Ludwig Klages' 1922 book, On Cosmogonic Eros (Vom kosmogonischen Eros), delves into the realms of mythology, the esotericism of ancient mystery cults, and the science of consciousness to construct a profound metaphysics of life. At its core, Klages presents Eros as an "Eros of distance," from which springs forth the essence of ecstasy and de-selfing. This intriguing concept suggests that experiencing separation and distance can lead to extraordinary states of transcendent bliss and a dissolution of the self. Furthermore, Klages argues that this ecstatic experience serves as the foundation for the emergence of symbolism, the cult of the dead, ancestor worship, as well as the creation of original poetry and art. Klages' work offers a concise and engaging exploration of these key concepts, intertwining mythology, esoteric knowledge, and the study of consciousness to illuminate the enigmatic nature of life and the transformative power of Eros.

Citations are included in the Editor's note, pages 24-25.

This book is a selection of aphorisms and reflections excerpted from the voluminous works of the German philosopher and psychologist, Ludwig Klages. He was a fierce critic of what he saw as the lack of quality in the modern world, which he held to be a product of modern ideas and organised Christianity in our era. For Klages, the world is divided between life-affirming beliefs that venerate nature and those anti-natural forces that promote materialism and rationalism. To overcome these anti-life forces, Klages wished to return European consciousness back to its pagan roots and renew the link between man and sacred nature. He opposed technocratic rationalism, illusions of progress, and democracy, which he believed to be antithetical to true culture. His aphorisms defend paganism and a healthy Eros for a renewed future. “A pagan metaphysical system would not be philosophy as one understands that word today, i.e., the hair-splitting rehashing of such life-alien concepts as would be appropriate to the lecture hall; nor would it be characterized by that sort of factitious profundity that seeks to conceal its utter inability to solve the riddles of thought behind a veil of second-rate poetic fables. Neither should a genuine pagan metaphysics resemble that which passes for science in the modern world… Before we can discover truths that go to the very roots, we must possess a greater fund of inwardness than can be discerned in those thinkers who, for at least the last five hundred years, have expended their energies exclusively within the realm of reason.”—p. 143

Untitled Document Chaos, Gaia, Eros: A Chaos Pioneer Uncovers the Three Great Streams of History The History of the World According to Chaos Theory In this eclectic and interdisciplinary work, chaos pioneer Ralph Abraham traces the history of consciousness through a rediscovery of the three forces that drive it: chaos, gaia, and eros-the mind, body, and spirit of evolution. With startling originality and clarity of vision, Abraham employs photographs, timelines, charts, and an engaging format to sweep the reader along on this wild ride through math, science, mythology, philosophy, and the whole of history. Sure to fascinate the poet, scientist, philosopher, and historian in all of us, Chaos, Gaia, Eros is a mind-bending masterwork that reunites the chaotic and mythological forces of human history and blows the doors off existing modes of thought. "Chaos, Gaia, Eros deliteralizes history so we see it not only as a sequence of events, but as a flow of ideas and cultural myths... T]his is an important book for understanding the past, living in the present, and shaping the future." -David Fideler, founder of Phanes Press and editor of Alexandra: The Journal of the Western Cosmological Traditions "This extraordinary work is a veritable Rosetta stone, unlocking the past, present and future." -Joan Halifax, author of The Fruitful Darkness. " Ralph Abraham has] his own highly original ideas about the application of chaos theory to changes in history and consciousness, making for a rich and provocative blend" -Riane Eisler, author of The Chalice and the Blade. "Ralph Abraham is the most readable and delightful of mathematical pioneers. He is in the great tradition of Poincar and Whitehead, a true mathematical humanist. Chaos, Gaia, Eros is destined to be a voice shaping the new millennium." -Terence McKenna, author of True Hallucinations, The Invisible Landscape, Archaic Revival and Food of the Gods. -------- Ralph Abraham is a world renowned chaos theorist and professor emeritus of mathematics at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

The word ‘archaic’ derives from the Greek arkhaios, which in turn is related to the word archē, meaning ‘principle’, ‘origin’, or ‘cause’; the notion of ecstasy, or ekstasis, implies standing outside or beyond oneself, a self-transcendence. How these two concepts are articulated and co-implicated constitutes the core question underlying this edited collection, which examines both the present day and antiquity in order to trace the insistent presence of the ecstatic amid the archaic. Presented in three parts, the contributors to this diverse book take the concept of the archaic in an entirely new direction. Part I, 'Ecstasy and the psychological', covers topics including Jung, Freud, ancient psychotherapy, desire, and theatre. Part II, 'Ecstatic-archaic history', considers Ludwig Klages, Orestes and Dionysus. Finally, Part III, 'Ancient ecstatic in other worlds', examines Luo Guanzhong’s Three Kingdoms and Enki at Eridu. The collection offers a distinctive contextualisation of the dimension of the archaic in relation to the ecstatic experience. The Ecstatic and the Archaic will appeal to readers interested in the relationship between ancient and postmodern worlds, and in how the past manifests itself in the present. It will be of great interest to academics and students of Jungian and post-Jungian ideas, classical religions and the history of ideas, as well as practitioners of analytical psychology and psychoanalysis.

This volume brings together a rich and varied collection of essays by Gilles Quispel (1916-2006), Professor of the History of the Early Church at Utrecht University from 1951 until his retirement in 1983. During his illustrious career, Professor Quispel was also visiting Professor at Harvard University in 1964/65, and visiting Professor at the Catholic University of Leuven from 1969 until 1974. The fifty essays collected in this volume testify to most of the prominent themes from Professor Quispela (TM)s scholarly career: the writings of the Nag Hammadi library in general and the "Gospel of Thomas" in particular; Tatiana (TM)s "Diatessaron" and its influences; the "Hermetica"; Mani and Manichaeism; the Jewish origins of Gnosticism; and Gnosis and the future of Christianity. This volume also makes a number of his less known earlier publications (mainly presented under the heading a ~Catholicaa (TM)) available to the international community. Until shortly before he died, Professor Quispel remained active in his study of the "Gospel of Thomas." He had been one of the first to acquire the Coptic text of the "Gospel of Thomas," of which he published the first translation in 1959 and his final translation in 2005. He was also active in researching the "Diatessaron," and Valentinus a ~the Gnostica (TM). One of his most recent essays a " published for the first time in this volume a " is on a ~the Muslim Jesus.a (TM)