The Indo-European Concept of Cyclical History and the Quest to Acquire Lost Wisdom

Despite all of the bad things one could say of Hitler’s Germany during the Second World War (and there are plenty of “bad things” to be said!), it is a fact of history that prior to the war (from 1933 to 1939) the German government pursued a scientific-cultural quest for lost knowledge which was unprecedented in the annals of recorded history. Specificallythe German Reich sought to acquire as much of the lost knowledge orwisdom of the ancient Indo-European peoples as possible. It was the special task of the Ahnenerbe (the cultural and scientific division of the SS) to research and investigate all aspects of the Indo-European or, as they put it, the“Aryan” past.

Needless to say, this massive scientific undertaking was by no means confined to the European continent, but spanned an area encompassing the entire globe. From Germany to Tibet to South America and beyond – wherever a great civilization was said to have arisen and mysteriously vanish – the Ahnenerbewas there “on the scene,” as it were, conducting extensive archeological fieldwork and employing other integrated methods of scientific research.

This admirable if not entirely praiseworthy endeavor, regardless of the variousideologically-based shortcomings of the National Socialist regime itself, is what prompted Eurasianist leader Alexander Dugin to say in his 1997 article “Fascism – Borderless and Red” that the Ahnenerbe was “an intellectual oasis in the framework of the National Socialist regime.”In fact, this statement is entirely accurate. In great contradistinction to the undeniablyethno-chauvinist and hyper-militarist aspects of the National Socialist regime – and the overtly boorish culture of bureaucracy which therefore emerged and was typified by the likes of Martin Bormann – the Ahnenerbe was indeed a great “intellectual oasis”which accumulated a vast wealth of scholarly information that the Western allies either ignored or openly refuted. The result is that, to this day, the majority of people in the West remain totally ignorant of many of the proven historical findings which were “common knowledge” to the cutting-edge scholars of the Third Reich (most of whom are now deceased).

One thing which became clear to the Ahnenerbe, early on, was that all pre-Christian Indo-European cultures seemed to conceive of history as being cyclical rather than linear. In other words, all ancient “pagan” Indo-European cultures believed in an organic rhythmical order to both Time and Space. This conception of cyclical history – first expounded upon in modern times by Nikolai Danilevsky (1822-1885) and then Oswald Spengler (1880-1936) – stands in stark contrast to the Semitic-derived, “Abrahamic” belief in a purely linear or teleological conception of Time.

Perhaps the most convincing evidence supporting the cyclical conception of Time is the recurring “Four Ages of Man” theme which appears in many of the world’s ancient Indo-Europeancultures. The great Italian mystic and self-designated “Radical Traditionalist”Julius Evola is to be credited for his scholarly study of the Four Ages, most notably in his Revolt Against the Modern World (first published in 1934).

As Evola points out in his work, the Greco-Roman description of the Four Ages comes down to us from the ancient Greek and Roman authors Hesiod and Ovid, who associated each period with a particular metal. They outlined the Four Ages thus: (1) the Gold Age, (2) the Silver Age, (3) the Bronze Age, and (4) the Iron Age. The reader should note that these last two epochs bear no relation whatsoever to the mainstream historical Bronze and Iron ages. Rather they correspond to the cyclical periods of Indo-Aryan (Hindu) cosmology known as Yugas, which are (in order): (1) Satya or “Krita” Yuga, (2) Treta Yuga, (3) Dvapara Yuga, and (4) Kali Yuga or the “Dark Age.” In Hesiod’s model, a fifth “Age of Heroes” was inserted between the Bronze and Iron Ages. Evidently the Age of Heroes was a partial yet short-lived restoration of the high primordial state (the Gold Age) as recounted in the numerous heroic tales of mythology, which all point to a deeper esoteric meaning. Our own present epoch, which includes both modernity and postmodernity, is that of the Kali Yuga or Dark Age – the era of unbridled human degeneracy.

The Doctrine of the Four Ages fundamentally supports the concept of humanity’s devolution or “fall” from a primeval state of higher consciousness. In fact both devolution and evolution (in the non-Darwinian sense) are in complete harmony with the beliefs of most traditional cultures worldwide. Indeed both evolution (i.e. the quest for higher spiritual awareness) and devolution (submission to materialist degeneracy) are viewed organically, as continually interacting positive and negative charges to Nature’s cosmic balance or “dance.”Thus, the concept of devolution maintains that as spiritual decadence set in among the original Hyperborean and Atlantean races, their respective cultural declines also ensued. Such devolution can be found in many other civilizations known to the historical record, perhaps most famously in the Egyptian civilization which, many Egyptologists insist, mysteriously began at its apex.

Devolution is essentially the concept behind the biblical story of the fall of man. This “fall,” famously described in the Book of Genesis, is a metaphorical reference to the literal separation of man from the Spiritual realm. In other words, the fall of man symbolized the separation of original mankind, created in God’s image, from its spiritual Source. As man deviated further and further from hisoriginal godly or “Hyperborean” source (during the Golden Age), man became more hybridized and animalistic, both spiritually and physically. Man became more human.

The many similar stories of conflict between the primordial race of men descended from the gods and the rest of animalistic humanity, as described in the Indo-European epics, confirm the quintessential truths of devolution, though in a highly mythologized form. For example, the Norse tradition tells of a great battle between the divine Aesir and the nefarious Giants. The Hellenic tradition depicts the Olympians and Heroes fighting the various Titans and monsters. In the East, the Aryan devas battle against the materialistic asuras. In Celtic lore the noble TuathaDéDanann triumphed over the Fomorians. All of these legends are still greatly relevant to people of Indo-European stock, as they speak to the absolute essence of what it means “to be” – i.e. to be created in the image of the Divine Source or Deity.

Below is a concise description of the Four Ages as they relate to the variousIndo-European peoples and the lands associated with them:

I. The Gold Age

The Gold Age or “Golden Age” represents the primordialcivilization which was in total harmony with the traditional spirit. It was an era of Being, not becoming. In the words of Evola, “Purity of heart, justice, wisdom, and adherence to sacred institutions are qualities that characterized every caste during the first age.”[1]The Hindu name for the Golden Age is Satya Yuga (or Krita Yuga). Satya means “being” and “truth”; the Roman Saturn, Father of the gods and King of the Golden Age, is derived from the older Sanskrit root. This was an Age of Ur, which is to say of Or-igin, not derivation. Hence the oldest of the gods have their roots in the Golden Age, and consequently their names reflect a common Indo-European origin – e.g. Ur-anus, Sat-urn, Buri, Pur-usha, etc. In the terminology of the late Russian esotericist Nicolai Levashov (1961-2012), this was an Age of “Urs” and “Ruses.”

The Gold Age is a time in which both men and gods shared one immortal life – when Kings or Leaders embodied the gods and had no need to communicate their divine authority via a caste of high priests. It was an Age of polar unity, and not “polarization.” Attached to the primordial polar epoch are the supreme gods of the Indo-European pantheon which include: Dyeus (Proto-Indo-European), Dyaus Pita (Indo-Aryan), Zeus (Hellenic), Deus or Dis Pater or Jupiter (Roman), TiwazorTyr (Norse) – again, these are all etymologically related names for the same supreme “sky deity” or force which is scheduled to return at the start of the new Golden Age.

The primordial Northern Land, Hyperborea, is associated with the Golden Age. Fundamentally, the legend of Hyperborea is characterized by a polar, arctic, celestial, “Uranian” spirituality – a primordial spirituality of the greatest purity, above the solar and degenerated lunar/Demetrian tradition of the Silver Age.

All of the ancient divine centers of the gods – Mount Meru, Olympus, Asgard, Agartha, AiryanaVaejo, Ultima Thule, etc. – are referring to the same primeval Hyperborean Land, the same polar center inhabited by the otherworldly ancestors of the Indo-Europeans or Aryans:the Aesir/Olympians. In fact, the word “polar” (consisting of the two syllables “pol” and “ar”) literally means “pole of the Aryans.” The current lands bordering the “Ar-ctic” Ocean are said to be the geographic remnants of the ancient polar continent of Hyperborea. This includes Scandinavia, Iceland, Greenland, northern Canada, and northern Eurasia.

As for the primordial Hyperborean “race” or people: they were at the same time kingly and priestly, regal and ascetic, warrior-like and spiritual. The Hyperboreans (aka “Boreads”) were of a tall stature and Nordic in appearance. Some traditions state that they were androgynous, possessing a semi-etheric/semi-physical body type and had many superhuman qualities. The Arcane Tradition connects the Hyperborean stock to the transcendental “Great White Brotherhood.”

In any caseit is clear that the Hyperboreans (original mankind), at some point, devolved from their original godlysource and did not evolve from apes as suggested by the thoroughly materialist adherents of Darwinism. As the Hyperborean species strayed spiritually and physically from its original Arctic/polarorigin and as it was drawn more and more toward the demonic energy of the South (toward Materialism), it began its downward descent toward the ape, which is to say toward humanity. This highlights the great geographic/geomantic divide which exists on this planet (to this day) between North and South (Spirit and Material).

II. The Silver Age

The Silver Age is associated with Atlantis and the “mystery of the West,” as opposed to the Golden North. The Atlantean Civilization epitomized the Silver Age, with its solar symbolism in contradistinction to the Hyperborean symbolism of the immobile Pole. Whereas Hyperborea represented a superior state of Being, Atlantis symbolized the inferior state of becoming. Atlantis is also characterized by an eventual descent from (and abandonment of) the solar tradition, as the Silver Age is symbolic of a reflective/feminine lunar light. As the Masculine Force gives life, the Feminine Force receives life.

And so, prior to the total collapse of Atlantis, a degenerate lunar tradition took root: the Cult of the Mother Goddess or “Demetrism” as Julius Evola described the phenomenon. Geographically, it is difficult to say with certainty where Atlantis was located. Perhaps in the Atlantic or Mediterranean, or perhaps it was more immediately connected to Hyperborea as a distorted continuation of that original Northern Civilization.It is difficult to determine. What is certain, however, is that the Atlanteans inhabited Atlantis (wherever it might have been located), and they had degenerated considerably from the original Hyperborean stock.

Here it is important to mention that the Atlanteans were neither “Mongolian” in appearance nor the progenitors of the Mongoloid race, as traditional Theosophists have consistently claimed. Rather the Atlanteans developed, as a result of a spiritual/biological metamorphosis, out of the least tainted or diluted segment of the old Hyperborean race. For example, the Atlanteans preserved the golden hair, light eyes and fairappearance of the Hyperboreans. They also retained much of the mental capabilities and thus the inherited wisdom of the Hyperboreans. Nevertheless they were not completely free of baser elements or what could rightly be called “Lemurian” characteristics.

By all accounts, the Atlantean Civilization (as a more physical/materialist offshoot of the Hyperborean) was truly remarkable. Many technological marvels were achieved that have not been replicated since. Through the efforts of their divinely inspired scientists who had tapped into the universal Akashic Records, the Atlanteans acquired the secrets of universal energy. The universal knowledge of the five elements – earth, water, fire, air, and cosmic ether – formed the basis of a global sustenance. Mirroring the universal five elements are the five dimensions of all existence. Here, the Atlanteans understood and harnessed the power of pyramidal structures.

Pyramids were constructed on geomantic gates of energy in order to mark the power-centers of the earth. The High Priests of Atlantis used pyramids as natural portals or gateways. Symbolically, pyramids reflect the divine mission of mankind to progress upward through four dimensions, and finally into the fifth dimension which is the dimension of Cosmic Completion. This fifth dimension is perfectly symbolized by the center of the Swastika – the fifth point from which the four arms (twelve points and eight directions) of the Cosmos derive their collective energy.

Human beings have five fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot, and also four limbs projecting from a central body simply because we descend from – and were created for – the fifth dimension. As bearers of the hidden Akashic knowledge, the Atlanteans understood that they were an extension of the Supreme God Force on earth, and that absolutely nothing exists separately from this Almighty Force.

III. The Bronze Age

Sometime during the latter part of the Silver Age there was a polarizing shift in the moral outlook of the Atlantean Civilization and society. It was at this time that the malevolent effects of the Bronze Age began to appear. The Bronze Age was defined by “violence and injustice, [a] yearning for power, and covetousness.”[2]It was an era of lawlessness and pride, exhibiting all the degenerative features described by Plato in his Critias.The majority of the Atlantean population became selfish and materialistic, using their technology for evil endeavors rather than for the common good.

And so, the Atlanteansdescended into pitiful, abject materialism. Eventually a cataclysmic set of disasters (earthquakes and floods) wiped out Atlantis and its civilization. Again, the biblical account is not to be dismissed, as the story of Noah corresponds to the submergence of Atlantis beneath the sea – even though the biblical account is obviously flawed in its claim that only a handful of people were said to have survived and also in the suggested time period of the cataclysm.

In any event, the forces of Light represented the last hope of the Atlantean Civilization in all things good and spiritual, while the forces of Darkness were agents of immorality and materialism. Theforces of Light would later be remembered as the Aesir, Olympians and Heroes of the various Indo-European traditions, and the forces of Darkness would be associated with the ever-subversive Giants or Titans. The Aesir/Olympians/Heroes represented the Golden cycle and the Giants represented the sinister usurpers. The Aesir embodied the spiritual-kingly element, and the Giants embodied the temporal-priestly. It was during the Bronze Age, this time of epic schism, that the priestly caste (the Giants) rebelled against the superior regal-warrior caste (the Aesir) and for the first time endeavored to usurp the latter’s powers.

This marked the beginning of a power-struggle that has erupted time and again between Pharaoh and Priest, Emperor and Pope, legitimate ruler of a masculine-solar essence and illegitimate pretender of a feminine-lunar essence – between those who stand for Authority, Hierarchy, Tradition and Order versus those who stand for mass-leveling, chaos and decadence. In esoteric circles the Bronze Age is known as the Age of the Giants – the Age in which materialism and usurpation ultimately triumphed over the Atlanteanand higher traditions. Overall, the Age was characterized by a population that no longer valued the spiritual principle as it related to a masculine warrior caste. And so, the decadence of the Giants effectively brought the polar and solar traditions to an end.

From Atlantis the “Atlanto-Aryan” race spread all over the world, as did the rival factions of Light and Darkness. The war between these two diametrically opposed sides continues to this day. It has been waged covertly by competing secret societies who, through their “moves” on the Great Geopolitical Chess Board, have manipulated the course of world history, and for thousands of years.On one side is the Darkness, manifesting itself in International Banking and Freemasonry – two offshoots of the same brazen international scheme of the medieval Knights Templar, now championed by the Atlanticist powers (the United States and Britain).And on the other side is the remnant of the True Light of Hyperborea (i.e. Eurasia), comprised of all those forces which stand for continental values such as Truth, Order and Tradition – those fighting to restore the warrior-principle as it existed in its purest state during the Golden Age.

IV. The Iron Age

After the chaos of the Bronze Age, which stretched into the postdiluvian world, the Iron Age or Dark Age began – this still remains the current epoch of our planet’s history. The Iron Age is characterized by a total lack of any earthly connection to the divine element. The wolf of Norse tradition swallowed the Sun and caught the Moon – meaning that both the solar and lunar spiritual cycles of the Silver and Bronze Ages were finished. And so, lacking any higher guidance, the earth was abandoned to its own internal anarchy. The Iron Age is equivalent to the Hindu tradition’s Age of Kali Yuga. The defining feature of the Age has been mankind’scollective Struggle against the forces of darkness in order to push back the murky tide of decadence.The Crusades represent one such period of “push back” in the history of the Dark Age. They were initiated, on the esoteric level, as a great rebellion against the Darkness or rather Ignorance of the time. Sadly, this rebellion was doomed to fail due to the overwhelming greed and vanity of all the parties involved.

During the Crusades, the various knightly brotherhoods and orders were primarily on a quest for spiritual and scientific truth – or rather, a quest for the lost “Science of the Spirit” which thegreatest philosophers have sought to recapture since time immemorial. The exoteric mainstream belief that the knights were formed simply to “fight the Muslim Infidel” is wrong. The various knightly orders were instead searching for truth, as they disagreed with the unruly and degenerate head of the Roman Catholic Church: the Pope. This is especially true of the Teutonic Knights who upon reaching Syria met an old esoteric master called the “Elder of the Days.” He revealed to them the lost wisdom, history and traditions of Atlantis and Hyperborea.

The new revelations greatly impacted Europe, ultimately leading to massive building programs, a great technological boom, an increase in exploration, and the establishment of the modern banking system. Since it was the knightly brotherhoods that were in sole possession of this vast amount of wisdom, they came to be viewed as dangerous by the Pope and were subsequently persecuted and disbanded. Thus, the knights had no choice but to go underground, forming secret orders with various new names. Of course the most famous Order to go into hiding was the Knights Templar which eventually allied itself to the forces of World Zionism and, through proxy organizations (like the so-called “Order of Christ” in Portugal),went on to found various other black magician orders such as the Rosicrucians, Jesuits, Freemasons, Ordo TempliOrientis, Church of Satan and other derivative Satanic groups which happen to wield a great amount of power in the nations of the West and especially in the United States – a country which, it could accurately be said, was founded on the intertwined “Templar”principles of commerce, militarism and occultism.

Of the Templars it could be saidthat they originally set out on their great journey as legitimate Christian warrior-ascetics, however they returned to Europe as little more than money-lending vampires. Somewhere along the way the Templars became totally corrupt, adopting the wicked, usurious ways of the money-lending Levantines with whom they came into contact in the Holy Land. The Teutonic Knights, on the other hand, remainedtrue to their ancient “white magician” (i.e. Christian) roots.A Teutonic capital that survived well into modern times was Vienna. At Heiligenkreuz, the Teutonic Knights established several monasteries and castles on sacred geomantic energy sites. There they kept part of their newly acquired knowledge and scriptures upon returning from the Levant. For centuries, much of the wisdom acquired by the Teutonic Order was hidden in and around Vienna.

At the turn of the twentieth century there was a Catholic monk in Vienna who was a member of the old Teutonic Order. Disillusioned and disgusted with mainstream Christian dogma, he eventually left the monastery and assumed the name of “Lanz von Liebenfels.” He is most famous for writing Theozoology – a philosophical work that centers on the perennial earthly Struggle between Man(created in the image of God) and the hominid/apeling masses of the soulless, material world. It is said that von Liebenfels had an epiphany in his native Austria upon seeing a statue of a knight standing victoriously on top of a primate. Of course the knight symbolized a Noble, a true Man, a Man of the divine – and the primate symbolized the great bulk of animalistic humanity.

Von Liebenfels realized the great fact of Nature that the biological aristocrat (the God-man) is designed and destined to stand in unabashed superiority over the degenerate materialistic masses, as symbolized by the primate. It should be noted that, through the ages, human degenerates or animalistic “sub-humans” have also been depicted as serpents, dragons, demons, and other such reptilian creatures. In any event, it is the God-man’s responsibility to crush all those that seek to drag the God-man downward and ultimately destroy him through wanton immorality. Hence the reality of a spiritually-oriented God-like race existing in perennial opposition to a thoroughly materialistic, degenerateand animal-like human race. Although perhaps radical by nineteenth century standards, Lanz von Liebenfels’ philosophy was merely a reiteration of a much older spiritual philosophy. This philosophy, also prevalent in the fin desiècle works of Nietzsche, is part of a much broader tradition stretching all the way back to the epics of Aryan India.

Aware of the older traditions, von Liebenfels mingled his preexisting Teutonic knowledge with the spiritual/historical truths of the Bhagavad Gita, which describes the great battle of Atlantis. He thus came to the conclusion that the “Aryan Race” was in fact descended from the original God Race, and that the Chandalans were degenerate animal-men. Both sides were involved in endless battles throughout history, as confirmed in Hindu mysticism. The ancient Zoroastrian tradition also makes use of a similar theme describing the relationship between the Ashavan and the Anashvan. The Ashavan represent the pure, faithful and blessed on earth and in heaven – those who boost the power of the principle of light – and the Anashvan represent the impure ones opposed to the principle of light.

Von Liebenfels further taught that the Aryansare the descendants of the original Hyperborean-Atlantean god-men, and their noble origin can be discerned from their physical characteristics – i.e. their blond hair, blue eyes, fine features and fair skin. And so here we are, at the end of the Iron Age or Dark Age (i.e. Kali Yuga) – here we are, fighting as ever against the advances of the infernal Materialist Enemy.

To the fatalistic adherents of priestly/monastic prayer, these are the famous “End Times” of Revelation. To those who hold true to the primordialWarrior Wisdom, this is the era of Kali Yuga – an era that will soon give way to the new Golden Age or Krita Yuga. Regardless of one’s spiritual/religious inclination, this much is clear: the many disasters which currently threaten humanity – the earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, mysterious animal deaths, famines, diseases, miscegenation, immorality, unbridled avarice, widespread violence, wars – all these things have been predicted by countless seers and spiritual men through the centuries.They accurately foresaw the tumultuous events unfolding in our own time. So take heed and take solace! These things must come – the darkness must come into the world (and as black as night!) before the New Dawn can commence.

According to the ancient Vedic tradition, the end of the Dark Age does not translate to mean the destruction or “end of the world,” but rather the end of a long, dark epoch in world history and the correspondingly dark world order. More so than the Christian Bible, the Mahabharata outlines the dark period of Kali Yuga (our current age) quite vividly. It is a period defined by quantity, not quality – a time in which the majority of the earth’s inhabitants are Sudras, or materialistic slave-like people. They are wicked, deceitful, quarrelsome, vulgar, parasitical and beggar-like. They value the degraded and live in cities full of thieves. The men are dominated by their womenfolk who are shallow, garrulous, lascivious, and who bear too many inferior children. During this time, there are many famines and wars. Great migrations occur during this period as well; it is a time of uprooting and unfamiliarity, as opposed to kinship, localism and permanence. Rulers levy taxes unfairly, and abandon any interest in the spiritual or religious life of their people. Greed, lust, drug-addiction, anti-natural behavior, criminality – all these are just some of the evil pursuits indulged in by man. Does any of this sound familiar? It should. For this is the current age in which we live: the Kali Yuga. And the Mahabharata predicted it all.

In the Indo-Aryan tradition the end of our current era shall witness the return of God to earth. A new glorious Golden Age shall then be upon us. His coming will initiate a Great War, and then he will set up his millennial kingdom on earth. This is the Age of Krita Yuga described in the ancient Hindu texts – an age of justice, duty, virtue and happiness; a time when the “Great White God” of the heavens reigns supreme on earth. In the Hindu religion it will be the tenth and final avatar of Lord Vishnu who returns: Kalki the Destroyer.