The Nazis and the Occult: The Third Reich's Search for Supernatural Powers Paperback – Import, 1 June 2021

I initially downloaded a sample thinking "Here we go again, another silly book about how Adolf Hitler was a Satanist who was best pals with Aleister Crowley and enjoyed nothing more than dancing naked on the Obersalzburg sacrificing goats." I was pleasantly surprised to find a serious treatment of the subject. If you're interested in learning about spiritual and esoteric influences on the "Hitler Gang" this is the book for you. It examines the complex relationship between the Nazis racial philosophy and pre-existing currents in the study of the occult and what passed for "scientific theory" in the Third Reich such as Eugenics. It's not a difficult read and the author is obviously well informed on the subject. I'm going to explore more of his work and I'd recommend this title to anyone with an interest in examining the more bizarre aspects of what made the Nazis 'tick'.

Nazis and the Occult by Paul Roland is a nonfiction book about the major influence the dark arts played throughout Hitler's regime. Hitler was not the only one who dabbled spirits, astrology, ancient relics, seances, and the paranormal. He filled his party with plenty of like-minded individuals such as Himmler, Bormann, Goebbels, Goering, and Hess.Roland started at the beginning, not Hitler's beginning, but the beginning of the modern day notion that the Aryan race was the superior race of the world. Guido von List (1848-1919) kicked it off by claiming to be a descendant of a Nordic warrior with blonde hair and blue eyes who drove the Romans out of Germany. His faith lied in the Wotan religion, a pagan religion. He eventually incorporated God into this religion by claiming that the Aryan race was ordained to rule.List also claimed he channelled wisdom from the ancients through the Akashic Records (an invisible matrix of mental energy). List was a scam artist. He misused the "von" in his name to give off the illusion of aristocracy, but was a son of a tradesman. List and then Madame Blavatsky played their parts in creating the Theosophical Society.Another phony aristocrat, Baron Rudolf von Sebottendorf, helped shape Nazi ideology as well. He made Germans prove their purity by tracing their ancestry three generations and then even measured their skulls. He organized a study for the lost continent of Thule which was thought of a the Nordic Atlantis.One of the most interesting parts of the book was Hitler's obsession with ancient relics. He came into possession of the Spear of Destiny (the spear that punctured Jesus at the cross by the guard). The Spear was on display in an Austrian museum. Once Hitler rose to power, he seized the Spear, believing it gave the owner power.My Review: This was a fascinating read. The author admits he doesn't have 'hard' proof of some of the accusations, but does have witness accounts and plenty of research to suggest that the book is true. Not sure if I believe every word, but enjoyed reading it. It is hard to believe that a handful of insane people could manage to believe in all of this Woton/pagan stuff. I learned a great deal of the craziness that was going on behind the scenes. Hitler and his cronies seemed to pattern their Nazi regime off of Freemason pageantry and regalia.The theosophy link was especially interesting. I used to live right by a Theosophy Society in Wheaton, Illinois and always wondered what went on there. Apparently this 'religion' is still thriving. There website had something about reading tarot cards.I highly recommend this book to history lovers fascinated with Hitler. It was well-written, organized, and filled with history and conspiracy. Loved it![...]

If you’ve read William Shirer’s masterwork, "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich", perhaps the sheer enormity of the atrocities committed by the Nazis caused you to wonder what dark forces were unleashed on the world through Hitler and his brutal henchmen. So, perhaps, after some research, you came across a book titled "Nazis and the Occult: the dark forces unleashed by the Third Reich." Aha! You might think you’d get some answers.You would be wrong. Although the author presents various sources that allege (somewhat convincingly) Nazi utilization of occult powers, he goes on to discredit those sources (which he nevertheless continues to cite throughout the book) and ultimately concludes (somewhat unconvincingly) that “..human beings are capable of truly evil acts even without the urging of external influences.” His position seems to be that the Nazis were using dark magic “unconsciously” and “intuitively”. I say “seems” because the author vacillates throughout the book between (A): “Such rites [books burnings] were the clearest evidence yet that Nizism was not a political movement but a satanic cult in the true sense of the word”, and (B): “..there is no documentary evidence that Hitler and his inner circle were practicing magicians or occultists of any kind.”Ironically, although the author seems to want to discount darker forces completely, by the end of the book, you may be convinced more than ever that something more than “bad men” was at play here. There’s too much smoke here to ignore the possibility of fire. Certainly, the butcher Heinrich Himmler was obsessed with the occult and it’s hard to believe that Himmler and his SS elite were merely having tea parties at Wewelsburg Castle in the circular vault known as the “Realm of the Dead”. Although Trevor Ravenscroft’s contention in “The Spear of Destiny” that Hitler was possessed through this relic by the “Superman [Ubermensch] – a Spirit sublime and fearful, a countenance intrepid and cruel” is dismissed as “speculative fiction”, the author later says that Hitler couldn’t wait to get his hands on the Spear of Destiny when he marched into Austria. It’s hard to dismiss the countless witnesses at the Nuremberg Rallies who described Hitler as talking “as a man possessed”. And, Houston Stewart Chamberlain, whose work “Foundations of the Nineteenth Century” was proclaimed the “gospel of the Nazi movement”, freely admitted that his work was driven by demons.But, you decide. This is certainly a good read despite its often frustrating "Maybe they did/maybe they didn't" style. And, the Timeline given at the end of the book is a good reference for how the Third Reich unfolded.

It is always painful to read about the savage cruelty perpetrated by the Nazis during their 12 year reign of terror. However I believe that studying past examples of such negativity is useful for anyone struggling to understand difficult questions such as the actual existence of demonic forces and the nature of evil. This book gives insight into the twisted minds and philosophies of various prominent Nazis who believed that they were using magical forces to expand their power. In his book Paul Roland shows how, from the start of their repulsive regime, Nazi ideology clashed with Christian ideals. For example 'Love thy neighbour as thyself' presented an obvious difficulty. Belief in Norse myths, the 'Aryan' race and worship of Hilter filled the gap. Paul Roland provides a vivid description of a typical Nuremberg rally - extremely dramatic, hugely theatrical and all centred on the appearance of Hitler as a saviour and hero. Hard to resist for anyone caught up in this fervent act of worship.Himmler described his organisation, the S.S., as men who embodied "chivalric spirit and the reincarnation of Teutonic knights who were entrusted with the presentation of the Aryan ideal and the extermination of the 'inferior races' ". Horrible. And of course Himmler believed that he was himself the reincarnation of a king. According to Paul Roland's book the S.S. were seen (by Himmler at least) as high priests, especially chosen to take part in secret rites at Himmler's headquarters in Wewelsburg castle. We also learn about the sad fate of Otto Rahn, who apparently chose to die (possibly believing that he was following the Cathar ritual of Consolamentum) from starvation on the side of a snow covered mountain rather than continuing as Himmler's official Grail seeker.Paul Roland covers more or less every possible 'occult' idea, including for example, the incredible 'Hollow Earth' theory ,believed in by Goering - although it would need a book that was twice this length to go into everything in full detail. The photographs are excellent and add a great deal to the author's clear explanations of a very painful and complex subject.

Although quite well written and with interesting content, the irony of this book is that the author neither believes in nor has any understanding of the occult realities and sciences. His ignorance in this respect is shown clearly in his conclusion, where he states: "No one of sane mind has claimed to have seen a demon or the devil since the Dark Ages." Exorcists, demonologists, high level practitioners of black magic the world over would not agree. In a similar vein, he writes at some length about astrology, yet clearly has no real knowledge of the subject. For those who are looking to understand the role of demonic and dark occult forces in world history, look elsewhere. Particularly, as these same forces are currently in the ascendant and pushing to trigger a new world war far more dangerous than the last.