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Sunday 21 May 2006

Evola

Julius Evola - the Nietzschean philosopher, was also an Antimodernist.
Rejecting the Modern World, he explored the knowledge of ancient cultures including Aryan India;

"Evola wrote that the knowledge and powers pursued by the modern world are democratic, that is, available at educational institutions to anyone with enough intelleigence.
Likewise, technology is democratic: an instrument or weapon can be used by anyone with sufficient training.
By contrast, the Tantric magical powers ['siddhis'] are always personal and exceptional achievements accessible only to the Few".
[Black Sun, Goodrick-Clarke]

This is why I believe that Nietzsche too would have been drawn to such occult knowledge.

'Will' manifests itself in a multitude of Ways; and while the Conquerer obviously displays Will in a world-historical and exoteric fashion, so to does the Mage exhibit the development and expression of an esoteric Will in his occult ritual and curses etc.,
This 'Magickal' aspect has fought a relentless war against Christianity over the centuries - a Christianity which seeks to convince us that man does not possess such Magickal Powers!

Evola, imbued as he was with a Nietzschean disgust towards modernity and its incipient materialism, allied himself with fellow occultists including Arturo Reghini;

"Reghini sought the renewal of the Classical Tradition in a fiercely Anti-Christian, Pagan Spirit. He was a powerful influence on Evola during the years 1924 to 1930, introducing him to the traditional texts of Alchemy, whose symbolism they regarded as a universal key to the macrocosm of the Universe and the microcosm of man ..."
[ib.,]

I have long thought that Nietzsche's 'Revaluation/Transvaluation' had an Alchemical flavour; note also Nietzsche's late correspondence with Strindberg who became fascinated himself with Alchemy.
But all this links to the Aryan Warrior Pathos;

"Evola believed that the veiled symbolism of hermetico-alchemical cosmology described the outlines of an Heroic, pre-Christian world-view, when a Warrior Aristocracy reigned supreme".
[ib.,]

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