The Soul of the East
Natalya Irtenina is a Russian science-fiction writer of traditional Orthodox worldview. This is the first half of her essay “Tradition and Fleeting Senses of Being,” as translated by Mark Hackard.
Can there be contexts that are completely free from Tradition? Even anti-tradition in the everyday meaning of this word is traditional since it also finds its beginnings in the Garden of Eden…
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We shall begin with René Guénon. More precisely, his definition of the essence of traditional society:
The metaphysical doctrine is the most important element of traditional society, and all remaining spheres of human life are in turn either direct results of this doctrine or its application to one or another special level of existence… In such a way, genuine hierarchy exists in these societies everywhere and in everything; on the other hand, everything relative is not regarded as something all-together non-existent… However, [relative realities] are taken into…
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