What do you think?
Rate this book
The Fall of Spirituality: The Corruption of Tradition in the Modern World
A bold critique of the spiritual schools, philosophies, and mystical teachers of the 20th century
• Examines newer spiritual “systems” of the modern era, from spiritism and theosophy, to parapsychic research and anthroposophism, to psychoanalysis and the Church of Satan
• Compares these newer spiritual “systems” to the traditional spiritual path of the ancients and exposes the misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and occult dangers lurking in their practices
• Also examines important modern figures such as Nietzsche, Aleister Crowley, Rudolf Steiner, Dostoevsky, Freud, Jung, Gurdjieff, Krishnamurti, and Anton LaVey
Written two years before his most prominent book Revolt Against the Modern World , Julius Evola’s The Fall of Spirituality was originally published in Italian as Maschera e volto dello spiritualismo contemporaneo (The Mask and Face of Contemporary Spiritualism). In it, the Baron critiques the spiritual schools, cults, philosophies, and mystical teachers of the 20th century--from spiritism and theosophy, to parapsychic research and anthroposophism, to psychoanalysis and the Church of Satan--comparing these newer spiritual “systems” to the traditional spiritual path of the ancients and exposing the misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and occult dangers lurking in their practices.
Examining important modern figures such as Nietzsche, Aleister Crowley, Rudolf Steiner, Dostoevsky, Freud, Jung, Gurdjieff, Krishnamurti, and Anton LaVey, the author contends that their aspirations to power are limited to a focus on concerns of the mundane world. They are thereby blind to the existence of a supernatural reality that offers individuals transmutation from the fallen human personality into a semigod-like status--a status attainable only by those who can master the rigors demanded of initiates on the traditionalist path.
Offering an essential guidebook for serious spiritual seekers looking for a more profound metaphysical discipline than those of the spiritual schools of the modern era, Evola also provides contrasting insights from the age-old path of initiation and high magic.
• Examines newer spiritual “systems” of the modern era, from spiritism and theosophy, to parapsychic research and anthroposophism, to psychoanalysis and the Church of Satan
• Compares these newer spiritual “systems” to the traditional spiritual path of the ancients and exposes the misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and occult dangers lurking in their practices
• Also examines important modern figures such as Nietzsche, Aleister Crowley, Rudolf Steiner, Dostoevsky, Freud, Jung, Gurdjieff, Krishnamurti, and Anton LaVey
Written two years before his most prominent book Revolt Against the Modern World , Julius Evola’s The Fall of Spirituality was originally published in Italian as Maschera e volto dello spiritualismo contemporaneo (The Mask and Face of Contemporary Spiritualism). In it, the Baron critiques the spiritual schools, cults, philosophies, and mystical teachers of the 20th century--from spiritism and theosophy, to parapsychic research and anthroposophism, to psychoanalysis and the Church of Satan--comparing these newer spiritual “systems” to the traditional spiritual path of the ancients and exposing the misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and occult dangers lurking in their practices.
Examining important modern figures such as Nietzsche, Aleister Crowley, Rudolf Steiner, Dostoevsky, Freud, Jung, Gurdjieff, Krishnamurti, and Anton LaVey, the author contends that their aspirations to power are limited to a focus on concerns of the mundane world. They are thereby blind to the existence of a supernatural reality that offers individuals transmutation from the fallen human personality into a semigod-like status--a status attainable only by those who can master the rigors demanded of initiates on the traditionalist path.
Offering an essential guidebook for serious spiritual seekers looking for a more profound metaphysical discipline than those of the spiritual schools of the modern era, Evola also provides contrasting insights from the age-old path of initiation and high magic.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1932
10 people are currently reading
316 people want to read
About the author
Julius Evola
210 books1,016 followersJulius Evola (19 May 1898 – 11 June 1974), born Giulio Cesare Andrea Evola, was an Italian philosopher and esoteric scholar. Born in Rome to a family of the Sicilian landed gentry, Evola was raised a strict Catholic. Despite this, his life was characterised by 'an anti-bourgeois approach' hostile to both 'the dominant tradition of the West—Christianity and Catholicism—and to contemporary civilization—the 'modern world' of democracy and materialism'.
By turns 'engineering student, artillery officer, Dadaist poet and painter, journalist, alpinist, scholar, linguist, Orientalist, and political commentator', he has been described as a 'rare example of universality in an age of specialization'. Yet behind it all lay a singular emphasis on, and pursuit of, a 'direct relationship to the Absolute'. For Evola, 'the center of all things was not man, but rather the Transcendent.' This metaphysical conviction can be seen to have determined both Evola's stance on socio-political issues, and his antipathetic attitude towards 'all professional, sentimental and family routines'.
The author of many books on esoteric, political and religious topics (including The Hermetic Tradition, The Doctrine of Awakening and Eros and the Mysteries of Love), his best-known work remains Revolt Against the Modern World, a trenchant critique of modern civilisation that has been described as 'the gateway to his thought'. Since his death, also in Rome, his writings have influenced right-wing, reactionary and conservative political thought not only in his native Italy, but throughout continental Europe and, increasingly, the English-speaking world. Nevertheless, he should not be considered primarily as a political thinker, but rather as an exponent of the wider Traditionalist School that encompasses the work of such individuals as René Guénon, Titus Burckhardt and Frithjof Schuon.
By turns 'engineering student, artillery officer, Dadaist poet and painter, journalist, alpinist, scholar, linguist, Orientalist, and political commentator', he has been described as a 'rare example of universality in an age of specialization'. Yet behind it all lay a singular emphasis on, and pursuit of, a 'direct relationship to the Absolute'. For Evola, 'the center of all things was not man, but rather the Transcendent.' This metaphysical conviction can be seen to have determined both Evola's stance on socio-political issues, and his antipathetic attitude towards 'all professional, sentimental and family routines'.
The author of many books on esoteric, political and religious topics (including The Hermetic Tradition, The Doctrine of Awakening and Eros and the Mysteries of Love), his best-known work remains Revolt Against the Modern World, a trenchant critique of modern civilisation that has been described as 'the gateway to his thought'. Since his death, also in Rome, his writings have influenced right-wing, reactionary and conservative political thought not only in his native Italy, but throughout continental Europe and, increasingly, the English-speaking world. Nevertheless, he should not be considered primarily as a political thinker, but rather as an exponent of the wider Traditionalist School that encompasses the work of such individuals as René Guénon, Titus Burckhardt and Frithjof Schuon.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 20, 2022
I keep buying books on topics I'm interested in, then finding out later how their authors were controversial, then reading the book anyway and not finding anything controversial in it at all
I'm starting to think the anti-Evola thing is just from people with quotas to fill. Earlier today, I read this article from a major publication about how racist and fascist Evola was. It didn't include any quotes by Evola, but dozens of quotes from various academics about how terrible he was. And to be honest, if I hadn't already bought the book, I might've fallen for it. Now, I'm on my second Evola book.
Anyways, it's a good book... It's sometimes quite hard to follow, and the translation has quite a few grammar errors, but it increased my skepticism about theosophy, Christianity, and (in a particularly difficult chapter) psychoanalysis, while also being one of the few books of this type that gives these movements SOME credit for what they've contributed to spirituality
I'm starting to think the anti-Evola thing is just from people with quotas to fill. Earlier today, I read this article from a major publication about how racist and fascist Evola was. It didn't include any quotes by Evola, but dozens of quotes from various academics about how terrible he was. And to be honest, if I hadn't already bought the book, I might've fallen for it. Now, I'm on my second Evola book.
Anyways, it's a good book... It's sometimes quite hard to follow, and the translation has quite a few grammar errors, but it increased my skepticism about theosophy, Christianity, and (in a particularly difficult chapter) psychoanalysis, while also being one of the few books of this type that gives these movements SOME credit for what they've contributed to spirituality
October 29, 2024
I don’t trust evola at all. He’s very smart and has unironic advanced forbidden wisdom. I don’t feel like I serve his God or aims and it feels like he’s trying to manipulate me into doing so in exchange for offering information I wouldn’t get anywhere else.
May 7, 2023
Who know how many more lives could have been improved if they read this instead of plunging into the current void of modern “spirituality”, vulgarized oriental philosophy and other theosophical rambling?
What if every yoga crystal lady was forced to read this before diving into “the universe has your back… the great feminine is coming!” How many poor poets and wanna be mystic would have be humbled if they knew the qualitative difference between true mentorship and initiation and approximative “solitary schizoidal enlightenment”?
This book(you can probably find it in pdf or in archive now..) cover in a relatively accessible way the overall fall of spirituality, the mixup, the transformations, and the necessary sophists and con-artist that match the confused echo of the time, only to put people further away and turn all the words into a nice salad of void nonsense that will only be looked retrospectively as a massive waste of time.
While not as complete of other Evola’s work this one solely focus on this topic.
What if every yoga crystal lady was forced to read this before diving into “the universe has your back… the great feminine is coming!” How many poor poets and wanna be mystic would have be humbled if they knew the qualitative difference between true mentorship and initiation and approximative “solitary schizoidal enlightenment”?
This book(you can probably find it in pdf or in archive now..) cover in a relatively accessible way the overall fall of spirituality, the mixup, the transformations, and the necessary sophists and con-artist that match the confused echo of the time, only to put people further away and turn all the words into a nice salad of void nonsense that will only be looked retrospectively as a massive waste of time.
While not as complete of other Evola’s work this one solely focus on this topic.
January 10, 2022
Evola's explanation of how mechanization of the modern world has prostituted the public and eroded the morals, tradition, and spirituality of society as a whole. Essentially reducing people to mindless consumers who have been stripped of the very essence of life to appease the very scourge of existence that should have been wiped out of existence. Had he lived to see how things are now he would of been thoroughly disgusted.
February 5, 2023
men be like, spiritualism is so fun you need to read about it, and then they give you the hardest book to get into
May 21, 2022
Incredible book and extremely important and relevant for today. Unfortunately, it's very hard to get a copy as the book has been pulled from distribution.
Edit: This book is out again under the title "The Fall of Spirituality."
Edit: This book is out again under the title "The Fall of Spirituality."
March 21, 2021
3.5. I liked the underlying message about the importance of avoiding “itching ears”, or that human tendency to drift toward the “something else” and that which excites. Many spiritualistic movements and fads tend to leave a person exactly where they are with no real driving force for change or betterment, for them, or anyone else; I think most of these spheres of mysticism leave people in a state of inaction. They focus so much on unimportant maxims and unknowable teachings about the mechanics of spirituality that they lose sight of what’s truly invigorating and edifying. This is something I noticed about occultism when I dove into it back in the day as it has lots of interesting things to say that hold almost no practical value for your life. Evola picks apart occultism, satanism, and anthroposophy to name a few. Be warned, his writing can be a bit dense and he is very thorough.
I would recommend this to anyone who has a more than casual interest in “spirituality”, especially concerning the modern waves and fads of its contemporary forms.
I would recommend this to anyone who has a more than casual interest in “spirituality”, especially concerning the modern waves and fads of its contemporary forms.
April 7, 2025
Long gone are the days of popular fascinations with psychics, ghost hunters, and the New Age. In that regard, this book is painfully dated, but on the other hand psychoanalysis has been institutionalized while rationalist scientism has taken on a Messianic character with respect to AI. While this book is absolutely a product of its times, many things have not changed, and the "nether forces" that Evola makes constant reference to are no less of a danger to modern man today. If one aspires to more than just a material bourgeois life, and wants to go beyond the residues of today's organized religions, then perhaps there are orientations to be had here. However, such orientations can be found in Evola's other books, many of which have truly stood the test of time.
June 30, 2020
Whilst not Evola's best book by any stretch of the imagination, it is a pity that this book is so hard to find due to licensing issues encountered by the publisher...
Although a little dry to begin with, once the main content of the book is encountered it quickly becomes an interesting read regarding Julius Evola's views towards the various groups of spiritualist, neo-pagan and even satanist belief systems existing at the time of writing. His comments on these esoteric movements will probably disappoint any committed followers of any of the paradigms as Evola pull no punches in a tone decidedly non-acidic
Although a little dry to begin with, once the main content of the book is encountered it quickly becomes an interesting read regarding Julius Evola's views towards the various groups of spiritualist, neo-pagan and even satanist belief systems existing at the time of writing. His comments on these esoteric movements will probably disappoint any committed followers of any of the paradigms as Evola pull no punches in a tone decidedly non-acidic
December 4, 2025
A weaker Evola entry, but still not a bad book. This by and large is just dragged down by it's contextual focus, not due to poor writing for Evola, it was written in the 1930s I believe and focuses on groups and belief systems that are largely irrelevant today, so it's not a surprise that it failed to capture my attention for the most part. Some interesting chapters, but I feel that if you're not really into spirituality and these esoteric groups of the early 20th century, you're not going to get much out of it, there's just better Evola books that have a much wider scope and an engaging hook.
May 8, 2024
Evola's critique of Rudolf Steiner, Helena Blavatsky and Freud along with some other neo-spiritual currents. Interesting but not as dense and information packed as normal Evola books. Recommended for anyone interested on Evola's views on these matters
October 16, 2025
Very good.
Read
July 6, 2017[Octobre 1932]
Ce petit volume nous apparaît comme un des meilleurs de l’auteur, qui a fait œuvre fort utile en y montrant le masque et le visage du « néo-spiritualisme », c’est-à-dire ce pour quoi il se donne et ce qu’il est réellement. Il passe en revue diverses formes de ce « néo-spiritualisme » et des conceptions qui lui sont plus ou moins étroitement apparentées : spiritisme et « recherches psychiques », psychanalyse, théosophisme, anthroposophie steinérienne, « néo-mysticisme » de Krishnamurti, etc. Il s’attache surtout à montrer les dangers d’ordre psychique inhérents à tous ces « mouvements », aussi peu « spirituels » que possible en réalité, plus qu’à faire ressortir la fausseté des théories qui y sont présentées ; il est d’ailleurs, sur les points essentiels, presque entièrement d’accord avec ce que nous avons écrit sur ce sujet, ainsi qu’il le signale lui-même. Nous craignons seulement que la façon dont il met à part certaines écoles « magiques » ne soit pas tout à fait justifiée ; et il nous semble aussi qu’il fait preuve, à l’égard de Steiner, d’une indulgence d’ailleurs relative, mais qu’il ne nous est guère possible de partager. D’autre part, un des derniers chapitres contient, sur la signification ésotérique du Catholicisme, des considérations que nous sommes d’autant plus heureux de signaler que, jusqu’ici, l’attitude de l’auteur semblait plutôt indiquer quelque méconnaissance d’une forme traditionnelle dont la valeur est tout à fait indépendante de ce que peuvent penser ou dire ses représentants actuels ; et, s’il plaît à ceux-ci de dénier à leur propre doctrine tout sens supérieur à la « lettre » la plus grossière, ce n’est point là une raison pour leur faire écho.
Ce petit volume nous apparaît comme un des meilleurs de l’auteur, qui a fait œuvre fort utile en y montrant le masque et le visage du « néo-spiritualisme », c’est-à-dire ce pour quoi il se donne et ce qu’il est réellement. Il passe en revue diverses formes de ce « néo-spiritualisme » et des conceptions qui lui sont plus ou moins étroitement apparentées : spiritisme et « recherches psychiques », psychanalyse, théosophisme, anthroposophie steinérienne, « néo-mysticisme » de Krishnamurti, etc. Il s’attache surtout à montrer les dangers d’ordre psychique inhérents à tous ces « mouvements », aussi peu « spirituels » que possible en réalité, plus qu’à faire ressortir la fausseté des théories qui y sont présentées ; il est d’ailleurs, sur les points essentiels, presque entièrement d’accord avec ce que nous avons écrit sur ce sujet, ainsi qu’il le signale lui-même. Nous craignons seulement que la façon dont il met à part certaines écoles « magiques » ne soit pas tout à fait justifiée ; et il nous semble aussi qu’il fait preuve, à l’égard de Steiner, d’une indulgence d’ailleurs relative, mais qu’il ne nous est guère possible de partager. D’autre part, un des derniers chapitres contient, sur la signification ésotérique du Catholicisme, des considérations que nous sommes d’autant plus heureux de signaler que, jusqu’ici, l’attitude de l’auteur semblait plutôt indiquer quelque méconnaissance d’une forme traditionnelle dont la valeur est tout à fait indépendante de ce que peuvent penser ou dire ses représentants actuels ; et, s’il plaît à ceux-ci de dénier à leur propre doctrine tout sens supérieur à la « lettre » la plus grossière, ce n’est point là une raison pour leur faire écho.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews