Understanding Nietzsche’s Eternal Return.

It takes a strong philosopher to grasp ancient teachings and present them in such a way that these teachings are propelled all the way to our current times; that philosopher was none other than Friedrich Nietzsche.

His philosophy on the eternal return was based on ancient Gnostic and alchemical teachings. Although most people use his theory to support one side of the argument (that life is chaotic, predetermined, and nonsensical), there is another side that complements the old teaching of the Eternal Return. Nietzsche also sought to convey this through his theory of the “Übermensch” (or Superman)—the hero who rises.

These teachings explore the relationship between the eternal Nietzschean return and the transformation of our experience of time. The eternal return symbolizes an ephemeral and transitory existence. Regarding the past, the eternal return teaches us that an identical repetition is, in fact, a non-repetition. Amor fati (love of fate) comes from the eternal return, as the most extreme form of fatalism, which leads to the overcoming of nihilism… something completely different from the common belief of passivity and resignation.

The open future is a constant theme in Nietzsche’s writings. However, doesn’t the eternal return contradict free will? Superficially, one might think so. However, the teachings of the Superman (free will) beautifully complement those about the eternal return. Both are necessary to prevent us from falling into fanaticism or false laws of absolute – denying balance (balance: where destiny meets free will).

The eternal return represents a logical approach related to the idea of infinity. In this regard, several religions, philosophers, and first-class physicists have spoken…both for and against it. The eternal return is often represented by the snake paradox. In Ancient Greece, this paradox was raised through a drawing known as the ouroboros. This symbol represents an animal that devours itself – specifically, a snake that bites its tail and begins to swallow it. The paradox raises the question: “If a snake begins to eat its tail and ends up eating its entire body, where would the snake be? If it is inside its stomach, which in turn is inside it?”….

The paradox of the serpent, represented through Nietzsche’s eternal return, refers to the relationship between the finite (destiny) and the infinite (free will)—most people tend to get this backwards, seeing free will as the finite force. However, in a pre-deterministic universe of 1s and 0s, no matter how vast the combination, the answers, though complex, remain finite. On the other hand, the pure force of will, born from the divine spark – which was, and always will be – is truly infinite.

The paradox also refers to the cyclical nature of existence and everything that exists. It challenges the concept of linear time, where we believe we move forward, leaving everything behind. Yet nature’s law, as proven by the Fibonacci sequence, is spherical, not linear. The figure of the snake, or the teaching of the paradox regarding the eternal return, is a metaphor for the encounter between the beginning and the end, meeting at the exact same point. From this perspective, there is really no beginning or end, but rather an eternal repetition of cycles in which everything returns to its origin. Time, then, would not be linear. There could be the paradox of moving backward – progressing back to the beginning. However, if we pay close attention to the Fibonacci sequence, we see that life does not repeat itself within one circle. Each spiral is greater than the previous one…expansion!

The eternal return, or the paradox of the serpent that eats its tail, can also refer to the concept of “infinity.” The argument can be applied in one way or another. Hence, fanatic beliefs do not help. Neither does it help to learn or scrutinize only one side of the teaching without the other. The eternal return and the Superman theory are two sides of the same coin. That is what Nietzsche and the ancient sages were trying to teach us – they were not contradicting themselves. The paradox can be defined as that which has no end. It could be understood as something so extensive and numerous that it seems impossible to limit. However, as I mentioned earlier, beginning and end are realities that always end up meeting (once more, destiny meets free will).

Time, as a cycle represented in the snake paradox, also suggests a reality: Every moment of the present is devoured by the future. This can be reflected in man’s life—born from seemingly nothing, only to return to what many consider the vastness of nothing.

The principle of the eternal return can be presented mathematically and ontologically:

Mathematically: Time is infinite, but the matter and energy of the universe are finite. If this is so, the way of combining that matter and energy is finite. Therefore, in that infinity of time, several times the same combination will be repeated – what has been, will be again. The molecules that make up my body will, at some point, combine again in the same way, producing another being just like me but wiser (Fibonacci/spherical/expansion). In other words, we carry the learnings within us—energy doesn’t die; it can only transform.

Ontologically: The eternal return becomes a reaffirmation of the transience of life. We advance toward our own nothingness – or what may seem like nothingness to those who only observe one side of the coin.

Jung, for his part, speaks of “regeneration” – the process of figuratively killing oneself to give the self, new life. He points out that this is the very root of unconscious processes. To him, rebirth was no different from what the Initiates had already taught – the rebirth of Christ or Buddha. It was never meant to be literal but figurative – a concept that most people have a hard time comprehending because often their dogmas have not familiarized them with the way of the Initiates, their teachings and practices of the time.

To be reborn was to succumb to the shadow and reemerge whole, integrated (light and darkness), instead of seeking to mentally, physically, and spiritually castrate ourselves. In other words, only by respecting and embracing the laws of life and the universe, by properly seeking to understand them and apply them, will we (the infinite) be able to transcend the eternal return or law of the universe (the finite).

Only when we learn that free will is to become responsible for self – to embrace both sides of us – will our will have any effect on our destiny. We cannot create life by simply chanting repetitions. For our power to be exercised, we first need to discover who we truly are – emerging from our own darkness, recognizing the beauty hidden within it. Then we become our own hero, or as Nietzsche would have said, we become our own superman.

“This process of regeneration is at the same time a symbol of immortality, since the ouroboros kills itself and brings itself to life, fertilizes and gives birth. He symbolizes the one who proceeds from the clash of opposites, and therefore constitutes the secret of the raw material that indisputably comes from the very root of man’s unconscious.”

-Carl Jung-