The Eleusian mysteries, the Sanctuary of Apollo, the Theatre of Dionysus, the labyrinths of Knossos, the Delphic oracle---the book leads us to such sacred sites in the ancient way of spiritual pilgrimage. "The gods have not totally vacated the holy places," says Richard Geldard. "Any 'vacating' has to do with our own lack of awareness." He brings to life the mythology that shaped the brilliance of Greek architecture and art, integrating rare historical material with the most recent archeological data. The result is a specialty guidebook comprehensive enough to be the only one you pack, with commentary on: Major and lesser sites of the palace and temple cultures; Greek drama, philosophy, art, and sculpture; Sacred geometry and architecture; Gallery collections in three major museums. Whether you're an armchair or actual traveler, Traveler's Key opens access to the fabled wisdom enjoyed by pilgrims of old and to the living mythology that still has power to transform lives.
Richard Geldard is a full-time writer and lecturer living in New York City and the Hudson Valley. He is married to the artist and writer Astrid Fitzgerald.
Before turning to writing he was an educator, teaching English and philosophy at both the secondary, undergraduate and graduate levels. Before turning to full-time writing, he was a member of the faculty at the Pacifica Graduate Institute in Carpenteria, California, where he taught the Greek Mystery Religions. Prior to that he taught Greek Philosophy and The Science of Mind at Yeshiva College in New York. Presently, Dr Geldard is a member of the faculty of the University of Philosophical Research in the Online Masters Degree Program. (see uprs.edu)
Geldard is a graduate of Bowdoin College, The Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College and Stanford University, where he earned his doctorate in Dramatic Literature and Classics in 1972. He has also studied at St. John's College, Oxford and was a Visiting Fellow at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece.
Geldard is the author of ten books, including studies of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Greek philosophy and culture. He is also a frequent lecturer. In June, 2003, and September, 2003, he was a featured speaker at Faneuil Hall in Boston as part of the Emerson Bicentennial Celebrations. In June, 2005, he was the Keynote speaker at the re-instatement of the Delphic Games in Delphi, Greece.
Geldard delivered the Annual Flora Levy Humanities Lecture at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette on October 14, 2009
Dr Geldard has a web presence at rgbooks.com
