UR Group was an Italian

esotericist Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas a ...

association, founded around 1927 by intellectuals including

Julius Evola Giulio Cesare Andrea "Julius" Evola (; 19 May 1898 – 11 June 1974) was an Italian philosopher, poet, painter, esotericist, and radical-right ideologue. Evola regarded his values as aristocratic, masculine, traditionalist, heroic, and defiantly ...

Arturo Reghini Arturo Reghini (12 November 1878 – 1 July 1946) was an Italian mathematician, philosopher and esotericist. Biography Arturo Reghini was born in Florence on 12 November 1878. In 1898, he became a member of the Theosophical Society for which he ...

and Giovanni Colazza for the study of

Traditionalism Traditionalism is the adherence to traditional beliefs or practices. It may also refer to: Religion * Traditional religion, a religion or belief associated with a particular ethnic group * Traditionalism (19th-century Catholicism), a 19th–cen ...

and

Magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

Joscelyn Godwin Joscelyn Godwin (born 16 January 1945 at Kelmscott, Oxfordshire, England) is a composer, musicologist, and translator, known for his work on ancient music, paganism, and music in the occult. Biography He was educated as a chorister at Christ ...

(2010)
''Atlantis and the Cycles of Time: Prophecies, Traditions, and Occult Revelations''
Simon and Schuster, 2010. They published monthly series of issues in ''UR'' (1927-28) and ''KRUR'' (1929) journals, reprinted in the three volumes of the book ''Introduzione alla Magia quale Scienza dell'Io'' ("Introduction to Magic as Science of the

Self The self is an individual as the object of that individual’s own reflective consciousness. Since the ''self'' is a reference by a subject to the same subject, this reference is necessarily subjective. The sense of having a self—or ''selfhood ...

") in 1955 and 1971. Wouter J. Hanegraaff, ''Dictionary of Gnosis & Western Esotericism'', Brill, 2006, p. 743.

History

The Group of UR was founded by

. Among the first collaborators to it were also the freemason

, follower of the

neo-Pythagoreanism Neopythagoreanism (or neo-Pythagoreanism) was a school of Hellenistic philosophy which revived Pythagorean doctrines. Neopythagoreanism was influenced by middle Platonism and in turn influenced Neoplatonism. It originated in the 1st century BC ...

of the Rocco Armentano's "Schola Italica", his pupil Giulio Parise, and the

anthroposophist Anthroposophy is a spiritualist movement founded in the early 20th century by the esotericist Rudolf Steiner that postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world, accessible to human experience. Followers ...

Giovanni Colazza, a disciple of

Rudolf Steiner Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner (27 or 25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925) was an Austrian occultist, social reformer, architect, esotericist, and claimed clairvoyant. Steiner gained initial recognition at the end of the nineteenth century as a ...

, belonging to the tradition of Christian esotericism. They gathered various seekers devoted to initiate asceticism, united by the sharing of similar

esoteric Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas a ...

studies, to revitalize the perennial tradition of the ancient

Sacred mysteries Sacred mysteries are the areas of supernatural phenomena associated with a divinity or a religious belief and praxis. Sacred mysteries may be either: # Religious beliefs, rituals or practices which are kept secret from the uninitiated. # Beliefs ...

. Julius Evola was the first editor of the magazine ''UR''. The size of the Group has remained hidden but it is estimated between twelve and fifteen people. Evola rapidly expanded his influence on the Group's magazine,G. Lachman (2012), p. 215. to the point of ousting Arturo Reghini and his disciple Giulio Parise from the management at the end of 1928. Strong personal disagreements with Parise had in fact led to a split in the group itself, after which, in January 1929, Evola founded a new magazine called ''KRUR''. Reghini's support for

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

would prove a bone of contention for Evola, who accused him of wanting to put the magazine under the direct control of the

Grand Orient of Italy The Grand Orient of Italy (GOI) ( it, Grande Oriente d'Italia) is an Italian masonic grand lodge founded in 1805; the viceroy Eugene of Beauharnais was instrumental in its establishment. It was based at the Palazzo Giustiniani, Rome, Italy fr ...

. The UR Group in fact declared itself independent of esoteric schools or tendencies formed in modern and contemporary times, referring, if anything, to a universal

Tradition A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

prior to particular doctrinal forms. In addition to

Hermetists Hermeticism, or Hermetism, is a philosophical system that is primarily based on the purported teachings of Hermes Trismegistus (a legendary Hellenistic combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth). These teachings are containe ...

and

Kremmerz Giuliano M. Kremmerz (1861–1930), born Ciro Formisano, was an Italian alchemist working within the tradition of hermeticism. In 1896, Kremmerz founded the Confraternita Terapeutica e Magica di Myriam (Therapeutic and Magic Brotherhood of Myriam ...

ians, were also accepted within it some

Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and a significant component of Steinerians, whose

anthroposophy Anthroposophy is a spiritualist movement founded in the early 20th century by the esotericist Rudolf Steiner that postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world, accessible to human experience. Followers ...

undoubtedly inspires most of the members of the Group.Peter Staudenmaier (2014)
''Between Occultism and Nazism: Anthroposophy and the Politics of Race in the Fascist Era'', p. 271
BRILL, 2014. The purpose of this group was to attempt to bring the members' individual identities into such a superhuman state of power and awareness that they would be able to exert a magical influence on the world. They aimed to provide a "soul" to the burgeoning

Fascist movement Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...

of the time through the revival of

ancient Roman religion Religion in ancient Rome consisted of varying imperial and provincial religious practices, which were followed both by the people of Rome as well as those who were brought under its rule. The Romans thought of themselves as highly religious, ...

, and to influence the fascist regime through esotericism. Operating branches of the Group were established in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and in other cities of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, the so-called «chains», based on common intentions and practices, mainly employing the

anthroposophical Anthroposophy is a spiritualist movement founded in the early 20th century by the esotericist Rudolf Steiner that postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world, accessible to human experience. Followers ...

exercises taught by Steiner for spiritual development, as well as techniques from

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

, Tantric and rare Hermetic texts.

The name

The name of the group comes from the phonetic expression ''u-r'', existing in the Chaldean and in the

Runic Runes are the letters in a set of related alphabets known as runic alphabets native to the Germanic peoples. Runes were used to write various Germanic languages (with some exceptions) before they adopted the Latin alphabet, and for specialised ...

with the meaning of

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...

and

bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., cows), bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions, includin ...

ram Ram, ram, or RAM may refer to: Animals * A male sheep * Ram cichlid, a freshwater tropical fish People * Ram (given name) * Ram (surname) * Ram (director) (Ramsubramaniam), an Indian Tamil film director * RAM (musician) (born 1974), Dutch * Ra ...

respectively, as well as a prefix "ur-" in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

to indicate something primal, ancestral.

The magazines

In the magazines, expressions of the works within the Ur Group, the authors of the articles signed themselves with a

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

, because they preferred to spread their thought rather than advertise their own person. The magazine's director was Julius Evola as it appears on the 1927 cover; together with the "curators" Pietro Negri (alias Arturo Reghini) and Giulio Parise in the cover of 1928; again and only Evola in 1929, when the magazine's name was changed to ''KRUR''. Each of the three publication years corresponds to one of the three volumes of the work ''Introduction to Magic as Science of the Ego'' reprinted in 1955 and 1971. Several hermetic-alchemical texts such as the ''

Turba philosophorum The ''Turba Philosophorum'', also known as ''Assembly of the Philosophers'', is one of the oldest European alchemy texts, translated from the Arabic, like the Picatrix. It is considered to have been written c. 900 A.D. The text To quote Plessner, ...

'', or Gichtel's ''Theosophia practica'' were published in the journals of ''UR'' and ''KRUR'', and others of a philosophical and ritual nature from various sources.

The members

The

pseudonyms A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

behind which the members of the Ur Group hid were partly revealed by the researches of Gianfranco de Turris, and Renato Del Ponte.Renato Del Ponte, ''Evola and the magical Group of UR. Studies and documents to serve the history of «Ur-Krur»'', Borzano (Reggio Emilia), SeaR, 1994, cf. Below a list of those who collaborated with the magazines of ''UR'' and ''KRUR'' (in brackets their symbolic name used to sign, according to the idea of 'active impersonality'): * Giovanni Colazza (Leo, and possibly Breno and Krur),

, direct disciple of

. *

Giovanni Antonio Colonna Giovanni may refer to: * Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname * Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data * ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...

(Breno and Krur, or Arvo),Michele Beraldo,
L'Antroposofia e il suo rapporto con il Regime Fascista
', in Aa.Vv., ''Esoterismo e fascismo: storia, interpretazioni, documenti'', p. 83, ed. by Gianfranco de Turris, Rome, Mediterranee, 2006. anthroposophist. * Girolamo Comi (Gic), Catholic poet, friend of Arturo Onofri. * Guido De Giorgio (Havismat), Catholic, first close to the thought of

René Guénon René Jean-Marie-Joseph Guénon (15 November 1886 – 7 January 1951), also known as ''Abdalwâhid Yahiâ'' (; ''ʿAbd al-Wāḥid Yaḥiā'') was a French intellectual who remains an influential figure in the domain of metaphysics, having writte ...

, then follower of Pius of Pietrelcina. * Aniceto Del Massa (Sagittarius), friend and disciple of Arturo Reghini,

Pythagorean Pythagorean, meaning of or pertaining to the ancient Ionian mathematician, philosopher, and music theorist Pythagoras, may refer to: Philosophy * Pythagoreanism, the esoteric and metaphysical beliefs purported to have been held by Pythagoras * Ne ...

, later anthroposophist. *

(Agarda, Arvo, Ea, Iagla). * Nicola Moscardelli (Sirio, Sirius), Catholic poet inspired by Onofri's poetics. * Roggero Musmeci Ferrari Bravo (Ignis), whose name does not appear in magazines, however. * Arturo Onofri (Oso), poet, anthroposophist. * Giulio Parise (Luce),

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

. * Ercole Quadrelli (Abraxa, Tikaipos), Kremmerzian. *

(Pietro Negri, once Henìocos Àristos), Pythagorean and Freemason. * Corallo Reginelli (Taurulus), first anthroposophist, then hermetist. * Domenico Rudatis (Rud),

mountaineer Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, an ...

and

. *

Massimo Scaligero Massimo Scaligero, born Antonio Sgabelloni in Veroli, Italy (1906–1980) an Italian spiritual teacher and member of "Gruppo di Ur". A mentee of Julius Evola, Scaligero espoused fierce antisemitic views which were combined with esotericism and ant ...

(Maximus), anthroposophist, direct disciple of Giovanni Colazza. * Emilio Servadio (Es),

psychoanalyst PsychoanalysisFrom Greek language, Greek: + . is a set of Theory, theories and Therapy, therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a bo ...

, poet. Other people, whose identity is unknown, signed with the pseudonyms of: Alba, Apro, Arom, Nilius, Primo Sole, Zam. Another enigmatic name, Ekatlos, is attributable to a lady, or perhaps to

Leone Caetani Leone Caetani (September 12, 1869 – December 25, 1935), Caetani, Duke of Sermoneta (also known as Prince Caetani), was an Italian scholar, politician, and historian of the Middle East. Caetani is considered a innovator, pioneer in the applicati ...

. In the magazine ''Krur'' also wrote Agnostus, behind which the French esotericist

is probably hidden.

Works

and The UR Group,
Introduction to Magic: Rituals and Practical Techniques for the Magus
', vol. I, translated by Guido Stucco, edited by Michael Moynihan, Rochester, Vt.: Inner Traditions/Bear, 2001 ISBN 9780892816248. *Julius Evola and The UR Group,
Introduction to Magic, Volume II: The Path of Initiatic Wisdom
', translated by

, edited by

Hans Thomas Hakl Hans Thomas Hakl (born 27 February 1947 in Graz, Austria) is an Austrian publisher, essayist and translator. He has used the signatures H. T. Hakl, H.T.H., or the pseudonym H. T. Hansen. Biography Hakl earned a Doctor of law degree at Graz Univ ...

, Rochester, Vt.: Simon and Schuster, 2019 ISBN 9781620557181. *Julius Evola and The UR Group,
Introduction to Magic, Volume III: Realizations of the Absolute Individual
', translated by Joscelyn Godwin, edited by Hans Thomas Hakl, Rochester, Vt.: Simon and Schuster, 2021 ISBN 9781620557204.

Notes

References

, ''Atlantis and the Cycles of Time: Prophecies, Traditions, and Occult Revelations'', Simon and Schuster, 2010. *

, ''Julius Evola and the UR Group'', Aries, 12, Leida, Brill, 2012. * Hans Thomas Hakl, Christopher McIntosh, ''Eranos: An Alternative Intellectual History of the Twentieth Century'', Routledge, 2014. *

Gary Lachman Gary Joseph Lachman (born December 24, 1955), also known as Gary Valentine, is an American writer and musician. He came to prominence in the mid-1970s as the bass guitarist for rock band Blondie. Since the 1990s, Lachman has written full-time ...

, ''Politics and the Occult: The Left, the Right, and the Radically Unseen'', Quest book, 2012. * Damon Zacharias Lycourinos, ''Occult Traditions'', Numen Books, 2012. * * AA. VV. ''La Dimensione Magica del Gruppo di Ur. Atti del Simposio Internazionale svoltosi a Napoli nel 2017 in occasione del 90º Anniversario della costituzione del Gruppo di Ur'', Ed. Rebis, Viareggio, 202
(index)
* Claudio Mauri, ''La catena invisibile. Il giallo del fascismo magico'', Milano, Mursia, 2005. ISBN 8842533319. * Renato Del Ponte, ''Evola e il magico Gruppo di Ur. Studi e documenti per servire alla storia di Ur-Krur'', Borzano, Albinea, Sear Edizioni, 1994. * Gianfranco De Turris, ''Esoterismo e fascismo: storia, interpretazioni, documenti'', Edizioni Mediterranee, 2006. * Marco Rossi, ''Neopaganesimo e arti magiche nel periodo fascista, in Storia d'Italia'', Annali 25, "Esoterismo", ed. Gian Mario Cazzaniga, Einaudi, Turin, 2010, pp. 599–627.

External links

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''UR'' (1927)''UR'' (1928)
an
''KRUR'' (1929)
reprinted in ''Introduzione alla magia'' (1971) * {{Authority control 1920s in Italy 1920s in modern paganism Esoteric schools of thought Italian culture Julius Evola Magical organizations Modern paganism in Italy Secret societies in Italy Western esotericism