For the remainder of this blog, which has been an impromptu prelude to a much larger project, I have decided to write in English, for the purposes of my own convenience. Should the larger project at hand succeed, then perhaps, certain sections will be provided in different languages, such as French.
The nature of the upcoming project
What is being planned, is a place where those who have assimilated the concepts highlighted primarily by the signature "Rene Guenon" can gather in a serious way and receive and share practical information that can facilitate genuine transformation. This should be done in a manner that is devoid of certain biases or errors that Guenon had himself. Thus the basis and foundation of such a place will be a thorough, yet disillusioned understanding of these concepts, without any trace of "Guenonism".
The bias and manipulations of Rene Guenon
That said, it will be of use to state some of the biases, errors and blatant manipulations that exist within the work of Rene Guenon. Most of Guenon's biases stem from a misunderstanding of what he saw as "power". In fact, this really is his only bias, from which all the rest flow. Regarding his manipulations, he justified this by appealing to the concept of an essential principle that polarizes itself upon manifesting and he who has effectively realized such a principle can then take on any form, for the realization of a much grander plan. Thus in his activities, he manipulated Masons, Catholics, occultists, Muslims and most of all, his readers when it came to certain topics, such as that of effectively realizing one's own nature. The famous document attributed to Jean Reyor (Marcel Clavelle) highlights these manipulative tendencies properly, and I urge all to read it. Further, a novel that Guenon wrote either in his early twenties or his teenage years also possesses the idea of a mysterious group of people who manipulate everyone around them, taking on any form they please. In fact, one reason (not the main or only reason however) Guenon ran away to Egypt, was because he had betrayed nearly everyone that put their trust in him in the French circles he was acquainted with, when they finally got wind of what he was doing to all of them.
Manipulation has been the planet's theme for a while, especially with regards to "orthodox traditions". In fact, it can be said that manipulation has been one of the cornerstones of esoterism thus far. A symbol in itself, to the duped, is something that it is (ultimately) not, but to the initiated reveals higher truths. The intentional obscurity, carried to a maximum degree in Hermeticism, the intentional obfuscation of the doctrines pertinent to cosmic cycles and how they unfold, the impenetrable veil that surrounds the origin of traditions , the appearance of strangers to infuse a certain region with a certain message, before suddenly vanishing (the famous Hadji Sharif being a good example) and so on, all point to the presence of manipulation throughout human history. Manipulation is thus clearly a "traditional tool", that is used in varying degrees (even within initiatic circles themselves, the "elite within the elite" as an example). It would be naive to believe that Guenon did not instrument this tool, even in his books and articles. I'm not saying that it was "good or bad", I personally do not ascribe importance to morality when it comes to such technical things, however, such manipulations can backfire and become harmful and in the end, can create hopeless dupes as was the case with many "Guenonians". These manipulations can even result in furthering the trend that their originators tried to temper, such as the case of "spiritism", which Guenon admitted was as a consequence of the manipulations of legitimate (but truncated) esoteric orders backfiring badly, such as the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor, connected to Max Theon, who Guenon respected to a degree (see the "Spiritist Fallacy").
Guenon misunderstands or misrepresents Power
Guenon's misunderstanding or misrepresentation of Power is present in the entirety of his work, in a similar way that his integral, harmonic and idealistic representation of applied traditional principles to the human social order is.
Guenon's perspective can be summed up in this way: the world must supply enough stability to act as a foundation for a suitable point of departure for the realization of pure being (metaphysics). Everything else is an unnecessary excess and thus can be ignored or better yet, intentionally avoided. He carries this attitude to an extreme degree (which can be justified from a certain point of view, since it would be a countering centripetal tendency that mitigates the centrifugal tendencies towards dissipation that characterize the lowest points of the Kali Yuga).
For Guenon "power" is simply some force that is utilized in the "domain of great illusion" and hence is ultimately a hindrance towards metaphysical realization. It irritates him since it is an agitation that prevents stability and concentration, he wants it to go away. This strange attitude is similarly present, in different forms, in different priesthoods and gnostic groups, from the Brahmins to the Alexandrian Gnostics (allegedly, at the very least). It seems to be an inherent trait of a priesthood inasmuch as it streams down from some pact that arose sometime in human history, after a great cataclysm associated with the excessive use of power understood in the way Guenon does. (Some say this averse attitude towards power arose during the Atlantean era and before that, it simply did not exist).
Guenon's misunderstanding/misrepresentation of Power thus causes him to err whenever anything concerning its action is present. Thus he dismisses Buddhism, because it is credited to a caste associated with power and sees it initially as nothing more than usurpation, an action of power that causes agitation and threatens the stability that a world should offer for the purposes of concentration.
When dealing with the Tantra, Guenon showcases a strange, passive-aggressive attitude, blatantly upset at the unapologetic attitude that the Tantra takes and stressing that the Tantra must be assimilated to the Veda (a priestly monopoly) for it to be legitimate, that the freedom given in the Tantra ought to only be directed towards the realization of metaphysical knowledge and that the Tantric path is presented as a quest, which risks failure. He stresses that power is the lowest way towards knowledge and that such a path can only exist in an era as decadent as the Kali Yuga. [See studies in Hinduism, the chapter that deals with the Tantra as the "fifth veda"].
Guenon's attitude towards the Tantra is rather curious, since it is the same Guenon that said this:
...But some will ask, how is it possible that merely contingent means can produce an effect which immeasurably surpasses them and which is of a totally different order from that to which the instruments themselves belong? We should first point out that these means are, in reality, only fortuitous. The results they help to attain are by no means consequential; they place the being in the position requisite for attainment and that is all. If the above-mentioned objections were valid in this case they would be equally so for religious rites, for the sacraments, for example, where the disproportion between the means and the end is no less; some of those who have raised the above objections might have thought of this too...
[Rene Guenon, Oriental Metaphysics]
Further:
...Thus we see no difficulty in recognizing that there is nothing in common between metaphysical realization and the means leading to it, or, if preferred, which prepare for it...[Ibid.]
Guenon unnecessarily went out of his way however, to state that power is a low means of metaphysical realization which risks failure, in spite of his prior statements. To my recollection, he never did this when referencing any other method and this alone is enough to showcase his innate bias towards his understanding of power. If the means of metaphysical realization are inconsequential, why denigrate power as a means of realizing the same? Shouldn't it be insignificant, if there is no common measure between what is being realized and the way instrumented for its realization?
To his credit, Guenon did admit that whatever was known regarding the Tantra was scarce at the time and that it would be imprudent to make hasty conclusions regarding it. He begrudgingly recommended his readers to consult the works of John Woodroffe, even though in private, he thought little of him. The recommendation is given in an almost dismissive, hasty tone, with a certain disdain directed at the fact that Woodroffe wrote in English...
Having seen in brief, the manner in which Guenon understands power and the ensuing conclusions regarding it which characterize his innate bias, it will be most useful to understand what Power actually is, as it is presented in the Tantra.
The Real Meaning of Power, Ungrasped by Guenon
(To start with, the rigid caste-system does not exist within the Tantra. Therefore, from the beginning, associating power with those that have an outward tendency is something that does not exist. The Tantra's entire understanding of power is not as something that is to be contrasted to a priestly-tendency, wherein those endowed with power ought to submit to those endowed with a contemplative tendency.)
Supreme Power is the very being of ParamaShiwa and as such it is inseparable from him. This is the highest meaning of the well-known phrase: "without His Shakti, Shiwa is like a corpse". The same way prana-wayu animates embodied beings within the cosmos and without it they are dead, in a Supreme sense, Supreme Power "sustains" ParamaShiwa in his Infinite, non-dual pure state of being. There is nothing "outward" about this Power, anymore than there is anything "inward" about it, it being Supreme, the Infinite All and hence non-dual.
Supreme Power is All-Possibility and she has various aspects. In her supreme aspect, she is the very being of ParamaShiwa, but in her creative aspect, she possesses the specific power of maya. Maya is negato-positivity, that is, it is the power that makes something "unreal" appear as "real", the power through which a negative thing(in a double sense, as something limited and also negative in the sense of not really existing) appears as a positive thing (that is, though really non-existent to ParamaShiwa, it nonetheless appears as positively existing).
Before the action of maya begins, there is Parabindu (what Guenon calls "Being"). Parabindu is the principle of manifestation as well as manifestation in its unmanifested state. Maya, upon acting, causes a bifurcation of Parabindu and thus emerges Purusha on the one side and Prakriti on the other side (universal essense and substance respectively). Prakriti consists of the sattwa-rajas-tamas secondary bindus, the 3 gunas that will characterize all that is to be manifested. Purusha, endowed with a Will as well as Prana in its unmanifested state will cause Prakriti to undergo evolutionary changes. ("Evolutionary" of course in the cyclic sense of something emerging from unmanifested to manifested in a spiral fashion, the compliment of which would be involution, a return to the unmanifested state. This has absolutely nothing to do with the chaotic conception of evolution, as understood by modernists and post-modernists.)
Another aspect to Supreme Power is a specific power that counteracts the power of Maya. This other specific power is Yoga-Shakti. Just as Maya effects negato-positivity, so Yoga-Shakti effects the destruction of all that is not ParamaShiwa. This means, that Yoga-Shakti is that aspect of Supreme Power which leads to liberation from all limits. Yoga-Shakti ultimately destroys Maya.
The reason I have stated all this in brief, is to highlight already, 3 forms of Power, or, Power in its lower aspect as participating in the evolutionary process of manifestation and in its Supremeness, as beyond all things. Thus we have:
- Supreme Power.
- Maya, a specific aspect of Supreme Power that effects the cosmos.
- Yoga-shakti, a specific aspect of Supreme Power that effects the dissolution of all limits as well as the absorption of the cosmos.
Prana is the principle of prana-wayu and prana-wayu is that which animates all embodied beings. It is prana-wayu that Guenon mostly focused on as "power", ignoring any other perspective regarding power. Prana itself is not manifested, but rather, is the principle of all manifested life, it ultimately proceeds from Purusha, under the direction of his will and flows towards Prakriti to "stir" the dormant gunas, upon which the cosmos begins.
Granted, Guenon did speak of All-Possibility in a manner that alludes to Supreme Shakti, but he mostly did this in passing and even then, it did not cause him to go into further details regarding it.
I will not go into all the intricate details involving the process of manifestation as taught by the Tantra, but I will only note a few things, based on what has been said. In the state of manifestation, there are 2 power-flows, each with a double action. The first flow is connected to Yoga-Shakti and the second flow is connected to Prana as prana-wayu.
In the human being, prana-wayu flows as nadis (immaterial force-motion-lines), of which there are 3 main ones: Sushumna, Ida and Pingala. Sushumna nadi, the chief nadi, in the "ordinary man" is barely functional and thus the flows of Ida and Pingala are chaotic, weakened and incomplete. In the "non-ordinary man" (true man), Sushumna is fully awakened and completely controls the double action of Ida and Pingala. It is here that the double-flow, inner and outer, of the kind of power based on prana-wayu showcases itself: regulated by Sushumna, Ida flows inwards and Pingala flows outwards. This means that those aspects in manifestation which are relatively "inward", such as sleep, anabolism, mental calmness, restfulness, etc are under the control of Ida, whereas those aspects of manifestation which are relatively "outward", such as catabolism, bodily action, thoughts tinged with passion and so on, are under the control of Pingala. We thus see the double-action of the first power-flow, which operates within a diversified cosmic field. This power-flow "goes out" into manifestation and sustains it.
As for the second power-flow, it is based on Yoga-Shakti and has been called, the Shiwa-flow. It destroys (or absorbs) all prana-wayu and comes from the static pole that in fact controls all prana-wayu. This power-flow has two effects: it controls prana completely, during its functioning and it also absorbs it completely. In the human being, this static pole from which Yoga-Shakti arises is Kundalini. Yoga-Shakti is as an aspect of Kundalini which progressively comes into play during her awakening. With regards to the process of evolution (i.e. the cyclic development of a possibility as it moves from the unconditioned to the conditioned), Yoga-Shakti is the power by which the flow of prana is controlled in producing the manifested cosmos. Thus we have a double-action of Yoga-Shakti as well: one that acts in the production of manifestation and one that absorbs the entirety of manifestation, the consequence of which is liberation from all bondage and all suffering.
Having briefly touched upon these two power flows (the teaching of which is very intricate and would take more than a few articles to cover), one can see that far from merely being a "force that operates within the domain of grand illusion", Power has much greater depth than that. Guenon however either refused to go into detail regarding this, or, possessed by a strange bias, was unable to see Power in any other way than the pejorative one that he did.
The Mastery and Control of Power, by Power
Something that one controls cannot cause any harm. Even in an extremely lower level, such as the bodily level, the various powers that men instrument, inasmuch as they control them, are completely harmless. The power of seeing, walking, talking, pre-hension and so on, cannot act on their own, without the volitional instrumentation of their possessor.
If someone can control something, how can it harm him? Conversely, if someone can't fully control something, then how can it be called his "power", even merely in the pejorative sense understood by Guenon? If there is some kind of "force" that a man can somehow invoke without however controlling it, then it cannot in any way be said to be truly his power. In that case, it truly is merely an "accident", as Guenon and the like are fond of saying. It would be akin to a case of semi-paralysis, in which a man can only partially move his limbs, flailing about like a fool, unable to truly claim them as his own...
In his strange understanding of power, Guenon leaves out the aspect of control (yama). He also claims that whatever power is attained during the process of realization is merely an "accident", that is very dangerous (even evil) and thus that must be outright rejected. This strange perspective once again seems to be as a result of his own bias, a bias that is shared by various groups in different eras, such as the priesthoods of certain peoples.
Yama, or, control, is intrinsically connected to power (prana-wayu), here of course, it would be power as Guenon understands it. Yama issues forth from Yoga-Shakti (ultimately). In fact, in the manifestation of the entire universe, Purusha as Ishwara is endowed with Yoga-Shakti and it is this Yoga-Shakti that allows Ishwara to express the highest Yoga-Wibhuti (Yoga-Power), which effects the entire manifested universe. This is because Prana is controlled by Yoga-Shakti and under Ishwara's full control (yama), the universe is manifested. In the absorption of the universe, prana-wayu is absorbed and consciousness increasingly becomes concentrated; the absorption of prana-wayu and rarefaction of consciousness is due to the same Yoga-Shakti that was active during the manifestation of the universe. In man as has been stated, this Yoga-Shakti issues forth from Kundalini.
The Tantra, in its operative technique (laya-yoga), teaches that there are central points within which lay power-consciousness that are themselves ultimately reducible to certain matrika forms and these in turn are reducible to infinitesimal "points" (bindus). As the sadhaka passes through these axial, central points, he does so as Shiwa, experiencing his own being, Kundalini, wrapped in various "coverings". These coverings are the chakras, of which there are 13 (not 7, as is commonly thought) and once they are all absorbed into Kundalini, she alone remains as the very being of Shiwa, uncovered by any of them. Thus at the end of the upward journey, the sadhaka as ParamaShiwa has full knowledge of his own being, Supreme Kundalini, he experiences her directly, not concealed by anything.
When Kundalini pierces into a specific chakra, first, she "illuminates" it and through her light, sadhaka is able to fully know the contents of this chakra. After this illumination, she absorbs the entire chakra and continues upwards. During her descent back from ParamaShiwa, who is beyond the Sahasrara chakra, she does not negatively coil around each chakra, limiting its power and occluding its presence, rather, she enlivens it fully, with a spiritual impression obtained from ParamaShiwa. Thus while these centers remain dark and dormant in the "ordinary man", for the accomplished Tantrika, they are full of both knowledge and power. The consequence of Kundalini's descent after her ascent is a state known as nadi-shuddhi, the purification of the Tantrika's entire expression of prana-wayu. Now, the Sushumna truly has full control over the 2 other chief nadis, which in turn enable the Tantrika's entire nadi-chakra to function effectively, harmoniously and with a full expression of its force.
Even without fully reaching the end-pole of the journey, the Tantrika is endowed with various powers that are under his full control, since in the end, they are part of his cosmic expression as a being. Each specific chakra is the seat of a certain power. Should he acquire this power, it truly is his and is fully under his control and cannot in any way harm him, even if he chose to exercise it a million times. A pertinent example, given the current hysteria over the weakness of the body of an "ordinary man" is one power that is developed when dhyana, coupled with pranayama, is done in the swadhisthana chakra: the body becomes fully diseaseless and long-lived. (Dhyana and pranayama are properly effected upon a genuine awakening of Kundalini).
Going back to the era that has been called Satya, Satya-Yuga-Man was in full, effortless control and possession of all the powers that the Tantrika acquires during his upward and downward journies. The Tantra seeks to restore Man to his true state and this involves the same willful possession of power that Satya-Yuga-Man had, in an extremely remote era, one that even predates the obedience to any and all "gods" or "devils".
The violent prohibitions, warnings and paranoia regarding power showcased by Guenon were thus a display of either misunderstanding, reticence, or flat out manipulation.
Weakness Invites Destruction
In his attack of westerners, Guenon refuses to admit that one reason all the overrated people of the East got defeated was due to their weakness. Even taking power only in the lower and restricted sense it was understood by Guenon, it becomes evident that when one is under attack, if one lacks an effective way of self-defense, one is at the utter mercy of one's attacker. Power is needed at the very least, to defend oneself against evil.
Guenon did recognize this (in his book "East and West") and especially in defense of the-then traditional Chinese (at least in Guenon's view), spoke of the possibility of the intervention of a "power of another order" that would prevent the encroachment of "western ideas" into the Chinese milieu. A very strange and naive thing to say, since nothing happened and the Tao-Confucian tradition of the far-east was soon crushed to dust, ironically, by its own people, the revolutionary Chinese, whose destruction spread to Tibet and snuffed out the same Buddhism that Guenon earlier denied, but then later accepted. In fact, the outlook presented in "East and West" is the most deluded, naive and biased one regarding Guenon's appreciation of different mentalities, eastern and western. The pacifist Chinese turned out to be as aggressive as any other people, given the right circumstances...
Even now, at the close of the kali yuga, as the globalists, inspired by the counter-initiates make ever bolder moves to convert the entirety of the human race, in one way or another, to helpless insects, power is needed to fight back. All need power, even those men who retreat to some inaccessible cave, for if they remain defenseless, the thing they see as valuable, their sadhana, can be interrupted by anyone. In fact, ironically, this interruption of sadhana, or spiritual practice is what irked Guenon the most, as this passage indicates:
..All they ask, in fact, is to be left in peace, but that is just what the people of the West refuse to allow them, and it must be remembered that they went to seek them out in their own home, and have behaved there in a way that might well exasperate the most peaceful of men...
[East and West, chapter 1, Civilization and Progress, page 26.]
And:
...they dread them as a man who loves his quiet dreads everything that shows signs of disturbing it, and above all they despise them...
[Ibid., chapter 4, Imaginary Terrors and Real Dangers, page 74. ]
Guenon's bizarre infatuation with "eastern people", specifically the Chinese, is showcased in these 2 short quoted tracts. Guenon acted as if the bulk of eastern men were immune from corruption, abuse of power and intellectual malaise. Another hilarious thing is how Guenon calls the Chinese authentic and original, whereas the Japanese are the imitators in his eyes! In their degeneration, the Chinese of today as a group have the global reputation of copying everything and anything anyone does, unable to come up with anything on their own.
Another irony is that today, it is China that threatens to destroy the entire world, either through constant threats to those in the South China Sea, or, threatening anyone with nuclear destruction if they dare interfere with affairs pertinent to it! This is the furthest thing from pacifist.
In the end, given their refusal to consider properly defending themselves, the people of India, China and other parts of the world suffered the humiliating fate of defeat that still plagues them to this day. This humiliation is showcased in part, in the ceaseless efforts to model their societies in a way that out-progresses the west. The Indian man wishes to prove his technical prowess by starting space-programs, the Chinese man wishes to pollute the earth with endless mega-projects, the Arab man builds endless sky-scrappers and imports trees and grass into the desert, all in an effort to "modernize" and compete with the western man, showing that he too can be strong, unlike his forefathers...
The refusal of the legitimate yogis, gurus, shamans and lamas, etc. to use their power at that critical era is akin to the refusal of the Knights Templar to do the same, when faced with destruction wrought by Phillip the Fair. It is the very summit of irony that a martial order such as the Knights Templar would not even stand their ground via force, as the counter-initiatic forces at that time brought about their end. How in the world does a literal martial order do nothing when the "biggest crisis" of the time, according to Guenon, was happening right before their very eyes? Was the priestly-hold of "never use power unless we tell you to" so strong in the minds of these hapless men that the very destruction of what was most dear to them did not move them at all? It could not be due to indifference, since we are told by Guenon, that the ensuing Rosicrucian tradition was an attempt to do what the Knights Templar did, except in an invisible way, so as to prevent the destruction that the latter suffered from reoccurring.
The destruction suffered by these so-called elite is manifold: the direct destruction itself, that renders their activity fruitless, second, the abandonment that such men suffer, when their women, driven by hypergamy, choose to mate with the stronger men that conquered them and when their children no longer see their fathers as protectors, but as weaklings, whose ways must be ineffective if they were impotent at the face of such crises and lastly, the gradual disappearance of their traditions, since the incoming generations will doubtlessly show disinterest in them over time. In all their transcendent-wisdom, these powerless elite forgot to consider these basic truths, manifest even to a brute and it cost them everything...
Realizing Concentration in its Increasing Intensity
I do not think it prudent to, at this time, fully state certain things that nonetheless have actually been in the public domain for a few decades now. All I will say is that Rene Guenon's rigorously bureaucratic conception of the means towards achieving real knowledge, viz., incommunicable, immaterial, transcendent, direct knowledge, is utter rubbish inasmuch as he states that this is the only safe and effective way to do so.
The pursuit of a higher reality is usually what draws many readers to the works of Guenon, but ironically, after being exposed to it, these same works become an impassable obstacle for nearly all of them. Frantically trying to adapt themselves to Guenon's impossible standards, they change continents, learn new languages, bow down to different "sheikhs" and "gurus" all in an attempt to get the very precious guenonian-initiation, without which they feel hopeless and incomplete. In the end, an overwhelming majority fail, some having spent decades groping in the darkness, waiting for a light that never came.
This consequent frantic drive towards joining different traditions (according to guenonians, there are only 3 left that a "non-easterner" can join: freemasonry, tasawuff or ironically, buddhism, the hindu tradition being closed off to foreigners, another guenonian myth[1]...) was an endpoint that Guenon wanted to happen. If his action, both theoretical and practical resulted in those who were influenced by him to passionately seek out to satisfy the rigid conditions he set out, then the entire world would be "saved", the rigid traditions, guarded by priests would once again be resuscitated in both their exoteric and esoteric aspects.
His readers and all those he influenced had to invincibly believe that there was no other way for them to attain their spiritual pursuits, that the only way was to seek out this spirit which, even though "it blows where it wills", is nonetheless only locked up in the Catholic church, so long as this church sides with Freemasonry, a spirit that is locked up in the secret recesses of a Taoist society, an Islamic brotherhood, a Buddhist temple. This spirit sounds more like a trapped genie than the Universal Atma that resides in all beings.
In concert with his admonishing writings, Guenon participated in various real-life projects that attempted to satisfy his rigid initiatic-conditions. To name some: the attempt to institute the Order of the Renovated Temple, the attempt to use Catholicism (when he pretended to be against the Freemasons, attempting to dupe a few Catholics who in the end got wind of what he was doing), the attempt to use Freemasonry through his lodge, the Great Triad and finally, the attempt to use Islam under 2 turuq, one connected to Schuon, the other connected to Valsan. Strangely, none of them quite succeeded.
It is difficult to ascertain the exact reason Guenon went out of his way to place immense barriers towards any legitimate spiritual realization. If he admitted that other means were possible, wouldn't that lead his readers away from seeking spiritual realization in the various orthodox traditions, thus contributing to finishing their gradual demise since no new members would bother joining? On the other hand, perhaps he was truly unaware that outside of his double-bureaucratic initiations (the other equally bureaucratic one being the one connected to the "afrads"), there were other means, one of which is rather blatantly obvious, given a bit of introspection.
Kundalini, Supreme Being of ParamaShiwa is already within man. Thus there is no need for any "spiritual seed" to be planted in him (this "spiritual seed" Guenon spoke of in the end is simply the process of enlivening different symbols and rituals, for instance, the process of mantra-chaitanya, life-impartition to a mantra in its waikhari form, in order to rouse the dormant yoga-shakti or prana-wayu within it, depending on the intended use of the mantra). All that is needed, is an intelligent way to rouse her and to utilize that awakening for genuine metaphysical realization, as well as to receive a complete transformation of one's cosmic elements, both mental and corporeal, upon her descent.
This awakening causes laya-yoga, that is, absorption and simultaneous union, control and concentration, in a graduated, increasing manner. The spectrum of concentration starts with dharana, then dhyana, then samprajnata samadhi and finally asamprajnata samadhi. These terms refer to an entrance into the lower mysteries (dharana), a gradual mastery and ascent from those lower mysteries (dhyana), an entrance into the greater mysteries (samprajanata samadhi) and finally, complete deliverance, as one realizes one's own pure being metaphysically (asamprajnata samadhi). I have employed "guenonian language" for the sake of brevity, since it is a guenonian audience that I primarily address here. All these stages are brought about by the increasing action of yoga-shakti, which is but an aspect of Kundalini...
I will not go into more details regarding this at this time...but, to realize this, it is not necessary to grope around the dark labyrinth created by Guenon and his predecessors, as one seeks admission into all sorts of "brotherhoods".
A Failed Unity
One of the most enlightening tragedies of Guenon's influence is the revelation of the intrinsic bias within his own readers. This bias is connected to relegating Guenon's insights to the dust, inasmuch as they seem to contradict formal tenets connected to certain traditions, such as Islam. Guenon in a way foresaw this, which is partly why he wrote:
...moreover, even among those who try to react against modern ‘materialism’, how many are actually capable of conceiving a spirituality free from all special forms—and more particularly from a religious form—and of separating principles from every application to contingent circumstances? Among those who pose as defenders of spiritual authority, how many have even an inkling of what this spiritual authority can be in its pure state? How many truly realize what its essential functions are, and do not stop short at outward appearances, where everything is reduced to mere questions of rites (the profound reasons for which remain moreover totally misunderstood) and even of ‘jurisprudence’, which is quite a temporal thing? Among those who would attempt to restore intellectuality, how many do not debase it to the level of a simple philosophy, understood this time in the usual and profane sense of the word? And who understands that, in their essence and in their profound reality, intellectuality and spirituality are absolutely one and the same thing under two different names? Among those who in spite of all have kept something of the traditional spirit (and we address them because they are the only ones whose thought could have any value in our eyes), how many envisage the truth for its own sake, in a totally disinterested way, independent of every sentimental preoccupation, of every party or ideological passion, of all concern for domination or proselytism?...
[Spiritual Authority and Temporal Power, Chapter 9, the Immutable Law, pages 82-83.]
Various guenonians, or those who, in spite of being acquainted with his work and ought to know better, have nonetheless violently asserted the perceived superiority of their own traditional forms. The worst culprits are his Muslim readers (I've interacted with some who, without any shame, go so far as to claim that Muhammed is the King of the World, that Mecca is the Supreme Center and that Guenon's recognition of other traditions does not negate the doctrine of "abrogation of prior forms" in the Islamic sense). His Christian readers are no better, proclaiming everywhere that what Guenon meant in his works by the coming Golden Age is actually the "Age of the Holy Spirit", as taught especially by Bauris Mouravieff and his Hindu readers too devolve into insane "nationalistic" rants that make no sense at all.
The Supreme Center, The King of the World, The Universal Spirit, all these concepts are misunderstood or rejected by such men. The fact that each of their traditions is only an adaption of the Primordial Tradition, which itself transcends them all and also, that each of these adaptions are not equal, there being a hierarchy within traditions, is something that causes them to froth at the mouth. But why do such people act as they do?
It could be explained as the usual occurrence of the attachment that most people have to their surroundings, or to that which they have committed themselves to for a certain amount of time. Further, it could also be based on the subconscious realization that what Guenon is saying is that a great deal of manipulation was involved in the creation of their particular tradition. If they fully agree with what he wrote regarding the origins of different traditions, it would mean that any expression that stresses the exclusivity of their tradition is simply an outright lie. This is even worse whenever concepts pertinent to cosmology are considered.
Rather than facilitating a proper gathering, beyond specific cultures, races, religions, traditional forms, gender, age, etc., where the one necessary qualification is an aptitude that enables one to participate in the unseen, the restoration of man as Universal Man, beyond all things, the works of Guenon have thus far cemented a schismatic, if not sectarian reaction. What a terrible irony, to see these works used to justify militant racism (especially among the "right-wing" Europeans), radical salafi-wahabbi-esoteric Islam (a true monstrosity, especially among the French and North Africans), a disingenuous, failing Christianity (among the Americans), where works from a vast array of writers are collected haphazardly in a pathetic effort to prove the survival of some chimerical christian esoterism and of course, among the Hindus, who, eager to assimilate modern concepts into their own tradition, similarly create an ugly chimera.
None of these men know the Universal Spirit. Few of them even seem to possess real Power-Knowledge on any level. Curiously, the many divisions and failures connected to Rene Guenon are the same divisions and failures he ascribed to the "counter-initiates"! That because the thing that characterizes the "counter-initiation" is a lack of a principle of unity, they are ever in strife. Can't the same thing be said for those connected to Guenon, past and present? The irony is ceaseless in these affairs...
Conclusion
This article has been a brief attempt at dismantling some of the webs that are wrapped around legitimate seekers of truth, inasmuch as they are acquainted with the works of the signature "Rene Guenon". One should not conclude that I do not hold such works in high esteem, they are useful, but only up to a point. Understanding different traditions, dead and living, from the perspective of the Primordial Tradition, which itself is the creation of the Satya-Yuga-Man of this manvantara is certainly illuminating, but practically useless. Seeing the hammer of Thor, the bolt of Zeus and the Lama's Vajra in the Master Mason's mallet, as a sign of a realization that is beyond life and death is very interesting, but does absolutely nothing for the reader of these things in a practical sense.
The bias of Guenon entwined with the hesitation to look into or admit the vast spectrum of possibilities related to Power rendered him silent regarding many teachings of the Tantra (and probably, other neglected traditions). Those who stop short at what he wrote are afflicted by this limitation and their affliction may also be compounded by an attachment to their race, religion, institutions, culture, etc. (in Tantric terms, these kinds of attachments are due to Varuna's noose, conditioning them in this manner).
The upcoming project is an attempt to thus gather those who are well acquainted with the concepts taught by Guenon, who are open minded and who are free from biases connected to religions, races, histories, societies and so on. Further, it is intended to draw people who are interested in ultimately realizing Universal Man, or to at least try to, using certain techniques that were totally ignored by the likes of Guenon. I thought that this article would be interesting to loosely state some of the things that the project will deal with, before the website is launched.
All techniques that have been developed throughout the ages, inasmuch as they have been necessary, have been tools to aid man in realizing his transcendent state and also radiating it outwards. Some are more explicit than others, but at the core, this is their goal. Approaching the purest of these techniques, devoid of many biases as Guenon himself said, in spite of his own biases, has never been more relevant and necessary than it is today. It is therefore imperative that those with pure hearts and keen minds receive the necessary practical information to aid them to this end.
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[1]. Here is a text from the Yajurveda that discredits this perspective:
"
I have transmitted the auspicious words of the Vedas for people like brāhmaṇas, for kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras and for araṇāyas (foreigners).
"
How will the Guenonians respond to this? This is yet another example of misguidance based either on ignorance or on the desire to manipulate others so as to trigger a specific outcome. It is rather pitiful that through the decades, many Guenonians have been led to reject different possibilities on account of naivety.
