Eugene Halliday, artist, writer and psychotherapist, had a deep understanding of both Western and Eastern ancient wisdom, which he interpreted and presented for a modern audience. He taught principles drawn from the esoteric scriptures of world religions and connected them to modern ideas in philosophy, psychology and science, creating a coherent, holistic view of the universe and our place within it. His initial presentation of his thought was clear and logical. In its development, it became highly complex and profound, containing a message beneficial for all who heard him.
Born in 1911, Eugene Halliday was one of those teachers who lived through two World Wars and whose interpretation of their experiences led them to become the forerunners of the spiritual renaissance of the 1960s. He was introduced to mysticism through his family, and it engaged his interest from an early age. Inspired by William Blake and the seventeenth century theologian Jakob Boehme, as well as sacred texts, philosophy and science, he was a prolific writer. A regular speaker in Manchester in the post-war years, he became involved in psychotherapeutic work with many who had suffered through the 2nd World War. With the support of his friends and students, he founded two organisations, the International Hermeneutic Society (I.H.S.) and the Institute for the Study of Hierological Values (Ishval), where he taught until his death in 1987. His seminal work, written during the 1950s, was his book, Reflexive Self-Consciousness, which, if anything, has become more rather than less relevant to the predicament we find ourselves in, in the world today.
A message from Christian de Quincey
I was delighted to discover the works of Eugene Halliday, and to meet the people who are carrying on his legacy through Ishval (Eugene Halliday Society), the organization he founded.
Delighted for two reasons: First, because here was a teacher and visionary who had seen deeply into the nature of reality to recognize that consciousness “goes all the way down” — that all of nature, indeed the entire cosmos—”tingles with the spark of spirit” (my phrases, but equally his insights). Second, he is one of the few teachers of consciousness who not only recognized that consciousness is always embodied, but also that we should not confuse consciousness with energy (its embodiment).
Reading his books, particularly, Reflexive Self-Consciousness, I felt as though I was having a conversation with a fellow spirit, a clear thinker who saw beyond boundaries of academic philosophy, and was committed to contributing a transformative philosophy of life that honors both head and heart.
I urge my students (and others) to read his books. If you haven’t done so already—treat yourself!”
Christian de Quincey, professor of Philosophy and Consciousness Studies at John F. Kennedy University. Author of Radical Nature: Rediscovering the Soul of Nature; Radical Knowing: Understanding Consciousness Through Relationship; and others