’s en Koerbaghs pleidooi voor een ‘rationele religie en moraal’
Descartes’ filosofie en de wetenschappelijke revolutie hield een toenemende rationalisering van ons bestaan in. Voor het antwoord op onze vragen over leven en moraal kijken we sindsdien steeds minder naar de godsdienst en traditie, maar naar de wetenschap. Spinoza en Koerbagh hebben aan dit proces van secularisatie en ‘onttovering van het bestaan’ bijgedragen. Zien zij echter nog een toekomst voor de religie na de ‘dood van een persoonlijke God’?
Teksten: Ethica I, st. 16 en 17, IIstel. 49s slot, IV, st37s1, V, st. 16-19 en stel. 36 en Koerbagh Een ligt, 1, p. 13-15 en 85-90.
Over Henri Krop
Henri Krop (1954) werd in 1988 aangesteld als universitair docent aan de faculteit wijsbegeerte van de Erasmusuniversiteit in zijn geboortestad Rotterdam. Tot zijn pensioen in december 2020 gaf hij uiteenlopende cursussen over de geschiedenis van de filosofie van de Oudheid tot en met de negentiende eeuw.
In 1995 begon hij aan de vertaling van de Ethica van Spinoza in de reeks Nederlandse klassieken van uitgeverij Prometheus/Bert Bakker. Deze Latijns-Nederlandse editie verscheen in 2002 en beleefde in 2019 haar tiende druk. In 2014 verscheen van zijn hand Spinoza. Een paradoxale icoon van Nederland, dat de merkwaardige geschiedenis beschrijft van hoe de immigranten-zoon Spinoza met zijn duistere metafysica in de canon van het ‘nuchtere’ Nederland terecht is gekomen.
Data
zaterdag 16 oktober 2021
zaterdag 30 oktober 2021
zaterdag 13 november 2021
zaterdag 27 november 2021
Tijd
16.00 uur inloop
16.15-17.15 uur les
17.15-17.35 uur pauze
17.35-18.05 uur gelegenheid tot vragen stellen
Locatie
De cursus wordt gegeven in de Embassy of the Free Mind.
Taal
Nederlands
Cursusmateriaal
De literatuur krijgt u aan het begin van de cursus uitgereikt.
Kosten
€ 120,-, incl. cursusmateriaal.
Let op: de cursus is een totaalpakket. Het is niet mogelijk afzonderlijke lessen te volgen.
Minimum aantal deelnemers
12
ARCHIVE
14, 21 and 28 JUNE 2020 - Online Course | Jung & the Great Work of Alchemy
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?
Participation: via Zoom. After purchasing a ticket for the course you will receive an email with instructions. Every week you will also receive a digital hand-out accompanying the class. Come join this online group with likeminded people!
Language: English
Dates: 14 - 21 - 28 JUNE 2020 (no individual classes possible)
Time: 17.00 - 18.30h CEST
17.00 - 18.30h AMSTERDAM
11.00h - 12.30h NEW YORK
08.00h - 09.30h LOS ANGELES
Course fee: € 99 / $110
PLEASE NOTE: ONLY LIMITED PLACES AVAILABLE!
APPLY HERE
This is a three-part introductory course that will be followed up later this year with an in-depth exploration of the same themes. You will have to have participated in this one, to be able to enroll for the follow-up course.
Faranak Mirjalili is a Jungian Analyst trained and based in The Netherlands. Her current work and research revolve around connecting individual psychology to collective mythologies and how active participation in myth can help both the individual and collective psyche transform during the Analytical process. She’s the founder of the Anima Mundi School where she works with a small collective of women worldwide from various fields that bring together psychology, the mythic imagination, and the creative arts.
www.faranakmirjalili.net
www.animamundischool.org
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2, 9, 16, 23, 30 NOVEMBER & 7 DECEMBER 2019 - 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
16, 23 and 30 NOVEMBER 2019 - Course, Base Metal into Gold: Jung & the Great Work of Alchemy by Jungian Analyst 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 environmental, social and political crises through this lens? What stage of alchemy are we in collectively and how can this lens help us in this time?
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.
Dates: 16, 23 and 30 November
Time: 11.30h - 13.30h
Language: English
Course fee: € 75,-
Please note: only 15 places available!
SOLD OUT !
The Dream of the Cosmos. History of the Feminine Consciousness - Part Two - 2019
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.
ABOUT THE COURSE
In Part 1 of this Course, we explored the history of human consciousness and how it has changed during the past eras, staring with the Lunar Era - the Palaeolithic, Neolithic & Bronze Age - into the Solar Era - starting with the Iron Age - where masculine values started to become more important and the feminine started to recede into the collective shadow.
In the next three classes, we will dive into a practical understanding and approach of the work of Carl Jung, who brought forth a reconnection to the Feminine in the modern language of depth-psychology. We’ll explore his connection and love for Alchemy and his discovery of the Shadow and the Collective Unconscious.
Dates: 16, 23, 30 June
Time: 11.30-13.30 hours
Fee: € 60,-
Language: English
Class 1
Carl Jung, Dreamwork & Alchemy
In the class we will cover the work of Carl Jung, what he did for the West and why this is of importance in our time. We will look at the world Individuation as oppose to ‘individualisation’ and try to penetrate into the true meaning of this word. What was the contribution of Jung and what did he recover in his own discoveries with the collective unconscious and the later studies of Alchemy? What is the importance reclaiming our Shadow through connecting to our Dreams and how do we reclaim a relationship to the ‘otherworld’ through Dreamwork?
Study material: Chapter 10, 11, and 18 of The Dream of the Cosmos
Class 2
The Shadow, the Collective Unconscious & the Primordial Soul
One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. — Carl Jung
In the class we will go more in depth with the work of Carl Jung, with emphasis on the Shadow - both Personal and Collective. In the time of patriarchy, what has gone into our collective shadow? How can we reclaim the Feminine in a time where she has been unknown to us for millennia? What does the image of the Dragon have to do with the collective shadow? During this class, we will dive into ways of working with the shadow and we will explore our collective shadows as emphasised in Anne’s book: The Shadow of Religion, the Shadow of Politics & Science: in other words: how can we recognise shadow both on a personal level and collective one and work with its images?
Study material: Chapter 12 and 13 of The Dream of the Cosmos
Class 3
Sleeping Beauty: a fairy tale of our time.
In the class we will dive into the importance of Mythology and Fairytales, and what wisdom they hold, how the ancients worked with myth and stories. How did myths come into being and how can we reclaim our relationship to the ancient gods and goddesses through story?
The Fairytale of Sleeping Beauty as a metaphor for our time. Faranak will be doing a storytelling of this tale and we will collectively as a group, reflect on the symbolism and its significance. The aim of this class is to work with the imagination, and allow this to surface within the participants.
Study material: Interlude One of The Dream of the Cosmos
ABOUT THE AUTHOR OF 'THE DREAM OF THE COSMOS'
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.
ABOUT FARANAK MIRJALILI
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 about Faranak: www.faranakmirjalili.net
The Dream of the Cosmos: Introduction to the History of the Feminine. Feminine Consciousness and the Rise of a New Story - 2019
Following our lecture on the History of the Feminine Consciousness 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.
ABOUT THE COURSE
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?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR OF 'THE DREAM OF THE COSMOS'
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.
ABOUT FARANAK MIRJALILI
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 about Faranak: www.faranakmirjalili.net
DATE: 19 May - 26 May - 2 June 2019
TIME: 12.00 - 13.30h
TICKETS: € 60 for the whole course. Please note that it's not possible to take individual classes. Tickets available from Monday 6 May. Be fast before it's sold out, since we only have 20 spots available! Book your ticket here.
LANGUAGE: English
Class 1
The Lunar Era - A return to the Goddess
In the first class we will look back into what is known as the ‘Lunar Era’. A return to the time of the Great Mother and the Goddess. What does lunar consciousness mean and how is this different from what we know today? What did a ‘kinship with all of creation’ look like and what can we learn from these ancient civilisations like the neolithic era? How did we start to lose this Lunar consciousness? We will touch on various myths and images from ancient civilisations where the Great Mother was the prevailing image of Deity. We will explore the early signs of masculine consciousness coming down in the ancient civilisations of Sumeria, which made a slight shift in feminine consciousness from the image of the Great Mother to the Great Goddess Inanna, and later Ishtar.
Study material: Part 1 and 2 of The Dream of the Cosmos
Class 2
Solar Era - Masculine consciousness & Patriarchy
In this class we will focus on the Solar consciousness and the rise of masculine consciousness, and how this moved into Patriarchy. When did ‘God in nature’ disappear into the a distant ‘sky god’ and what was the original purpose of masculine consciousness and the rise of the ‘warrior hero’? We will explore the shift from tribal consciousness where the ‘participation mystique’ was a natural way of being, into the individualisation and the rise of the importance of the individual vs. the group/tribe. How did this connect to the emergence of the ego, separated from the deeper matrix of the unconscious?
We will focus on the damage of a Solar consciousness that excluded and exiled the feminine, the diffused light of the Moon and what damage this has done to both psyche and matter. From Micro to Macro, what have been the consequences of this one pointed focus that exiled the feminine? What price have we paid for the evolution of science and technology and what does this have to do with the original rise of masculine consciousness?
Study material: Part Three of The Dream of the Cosmos
Class 3
The Return of the Anima Mundi
the Soul of the Cosmos - the meeting of Alchemy and Science
In this third class we will come into a meeting point of the ancient with the modern, what Anne Baring calls ‘the new science’. The new discoveries in science are taking us towards the revealing of an ‘ensouled cosmos’. How does this connect us to ancient wisdom of the alchemists ‘Anima Mundi’ and why is this a significant moment in time? We will connect Alchemy with Scientific discoveries and discuss what is needed on a micro-level to move with this new consciousness into a new story. What does it take for a new story to emerge individually and collectively? How can we reclaim nature as the ‘garment of God’?
Study material: Part 5 (and optional part 4) of The Dream of the Cosmos