THE GRAIL
In the present day there has been a huge reawakening of interest in the so-called Holy Grail. Many different interpretations are offered as to what it actually is and so it becomes important to try to gain a clearer understanding about it. Drawing on Rudolf Steiner’s Grail research, the following talks by Sylvia Francke and David Lowe are a contribution to towards this end.

TUESDAYS at 7.30 pm. Donations welcome.

Due to the renovation work happening over the summer we are unable to offer refreshments before the talks. Please feel free to bring your own.

THE HOLY GRAIL AND ALBION
With Sylvia Francke

1st MAY - THE EMBRYO OF INDIVIDUALITY
In ancient times, according to Spiritual Science, individualised human consciousness was far less defined. The path to our modern individual consciousness was begun in the High Sun-Mysteries of Atlantis and later passed through the Hibernian Mysteries, which were the cradle of the Celtic-tradition, leading to esoteric Christianity. Many centuries later, the Rosicrucians in Britain continued to foster this impulse, particularly those responsible for the creation and staging of Shakespeare’s plays. This talk will explore this development.

8th MAY - ENGLISH LANDSCAPES AND THE GRAIL CASTLE
The latent energy in parts of the British countryside may hold the mystery that leads to our discovery of the Grail Castle of legend. This could explain why the stories of King Arthur and the Grail have been located here. Sylvia will explore the existence of the hidden guardians who have appeared when these islands were endangered.

15th MAY - FEIREFIS AND PARSIVAL
Fierefis, the knight who challenges Parsival as he approaches the Grail Castle, has been described as the representative of humanity in general. We may not enter the castle unless we do so together with him. This is a solemn warning to all those who feel so secure in their own particular nationality and belief system that they create an ever widening abyss between themselves and the ‘other’. How will Arthur re-awaken? And will we finally cross the threshold of the Grail Castle?

Sylvia Francke has just finished rewriting 'The Tree of Life and the Holy Grail' (Temple Lodge 1996) which will be republished in summer 2007. She is a trustee of the Research into Lost Knowledge Organisation (RILKO).

MICHELANGELO AND THE GRAIL IMPULSE
Lectures with slides by David Lowe

29th MAY - FROM FLORENCE TO ROME
Michelangelo as a young man became an artist against his father’s wishes. He was taken up by Lorenzo the Magnificent, the Medici ruler of Florence, and entered into the refined circles of the Platonic Academy. With the rise of Savanorola to power, Michelangelo fled Florence, eventually winning fame in Rome with his beautiful representation of the dead Christ on his Mother’s lap. Seeing this statue, the Pieta in St Peter’s, Rome, was an important moment for Rudolf Steiner in his research into the Grail and what impulse it has for our time.

5th JUNE - THE SISTINE CHAPEL
For four years from 1508 to 1512 Michelangelo worked at painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel for Pope Julius II. It was a superhuman effort of will. Originally the plan had been for a simple design featuring the twelve apostles. The complex series of frescoes he eventually put up there, including the famous depiction of ‘The Creation of Adam’ lead into the mysteries of the Grail.

David Lowe gives lectures and workshops in the UK and the USA. He is the co-author of a book on Goethe and Palladio and the Discovery of Metamorphosis.