Paperback

352 pages

Sophia Perennis et Universalis

Theosophy

History of a Pseudo-Religion

(René GUENON)

  Book description

Many readers of Guénon’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 Guénon’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 Much further information has of course come to light since this book was written, but it has never been superseded as a fascinating record of the path of a master metaphysician through this maze.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 particularly unusual feature is its extensive treatment of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor, which has recently attracted the attention of scholars of the occult.

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Page : Guénon (René)

Paperback

364 pages

Sophia Perennis et Universalis

The Spiritist Fallacy

(René GUENON)

  Book description

Many readers of Guénon’s doctrinal works have hoped for translations of his detailed exposs of Theosophy and Spiritism. Sophia Perennis is pleased to make available both these important titles as part of the Collected Works of René Guénon. Whereas Theosophy: History of a Pseudo-Religion centers primarily on historical details, The Spiritist Fallacy, though packed also 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 offer extraordinarily prescient insight into many deviations and "psychological" afflictions of the modern mind, and will be as valuable to psychological practitioners and spiritual counselors as to historians of esoteric history. 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 Guénon so clearly described many years ago.

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Paperback

152 pages

Sophia Perennis et Universalis

The Metaphysical Principles of the Infinitesimal Calculus

(René GUENON)

  Book description

Guénon’s early and abiding interest in mathematics, like that of Plato, Pascal, Leibnitz, and many other metaphysicians of note, runs like a scarlet thread throughout his doctrinal studies. In this late text published just five years before his death, Guénon devotes an entire volume to questions regarding the nature of limits and the infinite with respect to the calculus both as a mathematical discipline and as symbolism for the initiatic path. This book therefore extends and complements the geometrical symbolism he employs in other works, especially The Symbolism of the Cross, The Multiple States of the Being, and Symbols of Sacred Science. According to Guénon, the concept "infinite number" is a contradiction in terms. Infinity is a metaphysical concept at a higher level of reality than that of quantity, where all that can be expressed is the indefinite, not the infinite. But although quantity is the only level recognized by modern science, the numbers that express it also possess qualities, their quantitative aspect being merely their outer husk. Our reliance today on a mathematics of approximation and probability only further conceals the "qualitative mathematics" of the ancient world, which comes to us most directly through the Pythagorean-Platonic tradition.

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Hardcover

136 pages

Sophia Perennis et Universalis

Traditional Forms and Cosmic Cycles

(René GUENON)

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Hardcover

476 pages

Sophia Perennis et Universalis

Symbols of Sacred Science

(René GUENON)

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Paperback

369 pages

Quinta Essentia

Fundamental Symbols

The Universal Language of Sacred Science

(René GUENON)

  Book description

This long awaited volume is presented here in English for the first time; and since it constitutes one of Guénon's greatest works, its publication must be counted as one of the great literary events of this century. To glance at the chapter headings is to be impressed by the wealth and the variety of the contents - The Science of Letters; Symbolic Weapons; The Wild Boar & the Bear; The Language of the Birds; The Bridge and the Rainbow - are but a few of the 76 chapters. A striking aspect of the book is that it gives a new significance to so many of the objects, natural and man-made, with which we are inescapably surrounded in our daily life. Sensitive readers will be enriched by the immense perspective which is here offered them, both in time and space; and they will see that the book above all as an introduction to the spiritual life, an introduction which fascinates and compels. For some souls it will open doors which no other key could unlock.

  Seyyed Hossein Nasr

"René Guénon is without doubt one of the colossal figures of this century whose fame only increases with the passing of days. In this work, probably the most significant in a Western language, concerning symbolism, Guenon deals with the metaphysical and cosmological meaning of symbols drawn from traditions as far apart as the Greek and the Buddhist, the Druid and the Islamic. This extensive work has been a real labour of love for both the translator, who has spent a life-time in the study of Guénon's work, and the editor (Martin Lings), himself one of the foremost traditional authors and a master of English prose. This is a major addition to the English corpus of Guénon's work."

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See also : Seyyed Hossein Nasr

Hardcover

112 pages

Sophia Perennis et Universalis

Insights into Islamic Esoterism & Taoism

(René GUENON)

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Paperback

300 pages

Sophia Perennis Et Universalis

The Reign of Quantity & the Signs of the Times

(René GUENON)

  Book description

Critique of modern Western civilization from the point of view of traditional metaphysics

  From the publisher

 "The works of René Guénon (1886-1951), all but unknown to the English-reading public, are nevertheless regarded by many significant thinkers as among this century's most powerful and effective remedies for the anti-traditional spirit and virulent relativism of modernism. As for `post-modernism', we confess ignorance of its exact meaning (if it has one), but do know that, without the rigor of metaphysical principles as reconstituted for the West especially by Guénon, it will soon decay into yet another academic specialty. Titus Burckhardt, Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, Marco Pallis, S.H. Nasr, Martin Lings, Huston Smith, William Chittick, and Joseph Epes Brown are among the better known writers who have been inspired by Guénon; less well-known, or influenced less directly, are Philip Sherrard, Gai Eaton, Whitall Perry, William Stoddart, E.F. Schumacher, Mircea Eliade, Elemire Zolla, Julius Évola, and Jacob Needleman. Without doubt, however, the best-known and most profound author whose works stand in direct relation to Guénon's is Frithjof Schuon, whose many books, spanning more than half a century, are considered by many to represent the most complete exposition of the `transcendent unity' of religions--both from a doctrinal and methodological point of view--ever presented. Guénon's many works have remained uninterruptedly in print in French since their initial publication, but the case has been quite otherwise in English: only a few have been translated, and these few have never been in print for long, and been very scarce on the used-book market. No doubt this can be explained in part by the nature of Guénon's writing, for he places extraordinary demands on his readers, and makes no concession to popularism. And yet, at no time has such a critique of civilization and exposition of traditional metaphysical principles as he provides been more necessary than now. Guénon's works are an indispensable corrective that will be recognized--`on impact' one might almost say--by those who have begun to recognize the pernicious influences at large in the contemporary world, but who lack the formation to draw all the necessary conclusions unaided. In an ecumenic age, Guénon formulates the only possible reconciliation of the legitimate--but apparently conflicting--demands of external religious forms (exoterism) with the essential core of these forms (esoterism), a reconciliation that has no truck with the sentimental and `politically-correct' ecumenicism that has come to typify our age, offering a table of random traditional dishes to be sampled at one's pleasure, with no spiritual committment, to say the least. Sophia Perennis et Universalis has undertaken to make Guénon's works available again, as well as new translations and works by related authors. Guénon never doubted that his books would eventually reach those few for whom they were intended, despite the difficulties entailed in publishing them; and this is the position we also adopt, trusting that support will be forthcoming for further editions as more and more readers recognize their significance. We hope that this simple limited edition reprint of The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times, one of Guénon's masterpieces, will be a first step toward a larger-scale publishing program in the future, and take this opportunity to thank Guénon's heirs and their agent, Mr. Gouverneur, as well as the original French publishers, for their cooperation in making this edition possible. To the many individuals who have supported this effort over the past few years we express our gratitude, and invite you, new reader, to join us as well." --James Wetmore

  From the author

According to its author, The Reign of Quantity is directed to "...the understanding of some of the darkest enigmas of the modern world, enigmas which the world itself denies because it is incapable of perceiving them although it carries them within itself, and because this denial is an indispensable condition for the maintenance of the special mentality whereby it exists."

  From the inside flap

"Many of Guénon’s books, notably The Reign of Quantity, are such potent and detailed metaphysical attacks on the downward drift of Western civilization as to make all other contemporary critiques . . . seem half-hearted by comparison." --Jacob Needleman, The Sword of Gnosis "The Collected Works of René Guénon 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. "The Reign of Quantity is a brilliantly sustained and excoriating attach on modern civilization. . . . The book is a controlled and dispassionate but devastating razing of the assumptions and values of modern science. At the same time it is an affirmation of the metaphysical and cosmological principles given expression in traditional culture and religions." --Kenneth Oldmeadow, author of Traditionalism

  About the author

René Guénon (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

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Page : Guénon (René)

Paperback

272 pages

Sophia Perennis Et Universalis

Introduction to the Study of the Hindu Doctrines

(René GUENON)

  Book description

Study of various Hindu schools of thought, with emphasis on the notion of tradition and esoterism

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See also : Hinduism

Paperback

303 pages

Sophia Perennis Et Universalis

Perspectives on Initiation

(René GUENON)

  Book description

Perspectives on Initiation presents initiation as essentially the transmission, by the appropriate rites of a given tradition, of a "spiritual influence" which represents the "beginning" (initium) of the spiritual journey. It is unique in giving a comprehensive account both of the conditions of initiation and of the characteristics of organizations qualified to transmit it. While most of its 48 chapters deal with specific aspects of initiation, others cover an astonishing range of related subjects, among them: Magic and Mysticism, Ceremonial Magic, Psychic "Powers", The Symbolism of the Theater, The Gift of Tongues, Greater and Lesser Mysteries, Rose-Cross and Rosicrucians, Some Reflections on Hermeticism, and The Birth of the Avatara. Related articles are collected in Guénon’s Initiation and Spiritual Realization.

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Paperback

187 pages

Sophia Perennis Et Universalis

Initiation and Spiritual Realization

(René GUENON)

  Book description

The present volume is a companion volume to Guenon Perspectives on Initiation, in which Guenon carefully defined the nature of initiation and of the organizations qualified to transmit it. In Initiation and Spiritual Realization he adds many details on related subjects, including various inner and outer obstacles the aspirant may face, the need for attachment to a traditional exoterism, the role of the spiritual master, and a closer examination of the degrees of spiritual realization. 

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Page : René Guénon

Paperback

120 pages

Sophia Perennis Et Universalis

The Crisis of the Modern World

(René GUENON)

  Book description

Critique of the modern world from the point of view of traditional metaphysics, with special reference to the Oriental doctrine of cosmic cycles.

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Page : René Guénon

Hardcover

188 pages

Sophia Perennis et Universalis

East & West

(René GUENON)

- hardcover -

  Book description

East and West, first published in 1924, was the fourth of a series of books that cleared the ground for Guénon’s later writings. His first book, Introduction to the Study of the Hindu Doctrines (1921), was an exposition of metaphysics as transmitted in the Hindu tradition, and served to establish his specific use of important terms such as "esoterism", "tradition", and "orthodoxy". He next set about writing two extensive volumes critiquing what he called "pseudo-esoteric" groups. The first of these, Theosophy: History of a Pseudo-Religion (1921), is an expos of Madame Blavatsky’s Theosophical Society; the second, The Spiritist Fallacy (1923), examines the current of nineteenth-century spiritism that set the stage for many occult movements that appeared toward the end of that century. Guénon’s application of traditional metaphysics to the special case of pseudo-esoteric groups was then broadened in the present book to the general question of East and West as conservators and transmitters of traditional wisdom in the modern age. The titles of its two parts, "Western Illusions" and "How the Differences Might be Bridged", describe perfectly the book’s intention. Later books, especially The Crisis of the Modern World and its magisterial sequel, The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times, further extended Guénon’s penetrating critique of the modern world. 

This book investigates differences between East and West in connection with the preservation of traditional principles, with a special view to envisioning how such differences affect the possibilities for the restitution of such principles in each domain. Special attention is given to various aberrant "spiritualities" in the West, and how they might be overcome by reference to teachinigs still extant in the East, and a rejuvenation of what remains in the West of organizations retaining at least a core of the metaphysical teachings that were in full bloom in the medieval West.

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Page : René Guénon

Paperback

170 pages

Sophia Perennis Et Universalis

East and West

(René GUENON)

- paperback -

  Book description

This book investigates differences between East and West in connection with the preservation of traditional principles, with a special view to envisioning how such differences affect the possibilities for the restitution of such principles in each domain. Special attention is given to various aberrant 'spiritualities' in the West, and how they might be overcome by reference to teachinigs still extant in the East, and a rejuvenation of what remains in the West of organizations retaining at least a core of the metaphysical teachings that were in full bloom in the medieval West.

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Paperback

149 pages

Sophia Perennis Et Universalis

The Symbolism of the Cross

(René GUENON)

  Book description

The Cross is a symbol met with almost everywhere, and from the remotest times; it is therefore far from belonging exclusively to the Christian tradition which, at any rate in its outward and generally known aspect, seems to have lost sight of its symbolical character and to regard it as but the sign of an historical event. Actually, these viewpoints are in no wise mutually exclusive, for the cross, like any other symbol, can be regarded according to manifold senses. The object before us, however, is the metaphysical sense; all other applications are secondary and contingent. If we do consider some of these it will be to attach them to the metaphysical order, for this is what gives them their value.

René Guénon, Condensed from the Preface

  From the Inside Flap

"The Collected Works of René Guénon 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.

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Page : René Guénon

Paperback

180 pages

Sophia Perennis Et Universalis

The Great Triad

(René GUENON)

  Book description

A study of the traditional metaphysics of the Taoist tradition, with many comparisons made to Western esoteric traditions, such as Alchemy, Hermeticism, and Freemasonry, as well as parallels with Christian and Islamic doctrine.

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Page : Guénon (René)

See also : Christianism (Esoterism)

Hardcover

208 pages

Sophia Perennis et Universalis

Insights into Christian Esoterism

(René GUENON)

- hardcover -

  Book description

In the first part of the present work, Guénon addresses the role of sacred languages and the principle of initiation in the Christian tradition. The second part deals with such esoteric Christian themes and organizations as the Holy Grail, the Guardians of the Holy Land, the Sacred Heart, the Fedeli d’Amore and "Courts of Love", and the Secret Language of Dante. The book closes with a lengthy study on St Bernard of Clairvaux. Guénon’s The Esoterism of Dante treats related themes.

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Paperback

132 pages

Sophia Perennis Et Universalis

Insights into Christian Esoterism

(René GUENON)

- paperback -

  Book description

The present volume discusses Christian initiation and various esoteric organizations, with special reference to Dante, as well as a study of St Bernard.

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Page : Guénon (René)

Paperback

87 pages

Sophia Perennis Et Universalis

Spiritual Authority and Temporal Power

(René GUENON)

  Book description

Deals with the normal relationship between the spiritual and the temporal powers implied in a healthy traditional civilization, that is, the supremacy of knowledge over action, of the sacerdotal over the royal caste. Touching first on India and the medieval West, Guenon then illustrates his point by citing quarrels over investiture and disputes of certain French kings with the papacy as evidence of a deviation in Christianity.

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Page : Guénon (René)

Paperback

196 pages

Sophia Perennis Et Universalis

Man and His Becoming According to the Vedanta

(René GUENON)

  Book description

A study of the constitution and development of the human being from the metaphysical point of view, with special reference to Vedantic doctrine.

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See also : Vedanta

Paperback

268 pages

Sophia Perennis Et Universalis

Studies in Hinduism

(René GUENON)

  Book description

A study of various aspects of the traditional metaphysical doctrines of the Hindu Tradition, along with extensive book and article reviews.

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See also : Hinduism

Paperback

98 pages

Sophia Perennis Et Universalis

The Multiple States of the Being

(René GUENON)

  Book description

This text, René Guénon’s most comprehensive work of "pure" metaphysics, is written as if nothing at all is, but That which is in its own essence. And, in truth, what else is there? Being is multiple and comprises many states, both manifest and unmanifest; but the unmanifest has precedence, what is seen being effectively nothing in the face of what is not seen. To realize this is to realize the contingency of the human state and the set of its inherent possibilities; to realize the contingency of the human state is to be liberated from it; to be liberated from the human state is to assimilate the principle by which the being can be liberated from all states. This is the end of the spiritual life, and also of the human form: "end" both as telos and as annihilation. And since all beings in manifestation exist equally and simultaneously in all the planes and states of the Unmanifest, to know Infinite Possibility is precisely to become what one is. Whatever else Guénon wrote, as mystagogue, hermeneut, critic of the modern world, emanated from and existed to support the realization of only This.

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Paperback

79 pages

Sophia Perennis Et Universalis

The King of the World

(René GUENON)

  Book description

This remarkable book grew out of a conference headed by René Guénon, the sinologist René Grousset, and the neo-Thomist Jacques Maritain on questions raised by Ferdinand Ossendowski’s thrilling account in his Men, Beast and Gods of an escape through Central Asia, during which he foils enemies and encounters shamans and Mongolian lamas, whose marvels he describes. The book caused a great sensation, especially the closing chapters, where Ossendowski recounts legends allegedly entrusted to him concerning the "King of the World" and his subterranean kingdom Agarttha. The present book, one of Guénon’s most controversial, was written in response to this conference and develops the theme of the King of the World from the point of view of traditional metaphysics. Chapters include: Western Ideas about Agarttha; Shekinah and Metatron; The Three Supreme Functions; Symbolism of the Grail; Melki-Tsedeq; Luz: Abode of Immortality; The Supreme Center concealed during the Kali-Yuga; and The Omphalos and Sacred Stones .

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Hardcover

Sophia Perennis et Universalis

The Esoterism of Dante

(René GUENON)

  Book description

Without pretending to be thorough on so inexhaustible a subject, in The Esoterism of Dante Guénon nonetheless casts an unexpected light onto a specifically esoteric and initiatic aspect of Dante’s work, and above all of his Divine Comedy. Dante was without doubt far more than a literary genius, and one is justified in thinking that many treasures remain to be discovered in what Guénon calls "the spiritual testament of the Middle Ages". The author undertakes to establish that the three divisions of The Divine Comedy represent stages of initiatic realization and testify to Dante’s knowledge of traditional sciences unknown to the moderns: the science of numbers, of cosmic cycles, and of sacred astrology. He also touches on the all-important question of medieval esoterism, and corrects the errors of earlier scholars who had only glimpsed the deeper meaning of Dante’s work—providing an entirely new explanation of numerous points not previously elucidated. Some of the same themes are further developed in Guénon’s Insights into Christian Esoterism.

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Page : Guénon (René)