Hermetic initiation is the conscious descent into the depths of the human being all the way to the initial state. When we follow the Hermetic method and meditate on symbols and images, we transcend the external facts of the symbols to descend to the “vital, mental, and spiritual realities that … Continue reading
Category Archives: Tradition
Everything else is a Pastime
The next question is “who desires, initiates and brings about the change.” If the world is phenomenon, then the “who” must be outside phenomenon, that is, noumenal, not a “thing”. The “who” is the constant in every act of consciousness, which is in perpetual flux. As such, it is not part of the world, but rather the silent observer of all that is. This is unobservable to scientists, who must necessarily deal with phenomenon. For the philosopher, it can only be an issue for debate, ultimately unresolvable. But for the metaphysician — and this is what distinguishes him from the philosopher — it as a definite and knowable state. In Tradition, this state has been called, inter alia, the Unmoved Mover, the Observer, True Will, or Atman. Continue reading
The Triple Foundation of the Social Order
Rene Guenon assigned a triple foundation to the social order and political power: Metaphysical, Cosmological, Sociological Continue reading
Three Amigos
We recently mentioned Guenon’s role in bring awareness of Tradition to the West, but there are two other very important figures: Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy (AKC) and Julius Evola. Operating on three different continents, they kept in contact with Guenon via post, exchanging letters and even books. That was the precursor … Continue reading
The Absurdity of Traditionalism
The terms “Traditionalism” and “Traditionalist” have been gaining currency, reflecting an unfortunate and misleading trend. Presumably used to describe the intellectual ideas promulgated by Rene Guenon, then further developed by Ananda Coomaraswamy and Julius Evola, it instead treats those ideas as merely another perspective or school of philosophy. As such, … Continue reading
Hermit Crabs and Nietzsche
Perspectivism and the Human Race Part I of a series. Hermit crabs don’t have a shell of their own. Since that makes them vulnerable to predators, they have to scramble to find empty shells left behind by gastropods. As they grow and no longer fit completely within their current shell, … Continue reading
The Traditional Method
In the Forward to Revolt Against the Modern World, Evola characterizes the “Traditional Method” with two principles, which I schematize below: Perspective Principle Ontology Objective Correspondence Epistemology Subjective Induction Ontology The Principle of Correspondence “ensures an essential and functional correlation between analogous elements, presenting them as simple homologous forms … Continue reading
The Traditional Approach
In Traditionalism, this is the Enemy the “philosopher” of the European New Right, Guillaume Faye, critiques “Traditionalism”, allegedly from the inside. He calls it “metaphysical traditionalism”, which no one else has ever called it, whatever “it” may be, but, since he attributes “it” to Julius Evola, we prefer to critique … Continue reading
Men of Fine Disposition
If the primordial tradition is necessarily monotheistic, why does polytheism makes its appearance? Again, polytheism, properly understood, is compatible with monotheism provided the understanding of Principle is kept in mind. For example, Pico della Mirandola refers to the angels as “gods” in his commentary on Genesis, albeit in a quite … Continue reading