Correspondence Cairo-Amiens (4): unpublished letters of René Guénon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Unpublished letters of René Guénon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.
A. has done what he could to attach himself effectively to the Judaic tradition for the observance of the rites, but he had to acknowledge a real incompatibility with his nature; now he and his wife are quite resolved to ask for their attachment to islam, and he will no doubt write to S. shortly; and, from what he writes to me, it is probable that several others will follow. What he holds against L. is above all that he finds in him an inability to take part in group work; it appears, besides, that L. himself acknowledges that he prefers to work in isolation. At bottom, all this is not very serious, and it would be desirable, especially with adhesion to the same tradition, that it should not prevent an understanding between them, each naturally remaining free to exercise his activity in the way that best suits his aptitudes… […] It is said quite commonly here that whoever desires Paradise or fears Hell is still very far from being truly ‘mutasawwif’… […] As for what seems to cause you a certain discomfort (in the accomplishment of ‘devotions’ in the Islamic mode), it must first be said that naturally a traditional form must be taken as a whole, exotericism representing a necessary point of support so as not to ‘lose ground’; and it is probable that, in a Christian initiatic organisation of the Middle Ages, you would have had roughly the same impression as the one you have now. On the other hand, as I have said very often, it must not be forgotten that what is essential is the initiatic attachment and the transmission of the spiritual influence; that done, each one must above all work by himself, and in the way that suits him best, to render effective what is still only virtual. It goes without saying that it would be better to have the choice among a diversity of methods allowing each one to be helped as completely as possible, but unfortunately that is not the case at present; in any case, what is destined to be a help must never become a hindrance for anyone. I add that S. is very excusable for perhaps not envisaging sufficiently the adaptation that would be needed for each person, for it is obvious that this demands an experience he cannot yet have; and I see, besides, that you understand this very well; but it is to be feared that others may not understand it as you do… One must nevertheless hope that all this will gradually settle itself; it must be borne in mind that it is in sum a matter of a ‘beginning’, in conditions that had never yet presented themselves. On the swaying of the dhikr, in sum, one may say that it is connected in a general way with the question of rhythm, and that these movements have in themselves a certain action upon the subtle centres. I have no particular data on the events of the moment; but it is certain that all this is far from reassuring, and one has more and more the impression that the final period of the cycle might really not be very far off…
Letter to L. C., Cairo, 29 March 1936
So S. is back in Paris; it will perhaps be less difficult for him all the same to find a position there than elsewhere; unfortunately, it is to be feared that his negligence of outward things may cause him to miss opportunities, for I know this has happened several times. It is regrettable that he is like this in everything; it is true that, from what I have been told, there seems to be much of his mother’s fault in it… All the same, this absence of thanks on leaving you astounds me; there is certainly nothing oriental about it; here, one would rather tend to exaggerate in the opposite direction! On the other hand, whatever was insufficient or too hasty in his preparation for his role would certainly be less grave if he had a little less self-confidence, and especially if there were not in him this sort of determination to take no account of so many things that nevertheless have their importance… […] As for the moment of initiatic ceremonies, it is exact that certain Hindu organisations, and perhaps others too, take astrological influences into account; but this does not exist in Islamic organisations, or at least I know of no instance of it; there is obviously a question of different ‘modalities’ there. Impeccability may, in certain cases, be regarded as attached to a function rather than to a degree, but it is obvious that, for the jivan-mukta at least, acts can entail no consequence; and, even at degrees very inferior to that one, the same holds for acts accomplished with a perfect detachment; see on this subject the Bhagavad-Gita. […] How could S. possibly imagine that, if you or others keep me informed of what is happening (in France and in Switzerland), it is for the pleasure of telling tales? […] I do not think S. will go so far as to ask my advice on all the candidates (for initiation), all the more so since it is not exactly easy for people one has never seen and whom one knows only by correspondence. It must besides be well understood that I absolutely do not wish to take the ‘direction’ of anything whatsoever, but also that, when it is a matter not of individual counsels but of indications of general bearing, I cannot refuse to give them as far as possible; but first, people must judge it proper to ask me for them…
Letter to L. C., Cairo, 17 April 1936
I did not think all the same that things had ended up deteriorating to the point that S. had come to speak of ‘dissolution’; frankly, I do not understand at all how that could be justified… Everything you tell me is most extraordinary, besides, and, I must say, unexpected; I thank you for it, for you are quite right to think that it is necessary for me to be informed of how things stand, however disagreeable that may be. I who had counted on S.’s function to relieve me somewhat, here is just the opposite happening, and there is in it for me only a source of new worries!
Letter to L. C., Cairo, 27 April 1936
I had already known for 2 days, through a note from S., the happy outcome of the last incidents, about which I confess I had been most anxious. At last, as you say, it is much to be hoped that the lesson of prudence it is fitting to draw from it will not be lost on the one or the other. […] I hope for us all that the ‘atmosphere’ is now less troubled and that we have really reached the end of all this trouble!
Letter to L. C., Cairo, 17 May 1936
Initiatic restoration in the Western mode seems most improbable to me, and even more and more so as you say; at bottom, besides, I have never counted on it much, but naturally I could not show it too much in my books, if only so as not to seem to rule out ‘a priori’ the most favourable possibility. To make up for it, there is no other means than to have recourse to another traditional form, and the Islamic form is the only one that lends itself to doing something in Europe itself, which reduces the difficulties to a minimum. An occasion presenting itself, I immediately thought it was fitting not to let it escape, since it could thereby present an interest of an altogether general order. […] What you quote to me from your translation of the Qur’an, or rather from the notes accompanying it, does not astonish me at all, for this is well in the spirit of the Ahmadiyya, very ‘modernist’ and clearly heterodox on various points. They carry on an unbelievable propaganda everywhere; they command considerable funds, the greatest part of which comes from England, incidentally… In America they have managed to supplant Baha’ism almost entirely; this shows well what sort of people they address, and what concessions they must make to the Western mentality.
Letter to L. C., Cairo, 27 June 1936
I received your letter yesterday, and first of all, how many thanks I owe you for the kind parcel enclosed with it! You must think that it is particularly welcome in these days when the fall of the franc and its consequences are not without causing me much worry and concern; and I am most grateful to those who strive thus to attenuate them and to compensate for the loss resulting from these unfortunate circumstances. Your delay in writing to me is certainly very excusable, in the midst of so many events worrying from every point of view. […] On the subject of the dhikr, A. is evidently right in principle (when he speaks of the importance of its accomplishment with regard to the realisation of the higher states), but I think that, practically, nothing must be exaggerated, and that daily sessions would perhaps be excessive. As for the invocation of the supreme Name which you asked S. for, my opinion is indeed that one must not go too fast, and that in sum there is every advantage in proceeding gradually… The other news you give me, concerning yourself, seems to me truly very satisfactory; no doubt one must always fear overestimating the bearing of certain results, but all the same, all this seems to be going in a perfectly ‘normal’ way, so to speak. On the other hand, what you tell me of the way the solution of certain questions presents itself to you as of itself seems to me also an excellent sign… On the question of the ‘primordial Point’, concentration and expansion may be compared to the two phases of respiration (and to those of the movements of the heart); and all this may naturally apply at different levels. If one considers things at the degree of the Being, one might say that ‘diffuse’ undifferentiation corresponds to its Unity, and contraction to its polarisation into essence (the point) and substance (empty space, pure potentiality). […] The presence of two points and their distance realises a space; that is evidently one of the conditions of existence of the corporeal element, but it is not the only necessary one. I must say, in this connection, that I am very wary of the word ‘concrete’; I have never managed to know exactly how it is meant to be understood; in any case, it is always diverted from its true etymological sense, which is none other than ‘continuous’.
Next letter: Correspondence Cairo-Amiens (5)
