Western Philosophy 20th century philosophy
Name:	Tommaso Palamidessi
Birth:	February 16, 1915 (Pisa, Italy)
Death:	April 29, 1983 (Rome, Italy)
School/tradition:	Christianism
Main interests:	Esoteric Christianity, Yoga, Astrology
Notable ideas:	Archeosophy, Archeosophical Society
Influences:	Early Christianity, Theosophy, Anthroposophy, Yoga, Rosicrucianism

Tommaso Palamidessi (Pisa, February 16, 1915 – Rome, April 29, 1983) was an Italian esotericist. Precociously attracted by astrology, parapsychology and yoga-tantric doctrines, he was led by his manifold interests in the field of the occult and by his intense spiritual pursuit to build up an original form of Esoteric Christianity, which he called Archeosophy. In 1968, he founded in Rome the Archeosophical Society, which is still active and counts a few thousands members both in Italy and in the rest of Europe (mainly in Germany, Portugal, and France). The 20th century brought with it upheavals that produced a series of conflicts within philosophy over the basis of knowledge, with classical certainties thought to be overthrown, and new social, economic, scientific and logical problems, 20th-century philosophy was set for a series of attempts to reform and preserve, and... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... February 16 is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... Leaning Tower of Pisa. ... April 29 is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Nickname: Motto: SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Government  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area  - City 1,285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban 5... Christianism may refer to: Christianity, or its theory and practice The term Christianist is referred to as early as 1992 in a book by Rémi Brague. ... Esoteric Christianity refers to the occult study and the mystic living of the esoteric knowledge related to what adherents view as the inner teachings of early Christianity, seen as a Mystery religion. ... Statue of Shiva performing Yogic meditation Yoga (Devanagari: योग) is a group of ancient spiritual practices originating in India. ... Hand-coloured version of the anonymous Flammarion woodcut (1888). ... Archeosophy, litteraly from greek ἀρχή (arché) = Principle and Σoφíα (Sophia) = Wisdom. ... The Archeosophical Society is a charitable cultural association founded by Tommaso Palamidessi. ... The term Early Christianity here refers to Christianity of the period after the Death of Jesus in the early 30s and before the First Council of Nicaea in 325. ... Theosophy, literally god-wisdom (Greek: θεοσοφία theosophia), designates several bodies of ideas. ... Anthroposophy, also called spiritual science, is a spiritual philosophy based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner,[1] which states that anyone who conscientiously cultivates sense-free thinking can attain experience of and insights into the spiritual world. ... Statue of Shiva performing Yogic meditation Yoga (Devanagari: योग) is a group of ancient spiritual practices originating in India. ... The Temple of the Rosy Cross, Teophilus Schweighardt Constantiens, 1618 The Rosicrucians are a legendary and secretive order dating from the 15th or 17th century, generally associated with the symbol of the Rose Cross, which is also used in certain rituals of the Freemasons. ... Leaning Tower of Pisa. ... Nickname: Motto: SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Government  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area  - City 1,285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban 5... Esotericism is knowledge suitable only for an inner circle of the initiated, advanced or privileged. ... Hand-coloured version of the anonymous Flammarion woodcut (1888). ... Parapsychology is the study of evidence for paranormal psychological phenomena such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and psychokinesis (Parapsychology, n. ... Statue of Shiva performing Yogic meditation Yoga (Devanagari: योग) is a group of ancient spiritual practices originating in India. ... Tantric can refer to: Tantric yoga, also known as tantra The Louisville, KY hard rock band Tantric This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The word occult comes from the Latin occultus (clandestine, hidden, secret), referring to knowledge of the hidden.[1] In the medical sense it is used commonly to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e. ... Esoteric Christianity refers to the occult study and the mystic living of the esoteric knowledge related to what adherents view as the inner teachings of early Christianity, seen as a Mystery religion. ... Archeosophy, litteraly from greek ἀρχή (arché) = Principle and Σoφíα (Sophia) = Wisdom. ... The Archeosophical Society is a charitable cultural association founded by Tommaso Palamidessi. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ...

Life of Tommaso Palamidessi

Youth and studies of Tommaso Palamidessi

Born in Pisa on 16 February 1915 of Carlo Palamidessi, Senior Officer of the Army and of the poetess Luigia Tagliata, in 1920 Tommaso Palamidessi moves to Sicily. Since he was a child he has been studying astronomy, astrology, botany, medicine and religion and as an adolescent he travels to Tripoli and Tunis to deepen his knowledge of Islamic Sufism. A giant Hubble mosaic of the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant Astronomy (also frequently referred to as astrophysics) is the scientific study of celestial objects (such as stars, planets, comets, and galaxies) and phenomena that originate outside the Earths atmosphere (such as the cosmic background radiation). ... Hand-coloured version of the anonymous Flammarion woodcut (1888). ... Pinguicula grandiflora Example of a Cross Section of a Stem [1] Botany is the scientific study of plant life. ... medicines, see medication and pharmacology. ... Tripoli (Arabic: طرابلس Tarābulus) is the capital city of Libya. ... Sufism is a mystic tradition within Islam and encompasses a diverse range of beliefs and practices dedicated to divine love and the cultivation of the heart. ...

From 1933, when he moves to Turin, he applies himself to intense researches on astrology, alchemy and Tantric yoga, to extrasensory experiences, favoured by his mediumistic predisposition, to Egyptology and the study of hieroglyphs that he carries out in collaboration with the director of the Egyptian Museum of Turin, Mr. Ernesto Scamuzzi. He also performs out-of-body experiences, bilocations and remembrances of his past lives. Hand-coloured version of the anonymous Flammarion woodcut (1888). ... This article or section includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Tantra (Sanskrit: loom), tantric yoga or tantrism is any of several esoteric traditions rooted in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy. ... The Great Sphinx of Giza against Khafres Pyramid at the Giza pyramid complex. ...

The studies and experiences of his youth result in the publishing of many books, such as: The Course of Stars and Man's Diseases; Medicine and Sidereal Influences; Mundane Astrology; The Stars in the Diagnosis and the Cure of Cancer; Earthquakes, Eruptions and Cosmic Influences. His publications about Tantric yoga include: The Occult Powers of Man and the Indo-Tibetan Tantric Yoga , Sexual Technique of Tantric Yoga; The Erotic Power of Kundalini Yoga; Yoga not to Die. He writes a long commentary on the Egyptian theurgy and The Book of the Dead, but he never sends them to the press. The Necronomicon is a fictional book invented by H.P. Lovecraft and is often featured in stories based on the Cthulhu mythos inspired by his works. ...

The fifties

In 1947 Tommaso Palamidessi gets married with Rosa Francesca Bordino (1916-1999) who will stand by him for a lifetime and will give him a daughter, Silvestra (1948-1996). In 1949 a radical spiritual crisis drives him to a deep conversion to Christ and consequently he decides to suspend his yoga publications.

In 1953 he moves to Rome with his family and contributes to various newspapers, among which it is worth mentioning his collaboration with the Tribuna Illustrata, the most ancient Italian weekly magazine where he will be writing a section about esotericism and astrology until 1969 when the magazine disappeared. He visits the monasteries of Kalambaka, Thessaly and Mt. Athos in 1957 and in the Easter of 1966 he is in Jerusalem where he has special revelations on the Mt. Golgotha and in Gethsemane. Look up Esotericism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Hand-coloured version of the anonymous Flammarion woodcut (1888). ... Kalampaka (Καλαμπάκα) is a municipality in the Trikala Prefecture, Greece. ... Map showing Thessaly periphery in Greece Thessaly (Θεσσαλια; modern Greek Thessalía; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is one of the 13 peripheries of Greece, and is further sub-divided into 4 prefectures. ... Athos can mean: Athos – the Holy Mount Athos, one of the title characters in the novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas Athos, in Greek mythology, one of the Gigantes Mount Athos, a mountain and peninsula in Greece containing an ancient monastic state New Athos, a mountain and monastery in... Calvary (Golgotha) was the hill outside Jerusalem on which Jesus was crucified. ... The Garden of Gethsemane. ...

In Alexandria of Egypt he rediscovers archaeological sites that he had already seen during his paranormal experiences by which he had remembered to have been Origen (185-254), instructor at the Didaskaleyon, school of Christianity founded by the evangelist St. Mark in Alexandria. The study of Patristics consolidates his faith in the authentic Esoteric Christianity. By this time his formulation of a new doctrinal synthesis for the spiritual awakening of man and woman takes shape in Archeosofica. Origen Origen (Greek: Ōrigénēs, 185–ca. ... Esoteric Christianity refers to the occult study and the mystic living of the esoteric knowledge related to what adherents view as the inner teachings of early Christianity, seen as a Mystery religion. ... The Archeosophical Society is a charitable cultural association founded by Tommaso Palamidessi. ...

The foundation of Archeosofica

The emblem of the Archeosophical Association

On 29 September 1968 Tommaso Palamidessi founds in Rome Archeosofica, Esoteric School of High Initiation. The foundation of Archeosofica is rooted in Palamidessi's spirit of collaboration toward spiritual realizations. Indeed Tommaso Palamidessi founded Archeosofica as Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Archeosophical Society is a charitable cultural association founded by Tommaso Palamidessi. ...

a free school for free scholars, who must not feel like pupils nor apprentices, but brothers who listen to the living voice of other brothers.[...] It is a call addressed to all, and it does not matter if they belong to the different communities (Theosophists, Anthroposophists, Martinists, Rosicrucians, Catholics, Yoghists, etc.). The Brotherhood is only one, and it can have only one verb: Love one another; only one Master: Jesus the Christ. Theosophy, literally god-wisdom (Greek: θεοσοφία theosophia), designates several bodies of ideas. ... Anthroposophy, also called spiritual science, is a spiritual philosophy based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner,[1] which states that anyone who conscientiously cultivates sense-free thinking can attain experience of and insights into the spiritual world. ... Freemason and Freemasons redirect here. ... The Temple of the Rosy Cross, Teophilus Schweighardt Constantiens, 1618 The Rosicrucians are a legendary and secretive order dating from the 15th or 17th century, generally associated with the symbol of the Rose Cross, which is also used in certain rituals of the Freemasons. ... Statue of Shiva performing Yogic meditation Yoga (Devanagari: योग) is a group of ancient spiritual practices originating in India. ...

In the following years, he travels to India, Kashmir, Nepal China, South America but from 1968 forth his efforts will be consecrated above all to the nourishing of the archeosophical doctrine and to the organisation of the many groups of study and experimentation that have soon spread all over Italy. Then in 1973 he founded a cultural association namely Archeosophical Society with the aim of developing and diffusing Archeosophy all over the world. The Archeosophical Society is a charitable cultural association founded by Tommaso Palamidessi. ... Archeosophy, litteraly from greek ἀρχή (arché) = Principle and Σoφíα (Sophia) = Wisdom. ...

Definition of Archeosophy

The archeosophical ascesis

The archeosophical ascesis aims at solving the religious problem of a correction of human life that does not rely on either one's whim or on chance but on a solid spiritual Science and on techniques of spiritual awakening and interior transmutation. The program includes special gymnastics, breathing techniques, psycho-dynamic actions on hormones and nerve plexus in order to ascend to what corresponds to body and, though not being body, makes up the whole of the energetic bodies permeating the organic one with the purpose of finally reaching the causal body where the immortal I resides. Out-of-body experiences (in order to have a direct, personal experience of ultraphanic worlds), methods of meditation on the centres of force directly linked with the three principles of the immortal Ego (such us the meditation on the heart defined by Palamidessi as cardiognosis or "inner knowledge of one's heart) and exercises of remembrance of some past lives are part of the itinerary of self-awareness and of the journey towards God. suggested by Archeosofica. For the Naruto jutsu, see Chakra (Naruto). ... Cardiognosis litterally Knowledge of the Heart. ... The Archeosophical Society is a charitable cultural association founded by Tommaso Palamidessi. ...

In his treatise Techniques of Initiatic Awakening (1975) Tommaso Palamidessi presents a program of integral ascesis where techniques of meditation on the centres of force and on the divine names on the one hand, an intense inner life devoted to transcendence, on the other and finally a cautious use of astral influences in order to determine the most convenient moments for the ascetic practices, converge on the unique purpose of granting a spiritual regeneration in a Christic sense.

The artistic ascesis

A special form of ascesis is carried out through art. In respect of the mystical, theological and artistic tradition of the Orthodox Church, Tommaso Palamidessi brings back to light the technique for preparing and painting a sacred icon. The book he dedicates to this subject, Icon, Colours and Artistic Ascesis (published posthumously in 1986) is a true manual which aims at starting the reader off on the personal preparation of a sacred icon and on meditating on it. By following the rules of the chromatic symbolism as well as the traditional geometry of sacred art, the artist can make of his own icon a "castle of meditation", by which he transcends the formal aspect of the image and becomes sensitive to the divine archetypes hidden behind it. In this sense the icon has a sanctifying effect on the conscience of the artist. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Eastern Christianity. ... Look up icon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Another important key for the mystic and initiatic self-realisation included in the ascetic program of Archeosofica is linked with the discoveries made by Tommaso Palamidessi over sacred music and its importance for the catharsis and the awakening of the spiritual centres in the regenerated Man. The Archeosophical Society is a charitable cultural association founded by Tommaso Palamidessi. ... Religious music (also sacred music) is music performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence. ... For the Naruto jutsu, see Chakra (Naruto). ...

Works of Tommaso Palamidessi

• Il Corso degli astri e le malattie nell'uomo: trattato teorico-pratico di cosmopatogenesi con 22 figure, Milano: F.lli Bocca, 1940 (2nd ed. Archeosofica 1985).
• Astrologia mondiale: il destino dei popoli rivelato dal corso degli astri, Torino: T. Palamidessi, 1941 (2nd ed. Archeosofica 1985).
• I poteri occulti dell'uomo e lo yoga tantrico indo-tibetano, Torino: Spartaco Giovene, 1945 (2nd ed. Archeosofica 1988).
• La tecnica sessuale dello yoga tantrico indo-tibetano, Torino: Edizioni Grande Opera, 1948 (2nd ed. Archeosofica 1988).
• L'alchimia come via allo spirito: l'autorealizzazione magica e la psicologia del profondo, svelate dalla tradizione ermetica, Torino: Grande Opera, 1949 (2e éd. Arkeios 2001).
• Gli astri nella diagnosi e cura del cancro, Torino: Ed. Grande Opera, 1949.
• Tecniche di risveglio iniziatico: i centri di forza e la metafisica sperimentale, Roma : Edizioni Mediterranee, 1975 (2nd ed. 1983).
• Archeosofia (a collection of 25 over 50 Booklets of Archeosophy), 5 volumes, Roma: Archeosofica, 1985-1988.
• Il libro cristiano dei morti, Roma: Arkeios, 1985.
• Le basi della teologia sofianica : nuove indagini bibliche, Roma: Arkeios, 1986.
• L'icona, i colori e l'ascesi artistica: dottrina ed esperienze per una Via verso l'autosuperamento ed una coscienza divina nell'arte, Roma: Arkeios, 1986.
• Ricettario Erboristico, Roma: Arkeios, 1987.

See also

• Archeosophy
• Archeosophical Society

Archeosophy, litteraly from greek ἀρχή (arché) = Principle and Σoφíα (Sophia) = Wisdom. ... The Archeosophical Society is a charitable cultural association founded by Tommaso Palamidessi. ...

References

In English:

• Article "Archeosophy" by P.L. Zoccatelli in Peter B. Clarke (ed.), Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements, London - New York: Routledge, 2006, p. 38-39.

In Italian and French:

• Massimo Introvigne, Il Cappello del mago.I nuovi movimenti magici, dallo spiritismo al satanismo, Milan: Sugarco, 1990, p. 330-332 (French translation: La magie: les nouveaux mouvements magiques, Paris : Droguet et Ardant, 1993).
• C. Gatto Trocchi, Magia ed esoterismo in Italia, Milano:Mondadori, 1990, p. 142-145.
• Antoine Faivre, L'ésotérisme, Paris : PUF, 1992, p. 102.
• M.Introvigne - P.L. Zoccatelli (editors), Le religioni in Italia, Elledici - Velar, Leumann (Turin) - Gorle (Bergamo), 2006, p. 842-844.

Massimo Introvigne (b. ... Antoine Faivre (b. ...

External Links

• Tommaso Palamidessi (biography), from the Official Site of the Archeosophical Society founded by Palamidessi in 1968
• (Italian) The article about « Archeosophy » in the website of CESNUR (the Center for Study on New Religions)