A Chilean humanist with broad experience in Latin America, Tomás Hirsch, presented the book “Parks of Study and Reflection, Beacons of the New Spiritual Horizon of Humanity”. Within the framework of the Regional Book Fair in San Lorenzo, this the third such festival of culture and creativity in the region, Hirsch presented this collection of photographs and testimonies which show, to the keen observer, the human climates closest to happiness, intuition and inspiration. He shows this through images which successfully transmit the atmosphere of those gatherings where so many thousands of people study, reflect and experience access to the profound and the unfathomable. They are connected to each other in the search for internal experiences that respond to the transcendental themes of the human being.

To give more meaning to this presentation, Tomás commented that “my principal motive here, the clear and simple objective of making this presentation and transmitting these experiences that I’ve had in so many years participating in the teachings of Silo, is to invite you, simply to invite you to participate in the activities and experience them for yourselves. In a few days, on the 14th of August, a new group will begin. The School has opened its doors and there is further possibility of accessing these Works”.

Hirsch referred to the “fourth group”, probably the last one for some time, which will allow those interested to access the studies and practices of the Works proposed by the School. In this case, the group begins on Saturday, August 14th, and consists of five meetings from now until the end of the year. In these meetings, participants are given guidelines for the studies and works to be developed. Individuals and groups will develop the themes themselves, without tutors. This methodology is another innovation applied by the School, which has proved to be very effective and very in tune with the times.

A first step of levelling will take place so that all participants are familiar with and share a series of contents, meanings and language according to each topic, and which later will help them in choosing and developing one of the four disciplines: material, mental, energetic, morphological, which have been systematized into three quaterns, each containing four steps. The twelve steps imply achieving “precise registers and internal certainties”, which will guide the operator on the path to accessing the profound spaces of the consciousness, and allowing advances in comprehensions and discoveries. This Work usually has a strong impact on the consciousness of the operator, producing progressive, important and very positive changes, both in the personality and in the daily life of the operator.

In the region of Greater Rosario, the activities are carried out in the park, located in the area of Lucio V López, route 34, where it meets Río Carcarañá [www.parquecarcarana.org].

About the book

Through 180 photographs, the book “Parks of Study and Reflection” transmits the human atmosphere of the parks, and reveals its meaning.

The book illustrates the Parks, which are places of inspiration for millions of people all around the world. Here, the human being is studied in-depth in an atmosphere of non-discrimination, affection, and the reciprocal good treatment of each other.

Until now there are more than twenty such Parks in the world, and there are already projects in progress which will bring the number to thirty before the end of this year. The projects are developing in various countries in America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

The book project, coordinated by Tomás Hirsch with the artistic direction of Rafael Edwards, has also had the collaboration of more than forty photographers, both professional and amateur, who wanted to make known these special places which, as Eduardo Gozalo explains in one of the introductory articles, are gateways for entry to the mental world of the Profound.

After the presentation, Tomás Hirsch signed copies of the book at the stand of the Community for Human Development which it had mounted in order to promote the book, the Parks and the fourth group.

The participants, upon finding out that another of Hirsch’s books, “The End of Prehistory”, was also available, bought numerous copies motivated by the presence of the author who proceeded to sign them with affectionate dedications.

Tomás Hirsch, accompanied by a delegation of humanist friends from the area, visited the rest of the Fair before he presented his book.

This presentation in the Regional Book Fair of San Lorenzo was organized by the local members of the humanist group “The Community for Human Development”, Gabriel Gómez Fiori and Irene Schmidt. Gabriel was in charge of Tomás’ presentation, thanking him for coming to the Fair, and also thanking the attendees from the area of San Lorenzo, as well as the friends of Rosario who came to participate in the presentation.

*Translation: Meghan Storey*