Occult Imperium

Abstract This book examines the life and works of Italian mathematician and occultist Arturo Reghini (1878–1946): through a careful analysis of his writings, a theory arguing the existence of a conservative, anti-modern form of occultism is put forth. Such a theory represents an attempt to counterbalance the many ideas of occultism as exclusively progressive in nature put forth by previous scholars, namely Alex Owen, Marco Pasi, and Corinna Treitel. The work analyzes the intersection between modernity, occultism, and Traditionalism in a key period of Italian history, which includes World War I, the twenty years of Fascist rule, and World War II. Occultism and Traditionalism are also analyzed through the lens of their interaction with reactionary, extreme right-wing politics, with the avant-garde movements of the day, such as Futurism, and through a careful scrutiny of Reghini’s correspondence, some hitherto unpublished, with other giants of occultism of the day, such as René Guénon (1886–1951) and Amedeo Armentano (1886–1966).