Tommaso Palamidessi
Encyclopedia
Tommaso Palamidessi was an Italian esotericist. Precociously attracted by astrology
, parapsychology
and yoga
-tantric
doctrines, he was led by his manifold interests in the field of the occult
and by his intense spiritual pursuit to build up an original form of Esoteric Christianity
, which he called Archeosophy
. In 1968, he founded in Rome the Archeosophical Society
, which is still active and counts a few thousand members both in Italy and in the rest of Europe
(mainly in Germany
, Portugal
, and France
).
, astrology
, botany
, medicine
and religion
and as an adolescent he traveled to Tripoli
and Tunis
to deepen his knowledge of Islamic Sufism
.
From 1933, when he moved to Turin, he applied himself to intensive research into astrology
, alchemy
and Tantric yoga, extrasensory experiences, favoured by his mediumistic predisposition, Egyptology
and the study of hieroglyphs - the latter carried out in collaboration with the director of the Egyptian Museum of Turin, Ernesto Scamuzzi. He also has out-of-body experiences, bilocations and remembrances of his past lives.
He wrote a number of books, such as: The Course of Stars and Man's Diseases; Medicine and Sidereal Influences; Mundane Astrology; The Stars in the Diagnosis and the Cure of Cancer; Earthquakes, Eruptions and Cosmic Influences. His publications about Tantric yoga include: The Occult Powers of Man and the Indo-Tibetan Tantric Yoga, Sexual Technique of Tantric Yoga; The Erotic Power of Kundalini Yoga; Yoga not to Die. During these years, he also wrote an extensive unpublished commentary on Egyptian theurgy and The Book of the Dead.
In 1953 he moved to Rome with his family and contributed to various newspapers, among which it is worth mentioning his collaboration with the Tribuna Illustrata, the most ancient Italian weekly magazine where he wrote a section about esotericism
and astrology
until 1969 when the magazine disappeared. He visited the monasteries of Kalambaka, Thessaly
and Mt. Athos
in 1957 and Jerusalem in the Easter of 1966 where he had special revelations on the Mt. Golgotha and in Gethsemane
.
In Alexandria of Egypt he rediscovered archaeological sites that he had already seen during his paranormal experiences by which he had remembered to have been Origen
(185-254), instructor at the Didaskaleyon, school of Christianity founded by the evangelist St. Mark in Alexandria. The study of Patristics did consolidate his faith in what he regarded the authentic Esoteric Christianity
. By this time his formulation of a new doctrinal synthesis for the spiritual awakening of man and woman took shape in Archeosofica
.
On 29 September 1968 Tommaso Palamidessi founded Archeosofica
, Esoteric School of High Initiation in Rome. The foundation of Archeosofica was rooted in Palamidessi's spirit of collaboration toward spiritual realizations.
Indeed Tommaso Palamidessi founded Archeosofica as
In the following years, he journeyed to India, Kashmir, Nepal China, South America but from 1968 forth his efforts was consecrated above all to the nourishing of the archeosophical doctrine and to the organisation of the many groups of study and experimentation that have soon spread all over Italy. Then in 1973 he founded a cultural association namely Archeosophical Society
with the aim of developing and diffusing Archeosophy
all over the world.
directly linked with the three principles of the immortal Ego (such as the meditation on the heart defined by Palamidessi as cardiognosis
or "inner knowledge of one's heart) and exercises of remembrance of some past lives are part of the itinerary of self-awareness and of the journey towards God. suggested by Archeosofica
.
In his treatise Tecniche di Risveglio Iniziatico (Techniques of Initiatic Awakening) (Ed.Mediterranee 1975) Tommaso Palamidessi presents a program of integral ascesis where techniques of meditation on the centres of force and on the divine names on the one hand, an intense inner life devoted to transcendence, on the other and finally a cautious use of astral influences in order to determine the most convenient moments for the ascetic practices, converge on the unique purpose of granting a spiritual regeneration in a Christic sense.
Deeply interested in the mystical, theological and artistic tradition of the Orthodox Church, Tommaso Palamidessi brings back to light the technique for preparing and painting a sacred icon
. The work he dedicates to this subject, L'Icona, I colori e l'Ascesi Artistica (tr.: Icon, Colours and Artistic Ascesis) (published posthumously in 1986) is a real handbook which aims at starting the reader off on the personal preparation of a sacred icon and on meditating on it. By following the rules of the chromatic symbolism as well as the traditional geometry of sacred art, the artist can make of his own icon a "castle of meditation", by which he transcends the formal aspect of the image and becomes sensitive to the divine archetypes hidden behind it. In this sense the icon has a sanctifying effect on the conscience of the artist.
Another important key for the mystic and initiatic self-realisation included in the ascetic program of Archeosofica
is linked with the discoveries made by Tommaso Palamidessi over sacred music and its importance for the catharsis and the awakening of the spiritual centres
in the regenerated Man.
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
, parapsychology
Parapsychology
The term parapsychology was coined in or around 1889 by philosopher Max Dessoir, and originates from para meaning "alongside", and psychology. The term was adopted by J.B. Rhine in the 1930s as a replacement for the term psychical research...
and yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
-tantric
Neotantra
Neotantra, or Tantric sex, is a term used for the modern, western variations of Tantra. The term refers to both the New Age and modern Western interpretations of traditional Indian and Buddhist tantra...
doctrines, he was led by his manifold interests in the field of the occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
and by his intense spiritual pursuit to build up an original form of Esoteric Christianity
Esoteric Christianity
Esoteric Christianity is a term which refers to an ensemble of spiritual currents which regard Christianity as a mystery religion, and profess the existence and possession of certain esoteric doctrines or practices, hidden from the public but accessible only to a narrow circle of "enlightened",...
, which he called Archeosophy
Archeosophy
Archeosophy is an original form of Esoteric Christianity developed by Tommaso Palamidessi in the late 1960s.-Definition:...
. In 1968, he founded in Rome the Archeosophical Society
Archeosophical Society
The Archeosophical Society is a charitable cultural association founded by Tommaso Palamidessi in 1973. The purpose of the association is to study and develop Archeosophy.- The Archeosophical Society :...
, which is still active and counts a few thousand members both in Italy and in the rest of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
(mainly in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
).
Youth and studies
Born in Pisa on 16 February 1915 to Carlo Palamidessi, Senior Officer of the Army and the poet Luigia Tagliata, in 1920 Tommaso Palamidessi moved to Sicily. Since he was a child he studied astronomyAstronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, astrology
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
, botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
, medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
and religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
and as an adolescent he traveled to Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
and Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
to deepen his knowledge of Islamic Sufism
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
.
From 1933, when he moved to Turin, he applied himself to intensive research into astrology
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
, alchemy
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...
and Tantric yoga, extrasensory experiences, favoured by his mediumistic predisposition, Egyptology
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 the study of hieroglyphs - the latter carried out in collaboration with the director of the Egyptian Museum of Turin, Ernesto Scamuzzi. He also has out-of-body experiences, bilocations and remembrances of his past lives.
He wrote a number of books, such as: The Course of Stars and Man's Diseases; Medicine and Sidereal Influences; Mundane Astrology; The Stars in the Diagnosis and the Cure of Cancer; Earthquakes, Eruptions and Cosmic Influences. His publications about Tantric yoga include: The Occult Powers of Man and the Indo-Tibetan Tantric Yoga, Sexual Technique of Tantric Yoga; The Erotic Power of Kundalini Yoga; Yoga not to Die. During these years, he also wrote an extensive unpublished commentary on Egyptian theurgy and The Book of the Dead.
The fifties
In 1947 Tommaso Palamidessi married Rosa Francesca Bordino (1916–1999) who did stand by him for a lifetime and gave him a daughter, Silvestra (1948–1996). In 1949 a radical spiritual crisis drove him to a deep conversion to Christ and consequently he decided to suspend his yoga publications.In 1953 he moved to Rome with his family and contributed to various newspapers, among which it is worth mentioning his collaboration with the Tribuna Illustrata, the most ancient Italian weekly magazine where he wrote a section about esotericism
Esotericism
Esotericism or Esoterism signifies the holding of esoteric opinions or beliefs, that is, ideas preserved or understood by a small group or those specially initiated, or of rare or unusual interest. The term derives from the Greek , a compound of : "within", thus "pertaining to the more inward",...
and astrology
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
until 1969 when the magazine disappeared. He visited the monasteries of Kalambaka, Thessaly
Thessaly
Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....
and Mt. Athos
Athos
Athos may refer to:* Athos , one of the Gigantes in Greek mythologyAthos may also refer to:-Places:* Athos, a village in France, part of the commune Athos-Aspis...
in 1957 and Jerusalem in the Easter of 1966 where he had special revelations on the Mt. Golgotha and in Gethsemane
Gethsemane
Gethsemane is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem most famous as the place where, according to Biblical texts, Jesus and his disciples are said to have prayed the night before Jesus' crucifixion.- Etymology :...
.
In Alexandria of Egypt he rediscovered archaeological sites that he had already seen during his paranormal experiences by which he had remembered to have been Origen
Origen
Origen , or Origen Adamantius, 184/5–253/4, was an early Christian Alexandrian scholar and theologian, and one of the most distinguished writers of the early Church. As early as the fourth century, his orthodoxy was suspect, in part because he believed in the pre-existence of souls...
(185-254), instructor at the Didaskaleyon, school of Christianity founded by the evangelist St. Mark in Alexandria. The study of Patristics did consolidate his faith in what he regarded the authentic Esoteric Christianity
Esoteric Christianity
Esoteric Christianity is a term which refers to an ensemble of spiritual currents which regard Christianity as a mystery religion, and profess the existence and possession of certain esoteric doctrines or practices, hidden from the public but accessible only to a narrow circle of "enlightened",...
. By this time his formulation of a new doctrinal synthesis for the spiritual awakening of man and woman took shape in Archeosofica
Archeosophical Society
The Archeosophical Society is a charitable cultural association founded by Tommaso Palamidessi in 1973. The purpose of the association is to study and develop Archeosophy.- The Archeosophical Society :...
.
The foundation of Archeosofica
Archeosophical Society
The Archeosophical Society is a charitable cultural association founded by Tommaso Palamidessi in 1973. The purpose of the association is to study and develop Archeosophy.- The Archeosophical Society :...
, Esoteric School of High Initiation in Rome. The foundation of Archeosofica was rooted in Palamidessi's spirit of collaboration toward spiritual realizations.
Indeed Tommaso Palamidessi founded Archeosofica as
a free school for free scholars, who must not feel like pupils nor apprentices, but brothers who listen to the living voice of other brothers.[...]
It is a call addressed to all, and it does not matter if they belong to the different communities (TheosophistsTheosophyTheosophy, 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...
, AnthroposophistsAnthroposophyAnthroposophy, a philosophy founded by Rudolf Steiner, postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world accessible to direct experience through inner development...
, MartinistsFreemasonryFreemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, Rosicrucians, CatholicsChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, YoghistsYogaYoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
, etc.). The Brotherhood is only one, and it can have only one verb: Love one another; only one Master: Jesus the Christ.
In the following years, he journeyed to India, Kashmir, Nepal China, South America but from 1968 forth his efforts was consecrated above all to the nourishing of the archeosophical doctrine and to the organisation of the many groups of study and experimentation that have soon spread all over Italy. Then in 1973 he founded a cultural association namely Archeosophical Society
Archeosophical Society
The Archeosophical Society is a charitable cultural association founded by Tommaso Palamidessi in 1973. The purpose of the association is to study and develop Archeosophy.- The Archeosophical Society :...
with the aim of developing and diffusing Archeosophy
Archeosophy
Archeosophy is an original form of Esoteric Christianity developed by Tommaso Palamidessi in the late 1960s.-Definition:...
all over the world.
Definition of Archeosophy
The archeosophical ascesis
The archeosophical ascesis aims at solving the religious problem of a correction of human life that does not rely on either one's whim or on chance but on a solid spiritual Science and on techniques of spiritual awakening and interior transmutation. The program includes special gymnastics, breathing techniques, psycho-dynamic actions on hormones and nerve plexus in order to ascend to what corresponds to body and, though not being body, makes up the whole of the energetic bodies permeating the organic one with the purpose of finally reaching the causal body where the immortal I resides. Out-of-body experiences (in order to have a direct, personal experience of spiritual worlds), methods of meditation on the centres of forceChakra
Chakra is a concept originating in Hindu texts, featured in tantric and yogic traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. Its name derives from the Sanskrit word for "wheel" or "turning" .Chakra is a concept referring to wheel-like vortices...
directly linked with the three principles of the immortal Ego (such as the meditation on the heart defined by Palamidessi as cardiognosis
Cardiognosis
In Christian theology, cardiognosis is a special charism that God confers on some saints. In Christian asceticism, the term Cardiognosis also indicates the ascetical methods and meditation techniques which have the purpose of reaching an inner state of mystical experience and, eventually, the...
or "inner knowledge of one's heart) and exercises of remembrance of some past lives are part of the itinerary of self-awareness and of the journey towards God. suggested by Archeosofica
Archeosophical Society
The Archeosophical Society is a charitable cultural association founded by Tommaso Palamidessi in 1973. The purpose of the association is to study and develop Archeosophy.- The Archeosophical Society :...
.
In his treatise Tecniche di Risveglio Iniziatico (Techniques of Initiatic Awakening) (Ed.Mediterranee 1975) Tommaso Palamidessi presents a program of integral ascesis where techniques of meditation on the centres of force and on the divine names on the one hand, an intense inner life devoted to transcendence, on the other and finally a cautious use of astral influences in order to determine the most convenient moments for the ascetic practices, converge on the unique purpose of granting a spiritual regeneration in a Christic sense.
The artistic ascesis
A special form of ascesis is carried out through art.Deeply interested in the mystical, theological and artistic tradition of the Orthodox Church, Tommaso Palamidessi brings back to light the technique for preparing and painting a sacred icon
Icon
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
. The work he dedicates to this subject, L'Icona, I colori e l'Ascesi Artistica (tr.: Icon, Colours and Artistic Ascesis) (published posthumously in 1986) is a real handbook which aims at starting the reader off on the personal preparation of a sacred icon and on meditating on it. By following the rules of the chromatic symbolism as well as the traditional geometry of sacred art, the artist can make of his own icon a "castle of meditation", by which he transcends the formal aspect of the image and becomes sensitive to the divine archetypes hidden behind it. In this sense the icon has a sanctifying effect on the conscience of the artist.
Another important key for the mystic and initiatic self-realisation included in the ascetic program of Archeosofica
Archeosophical Society
The Archeosophical Society is a charitable cultural association founded by Tommaso Palamidessi in 1973. The purpose of the association is to study and develop Archeosophy.- The Archeosophical Society :...
is linked with the discoveries made by Tommaso Palamidessi over sacred music and its importance for the catharsis and the awakening of the spiritual centres
Chakra
Chakra is a concept originating in Hindu texts, featured in tantric and yogic traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. Its name derives from the Sanskrit word for "wheel" or "turning" .Chakra is a concept referring to wheel-like vortices...
in the regenerated Man.
Works of Tommaso Palamidessi
- Il Corso degli astri e le malattie nell'uomo: trattato teorico-pratico di cosmopatogenesi con 22 figure, Milan: F.lli Bocca, 1940 (2nd ed. Archeosofica 1985).
- La medicina e gli influssi siderali, Milan: F.lli Bocca, 1940.
- Astrologia mondiale: il destino dei popoli rivelato dal corso degli astri, Turin: T. Palamidessi, 1941 (2nd ed. Archeosofica 1985).
- Gli influssi cosmici e la diagnosi precoce del cancro, Turin: T. Palamidessi, 1943.
- Terremoti, eruzioni e influssi cosmici, Turin: T. Palamidessi, 1943.
- I poteri occulti dell'uomo e lo yoga tantrico indo-tibetano, Turin: Spartaco Giovene, 1945 (2nd ed. Archeosofica 1988).
- La tecnica sessuale dello yoga tantrico indo-tibetano, Turin: Edizioni Grande Opera, 1948 (2nd ed. Archeosofica 1988).
- La potenza erotica di kundalini yoga: lo yoga del potere serpentino ed il risveglio dei ventuno chakra, Turin: Grande Opera, 1949.
- Lo yoga per non morire: metodi sperimentali indù per realizzare l'immortalità autocosciente, Turin: Grande Opera, 1949.
- L'alchimia come via allo spirito: l'autorealizzazione magica e la psicologia del profondo, svelate dalla tradizione ermetica, Turin: Grande Opera, 1949 (2nd ed. Arkeios 2001).
- Gli astri nella diagnosi e cura del cancro, Turin: Ed. Grande Opera, 1949.
- Tecniche di risveglio iniziatico: i centri di forza e la metafisica sperimentale, Rome : Edizioni Mediterranee, 1975 (2nd ed. 1983).
- Archeosofia, en 5 volumes, Rome: Archeosofica, 1985-1988.
- Il libro cristiano dei morti, Rome: Arkeios, 1985.
- Le basi della teologia sofianica : nuove indagini bibliche, Rome: Arkeios, 1986.
- L'icona, i colori e l'ascesi artistica: dottrina ed esperienze per una Via verso l'autosuperamento ed una coscienza divina nell'arte, Rome: Arkeios, 1986.
- Ricettario Erboristico, Rome: Arkeios, 1987.
External links
- Tommaso Palamidessi (biography), from the Official Site of the Archeosophical Society founded by Palamidessi in 1968 The article about « Archeosophy » in the website of CESNUR (the Center for Study on New Religions)