Together with the Library and the Institute of Psychosynthesis, the Assagioli Archive represents the most important energetic and historical legacy of Roberto Assagioli,
a living testimony of his life and of his precious work.
The Archive includes thousands of original manuscripts, typescripts, books, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, photos, correspondence, and personal documents
accumulated over the years.
During his lifetime, Assagioli gathered only a limited part of his writings, mostly typescripts on various topics, in a filing cabinet (interestingly, the cabinet brand name was Olivetti Synthesis). These documents were accessible to his many students, who visited him at his house on via San Domenico 16 in Florence, where the Institute, Library and Archive are located. Also, Assagioli kept a large number of other papers, documents, letters and manuscripts in different drawers and boxes distributed in different rooms in his home.
Unfortunately, after his death, part of this material was transferred to a small room in the attic that was virtually inaccessible, while another section of this legacy was kept in a damp cellar where it remained for years, mostly ignored and disorderly grouped in boxes, cabinets and various containers that were for the most part largely inaccessible.
Part of these manuscripts (about 19,000 sheets) caught the immediate attention of Piero Ferrucci, a student and close collaborator of Roberto Assagioli. Started in 1974 he took on his shoulders the daunting task of cataloging and distributing these documents in specially created folders, making them ready for access. Thanks to Piero Ferrucci, the manuscripts in these "yellow" folders are still well preserved and available in the studio of Assagioli.
Following the renovation and restoration of the building in Via San Domenico in 2006, the remaining material was retrieved and brought to new life. A special group of volunteers was created (At the Wellsprings) to this end. This group gathers collaborators from Italian and international psychosynthesis centers who want to work systematically in the reorganization, sorting, and cataloguing of the material. This ongoing work has motivated the construction of this website, for the online consultation of part of the materials available in the Archive. The Group is still actively engaged in this ongoing project. It is responsible for all the activities of the Archive, ensuring the appropriate conservation, promotion, distribution and use of all the materials within the Archive. A strong motivation for our work is to be found in the meaning and the value of the material kept in the Archive: its transformative quality and effect.
In fact, the Archive value is not only quantitative the abundance of small notes, papers and writings concerning different issues on which they
elaborate or sometimes just touch on. More than anything, the Archive is a portal to a new kind of relationship with Roberto Assagioli. By reading
and pondering on his endless notes, sometimes even through the visual impact of his manuscripts, we get to penetrate the depth and wisdom of his mind
and soul. By reading his works we appreciate his humanity and his professionalism as well, his constant research, the respect he had for the work of
his collaborators and peers, and his loving understanding of the human spirit. By observing his annotated papers, we become aware of the width of his
spirit, the eclectic sources that shaped his contribution to the world, and the unfoldment of his planetary consciousness a vision of the never-ending
evolution of humanity and life.
Access to the archive is, therefore, not only an educative and cognitive opportunity, but a deep and intimate experience leading to an expansion of consciousness.
The Assagioli Archive is divided into three sections: the "Studio Archive", the "Synthesis Cabinet", the "At the Wellsprings Archive".
While most of the materials kept in these sections have been catalogued, some are still in the process of being studied, restored and catalogued,
and hence they are currently unavailable to the public. Due to the ongoing cataloguing work, the Archive might at times be temporarily closed for
the public.
All catalogued documents
are available on-site, with the exception of documents that are confidential and not for consultation.
The Studio Archive
This section was the first one to be accessible for consultation. It contains approximately 19,000 small manuscripts organized and catalogued by Piero
Ferrucci and arranged topically in 84 boxes.
The material cover thoughts, insights, ideas for lectures or conferences, quotations from books; reflections
on significant issues, impressions, and "recollections" that Assagioli wrote down in handwriting, mainly in English and Italian.
In the same studio there
is a similar number of other manuscripts kept in boxes that have not been arranged or catalogued yet.
These sets of manuscripts is an original and valuable
collection of "seeds" that can be explored as an object of reflection and as a stimulus for inner, subjective work.
The Synthesis Cabinet
Named after the brand name of a vintage cabinet located on the ground floor.
Interestingly,
this section is the only "historical" piece of the Archives, in the sense that the cabinet contains documents selected and ordered during Assagioli's lifetime by his historic collaborator Ida Palombi. It consists a large variety of typescript essays, papers and lectures arranged in thematic
folders, in alphabetical order. These documents are available in Italian and English.
The "cabinet" is a collection of exercises and techniques used in psychosynthesis; there are also a variety of papers on many existential and spiritual
issues, drafts of articles published by Assagioli, projects to be developed, lectures presented at various international conferences.
The At the Wellsprings Archive
This material is currently being catalogued and ordered thematically. It consists mainly of unpublished manuscripts about different topics on personal and
transpersonal Psychology and Psychosynthesis. This archive contains lectures, conference presentations, and articles, generally undated, mainly in Italian
and English, and some in French and German.
A large quantity of writings verse on the Will, education, Meditation and Spirituality.
Assagioli used to pay attention to and collect anything that could have been useful for the purpose of promoting the development of consciousness. Thus, in
this section and in addition to his own contributions, we find excerpts from other authors' writings, communication exchanges with other international
associations, newspaper clippings, and brochures. This variety makes this archive versatile and varied in nature and, at times, difficult to catalogue!
There are also folders with some personal correspondence, among others, the letters of Giovanni Papini and Giuseppe Prezzolini stand out.
Finally, included in this section are folders with material concerning the more private and inner life of Assagioli, his spiritual unfoldment and contacts.
The contents of this section clearly shows the full breadth of the Assagiolian universe.
This online site has been created to help spread as widely as possible the work of Roberto Assagioli, whose ideas are often referenced in the psychological and psycho-spiritual fields. Additionally, the aim is to make Assagioli's work, including his unpublished writings, accessible online to anyone who needs it for the purpose of consultation and research.
This site, created by generating a complex computer program, is brought to you thanks to the voluntary work and contribution of the members of the Group Alle Fonti ("At the Wellsprings"), dedicated to offer time, care and expertise to this project in a spirit of service.
In the first stage, have been published online the manuscripts, in an attempt to preserve their integrity, continuing the work begun in the nineties by Sandro Maneschi, who continues to actively collaborate in the scanning of documents..
The Historical Fund of the library includes books that belonged to Roberto Assagioli, his son Ilario, his wife Nella, and Ida Palombi.
It is possible to consult the online catalog.
