While alchemy, kabbalah, tarot, and psychology have developed as distinct traditions throughout history, they share profound roots within the esoteric mystery schools of antiquity. Rather than forming a new age hodgepodge or vague constellation of disparate belief systems, these principles convey the multifaceted nature of spiritual practice and divine realization from different angles, constituting a unique body of experiential knowledge known in Greek as γνῶσις gnosis. Therefore, properly prepared individuals can utilize these insights for interpreting the highly symbolic, mystical, and alchemical art of opera, whose composers were often Freemasons initiated into the secret allegories and disciplines of the ancients. This lecture explains some of the spiritual traditions behind Puccini's La Bohème, which will serve for future viewings and discussions on its gnostic symbolism, especially in relation to creative energy (alchemy), character representations and archetypes (kabbalah), predictive, prophetic, and pragmatic implications (tarot), and the path of internal transformation (psychology).

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