Report: New Right 11th London Meeting

First up was Mr Christopher Chibnall with a fascinating anecdotal talk on the artist and magician Austin Osman Spare, billed as the first postmodern occultist. When I worked at Watkin's occult bookshop off the Charing Cross Road, we kept our Osman Spare in a lock-up glass bookshelf in the basement. Mainly because of their value, but partly also for their content (not that we'd get many kids in the basement, which was devoted mainly to books about Advaita Vedanta Hinduism; kids naturally preferred gawking at the crystals, jewellery, statues and other New Age trinkets on sale upstairs). I'd like to thank Mr Chibnall for elucidating the ideas of this singular individual, who was a fellow south Londoner and instigator of his own Chaos Magic. Mr Chibnall is working on a book about Austin Osman Spare, although I'm surprised that he hasn't already been beaten to it by Peter Ackroyd; this mixture of London, the occult, raw sexuality and consciousness is quintessential Ackroyd territory.

Next up came Norman Lowell from the highly successful IMPERIUM EUROPA movement in Malta. At his last talk at a London New Right meeting a couple of years ago Mr Lowell outlined the spiritual and practical delineations of the coming Imperium; this time he introduced a new element to his thinking, namely Dominion. Just as, like Evola, Lowell associates the ideas of a Solar/Polar Imperium with Masculinity, so Dominion (from Latin “domus” - “home”) is associated with the regional and local, that is, the Feminine, nurturing principle. This concept adds a whole new dimension to the idea of Imperium. As I listened to Mr Lowell I was struck by the thought that I could be hearing for the first time an idea as profound, significant and influential as that proposed by Nietzsche in THE BIRTH OF TRAGEDY. Mr Lowell has a new book out, aptly titled IMPERIUM EUROPA, this Winter 2007. It's worth putting an order in now because his last book, CREDO, is now a sought-after item, with people emailing to ask me where they can get a copy. Mr Lowell also expanded on his exciting idea of reserving a special space in Russia for eugenic progress, and stressed the importance of Aryan solidarity and the avoidance of fratricidal wars.

Following Mr Lowell came Mr Jonathan Bowden. I always strongly look forward to Mr Bowden's talks; he outlines often complex ideas with astounding lucidity and precision, introducing new facts and new ideas from sometimes obscure thinkers with great flourish. Mr. Bowden surveyed a wide panorama, from the power of intellect, to the commercial elite ruling over us and the insidious culture of victimology. Gay activists in particular have much to learn from his arguments against special pleading. Since I am not a member of the BNP, I am hardly in a position to comment on Mr Bowden's recent run-in with the BNP leadership, save to say that in my opinion the party has lost an immensely accomplished and invigorating speaker.

Finally, from Croatia, Mr Tomislav Sunic, to elaborate on some of his ideas presented in his excellent new book HOMO AMERICANUS: Child of the Postmodern Age. I finished reading this important book about America's foundational myths and their reverberations into the present just last week, and hope to do it some justice by giving it a proper review on this (Aryan Futurism) blog in the near future. As well as discussing the heroic Prince Eugene, the self-censoring society and martyrology, Mr Sunic urged his listeners to look behind the human rights rhetoric of our democratic leaders, and suggested that a read of a country's penal codes could be far more revealing.

As ever, the meeting was at a superb location in central London with a lively, positive, friendly audience – the largest I've seen at a New Right meeting to date. Between speakers, the crowd was abuzz with subjects ranging from the ongoing credit-crunch financial crisis (hardly surprising, given our location in the heart of the Leviathan) to Michael Wood's current colourful documentary series on BBC2 TV about the history of India, which certainly seems to be a hit with European Identitarians. Troy Southgate, Jonathan Bowden, Jonothon Boulter and all the other organizers and helpers at the London New Right meetings deserve praise for opening up this immensely important new intellectual space, the suitably impressive London salon and ante-chamber for the IMPERIUM, and congratulations for enabling this new space to expand, all the while winning fresh support and acclaim. It is a tremendous undertaking triumphantly fulfilled.

Involution, Evolution, Consciousness and Western Destiny

While eastern Aryan religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Sufism to some extent have followed a path of spiritual evolution through detachment, the European Aryan worldview is more a process of involution. Whereas Indians etc. have chosen to ignore the material world and taken this rejection to the extreme of describing the outside world as “Maya” - illusion - we have (from the Ancient Greeks onwards) forced our consciousness into previously inanimate objects.

We have “involved” ourselves in matter. Of course the route we have chosen is extremely hazardous, with the danger that we become trapped in materialism without appreciating higher values, but the benefits are enormous. I wonder if because of our nature western civilization was pre-destined to undergo this “fall” into matter, a process which accelerated after the scientific and industrial revolutions in Europe (i.e. what Julius Evola calls modernism).

If so, then for me the only meaningful course is to continue with our involution into matter until we have “broken through”, perhaps by Faster-Than-Light travel or some other technological means, to another “spiritual” realm. We already know from quantum mechanics that solid matter is far less solid than previously suspected; I think this could have been our civilization's initial step upward from the Nineteenth Century nadir of perception of a purely mechanical, dead universe.

Complexity

The Eastern path of spiritual evolution may be premature, at least for us Europeans. Eastern and Western philosophy concur that once an entity reaches a sufficient level of complexity it can experience human-like consciousness. Instead of reflecting on what already is, we in the west have projected this complexity into nature and experimentation, thereby creating an unprecedented control over matter. Yet we welcome more challenges. Our scientific and technological impulse toward creativity shows no sign of abating.

For us, materialism is not the evolutionary “dead end” as it is so often described in esoteric writing; instead it is our road to becoming something more than human.

Using Runes: Starting

Runes were the first comprehensive script used by the peoples of central and northern Europe. They are accessible to all who share this inheritance, and who approach the Runes with the right attitude.

The original 24-Rune Futhark was developed, probably from a combination of Etruscan, Greek, Italic and early Germanic symbols, around 250bce. In Norse mythology the god Odin is credited with the discovery of the Runes after being hanged on the World Tree for a period of 9 days. 'Futhark' has the same meaning as 'alphabet' and is constructed in a similar manner, using the initial sounds of the first 6 Runes. The Anglo-Saxons later added a further 9 Runes, while the Scandinavians eventually cut the number down to 16. At the beginning of the Twentieth Century a German called Guido von List invented an 18-rune Futhark known as the Armanen Futhark. It was this Armanen Futhark that was later appropriated by the Third Reich. Since it has no archaeological validity, it is beyond the scope of this essay. The 24-Rune 'Elder Furthark' is the earliest Futhark, was used for the longest time-period, and is considered the standard today.

The traditional tripartition of the 24 runes is: FEHU to WUNJO = first aett; HAGALAZ to SOWILO = second aett; TIWAZ to OTHALA = third aett. 'Aett' simply means 'group of eight' and each group is traditionally ruled over by different male and female cosmic forces, in accordance with George Dumezil's tri-functional hypothesis of Aryan mythology and culture.

It is always best to make your own Runes, rather than relying on commercially manufactured Runes. This is easy to do, whether on wood (as is traditional), stone, bone or metal.

Time

Sometimes the last two runes (DAGAZ and OTHALA) are swapped around, especially when the runes are used for measuring time, so that DAGAZ is the last rune - marking mid-day. If you want to use the runes as a clock, then the runes follow each other on the half-hour, starting with FEHU (12:30-13:30), then URUZ (13:30-14:30) and so on, until DAGAZ (11:30-12:30); so that the middle of the “hour-glass” shape of the DAGAZ Runestave marks mid-day exactly.

Mid-day is to the day as mid-Summer is to the year, so you can also use the runes as a calendar, with the central point of DAGAZ indicating mid-Summer, and the central break of JERA marking the Winter Solstice. The rest of the runes, each lasting for a period of just over a fortnight, can be plotted around these two dates. Notice how the Winter runes – HAGALAZ (hail); NAUTHIZ (need); ISA (ice) and EIHWAZ (yew – an evergreen) crowd around the coldest time of year. The same is true with the other runes: SOWILO (sunshine) and BERKANO (birch-tree) in Spring; GEBO (gift) and WUNJO (joy) at harvest-time. Uncanny, isn't it? We can only hope that seasonal changes due to climate change don't knock these correspondences out of kilter.

Rune Poems and the Esoteric Meaning of the Runes

Our main sources for the esoteric understanding of the Runes are the Anglo-Saxon, Old Norwegian and Old Icelandic Rune poems. The two latter Rune poems are based on the Scandinavian 16-Rune 'Younger Futhark', hence the apparent gaps in the verses. Each of the Rune-poems could be nothing more than mnemonics (“A is for apple” etc.), although that's unlikely, given their consistency, internal logic and spiritual resonance.

Some people interpret the Runes depending on whether the facing Rune is upside down or not, but there is no evidence in the traditional literature that Rune-casters, or 'Erulians', took any notice of the directions of individual staves when casting the Runes. It's most likely an innovation taken from tarot cards, so can be safely ignored. Even worse, some modern Rune-sets include a “blank-rune”, also taken from non-Germanic fortune-telling techniques. This is an abomination, which should be stamped out! The word 'Erulian' is from the Germanic Heruli tribe, who are believed to have spread knowledge of the Runes across Europe and who practiced ritual homosexuality.

There is enough to learn from Runes: times, seasons, and in particular and most interestingly the roots of words (e.g. 'Fee' and 'Feudalism', 'Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum' from FEHU; ur – meaning 'proto' in German, or 'first', from URUZ etc.), and concepts that were important to our ancestors in an agriculturally-based society, without getting into the whole esoteric stuff.

This is how I think the Runes can initially best be used – as a link to understanding the past and a stimulus for the creative imagination – rather than for tawdry magic. At their best they express eternal patterns within the European mind, Jung's archetypes if you will, and should be contemplated poetically.

Pagan Aryan Magic

MAGIC

Magic is ur-technology using will, combined with structured ritual, creative imagination and higher consciousness. Once in this state of higher consciousness, the physical universe, Midgard, becomes malleable to will.

Will

This process is described in Germanic cosmogony (origins of the universe) with the three divine brothers Wotan, Vili and Ve, who are the first three gods and creators of mankind and the world (from Wer-ald, meaning “age of man” – another word for Midgard). These three brothers encapsulate the act of creation of whatever kind, by man as well as gods.

Wotan (aka Woden/ Odin) literally means to be ecstatic; as described by Adam of Bremen in the eleventh century, “Wodan id est furor” [Woden, that is to say fury]. The meaning of Wili is unchanged in most Teutonic languages (Will); while Ve means “apartness” – separate from the everyday world – with the implication of “sacredness”. Later, the Vikings would use the same word for their triangular-shaped sacred enclosures.

Altered Consciousness – WODANAZ

From clues contained in this blue-print, MANNERBUND and the Arktion Federation have devised rituals to progress the sacred destiny of Homo Europeanus. The quickest and easiest route to a state of higher consciousness is via sex and drugs. Of course, there are other methods e.g.: extreme mortification through asceticism, intense and prolonged meditation, chanting and shamanic drumming. But most of these methods are alien to modern (and indeed ancient) Europeans, whereas sex and drugs, above all alcohol, are like old friends – particularly for gay men on the scene.

Entheogens (hallucinogenic drugs) traditionally used by our ancestors include the fly agaric mushroom, ergot (base for LSD), hemp and the solanaceae containing atropine, such as mandrake, henbane, thornapple and deadly nightshade. Tne love affair between alcohol and the European imagination continues, as strong as ever, from Mother Russia to the Whisky Galore pubs of the Atlantic coast. As Bowie’s Thomas Newton character replies at the end of MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH when questioned about his drinking, “I see things”.

Soma

Aryan mythology abounds in references to magical, consciousness-altering drugs. In Germanic mythology it is called Odroerir (literally “Wonder-raiser” in Old Norse): the mead of poetic inspiration. This mead, brewed from the blood of Kvasir (the wisest of all creatures), was later stolen by Odin, taking the form of an eagle, from the Giants. Returning to Asgard with his booty, Odin allows a few drops of the precious liquid to fall to Earth to provide inspiration for his children on Midgard.

This myth bears a more-than-passing resemblance to the Greek tale of Zeus and Ganymede, which fuses the themes of drugs and homosexuality.

The Trojan prince Ganymede (from whom the Romans got the word “catamite”) is abducted by Zeus in the form of an eagle to become his loves and, most significantly, cup-bearer – the cup containing the magical drink ambrosia. Celts have their cauldron of regeneration, which with the coming of Xianity was transformed into the Holy Grail. But perhaps the most famous of these mythical psychedelic drug-drinks (thanks to Aldous Huxley’s BRAVE NEW WORLD) is Soma.

In the earliest surviving Aryan writings, the RIG VEDA (1500bce), Soma is a god and also a drink-sacrifice, and once again it is an eagle that brings Soma to the warrior god Indra. Sadly, the recipe for Soma is now lost.

Sleipner

Most modern homosexual men are oblivious to the power of sexual energy; they dissipate it in romantic love (not so bad) or, worse, empty hedonistic individualism – an extension of capitalist consumerism into the most basic of drives (“the meat market”). They are like fish swimming in a reservoir behind a hydro-electric dam, completely unaware of the immense power being generated around them. MANNERBUND will expand consciousness to give these men a higher perspective and transform their fish-consciousness into that of an eagle soaring above.

That sexual activity alters consciousness can be taken as given: Aleister Crowley and Austin Osman Spare are two of the most significant magicians of the modern era to recognize this, and based their magical philosophies on concentration of will at the moment of climax.

Climax launches the willed-intention into the Web of Wyrd, usually with the use of sigils or, as in the case with MANNERBUND, runes. Homosexual sex is of a different order from straight sex; on a mundane level it is never associated with re-production. On a more profound level it dispenses with mundane reality (male/ female). Unlike dualistic sex which is domestic, tame and aims at harmony through the balanced polarities of male and female, homosexual sex multiplies “sameness”, “oneness” and consequently is “wild”, singular, non-dual, more concentrated and therefore more powerful.

Our Germanic forebears were fully aware of the special power of same-sex magical orgasm. Loki, the blood-brother of Odin who represents the not-always-benevolent forces of cultural evolution and the five percent creative minority and culture-bearers of any civilization, is the most ambivalent of all mythological figures, a trickster like Hermes/ Mercury.

As a result of what is effectively a same-sex encounter, Loki produces Sleipnir, Odin’s sky-riding eight-legged horse. In the YNGALINGA SAGA, Odin himself is accused of being Ergi (usually interpreted as taking a passive role in homosexual sex) because of his use of Seidr, a type of intuitive magic usually practiced by women. Odin’s nick-name Jalkr – gelding – is also telling.

Sacred Ritual – VE

A magical intention is only effectively performed when the context is correct: right time, right people, right frame of mind, correct correspondences. This structure separates a magical act from a mundane act and makes it sacred (Ve). MANNERBUND believes that the best of all frameworks for rituals to renew and advance Western civilization are those based on our earliest archetypes and mythologies and which are embedded in our racial sub-conscious.

Uniquely Aryan archetypes include Polar Mythology, the Promethean spirit, the Faustian spirit, the ancient mystery of the Swastika, the Black Sun and the MANNERBUND. It is those archetypes that acted as a spur to the creation of Aryan civilization in the first place; to use any other system would be counter-productive and profoundly destructive.