Correspondence Cairo-Amiens (1): unpublished letters of René Guénon
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Unpublished letters of René Guénon
Throughout his life, René Guénon kept up a very abundant correspondence, chiefly with French-speaking people who had taken an interest in his work. The passages we publish here are extracted from a correspondence comprising 73 letters written between 1932 and 1950. The recipient of these letters was a Frenchman living in Amiens, an assiduous reader of Guénon’s works, who played an important part in the emergence of a Sufi way on Western soil. Through the answers and clarifications Guénon offers his correspondent, one can glean elements of information on doctrinal points, but also certain practical aspects and counsels for the use of those concerned with an attachment to a Sufi way while living in a non-Muslim country such as France.
Contrary to what holds for relative and conditioned states, the supreme state is not something to be obtained through any ‘effectuation’ whatsoever; it is solely a matter of becoming conscious of what is. But then there can no longer be any question of individuality, since the latter, a transitory manifestation of the being, is essentially characterised by separation or limitation (defined by the formal condition), so that one might say it has only an in some sense separative existence.
[…]
As for the ‘fall’ (mentioned in the Bible), I do not think it can be seen as anything other than a way of expressing the distancing from the Principle, necessarily inherent in every process of manifestation. Understood in this way, one may well say that the formation of the material world is a consequence of it (but, of course, it can also be envisaged at other levels, within this world itself, and more particularly for any given cycle); only, it must be added that this world has to be realised thus, precisely insofar as it represents a possibility of manifestation.
Letter to L. C., Cairo, 29 January 1933
It is quite certain that the observance of rites such as the Islamic rites, in the conditions of existence that are those of the Western world, constitutes in itself a rather complicated problem; and yet it is indeed the indispensable basis for an effective attachment to any branch of Sufism. (I am not speaking, needless to say, of the fanciful organisations invented for the use of Westerners.)
As for the possibilities of restoring the Western initiatic tradition, I do not say that they do not exist all the same, but it is not quite as simple as you seem to think. Several people I know have already had, for some time, the idea of constituting a masonic lodge of a genuinely initiatic character, but they have not been able to succeed in it so far; for apart from the difficulty of recruiting the first elements, it raises a host of questions such as that of attachment to an obedience, and others of which it would hardly be possible for me to give you an idea. Should anything of the kind ever come to be realised one day, I would not fail to let you know; you are not, incidentally, the first to whom I have made this promise…
[…]
Do not exaggerate my importance! For at bottom, my works are only an ‘occasion’ to awaken certain possibilities of understanding, which nothing could give to those devoid of them; but at least it is always a satisfaction for me to note that it is not labour lost, however few those who truly benefit from it may be…
Letter to L. C., Cairo, 15 January 1935
In truth, I must say that I do not quite understand the ‘appeal’ you address to me, for by myself I am nothing; nor have I ever made the slightest promise… except, if you will, that of writing all I could for those capable of profiting from it. That said, I shall try to answer your questions; besides, the answer is all the simpler and easier since I must refrain from influencing the decisions of anyone whatsoever, for it is for each person to choose himself the way that suits him best.
In short, you now have before you, without leaving Europe, the possibility of attachment to two initiatic organisations, one Western, the other Eastern. Those who wish to attach themselves to Sufism cannot do better than apply to S., who is now fully qualified for this and who, I believe, is quite prepared to busy himself with it actively. On the other hand, those who wish to attach themselves to masonry will only have to apply to another of our friends who intends to constitute a lodge of a truly traditional and initiatic spirit. I must add that there is not the slightest incompatibility between these two attachments, and that for the same person they are in no way exclusive of one another.
Now, it is quite certain that, for a ‘realisation’ undertaken following any way, the present atmosphere of Europe is hardly favourable; yet this difficulty need not be absolutely insurmountable; it only obliges one to take particular precautions to avoid as far as possible the danger that may result from outward agitation. Besides, the way of Sufism seems to me capable of leading further than the other and of yielding surer results, all the more so since, given the present state of masonry, what I have just told you about will necessarily have to some extent the character of an ‘experiment’…
As for the help of the East, it goes without saying where Sufism is concerned, and it is in sum secured by the very fact of attachment to that traditional form. As for masonry, everything logically depends on the result that may be obtained through the constitution of a lodge such as the one projected of which I spoke to you above; it would therefore be premature to speak of it at present.
Regarding the difficulty of practising the Islamic rites in countries such as Europe, the question is often discussed; the opinion that seems to prevail, and which appears to me in any case the most justified by the very principles of the ‘shariyah’, is that there may indeed be exceptions for persons living in non-Islamic countries, their condition being assimilable to a state of travel or war; but it must be added that this concerns only those who keep to the exoteric point of view alone. For a ‘realisation’ of the esoteric order, on the other hand, it must not be forgotten that the observance of the rites constitutes the necessary basis here; and it is moreover obvious that he who wants the ‘more’ must first of all, and as a prior condition, do the ‘less’ (that is, observe the rites that are common to all).
Next letter: Correspondence Cairo-Amiens (2)
