Both academic studies of, and conspiracy theories about, the New World Order and the New Age have gained considerable depth lately. We see more and more things going wrong around us and are baffled at how such challenges to our security have come about. At the same time we are offered optimistic spiritual scenarios for establishing a Golden Age of enlightenment, peace and prosperity and wonder if they are realistic. And through the Internet and some prolific writers we are offered an overload of often contradictory and seemingly implausible conspiratorial and spiritual explanations and we ask: what is the truth?

This program will map out this rich and bewildering field of research and claims ignored by the dominant media. The main topics will be:

- The cultural and political influence of individuals and groups belonging to the Western Esoteric Tradition like the Templars, Rosicrucians, Masons and Theosophists. What were their agendas and what did they accomplish?

- The history and adverse/malignant influence of inquisitions, semi-secret societies and long-term policy-planning think tanks like the Holy Inquisition, the Jesuits, the Illuminati, Skull & Bones and the Council on Foreign Relations.

- The cleaning up of the field of research by examining the influence and logic of hoaxes, forgeries, literary productions, academic timidity, government cover-ups and deceptions in works like Holy Blood, Holy Grail; "The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Sion"; The Iron Mountain Report; The 9/11 Commission Report; The DaVinci Code, etc.

- The spiritual tools offered by different traditions to understand and deal with the darker side of history and ourselves. What can we learn from Theosophical altruism, Christian prayer, Buddhist meditation and Confucian social engagement?

An overarching spiritual hypothesis will be presented and examined, which provides a dynamic pattern for what can seem to be chaos. It is based on a synthesis of the philosophies of history of G.W. Hegel, H.P. Blavatsky and A.J. Toynbee. This hypothesis will lay bare the rhythmic back-and forth or point-counter-point dynamics of certain opposites as the underlying logic of world history and current affairs. This framework will therefore allow oneself to obtain a better understanding of today's developments in international economics and politics as well as religion and spirituality. Attention will also be given to the challenge of situating oneself within these developments and the spiritual tools given throughout history to co-create a better world.

Suggested Readings:

- Joscelyn Godwin The Golden Thread: The Timeless Wisdom of the Western Mystery Traditions

- Jim Marrs Rule by Secrecy: The Hidden History That Connects the Trilateral Commission, the Freemasons, and the Great Pyramids

(See below to order from Amazon.com)

- Or browse the www.alpheus.org for articles, source materials, reviews and bibliographies.

Facilitated by Govert Schuller, editor of the Alpheus web site dedicated to esoteric and alternative interpretations of history with a special concentration on the history of Theosophy and Krishnamurti.

A native of the Netherlands, Govert has studied philosophy at the Universities of Leyden, Amsterdam and Northern Illinois University. A past lecturer for The Summit Lighthouse in Holland and the United States, Govert also taught courses on the history of esotericism and phenomenology for the Theosophical Society in America and New Wisdom University.

He is the author of the monograph Krishnamurti and the World Teacher Project: Some Theosophical Perceptions and the article "Jean Overton Fuller, Master Narayan and the Krishnamurti-Scott-Anrias Issue," both published by the Theosophical History Journal. He is also the author of the pamphlets "Krishnamurti: An Esoteric View of his Teachings" and "The Masters and Their Emissaries: From H.P.B. to Guru Ma and Beyond."

You can contact Govert Schuller at schuller@alpheus.org or (630) 690-0254