In the Timaeus Plato’s main speaker presents reality as comprised of two linked orders – that of eternal being, and that of temporal being. The latter is “being which is continually coming to be, but never really is.” Into this reality we are shown the soul as a strangely amphibious nature – in some way eternal, in other ways temporal. Plato suggests that the soul has a role to play in the beautification and ordering of the manifest cosmos precisely because of its intermediate state. We will read sections of the Timaeus and explore what this means for how we live. To download teh extracts we’ll be drawing from, please click here: Being becoming soul
These open sessions usually run twice on the same day to accommodate different time zones- but this time the follow-up will be on Wednesday 22nd. These sessions take particular topics or passages from Plato and other writers in the tradition – these are open to anyone interested, and they attract a wide range of participants. We usually begin with a short 5 or 10 minute introduction to the subject in hand and (when appropriate) a reading of a short text: this leaves a good hour or so to discuss the ideas which arise.
There are no fees payable. The Trust sees the Platonic tradition as a spiritual one: not only a guide for the outer life, but especially to be treasured for its assistance in the cultivation of the inner self – the soul – for, says Plato in the Timeaus, “we are not terrestrial plants, but blossoms of heaven.” We understand the tradition to be profound and cohesive, and one that repays the long-term effort required to truly embed oneself in it. Our approach is not exclusive – we value other traditions for their insights – nor is it dogmatic or an attempt to proselytise: however we are serious in our attempts to fathom the depths of the tradition, to identify its foundations, and where its teachings seem to run counter to accepted thinking to investigate them thoroughly rather than rejecting them prematurely. Thus our point of focus is on the teachings of the tradition and most especially our own inner response to them.
By joining our studies you are making no commitment beyond that of co-operating with us in our exploration of those truths which have inspired a company of men and women most luminous in their understanding, and unsparingly generous in their teaching.
You can register for the UK timed session via zoom here. It will display the time in your time zone. This session is at 19:45 BST on Wednesday the 15th October
Please see here for the Americas-timed session, which starts at 19:30 EDT on the