Occult Origins of Nazism

“Mostly hidden by the emergence of the post-WWII industrial war machine, there emerged other ‘psychic signals’ that foretold of a rise in the new paranormal. During the war, reports surfaced of “extreme interest” by Hitler’s elite paramilitary corp., the Schutzstaffel (nefariously known as the SS) …in paranormal artifacts and sacred sites, located around the planet. Rumors spread of their attempts to harness the “psychic energies” of these sites and artifacts.”

- from the Tek-Gnostics Heresies

Nazism

As you know, Nazism is fundamentally and inextricably connected to the ideology and practices associated with the Nazi Party… officially titled the National Socialist German Workers' Party that arose in pre-WWII Nazi Germany. Nazism is also linked to other far-right groups with similar ideas and aims. Such groups adhere to an extreme, authoritarian, white nationalist ideology known as Fascism. Such tomfoolery is broadly considered to have risen to political prominence at the dawn of the 20^th century, reaching a critical mass in the aftermath of WWI.

In these strange, troubling times we find ourselves unavoidably tolerating… Alt-right, fear-mongering white supremacist Nazism has made an astonishingly successful comeback within certain socio-political factions, worldwide. Such movements traffic in violence and hatred. They thrive in the shadow of on-line anonymity, finding fertile ground in social media networks, where their various fascist ideologies take root. In the US of A, these new or neo-Nazi groups, emboldened by a Fascist-friendly administrative branch, move off-line to organize (real world) demonstrations and rallies.

We have seen plenty of overt examples of the violent nature of white supremacist rallies, such as the 2017 “unite the right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Modern-day Neo-Nazis use violence and intimidation to gain notoriety. They target ethnic and other harmless fringe groups to vent their rage and misplaced hatred. Such vile rhetoric, openly demonstrated in targeted cities, draw outraged reaction. The resulting clashes and street battles enjoined by Neo-Nazis and counter-protesters, pose a serious risk of life and limb to the Nazi’s targeted victims and unsuspecting and unlucky bystanders alike.

But the injuries inflicted upon the public… counter-protesters, bystanders and folks watching at home… go deeper than mere physical harm. In their insurgency, white supremacists also utilize covert means. As witnessed in Charlottesville, white supremacists wage psychological warfare that is occult-inspired. In the street battles of Charlottesville, white supremacists were seen using round battle shields with the occult Nazi “black sun” symbol emblazoned upon them. Use of such symbolism is not accidental.

Use of the black sun as a literal and occult shield is a contemporary example of Nazism’s historic and continuing fascination with occultism. In order to fully realize the extent to which Nazism negatively affects us all… not only culturally, but psychically as well… it would be useful to examine the origins of Nazi occultism and their quest to create and/or appropriate a mythological Aryan identity… as well as harness the power of occult symbols and artifacts.

Your humble blogger first came across the occult Nazi connection while reading “The Morning of the Magicians” during early Fortean investigations. As many of you may know, Morning of the Magicians, first published in 1960, was inspired by and dealt with the works of Charles Fort and H P Lovecraft, and covered such arcane topics as alchemy, spiritualism, ancient astronaut theory, and… the origins of Nazi occultism.

In that book, authors Louis Pauwels and Jacques Bergier outline the conspiracy theory that the mythical Vril Society and the Thule Society were the philosophical precursors to the Nazi Party. A primary focus of the Thule Society was a claim concerning the origins of the Aryan race. The Thule Society was also reported to be a cover for a secret society known as the Germanenorden (or "Order of Teutons"). In 1917, people who wanted to join the "Germanic Order", out of which the Thule Society developed in 1918, had to sign a special "blood declaration of faith" concerning their Aryan lineage.

Another similarly speculative work of note is the “Spear of Destiny” published in 1972 by Trevor Ravenscroft.  

Other scholars of the occult, place the origins of Nazism at the feet of Guido von List, founder of the Ariosophy movement. The term “Ariosophy” is used to describe the Aryan-esoteric theories of a subset of the Völkische Bewegung, a German ethnic and nationalist movement from the late 19th century. Ideology regarding the superiority of the Aryan race, runic symbols, the swastika, and occultism are important elements in Ariosophy.

It can be argued that the extreme Nationalist sentiment of the völkisch movement emerged after Germany's defeat in WWI. In their defeat, the Germans were subjected to post-war humiliations, including a devastating seven-month blockade (between the end of the war and the signing of the peace treaty). As no goods were allowed into Germany, it is estimated that 523,000 civilians had lost their lives as a result. Under such oppressive conditions, the surviving German population would look to a savior with an ideology of redemption and deliverance.

 Post-WWI Germany’s savior would take the form of Adolf Hitler. Unbeknownst to them at the time, their occult savior would take the form of Henrich Himmler, the commander of Hitler’s paramilitary force, the Schutzstaffel or SS (most often depicted with the Armanen runes: ϟϟ).

“Himmler was known to engage in the occult. He followed the paganism of pre-Christian Germany, something that was strongly associated with the German nationalism of the Nazi regime, and actively involved with black magic. He tried to practice necromancy, the magical art of raising people from the dead, and frequently held séances to try to contact the dead. The center of his occultic life was a place called Wewelsburg Castle, in the black forests of northern Germany. Here, he and many other Nazi officials engaged in their occultic practices.”

- Trista @ History Collection

Himmler was intent on fabricating an Aryan Mythos that would demonstrate the Germanic bloodline’s superiority (Tellingly, it was from the Nationalist völkisch movement that the slogan “blood and soil” emerged)…  

“At the time of its creation the SS numbered some 300 individuals, but Himmler quickly realized that to fully realize his vision of the SS he needed to establish a powerful Nordic mythos which would propel the SS from a bodyguard of around 300 to a power political engine of nearly 10,000 members by 1931. To achieve his fully realized agenda and aggressively recruit he knew that the SS must be transformed into an elite organization of Nordic men and women with some sort of historical precedent. It was a precedent derived from theosophy and the deeply occult advisors to the then German leaders.”

“As an avid student of history, Himmler fundamentally knew he needed to establish a divine providence in order to perpetuate this myth and chose to do this by fashioning the SS after his mythological interpretation of the Teutonic Knights, but that required reeducation and research, it also required (a revisionist) historic precedent.”

“Financed by a SS budget line (which was massive, to say the least), and beholden only to Henrich Himmler directly, the Ahnenerbe (Himmler’s revisionist think-tank, research and investigative corp) began to spread out across the world in search of scientific proof of Aryan superiority, which also included some interesting side trips in search of historical Christian relics and other strangeness.”

- Olav Phillips

In perpetuating a “Divine Aryan Mythos” Himmler’s investigative corps visited sites in Europe, the Middle East, Tibet… even Antarctica…

“In 1938 through 1939 the Ahnenerbe were again out in search of pre-historic archeological finds. This time in Antarctica, and lead by noted explorer Capt. Alfred Ritscher. The Antarctic expedition was partially to explore the Antarctic contentment but the team also had a secondary objective of locating the lost continent of Atlantis which some had hypothesized resided in Antarctica. What is notable about this expedition is that it also laid the groundwork for the Nazi Antarctic survival mythos and the ideas around Base 211. Some readers may remember that a site of which was supposedly found during the expedition and later extended by elements of the Navy and Army to serve as Base 211 or a hidden long term fortress from which the dying (at that point) Third Reich could continue their movement.” 

- Olav Phillips

High Strangeness indeed.

The result of the ultra-nationalist völkisch movement… Hitler’s “Third Reich” …Himmler’s Schutzstaffel… ultimately lead to Hitler’s “Final Solution” of which Himmler was the main architect. First in ghettos, then concentration camps… Jews, political opponents and other "undesirable" elements were marginalized, imprisoned or murdered. Many millions of people were eventually exterminated in a genocide which became known as the Holocaust during World War II, including around two-thirds of the Jewish population of Europe.

Black Sun floor design at Wewelsburg Castle

Neo-Nazism

According to Wikipedia, neo-Nazism consists of post-World War II militant social or political movements seeking to revive and implement the ideology of Nazism. Neo-Nazis seek to employ their ideology to promote hatred and attack minorities, or in some cases to create a fascist political state. It is a global phenomenon, with organized representation in many countries and international networks. It borrows elements from Nazi doctrine, including ultranationalism, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, antisemitism, anti-communism and initiating the Fourth Reich. Holocaust denial is a common feature, as is the incorporation of Nazi symbols and admiration of Adolf Hitler.

Given most neo-Nazi group’s own propaganda and adoption of historic Nazi symbols, the above seems self-evident. But have neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other Fascist organizations also adopted Nazi occultism? Again, use of the black sun symbol is overt enough to suggest that the answer to this question is self-evident. But do such groups employ covert, occultic means?

Organizations such as the Armanen-Orden represent significant developments of neo-pagan esotericism and Ariosophy after World War II. There do indeed exist, neo-pagan organizations with close ties to neo-Nazism, such as the Artgemeinschaft or the Heathen Front, and the attraction of many neo-Nazis to Germanic paganism remains an issue particularly in Germany.

There is a contemporary loose network of metal bands that combine neo-fascism and the occult. These groups can be found in Britain, France, and New Zealand, under names such as "Black Order" or "Infernal Alliance", and draw their inspiration from the Esoteric Hitlerism of Miguel Serrano. These groups advocate the anti-modern neo-tribalism and "Traditionalism" found in the "pagan" mysticist ideals of Alain de Benoist's Nouvelle Droite, as inspired by Julius Evola.

The on-line meme-magic cult known as “the Cult of Kek” has demonstrated the growing power that internet memes have on the fabric of reality. In our 2017 post dealing with Kek, we reported on its appropriation by Fascist groups. From that post…

“Per the Know your Meme website, the Cult of Kek… also known as the Church of Kek… is an alleged satirical religion based around the worship of the ancient Egyptian deity Kek (also spelled Kuk or Keku), an androgynous God of darkness and chaos who is often depicted as a frog or frog-headed man in male form or a snake-headed woman in female form.”

“The memetic phenomenon took a distinctly dark turn with the appropriation of Pepe/Kek by factions of neo-Nazi fascists who began depicting Pepe reading Mein Kampf, Pepe sipping from a swastika teacup, etc. Who knows what bizarre sequence of events attracted these white nationalist trolls to Pepe… perhaps the malevolent Kek deity, awaking from its primordial slumber, called to those who were susceptible to its manipulation… to its darkness?”

- The Cult of Kek and the Law of Eights

QAnon is another example of far-right, on-line shenanigans that border on the occult in the fierce loyalty and devotion of its followers. QAnon is a far-right conspiracy theory detailing a supposed secret plot by an alleged "deep state" against U.S. President Donald Trump and his supporters. A 4chan user by the moniker: Q… claiming Q level security clearance within the administration, began posting in 2017. QAnon's precepts and vocabulary are closely related to the religious concepts of millenarianism and apocalypticism… placing this conspiracy theory well within the realm of the occult.

At the end of the day, it is the psychic damage done to those who spend too much time thinking about such tomfoolery that is most troubling. Susceptible individuals, who buy-in to such propaganda, take on psychic trauma as they incorporate such occultic thinking into their worldview. They run the risk of “like begets like” in their emersion of white-supremacist, fascist propaganda.

As more and more people adopt such ideology, dark influences hold greater sway over larger factions of society at large. Here on Earth, in this day and age, it is the contention between those who adhere to worldviews of darkness, fear, and hate… and those who hold to precepts of compassion and love… that form the battle-lines of what has been called the “War in Heaven.” As above, so below.

As for your humble blogger, my strategy consists of observation, discernment, and a consistent attempt at critical thinking. Just ‘cause it’s said, that don’t mean that it’s so. Living in a post-truth world, it becomes increasingly difficult to practice the art of thinking critically. I do believe that compassion is the true measure of living a humane life. In closing, for those who would stare into the abyss of Fascist ideology, I would proffer the following bit of advice…

Don’t Believe Everything You Think!