Cobie Theron

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cobie (Johanna Jacoba Theron) received her Bachelor of Architecture Studorium (B. Arch. Stud) from the University of the Free State (South Africa) in 2005 and has since then worked as an architectural designer.

Apart from the architectural degree, other university level subjects explored by her include: English, Communication, Graphic Printing, Music Performance, Music Theory and Business Psychology. Being exposed to philosophical concepts in art and architecture, combined with an inherent interest in psychology and religion, formed the foundation for her interest in the metaphysical, psychological and scientific search for meaning.

Cobie was born in Newcastle, South Africa, to a loving family and raised in a religious yet academic environment. As a creative individual always finding herself on the opposite side of the conservative norm, she started searching for answers and soon realized that the search for truth is a never ending individual journey.

This realization led her to appreciate the individuation process as described by Jung and strengthened her resolve to find the answers that had eluded her for so long. Whilst still maintaining her career in architecture, she devoted most of her personal time acquainting herself with research in the fields of quantum mechanics, philosophy, mysticism, the occult, religion, mythology and psychology.

Cobie also started practicing yoga and meditation and at the age of 28 had her first mystical experience. This experience combined with the knowledge acquired through her research led to the realization that in all these fields, a common thread exists that seems to point to a unified answer.

This gave her the confirmation to compile the information and insights that she had gathered and she consequently wrote The Butterfly to the Master.


Prospective Readers

Anyone interested in philosophy, science, the evolution of consciousness, spiritual enlightenment and the collective subconscious.
People struggling with religious questions can also find much material in this book to help them with their own journey.
Therefore, readers looking for:


• mind-body-spirit themes
• psychology and its relation to esoteric themes
• current scientific theory and its relation to esoteric themes
• famous philosophical concepts and their relation to esoteric themes
• self-help books
• books outlining personal experience
• books dealing with comparative religions
• books that tackle the issue of religious fundamentalism


In addition, anyone who would appreciate a clear, concise and easy-to-understand outline of famous psychological concepts and current scientific theories would value this work as a book of reference.



Similar Works

1) Living Dreaming Dying by Rob Nairn published in 2002 by Kairon Press South Africa

2) The Road Less Traveled by M Scott Peck published in October 2002; by Simon & Schuster (best-seller)

3) The scientific part of the book is comparable to The Dancing Wu Lee Masters by Gary Zukav, published in 1979 by HarperCollins Publishers.

4) Anam Cara by John O’Donohue, published in 1997 by Transworld Publishers Ltd (best-seller)


4. What gives this book an edge to make it a necessary addition to these similar works?

I started writing the book when I still had a lot of questions. As the book progressed, so did the insights I received. The book therefore has a gentle progression to it that is easy to understand and follow.

The book also looks at a very wide range of concepts from science, philosophy and psychology to comparative religions and aspects of mysticism and the occult, whilst the focus of other books in this genre tends to be much more limited. It therefore creates a broad spectrum as a background for any person starting their own journey of individuation.

The book is complete and extends to 35,000 words. It contains a number of diagrams. Its size gives its wide-ranging themes a concision and manageability that readers are likely to find helpful.
Chapter Breakdown


Prologue

Here I pose questions about the reason for existence asked by most. I also discuss the growing tendency of civilization to seem plastic and hollow. Here the reader is encouraged to question his or her surroundings.


Chapter 1

The world as we know it

Why believe in a God?
This all important question is answered by looking at discoveries made in science and psychology. Subjects discussed include:
The big bang theory, evolution, Quantum mechanics and theories like the Unified field theory, superstring theory, M theory and the concept of synchronicity coined by Carl Jung with a brief explanation and examples of it in my own search. I also refer to the collective subconscious.

Chapter 2

Different world religions

Mythologies, religions, philosophies and legends have always been a testament to the spirit of the times (Zeitgeist) and therefore the predominant influence on the thought direction of any given society. I therefore begin with a brief outline of the history, practices and meaning of:

Zoroastrianism
Orthodox Judaism
Christianity
Islam

I then briefly discuss the psychological influence and origins of Monotheism on our global society. After discussion of the above, I explain the concepts of Pantheism and Polytheism. Following this, I discuss:

Hinduism
Buddhism

Here I briefly reflect on the possible influence of Archetypes on Eastern thought.

Following this I give a brief explanation of Kundalini Yoga and the Development of Chakras


Chapter 3

A Modern scholastic approach to Christianity
An in-depth discussion on: The Tree of Good and Evil, sin, free choice versus determinism, the history of the biblical concept of eternal damnation, my opinion on the metaphor of Jesus and the origins of evil.
Chapter 4

Dreams

Here I discuss some relevant dreams that I have had and try to analyze them at the hand of Jung’s theory of the collective unconscious communicating via archetypes. This then links in with Chapter 1.

Chapter 5

World philosophies and esoteric religious movements

Here I take a brief look at Mythologies, philosophies and legends to further emphasize the influence they have of on the spirit of the times. Movements looked at include:

Confucianism
Daoism or Taoism
Existentialism
Mysticism and the Occult
Gnosticism (gnosis – knowledge of god)
Kabbalah
Neo-Platonism
Alchemy

Chapter 6

Mythology

Here I give a brief outline of:
Egyptian Mythology
Greek Mythology Ancient Gods (Mystery religions)

Chapter 7

Similarities between mythologies and well known religions

I highlight similarities between the above mentioned and try to explain these similarities with referral to the Collective-Subconscious as proposed by Jung as well as the Archetypical Heroes’ journey as proposed by Joseph Campbell.

Chapter 8

The inner world
Perception is reality. This becomes clear as the book progresses. I discuss our perception of the world, our emotions and the ego and how to take control. I also talk about genius and true freedom. The reader is encouraged to climb to the higher realms of reason.
Chapter 9

What now?

We are part of the bigger picture. We are an expression of the Ineffable Unmanifest. Here bravery and divine consciousness is discussed and how it prepares us for oneness with truth and then the realization of the union we already share with the universe.

Interests: Classical music, Jazz, Mysticism, Herman Hesse and Arvo Part

Published writer: No

Freelance: No