A. Iacovella discusses the young Evola, "back from the electrifying
futuro-dadaist ranks, in the period between 1924 (the year of
publication of the review 'Atanor') and 1928 (the date of publication
of his 'Imperialismo pagano'), a period marked by his meeting the
charismatic A. Reghini : "When I knew him, Reghini was a 33rd degree
Mason of the Scottish rite, and had written a noteworthy book on the
sacred words and passwords of the first degrees of that
sect, for which he showed a uncommon qualification. A mathematician,
philologist, and critical spirit, he applied a seriousness and an
objectivity absolutely unknown in the ravings of 'occultists' and of
theosophists, whom he never tired of lashing with the most incisive
sarcasm, to the study of the initiatory heritage." As Evola himself
admitted, the influence of Reghini's thought turned out to be decisive
on him, acting on the precocious theoretician of 'Magical Idealism' as
a rectification, rescuing him from his arid lucubrations on the 'I'
and orienting him towards a conception of traditional character of the
world and life : "My contacts with Reghini (and immediately after that
with Guénon, who introduced us) are responsible, first, my definitive
liberation from certain dross derived from those [theosophical, etc. -
ed.] circles,and then for my definitive acknowledgment of the absolute
heterogeneity and transcendence of initiatory knowledge."
Reghini's traditionalism was rooted in the idea of a renewed 'pagan
Imperialism', which was to oppose the baleful spiritual hegemony of
triumphant Catholicism, the latter being guilty of having introduced
into Italy an exotic and plebeian cult which had undermined at the
root the Olympian spirit of Romanity. Reghini had become the proponent
of this highly controversial thesis in less suspicious times, on the
threshold of the First World War, when he published an article called,
precisely, 'Imperialismo pagano', in 'Salamandra' (...).
The relationship between Reghini and Evola became closer after the
appearance of two monthly reviews of initiatory studies, in 1924
'Atanor' and in 1925 'Ignis.' Evola contributed substantial articles
and reviews to the latter, worth mentioning among which are a long
study on 'La potenza come valore metafisico', later inserted first in
'L'Uomo come potenza' and then in 'Lo Yoga della potenza'.
(...) Reghini's two newspapers were somewhat unique in the
contemporary editorial panorama, both because of the doctrinal
orientations of their authors and because of the originality of the
subjects addressed, which ranged from Tantrism to Anthroposophy and
from Alchemy to Kabala (not forgetting some references to political
current affairs). All these 'themes' arose again later in the 'Ur'
group, the well-known occult club linked to the review of the same
name founded in 1927. The editorship of 'Ur' was assumed by Evola,
assisted by Pietro Negri (one of the pseudonyms with which Reghini
liked to sign). The promoters of 'Ur' appealed openly to their readers
to take part in their efforts, which, they wrote, "certainly transcend
each of our particular persons." The goal of Evola and Reghini lay in
fact outside the sphere of mere speculation : on the contrary, they
proposed 'acting without acting', according to the taoist principle,
which arouses "a superior force to be used as an aid for the
individual work of each of us," such as to exert "an influence, behind
the scenes, on even the predominant forces in the general environment."
There is no doubt that these enigmatic expressions were meant to hint
at the attempt that was being made by the 'Ur' group to influence the
incipient Fascist regime magically, in the conviction that the latter
was, so to speak, 'predestined' to restore to favour the gods of the
Emperor Julian, rather than out of any rhetorical or folkloristic
distortion of paganism. From this point of view, Mussolini himself
certainly deserved to be supported and encouraged in his difficult
enterprise, provided that he freed himself, once and for all, from any
tendency to compromise with the Catholic tradition. In a study of a
speech made by Mussolini on Christmas day in Rome in 1924, Reghini had
- not by chance - implored the leader of the government to refuse to
"subordinate the sacred hill of the Campidoglio to the claims of a
sect" [i.e. Christianity - ed.] "born on an Asian promontory."
In another rather unrealistic attempt to influence the course of
events in a more political direction, Evola decided on his turn to
come out into the open, in 1928, before the Concordat between the
state and the Church. This he did by means of a work - his own
'Imperialismo pagano' - in which, in inflamed and peremptory tones,
but using close reasoning, he deduced the extreme consequences of the
theories which Reghini had been presenting for many years. For his
part, Evola stressed "how fascism was essentially born out of young,
resolute forces, ready for anything and alien to all doctrinal
abstractions. (...) This is the living core of Fascism, and those who
already worry about the lack of a 'philosophy of Fascism' or a
'culture of Fascism' are manifestations of decay within Fascism itself
or, at the very least, they manifest a deviation from the direction
along which Fascism should proceed if it is to foreshadow something
new, a true revolution. (...) Fascism must remain resolutely, starkly,
anti-philosophical. And, beyond this, reaffirming its purest power, it
must sweep clean the dirty surface of rhetoric, sentimentalism,
moralism and hypocritical religiosity, with which the West has
obscured and humanised everything."
The publication of 'Imperialismo pagano' by Evola, beyond the outcry
it deliberately provoked in philo-Catholic Fascist circles, put an end
to the collaboration between the Evola and Reghini, the latter
considering himself to have been, so to speak, "deprived of a formula
of which he considered himself to be at least the depositary."
Infuriated, Reghini reacted rapidly and bitterly against Evola, in
'Ignis', II, n. 1, January 1929, p.25, claiming to have been the
victim of a "sistematica depredazione letteraria." Evola's reply, just
as spiteful, did not take long either. Written in the third person, it
came out in February 1929, as a loose sheet attached to the second
issue of 'Krur'. Both articles will be published soon on this list, on
which, over the past months, Reghini's 'Imperialismo pagano' has been
published - in the process, we have explained why we translate
'paganismo' as 'paganism' in Reghini's work and as 'heathenism' in
Evola's. Thus, the readers will have all the elements at their
disposal to make up their own mind about the controversy between
Reghini and Evola.
"The controversy regarding Evola's supposed plagiarism of Reghini,
Iacovella continues, ended up in the courtrooms of the civil tribunal,
and led wearily to a case which did not go beyond the stage of
pre-trial hearings, as explained by an unpublished statement of
Aniceto Del Massa, a former member of the 'Ur' group, who was called
by Reghini to testify against Evola on February 7th, 1930 : "The trial
did not happen. Evola presented a complete retraction to the court,
which he agreed to publish at his own expense in 'Roma Fascista'."
(actually, it was never published - ed.)
Evola distanced himself from Reghini in subsequent years, even on the
doctrinal plane, declaring implausible the claim of a Pythagorean
affiliation for the Italic tradition, and the relative permanence of
an occult centre derived from that school, of which the Florentine
mathematician [i.e., Reghini - ed.] had always regarded himself as the
continuator. Over subsequent years, he abandoned the anti-Christian
titanism of his youth, to acknowledge in 'Revolt against the Modern
World', albeit partially, the conformity of Catholicism, in its
medieval variant, to tradition. Historical circumstances and life's
vicissitudes completed the rift, separating for ever the two men, whom
a mysterious link had united during the unique period of the 'Ur'
group. In 1945, while Evola wandered in a "tacit questioning of
destiny" among the smoking ruins of Vienna, the old Reghini was
starting to slip away, indifferent to the bombs which fell near his
home, in Budrio, in the province of Bologna."
Both articles are found in 'Imperialismo pagano nelle edizioni
italiana e tedesca' (Mediterranee, 2004). Considering the scope of the
Reghini's criticisms of 'Imperialismo pagano' and Evola, and the
unfoundedness of some of the most sarcastic ones, an apparatus
criticus worth of the name, attached to Reghini's article, would not
have been a luxury. We have remedied in part in footnotes this
regrettable lack.
Those who have not read either 'Imperialismo pagano' or 'Heathen
Imperialism' are asked not to bother asking questions or
clarifications, whether on the list or off-list.