Following the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the interest in personal and esoteric spirituality as opposed to conventional exoteric institutions, there has been a revival of gnosis in many forms. Early Church Fathers distinguished between the direct experience of gnosis and the propositional faith of pistis. This corresponded to the structure of Gnostic groups and also those of Bogomils and Languedoc Cathars between the 11th and 13th centuries. This talk will explore the meaning of gnosis in terms of self-knowledge and knowledge of the Self and relate it to the nature of mystical and near death experience, initiation and transformation as well as to formulations on the relationship between the individual and universal mind in New Thought. Finally, it will consider rhythms of transformation in life and the evolutionary goal of cosmic consciousness.
DAVID LORIMER, MA, PGCE, FRSA is a writer, lecturer and editor who is a Founder of Character Education Scotland, Programme Director of the Scientific and Medical Network and former President of Wrekin Trust and the Swedenborg Society. Originally a merchant banker then a teacher of philosophy and modern languages at Winchester College, he is the author and editor of over a dozen books, most recently The Protein Crunch (with Jason Drew) and A New Renaissance (edited with Oliver Robinson). He has edited three books about the Bulgarian sage Beinsa Douno (Peter Deunov, 1864-1944): Prophet for our Times (1991, 2015), The Circle of Sacred Dance, and Gems of Love, which is a translation of his prayers and formulas into English.
He is a founding member of the International Futures Forum and was editor of its digest, Omnipedia – Thinking for Tomorrow. He was also a Trustee of the St Andrews Prize for the Environment and a Churchill Fellow. His book on the ideas and work of the Prince of Wales – Radical Prince – has been translated into Dutch, Spanish and French. He is the originator of the Inspiring Purpose Values Poster Programmes, which have over 250,000 young people. See www.inspiringpurpose.org.uk.
Personal website: www.davidlorimer.co.uk
