Follow-on Courses
Centred upon the question 'how do the wise live?’, the Introductory course is a complete study in itself. However, we encourage you to explore and deepen your understanding further beyond the first term and we offer a range of opportunities to enable you to do so.
Students wishing to continue after the introductory term join our follow-on group (Awareness Group) where they explore four further modules of 10 or 11 weeks on a rotating basis (they can be taken in any order).
The group currently meets on Tuesday evenings, alternately online and in person.
An outline and expected next start date of each module are shown below (dates may change).
Philosophy and Love (September 2025)
See our Philosophy 3: Love course details
- The importance of love. How it is gained and how it is lost.
- Love as it is expressed in creation. The nature of love overcoming limits.
- The expansion of love. The things that conceal love
- What it is that is loved. The nature of gratitude
- "Love thy neighbour" The subtle realm of mind
- The importance of connecting mind with the senses
- The causes of duality and hostility. The unity of knowledge and love
- Lack of love and giving. The importance of stillness
- The relationship between love and law. Freedom of love and law together
- Love and work. Love guided by wisdom
- Mindful Working practical session
Philosophy and Happiness (January 2026)
What is true happiness? Is this natural to a man or woman? How may it be experienced fully and how is it lost? Is it permanent or transient?
What is the effect of gaining happiness at the expense of another person’s happiness? Is such happiness true and lasting?
Happiness and service. Is happiness natural?
Happiness and law; Happiness and utilitarianism; Happiness and pleasure, Epicurus, Aristippus, Plato
The Platonic goods which lead to happiness
An introduction to Marsilio Ficino, Lao Tzu, finding inner equilibrium
Happiness: contentment, Patanjali
Finding happiness in work Happiness and wisdom
Mindful Working practical session
Philosophy and Presence of Mind (May 2026)
Introduction to the subject of presence of mind. What in truth is present and receiving knowledge from what is present.
The unchanging true existence which is always present. Explanation in Advaita philosophy. Discrimination between transient and eternal.
Further on the need to discriminate between the transient and the eternal. The Absolute which is infinite and liberating in nature.
Plato’s analogy of the cave.
Being in touch with the present and the natural rhythm of events.
The power of thought as influenced by sattwa, rajas and tamas. The importance of nourishing the mind and how that may be done.
The power of decision. Some key decisions that need to be addressed in life. Decision making and how that may be done effectively.
The power of love to transcend limits and overcome division. The five levels of love from the individual to the universal. The nature of criticism.
The power of will or the power of ‘I’ associated with any desire, thought or activity. A practical approach to action.
The powers of thought, decision, love and will as universal powers. Oneself as unlimited and the effect on this of identification. The power of attention.
The need to trust the present moment. Practical approaches to achieve this. The principle of giving what you lack.
Mindful Working practical session
Philosophy and Freedom (September 2026)
What really is freedom? How is it gained and how is it lost? This is a subject of the greatest importance both at the philosophic and the practical levels. The course will include:
Freedom, Truth and Love
Freedom and the Play of Life
Freedom of Speech
Dialectic and Freedom
The Journey to Freedom
Emotional Freedom
Freedom and the Heart
Valuing Freedom
Freedom from Tyranny
Freedom and Humanity
Freedom and True Being
Mindful Working practical session
Philosophy with Meditation starts January 2026
Introducing a brand-new, one-year course designed to provide you with the best possible introduction to the life-enhancing practice of mantra meditation.
There are many forms of meditation in the world today and almost as many ways of learning - often at great expense! Rarely will you ever find such a complete package of teaching and ongoing support as that delivered by this course - and never at a more affordable price.
Practised twice-a-day, morning and evening for up to 30 minutes, mantra meditation is an authentic, time-honoured practice, used by millions of people every day, including by students in our School since the 1960s. Read more about the practice of meditation.
The course is open to anyone who has previously completed the School of Philosophy's ten-week introductory course and has found they were able to practise the simple Awareness Exercise.