N Dunlop A Man Of Our Time

D.N. Dunlop, A Man of Our Time

D.N. Dunlop (1868-1935) combined remarkable practical and organizational abilities in industry and commerce with gifted spiritual and esoteric capacities. A personal friend of W.B. Yeats and Rudolf Steiner, Dunlop was responsible for founding the World Power Conference (today the World Energy Council), and played leading roles in the Theosophical Society and later the Anthroposophical Society. In his business life he pioneered a cooperative approach towards the emerging global economy. Meyer’s compelling narrative of Dunlop’s life begins on the Isle of Arran, where the motherless boy is brought up by his grandfather. In a landscape rich with prehistoric standing stones, the young Dunlop has formative spiritual experiences. When his grandfather dies, he struggles for material survival, but devotedly studies occult literature. The scene moves to Dublin, where Dunlop becomes a friend of W.B. Yeats and the poet-seer A.E., and develops an active interest in Madame Blavatsky’s Theosophy. Arriving in London via New York, Dunlop is now a lecturer, writer and the editor of a monthly journal – but alongside his esoteric interests he rises to a foremost position in the British electrical industry, masterminding the first World Power Conference. Dunlop’s life is to change forever through his meeting with Rudolf Steiner, which ‘...brought instant recognition’. He was immediately convinced that Steiner was ‘...the Knower, the Initiate, the bearer of the Spirit to his age’. Dunlop’s close involvement with anthroposophy, leading to his eventual position as Chair of the British Society, is described in detail: from the momentous conferences in Penmaenmawr and Torquay to his transformative relationships with Eleanor Merry, W.J. Stein, Ita Wegman and Ludwig Polzer-Hoditz. Meyer features important material on the Anthroposophical Society’s tragic split, that allows for a true evaluation of this difficult period in the organization’s history. This second, enlarged edition features substantial additions of new material and an Afterword by Owen Barfield.

The Annals of Our Time

The Knights Templar

The beginning of the Templar Order is shrouded in mystery. Little is known about its foundation, inner workings, or its rapid growth. Such a lack of knowledge can lead to all sorts of speculation and, at times, bizarre theories. This book--the result of a conference on the theme at Emerson College in England--offers new, well-grounded perspectives that utilize both esoteric and exoteric sources. From varying perspectives, the contributors tackle key questions relating to the formation of the Templar Order, as well as its goals and intentions. The authors explore the spiritual and historical background of the Knights Templar, as well as the Order's significance today and its continuing impulse for the future. With its broad scope, this stimulating anthology encourages independent, open-minded enquiry and research. The Knights Templar features contributions from Peter Tradowsky, Gil McHattie, Horst Biehl, Margaret Jonas, Rolf Speckner, Sylvia Francke, Simon Cade-Williams, Jaap van der Haar, Alfred Kon, David Lenker, Peter Snow, Christine Gruwez, Frans Lutters, Walter Johannes Stein, and Siegfried Rudel.