Title: The Misguided Path of Neo-Paganism and the Loss of Transcendence
Tags: #Evola #Traditionalism #NeoPaganism #Transcendence #AryanSpirituality #Christianity #ModernDegeneration

1. Transcending Christianity: The possibility of transcending Christianity lies not in denying it but in integrating it into a broader framework, aligning it with pre-Christian Aryan spirituality. This requires discerning its essential aspects while discarding those incompatible with the renewing forces of the modern world.
   
2. Neo-Paganism’s Trap: Modern neo-paganism has fallen into a trap, reducing itself to a naturalistic, particularistic, and pantheistic mysticism. This distorted view stems from a Christian misunderstanding of pre-Christian traditions and represents a degeneration of true Aryan spirituality.
   
3. Anti-Catholic Polemics: Many neo-pagans adopt anti-Catholic arguments rooted in modern rationalism, Protestantism, and Enlightenment thought. These arguments, often aligned with liberalism and democracy, betray a lack of understanding of true traditional values.
   
4. Immanence vs. Transcendence: Neo-paganism’s exaltation of immanence, “life,” and “nature” contradicts the Olympian and heroic ideals of ancient Aryan civilizations. True spirituality transcends the material world, a concept lost in modern neo-paganism.
   
5. Denial of the Supra-Sensible: The rejection of a supra-sensible world and the denial of the distinction between body and mind are signs of involution. Such views align with materialistic and anti-traditional thought, undermining the Aryan spirit’s connection to transcendence.
   
6. Misunderstanding of Asceticism: Neo-paganism rejects asceticism, failing to recognize its role in traditional Aryan spirituality. True mysticism involves a balance between the material and the spiritual, not a rejection of the latter.
   
7. Ritual and the Sacred: Ancient Aryan civilizations understood ritual as a bridge between human and supra-sensible forces. Modern neo-paganism dismisses this, reducing sacred practices to superstition or empty ceremony.
   
8. Misinterpretation of Nature: The neo-pagan glorification of “nature” is a rationalist construct, influenced by Enlightenment thought. This contrasts sharply with the traditional view of nature as a realm to be transcended through spiritual discipline.
   
9. Lutheranism and Semitisation: Lutheranism, far from awakening the Nordic spirit, contributed to its involution and Semitisation. This misunderstanding reflects a broader trend of misinterpreting historical movements through a modern lens.
   
10. The Choice Ahead: The modern world faces a clear choice: return to sacred traditions and spiritual origins or continue down the path of secularism and materialism. Only by reconnecting with true Aryan spirituality can the errors of neo-paganism and modernity be overcome.

OTHER “PAGAN” MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT WORLDVIEW

Once these points are established, the possibility of “transcending” certain aspects of Christianity becomes viable. Etymologically, “to transcend” means “to go beyond from above.” This does not imply a denial of Christianity or a repetition of the misunderstandings it historically displayed—and often still displays—toward “paganism.” Instead, it suggests integrating Christianity into a broader framework, potentially overlooking some of its elements that clash with the spirit of contemporary renewing forces, particularly in Germanic regions. The goal would be to emphasize more essential aspects of Christianity that align with the spiritual conceptions of pre- and non-Christian Aryan and Nordic-Aryan traditions.

Unfortunately, the path taken by extreme racialist neo-paganism has diverged significantly. These neo-pagans have, as if trapped, adopted a superficial, naturalistic paganism devoid of light and transcendence. This form of paganism is particularistic yet infused with a misguided pantheistic mysticism, shaped by Christian polemics against the pre-Christian world. At best, it reflects sporadic degenerations of that world. Compounding this, many neo-pagans engage in anti-Catholic polemics that echo modern, rationalist, and Protestant arguments, reminiscent of liberalism, democracy, and Freemasonry. Figures like Chamberlain and certain Italian racialist trends influenced by Gentile’s philosophy exemplify this, equating Fascism with anti-Catholicism and reducing Roman tradition to a rhetoric of rebellion and heresy, starting with figures like Giordano Bruno.

More broadly, neo-paganism’s exaltation of immanence, “life,” and “nature” contradicts the superior “Olympian” and “heroic” ideals of ancient Aryan civilizations. Statements such as “Faith in a supra-sensible world is schizophrenia” or the denial of the distinction between body and mind as an anti-Aryan, Orientaloid construct further illustrate this regression. By rejecting the soul’s immortality and reducing it to mere generational continuity, neo-paganism aligns itself with a materialistic worldview vulnerable to annihilation by natural disasters or epidemics.

Neo-paganism also displays a profound misunderstanding of asceticism, claiming that Aryans never practiced it and that their mysticism was solely focused on the “hither side.” This ignores the ritualistic and sacred character of ancient Aryan and Roman civilizations, where rites served as a bridge between human and supra-sensible forces, not as empty ceremonies. Chamberlain’s attribution of modern secular scientific inquiry to the Aryan spirit further distorts the traditional understanding of nature and knowledge.

The confusion deepens when neo-pagans, influenced by Enlightenment rationalism, exalt a constructed “nature” akin to the French Encyclopaedists’ myth of a benevolent, wise nature. This myth, tied to Rousseau’s optimism and natural law, has fueled universalism, humanitarianism, and egalitarianism, undermining traditional hierarchies and states. Similarly, modern natural sciences, focused on abstract uniformities, fail to grasp the sacred and symbolic understanding of nature held by traditional, solar man.

In light of these misconceptions, the choice becomes clear: either return to sacred and spiritual traditions or continue to indulge in the fragmented and secular tendencies of modern thought. Italian racism, having not yet fully ventured into these areas, should heed the lessons of others and avoid these pitfalls.

Metaphysical part:

At a certain stage of spiritual development, it becomes clear that the myths of the Mystery religions are allegories of the states of consciousness experienced by initiates on the path to self-realization. The deeds and adventures of mythical heroes are not mere poetry but real inner experiences, reflecting the actions of one’s inner being as they progress beyond ordinary human existence. These are not abstract allegories but lived realities. The philosophical or allegorical interpretation of myths remains superficial, akin to naturalistic or anthropomorphic readings. True understanding requires prior knowledge; otherwise, the “door” remains closed. This applies to the inner meaning of the Mithras myth as well.

The Mithraic mysteries are central to the Western magical tradition, embodying self-affirmation, light, greatness, and regal spirituality. This path rejects escapism, religious asceticism, self-mortification, humility, devotion, renunciation, and contemplative abstraction. It is a path of action, solar power, and spirituality, distinct from both Eastern universalism and Christian sentimentalism. Only a “man” can tread this path; a “woman” would be overwhelmed by its “taurine strength.” The radiant Mithraic halo, the hvareno, emerges from intense tension and crowns the “eagle” capable of staring at the Sun.

Mithras symbolizes those who follow this path. He is the primordial heavenly light, a “god born from a rock” (theos ek petras). Emerging from the riverbank, he frees himself from the mineral darkness using a sword and torch, tools from his time in the “mother’s womb.” This miraculous birth is witnessed only by “shepherds” on the “mountaintops.” These symbols represent the initiation phase, where the heavenly light, the light of the Word, is rekindled in the initiate. This spiritual birth occurs when one breaks free from the “god of this earth” and resists the chaotic “waters” of ordinary life, characterized by frenzied activity, greed, and transience.

The initiate is “rescued from the waters,” akin to Moses in Exodus, and “walks on water,” echoing Christ’s miracle. Such a being masters their cravings and deficiencies, learning to resist and transcend them. In contrast, those of the “sub-lunar world” remain trapped in cycles of death and reabsorption. Initiation is like crossing a river, leaving behind the miseries of ordinary life, battling the current, and reaching the opposite bank where a new spiritual being—Mithras, the Divine Child—is born.

The “rock” symbolizes the body, the substratum of cosmic yearning, dominated by the “wet principle.” Initiation requires freedom from this bodily limitation, achieving a consciousness no longer bound by physical constraints. The phrase theos ek petras also signifies the individuation and actualization of the spiritual element within the body. Magical initiation strengthens this nucleus of energy rather than dissolving it into cosmic flux. The spirit is immanent, needing elevation from the “rock” of human reality, which is divine by nature, not grace. Hence, Mithras is petrogenos, born from the Earth, not descended from Heaven.

The “nakedness” of the divine child symbolizes purity, autarchy, and detachment. In esoteric traditions, an impure will is one driven by external factors, unable to act independently. The pure will, symbolized by the “Virgin,” tramples the “Snake” and the “Moon” (symbols of the waters) and gives birth to the divine child through a “virginal conception.” This autozoon, a self-generated life beyond human contingency, arises from a purified will, free of all bonds. In Mithraic ritual, the soul’s uncontaminated purity generates a new nucleus beyond the waters, populating a world beyond human dimensions, space, and time.