Kurt Almqvist
Encyclopedia
Romance languages
The Romance languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family, more precisely of the Italic languages subfamily, comprising all the languages that descend from Vulgar Latin, the language of ancient Rome...
, Swedish poet, intellectual and spiritual figure, representative of the Traditionalist School
Traditionalist School
The term Traditionalist School is used by Mark Sedgwick and other authors to denote a school of thought, also known as Integral Traditionalism or Perennialism to denote an esoteric movement developed by authors such as French metaphysician René Guénon, German-Swiss...
and the Perennial philosophy
Perennial philosophy
Perennial philosophy is the notion of the universal recurrence of philosophical insight independent of epoch or culture, including universal truths on the nature of reality, humanity or consciousness .-History:The idea of a perennial philosophy has great...
. Almqvist was a life-long disciple of the Swiss metaphysician and spiritual guide Frithjof Schuon
Frithjof Schuon
Frithjof Schuon, was a native of Switzerland born to German parents in Basel, Switzerland. He is known as a philosopher, metaphysician and author of numerous books on religion and spirituality....
. He came into close contact with the spiritual representatives of the Shadhiliyya order in the middle of the 1940s. He introduced Schuon's teachings on spirituality and transcendent unity of religions in a number of publications. He also introduced the works of René Guénon
René Guénon
René Guénon , also known as Shaykh `Abd al-Wahid Yahya was a French author and intellectual who remains an influential figure in the domain of metaphysics, having written on topics ranging from metaphysics, sacred science and traditional studies to symbolism and initiation.In his writings, he...
in his writings. He was a frequent contributor to the quarterly journal, Studies in Comparative Religion
Studies in Comparative Religion
Studies in Comparative Religion was a quarterly academic journal published from 1963–1987 that contained essays on the spiritual practices and religious symbolism of the world's religions. The journal was notable for the number of prominent Perennialists who contributed to it...
, which dealt with religious symbolism
Religious symbolism
Religious symbolism is the use of symbols, including archetypes, acts, artwork, events, or natural phenomena, by a religion. Religions view religious texts, rituals, and works of art as symbols of compelling ideas or ideals...
and the Traditionalist
Traditionalist School
The term Traditionalist School is used by Mark Sedgwick and other authors to denote a school of thought, also known as Integral Traditionalism or Perennialism to denote an esoteric movement developed by authors such as French metaphysician René Guénon, German-Swiss...
perspective.
Almqvist received his doctorate in 1951 from Uppsala university
Uppsala University
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
on a dissertation concerning Guilhem Ademar
Guilhem Ademar
Guilhem Ademar was a troubadour from the Gévaudan. Noble by birth, but very poor, he travelled between the courts of Albi, Toulouse, Narbonne, and Spain. He achieved fame enough in his lifetime to be satirised by the Monge de Montaudon. He entered holy orders towards the end of his life...
, Poésies du troubadour Guilhem Adémar. He is the author of several essays and books in Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
on religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
and metaphysics
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
, including four collections of poetry.
Articles in English
- Temple of the Heart, Temple of the Body, Tomorrow, Summer 1964
- The Hidden Hierarchy of Existence, Sunrise, Vol. 22, Feb. 1973.
- Aspects of Teilhardian Idolatry, Studies in Comparative Religion, Vol. 12, No. 3 & 4, 1978.
- Reflexes in the Language of the Notion of the "Self", Studies in Comparative Religion, Vol. 13, No. 1 & 2, 1979.
- Every Branch in Me, Sunrise August / September 1982 & Studies in Comparative Religion, Vol. 15, No. 3 & 4, Middlesex, 1983. Also published in the anthology Every Branch in Me: Essays on the Meaning of Man, ed. Barry McDonald, Bloomington, 2002.
- The Three Circles of Existence, Studies in Comparative Religion, Vol. 17, No. 1 & 2, Middlesex, 1985.
- The Sun in the Tree, with Some Reflections on "Faith and Works", Religion of the Heart: Essays Presented to Frithjof Schuon on His Eightieth Birthday, eds. Seyyed Hossein NasrSeyyed Hossein NasrSeyyed Hossein Nasr is an Iranian University Professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University, and a prominent Islamic philosopher...
and William StoddartWilliam StoddartWilliam Stoddart is a Scottish physician, author and "spiritual traveller", who has written several books on the philosophy of religions. He has been called a “master of synthesis” and is one of the important writers on the Perennial Philosophy in the present day. For many years he was assistant...
, Washington D.C., 1991.
Works in French
- Poésies du troubadour Guilhem Adémar / publiées avec introduction, notes et glossaires par Kurt Almqvist (dissertation), Uppsala: Almqvist & Wiksell, 1951
- La Fontaine de la Croix; Le Nénuphar Blanc (poems), Soleils No. 4 / 1963
- Temple du coeur, Temple du corps, Études Traditionnelles, No. 378-379, 1963.
- Les trois cercles de l'existence, Études Traditionnelles, No. 393, 1966.
- Aspects de l'idolâtrie teilhardienne, Études Traditionnelles, No. 409-410, 1968.
- Etre Soi-même, Études Traditionnelles, No. 470, 1980.
Works in Hungarian
- Az ember – Az elfelejtett templom: A láthatatlan piramis. (Extract from Människan: det glömda templet.) Ford. Szelényi Lajos. Tradíció évkönyv, (Debrecen) 2003, 9–21.
- A dolgok kapuin át. Öt meditáció. (Poems from Genom tingens portar: meditationer) Ford. Szelényi Szentjóbi Annamária. Tradíció évkönyv, (Debrecen) 2003, 211–212.
- Az ember két énje. ["The Two Selves of Man".] Ford. Szelényi Lajos. Tradíció évkönyv, (Debrecen) 2005, 75-90.
Books in Swedish
- Vallfärd till mitten: dikter, Stockholm, 1945.
- Den glömda dimensionen, Stockholm, 1959.
- Gryningen är pärlemor: dikter, Stockholm, 1959.
- Ögonblick : en lyrisk årsrunda, Stockholm, 1964.
- Livklädnaden som revs sönder, Stockholm, 1967.
- Tidlös besinning i besinningslös tid, Ur Frithjof Schuons verk, Stockholm, 1973.
- I tjänst hos det Enda: ur René Guénons verk, Stockholm, 1977.
- Människan: det glömda templet, Hudiksvall, 1984.
- Himmelsstegen: om människans möjlighet att finna en väg till Gud, Delsbo, 1986.
- Genom tingens portar: meditationer, Delsbo, 1989.
- Ordet är dig nära: om uppenbarelsen i hjärtat och i religionerna, Delsbo, 1994.
See also
- Traditional School
- Frithjof SchuonFrithjof SchuonFrithjof Schuon, was a native of Switzerland born to German parents in Basel, Switzerland. He is known as a philosopher, metaphysician and author of numerous books on religion and spirituality....
- Tage LindbomTage LindbomTage Leonard Lindbom, who later in his life took the name Sidi Zayd, , PhD in Political science, who was early in his life the party theoretician and director of the archives of the Swedish Social Democratic Party 1938-1965, but later in his life he converted to Islam...
- Seyyed Hossein NasrSeyyed Hossein NasrSeyyed Hossein Nasr is an Iranian University Professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University, and a prominent Islamic philosopher...
- Ivan AguéliIvan AguéliIvan Aguéli also named Sheikh 'Abd al-Hādī 'Aqīlī upon his acceptance of Islam, was a Swedish wandering Sufi, painter and author. As a devotee of Ibn Arabi, his metaphysics applied to the study of Islamic esoterism and its similarities with other esoteric traditions of the world...
External links
- Kurt Almqvist On World Wisdom BooksWorld WisdomWorld Wisdom is an independent publishing company established in 1980 in Bloomington, Indiana. World Wisdom publishes religious and philosophical texts, including the work of authors such as Frithjof Schuon, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Titus Burckhardt, Ananda K...
- The Hidden Hierarchy of Existence by Kurt Almqvist Article on Seyyed Hossein NasrSeyyed Hossein NasrSeyyed Hossein Nasr is an Iranian University Professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University, and a prominent Islamic philosopher...
's participation in the United Nations Conference on the Human EnvironmentUnited Nations Conference on the Human EnvironmentThe United Nations Conference on the Human Environment was an international conference convened under United Nations auspices held in Stockholm, Sweden from June 5–16, 1972...
in Stockholm 1972. This article originally appeared in Swedish in the August 25, 1972 issue of Svenska DagbladetSvenska DagbladetSvenska Dagbladet is a daily newspaper in Sweden. The first issue appeared on 18 December 1884. Svenska Dagbladet is published in Stockholm and provides coverage of national and international news as well as local coverage of the Greater Stockholm region...
, one of Sweden's leading newspapers. - Two contributions of Kurt Almqvist in Hungarian
- Kurt Almqvist Collection Sigtunastiftelsen Library