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Amsterdam as Haven for Religious Refugees in the Early Modern Period
10-12 November 2022
(Image: Participants of the 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 hosted 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 explored 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 took place on-site, but also accommodated speakers from afar through digital connection. Likewise, the public attended both in person or remotely. A conference publication will be published soon.
If you would like to take a look at the program, you can download the Conference Program here.
Conference report
Amsterdam as Haven for Religious Refugees in the Early Modern Period
10-12 November, 2022
Ritman Research Insitute: Embassy of the Free Mind
Keizsersgracht 123, Amsterdam
By Corey Andrews
PhD Candidate, University of Amsterdam
Junior Researcher, Ritman Research Institute
You can either read the conference report on our page down below or download the conference report here.
In the Early Modern Period, Europe was rife with confessional disagreement and religious persecution. The escalating conflicts between various belief systems reached an apogee in the Thirty Years’ War. During such tumult, where was a Huguenot, a Jew, a Quaker, an Anabaptist, or a spiritualist mystic to reside, worship freely, write, or publish their work? One of the most important cities for religious exiles and refugees in the period was Amsterdam.
From November 10-12, 2022 the Ritman Research Institute in Amsterdam hosted an international conference dedicated to exploring the theme of “Amsterdam as Haven for Religious Refugees in the Early Modern Period.” The conference kicked off on Thursday evening with opening remarks by Dr. Lucinda Martin, Director of the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica and Ritman Research Institute. She emphasized that the “House with the Heads” -- the 17th century canal house in which the Research Institute, library and associated museum, the Embassy of the Free Mind resides -- served in the Early Modern Period as a haven for dissidents and as an intellectual and religious melting pot, attracting reformers such as Jan Amos Comenius (1592-1670), Christian Hoburg (1607-1675) and Friedrich Breckling (1629-1711).
Martin was followed by the conference’s keynote speaker, Dr. Emile Schrijver, General Director of the Jewish Historical Quarter in Amsterdam. Schrijver’s address focused on “The Book Culture of the first Generations of Portuguese Jewish Refugees in Amsterdam.” This history begins with Menasseh Ben Israel (1604-1657), among the first Portuguese Jews to immigrate to Amsterdam in the early seventeenth century. Importantly, Menassah founded the first Jewish-owned Hebrew printing press in Amsterdam. In developing the press in 1626, Menasseh of course had to develop a script and typeface for the letters. His typeface became very well-known and set the standard for Hebrew printing in Europe. His work thus played an important role in making Amsterdam a center for the publication of Hebrew literature during the period. As Schrijver demonstrated, Menassah was involved in all of the roles associated with early Amsterdam book printing, including agent, dealer, producer, author, and of course reader.
The morning of day two began with a guided historical tour of the building, followed by a rare book tour of some of the rarest and most relevant treasures from the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica collection. The group looked at writings by Quakers, Anabaptists, the mystical philosopher Jacob Böhme, Johann Georg Gichtel, Baruch Spinoza, Menasseh Ben Israel, and others. Lively discussion ensued during the tour and each participant’s expertise helped foster an environment of enthusiasm for the content of the conference; a microcosm of the broader city’s macrocosm of different expertise, cultural backgrounds and viewpoints coming together in fruitful dialogue.
The first session of day two focused on “cities as spaces for refugees” and was moderated by Bart Wallet (University of Amsterdam). The first presenter for this session was Dr. Susanne Lachenicht, (University of Bayreuth, Germany). The well-known scholar of refugee studies delivered a paper on “Refugee Cities in 16th and 17th Century Europe,” in which she provided a general context for discussing Amsterdam as a haven for religious refugees. Lachenicht discussed the climate of tolerance (or lack thereof) in London, Hamburg, Emden, and Amsterdam. Importantly, she problematized the idea that Amsterdam was as tolerant as present-day wishful thinking commonly presumes. For example, there were no laws in place ensuring the protection of these refugees, but more of an “understanding” based on factors such as utilitarianism, economic opportunity, and Christian compassion. Lachenicht’s paper argued convincingly that any self-fashioning of a city as tolerant requires careful comparative investigation, and that scholars should be specific about the application of these terms.
The next paper, “Jewish Advocacy,” was given by Hans Wallage, PhD candidate at the University of Amsterdam. Wallage focused on the role and influence of the first arriving groups of Sephardic refugees in Amsterdam in 1590. Before the arrival of these Spanish and Portuguese Jews, Amsterdam had never experienced the presence of a large “visible” Jewish population. Wallage showed that many of these Jewish refugees and/or migrants commonly introduced themselves as “Portuguese merchants” (as opposed to “refugees”), and due to their international connections, were able to lobby successfully with the Amsterdam and Haarlem city councils to adjust laws and, especially, to block repressive ones. Thus, Wallage demonstrated that the climate of tolerance for these early Sephardic refugees and migrants was in fact partially created by the group itself through its own advocacy.
The final paper of this session was by Stephanie Bode, a PhD candidate from Augsburg University. Her contribution, titled “Le Refuge & l’Azile de toutes les Nations” focused on the construction of Amsterdam as a haven for religious refugees in publications in the period 1680-1715. Like Lachenicht, Bode problematized the idea of Amsterdam as a haven by indicating important exceptions to this often casually used terminology. She showed that in many Amsterdam prints, especially those favoring Louis XIV, Catholic France was portrayed as the ideal haven for religious refugees. Thus, French Catholic printers and Dutch Protestant ones fought a kind of proxy battle over which place, France or the Netherlands, could really be considered a “haven.” This is but one example of how the first session provoked issues surrounding terminology: When is someone a migrant and not a refugee, and vice versa? And when can we really use the term “haven”?
The second session was chaired by Heide Warncke, Curator of the Ets Haim Library in Amsterdam. Kyra Gerber, (University of Amsterdam & Ritman Research Institute) was the first presenter for this session. Gerber’s talk, “The Peculiar Ordinary” was devoted to a microhistory of everyday Jewish life in Amsterdam in the 17th and 18th centuries. She recounted the fascinating tale of a journey undertaken by a Jewish settler in Amsterdam named Elias Joseph Goldt, an educated member of the Ashkenazi community. Goldt was given special permission to venture to Calumbria to retrieve items needed for the Jewish thanksgiving ritual called Sukkot (Lulavim and Etrogiem). Although given special permission by Charles VI for the travel and permitted as well to carry weapons for defense, Goldt did not manage to return to Amsterdam, probably perishing along the way. The story of Elias is one of many examples of how the Jewish community struggled to maintain their customs in a foreign environment.
Next, Florian Wiesner (University of Edinburgh) gave a paper titled Señores de la Cofradía de Holanda, which discussed Amsterdam and the Jewish diaspora in the 17th century Spanish Empire. Wiesner’s contribution examined the 1634 inquisition trials of the Jewish-descended population of Cartagena de Indias in modern-day Colombia (who had converted to Christianity). At the heart of the trials lay accusations that individuals in this population had relapsed into their ancestral religion and were conspiring with the Dutch trade companies through an ultimately fictional organization called Compañía de Holanda. In essence, Wiesner provided a perceptive glimpse not so much into processes within Amsterdam so much as the city of Amsterdam’s role in the world and especially its role within the perceptions of the Spanish empire and its inquisitors.
Daniel Rafiqi (King’s College, London) gave a paper titled “That Town I Yearned For: Representations of Arrival in Huguenot Refugees’ Autobiographical Writings, 1686-1712.” The paper focused on arrival experiences of French Huguenots in Amsterdam as depicted in their own biographical and literary writings. Rafiqi juxtaposed passages from two arrival accounts. The first, by Alexandre Savois, who expressed “unbridled joy” upon his arrival, whereas the second, by Anne du Noyer was characterized by a much more sober account of difficulty, partly because she donned a disguise as a cook’s male apprentice. Overall, these stories concentrated on the personal experiences of happiness, fear or disorientation in moving to a new location.
Rafiqi’s paper closed the final session of Friday, which was followed in the late afternoon by a walking tour of “Radical Amsterdam.” The walking route stopped by homes of important authors such as Jan Amos Comenius, Christian Hoburg, Friedrich Breckling, as well as locations for printing presses responsible for the publication of many works by these religious exiles and refugees.
The first session of Saturday, the final day of the conference, was chaired by Nina Schroeder (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam). The first presenter was Leigh T.I. Penman (Monash, Australia), who presented a talk titled “Books in Exile,” which dealt with German-language anti-clerical printing. Penman made the case that more focus should be devoted to individuals involved in printing anti-clerical works as opposed to the printing industry as a whole, and not only in Amsterdam but also in Leiden. For Penman, the “crucial decade” for the printing of anti-clerical works was the 1620s. Specifically, Penman looked at the theosopher, political theorist, and diplomat Johann Angelus Werdenhagen, who was an important source for Abraham von Beyerland’s translations of the works of German mystic Jacob Böhme (1575-1624). One of the surprises of the conference, Penman was able to correct older scholarship and show that an early Böhme print was published at Leiden, most likely at Werdenhagen’s behest.
Following Penman, Andreas Pietsch (University of Münster) gave the paper “A Hub in a Network of Dissent,” which discussed Amsterdam’s role in the publication of Hiël’s mystical treatises around 1700. “Hiël” was the pseudonym for the Dutch mystic Hendrik Jansen van Barrefelt (d. 1594). Hiël’s works became popular at the start of the 18th century when a long eulogy of his religious insights were published in the highly influential Impartial History of the Church and Heretics (1700) by pietist historian Gottfried Arnold. However, as Pietsch argued, this reception was the climax rather than the start of Hiël’s popularity. Long before 1700, German speakers all over Central Europe had Hiël in their libraries. The increasing number of German religious refugees in Amsterdam played a pivotal role in repopularising Hiël’s mystical treatises and prompted their republication beginning around 1687/90. German spiritualist exiles such as Friedrich Breckling and Loth Fischer and the Quaker Jacob Claus played key roles in distributing Hiël’s works to a German audience, raising interesting questions for researchers about connections between older dissenting literature and its reception and influence in the 17th century.
The session continued with a paper by Victoria Franke (Enschede) on the exiled German spiritualist Friedrich Breckling (1629-1711). An important networker among 17th century reforming circles, Breckling is also connected to the “House with the Heads” where the conference took place. Born at the height of the Thirty Years’ War, Breckling spoke out against corruption in the Lutheran church and especially its involvement in war. His opposition led to dismissal from his church post and eventually flight to the Netherlands. During his stay in Amsterdam, Breckling was supported by the de Geer family, owners of the House with the Heads and patron of the Moravian exile John Amos Comenius. Franke’s analysis of Breckling’s Catalogus Testium Veritatis (1700) traced the outlines of the radical pietist community in the Dutch Republic at the turn of the 18th century.
Rounding out the session, John Exalto (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) presented on the Latin school of Johann Amos Comenius (1592-1670) in Amsterdam in the 17th century with special focus on his pansophic, didactic, and chiliastic efforts. After being exiled from his native land of Moravia in the Czech lands, Comenius became a sort of wandering philosopher, theologian, and pedagogue in exile. After becoming famous for his Janua linguarum reserata (The Door of Languages Unlocked, 1629), a textbook used for teaching Latin, he was invited to come to Amsterdam and stay in the House with the Heads under patronage of Louis de Geer.
Exalto also focused on the interactions Comenius had with his teaching assistant, Johann Jacob Redinger, an exiled preacher from Switzerland. Exalto’s contribution shed important light on the position of Comenius and Redinger in Amsterdam and European-wide networks of religious and educational reformers by exploring Comenius’ Latin School and the significance of this institution for his broader educational and pansophic efforts.
The next session, and the final one of the conference, was chaired by Andreas Pietsch (Münster). The first presenter was Miriam van Veen, professor of early modern church history at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. Veen’s talk, “The Divine Gift of the Van den Corput Sisters: Reformed Women in Search of a Home,” told the fascinating story of the Van den Corput sisters who fled with their family from outbreaks of religious violence in the Low Countries and went to Duisburg and its surroundings. Veen analyzed the correspondence network which permitted the family to keep in touch during this time as well as the role played by the sisters in their Reformed refugee communities in the 16th century. Interestingly, the sisters interpreted their migration experience in terms of biblical narratives, and in fact had a rather positive view towards it. Veen emphasized that female migrants in the early modern period are largely understudied. She also introduced the hitherto unexpressed notion that migration, even sometimes under unfavorable circumstances, does not always have to be perceived as a traumatic or difficult process.
Francesco Quatrini (University College Dublin) followed with a talk that also took letters as the source material, “Unitarian Letters from Exile: The Polish Brethren between Betrayal, Liberty, and the Needs of a Banished Church (c. 1658-1668).” Quatrini’s contribution was the only one dealing with the “Polish Brethren and Sisters,” also known as Socinians or Unitarians. Their story is one of persecution, banishment, and eventual disappearance. After their stronghold in Raków was destroyed in 1638 due to charges of blasphemy, and two royal decrees later in 1658 and 1659 resulted in their banishment, many of the leaders moved to Amsterdam. Quatrini discussed letters sent by three of these exiled leaders, specifically their attempts to obtain assistance, financial and otherwise, from Remonstrants and Collegiants in Amsterdam. Quatrini’s contribution shed new light on the significant role played by other Christian dissenting groups for the Unitarians in exile.
The conference’s final contribution came from Mike Driedger (Brock University, Canada) on “Digital Evidence of Amsterdam as a City of Refuge or Contributors to the Growing Book Industry during ‘the Golden Age’: The eCartico Website.” Driedger introduced an online repository for looking into the names, family history, publication history and related information of early modern Dutch dissenters and provided some examples of how digital tools can be used by humanities scholars. The ‘eCartico’ website and similar digitization efforts offer promising new directions for experts and lay persons alike to do research into intellectual, socio-cultural, and family histories in the early modern period. At the same time, the presentation sparked a discussion about the reliability of the data that such tools use.
The conference brought to light important new evidence about Amsterdam’s role in welcoming those with dissenting opinions – a historical phenomenon that has led to Amsterdam being called the “birthplace of liberalism” (Russell Shorto). At the same time, the conference cautioned us to not accept labels carelessly. Although Amsterdam surely was a haven, refuges still faced many challenges in the city. And while some refugees cultivated the label “refugee” or “exile” because it helped them to receive patronage, others found it favorable to represent themselves in other ways. Historians must ask themselves, when is it appropriate to categorize a person as an exile, migrant, or refugee? With this conference, as in the 17th century, the “House with the Heads” has provided a forum for freethinking and the exchange of new ideas.
ConferencesThe Ritman Research Institute strives to create opportunities for scholarly exchange through lectures, conferences, round tables and other events. To further stimulate conversation in the academic community, videos of our events will appear here.
Lecture: Wouter Hanegraaff, 20 October 2022, “Hermetic Spirituality and Altered States of Knowledge”
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 gnosis.
Read more about Wouter Hanegraaff
Lecture: Emile Schrijver, “The Book Culture of the First Generations of Portuguese Jewish Refugees in Amsterdam”, 10 November 2022 (keynote for “Amsterdam as Haven” Conference)
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.
Read more about Emile Schrijver
Lectures Ritman Research Institute
Learn more about the speakers of our past activities.
John Ó Maoilearca
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.
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).
Lectures: “Hermetic Spirituality and Altered States of Knowledge” - 20 October 2022
Emile Schrijver
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.
Koert Debeuf
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.
Lectures: "The Renaissance started in Baghdad | Koert Debeuf, Professor Middle East Studies, Brussels University - 13 April 2023"
Speakershttps://embassyofthefreemind.com
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Last Edited on 2020-07-24
Frequently Asked Questions about the Embassy of the Free Mind
Questions about purchased tickets
Questions about the reading room
The EFM is open every Wednesday till Sunday from 10:00h - 17:00h.
What are your admission rates?
We have the following rates:
Day pass adults € 15.00
Day ticket students € 8.50
Day ticket children 11-18 years € 6.00
Day ticket children up to 10 years free
Visitors with a youth ticket are expected to show proof of age at the entrance of the museum. Students are expected to show a valid college card at the museum entrance.
Our house rules can be found here.
I have a Museumkaart/Stadspas/I amsterdam City Card/ICOM card. Do I also have to book a ticket via the website?
No, that is not necessary. Admission is free with a Museumkaart, I amsterdam City Card, ICOM card, Stadspas and EFM friends card.
Museum Card and EFM Friends Cards are available at the museum desk. The VriendenLoterij VIP-KAART and the Rembrandtkaart are not valid.
Do I also have free admission with the VriendenLoterij VIP-KAART or the Rembrandtkaart?
No, you do not have free admission with these cards.
When is the next exhibition?
Information about the current and next exhibition can be found here.
Can I book a guided tour?
Yes and we even recommend it because you will learn a lot that way. We offer daily general tours at 10:30h.
These can be booked through the website or you can book spontaneously on the spot. There are also special tours in the afternoon, such as about the history of the House with the Heads. Or about the old books and the exhibition. On most Wednesday afternoons, Rachel Ritman gives a tour about the Grail artwork in our collection.
You can book the tours here.
There is also a free audio tour offered in English or Dutch that leads past highlights from the permanent exhibition. This audio tour can be listened to on your phone/tablet and with your own headphones or 'earphones'. We do not sell earphones. If you do not own a phone/tablet, we have iPads on loan.
In addition, we have developed 6 'Self-guided tours' for people who prefer to explore on their own. The topics are: Hermetic Philosophy, Alchemy, The House with the Heads, Kabbalah, The Grail and Rosicrucians.
These 'Self-guided-tours-books' are available free of charge in the Grote Sael on the table and are in Dutch and English.
Are the cafe and garden open?
Yes, the cafe and garden are open to visitors during our opening hours. Among other things, we have delicious homemade pumpkin soup by our Carmen and fresh apple pie.
Is it possible to visit the EFM with a school class?
Yes, for a school class request send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will arrange it. We also have children's programs on Wednesdays during school vacations.
Is group visit possible to the EFM?
Yes, we can accommodate 2 groups from 8 to 15 people at a time, but please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to inquire about the possibilities.
Can I organize an event in the EFM (drinks, lecture, dinner, etc.)?
Absolutely. The Grote Sael can be rented for birthdays, weddings, book launches and meetings, among other events. For all information regarding room rentals, click here.
How many people are allowed in the halls and throughout the EFM?
The maximum number of visitors for the entire museum is 70 people. The Grote Sael can hold 50 during lectures and performances.
Can I cancel my purchased ticket and get a refund?
No, purchased tickets are not refundable. However, you can rebook your ticket to another date, this can be done up to the start time of your ticket. Please note that this only applies to entrance tickets and tickets for tours. Tickets for events such as lectures or webinars cannot be rebooked.
Rebooking tickets can be done through this link.
Can I rebook my ticket to another date?
You certainly can! Please note that this only applies to entrance and tour tickets. Tickets for events such as lectures or webinars cannot be rebooked.
Rebooking tickets can be done through this link.
I bought a ticket for a lecture, but I can't go after all. Can I get my money back?
No, purchased tickets are not refundable. Also, a ticket for a lecture or event cannot be rebooked. However, you will receive in your confirmation email a Zoom link to attend the lecture online and within two weeks you will also receive the recording of the lecture. This way you can still follow the lecture.
I bought a ticket for a (Zoom) lecture. Where can I find the Zoom-link?
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I bought a ticket for a (Zoom) lecture. Will I also be sent the recording? And when will the recording be sent?
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Can I visit the reading room and view books there?
The "modern" reading room (books from after 1900) can be found on the 1st floor. You can just grab and read books there, but they are not for loan. There are two nice chairs with a lamp by the window. If necessary, it is possible to grab a book from the reading room and read elsewhere in the museum (excluding the café and garden). Our curators sit in the reading room by the window and you can ask them anything you want about the books.
The reading room holds about two thousand books from our Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica Collection. In our online catalog here you can see all the titles from our collection. It is possible to request specific books by sending an email prior to your visit to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. indicating the titles and signature of the works you would like to see.
Should you be interested in viewing books or manuscripts older than 1800, it is necessary to request the books by mail at least one week in advance. The curators will ensure that the books - if available - will be ready for you on the day of your visit.
For access to the reading room you need an entrance ticket.
FAQ
Book Donation by Erich Kaniok
Two years ago, the Embassy of the Free Mind received a generous book donation from Erich Kaniok and his wife Marijke, consisting of no fewer than 2,000 titles in the fields of philosophy, science and spirituality from various cultures and ages. The books that we acquire in our lives, or those that ‘happen’ to come our way and know how to find us, usually reflect our own search for wisdom and knowledge. In the case of Erich Kaniok, this search must have been a very adventurous and fascinating one: walking past the shelves, we encounter a wide range of subjects: Mahayana, Hinayana and Zen Buddhism, Hinduism, Sufism, theosophy, anthroposophy, Western and Eastern mysticism, non-dualism, new science and such original thinkers as Krishnamurti, Meister Eckhart, Jakob Lorber, and others.
Erich Kaniok grew up in the historical old town of Vienna, where he taught for a number of years after having graduated. Already at an early age he was ‘spiritually committed’, an approach to life which took him to the Netherlands in the late 1960s. Here he was active in the Rosicrucian movement for over four decades. In his lectures and meetings, Erich often made use of stories, which were published in a series of volumes over the years. Examples of these are the series ‘Verhalen & parabels uit Oost & West’ (Stories & Parables from East & West), with such titles as Sleutels tot het hart (Keys to the Heart), Taal van de stilte (Language of Silence) and Lente in je hart (Spring in One’s Heart). He also compiled a volume of stories and parables from China entitled Het geluk van Tao (The Happiness of Tao).
Two volunteers, Greetje Voerman and Reinout Spaink, have been cataloguing the Kaniok donation for the Ritman Library with great enthusiasm in the past year. It soon became clear in the process that this donation broadened the library’s scope in several respects: a broadening in the sense of a more colourful palette of categories, which have now also come to include more contemporary and topical themes, and a broadening in a geographical sense, enriching the library with a considerable number of titles in the field of non-Western spiritualities and cultures.
It may be asked in how far this is compatible with the original aim of the Embassy of the Free Mind’s library, which is to focus on the main collecting areas Hermetica, Alchemy, Mysticism, Rosicrucians and Gnosis & Western Esotericism. Perhaps one of the answers is that it has become increasingly clear in the course of the decades that insights into what we might broadly refer to as the ‘Western realm of thought’ cannot be viewed outside the development of Eastern thought. Both have exerted an intense reciprocal influence on each other in the past millennia.
One example is the initiative by the Buddhist emperor Ashoka to make contact with thinkers and rulers in Alexandria (in present-day Egypt), Antioch (present-day Turkey) and Athens to propagate Buddhism, around 250 BCE. The texts which Ashoka commissioned to be carved in India on iron commemorative pillars, on rocks and in caves, the so-called edicts, include an account of his activities in the Hellenistic world. It is obvious from these texts that he had a clear grasp of the political structures in these Western regions. The names and courts of the foremost Greek kings at the time are mentioned, and it is also noted that they had all been introduced to the teachings of the Buddha through the monks that Ashoka had sent to them. A few Pali texts also make mention of the fact that some of Ashoka’s missionaries were monks from Greece.
In one of the Indian commemorative pillars we find the following text: ‘The victory by Dhamma took place here, even as far away as six hundred yojanas [6,000 kilometres], where the Greek king Antiochus rules, beyond where the four kings called Ptolemy II, Philadelphus, Antiochus II, Magas of Cyrene and Alexander rule.'
Hinduism, too, has been of major influence on Western thought. In the six darśanam or schools of Hindu thought, each of these schools represents one aspect of the knowledge of all of reality. When these six darśanam are arranged in pairs of two, the outcome is three systems of thought with accompanying systems of proof, which are very similar to what is referred to in the West as religion, philosophy and science. These latter three are actually nothing else but the reflection on a socio-cultural and collective plane of the three aspects that make up our individual consciousness, and with which we try to grasp ultimate reality – the three dimensions, in fact, of our cognition. A full grasp of this ultimate reality cannot be achieved by one of these three separately, but only by integrating them. It is even more interesting to find that virtually all contemporary currents within science, such as empiricism and positivism, can be found in these darśanam of thousands of years ago.
It is therefore very plausible that Buddhist and Hinduist thought must have left traces within the Western tradition everywhere. A proper understanding of Western-Hermetic thought will have to take into account Eastern thought and its development, while this effort to overcome the traditional dichotomy between ‘Eastern and Western thought’, cannot but inspire creative processes that may very well lead to unexpected and new insights into the origin and meaning of Western-Hermetic thought.
Perhaps the time has come to finally add to the famous and often quoted lines by Rudyard Kipling: 'Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet' the two lines that immediately follow but are always omitted:
'But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
When two strong men stand face to face, though they come from the ends of the earth!’
Erich Kaniok passed away in the spring of 2019, but the Kaniok collection is forever an integral part of the Embassy of the Free Mind.
Special Collection: Kaniok