The Age of Gold: Time past and time yet to come

Tuesdays 12th & 19th May 2026
18.00 – 19.15 (London Time)

The golden age was first; when Man yet new,
No rule but uncorrupted reason knew:
And, with a native bent, did good pursue.
Unforc’d by punishment, un-aw’d by fear,
His words were simple, and his soul sincere;
Needless was written law, where none opprest:
The law of Man was written in his breast:

So runs Ovid’s account of the Age of Gold – the age of peace and plenty. There is a universal tradition of a mythical past age of gold, followed by progressively declining and degenerate ages.

This 2-session Zoom course will explore this idea of the descent of the ages, from the Age of Gold to that of Iron, and from Satya Yuga to Kali Yuga, as it is found in the myth and poetry of traditions East and West.

But all is not lost. As we read in the Poetic Edda:

Now do I see the earth anew / Rise all green from the waves again…
Then fields unsowed bear ripened fruit, / All ills grow better, and Baldur returns…

Speaker:

Julie Parker MA is the Lifelong Learning Programme Coordinator and Manager of the Fintry Trust. She was previously Vice Principal of a Further Education College in Kent with close connections to Japan. She leads retreats and contemplative days for the Trust, devised and taught the ‘Reading the Mystics’ course over many years, and has given talks on many subjects including the Platonic myths, Dante, The Cloud of Unknowing, Dionysius the Areopagite and Boethius’ The Consolation of Philosophy.

Fee: £30. Please book using the link below.