Spiritual Forum

Damanhur, is an eco-society based on ethical and spiritual values, awarded by an agency of the United Nations as a model for a sustainable future.

Founded in 1975, the Federation has about 1,000 citizens and extends over 500 hectares of territory throughout Valchiusella and the Alto Canavese area, at the foothills of the Piedmont Alps.

Damanhur offers courses and events all year round, and it is possible to visit for short periods as well as longer stays for study, vacation or regeneration.

Damanhur promotes a culture of peace and equitable development through solidarity, volunteerism, respect for the environment, art, and social and political engagements.

Damanhur has a Constitution, a complementary currency system, a daily newspaper, a magazine, art studios, a center for research and practice of medicine and science, an open university, and schools for children through middle school.

The Federation of Damanhur is also known throughout the world because its citizens have created the Temples of Humankind, an extraordinary underground work of art dedicated to the reawakening of the divine essence in every human being. It is considered by many as the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” The art studios that made the Temples are located at Damanhur Crea, a center for innovation, wellness and research, open to the public every day of the year.

Damanhur has centers and activities in Italy, Europe, Japan and the United States and collaborates with international organizations engaged in the social, civic and spiritual development of the planet.

Every year thousands of people visit Damanhur to try out the social model, study the philosophy and to meditate in the Temples of Humankind, that great underground construction excavated by hand into the rock by the citizens of Damanhur and which many have called the ‘Eighth wonder of the world’.

The Water Hall, the Earth Hall, the Hall of Spheres, the Hall of Mirrors, the Metal Hall, the Blue Temple and the Labyrinth: The Temples of Humankind are an underground work of art, created entirely by hand and dedicated to the divine nature of humanity. It is a great three dimensional book which recounts the history of Humankind through all the art forms, a path of re-awakening to the Divine inside and outside of ourselves.

In the Temples of Humankind, every aspect has a meaning: the colours, the measurements and every detail follow a precise code of forms and proportions; every Hall has its specific resonance and its own sound.

The Temples of Humankind symbolically represent the inner rooms inside every human being. Walking through its halls and corridors corresponds to a profound journey inside oneself. The Temples wind for over 8,500 cubic metres on five different levels, connected to one another by hundreds of metres of corridors. They arise in the place where the Eurasian continental plate meets the African plate, pushing up a mineral 300 million years old: it is mylonite, a rock that carries the physical energy of the earth. The Temples of Humankind have been built right inside a vein of this particular mineral, whose presence follows perfectly the flowing of the ‘Synchronic Lines’ of the planet. The synchronic lines are like great rivers of energy which cross the Earth and connect it to the Universe, carrying ideas, thoughts and dreams. The Temples arise within a ‘shining knot’ a point where four synchronic lines meet.

The Temples are a great laboratory where art and science, technology and spirituality are united in the research of new roads for the evolution of humanity. As during the Renaissance, the construction of the Temples of Humankind has been the influence behind the creation of artistic and craft workshops, thanks to which Damanhur is valued all over the world.

Keeping pace with the growth of the Temples of Humankind – which represent the highest collective, artistic expression – Damanhurian society has refined itself and has created the basis for its own culture and tradition.

The Temples of Humankind is open daily to visitors by reservation. Click here for more information.

“The Temples of Humankind are a surprising achievement, and what does that say about the community that built them? The social structure developed by the Damanhurians has turned out to be as extraordinary in every aspect as the Temples are. The first thing to clarify is that this is a place of spiritual and philosophical research; Damanhur is not trying to create a new religion. Here they are researching in the field of spirituality, of social philosophy, here they are researching life. (…)

If all this sounds a bit too good to be true, just let me say that after being with many of these people, living with them, experiencing people’s daily, there is no doubt in my mind that the reality comes close to the vision.”

JEFF MERRIFIELD

Extract from:“The story of the Extraordinary Italian Artistic and Spiritual Community”

Hanford Mead, 2006

http://www.damanhur.org/component/content/article/25/40-the-temples-of-humankind