Rik Danenberg

Home

Born in Christchurch, New Zealand in the Spring of 1956, to a Dutch father and New Zealand mother. He immigrated to Australia at age 17 and two years later was the youngest student of thirty-four students in the Prima class of 1976 given by Frater Albertus Spagyricus in Melbourne, Australia.
By that age he was already well versed in the works of the Qabalah, Israel Regardie and the Golden Dawn, Madame Blavatsky, Aleister Crowley, Carl Jung etc.
He attended the classes with the Paracelsus Research Society and the Paracelsus College continuously through to the last elective five months before Frater Albert's passing in 1984.
It was during this last set of classes that he witnessed Frater appoint Gregory Sneddon as the Administrator of the College.

A few months prior to Albert's passing the calling to give up his life in another city and move back to Melbourne in order to assist in the work of the college became a driving force. One week prior to departure he met his soror mystica and they made the journey together. During the transition period around Frater's passing he experienced several dreams involving Frater Albert and the continuence of the Work that have since become manifest.

When new College premises were found Rik designed and assisted in the construction of the laboratory and teaching facilities.
The two week classes recommenced in January 1985 with Gregory Sneddon giving the Prima and Quarta (herbal & animal), and Werner Nawrocki was invited from Germany to give the Secunda and Tertia classes on antimony etc. During these two years Rik was the laboratory manager and assistant teacher for Greg and Werner and was the editor of the College Journal of 1985.

Rik gave his first Prima in September 1986 and the Secunda of 1987 which combined the antimony mineral work into one class and did various Prima's in other parts of the country. He gave the Tertia Animal class at his Melbourne home in 1990.
In 1990 Greg appointed Jeannie Radcliffe as the College Administrator. Jeannie had also been giving classes for the College since 1987.
During this period Rik was also involved with Gurdjieff groups and underwent training in the Gurdjieff group movements and Work.
He participated in various classes in mineral alchemy and phonetic cabala given by Arthur Fehres (former secretary of the P.R.S. Aust.) at his Hermes School of Philosophy.

The Melbourne era of the work passed and the College moved to Sydney. During this underground period the classes were given in different cultural groups and alternative communities.
After some years of living as journeyers travelling and collecting minerals from mines all over Australia, living in the bush and the desert, the era of formlessness came to an end in 1995 and the essentials were brought together again in Adelaide to provide the College with a home base.
Over the following decade education was the main focus, both giving and receiving, undertaking studies in computing, the sciences, arts and psychology. Refining the Paracelsus College curriculum and attending the University of South Australia.

In 2006 he moved with the College to Bendigo in rural Victoria.
Rik's primary aim is to assist the work of the College and its evolving curriculum while continuing his life-long exploration of the multi-faceted Philosopher's Stone that is Alchemy.

Art