The Ladder page 4

THE OCCULT IN SOCIETY

Ferenc Buji: The Secular and Occult Degeneration of
Transcendence page 11

Man, in both the individual and collective sense, defines the basic attitude of his life on earth, his fundamental relationship to himself and the world he experiences around him, in relation to transcendence. When our relationship with the heavens no longer influences our relationship with earth, i.e. when faith and faithlessness appear in the same form, then there is but a nominal difference in our relationship with the heavens. When the difference between a religious person and one who is not is only this, the mere fact of religious vs. non-religious, then there is no real difference. "Faith" in itself is not an advantage: it is only a possibility, a chance. As such it is more of a disadvantage in itself, for an unutilized chance is always worse than its absence. Of course not only these two forms of relating to the transcendent exist...

WINDOW: Péter Gál : The New Age Through Christian Eyes

Imre Lázár Baji: Eco-Platonic Notes in the Hope of redemption page 31

The prognosis is frightening: climate crisis, irreversible with the tools and methods we have at our disposal today, will not only decimate humanity within the next one-hundred years – the lifetime of our grandchildren and great-grandchildren – but will only permit the survival of one-tenth of the worlds population somewhere in the frigid regions of Canada, the arctic circle, Scandinavia and Siberia.

Pál Darabos: The "Phychologia Vera" of Béla Hamvas page 47

In 1946-1947 the Hungarian writer and philosopher Béla Hamvas translated the German Christian mystic Jakob Böhme's work Psychologia vera or Answers to Forty Questions Concerning the Soul. This work was the basis of one of the two focus points of Hamvas's views on the soul.

WINDOW: Herbert Silberer: Hidden Symbolism of Alchemy and the Occult Arts

György Szegő: Occultism and Art. Media, Magic and Mass Culture.
(Salzburg case study) page 62

The author searches for resonances of Medieval and Post-Enlightenment occult thinking in the occult, Avant-Garde and mass culture of Salzburg, and the influence it had on twentieth century politics which brought about the tragedy of civilization.

Péter Kecskés: Apocalypse-Art. Occult Tendencies in Avant-Garde and Underground Art page 84

In this summary work the author reveals the presence of occult, magical and alchemist thinking in twentieth century and contemporary underground art through typical examples of fine art, music and film.

WINDOW: Luc Benoist: Esotericism

János Drábik: The Occult Dimension of World Politics page 105

The existence of occult government, even the role of the occult in politics, is questioned by the majority, and only relatively few researchers knowledgeable in the field consider it an actual factor that practices decisive influence on the course of history. Occult influence does, however, exist, and does influence political life.

Lajos Eff: "Occult" Fragments (But What Are We Talking About Anyway?) page 124

Our only options are not secret societies or mass dreams, business transactions or political table-turning: attitude and behavior can also become occult. And that's the interesting part...

WINDOW: Theodore Roszak: The Cult of Information, or the Computer Folklore and the Real are of Thought

SCENES OF OUR LIVES page 140

Carnival, Small Public Plazas, Quiet Corners In this column we continue publishing excerpts from Christopher Alexander: Pattern Language. Towns, Buildings, Construction (New York, 1981, Oxford University Press).

WINDOW: Tibor Kiss – József Zelnik: Testamen. Leonardo's Gospel

SPIRITUAL WORLDS

Dramaturgy for Space. A Conversation with Imre Makovecz page 149

The prominent proponent of organic architecture speaks about the importance of human behavior and bearing, and the process of which the end result is constructed space.

Lajos Somlósi: On Inspired Works page 158

The path of ambitious man (alchemist) leads from the imagination, through the heart, to the power of will, creating an arc of trinity. Imagination must manifest itself in behavior and action through the heart's power of love to enable the work – the Great Work, the inspired work – to come into being in the material world for all to see: that, which was created up there has materialized here, on Earth.

Vilmos Keszeg: Man, Landscape and Faith page 164

We relate to our environment in different ways, and there are a variety of rules for using it. The author traveled the villages of the Mezôség region of Transylvania for over twenty-five years to learn what knowledge is that which science calls belief and the vernacular calls superstition.

Ildikó Boldizsár: Fairies in Folk Tradition and Folklore page 170

The supernatural beings of Hungarian folk tales have long posed a challenge to ethnographers. The fairies, witches, dragons, giants and elves who had inhabited ever-changing folk tales for centuries and whose existence was interconnected with folk tradition and folk belief, have gradually disappeared from the stories as they have from our every day lives.

The Occult Power of Music and the Harmonia Caelestis. A Conversation with György Szabados, Composer page 175

"Today even music develops along the lines of political power struggles, which is why it is of increasingly low quality. There are two markedly diverging tendencies in music. One of these is that which addresses the masses in an attempt to validate its desires. Billions of people have no opportunity to have a real say in their lives and the only option left for them is to scream at those in power: This hurts, this is crazy, you must stop! But as this is the music of the masses the end result is extremely schematic with no differentiation, like the flowing of sand through the hourglass. ... The other tendency is that of unclarity, which bears individual forms of seclusion. It has no strength, not even a rhythm, and does not even attempt to sound musical. ... It emanates loneliness, the experience of having everything pushed into a void."

MASTERS AND WORKSHOPS

A Conversation with Dr. Attila Csemez, University Professor and Dean of the Landscape Architecture Department of the Budapest Corvinus University page 185

Scenery belongs to the public. Landscape architecture is the unique connection of the natural-ecological approach and the technical approach.

ECOLOGY AND IDEOLOGY

Peters and Ábels. A Conversation with József V. Molnár ethnologist page 195

" 'The biggest mistake green movements make is that they ignore the sacred.'
I don't know when and where József V. Molnár said this, but the quote has been hanging above my desk for years. I think it hits the nail on the head, while it seems to bother others. This is the topic of our conversation."

ECOFORUM

From the National Civil Forum to the Petőfi Circle page 202

The essence of politics is public discussion on the future of the community. In Hungary today this discussion is taking place with the exclusion of the concerned and with the intent of misleading the concerned, both in the media and within Parliament. Ad hoc street demonstrations, however, are no substitute for democratic publicity. This is the reason behind the foundation of the National Civil Forum by the public movement Live Chain for Hungary.

ECO-LIBRARY page 208

ABSTRACTS page 220