¶17 Now, a question arises: what is the reason for being of a period like that in which we live? Indeed, however abnormal present conditions may be considered in themselves, they must nevertheless fall within the general order of things, within that order which, according to a Far Eastern formula, is made up of the sum of all disorders;1 this epoch, as painful and troubled as it may be, must also, like all others, have its marked place in the whole of human development, and moreover the very fact that it was foreseen by traditional doctrines is in this respect a sufficient indication.2 What we have said about the general course of a cycle of manifestation, going in the direction of a progressive materialisation, immediately gives the explanation of such a state, and shows clearly that what is abnormal and disordered from a certain particular point of view is nevertheless only the consequence of a law relating to a higher or more extended point of view.3 We shall add, without insisting on it, that, like any change of state, the passage from one cycle to another can only be accomplished in darkness; there again is a very important law, whose applications are multiple, but which, for this very reason, would require a somewhat detailed exposition that would take us far beyond our scope.4
Summary
Now a question arises: what is the reason for a period like the present one? Guénon explains that although present conditions are abnormal in themselves, they fall within the general order of things. This epoch has its marked place in human development, as shown by the fact that it was foreseen by traditional doctrines. What was said about the general course of a cycle of manifestation, moving towards progressive materialisation, explains this state: what is abnormal and disordered from a particular point of view is only the consequence of a law relating to a higher point of view. Guénon adds that, like any change of state, the passage from one cycle to another can only be accomplished in darkness.
General notes
- formule extrême-orientale … somme de tous les désordres — Rendered as 'Far Eastern formula … sum of all disorders'. Guénon probably alludes to a Taoist or Buddhist conception according to which the universal order is not the absence of disorder, but the inclusion and transformation of all disorders. This formula recalls yin-yang (complementarity of opposites) and the idea that evil is not an absolute reality, but a moment in a vaster dialectical process. For Guénon, this means that the modern crisis, as negative as it may be, has its place in the total order, as a necessary moment in the cycle of manifestation. ↩︎
- prévue par les doctrines traditionnelles — Rendered as 'foreseen by traditional doctrines'. Guénon recalls that Hindu sacred texts, biblical prophecies, Greek traditions, etc., announced a dark period at the end of the cycle. The very fact that this period was described in ancient doctrines shows that it is not an absurd accident, but a predictable cyclical moment. This is an indirect proof of the validity of the doctrine of cycles: history is not unpredictable, it obeys laws. ↩︎
- anormal et désordonné … loi d’un point de vue supérieur — Rendered as 'abnormal and disordered … law from a higher point of view'. Guénon takes up the principle of the unity of opposites. What appears as anomaly or chaos from a local point of view (modern civilisation, war, confusion of values) is, from a wider point of view (that of the total cycle), a necessary consequence of the law of progressive materialisation. There is therefore no chance, nor universal moral 'fault', but a cosmic process. This does not justify evil, but situates it. ↩︎
- passage d’un cycle à un autre dans l’obscurité — Rendered as 'passage from one cycle to another in darkness'. Guénon states a symbolic principle: cyclical transitions (passage from gold to silver, from silver to bronze, etc., and especially from the Kali-Yuga to the new cycle) take place in darkness, that is to say, in a period of confusion, crisis, 'night', where landmarks disappear. This is a law found in initiatory rites (death and rebirth), in cosmic cycles (eclipse, night), in the life of individuals (crisis, sleep). Guénon refuses to develop this, as it would require too many details and could distract from the main argument. ↩︎
Guénon’s footnotes
- would require a somewhat detailed exposition that would take us far beyond our scope — This law was represented, in the Eleusinian Mysteries, by the symbolism of the grain of wheat; the alchemists depicted it by “putrefaction” and by the black color that marks the beginning of the “Great Work”; what Christian mystics call the “dark night of the Soul” is merely its application to the spiritual development of the being who rises to higher states; and it would be easy to point out still many other concordances.