R. A. Schwaller de Lubicz
Encyclopedia
René Adolphe Schwaller de Lubicz (1887 – 1961), born in Alsace-Lorraine
, was best known for his 15-year study of the art and architecture of the Temple of Luxor in Egypt
and his subsequent book The Temple of Man (ISBN 0-89281-021-1). In the book, he explored the connectedness of ancient Egyptian philosophy, spirituality, mathematics, and science.
He was given the title "de Lubicz" by the Lithuanian writer and diplomat Oscar Vladislas de Lubicz Milosz
.
His background is that of an alchemist
, inspired by Paracelsus
and other such "masters of the craft" (as it is declared in the foreword of The Temple of Man) and, as such, he taught groups of people inclined to accept that approach to the study of nature.
His elucidation of the Temple of Luxor and his presentation of the Egyptian understanding of a special quality of innate consciousness
form a bridge that attempts to link the sacred science of the Ancients, to its modern rediscovery in our own time.
In his chief work, The Temple of Man, he proposes, and argues in great detail, for an interpretation of the Egyptian outlook rooted in numerology
and sacred geometry
; in several of his other works, he makes a corresponding case for the metaphysical richness of various mathematical concepts. As with much ancient mathematics, Egyptian research became quite complex. The complexity of various ancient mathematical concepts covered in his book provide an ongoing source of debate.
His arguments are controversial today among Egyptologists
and contradictory to the thrust of anthropological and archaeological understanding. He is considered by some contemporary mystics
and students of hermeticism
to be one of the more important philosophers
, mathematician
s, and Egyptologists of the twentieth century. His work is not widely accepted by Greek and Roman schools of thought.
Many adherents of Gurdjieff's Fourth Way find parallels in de Lubicz's writings.
Alsace-Lorraine
The Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine was a territory created by the German Empire in 1871 after it annexed most of Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. The Alsatian part lay in the Rhine Valley on the west bank of the Rhine River and east...
, was best known for his 15-year study of the art and architecture of the Temple of Luxor in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and his subsequent book The Temple of Man (ISBN 0-89281-021-1). In the book, he explored the connectedness of ancient Egyptian philosophy, spirituality, mathematics, and science.
He was given the title "de Lubicz" by the Lithuanian writer and diplomat Oscar Vladislas de Lubicz Milosz
Oscar Milosz
Oscar Vladislas de Lubicz Milosz was a French-Lithuanian writer and representative of Lithuania at the League of Nations. His literary work was concerned with symbols and associations. A recluse, his poems were vibrant and tormented, concerned with love, loneliness and anger. Milosz was primarily...
.
His background is that of an alchemist
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
, inspired by Paracelsus
Paracelsus
Paracelsus was a German-Swiss Renaissance physician, botanist, alchemist, astrologer, and general occultist....
and other such "masters of the craft" (as it is declared in the foreword of The Temple of Man) and, as such, he taught groups of people inclined to accept that approach to the study of nature.
His elucidation of the Temple of Luxor and his presentation of the Egyptian understanding of a special quality of innate consciousness
Consciousness
Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...
form a bridge that attempts to link the sacred science of the Ancients, to its modern rediscovery in our own time.
In his chief work, The Temple of Man, he proposes, and argues in great detail, for an interpretation of the Egyptian outlook rooted in numerology
Numerology
Numerology is any study of the purported mystical relationship between a count or measurement and life. It has many systems and traditions and beliefs...
and sacred geometry
Sacred geometry
Sacred geometry is the geometry used in the planning and construction of religious structures such as churches, temples, mosques, religious monuments, altars, tabernacles; as well as for sacred spaces such as temenoi, sacred groves, village greens and holy wells, and the creation of religious art...
; in several of his other works, he makes a corresponding case for the metaphysical richness of various mathematical concepts. As with much ancient mathematics, Egyptian research became quite complex. The complexity of various ancient mathematical concepts covered in his book provide an ongoing source of debate.
His arguments are controversial today among Egyptologists
Egyptology
Egyptology is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious practices in the AD 4th century. A practitioner of the discipline is an “Egyptologist”...
and contradictory to the thrust of anthropological and archaeological understanding. He is considered by some contemporary mystics
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
and students of hermeticism
Hermeticism
Hermeticism or the Western Hermetic Tradition is a set of philosophical and religious beliefs based primarily upon the pseudepigraphical writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus...
to be one of the more important philosophers
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
s, and Egyptologists of the twentieth century. His work is not widely accepted by Greek and Roman schools of thought.
Many adherents of Gurdjieff's Fourth Way find parallels in de Lubicz's writings.
External links
- Gary Lachman: René Schwaller de Lubicz and the Intelligence of the Heart foro de egiptología - Lubicz, An article with examples of this author's published opinions and views. Schwaller de Lubicz, A biography on an alchemist's site.