After three years, the conversation resumes. We see Julius Evola again asking for a free copy of the book on Donoso Cortes. The book is unavailable in English as far as I know, a strange fact given the recent intense interest in Carl Schmitt. Given their high valuation of Donoso, we will feel justified to provide more material by him and about him.

Evola gives Schmitt a brief lesson in alchemy, including an interesting defense of the regal initiation. He asks Schmitt to help promote his books in Germany and shares a criticism of Ernst Jünger.

Here we also see Evola admitting to being a leader of the “reaction” in Italy, to little affect, given the lack of influence of reactionary parties in Italy 57 years later. Some may consider the following unfair, but Evola’s criticism of the bourgeoisie deserves comment, especially since Evola considers his leadership to be God’s will. Yes, their common front against communism has been ineffective, given the insidious gradual influence of cultural Marxism in the West. Yet that task belongs to the Kshatriya, which Evola claims to be leading. The “people”, by definition, do not have “elevated ideas”. The blame belongs elsewhere.

21 January 1955

Dear Professor!

Many thanks for your cordial letter. I am happy that the publication of my book on the Graal [in German translation in 1954] provided the opportunity to reestablish contact between us. A couple of years ago I had attempted to get back in communication with you after Prince Rohan had given me your address. My letter, however, remained without a response. Among other things, I told you that I would be very interested in receiving, possibly only for a reading, a copy of your essay on Donoso Cortes. Since, thanks to God, I now seem to be the leader of the “reaction”. You will certainly be able to imagine how much interest I have in comparing your positive judgment on this personality.

Unfortunately the name von Ballanche is totally unknown to me. I can give an explanation to the saying “the initiate kills the initiator” only as it refers to the abstract and impersonal plane. In this case, it is only about two phases of the work of initiation. During the first phase, the initiate is in passive position in relation to the initiator: he receives force from him. This is the phase that Hermetism indicates with the Moon (Luna) and Water, also defined as Albedo. In the second phase, however, the initiate seizes this force, making himself a new center; this makes him independent, signifying in a certain sense the “murder” of the initiator on whom he initially depended. Hermetism defines this as the solar phase—the work of Fire, also called Rubedo. This saying is significant: before the mother gives her son to the light; the son then dominates the mother and kills her. Similar examples are found even in other traditions. So also in the Ghibelline idea, according to which the ruler, after receiving the consecration (the first phase), feels himself independent and superior in relationship to the ordained (the priest), the same content of meanings is reflected.

Many thanks for your interesting “Dialog” [Dialogo sul potere], a topic which I will return to in the future. Whenever you have the chance of writing something about my book on the Graal, I would be obligated for a very prosaic reason: whether or not the same publisher decides to publish the new edition of Revolt against the modern world in German will depend on the sales of this book. I consider this moment favorable for the return of these ideas in Europe.

Are you still in a close friendship with Ernst Jünger? Said openly, his most recent works convince me less. I had to write a rather devastating critique about his book The Gordian Knot, although written in a an extraordinary way (as always) it contains only digressions.

P.S. I heard about your collaboration with Il Borghese; I haven’t seen the pamphlet in question. Unfortunately, here among us only the bourgeois are trying to create a front against communism, which means a battle lost in advance. For the more elevated ideas, the people here (and not only here) have neither intellect nor race.

⇐ Letter I