In this presentation, Roger explores the profound spiritual and psychological crisis that shattered the ancient Hermetic tradition in the 3rd century A.D., splitting Western consciousness into two paths: rigid intellectual systems and esoteric mystical experience. Through the figures of Zosimos, Porphyry, Plotinus, and Iamblichus, the talk traces how humanity lost the living center where authentic personhood, community, and wholeness could flourish. Drawing on Homer’s Odyssey, the symbolism of the Cave of the Nymphs, the visionary works of William Blake, and the psychological insights of Carl Jung, this lecture examines the collapse of psychic unity in civilization and humanity’s ongoing struggle to recover a balanced soul. From ancient Alexandria to the modern world, the Hermetic tradition is presented not as abstract philosophy, but as a living path toward restoring meaning, imagination, and inner integration in an age of fragmentation.

Episode transcript – https://sharedpresencefoundation.org/transcripts/542

More about this series: https://sharedpresencefoundation.org/presentations/hermetic-tradition-osiris-to-franklin
 
More presentations by Roger Weir: https://sharedpresencefoundation.org/presentations/
 
More about Roger Weir: https://sharedpresencefoundation.org/resonance/person-roger-weir
 
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