Eros and the Mysteries of Love by Julius Evola

I have read Eros and the Mysteries of Love – The Metaphysics of Sex by our esteemed baron Julius Evola. As the title of the book suggests, Evola explores the higher dimensions of the union of man and woman. He refutes the merely material view of sex (i.e. the view that sex is only related to procreation and about primal desires). He also takes issue with the Freudian view of sex – which focuses on the Lower (damaged, faulty) aspects of it. Where Freud and other degenerates look ‘down‘ to study these matters, Evola looks ‘up‘ and presents the Higher aspects of it.

A Profound Quote

I first saw the following quote a few years ago – it resonated with me back then as well as now:

‘There can be no doubt that a woman who is perfectly woman is superior to a man who is imperfectly man, just as a farmer who is faithful to his land and performs his work perfectly is superior to a king who cannot do his own work.’

Julius Evola – Eros and the Mysteries of Love. Page 34.

Everyone striving to fulfil their unique role to the best of their abilities!

The Metaphysics of Sex

Evola notes the following in regard to the spiritual aspect of sex:

‘Here is the key to all the metaphysics of sex: “Through the Dyad towards the Unity.” Sexual love is the most universal form of man’s obscure search to eliminate for a short while, to existentially overcome the boundary between ego and non-ego, between self and non-self. Flesh and sex are the tools for an ecstatic approximation of the achievement of Unity.’

Julius Evola – Eros and the Mysteries of Love. Page 44.

Sex then, in this view, is not always about the animalistic urge to procreate, but rather to find a mystical union with the divine. Another similar interpretation could be that it is a way to escape loneliness – i.e. the sense of Self. On a similar note, I mention in Dauntless that the highest sensation of sex (i.e. being completely absorbed in the moment) is more or less impossible when under the influence of pornography (this is one among many reasons to not expose your mind to pornography).

Demeter & Aphrodite

Under the title of Woman as Mother and Woman as Lover, Evola presents two archetypes of women – Demeter (corresponding to the Mother) and Aphrodite (corresponding to the Lover).

‘The “mother” type seeks man for the child, whereas the “lover” type seeks him for the erotic experience by itself (in lower forms, for “pleasure”).’

Julius Evola – Eros and the Mysteries of Love. Page 158.

This insight is valuable when trying to attract a woman of the Demeter archetype. Create yourself into a man that a Demeter woman would see fit to have children with – become an Apollonian Patriarch! Simple yet profound advice.

Degenerate Pre-Aryan Practices

The author discusses various religio-magical sexual practices of Mediterranean antiquity (letting virgins be ritually despoiled in a temple setting, for example). Although he does not comment upon it in this work, I can only suppose that the Aryans (i.e. Indo-Europeans) would have found many of these practices repulsive. In other books, Evola juxtaposes the Olympian morality of the Aryans with the Chthonic morality of the pre-Aryan populations of the Mediterranean. These degenerate practices resurfaced in various contexts long after the Aryan invasions – Imperial Rome is, after all, known for its decaying morals.

Retention of Dragon’s Breath

In the chapter titled Sex in the Realm of Initiations and Magic, Evola discusses sex in various religious traditions (sex in the context of magic and rituals). A common theme among these cultures is the importance of ‘penetrating without emitting.’ He shares the following insight from Taoist doctrine:

‘He who enters strong and withdraws weak will perish even when he has had the best destiny.’

Yang-sing yen-ming lu, II, 13 a, b

To conclude, releasing one’s Dragon’s Breath is not recommended (even when being intimate with a woman) – unless, of course, the aim is to create life. Releasing one’s Dragon’s Breath without a woman is strictly prohibited for true disciples of our Neo-Mithraic endeavour.

A Profound Statement

Evola ends the book with the following profound statement:

‘With regard also to sex, the rediscovery of its primary and deepest meaning and the employment of its highest capabilities depend on the possibility of the reintegration of modern man and on his arising once more and betaking himself beyond the psychic and spiritual lowlands into which he has been led by the mirages of his material civilisation, for in this lowlands the meaning of being truly a man or woman is doomed to vanish. Sex will only serve to take him still further downward; furthermore, even apart from what concerns the masses, sex, being reduced to its content of mere sensation, will only be the misleading, obscure, and desperate alleviation of the existential disgust and anguish of him who has stumbled into a blind alley.’

Julius Evola – Eros and the Mysteries of Love. Page 276.

Alas, how right he was! It is, of course, our political goal to ban pornography and to reinstate healthy social codes that disable the soul-crushing promiscuity that is rampant today. Make sex sacred again!

Conclusion

Eros and the Mysteries of Love has 276 pages and is well worth a read for Evola Enjoyers. Even those who are previously unfamiliar with his work could gain new insights from reading it. His perspective on sex is so radically different from anything today that it serves as a good anti-dote to the current (faulty) view of sex. Good stuff!