Occult Imperium: Arturo Reghini, Roman Traditionalism, and the Anti-Modern Reaction in Fascist Italy

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Christian Giudice's Occult Imperium explores Italian national forms of Occultism, chiefly analyzing Arturo Reghini (1878-1946), his copious writings, and Roman Traditionalism. Trained as a mathematician at the prestigious University of Pisa, Reghini was one of the three giants of occult and esoteric thought in Italy, alongside his colleagues Julius Evola (1898-1974) and Giulian Kremmerz (1861-1930). Using Reghini's articles, books, and letters, as a guide, Giudice explores the interaction between occultism, Traditionalism, and different facets of modernity in early-twentieth-century Italy. The book takes into consideration many factors particular to the Italian peninsula: the ties with avant-garde movements such as the Florentine Scapigliatura and Futurism, the occult vogues typical to Italy, the rise to power of Benito Mussolini and Fascism, and, lastly, the power of the Holy See over different expressions of spirituality. Occult Imperium explores the convergence of new forms of spirituality in early twentieth-century Italy. Cover Half title Series Occult Imperium Copyright Contents Acknowledgments 1. The Anti-​Modern Side of Modernity 1.1. Anti-​Modern Sentiments in Modern Italy 1.2. The Metaphysics of Dunces? 1.2.1. Occultism and Modernity: Strange Bedfellows? 1.2.2. From Yates to Eternity 1.2.3. Enter Tradition and Traditionalism 1.2.4. Paganism versus Christianity in Traditionalism 1.3. Reghini through the Modern Looking Glass 1.3.1. Multiple Modernities and Occultism 1.3.2. The Invention of Sacred Traditions and the Occult 1.4. Overview of the Book’s Chapters 1.4.1. The Italian Occult Milieu at the Turn of the Century 1.4.2. The Early Years (1898–​1910): Avant-​Garde, Theosophy, and Modernity 1.4.3. Schola Italica and the Rito Filosofico Italiano (1910–​1915) 1.4.4. The Great War and Imperialismo Pagano: A Clash between the Modern and the Traditional (1915–​1920) 1.4.5. Fascism and Traditionalism (1920–​1925) 1.4.6. The Ur Group and the End of a Dream (1925–​1929) 1.4.7. Silentium post Clamores: The Final Years (1930–​1946) 1.5. Conclusion Appendix: Imperialismo Pagano 2. Risorgimento Italy: Occultism, Politics, the Rise of the Nation State, and Roman Traditionalism 2.1. A Historical Overview of the Risorgimento 2.1.1. A Brief Outline 2.1.2. Risorgimento as Roman Tradition and the Role of Freemasonry in the Unification Process 2.1.3. Freemasonry in Italy in the Second Half of the Nineteenth Century 2.2. Pope Pius IX and the Roman Question 2.3. Italy and Nineteenth-​Century Occultism 2.3.1. The Origins and Spread of Spiritualism 2.3.2. Spiritualism and Spiritism among the Risorgimento Elite 2.4. The Naples School and the Occult Italo/​Roman Primacy 2.4.1. The Metanarrative of Primacy: Mazzoldi and Mengozzi 2.4.2. Occultism in Nineteenth-​Century Naples 3. The Early Years (1902–​1910): Avant-​Garde, Theosophy, and Anti-​Modernism 3.1. Reghini’s Early Life and the Reghini Di Pontremoli Family 3.2. The Crisis of Positivism and the Rise of Neo-​Idealism 3.2.1. Italian Philosophy in the Late Nineteenth Century 3.2.2. Benedetto Croce and Idealism as Counterpositivism 3.3. The Florentine Avant-​Garde: The Case of Leonardo 3.3.1. Birth and Characteristics of the Florentine Avant-​Garde 3.3.2. The Three Lives of Leonardo and Its Occultist Phase 3.3.3. Rehnini and Leonardo 3.4. Reghini between Avant-​Garde and the Theosophical Society 3.4.1. The Theosophical Society in Italy 3.4.2. The Theosophical Library 3.4.3. The Roots of Roman Traditionalism in Theosophy 3.4.4. Reghini’s Theosophical Writings 4. The Schola Italica and the Rito Filosofico Italiano (1910–​1914): Initiation and Invention of Tradition in Modern Italy 4.1. The Role of Freemasonry in Modern Italy 4.1.1. A Brief History of Italian Freemasonry (1861–​1914) 4.1.2. Anti-​Clericalism within Italian Freemasonry 4.1.3. Nationalism and Irredentism within Freemasonry 4.1.4. Fringe Masonry in Italy 4.2. Meeting Ara and Reghini’s Masonic Past 4.2.1. Enter Freemasonry: From Rigeneratori to Lucifero 4.2.2. A Mysterious Gentleman: Amedeo Rocco Armentano 4.2.3. Reghini’s Initiation into the Schola Italica 4.2.4. Invented Traditions as an Epistemological Strategy 4.3. Enter Frosini: A Singular Ally 4.3.1. The Rito Filosofico Italiano 4.3.2. Changes within the Rito Filosofico and the Its Short Life 5. The Great War and “Pagan Imperialism” (1914–​1920): A Clash between the Modern and the Traditional 5.1. Interventionism and Nationalism in Italy (1910–​1914) 5.1.1. The Larger Picture: Italy and Nationalism 5.1.2. Reghini and Roman Traditionalist Volunteers 5.2. 1914: Pagan Imperialism: A Textual Analysis 5.2.1. The Context of “Imperialismo Pagano” 5.2.2. “Introduction” 5.2.3. “Impero e Cristianesimo” (“Empire and Christendom”) 5.2.4. “La Tradizione Imperiale Romana” (“The Roman Imperial Tradition”) 5.2.5. “L’Idea Imperiale Dopo Dante” (“The Imperial Idea after Dante”) 6. Fascism and Traditionalism: Modernity and Anti-​Modernity (1920–​1925) 6.1. The Larger Picture: A Historical Overview 6.1.1. Benito Mussolini and the March on Rome 6.1.2. Fascism and Roman Traditionalism: Anti-​Modern or Modern? 6.1.3. Social Occult Modernism 6.2. Occultism and Fascism: A Real Partnership? 6.2.1. The Fascist Link with Occultism: The 1920s 6.3. Guénonian Traditionalism 6.3.1. Guénon and the Birth of Traditionalism 6.3.2. Guénon and Traditionalism in 1920s Italy 6.3.3. The Reghini-​Guénon Correspondence (1923–​1926) 6.4. Roman Traditionalism from 1920 to 1925 6.4.1. The End of the Beginning 6.4.2. The Beginning of the End 7. The Ur Group and the End of a Dream (1923–​1929) 7.1. Le Parole Sacre Di Passo Published by Atanòr (1922) 7.1.1. Meeting Ciro Alvi and the Atanòr Publishing House 7.1.2. Le Parole: Reghini’s First Monograph (1922) 7.2. The Journals Atanòr (1924) and Ignis (1925) 7.2.1. Reghini’s First Journal: Atanòr 7.2.2. Ignis 7.3. Ur and the Ur Group: Practical Occultism 7.3.1. The Ur Journal (1927–​1928) 7.3.2. The Ur Group and the Break with Evola 8. Silentium Post Clamores (1930–​1946) 8.1. Troubles in the Capital: 1929–​1938 8.2. Reghini’s Works in the 1930s and 1940s 8.2.1. “Il Fascio Littorio” (1934) 8.2.2. Per La Restituzione Della Geometria Pitagorica (1935) 8.2.3. Dei Numrti Pitagorici (1936–​1944) 8.3. The Final Years (1939–​1946) 9. Concluding Remarks Appendix: English Translation of Imperialismo Pagano Notes Bibliography Index