SES Forums

"It has been said that all of Western philosophy is a footnote to Plato." oh God. It hasn't been said by anyone but the SES. NYC, not so. It was Alfred North Whitehead. http://www.philosophicalsociety.com/Archives/Plato%20And%20The%20Theory%20Of%20Forms.htm What will we all do when there is no more...

I remember the vow or 'sankalpa' referred to above, although I didn't know that it was different for girls. It wasn't compulsory, I remember getting up voluntarily and doing it; but there WAS one member of my group who didn't do it. His humble reasoning was that there was no way in the world he coul...

OK, I stand corrected. Before my time. But I think it is very arguable whether there is a broad or deep understanding of AV even now. Some people do have a good picture of what it is, and is not. Many seem to treat it as a kind of religion, or maybe "common-sense philosophy". Nothing could be much f...

Ems I'm liking your Hobbes avie, by the way. So many favourites ... Calvin hammering nails into the coffee table ... Mum: "CALVIN! What are you doing?" Calvin (looking blank): "Is that a trick question?" I have to report being a sad case in that although I was musically inept as a child I did love t...

Jo Anne Well, you'd be very welcome as far as I'm concerned, although in practical terms it's probably not going to happen that way! But if you are interested in these issues PM me. Once again, I have to say that I'm not talking about the School as is, but as it will be. Yes, there is that view of "...

So far as the substance goes, there has been a considerable change. When I joined in 1987 the material was heavily Gurdjieff-influenced. It was quite psychological in nature. I think that was the tail end of the Gurdjieff stuff. Gurdjieff was the man who said that people who did not come under disci...

Celia I hadn't thought of that, to be honest. No, I must say I had a better experience of him than you. I always recall him being more tolerant and open-minded than many people. Free, Those pictures are on the web site as well ... http://www.stcustards.free-online.co.uk/masters/masters6.htm

You may think I'm soft, but I'm hard. Damned hard.

Control, I think we have a positive ID on William Wray.

Hear, hear. I used to have a copy long ago. It was balanced and intelligent, critical of the kookiness (it was called "School for Scandal" and the front cover featured the lower halves of two long-skirted girls. There were boxes inset giving "cult facts") but what stood out for me was Billen's remar...

Hey! Planet, how do you do that?

Teach me, teach me!

Yes, but that assumes that there are fundamental teachings that are universally and uncritically accepted. Maybe that was the case 20 years ago, but some of us have read the Upanishads, the Gita, the Conversations, and a lot of other source material. Having done so, we can form our own opinions abou...

I wonder how much access the SES does have to "The corridors of power"!????

Not much. As soon as anyone gets near even the front porches of power they usually leave the School - eg Sir Kenneth Jupp (High Court Judge), Roger Pincham (Chairman of Liberal Party), to avoid conflicts of interest.

And finally we can reveal the secret mantra! (see Channel 4)

Wingardium Leviosa! (see Hary Potter & the Philopfer's Stone)

I remember reading the above 'expose' in 1994 and thinking to myself what a lot of crap it was. $1m Bonus to Beat Britain! Shock, horror! John Bull must be turning in his grave. To think that we should live to see the day that a New Zealander should be employed as a lobbyist by a company trying to d...

No. The spirit of tolerance, you fool.