Olga Fröbe-Kapteyn
Encyclopedia
Olga Fröbe-Kapteyn was an English-Dutch spiritualist, theosophist and scholar.
/social activist mother and engineer father, Olga studied art history in Zürich
, Switzerland
, and in 1909 married musician and conductor Iwan Fröbe who died a few years later in a plane crash.
At the outbreak of World War I she relocated from Berlin to Zurich, where she had a literary salon
known as the "Table Ronde" or round table.
, Switzerland where she began to study Indian philosophy
and meditation
and to take an interest in theosophy
. Among her friends and influences were German poet Ludwig Derleth
, psychologist Carl Jung
, and Richard Wilhelm
, whose translation of the I Ching
made it accessible to her. She also knew many members of the School of Wisdom (Schule der Weisheit), run by Count Hermann Graf Keyserling in Darmstadt
, whose members were engrossed in investigating the common root of all religions, as well as members of the Ecumenical Circle in Marburg.
, which today continues to provide an opportunity for scholars of many different fields to meet and share their research and ideas on human spirituality
. The name "Eranos" was suggested to her by religious historian Rudolf Otto
, whose human-centered concept of religion had a deep impact on the origins and evolution of Eranos. Carl Jung also remained a significant participant in the organisation of the Eranos conferences. Although the symposia were not specifically Jungian in focus or concept, they did employ the idea of archetypes.
In the 1930s and 1940s, Olga's ongoing research in archetypes took her to major libraries in Europe and America, including the Vatican Library
, the British Museum
, the Morgan Library
in New York City, the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris and the National Archaeological Museum of Athens
. Her diverse and intensive studies provided her with material for her Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism
which contains more than six thousand images and assisted the research of many Eranos lecturers and other scholars over the years.
1979
Early life
Born in London to a feministFeminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
/social activist mother and engineer father, Olga studied art history in Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and in 1909 married musician and conductor Iwan Fröbe who died a few years later in a plane crash.
At the outbreak of World War I she relocated from Berlin to Zurich, where she had a literary salon
Salon (gathering)
A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to...
known as the "Table Ronde" or round table.
Studies
In 1920 she moved to Casa Gabriella in AsconaAscona
Ascona is a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.It is located on the shore of Lake Maggiore.The town is a popular tourist destination, and holds a yearly jazz festival, the Ascona Jazz Festival....
, Switzerland where she began to study Indian philosophy
Indian philosophy
India has a rich and diverse philosophical tradition dating back to ancient times. According to Radhakrishnan, the earlier Upanisads constitute "...the earliest philosophical compositions of the world."...
and meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
and to take an interest in theosophy
Theosophy
Theosophy, in its modern presentation, is a spiritual philosophy developed since the late 19th century. Its major themes were originally described mainly by Helena Blavatsky , co-founder of the Theosophical Society...
. Among her friends and influences were German poet Ludwig Derleth
Ludwig Derleth
Ludwig Derleth was a German writer.He was born in Gerolzhofen in Bavaria. After studying philosophy and literature Derleth worked as a college level teacher of ancient languages...
, psychologist Carl Jung
Carl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as "by nature religious" and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and...
, and Richard Wilhelm
Richard Wilhelm
Richard Wilhelm was a German sinologist, as well as theologian and missionary. He is best remembered for his translations of philosophical works from Chinese into German that in turn have been translated into other major languages of the world, including English...
, whose translation of the I Ching
I Ching
The I Ching or "Yì Jīng" , also known as the Classic of Changes, Book of Changes and Zhouyi, is one of the oldest of the Chinese classic texts...
made it accessible to her. She also knew many members of the School of Wisdom (Schule der Weisheit), run by Count Hermann Graf Keyserling in Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
, whose members were engrossed in investigating the common root of all religions, as well as members of the Ecumenical Circle in Marburg.
Eranos foundation
In 1928, with as yet no clear purpose in mind, she built a conference room near her home. Carl Jung suggested that she use the conference room as a "meeting place between East and West" (Begegnungsstätte zwischen Ost und West). This gave birth to the annual meeting of intellectual minds known as EranosEranos
Eranos is an intellectual discussion group dedicated to the study of psychology, religion, philosophy and spirituality which has met annually in Switzerland since 1933....
, which today continues to provide an opportunity for scholars of many different fields to meet and share their research and ideas on human spirituality
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
. The name "Eranos" was suggested to her by religious historian Rudolf Otto
Rudolf Otto
Rudolf Otto was an eminent German Lutheran theologian and scholar of comparative religion.-Life:Born in Peine near Hanover, Otto attended the Gymnasium Andreanum in Hildesheim and studied at the universities of Erlangen and Göttingen, where he wrote his dissertation on Martin Luther's...
, whose human-centered concept of religion had a deep impact on the origins and evolution of Eranos. Carl Jung also remained a significant participant in the organisation of the Eranos conferences. Although the symposia were not specifically Jungian in focus or concept, they did employ the idea of archetypes.
In the 1930s and 1940s, Olga's ongoing research in archetypes took her to major libraries in Europe and America, including the Vatican Library
Vatican Library
The Vatican Library is the library of the Holy See, currently located in Vatican City. It is one of the oldest libraries in the world and contains one of the most significant collections of historical texts. Formally established in 1475, though in fact much older, it has 75,000 codices from...
, the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, the Morgan Library
Morgan Library
The Morgan Library & Museum is a museum and research library in New York City, USA. It was founded to house the private library of J. P. Morgan in 1906, which included, besides the manuscripts and printed books, some of them in rare bindings, his collection of prints and drawings...
in New York City, the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris and the National Archaeological Museum of Athens
National Archaeological Museum of Athens
The National Archaeological Museum in Athens houses some of the most important artifacts from a variety of archaeological locations around Greece from prehistory to late antiquity. It is considered one of the great museums in the world and contains the richest collection of artifacts from Greek...
. Her diverse and intensive studies provided her with material for her Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism
Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism
For the Ascending reticular activating system, see Reticular activating systemThe Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism is an encyclopedic collection of archetypal images consisting of photographs of works of art, ritual images, and artifacts of sacred traditions and contemporary art from...
which contains more than six thousand images and assisted the research of many Eranos lecturers and other scholars over the years.
External links
1979