ourhistory

Our History

"Teaching thoroughly all consciousness to all children.” Styrivicus Pendankean, From the Great Mystical Didactic (1634-1637; trans. 1984)

In 1999, with a degree from the Bank Street College of Education and two years of graduate work at the L'Ecole des Artes Visionnaire, Marnee Talisman started the Psychic Preschool of Portland. The Psychic preschool of Portland became a franchise in 2002, with communities now in Pheonix, AZ, Billings, MT and Cleveland, OH.

Our educational philosophy is based lovingly on the ideas of Styrivicus Pendankean, the German-Swedish-Armenian-French mystopathic educator who was the first to suggest that psychic study can and should be a vital and intentional part of early-childhood education. He developed a remarkably progressive curriculum in the mid 18th century. His writings were misplaced during the Austro-Prussian War, but then, miraculously found fifteen years ago in a jar of dried sheep entrails at the back of a cave in Hermosa, South Dakota.

Pendankean's work in psychic preschool education brought him invitations to teach throughout Europe and India. He wrote a profusely illustrated textbook for the learning of early-childhood mysticism called The Invisible World (1739; trans. 1986). In his Great Mystical Didactic (1748–50; trans. 1985) he emphasized furthering educational process by stimulating young pupils' interest by teaching with reference to the metaphysical rather than concrete things. His educational objective can be summed up in the phrase on the title page of the Great Mystical Didactic, “teaching thoroughly all consciousness to all children.”

While we know very little about Pendankean's kin, other than the fact that he had a twin sister, scholars (Bittney, Swane 1986) suggest that his maternal great-great-grandmother came from the isolated province of Dalarna in Sweden where the famous Dalecarlian runes came into use in the early 16th century. It has also been suggested (Swane, Bittney 1987) that Pendakean may have been the reincarnated form of Guyon, Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte (1648-1717), a French mystic also known as Madame Guyon.

Throughout his life, Pendakean worked closely with his nephew, the German researcher, Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), who developed the concept of Animal Magnetism: Mesmer channeled his patients' energy with his hands. Today, so-called Magnethopaths, whose treatment is based on his teachings, still practice. Pendakean never married. While he loved children, he never fathered any; it is believed he was sterile (Bittney, 1988).

Styrivicus Pendankean

1718 - 1786

Styrivicus Pendankean's sister, Della

1718 - 1792