Peter Kingsley: Complete Interview

Groundbreaking scholar of pre-Socratic philosophy Peter Kingsley emphasizes the sacred role of Western civilization in global oneness. Drawing from his personal experiences with Parmenides and Empedocles: foundational figures of Western civilization whose mystical dimensions have been forgotten or ignored, Peter maintains that to approach oneness authentically, Western civilization must rediscover its own sacred origins and purpose, and asks, how can Western culture participate in the harmony of oneness if it has forgotten its own note?

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• awareness
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• origin
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• philosophy
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• sacred
• science
• society
• spirituality
• Sufism
• western civilization

[watashiwanachodes]

i know hes not very connventional and shit (for a philosopher) but without him i would have probably killed myself a couple years ago, he gave me the sense of being real again instead of an over analized randomly joined forces... forever in debt to him for that

[disposablejunk]

@TheLastModernist

P.K has actually put forward quite a wealth of archeological evidence supporting his interpretation and claims. Disprove their validity and you'll have made a step towards critical thought. Until then, you're just bashing people with your own (dis)beliefs - which might also be refered to as ...superstition.

Also, calling people idiots without any actual reason generally hints at the level maturity of the one speaking.

[Barklord]

@huluftw Well, if you consider that western philosophy is often called 'footnotes to Plato' there is some legitimacy in it. I personally think that Plato interpreted Parmenides in such a way as to steer it in an unintended direction more in alignment with Pythagorean abstract domination of the psychic, biological and physical world. Socrates was also influenced by Parmenides and Zeno but people such as Antisthenes, Diogenes and on had an anti authoritarian orientation to the teaching.

[anitalgray]

Rarely do I hear someone who understands the power of being in one's body - in complete awareness of the sensory experiences and describes the void between them. Thank you!

[crowspeaks]

@TheLastModernist... sorry - the above comment was destined for you, not disposablejunk.

[crowspeaks]

@disposablejunk -well... i'll leave you with that belief, too, then, shall i? however, anent 'superstition', yes... just that... unexamined belief (or dis-)

have fun!

[disposablejunk]

@TheLastModernist

I think what crowspeaks means is quite simply that if you haven't read Peter Kingsley, you haven't actually been to look for proof (or lack thereof) in his works. In that case, you're just basing your pretty "incisive" assertions on what is simply a very short excerpt. Not what might generally be accepted as critical thought.

[TheLastModernist]

@crowspeaks And why would you suggest that my assertions about him are "superstitious" ?

At best, I'd suggest you've used the wrong word, but I strongly suspect that you're just an idiot.

I'd be delighted if you could prove me wrong.

[crowspeaks]

@TheLastModernist i take it you've read and actually studied everything he's written, yes?

if not... ahem!... you are guilty of the very superstition you accuse him of

[KageShadows]

@GenevieveMartin Dark Places of Wisdom was awesome, I read it after reading the Chaldean Oracles Text, Translation and Commentary by Ruth Majerik (I forgot how to spell her last name) and The Rotting Goddess by Jacob Rabinowitz. Now I'm reading Reality and slowly reading Ancient Philosophy, Mystery and Magic- great books.

[TheLastModernist]

@GenevieveMartin Wise ?!? The uncritical acceptance of anecdotal stories over empirical knowledge should be an embarrassing admission.

On glancing at Elberrys blog, I was assaulted by the new age mumbo jumbo of past lifes, mystics and magicians, and the possibility that books present themselves to you “for a reason.”

Alas, a universe that is entirely indifferent to the extreme suffering that is present in humanity is unlikely to be concerned about Elberry reading a book !

[TheLastModernist]

@snbeings What is this Absolute truth you speak off ? It sounds very grand - not like hippy bullshit at all. No siree !

[snbeings]

@TheLastModernist

Man if you only knew, however your very own bias bubble blinds you and enslaves you. I looked for proof in his statements for the past few years and found that he is right, Absolute truth is found when all Bias and subjectivity is dropped. The thought of something is not the same as the actual something. You FAIL big time for not getting this, but I still Love you.

[GenevieveMartin]

@TheLastModernist See the beautiful reply to this ridiculous comment on the Elberry’s Ghost blog for 4 March 2011: “Such insects would ask Saint John of the Cross for proof; they would fire Wittgenstein for not publishing enough. There is no proof, in the sense of objective, mechanical computation, by statistics, probablity. There is only experience. For that, you must move beyond worldly knowledge. You must actually enter death and meet – that which is there.” Still some wise people out there!

[TheLastModernist]

What a ridiculous hodge-podge of unproven statements !

This man is an embarrassment to humanity - an intellectual minnow who has allowed his critical faculties to become a prisoner of his desires.

I beseech anyone that sees this to not accept it at face value. Look for proof in his statements and you will find only dreamy wish fulfillment.

Shame on you Peter Kingsley.

[GenevieveMartin]

@bijouchatte : the translation (and even the Greek text) that you give here are incorrect. It just so happens that Peter Kingsley has dealt with this passage in great detail and great depth. Check out his book called REALITY, which will help to set you right about what this passage really conveys and why people have distorted Parmenides' original meaning so badly. As for Parmenides being a priest: this is something Kingsley covers really beautifully in his book IN THE DARK PLACES OF WISDOM...

[bijouchatte]

do note that decide and reckon are words associated with cutting and navigation, respectively. The metaphors are Homeric, you need to read the Odyssey and you will get it.

[bijouchatte]

@huluftw Parmenides was not a spirit from another dimension, he was a philosopher and a priest who wrote a poem that just so happens to have influenced the whole of Western philosophy. Which is why folks should what I wrote below, as it's a translation of his affirmation of the ability to make decisions, to appraise an argument, and that the senses do not let us perceive the world as it is, but as it seems to be.

[bijouchatte]

Nor let yourself by habit follow this path constrained by a random-moving eye, a ringing in the ear, and a tongue, decide but reckon the much-contested argument.

μηδέ σ᾽ ἔθος πολύπειρον ὁδὸν κατὰ τήνδε βιάσθω νωμα̂ν ἄσκοπον ὄμμα καὶ ἠχήεσσαν ἀκουὴν καὶ γλω̂σσαν, κρι̂ναι δὲ λόγῳ πολύδηριν ἔλεγχον.

[flyingmojo5]

@huluftw

I understand your thinking, but it is completely different. What you are taught about Jesus and God is based on belief. What he is talking about is an inner experience, an inner awakening. When he uses the words "other dimension", it's not in the sci-fi sense, not in a sense of it as some other place or reality that is different from where and what we are, but is the core, the heart of our own awareness. When u have an inner experience of that, u know (not believe) the truth.

[healthyworld]

What Peter points to and is trying to convey can not be understood through a short video. When I first listened I had not purchased a bunch of his cd programs or listened to the free interviews and presentations online. I am glad I did not respond quickly naively thinking I understand. There is something so deep and beautiful in this work but it is hidden from any of us who are still trying to understand through the mind.

[snbeings]

@huluftw

Thats because you havent glimpsed that reality, that space between awareness and the senses sensing. Examine that space and then you will see a higher true One reality. Until then its all speculation from a limited perspective. There is an absolute truth!!!