Ex oriente lux

I believe in the saying "Ex oriente lux" and I hold the Japanese culture (especially Shintoism) even above the Paganism we have had in Greece or Northern Europe. The Chinese Wall had the effect to put the Japanese in the most secluded spot in the world. I believe their approach to life was the most natural. Up to today, they have less than 1% Judeo-Christian Religion in the country. They just adapted the white wedding, but perform it in a secular way. They are untainted by this western disease. What makes us think Germany and Greece are superior, are their written texts. You can almost get no information on Shinto. I read a book by a German expert on Shinto who lived half his life there and all the anecdotes just blew my mind. I urge everyone to go through Lyssas filmlist. I believe they not long ago and maybe in parts still today lived and live the most meaningful life there. And have the deepest wisdom: above any middle eastern or western Philosopher, even Buddha.

The purpose of this clan is not to present any singular culture as above others but to present inspiring examples, from all over the world, of ideals and cultures and beliefs which are closer to a more natural lifestyle.
If, in the west, Hellenism has become our reference point, this does not mean that it is inferior to any other or that it is superior to any other, only that it is our shared, European, reference point to what we call paganism.
We acknowledge Japanese culture, before modernization, along with Hinduism and the original teachings of Buddhism as similar cultural forces, but we must remain true to our own understanding and connection to this shared ideal and this requires us to explore paganism and its many manifestations, one of which is one which still inspires and guides us: Hellenism.

If and when we ever go to a new forum I’ve proposed that it is called Hyperborean Heritage as this term reflects a shared ideal without being too culturally specific.


Even the emergence fo Hitler can be understood within the
context of this pagan aristocratic ethos, which, with him, became a caricature.


It is not accidental that both Heidegger and Evola attached
themselves to this political movement when both did not fully agree with the
premises. They saw it as a preliminary, necessary, step towards a desirable
outcome.

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The purpose of this clan is not to present any singular culture as above others

Ok. It's the usual fighting mechanism that's on in an environment one isn't familiar with yet.
In fact I was on a Philosophy forum years ago and it was very much arguing all of the time...waste of time really. I kind of still have that mindset on. I'll try to shut it off.

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Even the emergence fo Hitler can be understood within the
context of this pagan aristocratic ethos, which, with him, became a caricature.

Why did it become a caricature? I know Nietzsche had some heavy judgements on the Germans of his time and even before him. What were they? They're in Twilight of the Idols. I'll look it up.

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If and when we ever go to a new forum I’ve proposed that it is called Hyperborean Heritage as this term reflects a shared ideal without being too culturally specific.

Sounds refreshing. I imagine a white page with blue. Some kind of ocean in the background. Maybe rocks. Some kind of an island. A beach.

We love conflict here.
Fight on.
Fighting hones our skills and keeps us sharp.

No blue...only dark.
Will you be a light?

From what I have heard, read, and "seen" of Japan (having never been there), I agree that the Japanese have managed to preserve their cultural roots more than perhaps any other culture in the world. Rightly they are proud of it.

I have been living in S. Korea for almost 3 years and there are some ways of life here that I can only explain to myself as "pagan" and admire very much--even though I must do so from a certain distance, and inevitably there are some misunderstandings. Often I have to check that I am not merely projecting my own wishful thinking upon it.

Living here catalyzed my own self-consciousness; more than ever I've been made aware of what I AM, because no one here pretends that my appearance doesn't matter, or that my race/nationality doesn't predict my behavior, career, etc. The liberal indoctrination I received in my youth could not stand up to this kind of realization. I'm grateful I chose to come here for what it has taught me, esp. when it taught me the hard way.

On the other hand, Korean heritage is not much to be proud of from a Hyperborean perspective I think. The Neo-Confucian Joseon dynasty earned the name "hermit kingdom," which was typically Oriental in its lack of curiosity for the outside world, and was essentially a vassal state to the Emperor of China. Even though they had their own distinct culture, they never TOOK it self-determinedly; they always looked to China for legitimacy and disdained Japan for going it alone. And with China they lay prostrate before Western imperialism and were torn apart, too arrogant and complacent to realize their weakness in the face of it...unlike Japan.

There is a concept in Korea called [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], a broken-spiritedness and sad resentfulness they claim as a national trait--part of their identity. Korea's upper classes have consistently sold their people out in return for favors from invading elites, whoever conquered them or took advantage of them. On its ruins in the 20th century were superimposed the Shinto ways, then later the conflicting ethics of liberal bourgeois capital in the South and Stalinist-style communism in the North. It seems Koreans are follower-types; always looking for a new Mommy or new Daddy; whoever beats them less. They have a love-hate relationship with Americans which is tangible; like a bullied younger brother.

They have probably not had a real aristocratic tradition since the early Middle Ages, perhaps because of the feminine, centralized despotism Satyr and others have noted. Instead there is a mixture of Confucianism and militarism here which is being manipulated by our alien insect overlords, the Judeo-Christian totalitarian humanist system. You can see it working. Evangelical Christianity (with its philosemitism, egalitarianism, etc.) has an enormous influence here, since American missionaries and educators helped rebuild the country after the war, many of them lefties who worked in the Peace Corps. I work with a woman who is obsessed with the Bible and has a Jew fetish. She wants to emulate Jewish-style parenting for the sake of her new baby's education and advancement. Can't blame her! She posts pro-Israel propaganda on my Facebook wall and tells me I should read the Bible more.

Meanwhile, Confucianism discourages the questioning of authority and rational debate; one's superiors, or even one's equals, are likely to take it personally and feel they've "lost face" if you prove them wrong about something.

I agree with the idea of Oriental slavishness and femininity as a survival tactic. From a cosmic perspective you can see a kind of wisdom to it. But I can see the victim fetish culture looming, encouraged by Judeo-Christian ethics and the exalting of the weak and powerless all over the world. I see the same cultural degeneration here that I see in the States...just in a different way, at different stages of development.

When I see the Korean flag I'm impressed by the Yin-Yang symbol and the I-Ching trigrams. In a philosophical way Ifind it the most gorgeous flag in the world. Many Koreans don't even know what it means; so many are mindless materialists and consumers with a laughable "nationalism" in lieu of real cultural identity or pride. Sometimes it seems they define themselves almost entirely on being NOT Japanese. It's all quite pathetic and I think some Koreans are aware that it is. But if they didn't define themselves as innocent victims they wouldn't get ANY attention from the degenerate Western world. (Yet perhaps this is all strategic anyway...)

Some intellectually-minded and artistic types still draw on traditional wisdom preserved in folk customs, ancestral rites, martial arts, etc. But modernity and the scientific method makes many Koreans feel ashamed of their superstitions, gullibility, bureaucratic slavishness, native shamanism, etc. And I have spoken to an older guy who said he sees his people as weak, and has learned to accept that it is so. Usually when they travel abroad they learn just how ridiculous they seem.

Here's a positive: This was the script one of my students wrote for her speaking test. The prompt was, "Talk about someone in your life who you respect, and why."

Title: Father
"I respect my father. He work hard for family and is very good at study. He is very handsome. He is very kind. I think he leads us very well. Lastly, I hope my father stay healthy."

Imagine an American kid saying this. I dunno, maybe some of them still do. But in Korea this is par for the course. I greatly admire the emphasis on family here, and the shame attached to divorce. Women don't have the power to ruin shit as much as in the West, because here it is considered the woman's responsibility to hold the family together. If there is a divorce the father will usually get custody of the children and doesn't owe her anything, and she'll have committed social suicide. But...as feminization increases this will likely change.

Then on the other hand, we have this:

Prompt: "Introduce a healthy food from around the world."
"I like hamburger. I hate Japan. Korea has kimchi. Japan is monkey. Kimchi is good for health. Japan is homo. Japan is gay monkey." I'm not paraphrasing, I'm quoting.

Other positives: there is practically no crime (except perhaps rape and suicide), and very little cultural Marxism of any kind. Not much "anti-racism" or "anti-Nazism," etc. I have even spoken frankly to some Koreans about my interest in European paganism and my racial identity, and rather than calling me a racist they give me encouragement, because, well, that's what everyone should be doing anyway and they know it. Though because it's unusual for a white person to speak in such a way perhaps they find it strange. (Then there are the hipsters who try to stay current with the prevailing degenerate feminized Western influences...and believe me, that's growing.)

An older Korean man who was giving me advice told me, "You are young now, and you are crazy and meeting crazy women, sure. But you are getting practice. Someday you will find a good woman, and you can have children. And you will become the god of your family." Oh! How I wish people talked like that in the States.

From the Wikipedia entry I linked to:

"Han is sorrow caused by heavy suffering, injustice or persecution, a dull lingering ache in the soul. It is a blend of lifelong sorrow and resentment, neither more powerful than the other. Han is imbued with resignation, bitter acceptance and a grim determination to wait until vengeance can at last be achieved.

"Han is passive. It yearns for vengeance, but does not seek it. Han is held close to the heart, hoping and patient but never aggressive. It becomes part of the blood and breath of a person. There is a sense of lamentation and even of reproach toward the destiny that led to such misery."

Sound familiar?

Thanks for your contribution. Makes me glad I posted this topic as a challenge, to hear about some critical aspects too. I have never been to Japan, nor has my mother told me much about her father. He was a good looking man from the picture I saw. Very manly, focussed and determined looking. But also with some softness about him. She too admired him greatly.

I plan on posting some anecdotes as told by Westerners here too, regarding japanese culture and Shintoism, to point out to the differences between them and a judeo-christian worldview.

Maybe from "han", George Lucas formed the "Han Solo" of Star Wars. He was of the angry kind too.
I am familiar with this feeling, of course.

I do however challenge Satyr's notion of a "Feminization of mankind". As much as I see it as an acurate description within paternalism of the second half of the 20th Century, at least from my limited perspective here in Germany, I cannot see it continuing. In fact I see a shift towards more masculinity, with growing arab immigration and the threat of the unknown it poses to the people here. That the east has become feminized has to do with demographics. There is this one child policy in China and they had infanticide of the female babies for a long time (prefering sons, like the Arabs). So like in the Arab countries there are too many men. The Arabs now go to Europe. Most Asians stay, which makes females rare and therefor more precious. The ideal really. Very special kami. In a way they overdid their male superiority thinking and it's coming back at them now. And turning around. What do all these men in these countries do, that never get to be with a woman? They grow angry underneath. Han. And they either channel their anger into a form of imperialism like the Arabs or they suppress it, like most Easterners. With their maleness becoming useless, they drop it and become "females" themselves.

Cold Weasel wrote:

From the Wikipedia entry I linked to:

"Han is sorrow caused by heavy suffering, injustice or persecution, a dull lingering ache in the soul. It is a blend of lifelong sorrow and resentment, neither more powerful than the other. Han is imbued with resignation, bitter acceptance and a grim determination to wait until vengeance can at last be achieved.

"Han is passive. It yearns for vengeance, but does not seek it. Han is held close to the heart, hoping and patient but never aggressive. It becomes part of the blood and breath of a person. There is a sense of lamentation and even of reproach toward the destiny that led to such misery."

Sound familiar?

The Koreans sound like the Irish. Thanks for the info.

It is a common saying that Koreans are the Irish of Asia.

I don't know many Irish people and have never been to Ireland. But the list of Korean/Irish characteristics here I think is accurate re: Koreans.

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Laconian wrote:

I do however challenge Satyr's notion of a "Feminization of mankind". As much as I see it as an acurate description within paternalism of the second half of the 20th Century, at least from my limited perspective here in Germany, I cannot see it continuing. In fact I see a shift towards more masculinity, with growing arab immigration and the threat of the unknown it poses to the people here. That the east has become feminized has to do with demographics. There is this one child policy in China and they had infanticide of the female babies for a long time (prefering sons, like the Arabs). So like in the Arab countries there are too many men. The Arabs now go to Europe. Most Asians stay, which makes females rare and therefor more precious. The ideal really. Very special kami. In a way they overdid their male superiority thinking and it's coming back at them now. And turning around. What do all these men in these countries do, that never get to be with a woman? They grow angry underneath. Han. And they either channel their anger into a form of imperialism like the Arabs or they suppress it, like most Easterners. With their maleness becoming useless, they drop it and become "females" themselves.

It's good you note this.

If you closed down all the "PC Rooms" in Korea, where testosterone is filtered through online gaming (Starcraft is a national sport, don't you know), I bet there would be blood in the streets.

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We love conflict here.
Fight on.
Fighting hones our skills and keeps us sharp.

"We're fools to make war
On our brothers in arms" -Dire Straits

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No blue...only dark.
Will you be a light?

There is this concept of a dynamic truth. If you say: "Feminization of mankind", it is an analytical truth. So then I say: "the Arab hordes are coming".That is a dynamic truth. Because I want people to stay more alert. And point out that the vacation is over. Because it may be over. In the news I hear of poverty in the US, so it's not Europe alone.

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If you closed down all the "PC Rooms" in Korea, where testosterone is filtered through online gaming (Starcraft is a national sport, don't you know), I bet there would be blood in the streets.

In Germany it's of course soccer. But not active playing soccer, just watching it and getting excited about the home towns team playing another.

I’m always flabbergasted by how most males can just talk about sports.
The passion is a bit pathetic.
All they do is discuss football, the American kind, in the place I work in.
There are many Negroes working there so it is to be expected.
Day after day, week after week, endless chatter about what team is playing and who got injured and who is going to score and on, and on, and on.

In a world of declining masculinity, it finds an outlet through this form of vicarious virility.

After WWII some westerners wanted to know what Shinto was. So some Japanese Shinto experts where asked to note something down. So they did. There were no written records before, even though it's their national religion, with shrines everywhere and people praying and exercising this religion. Imagine a Japanese coming to the west wanting to know about Judeo-Christianity. He'd be led in a library with a million books. I think this difference illustrates some of what Shinto is.

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The Celtic Druids were much the same. They passed everything on through word of mouth. When they died out, all their tradition and knowledge died with them... which is why so little is known about ancient Celtic religion relative to the Greeks and Romans, who wrote everything down.

The written word is invaluable.

Satyr wrote:

I’m always flabbergasted by how most males can just talk about sports.
The passion is a bit pathetic.
All they do is discuss football, the American kind, in the place I work in.
There are many Negroes working there so it is to be expected.
Day after day, week after week, endless chatter about what team is playing and who got injured and who is going to score and on, and on, and on.

In a world of declining masculinity, it finds an outlet through this form of vicarious virility.

I too, could never wrap my mind around this behavior. Especially if they do not also play sports themselves.

But I always figured, "If I was more athletic maybe I would understand." But even when I started getting in shape, and playing basketball or soccer for fun with my friends, my opinion didn't change. I could understand the admiration of sportsmanship, and I found myself enjoying watching games now that I appreciated the discipline and teamwork. But it didn't make me give a fuck about teams, or the personal lives of the athletes.

Many of the retards you speak of are not athletic themselves, they're couch potatoes. Just as many housewives watch soap operas to get a vicarious kick from the frivolous dramas of rich narcissists (the lifestyle they wish they had), these men have the soap opera drama of sport.

I imagine in ancient times this is the behavior young boys would exhibit as they watched their warrior fathers and uncles sparring--when they were still children clinging to their mothers, not yet old enough to learn masculine skills. "My dad can beat up your dad." But in this world of adult children, this all some stupid men can over hope for in their entire lives.

The clever ones are of course the ones making all the money from sports.

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Yes.... Laconian has exclusive rights for that, Weasel.