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  • Category: Spirituality
  • Founded: Nov 19, 2004
  • Language: English

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"There is no longer any doubt in the mind of most people, J. Evola wrote in
'Sulla storia segreta della sovversione' in the late 1930's, that the 'immortal
principles' of democracy, equality and 'liberty', rationalism, internationalism
and massonic secularism , technico-economical Marxist messianism have acted as
the main poison in the modern world. However, very few suspect the true origin
of these errors. It is generally assumed that these are the products of a sui
generis philosophical thought that has been devised and spread by revolutionnary
intellectuals. This is only superficially true : their actual origin is very
different : these errors result from a very specific process of spiritual
involution, of desecration, of debasement and, finally, of inversion."

A few examples are then given of principles which, "once debased, secularised,
generalised and made accessible to anyone, became instruments of subversion and
led to anarchy and individualism, that is to say, to attitudes and errors which
were to result precisely in the negation and the destruction of the spiritual
plane, the only one on which these principles could be valid and legitimate".

This is definitively the case for the idea of 'equality'. "On the natural plane,
equality is a nonsense : in nature, there is no such thing as 'equality'. On a
higher plane, there are good reasons to speak of 'parity' instead of
'equality'. Once again, this brings us back to values which were originally
aristocratic in essence. It was only among 'free men' and 'noble men' that
'parity' had a legitimate and manly value, beyond any difference in nature."
This is also the case for many other ideas and principles.

It is in the same article that, to the best of our knowldge, the only reference
to the 'Illuminati' can be found in the whole of J. Evola's work : "The word
'illuminism', in its common sense, is synonymous with rationalism, iconoclast
critique, and antitraditionalism. However, originally, that is before the
'politicisation' of the 'Illuminati' sect, 'Illumism' had a completely different
meaning ; it referred to 'spiritual illumination', to a suprarational and
supra-individual type of knowledge which was once linked, not only to very
specific traditions of an always aristocratic nature, but also to an
exceptional spiritual qualification ; it thus had nothing to do with what the
word 'illuminism' has come to mean in the common use."
What is meant by "'the politicisation' of the 'Illuminati' sect" is not exactly
clear, at least at first sight, unless it simply refers to the fact that, prior
to the formation of this politically motivated secret society at the end of the
XVIIIth century, all 'enlightened ones' operated in a religious context. To
limit ourselves to the European area, these are the main groups which called
themselves 'enlightened ones' up to, except the last one, the founding of the
so-called 'Bavarian Illuminati' :

"Hesychasts: Hesychasm is a form of Eastern Christian monastic life requiring
uninterrupted prayer. Dating from the 13th century, it was confirmed by the
Orthodox Church in 1341, 1347 and 1351, and popularized by the publication of
the "Philokalia" in 1782.
Alumbrados: (Spanish : 'enlightened') A mystical movement, at one time led by La
Beata de Piedrahita (d. 1511); first recorded about 1492 in Spain (a varient
spelling, aluminados, is found in 1498). They believed that the human soul could
enter into direct communication with the Holy Spirit and, due to their
extravagant claims of visions and revelations, had three edicts issued against
them by the Catholic Inquisition, the first on 23 September 1525. According to
the Catholic Encyclopedia, "some of its features reappear in the Quietism of the
Spaniard Michael de Molinos". Although Ignatius of Loyola — founder of the
Jesuits in 1534, and composer of the "Constitutions" of the Society of Jesus —
was brought before an ecclesiastical commission in Alcalá in 1527 to determine
if his teachings were heretical, he was cleared of any suspicion that he was an
alumbrado, He wrote nothing that would suggest he accepted their beliefs.28 The
name translates as 'illuminati' but the name is the only similarity with the
later Bavarian Illuminati. 29
Guérinets: The alumbrados, under the name of Illuminés, arrived in France from
Seville in 1623, and were joined in 1634 by Pierre Guérin, curé of Saint-Georges
de Roye, whose followers in Picardy and Flanders, known as Guérinets, were
suppressed in 1635 (Jean Hermant 1650-1725, Histoire des hérésies, Rouen :
1727). "Another and obscure body of Illuminés came to light in the south of
France in 1722, and appears to have lingered till 1794, having affinities with
those known contemporaneously in this country as 'French Prophets,' an offshoot
of the Camisards." [Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1911 edition.]
Illuminati claimants
Société des Illuminés d'Avignon: Formed by Dom Antoine Joseph de Pernetti and
the Polish Count Thaddeus Leszczy Grabianka in Avignon, France in 1786 (Kenning
says 1787); later moving to Montpellier as the "Acadamy of True Masons".
Although Kloss claims they were in existence in 1812, they would seem to have
disappeared in the French Revolution.
Illuminated Theosophists or Chastanier's Rite: A 1767 modification of Pernetti's
"Hermetic Rite" that later merged with the London Theosophical Society in 1784.
Concordists: A secret order established in Prussia by M. Lang, on the wreck of
the Tugendverein (Union of the Virtuous), which latter Body was instituted in
1790 [Miller says 1786] by Henrietta and Marcus Herz as a successor of the
Illuminati [or Moses Mendelssohn]. According to Thomas Frost, Secret Societies
of the European Revolution, vol. i, p. 183 [cited in Occult Theocrasy, p. 377.]
a second Tugendbund was formed by von Stein in 1807. It was suppressed in 1812
by the Prussian Government, on account of its supposed political tendencies, and
was revived briefly between 1830-33.
World League of Illuminati: Allegedly the singer and journalist Theodor Reuss
"re-activated" the Order of Illuminati in Munich in 1880. Leopold Engel founded
his World League of Illuminati in Berlin in 1893. From these two sprung the Ordo
Illuminatorum which was still active in Germany as late as the mid-1970s. Much
research has been compiled by Peter-R.
Koenig."http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/texts/illuminati.html

The Brethen of the Free Spirit, an heretical movement with a 'Tantric' flavour
which flourished in the XIVth century and among which the designation
'enlightened ones' was also in use, could be added to this list.

From our perspective, not only "These societies are (not) only of interest
insofar as they have been claimed by anti-masons and conspiracy theorists to
demonstrate a perceived long-term anti-christian conspiracy", but there is
actually no such thing as an "anti-Christian conspiracy". While it is certainly
true that, apparently, "There is no similarity between the objectives of these
societies and the Bavarian Illuminati", one should bear in mind, while going
again through this list of predecessors of the 'Illupminati', that, as spotted
by N. Hagger ('The Secret History of the West') any revolutionnary dynamic has
basically four 'moments' : the occult vision, or occult inspiration, the
intellectual expression, the political expression, and the physical
consolidation. Is this what J. Evola had in mind when he spoke of a process of
'politicisation' of the concept of 'enlightened ones' ?

However this may be, at least one predecessor to the 'Bavarian Illuminati' is
not listed at http://freemasonry.bcy.ca. The early Judeo-Christians were the
very first ones to call themselves 'illuminated' : "Being baptized, we are
illuminated; illuminated, we become sons; being made sons, we are made perfect;
being made perfect, we are made immortal...This work is variously called grace,
and illumination, and perfection, and washing: washing, by which we cleanse away
our sins; grace, by which that holy light of salvation is beheld, that is, by
which we see God clearly." Clement of Alexandria ('Christ the Educator' 1.6) -
who, incidentally and purportedly, mentions Buddha (or, rather, 'Boutta') very
briefly in his 'Stromateis' (Jerome, in 'Against Jovinianus', speaks of him in
connection with... the dogma of the virgin-birth).

On this basis, as well as on the basis of the essentially religious nature of
the various sects of 'Enlightened ones' which were founded prior to the
establishment of the Bavarian Illuminati, It might thus appear paradoxical, or,
simply, just slightly odd, be it only from a linguistic standpoint, that a
movement which is commonly portrayed as a reaction against Christian precepts
and values, against the Christian world-view and Christian society, and, more
generally, as being the bearer of a philosophy diametrically opposed to
religious dogmas and thought, should use - whether in France, Great Britain,
Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Portugal, where it appeared
simultaneously - the term 'Englightenment' as a rallying call.

"The term `Christian Enlightenment' no longer raises eyebrows; but this is a
relatively recent phenomenon. A widespread consensus used to exist that the very
essence of the Enlightenment – what made the Enlightenment `enlightened' – was
its attack on religion. According to Paul Hazard's influential interpretation,
the express aim of the Enlightenment was to `put Christianity on trial' and even
to annihilate `the religious interpretation of life'; similarly, Peter Gay
described the Enlightenment as a `war on Christianity'. Many scholars before and
after agreed with this point of view. They described the Enlightenment as being
– by its very nature – anti-Christian, anti-Church and even anti-religious.
We now know, however, that the relationship between Christianity and the
Enlightenment was far more complex and interesting. We realize that these
previous interpretations were overly focused on France, and erroneously tended
to posit a single Enlightenment. Over the past few years, scholars have been
`pluralizing' the Enlightenment, the result being that we now see it not so much
as a unified and Francophone phenomenon, but rather as a `family of discourses'
with many regional and national variations across Europe and in America. It has
become clear that earlier interpretations were based on an impoverished view of
religious traditions and perhaps even an outright disdain for
them."http://histories.cambridge.org/extract?id=chol9780521816052_CHOL9780521816\
052A017


It would be interesting to read the full chapter. What is interesting is to note
that it is claimed that "(...) it has only been in the last few years that the
source documents (Weishaupt's work) have been translated, allowing the
English-speaking world an objective perspective on the order. (...) Serious
students should consult Amelia Gill's 2008 translation of Weishaupt's Die Lampe
von Diogenese, Peggy Pawlowski's 2004 doctoral thesis, `Der Beitrag Johann Adam
Weishaupts zur Pädagogik des Illuminatismus', and the works of such German
historians as Reinhart Koselleck, Richard van Dülmen, Hermann Schüttler,
Reinhard Markner, Monika Neugebauer-Wölk, Manfred Agethen, and Christine
Schaubs". It is interesting insofar as Gill's book ('Diogenes Lamp', (Tr. Amelia
Gill) introduced by Sir Mark Bruback chosen by the Masonic Book Club) does not
seem to be available, while, as far as the other authors listed at
http://www.freemasonry.bcy.ca/texts/illuminati.html, they are all German, and no
references are provided. Three or four paragraphs of the original writings of
Weishaupt were published at
http://www.bavarian-illuminati.info/?tag=einige-originalschriften-des-illuminate\
nordens
a few years ago : as they say, "translation is time-consuming". Had
'Einige Originalschriften des Illuminatenordens' been translated into English as
'The Original Writings of the Order and Sect of the Illuminati', as is claimed
by various websites, wouldn't extensive excerpts from it have already been
published on the Internet ? Despite the claim of
http://www.freemasonry.bcy.ca/texts/illuminati.html, the fact is that Robison's
and Barruel's famous books remain the only secondary sources on Weishaupt's and
Zwack's work in English, besides 'The Writings of George Washington from the
Original Manuscript Sources, 1745-1799. John C. Fitzpatrick, Editor. Mount
Vernon, October 24, 1798. The following excerpt, seldom quoted by conspiracy
theorists, is quite thought-provoking : "One would almost imagine, that this
degree, as I have managed it, is genuine Christianity, and that its end was to
free the jews from slavery. I say, that Freemasonry is concealed Christianity.
My explanation of the heiroglyphics, at least, proceeds on this supposition; and
as I explain things, no man need be ashamed of being a Christian."
http://www.freemasonrywatch.org/illuminati.html

Not to mention this one : "Jesus of Nazareth, the Grand Master of our order,
appeared at a time when the world was in the utmost Disorder, and among a people
who for ages had groaned under the yolk of Bondage. He taught them the lessons
of reason. To be more effective, he took the aid of Religion--of opinions which
were current--and in a very clever manner, he combined his secret doctrines with
he popular religion, and with the customs which lay to his hand. In these he
wrapped up his lessons --he taught by parables. Never did any prophet lead men
so easily and so securely along the road to liberty. He concealed the precious
meaning and consequences of his doctrines; but fully disclosed them to a chosen
few. He speaks of a kingdom of the upright and faithful; His Father's kingdom,
who's children we also are. Let us only take liberty and equality as the great
aims of his doctrines, and Morality as the way to attain it, and everything in
the New Testament will be comprehensible; and Jesus will appear as the Redeemer
of slaves. Man has fallen from the condition of Liberty and Equality, the STATE
OF PURE NATURE. He is under subordination and civil bondage, arising from the
vices of man. This is the FALL, and ORIGINAL SIN. The KINGDOM OF GRACE is that
restoration which may be brought about by Illumination and a just Morality. This
is the NEW BIRTH. When man lives under government, he is fallen, his worth is
gone, and his nature tarnished. By subdoing our passions, or limiting their
cravings, we may recover a great deal of our original worth, and live in a state
of grace. Thius is the redemption of men--this is accomplished by Morality; and
when this is spread over the world, we have THE KINGDOM OF THE JUST."
http://www.feastofhateandfear.com/archives/weishaupt.html

In any case, the original edition of most of the twenty books or so published by
Weishaupt are available at scribd.com, beginning with :
http://www.scribd.com/doc/26939644/Einige-Originalschriften-Des-Illuminaten-Orde\
ns-Munich-1787-Color

This should enable those who can read German to realise that Weishaupt's
attitude was far less anti-Christian and anti-religious as we may be led to
assume on the basis of Barruel's and Robison's criticism of the 'Illuminati'.

The word &#966;&#969;&#964;&#953;&#963;&#952;&#941;&#957;&#964;&#945;&#962;,
photisthentas (being enlightened, from photízo, light) - needless to say,
Clement of Alexandria wrote in Greek - , is not found, as far as we know, in
early Greek literature, that is, in Homeric literature, nor even in Plato and in
Aristotle, in the figurative sense. Its first occurences, in the figurative
sense, are found in Hb, 6:4, while the first occurences of
&#966;&#969;&#964;&#943;&#950;&#969; (photízo), still in that sense, can be
found in Lk. 11:36 ; Rev. 18:1; 21:23 ; met. to enlighten spiritually, Jn. 1:9 ;
Eph. 1:18; 3:9 ; Heb. 6:4; 10:32 ; to reveal, to bring to light, make known,
1&#8239;Cor. 4:5 ; 2&#8239;Tim. 1:10. According to some exegetes, photisthentas
simply means - and this is quite enlightening, from our perspective - : "(You)
heard and believed the gospel".

Likewise, the plural perfect passive participle of 'Illuminare' ('illuminati')
was originally devoid of any figurative meaning. Its actual meaning was
'adorned', 'bright, as in 'an adorned temple', a 'bright room'.

Generally, a twist was given by early Christians to some Latin and Greek words,
some of which referred to key values and concepts. In 'Lo sfaldamento delle
parole' ('The Watering Down of Words'), one of the essays contained in 'L'Arco e
la clava', J. Evola goes over some of them :

"The most typical and well-known case may be 'virtus'. 'Virtue', in the modern
sense, has almost nothing to do with the ancient 'virtus'. 'Virtus' signified
strength of character, courage, prowess, manly steadfastness. It was connected
to 'vir', meaning man as such, and not 'man' in a generic and naturalist sense.
In the modern language, it has assumed an essentially moralistic sense, often
associated with sexual prejudice, so much so that Vilfredo Pareto coined the
term 'virtuismo' (the irresistible urge, often exclusively verbal, to redeem the
world. Note of The Editor) to refer to the Puritan and sexophobic bourgeois
morality. Generally speaking, a 'virtuous person' now means something quite
different from what, for example, expressions like this, with its rather
effective reiteration, could mean : 'vir virtute praeditus' (literally, 'a man
endowed with valour' : 'a man of valour'. Note of The Editor). It is not
uncommon that the difference turns into an opposition. Indeed, a strong, proud,
fearless, and heroic soul is the opposite of what is meant by a 'virtuous
person' in the modern conformist and moralist sense.
The meaning of 'virtus' as efficient force did remain in some specific modern
idiomatic expressions : 'the property (It. 'virtù'. Note of The Editor) of a
plant or a drug', by virtue of this or that."
"Needless to recall what a 'pious person' means today. One thinks of a more or
less humanitarian sentimental attitude - and 'pious' is almost synonymous with
compassionate. In the ancient Latin language, 'pietas', belonged instead to the
realm of the sacred, denoting, firstly, the particular relationship that the
Roman man had with the gods, and, secondly, with other realities in the world of
Tradition, including the state itself. With respect to the gods, it was an
attitude of composed and dignified veneration : a sense of belonging and,
simultaneously, of respect, of recognition agreement, and even of duty and of
adherence, as a strengthening of the feeling aroused by the strict figure of the
'pater familias' (which also explains the 'pietas filialis'). 'Pietas' could
also manifest itself in the political field : 'pietas in patriam' meant loyalty
and sense of duty towards the state and the fatherland. In some cases, the term
in question also connoted the meaning of 'iustitia'. He who does not know what
'pietas' stands for is also seen as unfair, almost as impious ; he is the one
who does not acknowledge the place which is his own and which he should keep in
a higher, both human and divine, order."

"Under the influence of the religion that eventually prevailed in the West,
'humility' has become a 'virtue' in a not very Roman sense and has been exalted
as opposed to the aforementioned attitude of strength, of dignity, and of
composed awareness. In ancient Rome, it meant exactly the contrary of 'virtus'.
It meant baseness, contemptibleness, of low degree, abjection, vileness,
dishonour, - so that it was said that death or exile was preferable to
'humility' : 'Humilitate vel exilium vel mortem anteponenda esse'. Associations
of ideas such as 'mens humilis et prava' ('a vile and corrupt mind') are common.
The expression 'humilitas causam dicentium' refers to the inferiority and the
guilt of those who are taken before the court. Once again, we can see an overlap
with the idea of race or caste. 'Humilis parentis natus' meant being born of the
people in the pejorative sense, that is to say, born of the 'mob', as opposed to
noble birth, with, that is, a significant difference compared to the modern
sense of the expression 'lower classes,' especially if we consider that the sole
criterion of social standing is now the economic criterion. Anyway, it would
never have occured to a Roman of the good old times of Rome to make a virtue of
humility, let alone be proud of it and preach it. As far as a certain 'morality
of humility' goes, the remark of a Roman emperor that nothing is more despicable
than the pride of those who call themselves humble may be recalled, without
promoting arrogance and conceit."

J. Evola goes over fifteen more of those Latin words which were watered down,
slowly but surely, yet not as slowly as it might be expected, far from it, when
absorbed into Italian and, then, into other European vernaculars ; he does note
that "words have a history and their sudden change in meaning is an indication
of related changes in people's general sensibility and world-view", yet he fails
to draw explicitly a paralel between "the influence of the religion that
eventually prevailed in the West" and the watering down of the Latin vocabulary,
of Latin words themselves, and not just of the vernacular equivalents of Latin
words. The key words, and, as a result, the formative principles, the operative
concepts, the key values of ancient Romans were toned down by early Christians
as early as in the writings of the first Doctors of the Church.

"A further change came in the redefinition of the classic epithet given to Roman
Emperors since the beginning: Pius. To classical Roman thought, the blessing of
the gods upon the state was bestowed if the rulers and the people demonstrated
the virtue of pietas. Though it is the etymological root of the English word
piety, the Roman understanding of it is considerably different. While the word
piety in a Christian context denotes a kind of humble devotion, the Latin pietas
had a more social connotation and meant fulfilling one's duty to family,
clients, the state and the gods. It invoked the idea of justice, exemplified by
a rightly ordered society in which everyone gives their superiors their due:
children to parents, parents to family (gens), individual gens to the state and
the state to the gods. It was this rightly ordered society that secured the
blessing of the gods upon the state, the pax deorum. This peace of the gods
consisted solely in material blessings. But it was a societal effort; if any
element was missing, whether it be on the state or the familial level, the gods
would not bless the nation.
Glaringly absent from the classic idea of pietas to the gods was any notion of
obedience to the gods. The idea of Jupiter or Minerva issuing commandments or
ordinances like the God of Israel would have seemed strange to an ancient Roman.
The gods were not something to be obeyed, but something to be placated. Their
worship consisted not in hymns of praise and thanksgiving for the intrinsic
goodness of Jupiter, but it a series of sacrifices and liturgies performed
according to hallowed custom, where the heart of the individual worshipper was
not as important as the insistence that the rites be performed according to
meticulous adherence to tradition. They thus took on a kind of magical flavor.
With Constantine's conversion comes the idea, which had always been prevalent in
Judaism and Christianity, that a ruler must demonstrate active obedience and
allegiance to God, as opposed to the kind of passive placation that
characterized most pagan liturgies. "The idea that any sort of day-to-day
service or perpetual allegiance was owing to divinity had little currency [among
the pagans]…You only made offerings, or promises of offerings, in order to gain
favor from powerful beings."9 This fulfilling of vows, sacrifices and the proper
acting out of liturgical rites characterized the pietas that the Romans owed the
gods collectively and individually.
Constantine, by his confession of the Christian faith, redefined the concept of
pietas, though this transformation seemed to be more of a slow change in thought
on the part of the late Roman world than any kind of concerted effort on the
part of the Emperor. With his obedience to the heavenly vision to paint the chi
rho on his soldiers' shields and his subsequent victory, the Christian idea of
securing God's blessing on the state implied the idea of obedience to God's law
and to the moral precepts of the Gospel. This image was backed up by the
Biblical imagery of the pious king, like David or Asa. The result was that
military victory, in terms of which Constantine viewed his immediate conversion,
was connected with piety. This was not new in the Empire, but in the novel
Christian understanding of the word pius it was something new. Never before had
people, much less rulers, been obliged to love and obey the divinity, only
placate it. In the post-Constantinian empire, Pius and Victor went hand in hand.
The Christian emperor had to be pious in his personal and public life, which
meant living morally, obeying Church law, governing justly and loving God. The
exercise of piety certainly would involve patronizing the Church, and
Constantine certainly did this by exempting the clergy from other civil
obligations, granting the Church immunity from taxation and building several
lavish basilicas. This type of piety brought God's blessings to his people,
which the ancient Christians usually equated with victory over hostile enemies,
bountiful harvests, and the spread of the faith. It was especially in the
context of military victory that Pius and Victor were connected.
"http://unamsanctamcatholicam.blogspot.com/2010/06/sacral-kingship-emperor-as-pi\
us-and.html


To Augustine, for instance, "It is by God's grace that true rulers acquire their
defining capacities, the most important of which are the uniquely Christian
virtues of faith, hope, and love, but it is only to those conditioned by
humilitas that God afford grace." ('Sin and the construction of the Carolingian
Kingship', D.D. Allman, in 'The seven deadly sins: from communities to
individuals', by R. Newhauser -
http://books.google.fr/books?id=qfD7ObmFrSgC&printsec=frontcover&dq=the+seven+de\
adly+sins+:+from+communities&hl=fr&ei=1i5tTY_oHMfNswaw6aTOBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result\
&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
)
On one hand, a moral twist was given to Latin words which had a spiritual
meaning and, on the other hand, others, which originally referred to trivial
realities, such as 'illuminare', were 'spiritualised'.

To paraphrase someone whose avowed Marxist sympathies went latent as his
popularity grew, and who, as happens to any pop/rock 'star' at least once in
his/her career, thought for a while he was Jesus-Christ :

"you can't change the world
But you can change the meaning of words
When you change the meaning of words
You can change the facts
When you change the facts
You change opinions
When you change opinions
You may change (a few centuries later) a vote
And when you change a vote
You may change the world."

That is : turn it upside down.




Tue Mar 1, 2011 11:09 pm

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"There is no longer any doubt in the mind of most people, J. Evola wrote in 'Sulla storia segreta della sovversione' in the late 1930's, that the 'immortal...
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