Mircea Eliade

1939 portrait by Marcel Janco
Born:	March 13, 1907(1907-03-13) Bucharest
Died:	April 22, 1986 (aged 79) Chicago
Occupation:	historian, philosopher, short story writer, journalist, essayist, novelist
Nationality:	Romanian
Writing period:	1921–1986
Genres:	fantasy, autobiography, travel literature
Subjects:	history of religion, philosophy of religion, cultural history, political history
Literary movement:	Modernism Criterion Trăirism
Debut works:	Cum am găsit piatra filosofală (short story) Novel of the Nearsighted Adolescent (novel) The Comparative History of Yoga Techniques (essay)
Influences:	Honoré de Balzac, Surendranath Dasgupta, Julius Evola, René Guénon, Nae Ionescu, Carl Jung, Rudolf Otto, Giovanni Papini, Gerardus van der Leeuw, Joachim Wach
Influenced:	Ioan Petru Culianu, Wendy Doniger

Mircea Eliade (March 13 [O.S. February 28] 1907 – April 22, 1986) was a Romanian historian of religion, fiction writer, philosopher, and professor at the University of Chicago. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Marcel Janco/Iancu/Ianco (May 24, 1895, Bucharest - April 21, 1984, Tel Aviv) was a Jewish-Romanian artist, painter and architect. ... is the 72nd day of the year (73rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Nickname: Motto: Patria si Dreptul Meu (My Country and My Right) Location of Bucharest within Romania (in red) Coordinates: , Country County Founded 1459 (first official mentioned) Government  - Mayor Adriean Videanu Area  - City 228 km²  (88 sq mi)  - Metro 238 km² (91. ... is the 112th day of the year (113th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... Nickname: Motto: Urbs in Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country State Counties Cook, DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City  234. ... For the album by the Kaiser Chiefs see Employment (album) Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. ... In English usage, nationality is the legal relationship between a person and a country. ... A literary genre is one of the divisions of literature into genres according to particular criteria such as literary technique, tone, or content. ... For other uses, see Fantasy (disambiguation). ... Cover of the first English edition of 1793 of Benjamin Franklins autobiography. ... Travel literature is literature which records the people, events, sights and feelings of an author who is touring a foreign place for the pleasure of travel. ... History of Buddhism History of Christianity History of Eastern Orthodox Christianity History of Hinduism History of Islam History of Judaism History of Protestantism History of Rastafarianism History of Roman Catholicism History of Santeria History of Shintoism See also Religion Categories: Religion ... Philosophy of religion is the rational study of the meaning and justification ( or rebuttal) of fundamental religious claims, particularly about the nature and existence of God (or gods, or the divine). ... Cultural history (from the German term Kulturgeschichte), at least in its common definition since the 1970s, often combines the approaches of anthropology and history to look at popular cultural traditions and cultural interpretations of historical experience. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Political history is the narrative and analysis of political events, ideas, movements, and leaders. ... ... For Christian theological modernism, see Liberal Christianity and Modernism (Roman Catholicism). ... “Balzac” redirects here. ... Surendranath Dasgupta (1887-1952) was a scholar of Sanskrit and philosophy. ... Julius Evola born Giulio Cesare Andrea Evola, aka Baron Evola (May 19, 1898-June 11, 1974), was an Italian esotericist and occult author, who wrote extensively on Hermeticism, the metaphysics of sex, Tantra, Buddhism, Taoism, mountaineering, the Holy Grail, militarism, aristocracy, on matters political, philosophical, historical, racial, religious, as well... René Jean Marie Joseph Guénon (November 15, 1886 – January 7, 1951) also named Sheikh Abd al-Wahid Yahya upon his acceptance of Islam, was a French-born author. ... Nae Ionescu (born Nicolae C. Ionescu; June 16 (June 4 O. S.) 1890, Brăila—March 15, 1940) was a Romanian philosopher, logician, mathematician, professor, and journalist. ... “Jung” redirects here. ... Rudolf Otto (September 25, 1869 - 6 March 1937) was an eminent German protestant theologian and scholar of comparative religion. ... Giovanni Papini (1881-1956) was an Italian journalist, critic, poet and novelist. ... Gerardus van der Leeuw (March 18, 1890, The Hague – Nov 18, 1950, Utrecht) was a Dutch historian and philosopher of religion. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Ioan Petru Culianu (5 January 1950–21 May 1991) was a Romanian-born professor of divinity at the University of Chicago and an expert in gnosticism and Mediaeval magic. ... Wendy Doniger (born November 20, 1940) is an American professor of religion, active in international religious studies since 1973. ... is the 72nd day of the year (73rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Old Style or O.S. is a designation indicating that a date conforms to the Julian calendar, formerly in use in many countries, rather than the Gregorian calendar, currently in use in most countries. ... Year 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 112th day of the year (113th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... The University of Chicago is a private university located principally in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. ...

He was a leading interpreter of religious experience, who established paradigms in religious studies that persist to this day. His theory that hierophanies form the basis of religion, splitting the human experience of reality into sacred and profane space and time, has proved influential.^[1] One of his most influential contributions to religious studies was his theory of Eternal Return, which holds that myths and rituals do not simply commemorate hierophanies, but, at least to the minds of the religious, actually participate in them. In academia, the Eternal Return has become one of the most widely accepted ways of understanding the purpose of myth and ritual.^[2] Hierophany (from the Greek roots hieros - sacred, holy -, and epiphaneia - appearance) signifies a manifestation of the Sacred. ... The dichotomy between the sacred and the profane has been identified by French sociologist Emile Durkheim as the central characteristic of religion: religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden. ... The Eternal return is, according to the theories of religious historian Mircea Eliade, a belief, expressed (sometimes implicitly but often explicitly) in religious behavior, in the ability to return to the mythical age, to become contemporary with the events described in ones myths. ...

His literary works belong to the fantasy and autobiographical genre; the best known are the autobiographical novel Maitreyi (La Nuit Bengali or Bengal Nights), the novella Domnişoara Christina (Miss Christina), and the short stories Secretul doctorului Honigberger (The Secret of Dr. Honigberger) and La Ţigănci (With the Gypsy Girls). For other uses, see Fantasy (disambiguation). ... This Side Of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a famous example of an autobiographical novel An autobiographical novel is a novel based on the life of the author. ... For the magazine, see Genre (magazine). ... Maitreyi (La Nuit Bengali, French; Bengal Nights, English) is a 1933 Romanian novel written by the author and philosopher Mircea Eliade. ... A novella is a narrative work of prose fiction somewhat longer than a short story but shorter than a novel. ...

Early in his life, Eliade was a noted journalist and essayist, a disciple of Romanian far right philosopher and journalist Nae Ionescu, and member of the literary society Criterion. He also served as cultural attaché to the United Kingdom and Portugal. Several times during the late 1930s, Eliade publicly expressed his support for the Iron Guard, a fascist and antisemitic political organization; his political involvement at the time, as well his other far right connections, were the frequent topic of criticism after World War II. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into far right. ... Nae Ionescu (born Nicolae C. Ionescu; June 16 (June 4 O. S.) 1890, Brăila—March 15, 1940) was a Romanian philosopher, logician, mathematician, professor, and journalist. ... An attaché is a person who is assigned to the staff of a diplomatic mission and often has special responsibilities or expertise. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Fascism is an authoritarian political ideology (generally tied to a mass movement) that considers individual and other societal interests subordinate to the needs of the state, and seeks to forge a type of national unity, usually based on, but not limited to, ethnic, cultural, or racial attributes. ... Antisemitism (alternatively spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is discrimination, hostility or prejudice directed at Jews. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into far right. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Remarkable for his vast erudition, Eliade had fluent command of five languages (Romanian, French, German, Italian, and English) and a reading knowledge of three others (Hebrew, Persian, and Sanskrit). He was elected postmortem member of the Romanian Academy. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... “Hebrew” redirects here. ... “Farsi” redirects here. ... The Sanskrit language ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... The Romanian Academy (Romanian: Academia Română) is a cultural forum founded in Romania in 1866. ...

Biography

Childhood and adolescence

Born in Bucharest, he was the son of Romanian Land Forces officer Gheorghe Eliade (whose original surname was Ieremia).^[3] An Orthodox believer, Gheorghe Eliade registered his son's birth four days before the actual date, to coincide with the liturgical calendar feast of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste (see March 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)).^[3] As a child, Eliade was fascinated with the natural world, which formed the setting of his very first literary attempts.^[3] His first work to be published was Cum am găsit piatra filosofală, "How I Found the Philosophers' Stone", printed in 1921, when he was aged 14. Nickname: Motto: Patria si Dreptul Meu (My Country and My Right) Location of Bucharest within Romania (in red) Coordinates: , Country County Founded 1459 (first official mentioned) Government  - Mayor Adriean Videanu Area  - City 228 km²  (88 sq mi)  - Metro 238 km² (91. ... The coat of arms of the Romanian Land Forces Staff The Flag of the Land Forces The Romanian Land Forces have completely overhauled their equipment and today they are one of the most modernized armies in Eastern Europe. ... The Romanian Orthodox Church (Biserica Ortodoxă Română in Romanian) is one of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches. ... The Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar describes and dictates the rhythm of the life of the Eastern Orthodox Church. ... The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste or the Holy Forty (Ancient/Katharevousa Greek Ἃγιοι Τεσσεράκοντα, Demotic Άγιοι Σαράντα) were a group of Roman soldiers in the Legio XII Fulminata who became martyrs for their Christian faith in 320 A.D. Category: ... The philosophers stone, in Latin lapis philosophi, is a legendary substance that supposedly could turn inexpensive metals such as lead into gold (chrysopoeia in the Greek language) and/or create an elixir that would make humans younger, thus delaying death. ...

Mircea Eliade attended the Spiru Haret National College in the same class as Arşavir Acterian, Haig Acterian, and Petre Viforeanu (and several years the senior of Nicolae Steinhardt, who was to satirize his novels under the pen name Antisthius, and who became a close friend of Eliade's).^[4] Another one of his colleagues was the future philosopher Constantin Noica.^[3] Haig Acterian (March 5, 1904—around August 8, 1943) was a Romanian film and theatre director, critic, poet, journalist, and fascist political activist. ... Nicolae Steinhardt (born Nicu-Aurelian Steinhardt; July 12, 1912-March 29, 1989) was a Romanian writer, Orthodox hermit and father confessor. ... Constantin Noica Constantin Noica (July 12/25 1909, Vităneşti - December 4, 1987, Păltiniş) was a Romanian philosopher and essayist. ...

He joined the Romanian Boy Scouts, and, with a group of friends, designed and sailed a boat on the Danube, from Tulcea to the Black Sea.^[5] At the same time, Eliade grew estranged from the educational environment, becoming disenchanted with the discipline required and obsessed with the idea that he was uglier and less virile than his colleagues.^[3] In order to cultivate his willpower, he would force himself to swallow insects.^[3] At one point, Eliade was flunking four subjects, among which was the study of Romanian language.^[3] Instead, he became interested in natural science and chemistry, as well as the occult, and, despite his father's concern that he was in danger of losing his already weak eyesight, read passionately.^[3] One of his favorite authors was Honoré de Balzac, whose work he studied carefully.^[3] Eliade wrote his debut volume, the autobiographical Novel of the Nearsighted Adolescent (influenced by the literature of Giovanni Papini, particularly his Un uomo finito); it was completed in 1925. Membership badge of CercetaÅŸii României OrganizaÅ£ia NaÅ£ionala A CercetaÅŸii României is the National Scout Organization of Romania. ... This article is about the Danube River. ... County Tulcea County Status County capital Mayor Constantin Hogea, Democratic Party , since 2004 Population (2002) 91,875 Geographical coordinates , Web site http://www. ... For other uses, see Black Sea (disambiguation). ... Romanian (limba română, IPA: ) is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people[1], primarily in Romania and Moldova. ... The Michelson–Morley experiment was used to disprove that light propagated through a luminiferous aether. ... For other uses, see Chemistry (disambiguation). ... The word occult comes from the Latin occultus (clandestine, hidden, secret), referring to knowledge of the hidden.[1] In the medical sense it is used commonly to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e. ... “Balzac” redirects here. ... Giovanni Papini (1881-1956) was an Italian journalist, critic, poet and novelist. ...

University studies

He graduated from the University of Bucharest's Faculty of Philosophy and Letters in 1928, earning his diploma with a study on Italian Philosophy from Marsilio Ficino to Giordano Bruno, and subsequently traveled to Italy, where he met Papini and collaborated with the scholar Giuseppe Tucci. It was during his student years that Eliade would meet Nae Ionescu, who lectured in Logic, becoming one of his disciples and friends.^[3] He was especially attracted to Ionescu's radical ideas and his interest in religion, which signified a break with the rationalist tradition represented by senior academics such as Constantin Rădulescu-Motru, Dimitrie Gusti, and Tudor Vianu (all of whom owed inspiration to the defunct literary society Junimea, albeit in varying degrees).^[3] University of Bucharest University of Bucharest is a university founded in 1864 by decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Saint Sava Academy into the current University of Bucharest. ... Domenico Ghirlandaio. ... Giordano Bruno. ... Giuseppe Tucci (1894 or 1895 - 1984), born in Macerata, Italy was an italian archaeologist, anthropologist, journalist and writer. ... Nae Ionescu (born Nicolae C. Ionescu; June 16 (June 4 O. S.) 1890, Brăila—March 15, 1940) was a Romanian philosopher, logician, mathematician, professor, and journalist. ... Logic (from Classical Greek λόγος logos; meaning word, thought, idea, argument, account, reason, or principle) is the study of the principles and criteria of valid inference and demonstration. ... In epistemology and in its broadest sense, rationalism is any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification (Lacey 286). ... Constantin Rădulescu-Motru Constantin Rădulescu-Motru (born Constantin Rădulescu, he added the surname Motru in 1892; February 15, 1868–March 6, 1957) was a Romanian philosopher, psychologist, sociologist, logician, academic, dramatist, as well as centre-left nationalist politician with a noted anti-fascist discourse. ... Dimitrie Gusti (February 13, 1880—October 30, 1955) was a Romanian sociologist, ethnologist, and voluntarist philosopher; a professor at the University of IaÅŸi and the University of Bucharest, he served as Romanias Minister of Education in 1932-1933. ... Tudor Vianu was born on January 8, 1898 in Giurgiu, Romania. ... Junimea was a Romanian literary society founded in IaÅŸi in 1863, by the initiative of some foreign educated personalities led by Titu Maiorescu, Petre P. Carp, Vasile Pogor and Iacob Negruzzi. ...

Eliade's scholarly works began after a long period of study in British India, at the University of Calcutta. Finding that the Maharaja of Kassimbazar sponsored European scholars to study in India, Eliade applied and was granted an allowance for four years. In 1928 he sailed for Calcutta to study Sanskrit and philosophy under Surendranath Dasgupta, a Bengali Cambridge alumnus and professor at Calcutta University, the author of a five volume History of Indian Philosophy. While living with Dasgupta, Eliade fell in love with his daughter, Maitreyi Devi, later writing a barely-disguised autobiographical novel Maitreyi (also known as La Nuit Bengali or Bengal Nights), in which he claimed that he carried on a physical relationship with her.^[6] When she became aware of this account, she contested it in her own novel Na Hanyate, written in Bengali (the title in English is It Does Not Die).^[6] Anthem God Save The Queen/King British India, circa 1860 Capital Calcutta (1858-1912), New Delhi (1912-1947) Language(s) Hindi, Urdu, English and many others Government Monarchy Emperor of India  - 1877-1901 Victoria  - 1901-1910 Edward VII  - 1910-1936 George V  - January-December 1936 Edward VIII  - 1936-1947 George... Formally established on the 24 January 1857, the University of Calcutta (also known as Calcutta University) (Bengali: কলকাতা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়), located in the city of Kolkata (previously Calcutta), India, is the first modern university in the Indian subcontinent. ... Major-General H.H. Farzand-i-Dilband Rasikh- al-Iqtidad-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Raja-i-Rajagan, Maharaja Sir Jagatjit Singh, Bahadur, Maharaja of Kapurthala, GCSI , GCIE , GBE The word Mahārāja (also spelled maharajah) is Sanskrit for great king or high king (a karmadharaya from mahānt great... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... This article is on Calcutta/Kolkata, the city. ... Surendranath Dasgupta (1887-1952) was a scholar of Sanskrit and philosophy. ... Bengal (Bengali: বঙ্গ Bôngo, বাংলা Bangla, বঙ্গদেশ Bôngodesh or বাংলাদেশ Bangladesh), is a historical and geographical region in the northeast of South Asia. ... The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and has a reputation as one of the worlds most prestigious universities. ... Maitreyi (La Nuit Bengali, French; Bengal Nights, English) is a 1933 Romanian novel written by the author and philosopher Mircea Eliade. ... Bengali or Bangla (IPA: ) is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit, Pāli and Sanskrit languages. ...

At the time, he became interested in the actions of Mahatma Gandhi, whom he met personally,^[7] and the Satyagraha as a phenomenon; later, Eliade adapted Gandhist ideas in his discourse on spirituality and Romania.^[8] He received his PhD with a thesis on Yoga practices.^[3][9] Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Gujarati: , Hindi: , IAST: mohandās karamcand gāndhī, IPA: ) (October 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948), was a major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian independence movement. ... Mohandas Karamchand “Mahatma” Gandhi, who developed Satyagraha Satyagraha (Sanskrit: सत्याग्रह satyāgraha) is a philosophy and practice of nonviolent resistance developed by Mohandas K. Gandhi. ... PhD usually refers to the academic title Doctor of Philosophy PhD can also refer to the manga Phantasy Degree This is a disambiguation page — a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... For other uses, see Yoga (disambiguation). ...

Interwar activities

After contributing various and generally polemical pieces in university magazines, Eliade came to the attention of journalist Pamfil Şeicaru, who invited him to collaborate on the nationalist paper Cuvântul, which was noted for its harsh tones.^[3] By then, Cuvântul was also hosting articles by Ionescu.^[3] ‹ The template below is being considered for deletion. ...

As one of the figures in the Criterion literary society (1933-1934), Eliade's initial encounter with the traditional far right was polemical: the group's conferences were stormed by members of A. C. Cuza's National-Christian Defense League, who objected to what they viewed as pacifism and addressed anti-Semitic insults to several speakers, including Mihail Sebastian;^[10] in 1933, he was among the signers of a manifesto opposing Nazi Germany's state-enforced racism.^[11] Eliade's views at the time focused on innovation — in the summer of 1933, he replied to an anti-modernist critique written by George Călinescu: A literary society is a group of people interested in literature. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into far right. ... A. C. Cuza (Alexandru C. Cuza; November 8, 1857, IaÅŸi—1947) was a Romanian far right politician and theorist. ... Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence as a means of settling disputes or gaining advantage. ... The Eternal Jew: 1937 German poster. ... Mihail Sebastian (18 October 1907-29 May 1945), born in Brăila as Iosif Hechter was a Jewish-Romanian author. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Racism is the prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior or inferior to members of other races. ... For Christian theological modernism, see Liberal Christianity and Modernism (Roman Catholicism). ... George Călinescu (1899 - 1965) was a Romanian novelist, poet, playwright, literary critic, and essayist. ...

"All I wish for is a deep change, a complete transformation. But, for God's sake, in any direction other than spirituality".^[12]

In 1936, Eliade was the focus of a press campaign in the far right press, being targeted for having authored "pornography" in his Domnişoara Christina and Isabel şi apele diavolului (similar accusations were aimed at other cultural figures, including Tudor Arghezi and Geo Bogza).^[13] Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit. ... Porn redirects here. ... Tudor Arghezi (May 21, 1880-1967) was a notable Romanian poet and childrens author. ... Geo Bogza (1908-1993) was a Romanian author, journalist, poet, publicist, avante-garde theoretician, and reporter. ...

However, while a professor at the University of Bucharest (1933-1939), Eliade became active in nationalist politics. He and friends Emil Cioran and Constantin Noica were by then under the influence of Trăirism, a school of thought that was formed around the ideals expressed by Ionescu. A form of existentialism, Trăirism was also the synthesis of traditional and newer right-wing beliefs.^[14] Emil Cioran Emil Cioran (April 8, 1911 – June 20, 1995) was a Romanian philosopher and essayist. ... Constantin Noica Constantin Noica (July 12/25 1909, Vităneşti - December 4, 1987, Păltiniş) was a Romanian philosopher and essayist. ... Existentialism is a philosophical movement which claims that individual human beings create the meanings of their own lives. ... In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply the right, are terms which refer, with no particular precision, to the segment of the political spectrum in opposition to left-wing politics. ...

Eliade's articles before and after his adherence to the principles of the Iron Guard (or, as it was usually known at the time, the Legionary Movement), beginning with his famous Itinerar spiritual ("Spiritual itinerary", serialized in Cuvântul in 1927), center on several political ideals advocated by the far right. They displayed his rejection of liberalism and the modernizing goals of the 1848 Wallachian revolution (perceived as "an abstract apology of Mankind"^[15] and "ape-like imitation of [Western] Europe"),^[16] as well as for democracy itself (accusing it of "managing to crush all attempts at national renaissance",^[17] and later praising Benito Mussolini's Fascist Italy on the grounds that, according to Eliade, "[in Italy,] he who thinks for himself is promoted to the highest office in the shortest of times").^[18] He approved of an ethnic nationalist state centered on the Romanian Orthodox Church (in 1927, despite his still-vivid interest in Theosophy, he recommended young intellectuals "the return to the Church"),^[19] which he opposed to, among others, the secular nationalism of Constantin Rădulescu-Motru;^[20] referring to this particular ideal as "Romanianism", Eliade was, in 1934, still viewing it as "neither fascism, nor chauvinism".^[21] Eliade was especially dissatisfied with the incidence of unemployment among intellectuals, whose careers in state-financed institutions had been rendered uncertain by the Great Depression.^[22] To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article gives an overview of Liberalism and Radicalism in Romania. ... Modernization (also Modernisation) is a concept in the sphere of social sciences that refers to process in which society goes through industrialization, urbanization and other social changes that completely transforms the lives of individuals. ... People in Bucharest during the 1848 events, carrying the Romanian tricolor The Wallachian Revolution of 1848 was a Romanian liberal and Romantic nationalist uprising in the principality of Wallachia. ... “Mussolini” redirects here. ... Italian fascism (in Italian, fascismo) was the authoritarian political movement which ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. ... Ethnic nationalism is the form of nationalism in which the state derives political legitimacy from historical cultural or hereditary groupings (ethnicities); the underlying assumption is that ethnicities should be politically distinct. ... The Romanian Orthodox Church (Biserica Ortodoxă Română in Romanian) is one of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches. ... Theosophy, literally god-wisdom (Greek: θεοσοφία theosophia), designates several bodies of ideas. ... An intellectual is one who tries to use his or her intellect to work, study, reflect, speculate on, or ask and answer questions with regard to a variety of different ideas. ... George Jacob Holyoake (1817-1906), British writer who coined the term secularism. ... Constantin Rădulescu-Motru Constantin Rădulescu-Motru (born Constantin Rădulescu, he added the surname Motru in 1892; February 15, 1868–March 6, 1957) was a Romanian philosopher, psychologist, sociologist, logician, academic, dramatist, as well as centre-left nationalist politician with a noted anti-fascist discourse. ... Chauvinism (IPA:) is extreme and unreasoning partisanship on behalf of a group to which one belongs, especially when the partisanship includes malice and hatred towards a rival group. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see The Great Depression (disambiguation). ...

By 1937, he gave his intellectual support to the Iron Guard, in which he saw "a Christian revolution aimed at creating a new Romania",^[23] and a group able "to reconcile Romania with God".^[24] His articles of the time, published in Iron Guard papers such as Sfarmă Piatră and Buna Vestire, contain ample praises of the movement's leaders (Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, Ion Moţa, Vasile Marin, and Gheorghe Cantacuzino-Grănicerul).^[25] He eventually enrolled in the Totul pentru Ţară ("Everything for the Fatherland" Party), the political expression of the Iron Guard,^[3][26] and contributed to its 1937 electoral campaign in Prahova County — as indicated by his inclusion on a list of party members with county-level responsibilities (published in Buna Vestire).^[27] Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is... Corneliu Zelea Codreanu Corneliu Zelea Codreanu (born Corneliu Zelinski; September 13, 1899 – November 30, 1938) was the charismatic leader of the Romanian ultra-Nationalist and strongly anti-Semitic movement in the interwar period, the Iron Guard (Garda de Fier) or The Legion of the Archangel Michael (also known as the... Ion MoÅ£a Ion MoÅ£a (July 5, 1902, Orăştie, Transylvania—January 13, 1937, Majadahonda, Spain) was the Romanian ultra-nationalist deputy leader of the Iron Guard, who became a prominent symbol of martyrdom after killed in battle during the Spanish Civil War. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Prahova (IPA: ) is a county (judeÅ£) in the Center-South of Romania, in the North of the Wallachia region, with the capital city at PloieÅŸti (population: 253,068). ... Administrative map of Romania. ...

Internment and diplomatic service

The stance taken by Eliade resulted in his arrest on July 14, 1938 after a crackdown on the Iron Guard authorized by King Carol II. At the time of his arrest, he had just interrupted a column on Provincia şi legionarismul ("The Province and the Iron Guard's ideology") in Vremea, having been singled out by Prime Minister Armand Călinescu as an author of Iron Guard propaganda.^[28] is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... The King of Romania was the title of the ruler of the Kingdom of Romania from 1881 until 1947 when Romania was proclaimed a republic. ... Carol II of Romania, (15 October 1893 – 4 April 1953) reigned as King of Romania from June 8, 1930 until September 6, 1940. ... Categories: Lists of office-holders | Romanian Prime Ministers | History of Romania ... Armand Călinescu Armand Călinescu (June 4, 1893 [O.S. May 22] - September 21, 1939) was a Romanian economist and politician. ... For other uses, see Propaganda (disambiguation). ...

Eliade was kept for three weeks in a cell at the Siguranţa Statului Headquarters, in an attempt to have him sign a "declaration of dissociation" with the Iron Guard, but he refused to do so.^[29] In the first week of August he was transferred to a makeshift camp at Miercurea-Ciuc. When Eliade began coughing blood in October 1938, he was taken to a clinic in Moroeni.^[30] Eliade was simply released on November 12 and, with the help of Alexandru Rosetti, became the cultural attaché to the United Kingdom, a posting cut short when Romanian-British foreign relations were broken.^[31] Miercurea-Ciuc (Hungarian: Csíkszereda, German: Szeklerburg) is a city in Harghita county, Transylvania, Romania, with a population of 50,000. ...

After leaving London he retained the same position in Portugal, where he was kept on as diplomat by the National Legionary State (the Iron Guard government) and, ultimately, by Ion Antonescu's regime. In 1942, Eliade authored a volume in praise of the Estado Novo, established in Portugal by António de Oliveira Salazar, alleging that "The Salazarian state, a Christian and totalitarian one, is first and foremost based on love".^[32] On July 7 of the same year, he was received by Salazar himself, who asked assigned Eliade the task of warning Antonescu to withdraw the Romanian Army from the Eastern Front ("[In his place], I would not be grinding it in Russia").^[33] Eliade also claimed that such contacts with the leader of a neutral country had made him the target for Gestapo surveillance, but that he had managed to communicate Salazar's advice to Mihai Antonescu, Romania's Foreign Minister.^[34] The National Legionary State (Romanian: Statul NaÅ£ional Legionar) was the Romanian government of September 6, 1940—January 23, 1941. ... Office Prime Minister, Conducător of Romania Term of office from September 4, 1940 until August 23, 1944 Profession Soldier, politician Political party none, formally allied with the Iron Guard Spouse Rasela Mendel Date of birth June 15, 1882 Place of birth PiteÅŸti, Romania Date of death June 1... History of Portugal series Prehistoric Portugal Pre-Roman Portugal Roman Lusitania and Gallaecia Visigoths and Suevi Moorish rule and Reconquista First County of Portugal Kingdom of Galicia and Portugal Second County of Portugal Establishment of the Monarchy Consolidation of the Monarchy 1383–1385 Crisis Discoveries Portuguese Empire 1580 Crisis Iberian... António de Oliveira Salazar, pron. ... Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Totalitarianism is a term employed by some scientists, especially those in the field of comparative politics, to describe modern regimes in which the state regulates nearly every aspect of public and private behavior. ... The Romanian Army (Armata Română) consists of three branches: Romanian Land Forces Romanian Naval Forces Romanian Air Force The term army is used in Romania when referring to the entire military, while land forces deal only with the actual army itself. ... Combatants Soviet Union,[1] Poland, Tannu Tuva (until 1944 incorporation with USSR), Mongolia Germany,[2] Italy (to 1943), Romania (to 1944), Finland (to 1944), Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Spain (to 1943, unofficial) Commanders Joseph Stalin, Aleksei Antonov, Ivan Konev, Rodion Malinovsky, Ivan Bagramyan, Kirill Meretskov, Ivan Petrov, Alexander Rodimtsev, Konstantin Rokossovsky... The   (contraction of Geheime Staatspolizei: “secret state police”) was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. ... Mihai Antonescu Mihai Antonescu (1907-1946) was Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Romania during World War II. Antonescu made his living as an attorney before becoming Prime Minister Ion Antonescu’s (whom he was not related to) Minister of Propaganda in 1940. ... // Foreign Affairs Ministers of the United Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia, 1862 - 1866 Apostol Arsache 1862 prince Alexandru Cantacuzino 1862 general Ioan G. Ghica 1862-1863 Nicolae Rosetti-Bălănescu 1863-1865 Alexandru Papadopol-Callimachi 1865-1866 Ion Ghica 1866 Petre Mavrogheni 1866 Foreign Affairs Ministers of the Principality...

Exile

At signs that the Romanian communist regime was about to take hold, Eliade opted not to return to the country. He lived in France, where, recommended by Georges Dumézil, he taught at the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris. It was estimated that, at the time, it was not uncommon for him to work 15 hours a day.^[9] Anthem Zdrobite cătuÅŸe (1947 - 1953) Te slăvim Românie (1953 - 1968) Trei Culori (1968-1989) Capital Bucharest Language(s) Romanian Government Socialist republic Head of State  - 1947–1965 Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej  - 1965-1989 Nicolae CeauÅŸescu Legislature Marea Adunare NaÅ£ionalÇŽ Historical era Cold War  - Monarchy abolished... Georges Dumézil (March 4, 1898 - October 11, 1986) was a French comparative philologist best known for his analysis of sovereignty and power in Indo-European religion and society. ... The École Pratique des Hautes Études is a university in Paris, France. ... This article is about the capital of France. ...

In 1957, he moved to the United States. He was invited by Joachim Wach to give a series of lectures at Wach's home institution, the University of Chicago, and settled in Chicago. The two scholars are generally admitted to be the founders of the "Chicago school" that basically defined the study of religions for the second half of the 20th century.^[35] Upon Wach's untimely death before the lectures were delivered, Eliade was appointed as his replacement, becoming the Sewell Avery Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Religions. He also worked as editor-in-chief of Macmillan Publishers' Encyclopedia of Religion, collaborated with Carl Jung and the Eranos circle, and wrote for the Antaios magazine (edited by Ernst Jünger).^[9] This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The University of Chicago is a private university located principally in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. ... Nickname: Motto: Urbs in Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country State Counties Cook, DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City  234. ... Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately-held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. ... “Jung” redirects here. ... Eranos is an intellectual discussion group dedicated to study of spirituality. ... Ernst Jünger Ernst Jünger, (March 29, 1895 – February 17, 1998) was a German author of novels and accounts of his war experiences. ...

Initially attacked with virulence by the Romanian Communist Party press, chiefly by România Liberă (which described him as "the Iron Guard's ideologue, enemy of the working class, apologist of Salazar's dictatorship"),^[36] he was slowly rehabilitated beginning in the early 1960s (under the rule of Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej).^[37] In the 1970s, Eliade was approached by the Nicolae Ceauşescu regime in several ways, in order to have him return. The move was prompted by the officially-sanctioned nationalism and Romania's claim to independence from the Eastern Bloc, as both phenomena came to see Eliade's prestige as an asset. An unprecedented event occurred with the interview that was granted by Mircea Eliade to poet Adrian Păunescu, during the latter's 1970 visit to Chicago; Eliade complimented both Păunescu's activism and his support for official tenets, expressing a belief that PCR hammer and sickle symbol The Romanian Communist Party (Romanian: Partidul Comunist Român, PCR) was a Communist political party in Romania. ... România Liberă is one of the leading newspapers in Romania. ... The term enemy of the people (Russian language: враг народа, vrag naroda) was a fluid designation under the Bolsheviks rule in regards to their real or suspected political or class opponents, sometimes including former allies. ... Rehabilitation in the context of Soviet or Russian topics is often a false friend used to translate the Russian term reabilitatsiya as applied to convicted persons. ... Gheorghiu-Dej (center) and CeauÅŸescu (left) Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej (November 8, 1901, Bârlad - March 19, 1965, Bucharest) was the Communist leader of Romania from 1948 until his death in 1965. ... Nicolae CeauÅŸescu (IPA , in English, sometimes (and erroneously) ) (January 26, 1918–December 25, 1989) was the leader of Romania from 1965 until December 1989. ... A map of the Eastern Bloc 1948-1989. ... Adrian Păunescu, (Born July 20, 1943). ...

"the youth of Eastern Europe is clearly superior to that of Western Europe. [...] I am convinced that, within ten years, the young revolutionary generation shan't be behaving as does today the noisy minority of Western contesters. [...] Eastern youth have seen the abolition of traditional institutions, have accepted it [...] and are not yet content with the structures enforced, but rather seek to improve them".^[38]

Păunescu's visit to Chicago was followed by those of the nationalist official writer Eugen Barbu and by Eliade's friend Constantin Noica.^[39] At the time, Eliade contemplated returning to Romania, but was eventually persuaded by fellow Romanian intellectuals in exile (including Radio Free Europe's Virgil Ierunca and Monica Lovinescu) to reject Communist proposals.^[40] In 1977, he joined other exiled Romanian intellectuals in signing a telegram protesting the repressive measures newly enforced by the Ceauşescu regime.^[3] The borders of Western Europe were largely defined by the Cold War. ... The New Left is a term used in different countries to describe left-wing movements that occurred in the 1960s and 1970s. ... Eugen Barbu (February 20, 1924 - September 7, 1993) was a modern Romanian novelist, playwright, journalist, and correspondent member of the Romanian Academy, a position which was vehemently criticised by those who contended that he plagiarized in his novel Incognito and for his anti-Semitic campaigns in the newspapers Săpt... Constantin Noica Constantin Noica (July 12/25 1909, Vităneşti - December 4, 1987, Păltiniş) was a Romanian philosopher and essayist. ... Cover of Radio Liberty booklet The Most Important Job in the World Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a radio and communications organization which is funded by the United States Congress. ... Virgil Ierunca (August 16, 1920, LădeÅŸti, Vâlcea County – September 28, 2006, Paris) was a Romanian literary critic, journalist and poet. ... Monica Lovinescu (she published several works as Monique Saint-Come and Claude Pascal; b. ...

During his latter years, Eliade's fascist past was progressively exposed publicly, the stress of which probably contributed to the decline of his health.^[3] He died in April 1986, four months after a fire destroyed part of his office (an event which he had interpreted as an omen).^[3] Examples of omens from the Nuremberg Chronicle (1493): natural phenomena and strange births. ...

The scholar

The general nature of religion

In his work on the history of religion, Eliade is most highly regarded for his writings on Shamanism, Yoga and what he called the eternal return—the implicit belief, supposedly present in religious thought in general, that religious behavior is not only an imitation of, but also a participation in, sacred events, and thus restores the mythical time of origins. Eliade's thinking was in part influenced by Rudolf Otto, Gerardus van der Leeuw, Nae Ionescu and the writings of the Traditionalist School (René Guénon and Julius Evola).^[41] For instance, Eliade's The Sacred and the Profane partially builds on Otto's The Idea of the Holy to show how religion emerges from the experience of the sacred, and myths of time and nature. A shaman doctor of Kyzyl. ... For other uses, see Yoga (disambiguation). ... The Eternal return is, according to the theories of religious historian Mircea Eliade, a belief, expressed (sometimes implicitly but often explicitly) in religious behavior, in the ability to return to the mythical age, to become contemporary with the events described in ones myths. ... Rudolf Otto (September 25, 1869 - 6 March 1937) was an eminent German protestant theologian and scholar of comparative religion. ... Gerardus van der Leeuw (March 18, 1890, The Hague – Nov 18, 1950, Utrecht) was a Dutch historian and philosopher of religion. ... Nae Ionescu (born Nicolae C. Ionescu; June 16 (June 4 O. S.) 1890, Brăila—March 15, 1940) was a Romanian philosopher, logician, mathematician, professor, and journalist. ... The Traditionalist School of thought (not to be confused with Traditionalist Catholicism), attained its current form with the French metaphysician René Guénon, although its precepts are considered to be timeless and to be found in all authentic traditions. ... René Jean Marie Joseph Guénon (November 15, 1886 – January 7, 1951) also named Sheikh Abd al-Wahid Yahya upon his acceptance of Islam, was a French-born author. ... Julius Evola born Giulio Cesare Andrea Evola, aka Baron Evola (May 19, 1898-June 11, 1974), was an Italian esotericist and occult author, who wrote extensively on Hermeticism, the metaphysics of sex, Tantra, Buddhism, Taoism, mountaineering, the Holy Grail, militarism, aristocracy, on matters political, philosophical, historical, racial, religious, as well...

Eliade is noted for his attempt to find broad, cross-cultural parallels and unities in religion, particularly in myths. Wendy Doniger, Eliade's colleague from 1978 until his death, notes that "Eliade argued boldly for universals where he might more safely have argued for widely prevalent patterns".^[42] His Treatise on the History of Religions was praised by French philologist Georges Dumézil for its coherence and ability to synthesize diverse and distinct mythologies.^[43] Wendy Doniger (born November 20, 1940) is an American professor of religion, active in international religious studies since 1973. ... Georges Dumézil (March 4, 1898 - October 11, 1986) was a French comparative philologist best known for his analysis of sovereignty and power in Indo-European religion and society. ...

Sacred and profane

Moses taking off his shoes in front of the burning bush (illustration from a 16th century edition of the Speculum Humanae Salvationis)

Eliade argues that religious thought in general rests on a sharp distinction between the Sacred and the profane;^[44] whether it takes the form of God, gods, or mythical Ancestors, the Sacred contains all "reality", or value, and other things acquire "reality" only to the extent that they participate in the sacred.^[45] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Moses with the Tablets, 1659, by Rembrandt This article is about the Biblical figure. ... Burning bush at St. ... Jacobs Ladder from a Speculum of ca. ...

Eliade's understanding of religion centers on his concept of hierophany (manifestation of the Sacred) — a concept that includes, but is not limited to, the older and more restrictive concept of theophany (manifestation of a god).^[46] From the perspective of religious thought, Eliade argues, hierophanies give structure and orientation to the world, establishing a sacred order. The "profane" space of nonreligious experience can only be divided up geometrically: it has no "qualitative differentiation and, hence, no orientation [is] given by virtue of its inherent structure".^[47] Thus, profane space gives man no pattern for his behavior. In contrast to profane space, the site of a hierophany has a sacred structure to which religious man conforms himself. A hierophany amounts to a "revelation of an absolute reality, opposed to the nonreality of the vast surrounding expanse".^[48] As an example of "sacred space" demanding a certain response from man, Eliade gives the story of Moses halting before Yahweh's manifestation as a burning bush (Exodus 3:5) and taking off his shoes.^[49] Hierophany (from the Greek roots hieros - sacred, holy -, and epiphaneia - appearance) signifies a manifestation of the Sacred. ... Look up theophany in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Moses with the Tablets, 1659, by Rembrandt This article is about the Biblical figure. ... Tetragrammaton redirects here. ... Burning bush at St. ... Exodus is the second book of the Torah, the Tanakh, and the Old Testament. ...

Origin myths and sacred time

Eliade notes that, in traditional societies, myth represents the absolute truth about primordial time.^[50] According to the myths, this was the time when the Sacred first appeared, establishing the world's structure — myths claim to describe the primordial events that made society and the natural world be that which they are. Eliade argues that all myths are, in that sense, origin myths: "myth, then, is always an account of a 'creation'".^[51]

Many traditional societies believe that the power of a thing lies in its origin.^[52] If origin is equivalent to power, then "it is the first manifestation of a thing that is significant and valid"^[53] (a thing's reality and value therefore lies only in its first appearance).

According to Eliade's theory, only the Sacred has value, only a thing's first appearance has value and, therefore, only the Sacred's first appearance has value. Myth describes the Sacred's first appearance; therefore, the mythical age is sacred time,^[54] the only time of value: "primitive man was interested only in the beginnings [...] to him it mattered little what had happened to himself, or to others like him, in more or less distant times".^[55] Eliade postulated this as the reason for the "nostalgia for origins" that appears in many religions, the desire to return to a primordial Paradise.^[56] One may feel nostalgic for the familiar routine of school, conveniently forgetting the painful experiences such as bullying. ... Paradise, Jan Bruegel Paradise is an English word from Persian roots that is generally identified with the Garden of Eden or with Heaven. ...

Eternal return and "Terror of history"

Main article: Eternal return (Eliade)

Eliade argues that traditional man attributes no value to the linear march of historical events: only the events of the mythical age have value. To give his own life value, traditional man performs myths and rituals. Because the Sacred's essence lies only in the mythical age, only in the Sacred's first appearance, any later appearance is actually the first appearance; by recounting or reenacting mythical events, myths and rituals "reactualize" those events.^[57] The Eternal return is, according to the theories of religious historian Mircea Eliade, a belief, expressed (sometimes implicitly but often explicitly) in religious behavior, in the ability to return to the mythical age, to become contemporary with the events described in ones myths. ...

Thus, argues Eliade, religious behavior does not only commemorate, but also participates in, sacred events:

"In imitating the exemplary acts of a god or of a mythical hero, or simply by recounting their adventures, the man of an archaic society detaches himself from profane time and magically re-enters the Great Time, the sacred time."^[58]

Eliade called this concept the "eternal return" (distinguished from the philosophical concept of "eternal return"). Wendy Doniger noted that Eliade's theory of the eternal return "has become a truism in the study of religions".^[59] The Eternal return is, according to the theories of religious historian Mircea Eliade, a belief, expressed (sometimes implicitly but often explicitly) in religious behavior, in the ability to return to the mythical age, to become contemporary with the events described in ones myths. ... Eternal return or sometimes eternal recurrence is a concept originating from ancient Egypt and developed in the teachings of Pythagoras. ...

Eliade attributes the well-known "cyclic" vision of time in ancient thought to belief in the eternal return. For instance, the New Year ceremonies among the Mesopotamians, the Egyptians, and other Near Eastern peoples reenacted their cosmogonic myths. Therefore, by the logic of the eternal return, each New Year ceremony was the beginning of the world for these peoples. According to Eliade, these peoples felt a need to return to the Beginning at regular intervals, turning time into a circle.^[60] The New Year is an event that happens when a culture celebrates the end of one year and the beginning of the next year. ... For other uses, see Mesopotamia (disambiguation). ... Overview map of the Ancient Near East The term Ancient Near East or Ancient Orient encompasses the early civilizations predating Classical Antiquity in the region roughly corresponding to that described by the modern term Middle East (Egypt, Iraq, Turkey), during the time roughly spanning the Bronze Age from the rise... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Eliade argues that yearning to remain in the mythical age causes a "terror of history": traditional man desires to escape the linear succession of events (which, Eliade indicated, he viewed as empty of any inherent value or sacrality). Eliade suggests that the abandonment of mythical thought and the full acceptance of linear, historical time, with its "terror", is one of the reasons for modern man's anxieties.^[61] Traditional societies escape this anxiety to an extent, as they refuse to completely acknowledge historical time.

Coincidentia oppositorum

Eliade claims that many myths, rituals, and mystical experiences involve a "coincidence of opposites", or coincidentia oppositorum. In fact, he calls the coincidentia oppositorum "the mythical pattern".^[62] Many myths, Eliade notes, "present us with a twofold revelation":

"they express on the one hand the diametrical opposition of two divine figures sprung from one and the same principle and destined, in many versions, to be reconciled at some illud tempus of eschatology, and on the other, the coincidentia oppositorum in the very nature of the divinity, which shows itself, by turns or even simultaneously, benevolent and terrible, creative and destructive, solar and serpentine, and so on (in other words, actual and potential)."^[63]

Eliade argues that "Yahweh is both kind and wrathful; the God of the Christian mystics and theologians is terrible and gentle at once".^[64] He also thought that the Indian and Chinese mystic tried to attain "a state of perfect indifference and neutrality" that resulted in a coincidence of opposites in which "pleasure and pain, desire and repulsion, cold and heat [...] are expunged from his awareness".^[65]

According to Eliade, the coincidentia oppositorum’s appeal lies in "man's deep dissatisfaction with his actual situation, with what is called the human condition".^[66] In many mythologies, the "fall" out of the mythical age resulted in a fundamental "ontological change in the structure of the World".^[67] Because the coincidentia oppositorum is a contradiction, it represents an abolition of the laws of the "fallen" world.

Also, traditional man's dissatisfaction with the post-mythical age expresses itself as a feeling of being "torn and separate".^[68] In many mythologies, the lost mythical age was a Paradise, "a paradoxical state in which the contraries exist side by side without conflict, and the multiplications form aspects of a mysterious Unity".^[69] The coincidentia oppositorum expresses a wish to recover the lost unity of the mythical Paradise, for it presents a reconciliation of opposites and the unification of diversity:

"On the level of presystematic thought, the mystery of totality embodies man's endeavor to reach a perspective in which the contraries are abolished, the Spirit of Evil reveals itself as a stimulant of Good, and Demons appear as the night aspect of the Gods."^[70]

Exceptions to the general nature