Arvindus

• Title: Contemplations, (Spiritual) Fascism.
• Author: Arvindus.
• Publisher: Arvindus.
• Copyright: Arvindus, 2023, all rights reserved.
• Index: 202312121.
• Edition: html, first edition.

Content

• §
• Notes
• Bibliography

§

The word 'fascism' seems to be on everyone's lips nowadays. Both left wing and right wing idealists often accuse each other of being fascist. The word has a very negative connotation and is often used almost synonymous with 'Nazism' due to its historical affiliation. Here the subject shall be considered more conjectively.¹

The English word 'fascism' is usually not very clearly defined, and authors often prefer to give a description of elements fascism is supposed to contain.² The word itself stems from its Italian counterpart 'fascismo', which in its turn is rooted in the Latin word 'fascio', referring to a bundle or a group.^{3, 4} In Latin the word 'fascis' was also in use to refer to an insignia, consisting of an axe and a bundle of elm or birch rods tied together with a strap. As a Roman symbol the insignia basically stood for authority.^{5, 6} The Italian prime minister and dictator Benito Mussolini (1883-1945) incorporated the word into the name of his political party 'Partito Nazionale Fascista', or in English 'National Fascist Party',^{7, 8} and the symbol into the, below depicted, party flag.

Now Italy wasn't the only country where after the first world war fascism rose. Germany for instance is infamous for its fascist transformation into Nazi Germany. The Nazi's adopted their own, Germanic, symbolism,⁹ but their credo 'one people, one realm, one leader' (in German: 'ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer')¹⁰ reflects the fascis symbol very well. For the 'one people' is therein represented by the rods and the 'one leader' by the axe, which are then tied together by the 'one realm' of the strap.

But the above mentioned credo is itself also representative, namely for the characteristics of fascism. The 'one people' therein represents totalitarianism, the 'one realm' nationalism and the 'one leader' authoritarianism. We thus get an overview as below.

In this overview the more generic characteristics of fascism are shown. In more specific forms of fascism the characteristics may also be more specific. Nazist fascism for instance was characterized by racist totalitarianism, imperialistic nationalism and dictatorial authoritarianism. And the presence of racism, imperialism and dictatorialism is then what sets Nazism apart from general fascism.

Fascism however does not need to be specified in such a separative way. The 'one people' may for instance also refer to the one humanity, the 'one realm' to the one world and the 'one leader' to one leading authority. In our present situation this authority could be the United Nations. This type of fascism is characterized by humanist totalitarianism, united nationalism (the term 'united nationalism' was derived from 'United Nations', but 'globalism' could be applied here as well) and non-governmental and organisatorist authoritarianism (because the United Nations is a non-governmental organisation). An overview of such 'globalist fascism', as we shall call it here, is given below.

With the above analysis we have basically broadened fascism, but we have not yet deepened it. And for this a more spiritual interpretation is needed. Applying this spiritual interpretation the 'one people' can be understood as referring to the oversoul, unifying all individual souls, the 'one realm' to the Kingdom of God, incorporating all individual souls, and the 'one leader' to the Christ, drawing to him all individual souls.

The oversoul ('paramatma' in Hinduist terminology) unifies all individual souls ('jivatma's' in Hinduist terminology) because it is constituted of them.^{11, 12} The Kingdom of God incorporates all individual souls because as the spiritual Hierarchy it aims at the integration of humanity into its realm.^{13, 14} And the Christ draws all individual souls to him because as the head of the Hierarchy he explicitly declared that he would do that.^{15, 16, 17} These referents may then be taken to correspond to the characteristics of spiritist (in its true sense) totalitarianism, Hierarchic nationalism and Christian (in its true sense) authoritarianism.

Now above the German fascist credo's of 'one people', 'one realm' and 'one leader' were related to the Italian fascist symbols of the rods, the strap and the axe. But when this set of symbols is looked upon from above instead of from the front then a new set of, more archetypal, symbols appear. We then see the rods as a circle, the axe as a point and the strap as an equal armed cross tying them together. And this point, this circle and this cross are primary symbols in the spiritual teachings of the ageless wisdom,¹⁸ so they may serve well to symbolize 'spiritual fascism', as we shall call it here.

In this symbolism the circle symbolizes the one people or the oversoul, the point the one leader or the Christ and the cross the one realm or the Kingdom of God. To differentiate more clearly between the three symbols (making the point visible) the three colours of the so called 'guna's' shall be applied, colouring the circle black, the point white and the cross red.¹⁹

This symbol shows splendidly how the white point of the Christ draws to him the black circle of all souls through the incorporation of them in (the reach of) the red cross of the Kingdom of God. And with this threefold symbol above described and drawn it is also possible to give a tabulated overview of spiritual fascism.

With this the present contemplation then may be concluded. May it contribute to the rise of spiritual fascism.

Notes

1. 'Contemplations, Subjectivity, Objectivity and Conjectivity', Index: 201507281.
2. Encyclopædia Britannica, Ultimate Reference Suite, Version 2015, (software), Encyclopædia Britannica, 2015, fascism.
3. Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0), Oxford University Press, 2009, Fascism.
4. Ibidem, Fascist, n. and a.
5. Oxford Latin Dictionary, Oxford University Press, London, 1968, p. 677.
6. Encyclopædia Britannica, fasces.
7. Ibidem, Italy, The Fascist era, The rise of Mussolini.
8. Ibidem, Mussolini, Benito.
9. Stephen E. Flowers / Michael Moynihan, The Secret King, The Myth and Reality of Nazi Occultism, Feral House / Dominion, Los Angeles / Waterbury Center, 2007, p. 20.
10. Encyclopædia Britannica, international relations, 20th-century, The origins of World War II, 1929–39, The rise of Hitler and fall of Versailles, Failure of the German Republic.
11. Alice A. Bailey, A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, in: Twenty-Four Books of Esoteric Philosophy, (CD-ROM, Release 3), Lucis Trust, London / New York, 2001, p. 7. "III. All souls are identical with the Oversoul.
    […].
    3. This relationship between all souls and the Oversoul constitutes the basis for the scientific belief in Brotherhood. Brotherhood is a fact in nature, not an ideal."
12. Vasant G. Rele in: Alice A. Bailey, The Soul and Its Mechanism, in: Twenty-Four Books of Esoteric Philosophy, (CD-ROM, Release 3), Lucis Trust, London / New York, 2001, p. 107. "Just as in welding, two pieces of the same metal are made to become one by the process of heating and hammering, so also in the Yoga of Indian Philosophy, the embodied spirit `Jivatma,' which is a part of the universal spirit `Paramatma,' is made to become one with the Universal Spirit by certain physical and mental exercises."
13. Alice A. Bailey, Esoteric Psychology, Volume II, A Treatise on the Seven Rays, Volume II, in: Twenty-Four Books of Esoteric Philosophy, (CD-ROM, Release 3), Lucis Trust, London / New York, 2001, p. 740. "1. The planetary Hierarchy, which is the spiritual Hierarchy, called in the West, the kingdom of God."
14. Alice A. Bailey, The Rays and the Initiations, A Treatise on the Seven Rays, Volume V, in: Twenty-Four Books of Esoteric Philosophy, (CD-ROM, Release 3), Lucis Trust, London / New York, 2001, p. 759. "The Invocation has been sent out by the combined Ashrams of the Masters and by the entire Hierarchy; it is used by its Members with constancy, exactitude and power. It will serve to integrate the two great centres: the Hierarchy and Humanity, and to relate them both in a new and dynamic manner to the "centre where the Will of God is known.""
15. Alice A. Bailey, The Unfinished Autobiography, in: Twenty-Four Books of Esoteric Philosophy, (CD-ROM, Release 3), Lucis Trust, London / New York, 2001, p. 288. "1. Those who do not question the existence of the Spiritual Hierarchy (of which Christ is the Head)."
16. Alice A. Bailey, The Reappearance of the Christ, in: Twenty-Four Books of Esoteric Philosophy, (CD-ROM, Release 3), Lucis Trust, London / New York, 2001, p. 29. "It was also to the magnetic power of the will that Christ referred when He said, "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto Me.""
17. Ibidem, p. 133. "Within the world of illusion, the world of the mental plane, appeared the Christ, the Lord of Love Himself. He undertook to dispel illusion by drawing to Himself (by the attractive potency of love) the hearts of all men, and stated this determination in the words, "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto Me." (John XII.32.)"
18. 'Contemplations, The Cross in the Circle: Consciousness and Duality', Index: 201510131.
19. Sri Ramakrishna, in: Mahendranath Gupta, The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Volume II, Swami Nikhilananda (translator), Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, p. 769. "The scriptures describe sattva as white, rajas as red, and tamas as black."

Bibliography

• 'Contemplations, Subjectivity, Objectivity and Conjectivity', Index: 201507281.
• 'Contemplations, The Cross in the Circle: Consciousness and Duality', Index: 201510131.
• Alice A. Bailey, A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, in: Twenty-Four Books of Esoteric Philosophy, (CD-ROM, Release 3), Lucis Trust, London / New York, 2001.
• Alice A. Bailey, Esoteric Psychology, Volume II, A Treatise on the Seven Rays, Volume II, in: Twenty-Four Books of Esoteric Philosophy, (CD-ROM, Release 3), Lucis Trust, London / New York, 2001.
• Alice A. Bailey, The Rays and the Initiations, A Treatise on the Seven Rays, Volume V, in: Twenty-Four Books of Esoteric Philosophy, (CD-ROM, Release 3), Lucis Trust, London / New York, 2001.
• Alice A. Bailey, The Reappearance of the Christ, in: Twenty-Four Books of Esoteric Philosophy, (CD-ROM, Release 3), Lucis Trust, London / New York, 2001.
• Alice A. Bailey, The Soul and Its Mechanism, in: Twenty-Four Books of Esoteric Philosophy, (CD-ROM, Release 3), Lucis Trust, London / New York, 2001.
• Alice A. Bailey, The Unfinished Autobiography, in: Twenty-Four Books of Esoteric Philosophy, (CD-ROM, Release 3), Lucis Trust, London / New York, 2001.
• Stephen E. Flowers / Michael Moynihan, The Secret King, The Myth and Reality of Nazi Occultism, Feral House / Dominion, Los Angeles / Waterbury Center, 2007.
• Mahendranath Gupta, The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Volume II, Swami Nikhilananda (translator), Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai.
• Encyclopædia Britannica, Ultimate Reference Suite, Version 2015, (software), Encyclopædia Britannica, 2015.
• Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0), Oxford University Press, 2009.
• Oxford Latin Dictionary, Oxford University Press, London, 1968.