Title: Knowledge as Liberation: The Path Beyond Samsâra
Tags: #Liberation #Tantra #Tradition #SpiritualRealization #Metaphysics #Initiation #SelfMastery #Transcendence #Evola

1. Liberation through Knowledge: The ultimate goal of existence is liberation (moksha), which is achieved through the realization of transcendent Knowledge. This Knowledge is not intellectual but experiential, rooted in the direct realization of the Self.
   
2. The Human Condition as Opportunity: The human birth is rare and precious, offering the unique opportunity to transcend the cycle of birth and death (samsâra). Failing to pursue liberation while in this state is a profound self-betrayal.
   
3. Detachment as the Key: Liberation is attained through detachment from the illusions of the material world. Attachment to transient pleasures and identities perpetuates bondage, while detachment aligns one with the Real.
   
4. The Role of the Body: The body is a tool for spiritual realization. It must be preserved and disciplined, not indulged or abused, as it serves as the vehicle for attaining Truth.
   
5. The Illusion of Rituals: External practices, such as rituals, sacrifices, and asceticism, are insufficient for liberation. They may serve as preliminary steps but cannot replace the direct realization of Truth.
   
6. The Necessity of a Teacher: Liberation is imparted through the guidance of a true Teacher (Guru), who transmits the living Knowledge beyond scriptures and theoretical teachings.
   
7. Beyond Dualism and Monism: The ultimate Truth transcends both dualism and monism. It is realized through direct experience, not through philosophical speculation or adherence to dogmas.
   
8. The Futility of Mere Scriptural Knowledge: Scriptures and texts are secondary; they are only useful if one already possesses the inner disposition toward Knowledge. Without this, they are as useless as a mirror to a blind man.
   
9. The Danger of Ignorance: Ignorance (avidya) binds beings to the cycle of suffering. Only the awakening of true Knowledge can dispel this ignorance and lead to liberation.
   
10. The Path of the Kaula: The Tantric initiatic path (Kaula) offers a direct means to liberation, emphasizing the transmission of Truth from Teacher to disciple. Outside this path, liberation remains inaccessible.
    

The text underscores the importance of spiritual discipline, self-awareness, and the guidance of a genuine Teacher in overcoming the cycle of samsâra and achieving liberation. It rejects superficial practices and emphasizes the need for inner transformation and alignment with the Real.

The text emphasizes the path to liberation through Knowledge and detachment, aligning with a traditionalist perspective that prioritizes spiritual realization over ritualism and materialism. Key points include: 1. Liberation through Knowledge: Liberation (moksha) is the ultimate goal, attainable only through the realization of Truth and Self-knowledge, not through rituals, asceticism, or scriptural study alone.
2. Detachment: Attachment to worldly desires and identities perpetuates bondage. True freedom comes from detachment and grounding in the Real.
3. The Role of the Teacher: Liberation is imparted through the direct transmission of Truth by a true Teacher, not through theoretical knowledge or intellectual debates.
4. Critique of Ritualism and Hypocrisy: Rituals, sacrifices, and superficial practices are deemed ineffective for liberation. Those who preach such methods without true understanding are criticized as deceivers.
5. The Human Opportunity: The human birth is rare and precious, offering the unique chance to attain liberation. Failing to strive for this goal is a grave error.
6. Transcending Dualism and Monism: The ultimate Truth lies beyond both dualism and monism, accessible only through direct realization, not philosophical speculation.

Metaphysical part:

On the Secret of Decay

Those who reject the rationalist myth of “progress” and the interpretation of history as a continuous upward trajectory of humanity will inevitably gravitate toward the worldview shared by all great traditional cultures. This perspective centers on the memory of a process of degeneration, a gradual obscuration, or the collapse of a higher, preceding world. As one delves deeper into this ancient (yet newly relevant) interpretation, various challenges arise, chief among them being the question of the secret of decay.

This question, in its literal sense, is not new. When faced with the remnants of ancient cultures—whose names are lost to history but whose physical remains exude a greatness and power that seem otherworldly—few can avoid pondering the death of civilizations. The explanations commonly offered for such collapses often feel inadequate.

The Comte de Gobineau provided one of the most insightful summaries of this problem, along with a masterful critique of the prevailing hypotheses. His solution, rooted in racial thought and purity, contains significant truth but requires expansion to account for a higher order of reality. There are numerous instances where a culture has collapsed despite maintaining racial purity, as seen in certain groups that have faced slow, inevitable extinction while remaining racially isolated. A nearby example is the Swedes and the Dutch, who remain racially unchanged from two centuries ago but have lost the heroic spirit and racial consciousness they once possessed. Other cultures, like ancient Peru, stand as mummified relics, inwardly dead long before their physical collapse, easily toppled by external forces.

From a strictly traditional perspective, the secret of decay becomes even more elusive. It involves categorizing cultures into two main types: traditional cultures, which are rooted in unchanging metaphysical principles and hierarchical order, and “modern culture,” which represents the antithesis of tradition, focusing solely on human and earthly concerns, detached from any higher world. From this standpoint, history is a narrative of degeneration, marked by the decline of traditional cultures and the rise of modern civilization.

This raises a dual question:

1. How did this degeneration occur? The evolutionary doctrine contains a logical flaw: the higher cannot emerge from the lower, nor the greater from the lesser. Similarly, the doctrine of involution faces the challenge of explaining how the higher can fall. Analogies, such as a healthy person falling ill or a virtuous individual turning to vice, offer superficial explanations but fail to address the deeper metaphysical issue.

2. How does the decay of one cultural cycle spread to others? It is not enough to explain the collapse of ancient Western civilization; one must also account for the global dominance of modern culture and its ability to divert other peoples from their traditional paths. Material and economic conquests alone cannot explain this phenomenon, as they are often accompanied by deeper cultural and spiritual influences. The traditional hierarchical view of culture and the state, which emphasizes the presence of the Spirit in the world, suggests that material conquests signal a spiritual weakness or retreat in the conquered cultures. The West, where this crisis reached its peak, delivered a knockout blow that brought down other civilizations whose traditions had already weakened.

The traditional hierarchy is not based on the tyranny of the upper classes but on the recognition by the lower of a higher reality embodied in certain individuals. This recognition forms the basis of all traditional order, heroism, and loyalty. When individuals degenerate, cutting themselves off from higher spiritual reference points, the metaphysical tension that holds the traditional order together collapses. This internal decay leads to external revolutions and the fall of civilizations.

The secret of decay, therefore, lies in the misuse of freedom—the decision to reject the Spirit and sever ties with higher principles. This metaphysical decision, manifesting in various forms of modern, anti-traditional thought, is the root cause of degeneration. Understanding this allows us to grasp the deeper meaning of legends about eternal rulers who await rediscovery by those who achieve spiritual completeness. These rulers symbolize the unalterable peaks of tradition, which remain intact even as the masses fall into decay. The possibility of restoration lies in reconnecting with these spiritual heights, a task that requires a profound inner transformation.

Title: The Nature of Initiatic Knowledge
Tags: #Evola #InitiaticKnowledge #Tradition #Esotericism #SpiritualRealization

1. Knowledge as Being: Initiatic knowledge transcends modern intellectualism. To truly know is to be the object of knowledge, not merely to think about it. This requires a transformation of consciousness into the known reality.
   
2. Experimental Method: Initiatic knowledge is purely experiential. It is not based on abstract theories but on direct, individual experience. Certainty arises from lived reality, not intellectual speculation.
   
3. Beyond Phenomena: Ordinary knowledge is limited to the sensible world, which is finite and contingent. Initiatic knowledge goes beyond phenomena, seeking the absolute through direct identification with higher states of being.
   
4. Hierarchy of Experience: Initiatic teachings recognize multiple levels of experience, each corresponding to a different state of consciousness. These levels form a hierarchy, ascending from the sensible to the absolute.
   
5. Active Identification: True knowledge involves active identification with the object of knowledge, leading to a state of superrational clarity. This is distinct from mystical merging, which lacks intellectual precision.
   
6. Rejection of Profane Knowledge: Initiatic knowledge dismisses modern profane knowledge, which is abstract, democratic, and leveling. True knowledge is hierarchical and accessible only to those who undergo the necessary transformations.
   
7. Practical and Operative: The initiatic path is practical, focusing on the means to achieve spiritual transformation. It is not concerned with theoretical speculation but with the opus (work) of self-realization.
   
8. Differentiation: Initiatic knowledge is inherently differentiated. It cannot be universally transmitted without degradation. Each individual’s capacity for knowledge depends on their level of spiritual development.
   
9. Power and Justice: Authentic knowledge confers true power, rooted in spiritual superiority. This contrasts with modern technological power, which is mechanical, democratic, and devoid of spiritual value.
   
10. Superiority and Realization: The initiatic path leads to the transcendence of the human condition. True power and knowledge belong to those who have achieved this awakening, affirming their superiority through integration with higher realities.
    

The Nature of Initiatic Knowledge

Those who approach our disciplines must first understand this fundamental principle: the problem and meaning of knowledge are perceived in a manner entirely distinct from the frameworks of modern culture.

From an initiatic perspective, to know is not to “think,” but to become the object of knowledge. True knowledge is achieved only when one’s consciousness is transformed into the known object. In this sense, knowledge is inseparable from experience, making the initiatic method purely experimental. Certainty here is rooted in direct, individual experience. In ordinary life, sensations, desires, emotions, or perceptions (such as pain, longing, or intuition) possess this experiential quality. Concepts of “true” and “false” are irrelevant; what matters is the absolute “Is” of the thing itself, experienced without the need for intellectual validation. This form of knowledge is absolute—there are no degrees, approximations, or probabilities. One either possesses it or does not.

For the ordinary individual, such knowledge is confined to the sensible realm, which is finite, contingent, and accidental. What is commonly regarded as knowledge is instead a system of abstract concepts, relations, and hypotheses, detached from direct experience. The immediate data of consciousness are often dismissed as mere “phenomena,” with an assumed “true reality” posited behind them. For science, this reality is matter or etheric vibrations; for philosophers, it is the “noumenon” or “thing in itself”; for religion, it is a divine hypostasis. This creates a dichotomy: pure experience, due to its finite nature, is not considered “knowledge,” while what is deemed “knowledge” lacks experiential depth.

The initiatic path transcends this dichotomy, emphasizing direct experience as the sole criterion. While ordinary individuals equate experience with the sensible realm, initiatic teachings assert the existence of multiple experiential levels, each corresponding to a distinct mode of perceiving reality. These levels are hierarchical, progressing toward greater absoluteness. There is no separation between a “world of phenomena” and an “absolute” behind it; the “phenomenal” reflects a specific experiential level and state of the Self, while the “absolute” corresponds to a higher state achievable through transformation. The measure of absoluteness is determined by the degree of active identification—the extent to which the Self is unified with its experience and the object is transparent in meaning. This hierarchy ascends from “sign” to “sign,” culminating in a state of superrational, intellectual vision, where the object is fully realized in the Self and vice versa. This state embodies both power and absolute evidence, rendering rationalization and speculation obsolete.

Initiatic teachings view the mind's tendency to theorize and philosophize negatively. Such endeavors are futile. The real concern is practical: how to achieve the transformation and integration of experience. This is why Western initiation is associated with concepts like the “Art” (Ars Regia), the “Work” (opus magnum or opus magicum), or the symbolic construction of the “Temple.” In China, the Absolute and the path converge in the term “Tao.”

Modern spiritualism, with its speculative fantasies about cosmology and supersensible realms, fosters a flawed attitude. The initiatic approach values experiential practice, restraint, and silent action, guided by the Hermetic principle “post laborem scientia” (knowledge after work). Modern culture, far from being a prerequisite for spiritual realization, often obstructs it. A person untouched by modern intellectual and aesthetic contaminations, yet possessing an open mind, balance, and courage, is more suited to receive superior knowledge than any academic or “critical thinker.” True initiates are reluctant to theorize; they simply point to the problem and the means, leaving the aspirant to act.

Initiatic knowledge also upholds the principle of differentiation, contrasting sharply with modern culture's egalitarian tendencies. Modern “knowledge” is democratized, accessible to all through education, but this applies only to abstract, conceptual truths. Initiatic knowledge, rooted in experiential transformation, is inherently exclusive. It corresponds to the hierarchical degrees of initiation and cannot be universally transmitted without degradation. Theoretical communication is useless; initiatic knowledge relies on allusion and symbol to provoke illumination. Without an inner movement, even these are valueless. Initiatic knowledge demands differentiation, recognizing that ordinary existence and sensible experience are incompatible with realization. This necessitates a rejection of modern criteria for truth and knowledge, reaffirming the principle of suum cuique (to each his own). Knowledge, truth, and freedom are proportional to one's being.

A common objection is that transcendent experiences amount to mysticism, offering no insight into external reality. However, initiatic “identification” is not a passive merging but an active, superrational clarity, distinct from mystical states. Furthermore, the notion of “explanation” in profane disciplines is illusory. Only initiatic knowledge, which identifies with the real causes of phenomena, can provide true explanation. This identification confers power over causes, a principle absent in modern science and technology. Modern technological power is democratic and amoral, devoid of true superiority. It is mechanical, lacking connection to the Self, and ultimately leaves humanity spiritually impoverished.

In the initiatic domain, authentic knowledge is justice, a natural emanation of an integrated life. It transcends abstract principles, grasping real beings through direct spiritual perception. Similarly, true power operates above natural laws, among the causes of phenomena, embodying the irresistibility of the superior being. This superiority arises from transcending the human condition and achieving initiatic awakening.

Metaphysical part:

On the Secret of Decay.

Those who reject the rationalist myth of “progress” and the view of history as an unbroken upward trajectory for humanity will inevitably gravitate toward the worldview shared by all great traditional cultures. At the heart of this worldview lies the recognition of a process of degeneration, a gradual darkening, or the collapse of a higher, earlier world. As one delves deeper into this ancient (yet renewed) perspective, several questions arise, chief among them being the mystery of degeneration.

This question is not new. When faced with the remnants of ancient cultures—whose names are lost to time but whose physical remains exude a transcendent greatness—few can avoid pondering the causes of their decline. The usual explanations often fall short.

The Comte de Gobineau provided the most comprehensive analysis of this issue, along with a critique of prevailing theories. His emphasis on racial thought and purity contains much truth, but it requires expansion to include higher principles. There are instances where cultures collapsed despite racial purity, as seen in certain isolated groups that faced extinction. For example, the Swedes and the Dutch remain racially unchanged from two centuries ago, yet their once-heroic spirit and racial consciousness have faded. Other cultures, like ancient Peru, persisted as hollow shells, easily toppled by external forces.

From a traditional perspective, the mystery of degeneration becomes even more complex. Cultures can be divided into two types: traditional and modern. Traditional cultures are rooted in metaphysical, supra-individual principles, forming a hierarchical order centered on the spiritual. Modern culture, in contrast, rejects tradition, focusing solely on human and earthly concerns, detached from the “higher world.” From this standpoint, history is a story of universal decline, marked by the fall of traditional cultures and the rise of modern civilization.

Two key questions emerge:

1. How did this decline occur? The evolutionary notion that the higher emerges from the lower is flawed. Similarly, the involutionary idea that the higher can fall requires explanation. Analogies like health turning to sickness or virtue to vice offer some insight but fall short of a true explanation.

2. How does the degeneration of one culture spread to others? The collapse of the ancient Western world and the global dominance of modern culture cannot be explained solely by material or economic conquest. European expansion not only brought material subjugation but also implanted modern, rationalist, and individualistic thought. Traditional cultures, even where they appeared intact, often harbored internal weaknesses, making them vulnerable to external forces.

The traditional view of hierarchy is not based on tyranny but on spiritual authority. The higher does not dominate the lower; rather, the lower recognizes and is drawn to the higher. This recognition forms the basis of traditional order, fostering sacrifice, heroism, and loyalty. When individuals deny the Spirit and sever ties to higher principles, the hierarchy collapses. This internal decay leads to external revolution and decline.

The fall of traditional cultures stems from a metaphysical decision: the rejection of the Spirit and the embrace of individualism and materialism. This decision, rooted in the misuse of freedom, is the core of degeneration. It echoes the Christian notion of the Fall of Man and the Rebellion of the Angels, highlighting humanity's capacity to destroy spiritual values.

Legends of eternal rulers, like the sleeping Emperor beneath the Kyffhäuser mountain, hint at the possibility of restoration. These figures symbolize the enduring presence of spiritual authority, which can be rediscovered through inner awakening. The fallen masses may yet return to the unchanging peaks, guided by the “magnet” of the Spirit. This hints at the secret of reconstruction, a topic for another time.

In summary, the mystery of decay lies in the rejection of higher principles and the misuse of freedom, leading to the collapse of traditional order and the rise of modernity. The path to restoration lies in reawakening the Spirit within.