thevoice of the

silence

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Untitled 1960 - Mark Rothko

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SILENCEIS SO ACCURATE

Mark Rothko

A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR

We have already passed the middle of 2015, it seems that time is passing faster and faster every year.

The velocity of time relates to our approach to life and as everyone is in a hurry (although it is not al-ways clear to where) time is passing faster. Being in a hurry we notice less things on our path and therefore it seems like it is moving faster.

Every now and then we find ourselves in a mo-ment of “frozen” time, a special moment where everything slows down and stops. In those mo-ments we can catch our breath and maybe even remember who we are and why we do whatever we do.

This issue is dedicated to those moments.

THE MOMENTS WE ARE OURSELVES.

Guy HazonNational Director

CONTENTS

4DIRECTOR’S NOTE

6WHO WE ARE

7ABOUT US

10ARTICLE

THE VOICE OF SILENCE

13TALK

LIVE YOUR DREAMS-BRAAMFONTEIN-

14ARTICLE

TRANQUILLITY

16ARTICLE

SOUTH AFRICAN HEROES

18COURSE

LIVING PHILOSOPHY-RANDBURG-

20ARTICLE

MONSTERS

23EVENT

INDIAN CELEBRATION-RANDBURG-

24COURSE

THE KEY TO INNER WISDOM

-BRAAMFONTEIN-

26ADVERT

HEALTHY BEGINNINGSMONTESSORIELEMENTARY

& PRE-SCHOOL

29EVENT

PHILOSOPHY IN ROCK-RANDBURG-

31EVENT

PHILOSOPHY SYMPOSIUM

-RANDBURG-

32EVENT

NIGHT OF THE MASKS-RANDBURG-

35CONTACT US

NEW ACROPOLIS

New Acropolis is an international organization of philosophical, cultural and humanitarian na-ture. Our mission is to revive philosophy and promote the timeless values that have been at the heart of all civilizations offering a holistic educa-tion.

New Acropolis understands philosophy in its classical sense as love of wisdom. Wisdom is something practical and active rather than purely intellectual. It is knowing how to act, learning to discern what is right and knowing which ends are worth striving for. Philosophy is a quest for the profound meaning of life and for the under-standing and mastery of oneself.

WHO WE ARE

NEW ACROPOLIS

PHILOSOPHY when practical, helps us to know and improve ourselves. It is a way of life, not an intellectual attitude, committed to the best aspi-rations of humanity.

CULTURE broadens our understanding of life, and fosters a spirit of mutual respect and solidar-ity, strengthening human dignity and facilitating harmonious coexistence.

VOLUNTEERING is the natural expression of a spirit of union with life and humanity, which mani-fests in the practice of values such as unselfish-ness, commitment and striving for the common good.

ABOUT US

THE VOICE OF

SILENCEby Guy Hazon

It seems like a paradox how can a voice be silent? Or is there even a voice when there is silence?

MANY ASPECTS OF OUR

LIFE ARE A PARADOX.

For example, we are in a rush all the time, but then we are always searching for relaxation or rest. This is a ridiculous paradox. Surely many of us have experienced once or twice our rush on the road in order to reach home as soon as possible, and have some rest.

Do you like this imbalance?

Do you like this paradox?

A Stoic philosopher and a Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius, had a solution. He said that we should search for cheerfulness (happiness) in our lives, and when we find it we would be more independent in our path, we will not need external help, not even rest! Now, I am not trying to tell you that you shouldn’t rest. I wouldn’t dare ask anyone to give up those pre-cious moments of rejuvenation. Especially in our time, life is in such a velocity that rest is essential.

What Marcus Aurelius meant is that if you find the path you can follow with happiness, you don’t really want to rest. You will find happi-ness if you do what you love do-ing; that is essentially what you are meant to do. Eastern wisdom calls this SvaDharma, or destiny. If you follow your SvaDharma, you be-come so passionate and involved in your life that you forget to eat, sleep, rest and many of the otherbasic “needs” of your personality. At the same time, you are as hap-py as you can be. While an artist is working on a piece of art, they do not want to stop until the idea

is manifested. It is more disturbing for them not to create, than to cre-ate tirelessly.

So now we know, that “all” we need in order to resolve that con-stant paradox of hurry up and rest, is to find our SvaDharma, our des-tiny. And how are we going to do that?

There is a book called “The Voice of Silence”, written by H.P. Blavat-sky. In this book she speaks about the need to find an inner voice that will appear only if you succeed to silence all the external voices. Those external voices are the ones destructing/diverting/distracting you from the truth.

From who you really are!

So, if we invest so many hours eve-ry day in order to gain some mo-ments of relaxation; and we would like to make our lives a reflection of happiness, which is so exciting and full of passion, and elevates us far beyond a life of mere survival,we should start with the search of this:

The Voice of Silence.

To confront ourselves, as we truly are, and build our lives around our own self-realisation.

As a section 18aPBO (for public benefit organisation) NGO, we are structured as follows:• The Philosophy School: Ancient wisdom, culture and volunteering• Healthy Beginnings Montessori Pre & Elementary School: the financial support of the or-

ganisation; and• A Youth Leadership Programme titled: “DWYL: Do What You Love, Don’t Waste Your Life”

New Acropolis is a nonprofit seeking self-sustainability, YOU CAN HELP: By supporting any one of these initiatives you ensure that we can continue to do our work... We are in need of the following:

NEW ACROPOLISINITIATIVE NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT!

• Join any of our courses • Montessori equipment and school ma-

terials• Donate and get a portion back

• Rent our space for a workshop, yoga or dance class

• Advertise in this magazine• Cash or equipment donations gain tax

benefit receipts

PLEASE CONTACT072 300 1274 info@newacropolis.org.za

THANK YOU!

We all have dreams for the future, but often dreams are just dreams. This inspiring talk will look at how we can be the stuff of

legends - and pull our dreams into life!

Live

Date Thursday 9th July 7PM

VenueBannister Hotel, Braamfontein

Dreams your

TRANQUILLITYDON’T WE WISH WE HAD A LITTLE MORE OF IT?

Tranquillity – defined as peace, calm, quiet and stillness. Yes, many people wish that they had more of these qualities in their lives. In their modern fast paced lives, jam packed with plans, hopes, dreams, deadlines and demands. Peo-ple have wanted this for quite some time now. An indica-tion today could be the range of prescription and over-the-counter medications available to chemically induce some tranquillity.

by Michael Herd

Is it not strange that we are geared to achieve, work hard, and always try our best to excel? So quite naturally, we stampede off on a lifelong quest of material establishment and acquisi-tion; while all the time within us there is a little voice saying “Please, can we just stop to catch our breath? Can I not ever just get a break, to relax, to unwind?”

Yet still we charge forth unyielding, each one building his or her own fief-dom; which as it grows, demands even more time and effort to maintain and expand.

STOP. Literally. Right now. Stop read-ing, close your eyes, quiet your mind, and take seven deep breaths. Is that not better, even just a little bit?

The thing is, we all live in this fast paced world, we all need to function in it, and to do that most certainly does require a substantial amount of busy-ness. But what we often forget is: we are in control. We can stop, and have timeout whenever we want, our own little quiet time – disconnected from the outside, listening to what is inside. Sure, we cannot be like this all the time. This is not what I am suggesting. Who would want to be in a constant state of calm and stillness?

I think it would get very boring, very quickly (not to mention the lack of productivity)… But, by the same to-ken, who would want to constantly be busy, rushing from one thing to the next, never resting, and never stop-ping? That sounds equally as horrible, but then why do so many of us do it?

The answer lies in balance – the mid-dle way – and most of us already know this. So why are we so constantly busy – being pulled this way and that, by multiple crises constantly demanding attention?

Why, when we do rest; is it not so much rest but more of a mini-collapse at the end of the day, when we reach the point where either the demands stop, or we have simply reached our ceiling of capacity to deal with them?

The devil is in the detail. Really. That myriad of things we need to do right now, because they are important, and the equally long list of things we need to do just now which we will get to as soon as we have finished what we are doing right now. All those little things, when we are in a reactive state – pull us this way and that, always keeping us busy. Simply taking a few moments to stop, breath, and take a step back will give us a tranquillity which tran-scends the 60 seconds the physical action takes - because it allows us to centre ourselves, and move from a re-active state into a proactive state.

Now, that list of a million and one things is only one thing – what I’m busy with now – and I can dedicate myself to it without being distracted by all the other things I will be doing just now. We are in a space where we do not feel overwhelmed. We have a firm and clear mind, which can pro-ceed to carry out any busyness in a calm and centred manner.

The more we do this – take the time to listen to ourselves – the more we will experience being in control – and just that sensation alone will alleviate the majority of the stress which plagues us.So take the time – to stop, and listen within. We constantly have tranquillity – it is all just a matter of perspective - as The Buddha told us:

“Nirvana is here and now”

A hero helps those in need.South African youth are at a loss when it comes to career choices and simply trying to get a job. Too many options and very little career counselling at schools leaves them confused. The Spread Luv Move-ment (SLM) has found a simple way to be available to those faced

with the difficult choices regarding their future.

A mentor can make the difference between a mistake and an informed decision. SLM, an NGO started in 2009 by a group of women; make themselves available to the youth for career guidance. From those dif-ficult questions only professionals can help with, to the basic ABC’s of job hunting, they do it all. In a country where education is failing the youth and job - more importantly career - development is only starting

to take off; mentorship is a quick short cut to career guidance.

Their formulas work: get a mentor, aim for a job/career, later with your success, come back and mentor others. With this constant reinforce-ment of helping others, this NGO is filling many of the skills gaps in

South Africa.

SLM: we applaud you. You can too. Like them on Facebook or get involved.

spreadluv.org.za

SOUTH AFRICAN

HEROES

T. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Course Syllabus, 16 Weekly Sessions (32 Hrs). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

KNOW THYSELFLiving Philosophy - Need for Inner Change7 Fold Constitution of ManThe Ethical Life of a Disciple

THE GREAT UNIVERSAL WARThe Internal Battle of KurukshetraSvadharma and Karma YogaThemes from The Bhagavad Gita

BUDDHA AND THE PATH TO LIBERATIONLessons from the Life of The BuddhaProcess of Self-TransformationThe Middle Path - 4 Noble Truths

HEARING THE VOICE OF SILENCESymbolism of Tibetan Vajrayana TraditionH.P. Blavatsky and the origins of a mystical manual for disciplesThemes from The Voice of the Silence

PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES FROM THE ANCIENT WORLDMaking your Actions meaningful and sacredJustice, Ancient EgyptHarmony, ConfuciusPath of Happiness, Aristotle

THE ARTIST, THE LOVER, THE PHILOSOPHER - WHO ARE YOU?The Living UniverseTrue Freedom, Stoic Principles3 Paths to expressing Unity, PlotinusNeo-Platonism

INTRODUCTION TO SOCIO - POLITICSThe role and importance of SocietySocrates & PlatoEducation and Justice in Society

THE ALLEGORY OF THE CAVEPythagoras and the school of PythagorasAllegory of the Cave, PlatoThe Political & Philosophical IdealFounding Principles of New Acropolis

TYPES OF GOVERNANCE4 Types of ManModels of Governance, PlatoThe Triumphs and Challenges of DemocracyOrganisational structure of Traditional Society

PATH TO MYSTERYMystical and Magical Initiation

WHEN MYTH AND HISTORY MEETReliability of HistoryMyths: Truths hidden in MythologyChronological Time, Sacred Time, Mythical Time

CYCLES WITHIN HISTORYLaw of CyclesCycles of Time: Hindu Yugas, Great Year of PlatoChallenges and Opportunities of our times

ESOTERIC HISTORY OF MAN7 Kingdoms of LifeManas & the Evolution of Human ConsciousnessThe Discipular Path: Devotion, Investigation, Service

SUMMARYSo, where do we go from here?

PRACTICAL EXERCISES

LIVING PHILOSOPHYDiscover. Awaken. Transform.

Monsters are a common image throughout our histories. From the Devil, to zombies, and everything in between, and they have played prominent roles in our stories as the essential evil. The prevalence of images in our pop culture of demons possessing young girls, monsters attacking cities, haunting of both the self and/or the home -all reflect our belief that these creatures are not like us, not Human. The Monster is defined in its very inhumanity, its ‘Otherness’, its separation from the Human race.Nowadays the application of the word Monster and its implicit meaning, are reserved for those individuals who behave and commit acts reminis-cent of the literary Monster - acts of an animalistic and a barbaric nature, which confound and terrify us. Fear in this sense leads us to categorising them as Other, and therefore incapable of Human emotion. This labelling of individuals’ such as Hitler or Jeffrey Dahmer, who raped, murdered, and ate parts of his male vic-tims, separates US from THEM – creating a sense of security for us in the idea we are not Monsters and so could never do such a thing.The issue of labelling someone as such, is that we inevitably end up believing it.

This prevents us from seeing that a choice was made, by a person, NOT a monster. And while undoubtedly these individuals actions are horrify-ing, essentialising them as evil results in the belief that at no point in their lives did they feel or desire approval and love.Recognising the need to not categorise them as Monsters brings us one step closer to understanding that while we are capable of extreme things, we are all connected and human. This shift in perception fosters a collective sense of responsibility. That of Oneness and keeps us cog-nisant of ourselves and others.

WE ARE NOT MONSTERS

MONSTERSby Aidan Dixon

PHILOSOPHY IS...the love of knowledge and the mission to apply that knowledge into everything. ~ Kelly

...how I met myself. ~ Michael ...love. ~ Katherine

...the love and pursuit of wisdom and the practice thereof. ~ Paula

...being, becoming and under-standing the micro & the macro. ~ Aidan

...a way of life. ~ Thapelo

...the beauty of knowledge ac-cumulation into wisdom of recog-nising my authenticity and apply-ing it with diplomacy. ~ Sally

India, a land with thousands of years of spiritual legacy. Her philosophical teachings will mesmerise and entice all.Dress up welcome.

Date: Friday September TBC Venue: New Acropolis RandburgCost: R50 finger food will be served

Indian Celebration

SpaceforRentHave an event and need space?Rent one of our comfortable rooms for any event.

New Acropolis can accommodate you!From R100 per hour, package deals (with advertisement) are available.

EVENTSINCLUDEVarious workshops from art, photography,meditation and lectures. Host a lunch ordinner party for friends or business,meet-up evenings: book / movie clubs,networking, launch a product orexhibition, dance, yoga, martialarts, company functions.

072 300 1274

info@newacropolis.org.za

www.newacropolis.org.za

411 Vale Avenue, Ferndale

Garden AreaFor unconventional workshop, party or event

Café GaiaA large café to suit your product launch, lunch or dinner party

Studio SpaceHost lectures, workshops andphysical activities

Library ClassroomAudio visual equipmentavailable for use

Garden AreaFor unconventional workshop, party or event

Café GaiaA large café to suit your product launch, lunch or dinner party

Studio SpaceHost lectures, workshops andphysical activities

Library ClassroomAudio visual equipmentavailable for use

PHILOSOPHY IS A LIFESTYLE

Following on from the foundation course, we of-fer classes in successive levels which cover topics including:

• Psychology• Eastern and Western wisdom• Rhetoric (3 levels)• The Pranic body• History of philosophy (4 levels)• Symbolism (Egypt, Inca, Aztec, Hindu, Afri-

can...)• Comparative study of religions• Philosophy of Science• Aesthetics and Metaphysics• Anthropogenesis• Cosmogenesis

A LEARNING JOURNEY

PHILOSOPHY SYMPOSIUM

COME AND REVEL IN INSIGHTFUL CONVERSATION

ABOUT PHILOSOPHICAL TOPICS FROM THE

ANCIENTS. LET’S SHARE OUR

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE ABOUT

THOSE KEY QUESTIONS THAT INSPIRE

A MEANINGFUL LIFE. DARE TO BE DEEP.

DATE: FRIDAY 21st AUGUST 7PMVENUE: NEW ACROPOLIS RANDBURG

COST R50 FINGER FOOD WILL BE SERVED

NIGHT OF THEMASKS

Join us for an enchanting evening when we revive an ancient esoteric tra-dition to set alight your mind and soul. Masks will be provided, bring your own if you like.

DateFriday 13th Novmeber 7pm

VenueNew Acropolis Randburg

Cost: R50 finger food will be served

ADVERTISEIN THIS MAGAZINE

SINGLE PAGE R250 SINGLE PAGE REPEAT R200

DOUBLE SPREAD R350 DOUBLE SPREAD REPEAT 350

BRANCHESRANDBURG

BRAAMFONTEIN

411 VALE AVENUE, FERNDALE, RANDBURG CORNER OF VALE & OXFORD

COORDINATES: S 26° 04.819’ E 27° 59.385’

DETAILS COMING SOONCONTACT MICHAEL 082 771 8459

CHECK OUR SOCIAL MEDIA FOR UPDATES

PHONE US: 072 300 1274MAIL US: INFO@NEWACROPOLIS.ORG.ZA

www.newacropolis.org.za

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“For me, I am driven by two main philosophies: know more today about the world than I knew yesterday and lessen the suffering of others. You’d be surprised how

far that gets you.”

— Neil deGrasse Tyson

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