ON THE SECRET OF DEGENERATION
Julius Evola
If Christian mythology attributes the Fall of Man and the Rebellion
of the Angels to the freedom of the will, then it comes to much the
same significance. It concerns the frightening potential that dwells
in man of using freedom to destroy spiritually and to banish
everything that could ensure him a supra-natural value. This is a
metaphysical decision: the stream that traverses history in the most
varied forms of the traditional-hating, revolutionary,
individualistic, and humanistic spirit, or in short, the "modern"
spirit. This decision is the only positive and decisive cause in the
secret of degeneration, the destruction of Tradition.
If we understand this, we can perhaps also grasp the sense of those
legends that speak of mysterious rulers who "always" exist and have
never died (shades of the Emperor sleeping beneath the Kyffhäuser
mountain!). Such rulers can be rediscovered only when one achieves
spiritual completeness and awakens a quality in oneself like that of
a metal that suddenly feels "the magnet", finds the magnet and
irresistibly orients itself and moves towards it. For now, we must
restrict ourselves to this hint. A comprehensive explanation of
legends of that sort, which come to us from the most ancient Aryan
source, would take us too far. At another opportunity we will
perhaps return to the secret of reconstruction, to the "magic" that
is capable of restoring the fallen mass to the unalterable, lonely,
and invisible peaks that are still there in the heights.
Deutsches Volkstum, Nr. 11, 1938.
http://library.flawlesslogic.com/evola.htm
--- In
evola_as_he_is@yahoogroups.com, "evola_as_he_is"
<evola_as_he_is@y...> wrote:
>
>
> Of course, Guénon believed that a Western Tradition could only be
> rebuilt within a Christian form : he thought that Christianity was
> the Western tradition per se. Sheer nonsense - with all due
respect.
> Needless to explain why. Considering that, in one of the essays he
> wrote for the review 'Ur', Reghini mocked heartily those who hold
> such nonsense, it can be wondered on what basis Guénon thought
that
> his writings were the only ones worthy of interest in the whole
work.
>
> Because of the utter degeneracy of most European aristocratic
> families, which Evola finally acknowledged fully and unequivocally
in
> 1940 in an article about the question of interracial selections in
> Germany, and in whose veins, as pointed out in a message about so-
> called 'black nobility' a few months ago, not much 'blue blood'
runs
> any more, it is tempting to speak of 'aristocrats of the spirit'.
> Yet, as you realise, that expression can be confusing and play in
the
> hands of the villains who, in the late XVIIIth century, started,
so
> to speak, to impersonate, by means, for instance, of marriages, of
> marriages beneath their station, true aristocrats. In various
> occasions, Evola reproaches Hitler for having criticised strongly,
> mainly in 'Mein Kampf', the aristocrats of the early XIXth
century.
> That is why we have just said that the former finally acknowledged
> fully and unequivocally the state of utter degeneracy of European
> aristocracy. On this basis, the only question is whether Hitler
> wanted and had the means to substitute those degenerate
aristocrats
> for worthy representatives of the aristocratic spirit or whether
he
> intended to replace them with a human type which was not up to
> the 'best ones'. As far as brute violence is concerned, the
Wehrmacht
> was far behind the Red Army and the 'Allied'(please see in this
> respect 'The Destruction of Dresde', whose author has been jailed
one
> month ago in Austria, after he was foolish enough to travel to
that
> country, in which he is persona non grata because of his
writings).
> History has showed that violence is often the only way for a
leader
> worth of the name to assert himself before he can exercise later
an
> action of 'presence'. Evola, who knew very well Augustus' life and
> the conditions in which he rose to power, was likely to be fully
> aware of this, deep down inside.
>
> Since some of the racial writings of Evola have been published,
it's
> no secret that he considered that National Socialist racial views
> referred to racism of the first and second degree, and, to a large
> extent, he was right. The question is whether, in this day and
age,
> considering the physiopsychological constitution of contemporary
man,
> it is still possible to act on the race of the spirit without
having
> previously worked on the race of the body and on the race of the
> soul, in most cases, that is, in the case of the average man.
>
>
> --- In
evola_as_he_is@yahoogroups.com, "darklittleflame"
> <ads694@h...> wrote:
> >
> > Regarding Hitler's comments on 'neo-pagans':
> > Guenon's comments in the second chapter of `crisis' also
emphasise
> > similar concerns. `There are [those] who wish to attach
themselves
> > to Celtism...But where can one find `Celtism' today in a pure
state
> > and with sufficient vitality to be able to serve as a basis? …We
do
> > not deny that a certain Celtic spirit has survived and can still
> > manifest itself under various forms...but when anyone tells us
that
> > there still exist spiritual centers where the Druid tradition is
> > preserved in its entirety, we require them to show proof, and
until
> > they do so we consider it very doubtful, if not altogether
> > incredible.
> >
> > Guenon believed that a Western Tradition could only be rebuilt
> > within a Christian form (given the recent posts referring to
Hitler
> > and the restoration of a pre-Christian cult I am interested in
what
> > others make of Guenon's beliefs in this regard) and such
> > resusicitation could only happen through a Western elite having
> > contact with `the living spirit of Tradition' that he saw
present
> in
> > the East.
> >
> > Contact with a living center can act as a catalyst, but as
Guenon
> > states such contact would not be sufficient in and of itself.
Only
> > an elite are capable of bringing restoration to the West. It is
> only
> > those who have an innate disposition to seek out, recognise and
> > instantiate the living spirit of Tradition. As Nietzsche
> > wrote, `spirit alone does not make noble; rather, there must be
> > something to ennoble the spirit. What then is required? Blood'
WP
> > 942.
> >
> > In the same passage Nietzsche also makes it clear that when
> speaking
> > of the nobility of birth and blood he does not mean `the little
> > word "von" or of the Almanach de Gotha: parenthesis for asses.
When
> > one speaks of "aristocrats of the spirit," reasons are usually
not
> > lacking for concealing something; as is well known, it is a
> favorite
> > term among ambitious Jews.'
> >
> > Despite Hitler's, no doubt, firmly held convinction in his
> professed
> > aims and goals can National Socialism be subject to Nietzsche's
> > above criticism of being ultimately a concealment of more
profane,
> > and perhaps 'anaemic' ambitions, even if unconscious? Can Hitler
be
> > seen as embodying what Evola, when speaking of Traditional
> spiritual
> > action, referred to as `the `Olympian' attribute of true
> > spirituality and true sovereignty and [a] direct way of
asserting
> > themselves, not through violence, but through presence' or was
he
> > merely employing demagoguery, messianism and the use of brute
force
> > to achieve mere profane goals of status, wealth and power etc?
> > Others here are obviously well learned in such subjects so I
would
> > be interested to hear their views, or how Evola interpreted,
what
> > appears to be, mere appeals to natural rather than transcendent
> > values.
> >
> > And, of course, does Nietzsche too also fall prey to such
> criticism?
> > I would hold Nietzsche's nobility well above that of Hitler.
> > However, his proclamation of it, notably in `ecce homo,' is
often
> > furnished with such hyperbole to suggest tones of messianic
> > demagoguery. Is this just so readers will come to believe that
he
> is
> > indeed a world historical event, last prophet of Dionysus, the
> > Antichrist and thereby furnish him with the recognition he must
> have
> > felt that was rightly his and unjustly with-held? However,
unlike
> > Hitler, Nietzsche knew that he could not `confound [him]self
with
> > those for whom there are ears listening today.' And that despite
> all
> > his claims for world historical status `there is nothing in
> > [Nietzsche] of a founder of a religion – religion are affairs of
> the
> > rabble...I never speak to masses.'
> >
> > Also, referring back to Nietzsche's comments on blood, he also
> > considers his professed nobility (with the hyperbole noted
above)
> as
> > a `monstrous atavism. One would have to go back centuries to
find
> > this noblest of races that the earth has ever possessed in so
> > instinctively pristine a degree as [Nietzsche] presents it...One
is
> > least related to one's parents...Higher natures have their
origins
> > infinitely farther back...Julius Caesar could be my father – or
> > Alexander, this Dionysos incarnate.'
> >
> > Leaving aside the question of how far Nietzsche can actually be
> seen
> > to have embodied such grand ideals I am wondering if there is
> > resonance here with Evola's view that `race lives in blood, or
> > rather deeper than in blood, in a depth where individual life
> > communicates with a life more than individual, not to be
> understood,
> > however, in a naturalistic way, as `life of the species,' but as
an
> > order in which spiritual forces are at work.' Also, how far to
> > National Socialist racial views go in this regard or do they
only
> > refer to racism of the first and second degree?
> >
> > --- In
evola_as_he_is@yahoogroups.com, "evola_as_he_is"
> > <evola_as_he_is@y...> wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > > That excerpt from 'Mein Kampf' sums up the whole thing. It
does.
> > It
> > > stands as a perfect counterpart to 'The Misunderstanding of
Neo-
> > > Paganism', a text which, especially in its second version,
that
> > which
> > > constitutes a chapter of 'Sintesi di dottrina della razza',
> raises
> > > the question of the possibility of restoring pre-Christian
> > European
> > > cult in practice.
> > >
> > > Theoretically, one thing is for sure, Neo-Pagans put the cart
> > before
> > > the horse : the rites which were peculiar to those cults were
> > > indissociable from the specific spirit in which they
originated
> > and
> > > were rooted. What matters is not to perform those rites, but
to
> > > regain that spirit, failing which they are an empty shell and
> lead
> > > nowhere. On that basis, a man who lives according to the
> > principles
> > > on which the ancient pre-Christian cults were based, and only
> him,
> > > can be legitimately considered as a 'neo-Pagan', or, as we'd
> > rather
> > > say, a 'neo-Heathen' ; so long as that spirit is still
embodied
> by
> > > differentiated men, the possibility of a 'heathen Imperialism'
> > still
> > > exists, theoretically.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --- In
evola_as_he_is@yahoogroups.com, "darkiexx"
> > <tristanarpe@h...>
> > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Without lambasting the Nordic Paganism or any other re-
> > > > constructionist belief system. It is only correct to put it
> into
> > > the
> > > > context of the particular thoughts of the leader of the
NSDAP
> > > > (assuming these were his thoughts). I believe heartedly that
> all
> > > > other derivations would be treated with similar disdain.
> > > >
> > > > Here, I quote also from his text (please remember that it is
> > > > difficult, to do justice, to any thinking by just lifting
> > > > paraphrases from a book).
> > > >
> > > > MEIN KAMPF. Adolf Hitler (1889-1945). Chapter X
> > > >
> > > > It is typical of such persons that they rant about ancient
> > Teutonic
> > > > heroes of the dim and distant ages, stone axes, battle
spears
> and
> > > > shields, whereas in reality they themselves are the
woefullest
> > > > poltroons imaginable. For those very same people who
brandish
> > > > Teutonic tin swords that have been fashioned carefully
> according
> > to
> > > > ancient models and wear padded bear-skins, with the horns of
> > oxen
> > > > mounted over their bearded faces, proclaim that all
> contemporary
> > > > conflicts must be decided by the weapons of the mind alone.
And
> > > thus
> > > > they skedaddle when the first communist cudgel appears.
> > Posterity
> > > > will have little occasion to write a new epic on these
heroic
> > > > gladiators.
> > > > […]
> > > > I have seen too much of that kind of people not to feel a
> > profound
> > > > contempt for their miserable play-acting. To the masses of
the
> > > nation
> > > > they are just an object of ridicule; but the Jew finds it to
> his
> > own
> > > > interest to treat these folk-lore comedians with respect and
to
> > > > prefer them to real men who are fighting to establish a
German
> > > > State. And yet these comedians are extremely proud of
> > themselves.
> > > > […]
> > > > Among those people there were some whose conduct can be
> > explained by
> > > > their innate stupidity and incompetence; but there are
others
> > who
> > > > have a definite ulterior purpose in view. Often it is
difficult
> > to
> > > > distinguish between the two classes. The impression which I
> > often
> > > > get, especially of those so-called religious reformers whose
> > creed
> > > > is grounded on ancient Germanic customs, is that they are
the
> > > > missionaries and protégés of those forces which do not wish
to
> > see
> > > a
> > > > national revival taking place in Germany.
> > > > […]
> > > > It was not without good reason that when we laid down a
clearly
> > > > defined programme for the new movement we excluded the word
> > > VÖLKISCH
> > > > from it.The concept underlying the term VÖLKISCH cannot
serve
> as
> > > the
> > > > basis of a movement, because it is too indefinite and
general
> in
> > > its
> > > > application. Therefore, if somebody called himself VÖLKISCH
> such
> > a
> > > > designation could not be taken as the hall-mark of some
> > definite,
> > > > party affiliation.
> > > >
> > > >
==============================================================
> > > > Poltroon: a spiritless coward
> > > >
> > >
> >
>