Wessex Research Group - London - R.I.L.K.O.
Research into Lost Knowledge Organisation
- Groups United Kingdom - International |
| Title | Research into Lost Knowledge Organisation |
| Venue | Theosophical Society Headquarters, 50 Gloucester Place , London W1U 8EA |
| Map | Show location |
| Contribution | £7 (£5 members) |
| Contact | Rob Stephenson |
| Tel | +44 (0) 208 977 4763 |
| lemc@operamail.com | |
| Web | http://members.aol.com/rilko/ |
| Schedule | Fridays (monthly) Doors open at 18.45pm for a 19.15pm start |
| Background | We are an organisation providing a platform for the dissemination of hidden knowledge incorporated in myth and legend, number and geometry, art and music, architectural proportion, megalithic structures and the geomantic layout of cities and landscape. These aims are effected by the publication of books, the production of a bi-annual journal containing articles based on research and correspondence, and by public lectures. |
| History | The late Elizabeth Leader was a keen student of Folklore, especially that of Somerset , and took a great interest in Mrs Maltwood's researches into the Glastonbury Zodiac. Whilst attending talks at the home of Mrs Von Harten, she met Janette Jackson who was also interested in the area and especially the work of Frederick Bligh Bond who had supervised the excavations at Glastonbury Abbey. Miss Leader introduced Keith Critchlow ARCA, Architectural Lecturer in Arts, History and Structure, to a book THE CANON by William Stirling. He considered that the contents involving a system of measures relating to sacred structures, which were no longer taught in schools, merited further investigation. At this period Miss Leader was working in the office of Commander G.J. Mathys and he took an interest in the subject and suggested how to set up an organisation to promote the traditions relating to the Isle of Avalon and other matters. The Research into Lost Knowledge Organisation was founded in May 1969 with Commander Mathys as Chairman, Janette Jackson as Honorary Secretary and Elizabeth Leader as Archivist, with founder members, Keith Critchlow, John Michell and Professor Mary Williams. A number of other distinguished members gave valuable support in the founding and the subsequent running of the Organisation. RILKO became a registered charity in 1974 and we were honoured when Professor Alexander Thom B.Sc., D.Ac., M.A., Hon L.L.D., Professor of Engineering Science Oxford University, accepted the position of Professor Emeritus. He retired in 1981 and we were fortunate to have as his successor the late Mr John C. Irwin FRSA., FRAS., FRAI., FSA., former First Keeper of the Oriental Section at the Victoria and Albert Museum . In 2004 John Michell, the distinguished scholar and writer about ancient traditions, and also a RILKO founder member, graciously accepted the position of Professor Emeritus. |
| Council Members | Professor Emeritus: Mr John Michell Chairman: Mr Robert Harris Treasurer: Mr Brian Hargreaves Programme Organiser: Mr Robert Stephenson Ms Sylvia Franke, Mr Alan Harrison, Mr Michael King, Mr Marke Pawson |
| Calendar | |
| 28-11-08 | The Golden Fish: A lost Figure of Sacred Geometry in the Dorset Landscape |
| Speaker: Johnathan Harwood | |
Inspired, originally, by Henry Lincoln's study of the patterns created by the positions of churches around Rennes-le-Chateau, and his proposal that a line nearly equal to 188mm on a map at scale 1:25000 was the key to these patterns, Jonathan Harwood has spent several years examining the positions of churches in Dorset. This has culminated in the discovery of an extraordinary figure, a square overlaid by a rectangle, marked clearly by eight churches, that he has called "The Golden Fish". This incorporates the "key" 188mm measure that is shown to be an exact and significant distance in Roman feet. This figure provides new evidence that the positions of churches mark deliberate patterns in a landscape that has been enchanted by sacred geometry. Jonathan Harwood enjoys mysteries but also likes to draw conclusions from evidence rather than from belief. He has lived and worked in South Dorset for 28 years with his wife and four (now grown up) children. He has a degree in Social Anthropology, a passion for history, antiques and playing the guitar, and a liking for old churches. |
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| 24-10-08 | The Enduring Mysteries of Secret Societies |
| Speaker: David Barrett | |
| Why do secret societies have such an appeal? What do they believe, and where do their beliefs come from? Freemasonry, Rosicrucian and Neo-Templar organisations, the various offshoots of the Golden Dawn and the OTO -- do any of them have any genuine claim to be the true successors to historical movements? Does it matter if they make up their own histories, as well as their myths and rituals? What are the connections, if any, between John Dee, the Royal Society, Aleister Crowley and Wicca? And does the Priory of Sion, star of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail and a certain third-rate thriller, actually exist? David Barrett will attempt to answer all these questions and more in an hour. David V Barrett is the author of, amongst others, The New Believers: A Survey of Sects, "Cults" & Alternative Religions, A Brief History of Secret Societies , and the forthcoming Atlas of Secret Societies . He is a frequent contributor to Fortean Times magazine, and has written for many other newspapers and magazines, mainly on esoteric religion and history. For the last five years he has organised the fortnightly esoteric pub meeting called The Moot With No Name |
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| 26-09-08 | The Saturn Influence and the Quest for God |
| Speaker: Brian Underwood | |
| 25-04-08 | Atlantis and the Cycle of Global Cataclysm. |
| Speaker: John Gordon | |
Many books have been written about Atlantis. Most of them have concentrated on the issue of location or on fantastic ideas associated with supposed Atlantean technological culture. John Gordon will be talking about specific aspects of his new book, The Rise and Fall of Atlantis (due to be published by Watkins in March 2008) which, whilst specifying an Atlantic location and dealing with many other ancillary issues, concentrates on the associated geophysics and astrophysics (simply explained) which caused the (several) Atlantean cataclysms and totally changed the face of what now constitutes Western Europe. The talk will also suggest an explanation as to why these same cataclysms tie in with the precessionary cycle. It will be supported by graphics via a Power Point presentation. John Gordon is a Fellow of the Theosophical Society. He is also the author of several books ranging from Ancient Egyptian philosophy and mysticism to ancient metaphysics and esoteric astrology. |
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| 25-04-08 | RILKO - AGM. |
| Event: AGM | |
The RILKO AGM will be held from 6.45 to 7.15 |
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| 28-03-08 | The Platonic City: Sacred Geometry and Zodiacal Symbolism in Ancient Greece . |
| Speaker: Christine Rhone | |
In the history of Western esotericism, the work of Jean Richer (1915-1992) makes a unique and important contribution. Recognised in France as an outstanding esotericist, Richer expanded the range of zodiacal symbolism and its interpretation in art, architecture, and landscape, from ancient Greece to eighteenth-century Europe . Applied to sacred geography, this symbolism echoes Plato's description of the ideal city-state. This would radiate in twelve zones around a central shrine, each one corresponding to a sign of the zodiac. The plan of the city would thus mirror the heavenly order. Evidence exists that this strand of traditional thinking permeated ancient Greece on every level. From imagery on vases to locations of oracle centres, zodiacal symbolism and its cosmic harmony emerges as a great unity underlying the classical world. Christine Rhone is co-author, with John Michell, of Twelve-Tribe Nations and the Science of Enchanting the Landscape ; the translator of Sacred Geography of the Ancient Greeks by Jean Richer, Theosophy, Imagination, Tradition by Antoine Faivre, Saint Francis of Assisi by Jacques Le Goff. She has contributed to many small press publications; is an educator; a priestess in the Fellowship of Isis and a cartoonist. |
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| 29-02-08 | The Many Kabbalahs - An Historical Pot Pourri. |
| Speaker: Kenneth Rees | |
The Jewish mystical system of the kabbalah has had a fascinating history as through inspiration and speculation it has shape-shifted to take on a variety of interpretations and expressions. It has been used and developed by Jew and Gentile, mystic and magician, alike over the centuries. This talk will focus on some of the key features in its evolution and the main traditions embodying it today. Kenneth Rees is a lecturer in esoteric spirituality at a number of London colleges. His teaching includes Renaissance Hermeticism, the Western Esoteric tradition, the new paganism, Gnosticism and mythology. |
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| 25-01-08 | Landscape Geometry . |
| Speaker: Peter Knight | |
This lecture will draw on Peter's many years of research and extensive knowledge of sacred sites, especially in southern Britain, as well as the material contained in his many books, notably from his forthcoming book The Wessex Astrum , which presents an astounding new discovery of an ancient geometrical shape in the Wessex landscape involving Stonehenge, Avebury, Glastonbury, sacred hills and wells and many other sacred sites. Peter Knight is well known for his writing in the field of Earth Mysteries and is the co-founder and chairman of the Dorset Earth Mysteries Group. He lectures widely and leads many field trips every year to sacred sites. His previous books include: Ancient Stones of Dorset ; Sacred Dorset - on the Path of the Dragon ; Dorset Pilgrimages - a Millennium Handbook and 13 Moons - Conversations with the Goddess . He is also the author and compiler of a massive CD-ROM about Earth Mysteries which represents a vast labour of love and is the culmination of his findings over the last 15 years, as well as being a comprehensive overview of the latest research by other authors on this subject. www.stoneseeker.net |
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| 30-11-07 | The Authentic Tarot. |
| Speaker: Thomas Saunders | |
This lecture will challenge the popular view of the Tarot cards as a device for fortune telling and set out their true purpose, which is to provide wisdom, guidance and insight into our path through life. The Tarot deck tells an allegorical story of our quest in life, using a symbolic language of archetypal pictograms and numbers. In its truest form, the Tarot is an ancient tool for self-development and self-realisation. Saunders will decode what may be the oldest known complete deck of cards – the Ancien Tarot de Marseille – which retains the greatest integrity for their original function and explain the symbolism of the individual cards and their relationships with the other cards. He will also suggest how the wisdom of the Tarot can help us to self-awareness and the next step forward in our quest, and how the Tarot can be used as an ethical guide for political and business leaders. Thomas Saunders is a Tarot reader of many years standing and in the 1980s and 90s was the Tarot reader for LBC Radio and Marie Claire magazine. He is an international consultant architect, a practising dowser and a member of the National Federation of Spiritual Healers. He lectures and leads seminars in the UK and the US on the Tarot and is the author of The Boiled Frog Syndrome: Your Health and the Built Environment (2002) and The Authentic Tarot (2007) . www.authentictarot.com |
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| 26-10-07 | Creating Prehistory: Druids, Ley Hunters and Archaeologists in pre-War Britain |
| Speaker: Adam Stout | |
The Great War was a seismic event that shook British self-confidence and sense of purpose to its marrow. In the decades that followed many different groups of people turned to the ancient past to find ideas of order that would help them to make sense of a chaotic present. Some turned to books like Alfred Watkins' The Old Straight Track while others sought to re-invent and re-define prehistory, according to the new and optimistic academic discipline of archaeology. This lecture will examine these groups and consider what they found appealing and how their world-views collided. Adam Stout is a Research Fellow at the University of Wales, Lampeter. His book, Creating Prehistory: Druids, Ley Hunters and Archaeologists in pre-War Britain , is to be published in the New Year by Wiley-Blackwell. |
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