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“ANNA KINGSFORD” BULLETIN Edited by Arnaldo Sisson Filho. Nº. 01 – November, 2006. |
“Anna Kingsford” Bulletin: It is an Internet based informative, which has as its object
to make better known the work of Anna
Kingsford and Edward Maitland,
the most important part of which is named as
“The New Gospel of Interpretation”. And this, mainly spreading selected
texts from the material already on-line in the Anna Kingsford Site
CONTENTS
1) Anna Kingsford Site
2) Recent Additions
to the Anna Kingsford Site
3) New in the
Internet: Edward Maitland’s Picture
4) Quotation: Appealing to the Intellectual as well as to the Devotional Side
5) Quotation: “The
6) Quotation: Testimony of Baron
Spedalieri
on “The
7) Chapter: The
Banquet of the Gods (from the work Dreams and Dream-Stories)
1) Anna
Kingsford Site: www.anna-kingsford.com
The site started in January, 2005. From that date the site was much enlarged and
became the greatest and most important site dedicated to spreading the knowledge
on the life and works of these two great mystics, seers and prophets – Anna
Kingsford and Edward Maitland.
The most relevant part of the work of these two heralds of a better world, was denominated
“The New Gospel of Interpretation”.
Although new contents are being frequently added, the site already offers –
on-line
and with download options in Word and Pdf
– all the most important works by Kingsford and Maitland. These works are in
English, and a few texts were already translated into Portuguese. Work is being
done to have more Portuguese translations, and hopefully in the future in other
languages as well.
The site also contains a
Gallery of Images with several new pictures, brought for
the first time to the Internet public.
2) Recent Additions to the
Anna
Kingsford Site
In the fist part of September, 2006, the organizer visited
In the same journey, researches were made in order to find originals of some
rare works by Kingsford and Maitland, which were very difficult to find. And
this could be done with success.
Some of these works were found in the British Library; although some of them
could not be copied, due to the state of conservation of the old originals. Here
warm thanks must be given to our friend Mr. Ralph Johnson, by the several hours
dedicated to help with these researches in the Brithish
Library.
Other works were found in the library of the
Order of the Cross, and here warm thanks must be given to
our friend Mr. Gabriel Buist, by his great help in
many senses.
Now we can say that the site contains at least the complete bibliographical
references of all (or practically all) the works by Kingsford and Maitland.
Several of them have not yet their complete texts added to the site, which will
be done – according to our possibilities – as soon as possible.
Of a few of them we do not have yet copies of the originals. Those are mentioned
in the section
Books and Information Wanted.
Some of these works have more historical value to the site. But some of these
are really very relevant works, with contents that are still of immense value to
the world at large. With the time we will be commenting on these contents in
this bulletin, for we do not want it to become very tiring to our dear readers.
3)
New in the Internet:
Edward Maitland’s Picture
The picture below of Edward Maitland was until now unknown by the Internet
public. It is a picture with a dedication in his hand writing. It appears in the
beginning of the work
The Soul and How It Found Me, by Edward Maitland (published by the
author, Tinsley Brothers, Londres, 1877; 307 pp.).
This work is today a very rare one. The organizer found it in the library of the
Order of the Cross.
Thanks are due, as we already stated, to our friend Mr. Gabriel Buist by his untiring help. We hope to add soon the complete
text of this work to the site.
In order to visualize the picture in a greater size just click in it:
“In an age distinguished, as is the present, by all-embracing research,
exhaustive analysis, and unsparing criticism, no religious system can endure
unless it appeals to the intellectual as well as to the devotional side of man’s
nature. At present the faith of Christendom is languishing on account of a
radical defect in the method of its presentation, through which it is brought
into perpetual conflict with science; and the harassing and undignified task is
imposed on its supporters of an incessant endeavor to
keep pace with the advances of scientific discovery, or the fluctuations of
scientific speculation. The method whereby it is herein
endeavored
to obviate the suspense and insecurity thus engendered, consists in the
establishment of these two positions: –
“(1) That the dogmas and symbols of Christianity
are substantially identical with those of other and earlier religious systems.
“(2) That the true plane of religious belief lies, not where hitherto the
Church has placed it, – in the sepulchre of historical tradition, but in man’s
own mind and heart; it is not, that is to say, the objective and physical, but
the subjective and spiritual; and its appeal is not to the senses but to the
soul. And,
“(3) That thus regarded and duly interpreted, Christian doctrine represents with scientific exactitude the facts of man’s spiritual history.” (p. lxxii)
[In
Preface to the Second (Revised) Edition, of The
5) Quotation:
“The Perfect Way” Will Be Found to Be an Occult Library
“The Perfect Way will be found to be an occult library in itself, and those desirous of
coming into the esoteric knowledge and significance of life, will be richly
repaid by its study or perusal; and specially will those who feel that they
cannot afford the means or the time to purchase and read many books, do well to
make this one of their first choices. To such, and all who are seeking new
light, life, and higher inspiration, we respectfully dedicate the American
edition.” (p. 4)
[In
Preface to the American Edition, of The
6)
Quotation:
Testimony of Baron Spedalieri
on “The Perfect Way”
“The
testimony received from the personage just named transcended in value that of
any other person known to us to be alive. Baron Giuseppe Spedalieri, a native of
Sicily and a resident at Marseilles, was the ripest living veteran of spiritual
science in Christendom. He had been the friend and disciple, and was the
literary heir, of the renowned magician, the Abbé Constant, who wrote under the
name of “Eliphas Levi,” and was at once Hermetist, Kabalist, and Occultist, and
to his knowledges Baron Spedalieri added a wisdom and understanding surpassing
his master’s, as was amply testified to by the multitude of his letters to us by
which his discovery of The Perfect Way was followed. The weighty
utterance in which he first announced to us – writing as a perfect stranger –
his judgment on our book has already seen the light on two occasions, one of
which was the introduction to the Second Edition. But the plan of this
biographical history of our work calls for its inclusion here also. Originally
written in French, I render it in English, in which language he afterwards
conducted his correspondence with us. This is the deliverance in question,
written exclusively upon the strength of the intrinsic merits of the book. Such
an utterance, like the occasion of it, is unique in history, and it proves that
“When the Son of Man comes, He shall indeed find,” not only “faith,” but
knowledge “on the earth,” though not necessarily within the pale of the Church
visible: –
“‘As with the corresponding Scriptures of the past, the appeal on
behalf of your book is, really, to miracles, but with the difference that in
your case they are intellectual ones, and incapable of simulation, being
miracles of interpretation. And they have the further distinction of doing no
violence to common sense by infringing the possibilities of Nature; while they
are in complete accord with all mystical traditions, and especially with the
great Mother of these, the Kabala. That miracles such as I am describing are to
be found in The Perfect Way, in kind and number unexampled, they
who are the best qualified to judge will be the most ready to affirm.
“‘And here, à propos of these renowned Scriptures,
permit me to offer you some remarks on the Kabala as we have it. It is my
opinion –
“‘(1) That this tradition is far from being genuine, and such as it
was on its original emergence from the sanctuaries.
“‘(2) That when Guillaume Postel – of excellent memory – and his
brother Hermetists of the later middle age – the Abbot Trithemius and others –
predicted that these sacred books of the Hebrews should become known and
understood at the end of the era, and specified the present time for that event,
they did not mean that such knowledge should be limited to the mere divulgement
of these particular Scriptures, but that it would have for its base a new
illumination, which should eliminate from them all that has been ignorantly or
wilfully introduced, and should reunite that great tradition with its source by
restoring it in all its purity.
“‘(3) That this illumination has just been accomplished, and has
been manifested in The Perfect Way. For in this book we find all
that there is of truth in the Kabala, supplemented by new intuitions, such as
present a body of doctrine at once complete, homogeneous, logical, and
inexpugnable.
“‘Since the whole tradition thus finds itself recovered or restored
to its original purity, the prophecies of Postel and his fellow-Hermetists are
accomplished; and I consider that from henceforth the study of the Kabala will
be but an object of curiosity and erudition, like that of Hebrew antiquities.
“‘Humanity has always and everywhere asked itself these three
supreme questions: Whence come we? What are we? Whither go we? Now these
questions at length find an answer, complete, satisfactory, and consolatory, in
The Perfect Way.’
“He subsequently wrote: –
“‘If the Scriptures of the future are to be, as I firmly believe
they will be, those which best interpret the Scriptures of the past, these
writings will assuredly hold the foremost place among them.’”
[Life
of Anna Kingsford, Vol. II, pp. 167-169]
7) Chapter:
The Banquet of the Gods
(from the work
Dreams and Dream-Stories)
THE
BANQUET OF THE GODS
I saw in my sleep a great table spread upon a beautiful mountain, the distant peaks of which were covered with snow, and brilliant with a bright light. Around the table reclined, twelve persons, six male, six female, some of whom I recognised at once, the others afterwards. Those whom I recognised at once were Zeus, Hera, Pallas Athena, Phoebus Apollo, and Artemis. I knew them by the symbols they wore. The table was covered with all kinds of fruit, of great size, including nuts, almonds, and olives, with flat cakes of bread, and cups of gold into which, before drinking, each divinity poured two sorts of liquid, one of which was wine, the other water. As I was looking on, standing on a step a little below the top of the flight which led to the table, I was startled by seeing Hera suddenly fix her eyes on me and say, “What seest thou at the lower end of the table?” And I looked and answered, “I see two vacant seats.” Then she spoke again and said, “When you are able to eat of our food and to drink of our cup, you also shall sit and feast with us.” Scarcely had she uttered these words, when Athena, who sat facing me, added, “When you are able to eat of our food and to drink of our cup, then you shall know as you are known.” And immediately Artemis, whom I knew by the moon upon her head; continued, “When you are able to eat of our food and to drink of our cup, all things shall become pure to you, and ye shall be made virgins.”
Then I said, “O Immortals, what is your food and your drink, and how does your banquet differ from ours, seeing that we also eat no flesh, and blood has no place in our repasts?”
Then one of the Gods, whom at the time I did not know, but have since recognised as Hermes, rose from the table, and coming to me put into my hands a branch of a fig tree bearing upon it ripe fruit, and said, “If you would be perfect, and able to know and to do all things, quit the heresy of Prometheus. Let fire warm and comfort you externally: it is heaven’s gift. But do not wrest it from its rightful purpose, as did that betrayer of your race, to fill the veins of humanity with its contagion, and to consume your interior being with its breath. All of you are men of clay, as was the image which Prometheus made. Ye are nourished with stolen fire, and it consumes you. Of all the evil uses of heaven’s good gifts, none is so evil as the internal use of fire. For your hot foods and drinks have consumed and dried up the magnetic power of your nerves, sealed your senses, and cut short your lives. Now, you neither see nor hear; for the fire in your organs consumes your senses. Ye are all blind and deaf, creatures of clay. We have sent you a book to read. (1) Practise its precepts, and your senses shall be opened.”
Then, not yet recognising him, I said, “Tell me your name, Lord.” At this he laughed and answered, “I have been about you from the beginning. I am the white cloud on the noonday sky.” “Do you, then,” I asked, “desire the whole world to abandon the use of fire in preparing food and drink?”
Instead of answering my question, he said, “We show you the excellent way. Two places only are vacant at our table. We have told you all that can be shown you on the level on which you stand. But our perfect gifts, the fruits of the Tree of Life, are beyond your reach now. We cannot give them to you until you are purified and have come up higher. The conditions are God’s; the will is with you.”
These last words seemed to be repeated from the sky overhead, and again from beneath my feet. And at the instant I fell, as if shot down like a meteor from a vast height; and with the swiftness and shock of the fall I awoke.
– HINTON,
SEPT. 1877.
FOOTNOTE
(38:1) The book referred to was a volume entitled Fruit and Bread, which had been sent anonymously on the previous morning. The fig-tree, which both with the Hebrews and the Greeks was the type of intuitional perception, was an especial symbol of Hermes, called by the Hebrews Raphael. The plural used by the seer included myself as the partner of her literary and other studies. The term virgin in its mystical sense signifies a soul pure from admixture of matter. (Ed.)
[Dreams
and Dream-Stories. Anna Bonus Kingsford. Edited by Edward Maitland. Second Edition: George Redway,
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