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/lit/ - Literature

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16544127 No.16544127 [Reply] [Original]

Why did Guenon dislike Theosophy? It seems like he fully recognizes a legitimacy behind Western occultism, but he disliked Theosophy so much that he wrote a whole book on it. Why is that?

>> No.16544142

Why don't you read the book he wrote which answers this very question.

>> No.16544385

>>16544142
I don't want to read an entire book about something that a Guenonfag on this board could explain in a single post.

>> No.16544432

he regarded it as dilettante occultism and illegitimate because it wasn't founded in a real living tradition but syncretically blended traditions, even though he was a dilettante occultist with a syncretically blended tradition

lots of his criticisms are valid and he's more intellectually serious than most theosophists (not hard since it was a big fad) but he is guilty of many of the things he criticizes

>> No.16544579

>>16544385
>thinking guenonfag has actually read guenon

>> No.16544635

>>16544127
Movements orchestrated by dubious characters, confused doctrines from a mesh of mischaracterized Eastern beliefs, pseudoscientific ideas (e.g. magnetism) and preponderance of magical "experiences" and altered states of mind

>> No.16544641

>>16544432
wrong

>> No.16544654

>>16544127
>>16544635
Also, if I recall correctly, Guenon infiltrated a lot of these groups and exposed their doctrines which led to a sort of paranoia about him receiving "magical" attacks for the rest of his life.

>> No.16544656

>>16544641
Kek

>> No.16544863

>>16544635
What did he think about Blavatsky herself? The Secret Doctrine is on my reading list, so I'm curious about anything I should keep in mind while reading it.

>> No.16545501

>>16544863
Theosophy is well worth exploring, I recommend Joscelyn Godwin's book on it, the books by Nicholas Goodrick-Clark, and Wouter Hanegraaff. I also remember there being a major critical book on exposing Blavatsky's claims about the secret masters, there are several of these but I mean a specific one, but I can't remember the guy's name. Either way, be sure to read criticism of the movement. They did some fucked up things in the last century.

For more sympathetic views read some of the experiences of fellow travelers like Yeats and Algernon Blackwood. You have to see it for what it was but you should also see it for what people wanted it to be. If that makes sense.

Also, if you haven't already, try to find one of the rare books on the Gurdjieff crowd that isn't written by a Gurdjieffian.

>> No.16545518

>>16544385
the theosophy book is one of his longest books too

>> No.16545529
File: 145 KB, 798x644, F1883520-18A1-4443-80D9-51277CF43839.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
16545529

> Be me
> /lit/ frequenter but eventually leave because I can’t take the Guenon posting
> decide to check /lit/ after a whole year
> “Surely, the Guenon meme has died down and no one talks about him anymore.”
> mfw this is the first thread I see in the catalog

>> No.16545545

>>16545529
He was getting gang raped by buddhists again in a thread the other day

>> No.16546438

>>16545545
>b*ddhists
Cringe. Not even a guenonfag.

>> No.16546451

>>16545545
he usually gets obliterated by them then makes a thread as a cope.

>> No.16546473

>>16544127
Because it's PsyOps.