hermeticism

I'll be honest. I've been holding this one back because I didn't know how to present it. We're all children of our time, and some ideas prevalent in the early 20th century are much less palatable to us in the early 21st century. So it is with Nina Rudnikova's essay "The Gypsies", which employs some ideas about different human races. It also makes some cultural references I do not understand. Elder Zosima is a Dostoyevsky character, but who are Hoggard and Lorenzo? Please let me know if you understand this reference.

In this work of fiction, Nina Rudnikova takes some creative liberties with historic and mythological figures. So we have Rama, a Celtic chieftain [sic!], meeting a tribe of Gypsies and teaching them his wisdom. Sometimes, I wonder if there's some unpublished work by Rudnikova where we can find a Scottish Hermes Trismegistus wearing a kilt.

The Gypsies by William Simpson (1823–1899)

On a more serious note, Rudnikova's works often revolve around the idea of bringing the East and the West together. In her perspective, the East represents spiritual wisdom and morality, while the West is seen as practical, worldly, and corrupt. This view may have been influenced by her personal experiences in Europe, where she may have felt out of place. According to Rudnikova, the unification of these two regions involves people from the East journeying to the West to redeem it by changing their hearts. This theme is especially evident in "The Gypsies".

The Gypsies

by Nina Rudnikova (1935)

It was a time unknown to history at the very dawn of the white race.

A wise and powerful chieftain named Rama led the newly born white race from the north of Europe to the East, to Asia, towards the rising Sun, to establish his kingdom there, in blue India, and to light the Sun of divine Wisdom and Revelations still accessible to the spirit of the young humanity…

Once on his journey, Rama encountered a tribe traveling from the East to the West. They were not wise, and their spirits could not hear the voice of Revelations, but their souls were compassionate and free, harboring a dormant, vague intuition of truth deep within. They were the Gypsies, and with innate instinct, they recognized Rama as the Great Chieftain and Teacher and paid him homage. They asked Rama, "O divine Rama, tell us where and why are we going? Driven by our boundless freedom, we cannot stop to set limits. We do not know our path or purpose as we strive further. Great and wise one, give us a task within our power!"

The Gypsies sought guidance from Rama to define their path and destiny. The Chieftain replied, "A wandering tribe, free nomads incapable of adhering to the conventions required for a settled life — I will chart your path and determine your destiny. I head east to ignite the unquenchable Sun of Wisdom and Revelations. Accept its beam in my blessing and preserve it within your dark soul. I venture east to kindle the inextinguishable Sun, whose light is unquenchable and whose rays are eternal and unchanging.

You, however, must journey into the dark, enigmatic West, tirelessly traversing the Sunset lands until you reach where the Sun, ignited by me, plunges into the sea of endless darkness and disappears forever into the waves of the dark night. There, your journey will end, and there you will find rest. Go forth, gathering everything dark and sinful along your way and illuminating it within yourselves with the ray of the blessing I have bestowed upon you.

Awaken the slumbering ray of spirit in those you encounter with the miracles of your hidden intuition, prompting their souls to ponder and face the rays of my Sun. Encourage those you meet to head east while you continue further and further west. When you grow weary, and my ray starts to dim within your souls, I will send you a leader, another, and a third. You will always resume your journey and tirelessly head further west until you reach the lands where the Sun, lit by me, sinks forever into the dark waves of the lightless sea."

With these words, the great Rama extended his hands over the Gypsies, blessing them, and then pointed to a star twinkling in the pink dawn sky.

He told them, "Let this star guide you. It has five rays, three pointing upwards and two pointing downwards. The three upper rays represent the light of my blessing for you, while the other two rays symbolize the curse and darkness of the land you are heading to, where the light of truth fades amidst the chaos of the eternal struggle between dual forces. This star is called Luminiferous; let the light triumph over darkness. Follow this star, free wanderers of the Earth, and remember your purpose."

So said Rama and went to the East, and the Gypsies went to the West.

Since then, they have traveled relentlessly, never staying in one place for too long, fearing the limitations of a settled lifestyle. Driven by their purpose, they journey through various countries, picking up the vices and darkness of the places they pass through. However, with their sinless freedom, illuminated by Rama's blessing, they purify the world's corruption in their innocent hearts.

They continue their journey, and with the miracles of their vague intuition, they impress the people of the Western countries with their divination and advice, simple yet profound. In these countries, the rays of the great Sun of Wisdom and Revelations, lit by Rama, barely reach. They venture into the pitch darkness of the unbelieving and non-wandering West and point towards the Eastern Sun to the best of their ability.

When they grow weary from their past travels and the burden of the darkness they've absorbed, Rama sends them a leader. Once again, knowing they won't be abandoned, they tirelessly continue west, towards the ever-setting, unquenchable Sun that disappears forever into the waves of darkness. There, they will finally find rest. So says the legend...

***

We stand at the border between the East and the West. Born in the East, we now venture into the shadows of the Western realm. Scattered across European cities like wandering nomads, we resemble the Gypsies. For years, we have absorbed the positivism and materialistic outlook of the enlightened West, where the Sun's light, ignited in the East and symbolizing mysticism and intuition, is extinguished by waves of desolate realism. Consequently, we have plunged headlong into the chasm of realism and zoologism crafted by the Red Devil.

We brought our Eastern essence to the lands of the setting sun, carrying our profound understanding of life and our quest for indescribable freedom. Our spirit knows no boundaries; we are the Gypsies, nomads of the spirit. The flight of our thought cannot be halted, for it is too free and fearful of the constraints of convention. Soaring ever higher, it seeks the radiant heights or delves into the unfathomable depths of the abyss, heedless of limits or prohibitions. For ages, we have startled Europe with the power of our peaks and valleys and our unending aspirations - a Europe characterized by sedentary, tranquil spirits. We compelled it to gaze eastward.

Our spirit continues to journey further into the shadowy lands of positive theories, where the deep intuitive understanding of life, kindled in the wise East like a ray of sunlight, gradually fades away. We press on, lamenting and groaning in the darkness like Hoggard and Lorenzo while also trembling in anticipation of the joy that stirs within us: "Behold, as the whole world agrees, so will Paradise come." We remember Elder Zosima's testament and follow the star of our enigmatic Slavic inheritance.

When our strength waned and our spirit dimmed under the weight of the unrelenting night, a leader of thought and creativity awakened us, reminding us that we had not been forsaken. Armed with the teachings of our leaders and creators, we resumed our journey as nomads of the spirit, as anarchists who refused to acknowledge barriers and laws in the realm of the spirit, delving further into the darkness of the Western lands.

As representatives of the Russian intelligentsia who are now dispersed across Western countries, we carry within our spirits the testimonies of the East and the boundless freedom that fears nothing. We seem to have reached a critical point where the Sun of Wisdom sets in the inky night of Bolshevism. This has been born from the West's positive theories and our Eastern inclination to go too far. We sense that our respite is near, and in that decisive moment, the entire Sun of the East will ignite within our souls, illuminating the darkness of the positive West.