Sara Ferro and Chris Weil of Artoldo Pictures visited the library in the spring of 2016, not long before we moved out of the building on Bloemstraat. Their documentary offers a really unique view inside our previous location and the library there. The result is a 90-minutes long sequence of enchanting books, unique interviews, beautiful pearls of wisdom, side by side with a clear and concise history of western Esotericism by Dr. Marco Pasi, Associate Professor at the Chair of History of Hermetic philosophy and related currents at the University of Amsterdam. If you want to be immersed in a wealth of wisdom, history and previously unrecorded stories: you’ve just got to watch this movie!
This documentary shows you how rare old books about the divine essence of things, the hidden reality behind the curtain of visible life, can be the first companions for a soul seeking for an inner spiritual path, and how this path can guide you to the nature of the universe, shedding light on the intimate relationship between Microcosm and Macrocosm. How the rediscovery in early printed books of rejected knowledge and concealed truths can ignite a transcendent spark, help to pass a sort of mystical gate and find access to a circle of initiates. In a symbolical alchemical transmutation of one’s own reality. How some ancient metaphysical traditions can incorporate the Inviolable, Absolute and Permanent. How a certain particular world of bibliophiles ticks, what motivates them and how to come to terms with auctions while you build up your library – and above all why to build up a library. Understanding books as an engine of cultural revolutions and as a heritage of hard-fought theories and determined authors, all of which we can now enjoy freely. The founder of the BPH Joost Ritman, the director of the library Esther Ritman, the curators Cis van Heertum and José Bouman tell us about all this, while Marco Pasi of the University of Amsterdam narrates the wonderful and captivating history of Western Esotericism.
See legendary first editions, rare books and manuscripts like the famous Fama Fraternitatis, the Corpus Hermeticum, Tabula Smaragdina, Atalanta Fugiens, Spaccio della bestia trionfante, Plantin’s Polyglot Bible and discover amazing works of authors like Basilius Valentinus, Marsilio Ficino, Johannes Reuchlin, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim, Paracelsus, Giordano Bruno, Heinrich Khunrath, Michael Maier, Jacob Böhme, Lambspring, Robert Fludd, Daniel Mögling, Benedictus de Spinoza, Matthäus Merian and Stephan Michelspacher.
The Ritman Library - Documentary - Official Trailer from Artoldo on Vimeo.
Duration: 90 minutes | Language: English | Subtitles: English