This talk will explore the approaches of Plato and Neoplatonist philosophers towards harmony in relation to their cosmological ideas and theories. These philosophers held that the cosmos was a single living being, an interconnected entity containing all other entities, and a harmonious whole. These ideas about the harmonious nature of the cosmos underpin and relate to the late antique practice of theurgy, a type of religious ritual used by Neoplatonist philosophers to connect with the gods. Theurgic ritual is based on a worldview where all planets and stars, ecosystems, humans, animals, plants and other natural entities such as gemstones, are connected to each other and to the gods. Does this worldview have any relevance for us today? It certainly has significant parallels with many contemporary indigenous and eastern traditions and cultures. This talk will examine these issues, emphasising in particular the importance of this worldview in relation to approaching and tackling current environmental problems and crises.

Dr Crystal Addey is a Lecturer in Classics at University College Cork, an honorary Research Fellow in Classics at the University of St Andrews, and a Tutor for the Sophia Centre for the Study of Cosmology in Culture at the University of Wales Trinity St. David. She is the author of Divination and Theurgy in Neoplatonism: Oracles of the Gods (Ashgate 2014) and has published widely on ancient philosophy and religions (with a focus on ancient divination).