Editorial

Oriens was launched as an online monthly Journal trying to be reminiscent of the One and Only Tradition, which when assimilated with renunciation and concentration is the only universal source of enlightenment in all times and ages, including this Dark Age of secular profanity. It is not aimed at erudite scholarship or academic excellence; it is but a humble attempt in faithful recollection of the traditional studies with intimate reference to the works of René Guénon and some others like Ananda Coomaraswamy or Michel Vâlsan who were either his collaborators or influenced by his work.

Oriens is based on trust. Our expositions, as well as our mistakes, are not designed against individuals or groups. We wish to remain far away from the egocentric anger and hatred so common in our times.

While we are not incarcerated by academic rules and are not professional journalists we are ready, with our feeble means and limited time, to improve all aspects of Oriens. We do not expect the readership of Oriens (or, for that matter, of any other journal of traditional studies) to be large. The “traditional” community is small, mostly a limited number of individuals are roving from a website to another, or show interest for journals and books related to traditional studies and René Guénon’s works. It is squarely to facilitate those who have vocation for traditional studies. René Guénon said that there are two things to be done: first, to assimilate a theoretical knowledge and second, concentration. Some of the texts published in Oriens have no other reason but to remind the importance of the traditional study and the use of traditional texts for concentration. Oriens is a reminder and an encouragement to follow Guénon’s advice.

The contributions to Oriens are expected to be from varied traditional and religious formulations, which we know to be distinct and unambiguous dialects of originating from the One Spiritual Speech. These contributions are neither indigenous, nor attempted to be original.