Embassy of the Free Mind

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Embassy of the Free Mind
Huis met de hoofden.jpg
Amsterdam centre map.png
Red pog.svg
Location within the city of Amsterdam
Established2017
LocationKeizersgracht 123 [1]
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Coordinates 52°22′35″N4°53′15″E / 52.376458°N 4.887375°E / 52.376458; 4.887375
Type Museum
Library
Historic site
Collection sizec. 25,000 volumes
Public transit access Tram: 13 Amsterdam tramlijn 2.svg , 17 Amsterdam tramlijn 5.svg Bus: 282, 284, 288 [1]
Website www.embassyofthefreemind.com

The Embassy of the Free Mind is a museum, library and platform for free thinking, inspired by the philosophy of the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica collection. [2] The museum focusses on the European culture of free thinking of the past 2.000 years, with Hermetic wisdom as the source of inspiration: insight into the connection between God, cosmos and man. This connection is reflected in the Hermetic, alchemical, astrological, magical, mystical, kabbalistic and Rosicrucian texts and images in the collection.

Contents

History

The Embassy of the Free Mind was opened in October 2017 by the author Dan Brown. [3] The roots of the museum lie in the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica (Ritman Library). This scientific research library, with a collection of 25.000 books and an own publisher dates back from 1958 when Amsterdam based businessman Joost Ritman started it as a private library. [4] In 1984 the library got open for general public and moved within Amsterdam to the Bloemstraat. Ritman brought together manuscripts and printed books in the area of the hermetic tradition, took care of the coherence of the diverse collection and showed their importance and relevancy for the world today. [5] Since the opening the library focussed on activities like expanding the collection, the development of expertise within the Ritman research institute and the growth of its own publisher In de Pelikaan. In 2009 the library obtained the status of Public Benefit Organisation (PBO). [6] By moving to the House of the Heads in 2017 and obtaining the status of museum, [7] resulting in the Embassy of the Free Mind, the organisation takes a new step in making the collection more accessible for a wider audience.

Building

The 'Grote Sael' (Great Hall) of the building where lectures, concerts, and guided tours take place. Grote Sael.jpg
The 'Grote Sael' (Great Hall) of the building where lectures, concerts, and guided tours take place.

The Embassy of the Free Mind is located in the 17th century Amsterdam building the Huis met de Hoofden on the Keizersgracht 123. The canal house was built in 1622 by Hendrick de Keyser and is listed as one of the 'Top 100 buildings of the Dutch Rijksdienst'. [8] Six heads adorn the façade. They depict the Roman gods Apollo, Ceres, Mercury, Minerva, Bacchus and Diana. God of commerce Mercury and goddess of wisdom Minerva were placed left and right of the central entrance in the 17th century to make it clear that this was the home of a wise merchant (Mercator Sapiens). Lodewijk and Laurens de Geer, from 1634 residents of the House with the Heads for 150 years, were besides affluent entrepreneurs also patrons of free thinkers and made the printing of their works possible. Their home library of approximately 6,000 books shows similarities with the books that are now once again in the museum library. [9]

Collection

Reading room at the Embassy of the Free Mind Reading Room EFM.jpg
Reading room at the Embassy of the Free Mind

The museum has a collection of more than 25,000 books on Hermeticism, Rosicrucianism, alchemy, mysticism, gnosis, Western esotericism and religious studies. Other areas covered within the library include sufism, kabbalah, anthroposophy, theosophy, pansophism, freemasonry and the Holy Grail. [10]

The library owns about 4,500 manuscripts and printed books from before 1900, and more than 20,000 books (primary and secondary sources) printed after 1900. The collection of the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica includes Corpus Hermeticum (1503) printed on parchment, Robert Fludd’s Utriusque cosmi historia (1617). Moreover, the museum possesses Atalanta Fugiens (1617) written by Michael Maier, the Biblia Polyglotta (1573) printed by Christoffel Plantijn, and a collection of works by Gustav Meyrink. [10]

Exhibitions

Exhibition Room of the Embassy of the Free Mind Exhibition Room EFM.jpg
Exhibition Room of the Embassy of the Free Mind

The permanent exhibition of the Embassy of the Free Mind consists of 200 reproductions of images from manuscripts and old printed books from c. 1500-1900. The images display the contents of the books on the collected wisdom from the core BPH collection. On the first floor, an exhibition room offers space for temporary installations and the display of rare books from the collection. In addition, there is a reading room with approximately 2,000 modern books and several works of art, such as the 'Grail of Amsterdam'. The museum offers daily guided tours of the museum and the exhibition. Monthly lunch concerts with conservatory musicians take place in the Grote Sael. Admission is free with a museum card/city pass/icom/Amsterdam City card.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hermes Trismegistus</span> Legendary author of the Hermetica

Hermes Trismegistus is a legendary Hellenistic period figure that originated as a syncretic combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. He is the purported author of the Hermetica, a widely diverse series of ancient and medieval pseudepigraphica that lay the basis of various philosophical systems known as Hermeticism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Fludd</span> British mathematician and astrologer (1574–1637)

Robert Fludd, also known as Robertus de Fluctibus, was a prominent English Paracelsian physician with both scientific and occult interests. He is remembered as an astrologer, mathematician, cosmologist, Qabalist and Rosicrucian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hermeticism</span> Philosophy based on the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus

Hermeticism or Hermetism is a philosophical and religious system based on the purported teachings of Hermes Trismegistus. These teachings are contained in the various writings attributed to Hermes, which were produced over a period spanning many centuries and may be very different in content and scope.

<i>Corpus Hermeticum</i> Collection of late antique religio-philosophical texts

The Corpus Hermeticum is a collection of 17 Greek writings whose authorship is traditionally attributed to the legendary Hellenistic figure Hermes Trismegistus, a syncretic combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. The treatises were originally written between c. 100 and c. 300 CE, but the collection as known today was first compiled by medieval Byzantine editors. It was translated into Latin in the 15th century by the Italian humanist scholars Marsilio Ficino (1433–1499) and Lodovico Lazzarelli (1447–1500).

The tree of life is a diagram used in Rabbinical Judaism in kabbalah and other mystical traditions derived from it. It is usually referred to as the "kabbalistic tree of life" to distinguish it from the tree of life that appears alongside the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Genesis creation narrative and well as the archetypal tree of life found in many cultures.

Adam McLean is a Scottish writer on alchemical texts and symbolism. In 1978 he founded the Hermetic Journal which he published until 1992 during which time he also started publishing the Magnum Opus Hermetic Sourceworks, a series of 55 editions of key source texts of the hermetic tradition. From 2004 he began collecting tarot cards in order to document tarot art and built up a collection of 2500 items. In 2016 he set up the Surrealism Website in order to document surrealist painters. This currently shows the work of 100 surrealist artists. He also created a series of 20 video lectures on many facets of surrealist paintings. In 2017 he set up an art gallery The Studio and Gallery in Kilbirnie in North Ayrshire in order to promote the work of emergent and lesser-known artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karl von Eckartshausen</span> German writer and archivist

Karl von Eckartshausen was a German Catholic mystic, author, and philosopher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica</span>

Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica (BPH) or The Ritman Library is a Dutch library founded by Joost Ritman located in the Huis met de Hoofden at Keizersgracht 123, in the center of Amsterdam. The Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica brings together manuscripts and printed works in the field of Hermeticism, more specifically the 'Christian-Hermetic' tradition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theodor Kerckring</span> Dutch anatomist and chemical physician

Theodor Kerckring or Dirk Kerckring was a Dutch anatomist and chemical physician.

The Museum Card, also known as the Museumkaart in Dutch, is a personal card that grants free entry to approximately 400 museums in the Netherlands for one year. It is available for purchase at many of the larger participating museums or online, with a temporary card issued when purchased from the museum. While most museums offer free entry to Museum Card holders, some museums may charge an additional fee for special exhibitions, but not for general collections.

<i>Rosary of the Philosophers</i> 16th-century alchemical treatise

The Rosary of the Philosophers is a 16th-century alchemical treatise. It was published in 1550 as part II of De Alchimia Opuscula complura veterum philosophorum (Frankfurt). The term rosary in the title is unrelated to the Catholic prayer beads; it refers to a "rose garden", metaphoric of an anthology or collection of wise sayings.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to alchemy:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rochefoucauld Grail</span>

The Rochefoucauld Grail is a four-volume 14th-century illuminated manuscript. Three volumes were formerly Amsterdam, Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica, MS 1; the fourth volume is divided between the Bodleian Library in Oxford and the John Rylands Library in Manchester. It contains the Lancelot-Grail cycle in French prose, the oldest and most comprehensive surviving version of the legend of King Arthur and the Holy Grail. The leaves are about 405 mm by 295 mm, and are written in two columns, by a number of scribes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joost Ritman</span> Dutch businessman

Joost R. Ritman is a businessman from the Netherlands. Ritman made his fortune with his family company De Ster, selling plastic tableware to airlines. He is the founder of the library Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica in Amsterdam. In 1995 he received the Laurens Janszoon Costerprijs. He was knighted in the Order of the Dutch Lion in 2002.

Johann Baptist Großschedl von Aicha was a German nobleman, alchemist and esoteric author. The German "von Aicha" is a later supposition from the Latin "ab Aicha" on his publications, which may be related to Aiglsbach in Bavaria and the "Grossehedl von Perckhausen und Aiglspach" nobility, who originally came from Regensburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amsterdam University Library</span>

Amsterdam University Library is the library of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and the Academic Medical Centre (AMC). The central complex of the Library is in the town centre at Singel, close to Heiligeweg and Koningsplein. The Library's Special Collections are housed nearby at Oude Turfmarkt, next to UvA's Allard Pierson Museum. The Library also has a large book depot in the grounds of the AMC, with over 40.5 kilometers of books and other materials. The foundation Friends of the Library of the University of Amsterdam regularly donates special manuscripts or rare editions to the library collection.

Adam Haslmayr was a German writer, who was the first commentator of the Rosicrucian Manifestos. He called the revelation of Paracelsus the "Theophrastia Sancta".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huis met de Hoofden</span> Dutch canal house

The House with the Heads is a large canal house on the Keizersgracht 123 in Amsterdam, named after the six ornaments shaped as heads, which are on the façade. The house is a rijksmonument and is listed on the Top 100 Dutch heritage sites.

References

  1. 1 2 Address and route, Embassy of the Free Mind. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  2. "About the Embassy of the Free Mind". Huis met de Hoofden.
  3. Flood, Alison (17 June 2016). "Dan Brown donates €300,000 to digitise mystical books that inspired him". The Guardian via www.theguardian.com.
  4. "Dan Brown opent Ambassade van de Vrije Geest in Amsterdam". Nieuw Wij. 22 October 2017.
  5. "Joost R. Ritman founder of the Ritman Library in Amsterdam". www.ritmanlibrary.com. Archived from the original on 2018-10-20. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
  6. "ANBI". www.ritmanlibrary.com. Archived from the original on 2019-02-13. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
  7. "Overzicht van onze leden – Museumvereniging". www.museumvereniging.nl.
  8. "Top 100 van de Rijksdienst voor de Monumentenzorg". 12 April 2018 via Wikipedia.
  9. "Huis met de Hoofden". AMBASSADE VAN DE VRIJE GEEST.
  10. 1 2 "The Ritman Library » Collection Profile". www.ritmanlibrary.com. Archived from the original on 2019-02-13. Retrieved 2019-02-27.