In history, colossal powers have eternally struggled for dominance, with the fate of civilizations hanging by a thread. According to Julius Evola, the Mithraic Mysteries, “besieged” by the rapid rise of Christianity, retreated into dark enclaves, their secrets passed down from one faithful follower to another. As the dominant faith swept the earth, these rituals found refuge in the shadows, ensuring their survival through a secret network of devoted followers.
In our own time, this ancient knowledge occasionally resurfaces, as seen in the fragmentary efforts of those overwhelmed by a truth too vast to bear.
These early pioneers herald the arrival of others who will embrace their heritage, resolutely opposing their contemporary “Christian” opponents in an intellectual rebellion.
The destiny of the West teeters on a razor’s edge, caught between the abyss of decadence and the faint glow of rebirth. This struggle transcends history, embodying the eternal conflict between order and chaos, spirit and matter, continuity and collapse.
In this cosmic drama, matter symbolizes Christianity, grounding the divine in tangible rituals and doctrines, contrasting the elusive and dynamic nature of the pagan spirit.
The Apocalypse of St. John, known as the Book of Revelation, vividly depicts a cosmic struggle between the forces of light and the forces of darkness, foretelling the ultimate destiny of humanity.
This apocalyptic vision reflects Oswald Spengler’s view of the cyclical rise and fall of civilizations. The Apocalypse describes the end of the world and the dawn of a new age, similar to Spengler’s assertion that Western civilization, like all great civilizations before it, is in the throes of inevitable decline.
However, from this decline, a new form must emerge, as the phoenix is reborn from its ashes. The terrifying visions of crisis, chaos, and renewal in the Apocalypse provoke the radical transformations that determine the course of human history.
This interplay of annihilation and rebirth, prophesied by Saint John and philosophized by Spengler, points to the ever-present possibility of another world emerging from the ruins of the old.
Spengler’s Faustian West, as described in The Decline of the West, parallels the Whore of Babylon in its fanatical pursuit of infinite progress, power, and wealth. Spengler writes: “…we have the Faustian soul, whose chief symbol is pure and boundless space…”
This insatiable drive, while leading to unparalleled achievements, also sows the seeds of its own decline. Like the Whore of Babylon, the Faustian West is adorned with the trappings of its own success—material superiority and technological superiority—but these achievements mask an inner decline.
In the Faustian West, this decline is evident in the overemphasis on technological and scientific progress at the expense of spiritual and cultural depth.
Spengler observes that the aimless bustle of modern man, his addiction to mechanical inventions, and his feverish exploitation of the earth’s resources are symptoms of an innate, unconscious fear of the end.
This mirrors the “golden cup” of the Whore of Babylon, filled with abominations—an outward show of grandeur that conceals inner corruption.
The antifascist German-American political philosopher Erich Hermann Wilhelm Vögelin (1901–1985) argued that the need to restore political science to its fundamental principles was clear, given the erosion of awareness of those principles. The movement toward retheorization marked a recovery from the devastation wrought by positivism in the late nineteenth century.
The success of the natural sciences led to a belief in the inherent superiority of their methods and the idea that other sciences would achieve similar success by adopting those methods. These mistaken assumptions undermined political science, making it necessary to return to its true principles and to recognize the unique methodologies and ideas of the social sciences. This restoration mirrors the revival of the Mithraic Mysteries, as both seek to recover essential truths buried under the blanket of modernity.
In a world where anyone can secure a job, true wisdom lies in transcending this basic economic drive. This proverb captures a fundamental truth about human existence and society. The struggle for survival and success is often seen in terms of work and productivity, but a wise person transcends this necessity by seeking the profound instead.
People don’t need love. They need success in its many forms. It can be love, but it doesn’t have to be. This insight touches on the broader human condition, where the pursuit of success — whether through love, wealth, or achievement — drives human behavior. The essence of life lies not in simple survival or love, but in the realization of one’s potential and ambitions—in the search for meaning, and ultimately, in transcendence.
We must remember that the ultimate reality lies within the author’s work: what the author chose or was forced to write is of the utmost importance. Spengler argues that “there is nothing else that can replace Life. After Life there is only Death. And that, deep down, is the intention. We do not seek to change and improve, but to destroy.”
