A new Documentary Presents Research Showing an Ancient Greek Philosopher Central to Forming Western Civilization was more than a Great Thinker; he was

Costa Mesa, CA (PRWEB) March 21, 2008 -- Rediscover our lost heritage in: "Finding Our Ancient Wisdom: The Spiritual Origins of Western Civilization," the new DVD release from Golden Thread Films and EMMY Award winning director/cameraman Tom Tanquary (http://www.pictureandsoundproductions.com).

Scholar and author Peter Kingsley has spent his life uncovering the forgotten secret right at the roots of western civilization. Golden Thread Films and Light to Shadow Productions are proud to present this film about Peter Kingsley's groundbreaking discoveries.

The teachings of the foundational figure of Empedocles (http://www.iep.utm.edu/e/empedocl.htm) have been studied for centuries, but Kingsley took a new approach that led him straight to the hidden heart of Empedocles' meaning. What Kingsley brought to the study of Empedocles' poems was a deep respect for the philosopher's chosen medium of epic verse and a strong sense of the importance of translating and interpreting texts in their historical and geographical context. The result was a startling discovery with enormous implications: Empedocles, one of the West's great philosophers, was a mystic--a magician. The foundation stone of so much of western science, philosophy, and culture was not the legendary Greek rationality of the textbooks but a profound, living spirituality.

Men like Empedocles gave their teachings from a deep consciousness and with a grand and specific aim: they offered us our true selves, an understanding of our role in the cosmos, the experience of oneness (http://www.globalonenessproject.org/), and a civilization with a purpose. This film shows us how much we have forgotten, how much we have lost, and how far we have strayed from our civilization's original course. But it also shows us the way to regain our lost heritage and become what we were meant to be. Though the stakes are high and the challenges formidable, Kingsley demonstrates throughout the film how even the most common things, done consciously--like the simple act of seeing or of listening to the singing of the birds--can change our lives.

The wisdom of the ancients laid the foundation for everything we cherish about western culture. It gave us great power and material success. But the most important gift is the one we've forgotten--the spiritual foundation that teaches us the meaning of our very existence--and that of our civilization. It is our right and our duty to reclaim what is ours--for ourselves, for our world, and for the future.

"Here is a spiritual truth that gives us the light we need, a sacred vision that can reconnect us with our own roots and help us to see our way out of our present darkness."

-Llewellyn Vaughan-Less (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llewellyn_Vaughan-Lee), Ph.D. Author and Sufi Teacher

Commentary within the film by Huston Smith (http://www.hustonsmith.net/), Cynthia Bourgeault (http://www.contemplative.org/cynthia.html), Pir Zia Inayat Khan (http://www.sufiorder.org/), and Gregory Shaw.

Join us as Peter Kingsley returns to the wisdom that started it all and reveals the secret of our beginnings in "Finding Our Ancient Wisdom."

DVD, NTSC, All Regions, 1:41 running time, $24.95

For more information go to www.goldenthreadfilms.com and www.peterkingsley.org

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