Customer Reviews

Finding Our Ancient Wisdom- The Spiritual Origins Of Western Civilization

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This is a masterful distillation of the essence of Peter Kingsley's work. Video usually lacks the warmth and energy of being in the presence of a speaker. This piece, however, held my attention from beginning to end. It achieves a consummate balance between the historical background and the spirit of this ancient knowledge; as well as a simple, experiential process for us to practice today.

Some years ago, I read In The Dark Places Of Wisdom several times and later Reality. I was inspired and moved by the story but was unable to grasp exactly how to apply it to my life. I knew that the author wanted me to access something that was beyond the mind. But what? And how?

Now, having seen this DVD, I really 'get' what Peter Kingsley wants us to understand. The clarity of his message is given a grounded, practical emphasis by the skillful way in which this film has been filmed, edited and presented.

As Peter Kingsley says in Reality, "All the details in it are just a trick. But what it does offer is the space for you to create a nest in it, make yourself at home".

This is an excellent film, not only in the writing, editing and production but also in the clarity with which Peter's teachings are presented. The other aspect that struck me so profoundly is that I have been so much more present in a calm way, feeling and noticing how the feelings are in my body. Noticing that I am selective with listening to music now, instead of having music play all day at work but not enjoying or feeling it. Now I turn it off and when I have it on I hear and feel the magical sounds of Mozart. Once again enjoying the silence, less fearful of allowing this process to happen as the ego has a smaller and smaller voice maybe. Peter's words and your beautiful, clear, uncluttered examples have made an indelible impression on my heart. Thank you Peter.

After watching Peter's video, I began applying one of the practices he described when walking my dogs. Day by day, layers of sensory experience unfolded, and I began noticing the color of the flowers, the smells, my own shadow bobbing along, the temperature of the air and the songs of the birds. Stopped on the street, watching and listening to the wind in the trees, I felt connected to everything and realized that experiencing the sky, the moon and the clouds was an experience in common with people everywhere on the planet as far back as there were people.

Finding Our Ancient Wisdom is a tonic for modern life. I recommend everyone carve out the time to see it.

Is is very interesting that many 'subtopics' of mysticism are arising, revolving around the need for westerners to identify their spirituality ...and even that word is a jump, thanks to Evangelical Churchianity, and Fundamental Catholicism, after decades now of Vocabulary of Health and Healing. We are gaining the freedom to explore, but still none to apply, new forms to our spiritual psychology. People, baby-boomers leading the way ...and horrifyingly enough, the younger generations have no ... what I call 'J word' (Jesus) metaphors at all. This dvd is an attempt for the would be author, expose artist, wannabee guru, to advertise or test the waters of his topic(s) on the market place. I might assume. It was unengaging, and deliberately vague to the point of hyperbole. We have a blooming Christian Contemplative tradition, and the chakras have made their way into the medical field, and practical psychology, via "qualified" intuitives throughout the new gene pool ...without going back to the shadow lands of 'on the fringes' as the author refers to it, of civilization to find progress of consciousness. For those though, who don't wade into the waters of Joseph Campbell to start with, Richard Rohr, Thomas Keating or Caroline Myss ...(all of this very much mainstream) then the Greek philosopher Empedocles, and some of the points the author raises in synthesis can be engaging ...on a basic academic level. If your going to expose streams of spiritual/academic thought on the topic(s) you may want to elaborate and juxtapose what the forms are now ...that approach would have been interesting (which is why I, like most others probably, bought this bloody dvd) as opposed to the approach Peter Kingsley takes. It's airy and lacks footing. Otherwise, if you've spent some time in the topic of mysticism and it's antecedents, you'll find this wanting. The author needs to get out of the library a little more often. It's not impressive hearing an Enneagram 5's "need to perceive the hell out of something," then prove how otherworldly they can be. All of the street scenes that pervade the dvd are common to most of us working class autodidacts.