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Join a new 9-part Interintellect book club exploring various facets of life and embracing its philosophy into our living versions of consciousness through Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet!
In this salon series, Tanya Raj will lead deep dive discussions on The Prophet by Khalil Gibran and his philosophy on living a life with purpose and meaning.
The Prophet is a book of 26 prose-poetry-fables written in English by the Lebanese-American poet and writer Kahlil Gibran. It was originally published in 1923 and is Gibran’s best-known work. One of the world’s bestselling poets, his works have been adapted into movies and plays. Since its publication, The Prophet has never been out of print, and has been translated into more than 50 languages.
This speaks volumes of the allure of the philosophy hidden between its pages. It is delivered as sermons by a wise man called Al Mustapha, as he is about to set sail for his homeland after 12 years in exile on a fictional island. Before his departure, the people of the island ask him to share his wisdom on the big questions of life: love, family, work and death. This is what encapsulates the essence of The Prophet.
Active Participation
Please read each chapter in advance of the corresponding salon. The book is a fairly easy read, with each chapter not more than two pages. Please jot down ideas that occur to you or notes about concepts that seem important. This guide from Harvard on how to actively engage and interact with texts is a really useful starting point.
The reading group will be valuable for everyone if we all participate in the spirit of vigorous and open discussion. Please approach your reading and discussion with an open but active mind, and sincere intent.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Buy your copy of the book here and watch the Netflix adaptation here.
Starts August 14th until December 11th
Second and Fourth Saturday of each month, 5-8 PM IST (7:30-10:30 PM SGT/11:30AM-2:30PM GMT)
Series tickets: $180 (available to members)
Individual salon tickets may become available at the host’s discretion.
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Purchasing a series ticket is available on this page if you’re signed in as an Interintellect member:
(If you’re already a member, make sure you’re signed in.)
Perks of being a member:
- Free monthly salon ticket
- Access to series tickets like this one
- Discount on all other Interintellect events
- Access to our community forum on Discord
- Access to all members-only events
More details about memberships here.
| # | Date | Chapters | Themes |
| 1 | Aug 14th | 1-4 | Introduction, Love, Marriage, Children |
| 2 | Aug 28th | 5-7 | Giving, Eating and Drinking, Work |
| 3 | Sep 11th | 8-10 | Joy and Sorrow, Houses, Clothes |
| 4 | Sep 25th | 11-13 | Buying and Selling, Crime and Punishment, Laws |
| 5 | Oct 9th | 14-16 | Freedom, Reason and Passion, Pain |
| 6 | Oct 23rd | 17-19 | Self-Knowledge, Teaching, Friendship |
| 7 | Nov 13th | 20-22 | Talking, Time, Good and Evil |
| 8 | Nov 27th | 23-25 | Prayer, Pleasure, Beauty |
| 9 | Dec 11th | 26-28 | Religion, Death, Farewell |
1. Introduction, Love, Marriage, Children – Aug 14th
Starting with the commencement of the wise-man’s journey towards his homeland, we will delve into the beauty and fragility of love, what constitutes a sacred union, and how should we perceive and raise children.
During the salon, participants will be invited to share and discuss:
- Which part of this philosopher’s teaching resonated with you the most?
- Which of their core beliefs do you believe are still relevant today? Which are not? Why?
We will also leave space to discuss the content of each chapter more generally, specific questions raised by participants and allow the conversation to evolve in the most insightful way for all.
2. Giving, Eating and Drinking, Work – Aug 28th
In this salon, we will delve into what does giving mean and how does one receive with grace, how can eating and drinking become a more mindful activity rather than just satiating the hunger, and how to approach work with reverence and devotion.
During the salon, participants will be invited to share and discuss:
- Which part of this philosopher’s teaching resonated with you the most?
- Which of their core beliefs do you believe are still relevant today? Which are not? Why?
We will also leave space to discuss the content of each chapter more generally, specific questions raised by participants and allow the conversation to evolve in the most insightful way for all.
3. Joy and Sorrow, Houses, Clothes – Sep 11th
In this salon, we will delve into what are joys and sorrows and how they touch everyone, what is the concept of house and if it is the same as home, and what do clothes represent in the larger consciousness.
During the salon, participants will be invited to share and discuss:
- Which part of this philosopher’s teaching resonated with you the most?
- Which of their core beliefs do you believe are still relevant today? Which are not? Why?
We will also leave space to discuss the content of each chapter more generally, specific questions raised by participants and allow the conversation to evolve in the most insightful way for all.
4. Buying and Selling, Crime and Punishment, Laws – Sep 25th
In this salon, we will delve into the man-made concepts of trading and what purpose do they serve, is crime evil and does punishment equate to atonement, along with the universality and purpose of laws.
During the salon, participants will be invited to share and discuss:
- Which part of this philosopher’s teaching resonated with you the most?
- Which of their core beliefs do you believe are still relevant today? Which are not? Why?
We will also leave space to discuss the content of each chapter more generally, specific questions raised by participants and allow the conversation to evolve in the most insightful way for all.
5. Freedom, Reason and Passion, Pain – Oct 9th
In this salon, we will delve into what does freedom mean to every individual, how does passion play a part in human consciousness, is reason reasonable, and if pain is an evolutionary necessity rather than being either good or bad.
During the salon, participants will be invited to share and discuss:
- Which part of this philosopher’s teaching resonated with you the most?
- Which of their core beliefs do you believe are still relevant today? Which are not? Why?
We will also leave space to discuss the content of each chapter more generally, specific questions raised by participants and allow the conversation to evolve in the most insightful way for all.
6. Self-Knowledge, Teaching, Friendship – Oct 23rd
In this salon, we will delve into what is knowledge, is all knowledge good or even required, what does knowing the self, mean, can knowledge be taught or should it be acquired, along with the value and meaning of true friendship.
During the salon, participants will be invited to share and discuss:
- Which part of this philosopher’s teaching resonated with you the most?
- Which of their core beliefs do you believe are still relevant today? Which are not? Why?
We will also leave space to discuss the content of each chapter more generally, specific questions raised by participants and allow the conversation to evolve in the most insightful way for all.
7. Talking, Time, Good and Evil – Nov 13th
In this salon, we will delve into speech, the need for humans to talk and express, the concept of time as a fluid eternity, or if time even exists, and what does it really mean when we use the terms good and evil, are they mirrors or are they opposites.
During the salon, participants will be invited to share and discuss:
- Which part of this philosopher’s teaching resonated with you the most?
- Which of their core beliefs do you believe are still relevant today? Which are not? Why?
We will also leave space to discuss the content of each chapter more generally, specific questions raised by participants and allow the conversation to evolve in the most insightful way for all.
8. Prayer, Pleasure, Beauty – Nov 27th
In this salon, we will delve into the power of prayers and surrender, a way to reach our own consciousness, what defines pleasure and beauty, are they interlinked or if they are necessary for our spiritual growth.
During the salon, participants will be invited to share and discuss:
- Which part of this philosopher’s teaching resonated with you the most?
- Which of their core beliefs do you believe are still relevant today? Which are not? Why?
We will also leave space to discuss the content of each chapter more generally, specific questions raised by participants and allow the conversation to evolve in the most insightful way for all.
9. Religion, Death, Farewell – Dec 11th
In this salon, we will conclude the series by delving into facets of religion and what does it mean to be religious, what is death if not the beginning of another birth, and finally a farewell philosophically and literally.
During the salon, participants will be invited to share and discuss:
- Which part of this philosopher’s teaching resonated with you the most?
- Which of their core beliefs do you believe are still relevant today? Which are not? Why?
We will also leave space to discuss the content of each chapter more generally, specific questions raised by participants and allow the conversation to evolve in the most insightful way for all.
Purchasing a series ticket is available on this page if you’re signed in as an Interintellect member:
(If you’re already a member, make sure you’re signed in.)
Perks of being a member:
- Access to series tickets like this one
- Discount on all other Interintellect events
- Access to our community forum on Discord
- Access to all members-only events
More details about memberships here.