Nazism, Theosophy, Gnosticism and the Occult

I've been exploring some of the many roots of the Nazi movement—and there are many. One of these is Theosophy, a movement related to Madame H.P. Blavatsky and her book The Secret Doctrine. Thanks to Google, one can now read the entire 500 plus pages of this work online—if you're so inclined.

In her book Blavatsky claims to provide a synthesis of science, religion and philosophy. In the philosophy of G.W.F. Hegel and others, human knowledge unfolds by a process of thesis, antithesis and synthesis. A thesis is a proposal such as that the world is flat. The antithesis is an objection. No, it cannot be. Take a look at the horizon falling away. So how do we bring these two together in some kind of synthesis? Since ancient times there were many methods, but please do not ask me to go into them.

By the way, there is a publisher that seeks to bring free digitalized textbooks into university learning systems. They call this Flat World Knowledge. No need any longer to keep knowledge from textbooks beyond the students' horizons. It can all be available on their desktops. Applause for the modern, digitalized world. But I'm off topic.

Back to Blavatsky and those who followed her lead. She claimed to take human knowledge to a new level. In New York City in 1875  Helena P. Blavatsky, Henry S. Olcott, William Q. Judge, and others founded the Theosophical Society. Blavatsky (1831-1891) is the primary force behind the modern theosophical movement. In October, 1879 she founded the journal The Theosophist.

What is theosophy? Below is an accurate definition provided by way of Our Lady's Warriors, a Roman Catholic organization.

Theosophy is essentially a modern version of Gnosticism. Within it one can find clear Gnostic, Pantheistic and occult influences, including Sophia. The new twist is the "space alien like," but clearly demonic connection whereby Theosophy was "delivered to the first human protoplasts, the first thinking human beings on Earth by highly intelligent spiritual entities from superior spheres." Some actually claim that various of these "ascended masters" have been living on Venus for some 18,000 years and will shortly return.

Theosophy made its way into Lutheran circles through Frederick Rittelmeyer. Rittelmeyer was a Lutheran pastor of a congregation in Berlin, who studied under Adolph von Harnack. Harnack was a history professor and a prominent leader of the higher critical movement that undermined confidence in the Bible as the revealed Word of God. He did not believe in the supernatural or in Biblical miracles.

In 1910 Pastor Rittelmeyer met Rudolf Steiner, a theosophist and founder of anthroposophy. Rittelmeyer wanted to modernize Christianity, bring it up to date with the new, synthesized knowledge. With Steiner's help, in 1922 he founded a renewal movement called the Christian Community, a kind of new age denomination active to the present day in the United States and other parts of the world.

When the Nazis took charge of Germany in the early 1930s, Rittelmeyer was able to perform a kind of balancing act that enabled his Christengemeinschaft (Christian Community) to survive. But then, both his movement and Nazism had its roots in the work of Blavatsky, so that was entirely possible.

There were other things going on in Germany, of course. I'll wander into them with you on another day.

Blavatsky and The Rise of Nazism

Blavatsky Net Theosophy - original Theosophy text - focus on Madame Blavatsky

There is a lot of research behind every good historical novel. My new novel is both a thriller and historical, focusing especially upon the Nazi movement, both in Europe and in the United States.

You cannot understand Nazism without taking into account Madam Helena Blavatsky with her connections to Tibet, Russia, London and ultimately Nazi Germany. She died in 1891, just a few years before the momentous events of the twentieth century.

As the site quoted above says, "all her work can be summed up in one of her maxims: Compassion is the law of laws. She explained that brotherhood is not a mere ideal--it is a fact in nature on the spiritual plane.  From that we derive a logical basis and a binding source for morality that can guide and inspire us, even while more traditional religious sources are losing their compelling force. She gives us the metaphysics from which we can deduce the most important priciples of how to live."

How could this so-called wisdom morph into a movement responsible for the deaths of millions? And how could Nazism, informed by the esoterical works of this very strange--no, weird--woman arise on the same soil that spawned the Reformation led by Martin Luther?

In my novel my protagonist, a Lutheran, comes face to face with a woman taught by Blavatsky's teachings, as well as those of her apt and extremely influential student, Guido von List.

One dare never underestimate the power of the written word.

Esotericism and My Third Novel

I learned a new word yesterday. Oh, I sort of knew what it was, but it helped to look it up on my dictionary: Esotericism - intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest: esoteric philosophical debates.


Let me explain how I got there. We're trying to figure out who might be interested in reading my third novel, Freya's Child, as we proceed toward publication. Since the bad girl in the book is a 'witch' or Wiccan priestess and a Nazi, I am searching for other books about Nazis. I discover a book and a series of documentaries made from it.

The Occult History of the Third Reich: This powerful and disturbing series uses rare original footage to tell a story that is as bizarre as it is horrific, and which casts new light on a national movement that came to see evil as a sacred task.

The author of the book the series is based on is Professor Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke. Dr. Clarke is Director of the Centre for the Study of Esotericism. He is a professor of Western Esotericism at University of Exeter and author of several other books on esoteric traditions, including also Hitler's Priestess: Savitri Devi, the Hindu-Aryan Myth and Neo-Nazism. Savitri Devi was a true believer who took Nazism beyond politics. She believed that Hitler was an avatar or god come to earth. This Aryan Hindu prophetess became a guiding spirit of the international neo-Nazi movement.

There you have it, a new word and another insight into the Nazi movement, a movement that did not die with Adolph Hitler. By the way, did Hitler really commit suicide in his bunker? His body was never found. 

Germany, The Great Depression and The Year of My Birth

After World War I the German Economy was destroyed by the demands of the Allied nations that Germany make reparations. With their economy destroyed and inflation out of hand, thousands of Germans lost their savings and their incomes. This nation was ripe for a takeover by people like the national socialists (Nazis). Consider the following as a partial explanation: Germany and the Great Depression [Mackinac Center].

As I look forward to celebrating another birthday in a few days, I am again reminded of what momentous events took place in the year I was born, 1933:

Coat of Arms of the German Government

• In January German President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Adolph Hitler as the Chancellor of Germany. Chancellor was the equivalent of Prime Minister in other countries. 
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt became President of the United States and his New Deal attempted to deal with the devastating effects of the Great Depression. 
• In April of that year the Nazis began a boycott of all Jewish establishments, beginning what came to be known as the Holocaust. 
• In the same month Hitler's private police, the Gestapo, was organized and began to operate. 
• In May, with massive book burning, censorship began in Nazi controlled Germany. 
• In the U.S.A. the gold-standard was abandoned and various New Deal programs, like the Tennessee Valley Authority, began to function. 
• By the middle of the year all opposing political parties were outlawed by the Nazis. 
• By the end of that year Germany had left the League of Nations and was well on its way to becoming a dictatorship. 

As the 1930s progressed Germany began its moves to take over neighboring nations. Based on its war economy the country moved out of the Depression and began to function as an apparently progressive and economically successful nation. This seems to be the reason why so many German-Americans admired Germany and its centrally controlled, one party system, totally non-democratic form of socialism. 

I needed to understand that vital part of history as I worked on my third novel. In it my main character, Albert, has long discussions with his wife's father, Doc Tilden, about what it meant, both for Germany and for the United States. 

What Should My Book Cover Look Like?

You can't judge a book by its cover. So goes the old saying. Wrong! At least that's not what I'm hearing from my advisors. People do judge books by their covers. They glance at the cover of an unknown book for a few seconds and in those seconds make a decision to open it up or not.


The creation of a book cover is one of the first tasks I face as I work on Freya's Child, my new book, with my publisher and my marketing agency. And as I do, I'm waiting for some pleasant surprises.


A couple days ago I wrote about this journey I am on. When I posted this Blog also on FaceBook I received one of those very pleasant surprises. Steve, a long time friend and fellow Christian and also a graphic artist with over 20 years of experience, offered to help. What an amazing offer. You can be certain that we'll be in detailed conversation about this matter in the next days and weeks.


There are many images in this book that may well be portrayed. For instance, the opening chapter takes us into the office of General Heinrich Himmler, head of the Gestapo. On his wall hangs a huge red flag with a large white circle in the middle. On that circle is the infamous Nazi swastika, a very ancient symbol.

Most of us tremble or grow angry at the sight of that symbol, but it was not always so. In many ancient cultures the swastika was a revered and beloved image. It still is among many.


The Word Swastika is derived from the Sanskrit word svastika. It was an ancient symbol of peace and harmony. To this day in India it is a mark made on persons or on things to bring them good luck. American fliers even used it early in the twentieth century as a good luck symbol on their planes. Look carefully and you will find it on numerous historic buildings, including those listed in the National Registry of Historic Places.  The swastika shape even appears on a building of the U.S. Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado, California. 


The ancient Greeks created the symbol by interlinking their symbol for the letter Gamma or G in English four times. That letter looks like an upside down L. Priestesses would tattoo it on their bodies. Greek architecture and pottery is replete with the symbol. The Greeks called it the tetra-gammadion or 4-Gs. 

As I said, the symbol is and was used all over the world. The Nazis associated it with the Nordic god Thor and his hammer, but that was probably stealing a name that properly belongs to the T-shaped symbol. In any event, the swastika shape appears in Icelandic grimoires (magical symbols) where it is called Thor's hammer. Since the Nazis loved the revived Nordic religion, the swastika was an obvious choice as their national symbol. 



So back to my book cover. Should I have the swastika somewhere on it? The critical question: will this attract readers or chase them away? Steve and all you other creative and knowledgeable graphic artists, I need your help. 

My Decision To Self-Publish

This past summer has been a time of transition for me. When Sylvia and I went to our vacation home in Colorado for two months I fully intended to devote a major chunk of my time to writing. As it turned out, that didn't happen. What did happen is a decision to move more deeply into self-publishing. For starters I decided to publish the third novel in what I call the Albert and Tillie series.

I decided to do this for a couple reasons. I've dropped a summary of this novel, Freya's Child, into the hands of a about three dozen editors. One after the other said he or she was not interested in representing me to the publishing world. My writing friends kept telling me to persist. Some wise agent would finally come along to represent me, they insisted. I decided to ignore their counsel. Let me tell you why.

What I am trying to do with this novel is unique in a sense. Albert Freitag, my protagonist, is forced to deal with the occult side of the Nazi movement, a side never or seldom portrayed in fiction. To date I have yet to find a novel that explores this issue. Hitler, Himmler and a large number of other Nazi leaders were committed to the overthrow of the Christian church and all it stands for. They sought to replace it with what they considered the real religion of the Aryan race.

Freitag, whose family name means Friday in English, has to question his own faith and his commitment to his wife and newborn daughter. He has to deal with a priestess devoted to this revived worship of ancient Nordic gods. Specifically, she is a devotee of the goddess Freya. The goddess Freya is the Nordic equivalent of Venus or Aphrodite among the Greeks and Romans. She is the goddess of love, family, home--and often war. Albert is forced by this priestess to question his belief in Christ and the entire Christian story. This confrontation goes to the very roots of his existence. Ironically, his last name, Freitag, points to that day in the week originally named after the goddess Freya. In fact, we seldom realize that every day in our week is named after one of the Nordic gods. But I get ahead of myself.

In my story Hulda Schwarz, the priestess, uses her wiles, her beauty, her seductive powers and her considerable contacts with demonic forces to draw Albert away, both from his beliefs and from his wife. The story question is whether he will be able to resist the temptation.

I have found no agents willing to represent me as I strive to surface these issues  in a world now removed by half a century from Nazism and what it represented. However, the gods are still with us! They have not left. They may have lost World War II. The mere humans they used to tear up and destroy the lives of millions are dead. But the gods live on, still ripping down and overthrowing Christian civilization to replace it with the same idolatry, bigotry, hatred, racial prejudice, pride, lust, lawlessness and greed they have always promoted.

Since I found no agent to represent me to the publishing world, I decided to do my own representing. I decided to work with a print-on-demand publisher and some marketing experts who will assist me in getting Freya's Child into print and into the hands of people interested in learning about the occult side of Nazis and the demonic forces that continue to war against everything we Christians have inherited and still believe in. 

Keep tuned for more about my journey in days to come.