How to begin studying Martinus

Martinus left an enormous work comprising more than 40 books and 100 hand-drawn symbols. So you can begin from many different places. Here, two long-standing Martinus students talk about how they began reading his works and give their reading tips for people who are new to Martinus.
 

“I first made contact with Martinus when I was on a study trip to France after high school. There I saw a book that was on my friend Sébastien’s bookcase, which turned out to be a book by Martinus. I then asked Sébastien what it was,” says Jens Christian Hermansen, who is today the editor of the magazine Kosmos, which is based on Martinus’s world picture.

Jens Christian was not particularly interested in spiritual subjects at the time, but this Martinus book was about the organisation of society, and this was something that interested the future sociology student a lot.

“In the first place, it was Martinus’s descriptions of a peaceful, democratic world society, in which institutions such as the United Nations play an important role that occupied me. This was also what I first and foremost discussed with both my friend and the other people interested in Martinus that I met the following year during a week’s course at the Martinus Centre in Klint”.

Jens Christian, however, did not stop at social issues. Other major questions gradually became pressing issues, and Martinus’s world picture proved to be a good framework for his reflections.

– At first, I was very critical and thought, “Can this really be true? And is this really something for me?” And here I actually got most out of conversations and lectures, although I also got a lot out of reading some of the shorter books, said Jens Christian.

He therefore recommends those who have recently become interested in Martinus to seek out the community around Martinus Cosmology, unless you prefer to study on your own.

– I began reading Martinus’s main work Livets Bog (The Book of Life), volume 1 of which summarises the most important aspects of his world picture, but I did not get very far because it is quite demanding reading. It was not until later that I felt ready to study the work more systematically, and at that point I benefitted greatly from being part of a study group, he said.

As the editor of the magazine Kosmos, he is therefore very conscious of relating Martinus’s analyses to the present day and modern life. In this way, more people who are interested can follow them.

Pernilla Rosell, who previously worked with language and language teacher training in Sweden, is today responsible for coordinating the teaching at the Martinus Centre and the Martinus Institute; she is also responsible for the Martinus Institute’s publishing house and archives. She grew up in a family that was very interested in spiritual matters.

“Even in my childhood, Martinus’s world picture was included in the answers I was given to many different questions. Both my father and grandmother were very interested in spiritual themes, such as the meaning of life and reincarnation. My grandmother was also taken up with Martinus’s thoughts about diet and nutrition and liked to talk about her meetings with Martinus. But it was mostly my father I talked to about spiritual subjects, and of course he simplified his explanations to suit a child,” Pernilla said.

During her childhood, when she was with people of her own age, she sometimes felt that other children were not used to the kind of conversations about spiritual issues that they had in her own family. And that is why she believes that it was later easier for her to study Martinus’s work than many others who were interested.

“I already had the basics in place,” said Pernilla, and she is also aware of that when she organises courses and teaches Martinus’s world picture today.

“My interest in Martinus had a deeper personal impact when I got divorced and became a single mother at the age of 35. During that time, I sought answers to questions about the purpose of our human relationships, and I gained a deeper understanding of Martinus’s analysis of marriage, which I could use,” said Pernilla.

Her growing interest meant that she wanted to do voluntary work in connection with Martinus – both a translator and a teacher.

Pernilla and Jens Christian agree that there are many ways of approaching Martinus’s works. Some prefer to study at home on their own; they will benefit from using, among other things, the extensive online library and search function on this website. But many need the sparring and inspiration that the community around Martinus’s analyses offers, both in the form of physical courses and study groups and online teaching.

“The most important prerequisite for finding inspiration in Martinus’s world picture is that you have some existential questions you would like have answered,” says Pernilla, and Jens Christian adds, “It doesn’t matter if it’s the organisation of society, death, reincarnation, nutrition or gender identity that concerns you. Just explore the work and contact us at the Martinus Institute if you have any questions or are interested in hearing a lecture or joining a study group.”