New Acropolis (Livraga)

Domain XIV · Western esoteric, divinatory & new spiritual movements · Jorge Ángel Livraga Rizzi · 1957 · Buenos Aires

What it is

New Acropolis (Nueva Acrópolis) is an international non-profit organisation that presents itself as a school of philosophy working in three areas: philosophy, culture and volunteering. Its US branches state it was founded in 1957 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, has "opened centers in more than 60…

Format

• Introductory course. The London branch advertised "Philosophy – The Art of Living" as 16 weekly sessions, with a free first evening of 2 hours 30 minutes, and a fee of £130 (£95 concession) in 2013. In the US the introductory course has been offered under the name "Explorations"; one participant…
• Course content as one participant reports it. Part 1 ("know thyself"): models of the human being, such as a Greek body–soul–mind model and an Indian seven-layered model; Part 2: society and the individual's role in it; Part 3: a philosophy of history; further lectures on Buddhism (Four Noble…

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Evidence status (one line). Esoteric and astrological claims in the curriculum (for example, cycles of history read from Indian ages and the zodiac, as one participant describes them) are claims of the tradition; no controlled research supports astrological prediction of historical or personal…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• How do you and the practitioner understand what is happening, in spiritual or cultural terms? Is that a source of comfort, worry, or both?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• Rescuing, contempt, or fascination. Working when supervision confirms balanced practice.
• Replacing one all-consuming group with another; isolation. Working when the client has several independent sources of contact.
• Partisan resources that pressure the client; overload of information. Working when the client uses resources of their choosing.
• The therapy turning into a philosophy seminar; the therapist being drawn into debate. Working when ideas serve the client's goals.
• Restricted outside contact, missed medical care, fear-based discipline. Working when concerns are clarified or appropriately referred.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.