The Occult in National Socialism

by Stephen E. Flowers

• ISBN13: 9781644115749
• ISBN10: 1644115743
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2022-09-20
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Summary

A critical history of the roots of Nazi occultism and its continuing influence

• Explores the occult influences on various Nazi figures, including Adolf Hitler, Albert Speer, Rudolf Hess, Alfred Rosenberg, and Heinrich Himmler

• Examines the foundations of the movement laid in the 19th century and continuing in the early 20th century

• Explains the rites and runology of National Socialism, the occult dimensions of Nazi science, and how many of the sensationalist descriptions of Nazi “Satanic” practices were initiated by Church propaganda after the war

In this comprehensive examination of Nazi occultism, Stephen E. Flowers, Ph.D., offers a critical history and analysis of the occult and esoteric streams of thought active in the Third Reich and the growth of occult Nazism at work in movements today.

Sharing the culmination of five decades of research into primary and secondary sources, many in the original German, Flowers looks at the symbolic, occult, scientific, and magical traditions that became the foundations from which the Nazi movement would grow. He details the influences of Theosophy, Volkism, and the work of the Brothers Grimm as well as the impact of scientific culture of the time. Looking at the early 20th century, he describes the impact of Guido von List, Lanz von Liebenfels, Rudolf von Sebottendorf, Friedrich Hielscher, and others.

Examining the period after the Nazi Party was established in 1919, and more especially after it took power in 1933, Flowers explores the occult influences on key Nazi figures, including Adolf Hitler, Albert Speer, Rudolf Hess, and Heinrich Himmler. He analyzes Hitler’s usually missed references to magical techniques in Mein Kampf, revealing his adoption of occult methods for creating a large body of supporters and shaping the thoughts of the masses. Flowers also explains the rites and runology of National Socialism, the occult dimensions of Nazi science, and the blossoming of Nazi Christianity. Concluding with a look at the modern mythology of Nazi occultism, Flowers critiques postwar Nazi-related literature and unveils the presence of esoteric Nazi myths in modern occult and political circles.

Author Biography

Stephen Edred Flowers, Ph.D., received his doctorate in Germanic languages and medieval studies from the University of Texas at Austin and studied the history of occultism at the University of Göttingen, Germany. The author of more than 25 books, including Revival of the Runes, he lives near Smithville, Texas.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

Essential Questions That Must Be Answered

PART I
Foundations of the Nineteenth Century (1800-1900)

Introduction to Part I

1 Foundations of Volkism
The Deep Background of What Became National Socialism

2 Foundations of the Scientific Culture
Science and Pseudoscience of the Nineteenth Century at the Root of National Socialism

3 Foundations of German Occultism
The Deep Occult Background of the Age

PART II
Before Hitler Came
(1900-1919/1933)

Introduction to Part II

4 Symbolic Volkism
The World of Symbols and Signs into which the Third Reich Entered

5 Preludes in Science and Pseudoscience
Science as Symbol and Weapon

6 Occult Culture in Greater Germany
The Fantastic Occulture of the Age

PART III
Myth of the Twentieth Century (1919-1945)

Introduction to Part III

7 Symbolic Elements in the NSDAP
How Signs, Symbols, and Ceremonies Were Wielded to Gain and Maintain Power and Control

8 Rituals of National Socialism
Magic and Manipulation

9 Religious Revolution in the Third Reich
The Rise of New Religions

10 Occult Dimensions of Nazi Sciences
The Weaponization of the Occult

11 Occultism and the Third Reich
The Anti-occult Reich as a Step toward Political Spellcasting

PART IV
The Mythology of Nazi Occultism

Introduction to Part IV

12 The Roots of the Myth of Nazi Occultism in Wartime Propaganda Imaginative Propaganda Lays the Foundation of Postwar Tabloid Scholarship

13 Aftermath: Esoteric Nazism Since 1945
The Generation of a New-Age Mythology A Summary and Final Assessments

APPENDIX A
A Simplified Version of the Organizational Structure of the Ahnenerbe

APPENDIX B
The Word Nazi A Chronological Annotated

Bibliography

References

Index