The Death of Esotericism

 

A brief summary of present terrestrial humanity's societal model.

The recent articles written have made mention of a fundamental model, based on the Purusha-Prakriti bifurcation, that has been used to structure to varying degrees, the interaction between Agarttha and outer-humanity. This cascades into outer-humanity itself, wherein initiatic orders are the analogue of Purusha and the larger society, trickling all the way down to the most profane shudra-type brute, is the analogue of Prakriti. This particular model began in the Treta-Yuga at some point and became immensely emphatic in the Kali-Yuga, where Purusha as Agarttha and secondary initiatic orders have become completely invisible to the rest of outer-humanity as Prakriti, so much so, that they are basically dead for all intents and purposes. This is in line with the development of a cyclic possibility: it has its birth, development, maintenance and eventual decline and death. The exhaustion of the possibility upon which this model is based has occurred in concordance with the birth of certain types of human beings: on the one side, there were humans who had higher initiatic possibilities and on the other side, there were humans with lesser possibilities, if any. The former therefore, to varying degrees acted as the analogue of Purusha and the latter, to varying degrees as well, acted as the analogue of Prakriti. Thus everyone had a chance to develop something: because the lesser humans were guided and their chaotic infantile tendencies subdued, the greater humans had the necessary stability to develop their higher initiatic possibilities in peace. In a complementary fashion, the lesser humans received guidance from the higher humans, who, in an invisible way, seeded various concepts among them, clothed in a palatable manner for their crude consciousness to grasp, that step by step developed whatever positive possibilities they had within them, while at the same time restraining them from wandering too far off from the centre of their own being. In this way, everyone more or less derived value from society, but the type of human that would be born on either side in such cyclic conditions increasingly ceases to exist and thus the justification for such a societal model may have fully expired.

What then follows are residues: the lesser human beings instead of being guided safely are ultimately restrained by the residues of whatever traditional framework they belonged to, as well as by its derivatives. The higher human beings instead of gaining any stability from the lesser human beings end up being limited by them, unable to properly pursue interests which are beyond the capacity of the rest. Matters in the present state of things are worse in that, there is an overarching global hegemony that these lesser human beings bow down to and that the face of the earth is changing in that the ability of the ordinary man to perceive things beyond the corporeal state and of the earth itself reflecting realities beyond the corporeal state is happening.

Erstwhile traditional organizations, be they exoteric or esoteric are then flooded with individuals of low birth, the remaining distinction being solely based on titles, age, accolades, regalia, affiliations, morality, reputations, politics and so on. The highest goal of these organizations, the restoration of man as Universal Man, vanishes altogether. Trying to infiltrate and "revive" these organizations is also somewhat fanciful, since one would have to contend with all manner of characters. Mostly, it will be a clash of hierarchical authority, an example of this being the failure of the Great Triad, the masonic lodge that failed in part due to it belonging to a cascading chain: the "official" higher-ups did not approve of it and so it capitulated to their authority. Further, the men that it consisted of initially were not even conceptually united with a proper technical understanding that would bolster its success, everyone instead more or less joined in with their own "views to prove". This is also true for the failed projects of Martin de Pasqually, the disintegrated turuq that R.G. inspired and, though lesser known, the failure of Jean Emmanuelli and his Master, Sri Shiddheshwar, in their attempt to introduce a specific Tantric lineage into the western milieu of their time.

All these things (inasmuch as they all failed) were symptomatic of a dynamic that was on its dying breath, as a consequence of the change in the cosmic environment and of the types of humans that are born within this changed cosmic environment. The entire work of the signature "Rene Guenon" is also symptomatic of this, since, without caring for the misunderstanding of the majority, the most profound truths were revealed to only those who could understand them, but in a public way, without the restriction that would have existed within a traditional society, where his books would have even gotten him put to death:

 "

... it is necessary to conclude that, until this point is actually attained, it is impossible that these things should be understood by men in general, but only by the small number of those who are destined to prepare, in one way or in another, the germs of the future cycle. It is scarcely necessary to say that everything that the author has set out in this book and elsewhere is intended to be addressed exclusively to these few, without any concern for the inevitable incomprehension of the others...

"

[Rene Guenon, The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times, introduction, page 4.]

 

The problem with Rene Guenon however, was in trying to "resuscitate" the old dynamic that was dying, instead of taking a bold "heroic" leap into the future. This was however, a mild problem, since he was considering all possibilities to prevent a sudden cataclysm. He himself admitted the difficulties in seeing just how things would end up unfolding:

"

...All this shows clearly enough what should not be done; what should be done is perhaps
less clear, and that is natural, since, at the point where we now are, no one can say exactly how the elite will be constituted, supposing that it ever should be; that is probably something that belongs to a distant future, and one should have no illusions in this respect...

"

[Rene Guenon, East and West, Chapter 3, Constitution of the Elite and the part to be played by it, page 126-127].

This particular article will look into the changed environment, as well as the beings whose birth it consequently furnishes, Rene Guenon's knowledge of this and of course, for those who can truly understand, a little bit more technical information that they can benefit from. If the cosmic environment as well as the beings born and active within such an environment no longer support the exoteric-esoteric duality, then it is clear that a different dynamic must come into play. In the end, it must be the purely technical, not only theoretically, but in an applied sense that leads to victory over all, an applied sense that facilitates the transformation of man into Universal Man, in the truly Shaivite way, without apology to anyone or anything that may take offense to that.

The death of the exoteric.

The death of the exoteric goes hand in hand with the cessation of the birth of that type of lesser human being that at least could indirectly participate in higher truths:

"

...

For the Shûdras , their participation is above all indirect and virtual, since it generally results only from their relations with the superior castes; moreover, to return to the analogy of the "social body", their role does not properly constitute a vital function, but a mechanical activity in a way, and this is why they are represented as arising, not from a part of  Purusha 's body or of the "Universal Man", but of the earth which is under his feet, and which is the element in which bodily nourishment is elaborated.

...

"

[Rene Guenon, General Introduction to the Study of Hindu Doctrines, Chapter 6, Principle of the Institution of Castes, page 205].

Before continuing, a few reservations of course, must be made regarding the "caste-system" and R.G.'s seemingly endless praise regarding it, first of all, it is only a particular application of cosmic principles to the human social order:

"

...

This shows clearly enough what are the questions of principle involved in all this, and whose scope goes far beyond the limits of the social domain, to which their application has been more particularly considered here; Having thus shown what this application is in the traditional organization of Hindu civilization, we will not dwell further on the study of social institutions, which is not the main object of the present exposition. 

...

"

[Ibid., page 206].

Needless to say, the "vedic caste system" is not the only way to order society, but it is in this that the Purusha-Prakriti bifurcation is most visibly present. Secondly, the resultant passivity within a society excessively informed by the Vedas ultimately leads to its destruction, since what is mostly stressed is "immobility", which renders one impotent against any violent intrusion. Lastly, this strange division of abilities creates a dependency which can also cause ruin, for instance, the Brahmin believing naively that the Kshatriya will always look out for them, or the Kshatriya naively believing that the Brahmin will never mislead and manipulate them. A man ought to realize that which is both Wise and Strong, not only at the ultimate level, but also in the levels beneath it, where the simultaneity of Wisdom and Strength, Knowledge and Power, is reflected. In doing so, he is increasingly autonomous, just as the Tantra teaches.

Moving on, these lesser types of humans are still born, though in the present state of things, it is not the would-be esoterists that direct them, but rather, especially according to R.G., a mix of those who pursue the development of material possibilities, from profane scientists, to the many varieties of academics to pseudo and counter initiates and so on.

It would however, be incorrect to state that these lesser humans are barred from participating in tradition, as explained by R.G. There is nothing stopping anyone in a "free and democratic" country from belonging to any group, traditional or otherwise. In fact, save for financial difficulties, there was not much else standing in the way of R.G. if he stayed in France, acquired the necessary land, used it however he wished and participated in the formation of a properly regular and orthodox esoteric brotherhood, if he could do so independently, without integration into some pre-existing hierarchy. France would have offered him immeasurably greater freedom in this regard, in comparison to Egypt. The collectivist nature of a so-called traditional society would hamper him from approaching certain things, whereas the individualist nature of France wouldn't really bother with him, leaving him to his own devices, whatever they would be.

What therefore, bothered R.G. with a degree of justification, is a shift in that which influenced the ordinary, lesser human, since in the past, this human was manipulated at the whim of traditional orders, as R.G. himself wanted to reoccur:

"

...Naturally, when we encounter ideas such as 'equality' or 'progress', or any other of the 'lay dogmas' that almost all of our contemporaries blindly accept-most of which were first formulated during the eighteenth century-it is impossible for us to admit that they arose spontaneously. They are veritable 'suggestions', in the strictest sense of this word, though they could not of course have had any effect in a society that was not already prepared to receive them; such ideas in themselves have not actually created the mental outlook that is characteristic of modern times, but they have contributed largely to maintaining it and to bringing it to a stage that would doubtless not have been reached without them. If these suggestions were to disappear, the general mentality would come very near to changing direction; and this is why they are so assiduously fostered by all those who have some interest in maintaining the confusion, if not in making it worse, and also why, at a time when it is claimed that everything is open to discussion, they are the only things that may never be discussed...

"

[Rene Guenon, The Crisis of the Modern World, Chapter 6, The Social Chaos, page 71]

So the type of human that, under "traditional" conditions would belong to the exoteric side of things, whether or not this side took on a religious form, is still born, the difference being this type of human is influenced by things that aren't properly "traditional". It must also be remembered that the reticence showcased by various initiatic orders, various yogis, gurus, shamans, lamas and so on, in their decision to consider the world a "hopeless illusion" not worth being interested in, has worsened the situation greatly. Their last-minute intervention is usually impotent and does nothing to counter such trends. This strange attitude of on the one hand, "abandoning the world of illusion" but on the other hand, showing up as traditional society is dying to violently admonish everyone is very strange and even pathetic. Deus ex machina doesn't always solve everything...

Even if the prior dynamic somehow came back into play, it would be difficult to influence ordinary people as before, since these days, access to information of all sorts has already happened, making it harder to employ the prior means of manipulation. Moreover, the manifestation of "miracles" or "magic" won't even faze them as in prior days, on account of the many "technological developments" that, even if only subconsciously, have already given them a proclivity to incorporeal, phenomenal possibilities. This is without even taking particular notice of the bombardment of sensations of all kinds, the consequence of which is, ironically, immense desensitization. Regarding this last point, it will be of interest to look at what R.G. called a "change in the face of the world", in order to further understand just how much the exoteric is dead.

The Faces of the World

As explained by R.G., "a face of the world" is determined by different qualitative conditions, based on a cyclic era. In brief, pertinent to what is being said here, in the past, both the cosmic environment itself in the terrestrial domain was transfigured by incorporeal realities and thus "reflected" things that would be considered "super-natural" today and at the same time, the faculties of the ordinary man at the time were less atrophied and he could thus naturally perceive realities and perform actions that would also be considered "super-natural". Here is part of the relevant text where this is explained:

"

..In speaking of changes in the environment, the intention is not to allude only to the more or less extensive cataclysms that in one way or another mark the 'critical points' of the cycle; these are abrupt changes corresponding to real ruptures of equilibrium, and even in cases where for example it is only a question of the disappearance of a single continent (and such events have in fact occurred in the course of the history of our present humanity), it is easy to see that the terrestrial environment in its entirety must nevertheless be affected by the repercussions of any such event, and that the 'face of the world', so to speak, must thereby be markedly changed. But there are in addition continuous and imperceptible modifications which, within a period free from any cataclysm, produce bit by bit results that in the end are scarcely less impressive; these are not of course only simple 'geological' modifications as understood by profane science, and it is incidentally an error to consider the cataclysms from this narrow point of view alone, since it is always restricted to whatever is most exterior; what is in view here is something much more profound, bearing on the conditions of the environment themselves in such a way that, even if no account were taken of geological phenomena as being no more than details of secondary importance, beings and things would nonetheless be really changed...

"

[Rene Guenon, The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times, Chapter 19, The Limits of History and Geography, page 129] 

Further, even more explicitly:

"

... It was not only that man, whose faculties were then much less narrowly limited, did not see the world with eyes that were the same as those of today, and perceived many things which since then have escaped him entirely; but also, and correlatively, the world itself, as a cosmic entity, was indeed qualitatively different, because possibilities of another order were reflected in the corporeal domain and in a sense 'transfigured' it; thus, for example, when certain 'legends' say that there was a time when precious stones were as common as the most ordinary pebbles are now, the statement need not perhaps be
taken only in a purely symbolical sense...

"

[Ibid., page 130] 

Lastly:

"

...For instance, one part of these descriptions may really be derived from 'survivals' of a
symbolism no longer fully understood, whereas another part may be related to the appearances assumed by the manifestation of certain 'entities' or 'influences' belonging to the subtle domain, and yet another, though doubtless not the most important, may really be a description of beings that had a corporeal existence in more or less remote times, but belonged to species since then extinct or having survived only in exceptional conditions and as great rarities, such as  are still sometimes met with today, whatever may be the opinion of people who imagine that there is nothing left in the world that they
do not know about....

...it is obviously much simpler and more convenient to discard the whole lot en bloc as the moderns do; they would anyhow not understand the truly traditional data themselves any better than those that are contaminated and would still see in them only indecipherable enigmas, and they will naturally adhere to this negative attitude until some new changes in the 'face of the world' come to destroy once and for all their deceptive security.

"

[Ibid., pages 135-136] 

The more the cycle progressed, the greater the degree of restriction afflicted both the terrestrial environment and the beings that lived within it (not counting those beings who in spite of this, retained non-ordinary possibilities) and so many things were gradually forgotten or misunderstood entirely. One thing to note however, is that whenever these "phenomena" occurred, they were within the context of this or that traditional-form, for instance, the Shinto representation of kami differs greatly to the Islamic representation of jinn, yet they both pertain to the same domain, the psychic world. This is because, as was explained here, even merely entering the psychic domain frees one from the possibilities of both time and space and so the actual kami or jinn in its real, psychic form cannot in any way be described or represented in spatio-temporal terms. In the Tantra, this distinction is known as "nirvirtarka samadhi" and "nirvicara samadhi", the qualifier "ni" in this case, indicating the negation of qualities that pertain to both space and time, that is, those of the 5 senses. If you try and give a sensory image, however rarefied to a kami, jinn, yakasha, etc, then you are merely playing within the corporeal realm, dominated by the senses. It must be remembered that the psychic realm already completely escapes the senses and the conditions that governs them, chief of which are time and space and so to know an actual psychic-entity, will require a type of consciousness that is not based on the senses or on the sensory-mind that governs them. The matter is all the more transcendent when one considers the spiritual state, so much so that it is in reality impossible to even think of clothing the real spiritual beings in any kind of sensory forms whatsoever. (Remember, as R.G. stressed numerous times, there is a difference between what is symbolized and the symbol itself. What is symbolized is always of a reality that is either relatively transcendent, or truly transcendent, in comparison to the lesser reality within which the symbol it is connected to exists.)

That said, this is where symbolism comes in, which is connected to the birth of forms, forms which are determined by time, place and the specific mental and physical traits of the place these forms are going to be birthed. Remembering the essence-substance duality, the number of substantial forms an essential reality can take are indefinite, as R.G. has explained numerous times. In the psychic-corporeal duality, the psychic world is obviously relatively essential as opposed to the corporeal world, which is relatively substantial and so, when considering psychic entities such as jinn, the number of forms they can take and the number of ways they can be represented in the corporeal world are indefinite. This explains why the same psychic entities are referred to in some places as Yakshas and in others as Fae, for example. Clearly, the corporeal realm has a role to play in determining the forms they will be clothed in, however, since whenever adaptation is concerned, circumstances are inescapable.

In the past, the forms these entities took were more or less always determined by traditional adapations, e.g. Greek traditions, Druidic traditions, African traditions, Vedic traditions and so on. Today however, given that the face of the earth is changing and thus interactions between the corporeal world, the psychic world and ultimately, the spiritual world are more and more taking an explicit form, once again, the question must be asked: what corporeal forms will these realities and beings be clothed in? It has been seen that people connected to the counter-initiation, in their interaction with infra-psychic entities, are giving them truly strange forms (see the "LAM" entity, connected to counter-initiatic agent, Aleister Crowley for example) and further, the ordinary man is being used unwittingly to further cement the prototypical forms that are being birthed. More on that can be read here. The whole point of me bringing this up is this: the exoteric is further deadened by intrusion of what would be considered, for ordinary people, "super-natural" outside of a traditional context. When these infra-psychic entities break into the corporeal realm, they are not doing so within an Islamic, Christian, Druidic, Hindu, etc. context. Neither are they being interpreted within those contexts. The consequence is a certain "directness", in a technical sense, outside of an overly restricted symbolism that is adapted to particular groups, times and places. This is not to say that these ordinary people will not be manipulated, but the means of manipulation are once again, non-traditional and their ends are mostly catastrophic. 

There is no doubt that the lesser human, born with limited possibilities, persists and is either left to run amok, or, is under the influence of forces beyond his control (whether they be remnants of legitimate traditions, pseudo-traditions, counter-traditions, or just individual influences of all sorts, at times, even spiritual influences can try and aid him, but this usually leads to nothing). It must be asked if in the midst of this, that greater type of human, with superior possibilities is still born and if he is, given the changed environment, what are some of the ways he can follow to awaken to his transcendence and separate himself from the hopeless dregs that surround him?

The Cycle of "Heroes"

Regarding the "hero", when referencing Hesiod, R.G. was mostly positive:

"...The Grail and its "quest" can, in this respect, be attached to what Hesiod designates as the "cycle of heroes", considering them (heroes) as beings endowed with the possibility of reintegrating the "primordial state" and to thus prepare for the coming of a new “golden age”..."

[Rene Guenon, Articles and Reports Volume 1, Book Reviews, Reviewing the book "Il Mistero del Graal and the Tradizione ghibellina dell' Imperoro" by Julius Evola]

Further:

"...“The Age of Heroes” is not any of the 4 ages into which the Manvantara is divided, nor any other special age in addition to these, but rather a mere subdivision; it would be necessary to be able to refer to what Hesiod says, and which I do not have here; but, as far as I can remember, it does seem to be situated in the "iron age" itself, of which it is perhaps like the first phase, and where it would still represent a sort of reflection of the previous ages..."

[Rene Guenon, Letter to Gaston Georgel, Cairo, 28 January 1948.]

In the quoted review of J.Evola's book, Rene Guenon mentions that the appearance of the "Holy Grail" legend was brief and coincided with the zenith of the Christian Tradition in the medieval era, implying that there was an "underground current", watching that particular medieval milieu and assessing whether or not certain things should become manifest (in this once again, we see the Purusha-Prakriti dynamic in action, this "underground current" being the analogue of Purusha and the general medieval milieu being the analogue of Prakriti). Another thing to note is that this "underground current" was not Semitic, not Atlantean and even had certain "Polar" elements to it. The point of this manifestation was to try and use the medieval tradition, especially as connected to the orders of chivalry (and it is in these orders that the "heroic" aspect is found) to once again prepare for the golden age. This was a complete disaster however, since it tried to accommodate all sorts of people and at the same time, acquiesced to the existing structures in the environment it tried to infiltrate. (R.G. mentioned the same thing in his book, "Spiritual Authority and Temporal Power", those interested can consult it for a greater development of this idea).

The important thing to note in all this is that, during periods of degeneration and alienation from the spiritual principle, there nonetheless always subsisted, within the general run of men, beings who had the possibility of participating in and realizing the inner reality, to varying degrees, some even, to the complete degree. These would be akin to heroes, who, traversing the solar path would realize and reflect divinity without apology.

What has been called the "tantra" has, for some reason, come to be associated with the path of the hero. The manifestation of the "tantra", in the Kali Yuga in general, in all its aspects, lineages and technical teachings thus in a way, reflects the cycle of heroes, an era during which  there persists certain beings who must embark on a journey that leads to apotheosis, these beings being however, trapped initially in a state of chaos, confusion and darkness. When directly dealing with this, given all that has been pointed out in prior articles regarding Rene Guenon's biases, manipulations and misunderstandings, Rene Guenon spoke with a pejorative, almost hateful tone. He states, unnecessarily, that the hero's path, inasmuch as it is presented as a quest, can end in failure, since quests can fail. He also goes out of his way to denigrate Power, a folly that I pointed out here. When dealing with the Veda, since it celebrates his brahmanic biases, he sings endless eulogies, yet when it comes to the Tantra, R.G. displays discomfort, acting out of character to attack it. (Once again, the means and end of metaphysical realization are incommensurable, as R.G. himself stated, he seems to have forgotten this when dealing with the Tantra. In any case, given the dualistic point of view that all beings born into this world start from, then anything can either succeed or fail, this includes those who wish to undertake sadhana based on all sorts of rites as prescribed in the Vedas. Wasn't this simple fact apparent to R.G.? Was his bias so strong that he couldn't see this? Since the world we start from is dualistic, then even he who follows the precious Vedic-rites can fail or succeed in his pursuit, the manipulative trick of associating dualistic outcomes with only a quest employed by R.G. is an instance of  treachery.).

The reason I bring all this up, is to show the striking similarities in conditions, between the present state of things and what was called the cycle of heroes. This similarity is so strong that even the technique pertinent to spiritual realization most suited for certain beings born in this environment is presented as "heroic". The Tantra is however of Polar origin, so if the hero is represented as in between the worlds of gods and demons, then this must be considered as a starting point, since the end point is always Polar and even during the descent, it is as Universal Man that it is accomplished. Thus man returns not as a Divya , Vira or Asura, but as something else entirely that synthesizes and remains beyond all these 3 categories of beings.

As R.G. himself stated, the cycle of heroes is connected to the interval between cycles, among other things, in that there must be a group of beings born within such a cosmic environment to ensure the transition from one state to another and in this case, it is the transition to the Satya Yuga that is in question, which means that the beings that are tasked with this quest must have the possibility of realizing Universal Man, or at least, of attaining significant spiritual development, even if they do not completely reach that goal. In anticipation of this, R.G. already proposed a few things, which are worth briefly looking at in what follows.

The Lost Word: Gathering what is Scattered

Since the type of human that can participate in higher realities is still born, all over the world (though the number of humans who can do so must naturally decrease before the cycle closes, since once the last of these beings is born, the possibility of a human birth acting as a point of departure for a being to realize itself through knowledge will be exhausted, at least in a heterogeneous sense, i.e. inasmuch as such a human is born among ignorant profane humans and so is mixed up with them. From an "eschatological" perspective, the number of the true elect is always limited and R.G. himself noted that, once their number is fully realized, then the cycle comes to a close), for anything positive to come of their existence, certain things must be realized. Though "East and West" is one of his most flawed books, there are still many valuable insights within it that can be gleaned, especially concerning the problems of:

1. Properly identifying the non-ordinary humans worldwide (the elect or the elite, though in our era, the term "elite" has come to almost exclusively mean the counter-initiation, so much so that even ordinary men use this term "elite" to refer to them entirely. This inversion is another "sign of the times").

2. Ensuring that these individuals are aware that they are not like the rest, that they are different.

3. Facilitating a proper transmission of strictly technical data (such as the proper writings of R.G.) to them and making sure they assimilate it all, sans any bias manipulation it might possess.

4. From among them, identifying those who can benefit from certain techniques that once applied will bring varying results.

5. Gathering, if necessary (but most probably) via non-ordinary means, such as, teleportation, de-materialization and re-materialization, etc.

In support of all this, let us look at certain tracts, first, from the book, "East and West". These will be quoted in a lengthy fashion, since they bode well with almost everything this blog has stood for. Obviously, the term "westerner" in this context does not refer to geographical grouping, but rather, to anyone anywhere that, while having certain qualifications finds themselves unable to do anything about it:

"..the things in question are the most tremendous that exist, and compared with them everything else is mere child’s play. Moreover, that is why those who seek to set foot in this domain without having the qualifications required for reaching at least the first stages of true understanding, withdraw of their own accord as soon as they find that they have incurred the liability of undertaking serious and real work; true mysteries defend themselves unaided against all profane curiosity, and their very nature protects them against all assaults of human folly, no less than against the powers of illusion that may be described as ‘diabolical’ (everyone being free to read into this word all the meanings that he pleases, literal, or figurative). For this reason it would be utterly childish to have recourse to interdictions which, applied in such an order of things, would be meaningless; such bans may be legitimate in other cases, which we do not intend to discuss, but they cannot concern pure intellectuality; and as to what goes beyond mere theory and calls for a certain reticence, those who have the right attitude need not be constrained in any way to ensure their always being as careful and discreet as is necessary; all this is far beyond the range of any outward formulas whatever, and has nothing to do with the more or less fantastic ‘secrets’ which are above all the plea of those who have nothing to say..." 

[Rene Guenon, East and West, The constitution of an elite and the part to be played by it, page 125]

The necessary qualification to understand these things is always an ability to assimilate these concepts in all their purity. Further, it's interesting to see that R.G. admits that reticence is at play whenever practical matters are involved, a point that has been brought up before in prior articles.

"...This idea of organizations which do not take the form of ‘societies’ in any respect, which have none of the outward features that characterize such groups, and which for that reason are all the more sound because they are really based on what is immutable without allowing themselves to be adulterated with anything transitory, is an idea which is quite strange to the modern mentality, and we have had various opportunities of appreciating the difficulties that are to be met with by anyone who tries to make people understand it..."

[Ibid., page 128]

The emphasis is mine, the words in bold indicate that any genuine work must not be primarily based on anything transitory such as all manner of organizations, but on a proper conceptual understanding of the immutable, which would precede varied realizations of the same. Further:

"...It goes without saying that if one or two individuals, instead of working by themselves, would rather meet together and form what one might call ‘working groups’, we should not see any danger in that by itself, nor even any inconvenience, provided that those who take part are fully aware that they have not the slightest need to resort to this outward formalism which looms so large in the eyes of most of our contemporaries, for the very reason that outward things are everything for them. Moreover, great care would have to be taken even in forming these groups, if any serious work was to be done in them and followed out to any lengths, and many precautions would be necessary, since everything accomplished in this domain brings into play powers that the ordinary man has no inkling of, and those who are indiscreet may find themselves at the mercy of strange reactions, at least so long as a certain level of understanding has not been reached..."

[Ibid.]

The number of people involved in these types of things must always be extremely small, for anything of value to come from a collective action.What R.G. proposes is clearly a technical operation:

 

"...Besides, the questions of method, in this connection, are closely dependent on the principles themselves; it follows that they are much more important than in any other domain, and that they have consequences much more serious here than in the field of science, though even there they are far from being negligible..."

 [Ibid.]

There needs to be a corresponding method to  the technical concepts that would be at play. Note that this is long before the many interdictions introduced in the book "Perspectives on Initiation". Proceeding:

"..we do not want to cloak the difficulties either; adaptation to certain definite conditions is always extremely delicate, and without unshakable and very extensive theoretic information there can be no question of trying to realize effectively the least thing. Even to acquire this information is not such a light task for Westerners; in any case, and we can never be too insistent on it, this task is the necessary starting-point, and the one indispensable preparation, without which nothing can be done, and which all the ultimate realizations in any order of things essentially depend on..."

[Ibid., page 129.]

There is no ambiguity in all this: the technical, in its purest sense, is the only thing that can furnish veritable results. Anyone who is stuck in ambiguities, who sees only "opinions" and "beliefs" everywhere, who hasn't the aptitudes necessary to pierce into the essential and to understand how to bring certain powers into play via relevant practices, anyone like this is completely and utterly useless and must not be entertained in the slightest.

Further:

"We address ourselves to those who are able and willing to understand in their turn, wherever they may be and wherever they may come from, but not to those who are liable to be stopped by the most insignificant or illusory obstacle, who have a rooted fear of certain things or of certain words, or who would believe themselves lost if they happened to overstep certain conventional and arbitrary limitations."

[Ibid., Conclusions, page 161] 

Clearly, those who have the tendency to "bow down" almost as if by second nature are also useless in this domain. They, like the lesser humans who would compose the exoteric, cannot realize anything significant. Worse still, these types of people may wish to impose obstacles on the entire human race, on account of their own shortcomings.

Continuing:

"...We do not see, in point of fact, what advantage the intellectual elite could draw from the collaboration of these timorous and fretful creatures; he that is not capable of looking every truth in the face, he that does not feel the force of penetrating into the ‘great solitude’, according to the expression sanctioned by the Far-Eastern tradition (and which has its equivalent in India), could not go very far in the metaphysical work that we have spoken of, and that all the rest strictly depends on..."

[Ibid.]

Some people are even cowardly at the conceptual level, before any practical work is undertaken.

"...There seems to be, among certain people, a sort of preconceived determination not to understand; but we do not believe that those whose intellectual possibilities are truly far-reaching will be subject to these idle terrors, for they are well enough balanced to have, almost instinctively, the assurance that they will never run the risk of giving way to any mental dizziness..."

[Ibid.]

Once again, a conceptual preparation, as has been stated in the prior articles as well, is indispensable.

More:

"...We are not referring here to those who have a more or less excessive confidence in themselves; those we are speaking of, even if they are not yet aware of it, really put their trust in something much higher than their individuality, since they have a kind of presentiment of these higher states which are to be totally and definitely won by pure metaphysical knowledge. As to the others, who dare go neither too high nor too low, the fact is that they cannot see further than certain barriers, beyond which they can no longer even distinguish the higher from the lower, the true from the false, the possible from the impossible; imagining that the truth must be of the same dimensions as themselves and that it is tied down to an average level, they are at their ease in the ‘pigeon-holes’ of the philosophic outlook, and, even when they have assimilated certain partial truths, they can never use them to enlarge indefinitely their own understanding..." 

[Ibid., page 161-162]

Thus there is a presentiment to the ultimate truth, an unshakeable understanding that it is there, that it can be realized and that it is beyond any and all forms and particular adaptations that may be used as a starting point to know it directly without any intermediary whatsoever. This last part is important since it means inasmuch as conceptual preparation is indispensable, it is just that: preparation. There must be a method that enables one to realize whatever they have assimilated.

The last tract I will quote from this book indicates what should have been obvious to all who really have eyes to see, that the entire corpus of R.G. serves as a preparation for anyone able to understand it and able to use it as a basis for realizing something that R.G. and his genuine collaborators could not realize at the time:

"...There are no reasons, when all is said and done, why what we have done ourselves should not be done by others also; with the Western mentality as it is, these others will doubtless be no more than exceptions, but it only needs such exceptions to be found, even a few, to justify what we have foreseen and to give the possibilities that we are pointing out a chance of being realized sooner or later. Besides, all that we shall do or say will amount to giving those who come afterward advantages that we ourselves were not given; here, as everywhere else, it is the beginning of the work that is the most painful, and the more unfavorable the conditions, the greater must be the effort toward achievement... "

[Ibid., page 162-163.]

Once again, given the current conditions, the term "westerner" does not mean European, it really means anyone from anywhere and in an update added to the book in question, R.G. himself admitted that the scope and nature of the work in question ought to be modified. The type of human that can participate in higher truths is scattered throughout the globe, akin to the "lost word", this human may even be unaware of its true capabilities. The state of things is so dire, it would not shock me if certain of these humans even live in abject destitution, unable to properly fend for themselves, especially if they are from territories that have been relentlessly assaulted by foreigners, in Asia, Africa, Latin America, or even in affluent countries, in situations that make any true independent action difficult. To make matters worse, as R.G. himself elsewhere says:

"...A warning must be addressed to those who, because of their capacity for a higher understanding, if not because of the degree of knowledge to which they have actually attained, seem destined to become elements of a possible elite. There is no doubt that the force of modernism, which is truly 'diabolic' in every sense of the word, strives by every means in its power to prevent these elements, today isolated and scattered, from achieving the cohesion that is necessary if they are to exert any real influence on the general mentality. It is therefore for those who have already more or less completely become aware of the end toward which their efforts should be directed to stand firm against whatever difficulties may arise in their path and threaten to turn them aside..."

[Rene Guenon, The Crisis of the Modern World, Chapter 9, Some Conclusions, page 115]

The important thing to note in this tract is the effort by any kind of force to keep human beings with higher possibilities scattered. Of course, the notion of "exerting influence on the general mentality" seems rather futile, for various reasons, some of which have already been pointed out in prior articles. The book just quoted is also quite naive, since R.G. thought that the Catholic Church could be the saving grace for the west and in this, there is so much evidence regarding his manipulations of Catholics backfiring that the puerile nature of such plans isn't even worth going in to. Moreover, the tendency to want to maintain the dying Purusha-Prakriti dynamic as a prototype for human social models is also implicit in such line of thought.

Trying to gather the "scattered elements" under the canopy of a dying dynamic is not the way to go. Perhaps it could offer some possibilities, but as the many difficulties R.G. faced in trying to do this demonstrated, coupled with the death of the exoteric itself (since the type of human that would be guided by traditional esoterists is instead guided by all sorts of other things as noted above), the results offered by such an approach are heavily wanting. The dependency that the potential candidate for initiation would incur by way of a multitude of barriers: exoteric groups, degenerate esoteric brotherhoods, reticent men who, even if they have legitimate realization are nonetheless  warped in their traditional forms, unable to adapt or transcend their immediate surroundings and so forth make it almost impossible for them to develop their innate possibilities, should they take that dying path.

The only thing that can be agreed with, is that a technical, conceptual preparation is necessary before commencing any practical technique. Since the prior dynamic is clearly almost definitively dead, other possibilities ought to be considered in this regard, possibilities that allow independent practice and quick results. Two prominent paths that offer this maintain the remote, "polar" imprint that directly connects them to Satya Yuga Man: certain forms of buddhism (especially the original "Scythian Buddhism", which didn't even have the name of "buddhism" and was probably a nameless thing) and of course, what has come to be known as the "Tantra" (which is ultimately also something that really has no name, even on the formal level). There could be more, of course, but these two are the most accessible in this regard.

The Polar Spirit and the Atlantean Forms

In the present phase of the Manvantara, there were and are a variety of forms, each with distinct characteristics, greatly depending on whether their constitution is mainly Polar (Borean), or even more restricted as coming from Atlantis or some other remote secondary centre. In Atlantis itself, there were divisions that match the 4 cardinal points, thus there was North Atlantis, South Atlantis, etc. R.G. mentions this:

"

... in distinguishing between a southern Atlantis and a northern Atlantis, although they must not have been separate originally; but it is no less true that even the northern Atlantis had nothing hyperborean about it...

"

[Rene Guenon, Traditional Forms and Cosmic Cycles, part 2, chapter 1, Atlantis and Hyperborea, page 16] .

This is not a superfluous observation, since these further bifurcations were qualitative in nature and the extant traditional forms today of a secondary nature are distinguished on the basis of this. The Egyptian tradition, the Toltec Tradition and the Hebrew Tradition for example, all ultimately came as about as an Atlantean adaptation, yet their characters are clearly, vastly different, on account, in great part, of proceeding from different regions in Atlantis, after it had began to progressively split up:

"

...We have already said what we think about this, but we will clarify the point further: the
author is certainly right when he says that the Egyptian tradition was derived from Atlantis
(which, we.can say more clearly than he does, was not therefore itself the seat of the primordial tradition), but it was not the only one. And the same thing rems true particularly of the Chaldean tradition; the Arab teaching on the ’three Hermes, of which we spoke elsewhere, shows this descent quite clearly. But if the principal source is thus the same, the difference of these forms was probably determined by the meeting with other currents, one coming from the South in the case of Egypt, and the other from the North in that of Chaldea, Now the Hebrew tradition is essentially‘Abrahamic' hence of Chaldean origin, the 'readaptation’ effected by Moses was no doubt able, because of circumstances of place, to make accessory use of Egyptian elements, especially as regards certain more or less secondary traditional sciences; but it could never have had the effect of causing this tradition to depart from its own lineage so as to transfer it into another lineage foreign to the people for whom it was expressly destined and in whose language it had to
be formulated...

"

[Ibid., Part iv, chatper 3, Hermes' Tomb, reviews, page 94].

In the most serious article on this blog, I pointed out that certain misunderstandings and barriers came about within Atlantis itself as a consequence of its destruction, said to be brought about by an excessive use of power (power here in its lesser sense). The forms persisting after Atlantis are however many, with diverse influence in terms of their constitution. R.G. himself admits that certain forms came about as a fusion of the post-Atlantean current and a persisting Polar, Borean one:

 

"

...If we make this last reservation, it is because it seems particularly difficult to determine how, after the disappearance of Atlantis, the current coming from the West was joined with another current descending from the North and proceeding directly from the primordial tradition, a junction from which was to result the constitution of the different traditional forms proper to the last part of the Manvantara...

"

[Ibid.,chapter 2, The place of the Atlantean Tradition in the Manvantara, page 26.]

However, those traditional forms that are most connected to the Polar spirit are to be found along the North-South axis, in relation to those forms that are most connected to further restricted secondary centres, found along the East-West axis, such as those originating from Atlantis: 

"..The very position of the Atlantean centre on the East-West axis indicates its subordination with respect to the Hyperborean centre, located at the North-South polar axis..."

[Ibid., page 24.]

Thus many traditions and viewpoints, in terms of their structure, are an aggregate of various forms, harmoniously animated by the spirit that issues forth from the Supreme Centre. However, some flow more directly from the Polar origins of our race than others and it is in these that a greater deal of freedom in terms of conception and technique is to be found. It is immensely interesting that R.G. had to recognize the directness of Tantra and Buddhism in a letter to Georges Tamos:

"

The question of the place of origin of the “Tantras” is not very clear; in any case, I do not think that Shaka-dwîpa can be identified with Chaldea as A. Avalon says; according to the most plausible interpretation, it would be Scythia, which would in sum still indicate a “Nordic” origin, passing through Central Asia. This would also explain why the rite of the Bön-pos of Tibet, prior to Buddhism and not influenced by India, has similarities with Tantrism, because there would thus be a common origin. About Buddhism, some think that Shakyas would have been originally Shakas (Scythians) “Hinduized” since more or less remote times...

 "

[Rene Guenon, Letter to Georges Tamos, Cairo, January 18, 1938]

Though R.G. states that everything ultimately proceeds from the Polar origin, this may be true in spirit but not in form. It is the same as the birth of a being, it ultimately is a pure spirit that descends progressively until it is hampered and covered by the elements of whatever domain it is descending into. Those forms which are immensely influenced by Atlantis have integrated far too many secondary elements into themselves, as opposed to that which maintains to a high degree, a direct issue from the Polar realm itself. Whatever was to become "buddhism" later on was initially a nameless thing that was known among varying groups, from the Scythian Shakas, to the central Asians and so on. The same goes for what has come to be known as the Tantra, a direct Polar concept and technique which can be found in diverse places, from among the Hindus (especially in west Bengal), to the central Asians, to certain African groups, to Amerindians, etc. This all points to the preservation of something that is independent of Atlantean influence and adaptation to a great degree. It is not that the Tantra or what came to be known as Buddhism are of Scythian origin, it is that these two were known among the Scythians as having originated from a Polar place and besides, Tantric concepts and techniques can be found as far south as Africa (where the exact technique centred on awakening Kundalini has been preserved in certain tribes as is seen in the concept of "Umbilini", umbi: form, lini: line, that is, a subtle form that is susceptible of a vertical, linear development, which is a description of the vertical journey taken by Kundalini as she ascends throughout the various centres before exiting them entirely. There are many other "Serpent/Stone" teachings to be found in that region of the world.) where their ultimate origin is also signified as Polar.

Thus the point is this: in their approach to reality, certain Atlantean forms, most notably the Abrahamic ones, do so with a great deal of restrictions and limitations. This is not even the case for other Atlantean forms such as the Toltec forms, which had a greater deal of flexibility. Further, manipulation is most present within these Abrahamic forms to a peculiar degree (this is not to say that manipulation does not exist within other forms, it is obviously a question of extent). Gathering on the basis of the limits and manipulations of such Atlantean forms seems very counter-intuitive. On the other hand, there exist certain perspectives, some very misunderstood as evidenced by the misrepresentations of R.G. himself, that have preserved extremely pure concepts, wherein the presence of the Polar Spirit is evident and not only that, but which offer techniques that can be independently invoked without the many restrictions that are present in Atlantean forms.

Conclusion: Return of the Polar Spirit

The last appearance of the King of the World did not occur in any Altantean setting and definitely not in an Abrahamic one. It occurred in Narabanchi, a so-called Buddhist centre. However, as has been demonstrated, what has come to be known as "Buddhism" was really just the manifestation of some teaching that was directly connected to the Polar origins of humanity itself. Further, there were, at the time of his final appearance, many other things of Polar origins within central Asia, as R.G. himself has admitted. It is in such an environment, where directness and purity were preserved, that the King of the World found Men worth appearing to and interacting with and that had one of the most direct openings into the Kingdom of Agarttha itself. This is quite significant.

Another thing is to consider the state of things today. Following the usual bureaucratic means of attaining spiritual development, with all the limits and restrictions such means imply doesn't seem like it will yield any significant results. R.G. tried this and all his projects to that end failed. The set of possibilities connected to direct invocation make sense in such circumstances, since, those who could benefit from them, even if they are only 3-10 individuals from varying parts of the planet, would not only assimilate and practice them in peace, they would also radiate whatever it is they would have realized from within without any formal restrictions. This last point is very important, since as the present global climate itself indicates, the counter-initiates and the looming counter-traditional empire are already making great strides in revealing themselves and "globalist" announcements like this ("The Great Reset") are an indicator of that. It will soon become difficult to travel, gather, or even communicate digitally as more and more centralized control is unleashed indiscriminately on anyone who is not at the highest echelons of the counter-initiatic hierarchy. 

Independent action, hampered by nothing is all the more bolstered when "eschatological" things like this are considered. The various reactions, such as those done by the Canadian truckers were foretold by R.G. in his book, The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times. These kinds of reactions are "traditionalism", meaning, though it is sensed that something fundamentally evil is at play, the reactions that are not based on an effective possession of Knowledge and Power are all impotent (See the chapter on Tradition and Traditionalism of the book just cited for more). It will become increasingly difficult to fight against the global-regime being ushered in, step by step, by the likes of counter-initiatic agents such as Klaus Schwab. All this just shows why a concentration of Knowledge and Power on a personal level and used on an individual level, are the only way to fight the looming "beast-machine" that the average person will doubtless worship.

Independent practices, predicated upon concepts that support them are therefore a way that the genuine elite could benefit from. They would be united in their technical understanding and in their independent pursuits and perhaps this in itself is a way to prepare for the inevitable return of the Polar Spirit, when Agarttha (AKaTha) is finally made visibly manifest at some point in the interstice between the end of this cycle and the beginning of the next one.

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