+++The definitive history of the supernatural in Nazi Germany, exploring the occult ideas, esoteric sciences, and pagan religions touted by the Third Reich in the service of power+++
PDF file:
perlego.com/book/1089078/hi … nsters-pdf
I’m currently reading this book for the second time, and, for anyone interested in Paganism, magic, ancient traditions and folklore, it’s a morbidly fascinating read. Paganism, like anything else, has its negative side, and the accounts outlined in this book must be among the worst examples of this.
There’s so much information packed into it that it’s difficult to know where to begin. So how about the fact that all the top Nazis were fascinated by Buddhism, believing it to be the Eastern equivalent of Nazism? This includes Hitler himself, who was not one of the more occult oriented of the Nazi leaders.
Or how about Himmler’s belief that the Aryan race are descended from aliens who came down to earth on Atlantis millions of years ago? This is all documented in interviews with his close associates just after the war. Himmler, of course, features quite prominently in the book, as he is well known for his weird ideas. What is not quite so well known, I think, is that almost all of the top Nazis shared these ideas to varying degrees.
Strangest of all is the fact that all Nazis believed in something called the World Ice Theory. They rejected Einstein, because he was Jewish, and instead adopted the idea that the entire universe is literally made of ice.
The book traces the origins of Nazism from the so-called Volkisch movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which have some disturbing similarities with the modern New Age movement. Especially those aspects of it that reject modern technology and urban living, calling for a return to the land and a simpler way of life. To be fair, a lot of the people involved in these early movements would have been appalled at what Nazism eventually evolved into, and indeed, some of those who were still around by then, were indeed appalled and said so, often ending up in concentration camps. But by then it was far too late.
A lesson for all of us, I think. Keep yourself grounded, and always try and hold onto what’s good in life, without letting your own prejudices and hatreds take over. Easy to say, but not always easy to do.