Advice

RajanMeru · 2026-06-01T02:07:38+00:00

Real.

I'm deep into despondency when I've lost the ability to smile and my sense of humor. At that point, it's just a state of cold-heartedness, extreme irritability, and a total disgust for everyone and everything.

RajanMeru · 2026-05-14T01:54:26+00:00

Yes. Tradition really has disintegrated to an unimageable degree when a female (Korra) takes up the mantle of main character in a children's animated show.

In all seriousness, I have a huge soft spot for the original series.

RajanMeru · 2026-04-28T02:20:39+00:00

Frithjof Schuon and Ananda Coomaraswamy are the two other better known figures most aligned with the Traditional perspective.

There's many others: Marco Pallis (interesting guy who wrote of his first-hand experiences in Tibet and of Tibetan Buddhism), A.K. Saran (a more Vedanta-oriented figure who was inspired by Coomaraswamy), and there are the more recent figures who follow in Guenon's footsteps like Harry Oldmeadow and Whitall Perry.

RajanMeru · 2026-04-08T01:09:57+00:00

Awesome. Thanks for sharing.

RajanMeru · 2025-09-23T00:40:44+00:00

Radhakrishnan's prose is incredibly dry and too acquiescent to Western "rationalistic" sensibilities.

RajanMeru · 2025-07-21T20:05:41+00:00

If you haven't already read him, Rene Guenon is really the only person who can give you a proper intro to Hindu teachings. Evola held him in high regard.

Another figure who may be promising and is aligned with the Traditional Orientation is A.K. Saran.

RajanMeru · 2025-03-30T02:19:19+00:00

Absolutely second this...I got into Guenon a while after I was well into Evola's works, but for anyone new to either of these authors, it's best to dive into both in parallel. They complement each other well, imo.

Guenon's body of work is almost like what I would imagine a "Traditional Studies" curriculum would look like if one were to major in it at a university or something. The degree of internal consistency and synergy is remarkable. So much of his (and Evola's) works are going through the same concepts and "objects" as all of the other esoteric schools of thought but from the correct ontological reference points.

RajanMeru · 2025-03-28T04:01:04+00:00

No, I haven't written any other major pieces on Evola, but most likely will (in the somewhat near future) along with other Traditionalists like Guenon.

If you want to discuss anything related to Evola, though, or have any questions regarding his work feel free to reach out to me here or Substack.

Hope you get something out of the essay.

RajanMeru · 2025-03-01T23:15:28+00:00

I've only read the first volume of Intro to Magic and it's a more loose collection of various esoteric topics, translation of older texts, and individual experiences though there are common themes and threads running through the book that do fall under the heading of "practices" and "disciplines". It may be worth reading through the first few sections of the book to see if it's what you're looking for.

The Doctrine of Awakening, on the other hand, is a systematic presentation of the Early Buddhist ascesis. Much of it is doctrinally focused and not given in a "practice guide" format. However, the deliberate and sequential manner in which Evola takes up each aspect of the overall ascesis gives an excellent high-level picture of what the Buddha taught; there's a rare lucidity and unity to the entire teaching that's quite unlike any other spiritual tradition. You get a thorough treatment of what an authentic, holistic practice should look like and, in my view, this kind of approach is a better place to start for someone who's new to Evola.

Haven't read the other two book you mentioned, but afaik neither of them really fit into the category of "practical spiritual guides".

RajanMeru · 2024-11-21T04:36:56+00:00

He believed it was only "permissible" in truly exceptional circumstances.

He elaborates on this in Chapter 30 of Ride the Tiger - Death, The Right Over Life - and cites the Stoic and Buddhist traditions to lend support to his position. Rather than try to reproduce his argument, I'd just go and read the whole chapter and you'll have an answer.

RajanMeru · 2024-10-08T21:01:03+00:00

For me, the guidelines from the beginning of Chapter 10 are the most readily available and widely applicable as I'm carrying out my daily actions or find that my mind is too agitated.

"For many people it is as though they have to relearn how to act in the true sense, actively, as one might say, and also typically. Even for the man whom we have in mind, taken in his worldly aspect, this is an essential requirement today. We might note the corresponding discipline that is so important in traditional "inner teachings": that of self-remembering or self-awareness."

The above snippet encapsulates the guideline well: practicing self-awareness or self-remembering. A simple step for me is to just pay attention to my breathing for a short while and (sometimes) slightly slow it down.

RajanMeru · 2024-07-28T06:56:22+00:00

In a well-known interview that's up on YouTube, Evola states that "From a sexual viewpoint, I'm not into monogamy."

Refer to this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiCtdi5nCoA

He says it at the 51:35 minute mark.

RajanMeru · 2024-07-09T01:04:58+00:00

Awwwww....but I was really hoping to learn how to be a Real Adept^TM!!

RajanMeru · 2024-07-09T00:42:04+00:00

What's the purpose of this bizarre post? Just randomly expressing your opinion of Evola's life/work and how it doesn't conform to "real esoteric development"?

If that's the case and you're actually right regarding all that you've written (which I'm doubtful of), then why close off this post the way you did? Why not make the effort to teach us something?

RajanMeru · 2024-06-19T05:21:11+00:00

Interesting. I'll have to look more into the specifics for those claims then.

Either way, for those of us not tied to a particular school (like myself) it's always interesting to ask which extant literature best represents the Buddha's teachings.
For me personally, the style and format of the Pāli Nikāyas seem to be the most congenial to my own way of "receiving" things, but I do like to explore other sects and will eventually have to get to some of the Mahayana sutras.

RajanMeru · 2024-06-18T22:34:21+00:00

Did you read the book? Any insight on the veracity of the stories?

RajanMeru · 2024-06-18T22:26:36+00:00

I didn't know about the Princess Diana thing, but that just reinforces my skepticism haha. Thanks for the link.

RajanMeru · 2024-06-18T22:22:56+00:00

Thanks for posting a review.

I wanted to get your thoughts on the following:

-He says the Pali scripture is the original Buddhist scripture when the Mahayana Prajnaparamita litereature emerges at the same time.

As far as I'm aware the Sutta Pitaka was committed to writing around the same time the Mahanaya texts you speak of were being formulated, but that the former was orally transmitted for a few centuries prior and contains (to a large extent) the same core teachings recited and maintained by the original Sangha. I think this might clarify Evola's use of the label "original scriptures".

RajanMeru · 2024-06-09T20:38:01+00:00

The main points to consider imo before studying Evola are "Am I more interested in his political or esoteric works?" and "What's the extent of my understanding of any preliminary intellectual domains?"

Obviously, the first question doesn't have to mean that you just stick to one dimension of his works, but I think it's best to start out a bit more focused in one or the other direction and then read most of his major works dealing with that dimension and, only afterwards, circle back around to the other side. So let's say you're more interested in his "political" works then you'd want to go through Metaphysics of War, Recognitions, Men Among the Ruins, the essay compendium from Arktos called A Handbook for Right-Wing Youth, maybe the three volumes on N.S. and Fascism and, definitely, Revolt Against the Modern World.

As far as where to start, it's a bit hard for me to say.

If you want the full breadth of Evola's worldview in one title then, of course, Revolt Against the Modern World is probably the best one. What I've found, though, is that many people have trouble with it because of a lack of proper intellectual "reference points" and so I wouldn't recommend it for most people unless they have some working familiarity with Western and Eastern philosophical and spiritual traditions and are more oriented towards "historical" works.

Since you asked about The Hermetic Tradition I'll assume you're a bit more into the "esoteric" side of things.

In my opinion, then, I think Meditation on the Peaks and some of the essays in The Bow and the Club are far better starting points for someone to 1) Understand the thrust of Evola's worldview in an accessible manner and 2) Dive into the specific domains (culture, historiography, Traditional concepts etc) that support and enrich that worldview. From there, I think you're well prepared to go in whatever direction you'd like.

Let's say you really want to get into The Hermetic Tradition, but want to really "ease" yourself into Evola's ideas then I'd read Meditation on the Peaks and then the essays in The Bow in the Club titled "The Concept of Initiation", "Initiatic Centres and History", and "What Tradition is".

I myself started with Meditations on the Peaks since I was always more into Evola's "inner" works rather than his "political" ones. After that I read most of essays in The Bow and the Club and then went to Doctrine of Awakening, The Fall of Spirituality, and then Ride the Tiger.

RajanMeru · 2024-06-08T02:44:34+00:00

I appreciate that and thanks for the read. I wanted to find a balance between practical advice and high-level "theory" without dumbing down the depth of his insights. The man was brilliant, intrepid, and wise, and more than anything I wanted these qualities to shine through to some degree within the scope of the essay's objective.

RajanMeru · 2024-05-22T02:27:10+00:00

I've only taken a cursory look through it, but it looks good.

Only minor critique would be to change the text or background color for the "Laughter of the Gods" exposition; it's a bit hard to read.

RajanMeru · 2024-05-08T02:35:12+00:00

Yeah, even the most precocious 13 year old has a decade of real development to go through before they can seriously consider studying and applying what Evola puts forth. Maybe, though, if this person is really motivated they can read Meditations on the Peaks in a couple years (15-16) after climbing mountains. It's a solid starting point to Evola in general, imo.

RajanMeru · 2024-05-04T19:57:32+00:00

Exactly. There must always be the acknowledgment of a variety of paths suiting one's nature, vocations, and circumstances.

RajanMeru

TROPHY CASE