What is Traditionalism?
Traditionalism, sometimes known as perennial philosophy or sophia perennis, is a school of thought regarding religion and mythology.
It'd be easy to mistake Traditionalism for just some other philosophical movement from the 20th century, but that would be a huge mistake. In a very real way, Traditionalism is sort of beyond philosophy, and there are several things that Traditionalists assert that are worth paying attention to:
- ☉ There exist primordial religious truths
- ☉ All real religions embody these truths to some extent
- ☉ Genuinely Traditional religions are paths to salvation
Sounds like leftists propaganda to me...
This isn't some hippy-dippy "universalism" that many religious moderates of today believe in. Rather this is a coherent system of study that looks at religions and identifies the truths they hold in common. It's a way of interpreting myths to experience the real metaphysical truths they represent; and it's a way of studying religion that reveals their transformative powers on the soul.
The crux of Traditionalism is that they understand religions the way religions understand themselves. Their worldview is held in common with the ancient Greeks, Tibeten monks, Orthodox Christians, Hindu Brahmins, Medievel alchemists, the ancient Romans, Germanic pagans, and so on. Their beliefs are typical among the actual religious leaders of the world.
A classic metaphor to explain Tradition is through geometry: in the metaphysical world there exists only one true Triangle, but in the physical world there are many triangles. These triangles vary in non-consequential ways such as size, color, texture, and so on. But they also differ in quality; in their accuracy to the one true Triangle. In the same way there are many religions in the world that differ in aesthetic or practice, but the great religions reflect the one true Religion that exists before its manifestation into the world.
Books
If you're looking for a place to start, I recommend reading some of the founders of this school. Rene Guenon is the father of Traditionalist thought as we know it today; his Introduction to the Study of the Hindu Doctrines is considered a good starting point for the uninitiated, though I have yet to read it. However, I have read a few of Julius Evola's books (another prolific scholar), namely Revolt Against the Modern World, Eros and the Mysteries of Love, and The Hermetic Tradition.
YouTube Channels
The YouTube channel ImperiumUltimum has many lectures and interviews by perennial scholars. Survive the Jive is a top-tier channel run by the English historian Thomas Rowsell with a focus Indo-European paganism. The Traditionalist Tolkienist creates audiobooks from Traditionalist classics, discusses Buddhism, and talks about wrestling a lot, which is pretty cool I guess. The Golden One is another Traditional European pagan on YouTube; he's a Swedish bodybuilder with lots of videos about health, nutrition, and life advice alongside spiritual guidance.