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In Memoriam of Ina Cüsters-van Bergen
Ina Cüsters-van Bergen has passed into the Light. Her passing was sudden and unexpected, and as her friend and student of many years, I am profoundly grieved, yet deeply grateful to have known her so well and to have learned so much from her.
Ina was born on April 5th, 1957, in Limburg, in the southern Netherlands. She came from a family of artists, and her own creative gifts would have an immense impact on her later work in the Western Mysteries, giving rise to a legacy that shines with knowledge and beauty. She spent much of her life in Rotterdam, but travelled extensively, drawn especially to places rich in spiritual heritage.
Her professional path initially led her to train as a psychiatric nurse and an alternative psychotherapist. She was also a uniquely gifted artist. These diverse disciplines formed part of the foundation from which her later work would emerge. Her interest in spirituality had developed early in life, and she explored several spiritual paths, until she eventually found her spiritual home in the Western Mysteries. She began her training at the Servants of the Light school under Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki, receiving her Third Degree initiation in 2003. She subsequently devoted her life fully to the Hermetic Tradition and went on to found her own school, developing an independent curriculum that honoured the legacy of her teacher, her lineage, and the Tradition, while also giving shape to her own unique body of teachings. That school grew into what is today the Academy for Hermetic Arts and Sciences, a Hermetic school whose curriculum encompasses the many facets of the Western Mysteries and offers training at every stage of a student’s development.
But Ina was not only a dedicated teacher. Her artistic talent found profound expression in her work within the Western Mysteries. She was also a prolific writer and studied the various branches of Hermeticism in depth, with a particular dedication to the Egyptian Mysteries. Whenever a subject captured her imagination, she would immerse herself in it completely, and what emerged was invariably a source of wonder. The immense curriculum she created speaks for itself. She also designed and painted the artwork for her own Tarot set. This beautiful and unique creation, in which every card reflects Ina’s profound knowledge of the Western Mysteries, will, sadly, remain unfinished.
Ina possessed the rare gift of bringing the beauty of the Mysteries as she perceived them into the tangible world, allowing others to share in her visions. Through her artistry, she gave form to the ineffable, making its wonder accessible to those who might not otherwise have been able to experience it. The Western Mystery Tradition has lost a brightly shining talent whose extraordinary and unique legacy will continue to shape the Tradition for generations to come.
I first met Ina when I was a very young student at the Servants of the Light, where she was assigned as my supervisor. From the moment we met in person, there was an immediate connection: an almost uncanny sense of familiarity that grew into a very deep friendship. When she founded her own school, I stayed with her and I have never come to regret that decision.
I was utterly captivated by the sheer beauty of her rituals. She possessed a unique talent for transforming colourless seminar rooms into ancient temples that seemed to breathe beauty, wonder, and mystery. Her impressive presence was often punctuated by sudden bursts of self-deprecating humour, and the laughter we shared was abundant and long-lasting.
Ina taught me the Hermetic Tradition, but she taught me so much more than that. She taught me about consciousness, what it means to be human, and how to hold on to the Light in times that seem increasingly dark. She was there for me through all the major passages of my life, sharing in my deepest sorrows as well as my greatest joys. She was wise, loyal, powerful, and funny, and she had a big, warm, loving heart.
Ina Cüsters-van Bergen was my teacher. She was also my friend for twenty-four years.
Her loss leaves an enormous void in my life.
Dr. Julia Richter-Smit
In Memoriam of Ina Cüsters-van Bergen
Ina Cüsters-van Bergen has passed into the Light. Her passing was sudden and unexpected, and as her friend and student of many years, I am profoundly grieved, yet deeply grateful to have known her so well and to have learned so much from her.
Ina was born on April 5th, 1957, in Limburg, in the southern Netherlands. She came from a family of artists, and her own creative gifts would have an immense impact on her later work in the Western Mysteries, giving rise to a legacy that shines with knowledge and beauty. She spent much of her life in Rotterdam, but travelled extensively, drawn especially to places rich in spiritual heritage.
Her professional path initially led her to train as a psychiatric nurse and an alternative psychotherapist. She was also a uniquely gifted artist. These diverse disciplines formed part of the foundation from which her later work would emerge. Her interest in spirituality had developed early in life, and she explored several spiritual paths, until she eventually found her spiritual home in the Western Mysteries. She began her training at the Servants of the Light school under Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki, receiving her Third Degree initiation in 2003. She subsequently devoted her life fully to the Hermetic Tradition and went on to found her own school, developing an independent curriculum that honoured the legacy of her teacher, her lineage, and the Tradition, while also giving shape to her own unique body of teachings. That school grew into what is today the Academy for Hermetic Arts and Sciences, a Hermetic school whose curriculum encompasses the many facets of the Western Mysteries and offers training at every stage of a student’s development.
But Ina was not only a dedicated teacher. Her artistic talent found profound expression in her work within the Western Mysteries. She was also a prolific writer and studied the various branches of Hermeticism in depth, with a particular dedication to the Egyptian Mysteries. Whenever a subject captured her imagination, she would immerse herself in it completely, and what emerged was invariably a source of wonder. The immense curriculum she created speaks for itself. She also designed and painted the artwork for her own Tarot set. This beautiful and unique creation, in which every card reflects Ina’s profound knowledge of the Western Mysteries, will, sadly, remain unfinished.
Ina possessed the rare gift of bringing the beauty of the Mysteries as she perceived them into the tangible world, allowing others to share in her visions. Through her artistry, she gave form to the ineffable, making its wonder accessible to those who might not otherwise have been able to experience it. The Western Mystery Tradition has lost a brightly shining talent whose extraordinary and unique legacy will continue to shape the Tradition for generations to come.
I first met Ina when I was a very young student at the Servants of the Light, where she was assigned as my supervisor. From the moment we met in person, there was an immediate connection: an almost uncanny sense of familiarity that grew into a very deep friendship. When she founded her own school, I stayed with her and I have never come to regret that decision.
I was utterly captivated by the sheer beauty of her rituals. She possessed a unique talent for transforming colourless seminar rooms into ancient temples that seemed to breathe beauty, wonder, and mystery. Her impressive presence was often punctuated by sudden bursts of self-deprecating humour, and the laughter we shared was abundant and long-lasting.
Ina taught me the Hermetic Tradition, but she taught me so much more than that. She taught me about consciousness, what it means to be human, and how to hold on to the Light in times that seem increasingly dark. She was there for me through all the major passages of my life, sharing in my deepest sorrows as well as my greatest joys. She was wise, loyal, powerful, and funny, and she had a big, warm, loving heart.
Ina Cüsters-van Bergen was my teacher. She was also my friend for twenty-four years.
Her loss leaves an enormous void in my life.
Dr. Julia Richter-Smit