The concept of the eternal return is one of the central pillars of Mircea Eliade’s thought. A Romanian historian of religions and one of the most influential scholars of the 20th century, Eliade sought to understand how religious societies perceive time and human existence within it. The idea of eternal return describes the perception of time in most ancient religious cultures, fundamentally positing that time is not linear but cyclical. Time continuously renews and repeats itself, and human beings participate in this process through rituals, myths, and religious life.
Myth, Ritual, and the Return to Sacred Time
One of the key elements of Eliade’s idea of eternal return is the distinction between two types of time: sacred time and profane time. Sacred time is seen as circular, eternal, and connected to myth and the original act of creation, whereas profane time is historical, linear, and irreversible. For the religious individual, sacred time is the meaningful dimension of time, as it connects them to the origins of existence and the divine realm.
Eliade illustrates how rituals and ceremonies function as "time machines" that allow individuals to return to the time of primordial creation. For instance, New Year celebrations or renewal ceremonies in ancient cultures are not merely markers of temporal passage but symbolic reenactments of the original moment of creation. By returning to this mythic time, individuals participate in the creative act and experience renewal.
Cyclicality vs. Historicity
The idea of eternal return stands in stark contrast to the historical perception of time that characterizes Western culture, particularly with the rise of Jewish-Christian monotheism. In the historical perception, time moves forward from creation toward salvation, imbuing human history with moral significance. In cultures that embrace a cyclical view of time, however, time does not progress toward an ultimate end—everything that happens has already happened, and nothing truly new can occur outside the predetermined cosmic patterns.
Eliade does not present the eternal return as exclusive to so-called "primitive" cultures. He emphasizes that the concept also appears in Western philosophy, such as in Nietzsche’s thought, where the idea of the eternal return is reinterpreted as a moral and existential challenge: how should one live if every moment of one’s life is destined to repeat itself eternally?
Criticism and the Meaning of the Eternal Return
Eliade’s ideas have been met with considerable criticism from scholars of religion. Some argue that his perspective is overly romanticized or too universalist. Critics claim that he overlooks fundamental differences between cultures and prioritizes mythic structures over social and historical realities. Others, however, highlight his contributions in identifying deep structural patterns common to a wide range of cultures.
The concept of eternal return raises fundamental questions about our relationship to time, life, and death. In the modern era, where time is often experienced as an irreversible process of decay and progress, there may be value in revisiting a cyclical perspective that offers comfort and a sense of belonging to a broader cosmic order. The ability to "return in time" through rituals and narratives is not only a religious act but also an existential one—it allows us to relive moments of great significance and find our place within the continuum of existence.
see also: Eliade's Axis Mundi
