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Ren Gunon (1886-1951) is undoubtedly one of the luminaries of the
twentieth century, whose critique of the modern world has stood
fast against the shifting sands of recent philosophies. His oeuvre
of 26 volumes is providential for the modern seeker: pointing
ceaselessly to the perennial wisdom found in past cultures ranging
from the Shamanistic to the Indian and Chinese, the Hellenic and
Judaic, the Christian and Islamic, and including also Alchemy,
Hermeticism, and other esoteric currents, at the same time it
directs the reader to the deepest level of religious praxis,
emphasizing the need for affiliation with a revealed tradition even
while acknowledging the final identity of all spiritual paths as
they approach the summit of spiritual realization. Many readers of
Gunon's doctrinal works have hoped for translations of his detailed
exposs of Theosophy and Spiritism. Sophia Perennis is pleased now
to make available both these important titles as part of the
Collected Works of Ren Gunon. Whereas Theosophy: History of a
Pseudo-Religion centers primarily on historical details, The
Spiritist Fallacy, though also packed with arcane facts, is unique
in revealing how one of the greatest metaphysicians of our age
interprets the phenomena, real or alleged, of Spiritism. The
doctrinal expositions that accompany his astonishing account of
Spiritism offer extraordinarily prescient insight into many
deviations and 'psychological' afflictions of the modern mind, and
should be as valuable to psychiatrists and spiritual counselors as
to historians of esoteric history. And it also offers a profound
corrective to the many brands of New Age 'therapy' that all too
unwittingly invoke many of the same elements whose nefarious
origins Gunon so clearly pointed out many years ago.
Many readers of Guenon's later doctrinal works have longed to hear
the tale of his earlier entanglement, and disentanglement, from the
luxuriant undergrowth of so-called esoteric societies in late
nineteenth-century Paris and elsewhere. The present work documents
in excoriating detail Guenon's findings on what did, and did not,
lie behind the Theosophical Society founded by Madame Blavatsky and
Colonel Olcott in 1875. Much further information has of course come
to light during the 80 years since this book was written, but it
has never been superseded as a fascinating record of the path of a
master metaphysician through this maze. A sampling of chapter
titles will convey a sense of the depth of this remarkable work:
'Madame Blavatsky's Antecedents', 'The Theosophical Society and
Rosicrucianism', 'The Question of the Mahatmas', 'The Society for
Psychical Research', 'Esoteric Buddhism', 'Esoteric Christianity',
'The Future Messiah', 'The Trials of Alcyone', 'The Anthroposophy
of Rudolf Steiner', 'The Order of the Star of the East', 'Theosophy
and Freemasonry', 'The Political Role of the Theosophical Society'.
Brotherhood of Luxor, which has recently attracted the attention of
scholars of the occult. The Collected Works of Rene Guenon brings
together the writings of one of the greatest prophets of our time,
whose voice is even more important today than when he was alive.
Huston Smith, author of The World's Religions, etc.
How is the Supreme Identity of Hinduism related to the hypostatic
union of Christianity? spirituality of the West? profound
reflections out of an earnest desire to bring aspects of the Hindu
tradition to the attention of a Western readership. With a subtle
care for detail, he clarifies the relationship between the
hypostatic union embodied in the person of Christ and the Supreme
Identity of Atma and Brahma, two distinct notions seemingly opposed
in certain respects but curiously compatible in unexpected ways.
With characteristic humility, the author writes: 'We will say
unequivocally that after more than forty years of intellectual
reflection on this doctrine, we have found nothing that has seemed
incompatible with our full and complete faith in the Christian
Revelation.' spirituality, these pages offer the Christian a
welcome deepening of access to the spirit of the Hindu perspective.
The radical disparity that seemingly exists between the phrase 'I
am Brahma' and the sacred formula of the Eucharistic consecration
'This is my Body' melts away, allowing these separate worlds to
shed new meaning on each other. The author outlines conditions
leading to a doctrinal accord between the Advaita Vedanta and
orthodox Christian doctrine. He writes at one point that although
these two traditional perspectives 'do not pertain to the same
order of Reality, hypostatic union and Supreme Identity are not in
themselves metaphysically incompatible... What order links them
together, because all that is real must be integrated in one way or
another into the universal order? light of the Christian experience
and suggests a better application of Christian principles within
our modern lives in light of the profound spirituality of the
Eastern tradition. Concerned with a more accurate interpretation of
non-duality in the light of Christian philosophy and experience,
the author creates the right conditions in which East meets West
through an interpretation and analysis of their respective
spiritual philosophies, how they differ and how they can become an
expression of the perennial philosophy that unites these two
distinct traditions.
Since WW II, 'channeling' has largely replaced older styles of
mediumship in the movement loosely known as the New Age. Yet the
two are intimately related. As both historical chronicle and
metaphysical critique, The Spiritist Fallacy, together with its
companion volume, Theosophy: History of a Pseudo-Religion, is a
valuable study of New Age origins. Guenon takes the 'spirit
manifestations' of the Fox sisters in Hydesville, New York (in
1847) as his starting-point, but while accepting the reality of
many such 'manifestations', denies that they represent the spirits
of the departed. He sees them, rather, as fostering belief in a
kind of rarefied materialism, as though the 'spirit of the
deceased' were no more than an invisible, quasi-material body, and
death no more than a 'shedding' of the physical body while the
'spirit' remains otherwise unchanged-a belief widespread today in
popular culture. The author demonstrates how various 'spirit
philosophies' are little more than reflections of their own
milieux-'English spirits' being conservative and denying
reincarnation, 'French spirits' accepting reincarnation and
espousing progressivist or revolutionary ideas, etc. antiquity with
haunted houses suddenly, in the 19th century-and within five years
of their appearance-spawned an international pseudo-religious
movement, speculating that certain magicians (possibly from the
Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor) may have intentionally produced the
Hydesville phenomena by actively projecting hidden influences upon
the passive psyches of their mediums. The mutual influence of
Spiritism and Theosophy, and the adverse affects of 'spirit
entities' upon many mediums, are also covered in considerable
detail. The Spiritist Error is both an expose of 'unconscious
Satanism' and a highly useful critique of the false ideas of the
afterlife which are so prevalent in our time.
Since the late nineteenth century, the Theosophical Society has
been a central force in the movement now known as the New Age. Just
as the Communist Party was considered 'old hat' by peace activists
in the '60s, so the Theosophical Society was looked upon by many in
the 'spiritual revolution' of those years as cranky, uninteresting,
and pass. But the Society, like the Party, was always there,
and-despite its relatively few members-always better organized than
anybody else. Since then, the Society's influence has certainly not
waned. It plays an important role in today's global interfaith
movement, and, since the flowering of the New Age in the '70s, has
established increasingly intimate ties with the global elites. And
its various spinoffs, such as Elizabeth Clare Prophet's Summit
Lighthouse, and Benjamin Crme's continuing attempt to lead a 'World
Teacher Maitreya' onto the global stage-just as the Society tried
to do in the last century with Krishnamurti-continue to send waves
through the sea of 'alternative' spiritualities. Gunon shows how
our popular ideas of karma and reincarnation actually owe more to
Theosophy than to Hinduism or Buddhism, provides a clear picture of
the charlatanry that was sometimes a part of the Society's modus
operandi, and gives the early history of the Society's bid for
political power, particularly its role as an agent of British
imperialism in India. It is fitting that this work should finally
appear in English just at this moment, when the influence of
pseudo-esoteric spiritualities on global politics is probably
greater than ever before in Western history.
Originally published in Swedish as Agnarna och vetet and in French
as L'ivraie et le bon grain, this important statement by one of
Sweden's most astute contemporary observers is available for the
first time in English. Tage Lindbom was Director of the Central
Library for Labor Questions, 1938-1965, during which time he was an
internationally known Marxist theoretician. Since leaving the
Marxist camp, he has devoted himself to writing. As a social and
political thinker, his insights into modern psychological and
social motivation, as well as into the implication of certain
popular conceptions, are profound and original. Alvin Moore, Jr.
traveled extensively with the Overseas Service of the Library of
Congress and was Field Director for Pakistan at the time of his
retirement in 1980. A native of Georgia, he makes his home in
Carrollton.
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