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Confessions of a Radical Traditionalist

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This is a collection of 108 short essays, rarely more than 3 or 4 pages, written by John Michell for the British magazine for young and old fogies, The Oldie. If it seems impossible to believe that an American magazine could have a name like that, then you already have an idea of Michell's iconoclastic and proudly heretical style.

The resulting pieces, "mostly pondering how and when the world went mad," are arranged in general categories, such as People, Phenomena, Sacred Cows, and Apocalypsis; that the number, nine, echoes Porphyry's arrangement of Plotinus' writings is no doubt a coincidence, but one that Michell would appreciate. Topics range from the great (Darwinism, The State, "the agribusiness racket," "the end is nigh-ish" ) to the small ("bogus social workers" "Manx fairies" or "the bohemian myth" ) though truly for Michell there are no small topic, only small ways to view them. Michell's view is always large, and so an essay that begins by observing that there always seem to be several busses going the wrong way while he waits for one going his way eventually winds up with considerations of the Grail legend.

Joscelyn Godwin, himself the author of many valuable contributions to traditional and hermetic studies, contributes an introduction, "A Prophetic Vision," which provides an overview of Michell's entire career. It's no mean task to find a connecting thread in heretical writings that range from sacred geometry to Stonehenge to questioning "Who Wrote Shakespeare;" Godwin does it by locating Michell as a skeptic of modern official "culture," from the viewpoint of both a Platonic elitism as well as the plain-speaking "ordinary man," whether the old-English farmer or the tramps and immigrants of his London neighborhood today. This is only a seeming paradox, as Mitchell's elitism is a natural hierarchy where all can find their place, and are valued for it, not coerced into the bogus political harmony of globalism, Euro-ism or scientism by lectures from "experts" and "authorities." It's that easy combination of neo-Platonism and pub grub that at one time seemed so naturally English, though it has almost disappeared from New Britain.

While Godwin, who performed a similar service for another Radical Traditionalist, Julius Evola (in his introduction to Men Among the Ruins), does a good job here, I did find, going on to read Michell himself, that he had been a bit too cheery about one subject, Michell's anti-Darwinism. While it's good to learn from Godwin that fundamentalism has been "done away with" in England, and so there's less need felt there to gloss over one's doubts about Darwin for fear of unleashing hordes of ignorant busybodies, Michell himself seems to have a naive view of Creationism as part of a "bedrock of religion and common sense" for which he commends the United States. This is a rare, perhaps unique, example of Michell's desire to shock his readers out of their complacency overtaking his own common sense, and doesn`t really detract from his presentation of the pernicious effects of this modern dogma.

In a more typical piece, he makes the mistake of reading the newspaper over a typical English breakfast, heavy on the pork. He is horrified by an account of modern factory farming ("EC-approved," he notes) and makes a rash vow: never to eat pig until he reprints the article as one of his Rad-Trad pamphlets. Plans go awry when he and the author disagree on the practicality of veganism, the pamphlet never appears, and Michell is reduced to eating pork only in Germany, when he can hardly refuse to consume their national dish.

Another essay, "Drugs and initiation," uses his presumably elderly audience in The Oldie as an excuse to recommend they complete their life experience by "a dose of your grandchildren's illegal drugs." In the space of just three pages, this "more (truly) conservative than the (merely puritanical) conservative" argument (you might call it) gives a concise account of the role of drugs in traditional religion that is light-years more advanced than any you'll find in "official" scholarship, to say nothing of the mentality of those who would deny even marijuana to the sick and dying of our own society. Meanwhile, his anti-metrification and general anti-EU drive has been given new relevance by recent events in France and Holland.

While it might be impossible for anyone to agree with every opinion expressed here, (including, perhaps in certain moods, Michell himself), it would be impossible not be charmed by the elegant style, genial sensibility and lightly worn erudition, and above all, find much to think about for oneself.

Towards the end, we are given some useful, practical advice on how to become engender a happiness: "summon up the data which indicate that here and now is our natural paradise, establish that model in your mind by reason and then go out and test-drive it in the street." One sure way of instigating such a healthy attitude would be to read two or three random essays from this book each day.

Also contributing to such an effect would be the physical book itself, a masterpiece of the bookmakers' art. Every aspect: paper, binding, typography, cover art, is far superior to what you would find in today's sad "hardcover" books, even at twice the price, and a fitting tribute to the wisdom of the Radical Traditionalism contained therein. I did find, though, that the lack of index was a bit of a problem, given the range of topics and the poetic or journalistic titles; trying to re-locate his discussion of hallucinogens, I turned to "Totally Stoned," which actually deals with a prophetic accident at Stonehenge. But then in typical Michell fashion, such wrong turns open up enchanting vistas of their own.

'As we know from the Grail traditions, a cosmologically ordered realm, centred on divine law, receives so much good luck or blessings that in the experience of its inhabitants it is an earthly paradise.' That quotation from page 322 may be as close as one can get to a summation of this glorious book.

I have happily enjoyed reading John Michell's short pieces under the `Orthodox Voice' banner in `The Oldie' magazine for years, and now it is a joy to read them as they should be read - `jumbled chronologically but united thematically' by a genius of an editor.

Covering a myriad of topics - ghosts, crop circles, modern art, apocalypse, etc - it is impossible to convey the impression one gets of unfolding revelation conveyed in writing of elegant simplicity. I firmly believe that no person could read this book from cover to cover and not in some way, however faint, experience a permanent change in their perception of the World.

Sadly for our lost civilisation, all the compulsory `great' intellects one is supposed to read - Freud, Darwin, Marx, Wells, Sartre etc up to Richard Dawkins & Stephen Hawking in the present day - have conspired to make the last hundred years or so a mechanistic atheistic nightmare that has wiped out more millions of grown humans and unborn infants than must ever have existed in the previous 1900 years of history, and in the process have created a spiritual barrenness and misery amongst the surviving remainder than can scarcely have seemed feasible to our materially poorer ancestors.

The concepts contained in this book offer an antidote

Please challenge yourself and read it - at the very least it will provide real comfort in whatever suffering you may be experiencing, and then, if you have taken its message to heart, you may feel inclined to make a gift of it to whichever friends or relatives you feel may benefit - knowing that there is no possibility of them being exposed to harsh ideas or dogmatic pronouncements, only to wisdom and pleasure if they choose to perceive it as such.

CONFESSIONS OF A
RADICAL TRADITIONALIST

Essays by John Michell

Selected and Introduced by Joscelyn Godwin

Dominion Press, 2005,
ISBN 0-9712044-4-6

Review by

Colette M. Dowell

I am always pleased to read a book that brings me joy and educates me in some sort of fashion leaving me on a greater note of happiness, and more "in tune" one might say. For those who follow John Michell's writings as well as those of you who are new to him, Confessions of a Radical Traditionalist is a witty anthology of John's great ability to ascertain truths and speak frankly about his observations. Joscelyn Godwin brilliantly introduces John's character with candor conveying his innermost qualities of an ingenious soul. Joscelyn carefully and thematically arranged 108 of John's essays spanning a 10-year period of contributions to The Oldie. John stands out as a Platonist, an innately wise man, and a soft tender person who longs for the return of the "Enchantment of Paradise".

Confessions of a Radical Traditionalist reveals John Michell's insights and how we can benefit from his knowledge. John is a philosopher professing intelligent, spiritual day-to-day techniques to live, love and cope in this modern madness we call society. Among John's greatest teachers you will find Plato, Saints, Gods and Gypsies, closely followed by Daemons, Druggies, Bums and Thieves. John writes of ancient roots grounded in the enchantment and beauty of Paradise; a sacred place where one can live freely, happy and full of love. His faith is such, as to take you back to the times when harmonious minds sat "around" on a four-cornered hearthstone focusing center into the flame, sharing personal thoughts and dwelling within the Cosmos.

The gist of what Michell writes brings to light the dark ages we live in and the unjust ways of the elite in organizing propaganda to stupefy mankind's brain and hinder our soul from reaching a higher level of divine order. He points out how we are held and bound in ignorance contributing to the creation of chaos and will continue to do so until we are able to elevate our understandings of the higher realms of spirit and divine order.

Early people's values held steadfast the very fabric of their society. Music and numbers were the keys to harmony and contentment in life where one lived in divine union with spirit. Divine intervention takes place when specific numerical and geometrical functions produce sacred proportions manifesting natural order and balance. Tradition of harmony was once taught in abundance and life was lived with freedom of expression and in tune with nature. Music was plentiful and rituals and shrines were precisely staged and aligned. Craftsman, Artists, Musicians and Philosophers were the builders and keepers of Paradise. To live in Paradise as the Land of Enchantment, one must recognize the unity of love and logic proportionally unified and centered in the Cosmos.

John's nostalgia for Paradise holds true to that beauty where Platonic philosophies were practiced and communities were happy, content, and danced to their own rhythm. Music and song were the governing factors and on a political level, music correlating to sacred numbers and harmonies remained by way of Choirs singing throughout the lands. Leaders of the lands were numerically chosen to create council, community and culture that demonstrated harmoniously divine order and were in tune with the Cosmos; thusly Paradise was maintained and held in balance.

Since the onset of "New Men" and their coming with their mechanistic tools and mindless techno tasks, life once lived and known to be good and divine, has rotted and entered into the realm of Hell. There was once a truer beauty and all was well in Paradise. People had greens of mountains and hillsides, clear colorful skies and stars; gardens were full of fresh food for the hungry and Fairies abounded. People were happy and life was prosperous, people lived full lives filled with wisdom. Now in modern times we have hatched up hillsides, dry lands of waste and nasty chemicals in our food. We get bombarded by strange looking UFOs and get abducted by Aliens instead of flirting with Fairies. Our whole modern mindset has changed and not for the better.

We should be experiencing the Enchantment of Paradise not Hell on Earth, which in some instances we humans are responsible for creating. One needs to practice sacred principles to live true in divine order. To quote John, "There is a way of thinking that is both idealistic and rooted in common sense. It is called radical-traditionalism."

Simply written, the 108 essays are individual lessons on God, Divine Proportion, the value of morals, use of discernment and good common sense blended with legends, history and humor. They also reflect a sufficient amount of reasonable solutions to the most absurd situations and bizarre dilemmas. There are even essays regarding emotional and mental health issues exposing how sometimes even the weirdest and most evil people can still articulate good, sound and reasonable advice. Some very famous controversial and scary individuals are ironically represented in some instances as being quite sane and divinely manifested souls. It is in John's opinion that Daemons are the cause of some of the madness in this world, and their spirits inspire psychotic individuals and irrational behavior.

Confessions of a Radical Traditionalist is great therapy for those who suffer from not knowing what is going on and what it all really means. John writes so smooth and well you naturally and comfortably absorb his wit and wisdom. He shares his brilliant insights on how to deal with the monotonous, meaningless, day-to-day dumb-drums and beastly boogies. You can learn to dance, sing, create art, be happy and love as a remedy to the Beast and its machine. Somewhat like good rules to live by, yet they are not rules; they are harmonically proportioned divinely ordered principles not to be changed depending on the game. These principles create the reality we live in, and are responsible for the beauty, love, joy and wisdom found in the state of Enchantment, which is Paradise. Paradise is an ideology of perfection in all which it encumbers. Re-creating Paradise is a better alternative than having to live with the Earth burning up and all Hell breaking loose while blood sucking Daemons are awaiting to possess your very soul and take over the world.

John likes to tell it as he sees and feels it. In his words you will read truths and scenarios that reap irony and satire, he humorously exposes the evils and gets on with the good. He is right on and quite funny at times. You will also receive an education on many historical issues that you probably have not been exposed to because they are seldom discussed. John reveals science as an enigma and the paranormal and occult as rational and ideal. Confessions of a Radical Traditionalist is the perfect home remedy for this irrational world we are living in. John sets examples of what to do and what not to do in order to create harmoniously proportioned realms so one can live and experience the Enchantment of Paradise. Confessions of a Radical Traditionalist is a delightful summation of John's philosophical wit, logical intellect and his generous soulful loving heart.

As John states, he dwells in Quietness now and the stillness and wisdom it brings awaiting the return of Paradise. He is an Oldie man, a Traditionalist who is radical in the sense that he stands up for his truths and convictions against the utmost ignorance, irrational behavior, and bigoted bellowing madness. He is good.

The book is a masterfully crafted cloth covered hardbound of museum quality, designed with sacred proportions with the dust jacket displaying an original portrait of John by Maxwell Armfield and uniquely original geometric artwork by John Michell.

by
Colette M. Dowell

Sadly very few books and authors today can genuinely be called wise. This is not the case with Mr. Michell nor his books, this collection in particular enchants, delights and educates based upon it's friendly approachable wisdom. This is not a wisdom based upon intellectual fireworks or shallow wit, but rather a deep seated wisdom of a life lived with a questioning open mind for the wonders and paradox that surround us.
We know we are in for an amazing tour de force when Michell reveals Plato and Charles Fort as his favorite philosophers. A times the "Britishness" of some of the topics and characters may be meaningless to most Americans, that alas is our fault not his. This is a traditionalism borne of earth based mythopoeic realities not Guenonian traditionalism of right wing fantasy. Comparisons are often unfair, but the only other author that comes to mind with that same sense of authentic life wisdom in their work is P.L. Travers.
Time spent with Mr. Michell is not only time well spent with a magnificent fun loving human being, but an opportunity for edification. And how often is that possible in this vulgar day & age.

John Michell is a dapper, elfin-faced Englishman known in New Age circles for his extensive writings on sacred geometry, Glastonbury, unusual phenomena, Shakespeare, the environment, and a host of other topics. This book is a collection of more than 100 short essays originally written for the British periodical, The Oldie.

Michell desribes himself as a "radical traditionalist," a synthesis of liberal and conservative sensibilities which will probably offend both secular liberals and conventional conservatives. Fundamentally, Michell is at war with modernism in all of its forms - secularism, corporate capitalism, scientism, atheism, popular culture, Marxism, Freudianism, and Darwinism.

As an anti-modern, Michell tends to romanticize pre-industrial rural societies, such as existed in pre-Reformation England. Michell is smart enough, however, to realize that such societies are probably lost forever, at least on a grand scale, barring some kind of divine intervention.

Speaking of divine intervention, Michell apparently adopts the attitude that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," and thus has good things to say about radical Islamists, up to and including Osama bin Laden, who he audaciously compares to Jesus. By all accounts, Michell is an amiable, gentle man, so for him to find common cause with bin Laden is most unfortunate and disappointing. After making a passing reference to the suffering of the 9/11 victims, he casually asserts that the Twin Towers "were asking for it" (destruction).

Michell's sympathy for radical Islam is perhaps explained by his despair in realizing that the idyllic societies which he imagines in the past will never return, save for some violent apocalypse that will destroy the world as we know it. Describing himself as a "quietist" who "has given up all hopes, fears, and ambitions," he leaves the world in the hands of others, and if bin Laden triggers an apocalypse, more power to him. Perhaps Michell sees Islam as the only force powerful enough to restore a God-centered civilization. Perhaps, but such a civilization would have little tolerance for you, me, or John Michell.

Michell also misfires when he compares America under George Bush to the old Soviet Union, suggesting that criticism of the government is no longer allowed. To see how foolish this is, one needs only to wander in to any major American bookstore, where literally dozens of anti-Bush books are readily available, and whose authors are not imprisoned but are making their points on the evening news.

Despite these misgivings - and they are major ones - I think that Michell does have much to say that is of value and interest. By challenging our certainties, whether liberal or conservative, he challenges us to rethink our own positions and our own lives, to see if they are really in conformity with the values we profess.

This is an excellent book! Mr. Mitchell is insightful, down to earth and has an egaging writing style. The title can be misleading if you were expecting any kind of dogma from the conservative regime. As far as radical traditionalism goes, I believe that everybody at some point in their lives has wished or at least had an appreciation for a simpler way of life. Is that radical? Perhaps so.