Residential weekend course
15 November 2013 – 16:00 to 17 November 2013 – 14:00
Few things are more mysterious, stirring and wanting investigation than the mysteries of Ancient Egypt. Great pyramids, imposing structures, avenues of statues most of which are somehow distantly familiar but yet nonsensical. Sphinxes, intricate and deeply symbolic funerary paintings, mummies and hieroglyphics all seem to point to a civilization of sophisticated thought and culture somehow seeming to be able to integrate harmoniously between this world and the next. Egyptian symbolism speaks to us out of a long gone age far beyond the reaches of recorded history.
No-one has really solved these mysteries; although many have tried and some have come close, many have gone misleadingly astray! These mysteries can be solved through a knowledge of ‘correspondences’.
Hundreds of examples of these correspondences exist in the writings of Swedenborg and these are the key to Egyptian hieroglyphics and symbolism. When studied, they point to a comprehensive and coherent spiritual system of beautiful harmony, incorporating an array of gods expressing qualities of One Infinite Mind of Love and Wisdom substantive beneath both spiritual and material universes.
This weekend event will be an introduction to these symbols and correspondences including examples, an overview of the Egyptian ‘system’, a detailed analysis of a few major symbolic artifacts of Ancient Egypt and a consideration of how all this ties in with where we are today.
About The Leaders
David Gaffney is The Spiritual Leader of the New Church and the Programme Director of The Purley Chase Centre. He is an ordained minister of the New Church with a special interest in world faiths and what is the common ground between them. He has a history as a Civil Engineer managing the construction of infrastructure projects as well as a teacher of physics, mathematics and business. David is interested in exploring beliefs and life styles which make sense, give meaning to life, leave us in freedom, are truly transformative and lead to wisdom. He has found the writings of Swedenborg to be a particularly rich source of information to these ends. His interests are playing guitar whilst attempting to sing, any kind of craft work, writing articles related to spirituality, and messing about with boats. Oh yes, and last but definitely not least, the grandchildren!
Mark Joell is a true musician with a long history of playing live music to audiences. His speciality is piano and he has worked in many areas from classical to rock; from Vaughan Williams to Pink Floyd. He has a deep interest in ‘things mystical’ and theatrical and plans to marry them all to create a weekend to remember.