Tommaso Palamidessi

Tommaso Palamidessi (Pisa, February 16th, 1915 - Rome, April 29th, 1983) is an Italian esoterist of the 20th century. Initially astrologer and popularizer of Eastern spiritual disciplines, it will work out, in a second phase of its evolution, an original form of Christian esotericism, the “Archéosophie”, by creating in 1968, in Rome, Archéosophique association.

Archéosophique Association is currently directed by Alessandro Benassai. Spread in all the Italian territory, it also counts seats abroad (including four in Germany, one in Portugal, and one in France).

Youth and formation occultist

Born with Pisa into 1915 from Carlo Palamidessi, officer of the Italian army, and Luigia Tagliata, writer and poetess, Tommaso Palamidessi leaves in 1920 to live in Sicily, where it passes his childhood and its adolescence.

They is at that time that it starts to be interested in the Botanique, with the Astronomie, with the Astrologie, the Médecine, the history of the religions, as an autodidact. It remains moreover with Tripoli and Tunis, where it comes into contact with brotherhoods soufies.

As from 1933, with Turin (city traditionally " magique" , opened with the influences of the French and British esotericism) he devotes himself to a formation integral occultist: he practices the Spiritisme abundantly, supported by his mediumnic predispositions, he cultivates astrology, he is interested in the spiritual Alchimie like with the Yoga tantric and attends the director of the Egyptological Musée of Turin, Ernesto Scamuzzi, which conveys it being studied of the hiéroglyphes. Towards the end of the year 1940, it comes into contact with the astrological group of Hamburg (the school rested by Alfred Witte), like with French astrologers, among whom Alexandre Volguine. It is at the same time close to certain influential characters in the mediums maconnic and Italian martinists, like Umberto Gorel Porciatti and Gino Testi, and integrates the Italian branch of the Société Théosophique.

The interests cultivated by Palamidessi during the years 1940 - astrology, tantric alchemy, yoga - lead to an important literary production. Here one can quote volumes: I poteri occulti LED' uomo E lo yoga tantrico indo-tibetano (1945), the tecnica sessuale dello yoga tantrico indo-tibetano (1948), the potenza erotica di Kundalini Yoga (1949), as well as the text Alchimia as via hello Spirito (1948). But Palamidessi is active especially in the field of astrology. Among volumes which it devotes to this discipline, at that time still practically unexplored in Italy, one can announce the following: It Corso degli astri E the malattie nell' uomo , 1940; Astrologia world: it destino dei popoli rivelato dal corso degli astri , 1941 and Gli astri nella diagnosi E cleaned LED cancro , 1949.

The years 1950: esoteric popularization and passage to Christianity

In 1947, Palamidessi marries Rosa Francesca Bordino (1916-1999), which will remain beside him during all its life and which, the following year, will give him a girl, Silvestra (1948-1996). In 1949 it stops its publications of yoga to devote itself entirely to the work of astrologer. In 1953, having left Turin for Rome with its family, he actively collaborates with several press agencies, among which the tribuna illustrata , where he holds during many years of the headings of esotericism and astrology. Palamidessi will continue this activity up to 1969, year of the disappearance of the newspaper.

In 1957, he visits the monasteries of Kalambaka, in Théssalie, and of the Mont Athos, where he studies the " prayer of the coeur" orthodoxe tradition . In 1960, it enters the Third Franciscain Order as a laic brother. The redécouverte of the Western Mystique is the symptom of a major change of the esoteric orientation of Palamidessi which, through a thorough reading of the literature Patristique of the first centuries, gives up the study of the Eastern doctrines to harness with a programme of “rebuilding” of true the Christian esotericism.

The foundation of Archéosophie

Palamidessi thus leads to the formulation of a system ésotérico-Christian which takes the name of “Archéosophie”. To these doctrines corresponds association “Archéosophique”, “esoteric School of High Initiation”, founded with Rome on September 29th, 1968. During the time which follows, Palamidessi carries out a series of voyages which will lead it in India, to the Cachemire, the Nepal, in China, South America, Soviet Union, to the Canada, in order to get manuscripts and books of esotericism, astrology, medicine; but it is especially with the food of the archeosophic doctrines and the organization of the various groups which emerged a little everywhere to Italy, that it will devote its efforts of 1968 until its death, which has occurred in 1983.

Archeosophic asceticism

Technique of the icon and artistic asceticism

A special form of asceticism is that which is carried out through Article.

Attentive with the mystical, ascetic and artistic tradition of the orthodoxe Church, Palamidessi gives to the great day the technique of the Icône crowned, after having studied some presupposed from a point of view esoteric. This analysis réélabore the reflections on the role of art and the symbol in the spiritual and initiatory life typical of a certain contemporary esotericism (Rene Guénon, Louis Charbonneau-Lassay, Ananda Coomaraswamy, Titus Burckhardt), but it is dissociated some from its eminently pragmatic and technical character.

The text that Palamidessi devotes on this subject, the icon, the colors and the artistic asceticism (published posthumous in 1986), is presented indeed in the form of a true handbook of " esoteric theory and technique of the art" who intends to convey the pupil with the personal preparation of the icon crowned and the meditation on this one.

The artist, while following the laws of the chromatic symbolism as well as the traditional geometry of the Sacred art, makes icon a “castle of meditation”, a Christian Mandala, an image which makes sensitive the divine Archétypes and which thus becomes sanctifying.

The purpose of the process of Méditation that the pupil carries out during the preparation of the icon and that, similar, accomplished on the icon carried out and devoted according to the suitable Liturgie is to transmute the conscience, to spiritualize it, by thus integrating the other instruments of the asceticism.

Publications

It Corso degli astri E the malattie nell' uomo: trattato teorico-pratico di cosmopatogenesi idiot 22 appears , Milan: F.lli Bocca, 1940 (2nd ED. Archeosofica 1985).
the medicina E gli influssi siderali , Milan: World F.lli Bocca, 1940.
Astrologia: it destino dei popoli rivelato dal corso degli astri , Turin: T. Palamidessi, 1941 (2nd ED. Archeosofica 1985).
Gli influssi cosmici E diagnosi early LED cancro , Turin: T. Palamidessi, 1943.
Terremoti, eruzioni E influssi cosmici , Turin: T. Palamidessi, 1943.
I poteri occulti dell' uomo E lo yoga tantrico indo-tibetano , Turin: Spartaco Giovene, 1945 (2nd ED. Archeosofica 1988).
the tecnica sessuale dello yoga tantrico indo-tibetano , Turin: Edizioni Grand opera, 1948 (2nd ED. Archeosofica 1988).
the potenza erotica di kundalini yoga: lo yoga LED potere serpentino ED it risveglio dei ventuno will chakra , Turin: Grand opera, 1949.
Lo yoga per not morire: metodi sperimentali indù per realizzare the immortalità autocosciente , Turin: Grand opera, 1949.
the alchimia as via hello spirito: the autorealizzazione magica E psicologia LED profondo, svelate paved tradizione ermetica , Turin: Grand opera, 1949 (2nd ED. Arkeios 2001).
Gli astri nella diagnosi E cleaned LED cancro , Turin: ED. Grand opera, 1949.
Tecniche di risveglio iniziatico: I centri di forza E the metafisica sperimentale , Rome: Edizioni the Mediterranean, 1975 (2nd ED. 1983).
Archeosofia , in 5 volumes, Rome: Archeosofica, 1985-1988.
It libro cristiano dei morti , Rome: Arkeios, 1985.
the basi beyond teologia sofianica: nuove indagini bibliche , Rome: Arkeios, 1986.
the icona, I colori E the ascesi artistica: dottrina ED esperienze per una Via back the autosuperamento ED una coscienza divina nell' arte , Rome: Arkeios, 1986.
Ricettario Erboristico , Rome: Arkeios, 1987.

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