2,000 Greater & Lesser Mysteries/2,000 Greater and Lesser Mysteries.iso/set/mys01920.txt

Text File | 1994-06-10 | 19.5 KB | 310 lines

"Temple of Set Reading List:
Category 14 - Fascism, Totalitarianism, and Magic" (8/22/88CE)
Reprinted from: _The Crystal Tablet of Set_
(c) Temple of Set 1989 CE
Weirdbase file version by TS permission

by Michael A. Aquino, Ipsissimus VI* Temple of Set
Electronic mail: MCI-Mail 278-4041

This is a very potent, controversial, and dangerous area of magic, whose
implications are rarely examined, understood, or appreciated by the profane
[which is just as well]. Much of the data concerning it derives from Nazi
Germany, whose character as a state based upon magical rather than
conventional principles goes a long way towards explaining the "peculiar"
fascination which that episode continues to exert on students of history and
political science. Many of the techniques pioneered or perfected by the
Nazis continue to be used/abused - generally in a superficial and ignorant
fashion - by every country of the world in one guise or another. The
magician who can recognize and identify these techniques and the principles
behind them can thus control or avoid their influence as desired.

14A. _The Mass Psychology of Fascism_ by Wilhelm Reich. NY: Simon &
Schuster, 1970. (TS-3) MA: "The controversial Reich examined both the Nazi
and the communist elements of Germany, found them wanting, and was roundly
denounced by them in return. This book exposes their use of mass movements
and mob psychology as a sexual substitute, and their repression of
'innocent' sex as a deliberate political technique [compare #14E]. This
manipulation of expression and repression is applied to other social
phenomena as well - such as certain organized religious bodies. A lucid and
hard-hitting study. A biographical profile of Reich is presented in #6N,
Appendix 75 - 'The Frankenstein Legacy'."

14B. _The Occult and the Third Reich_ by Jean-Michel Angebert. NY:
Macmillan, 1974. (TS-3) (OT-3) MA: "This book contains sections on the Grail
(both Christian and pagan), traditions concerning Atlantis and ancient
initiatory societies, the theories of Nietzsche and Wagner, Nazi mysticism,
and the Catharist tradition. Well footnoted. The almost fantastic subject
material tends to make the author's objectivity suspect, but on close
examination his argument is grounded in responsible research. On the other
hand Otto Rahn, the young German mystic whose theories are advanced in this
book did not hold the alleged high rank in the SS, nor commit suicide
because of politico/mystical reasons. He was an Unterscharfuehrer (sergeant)
who killed himself after being expelled from the SS because of his sexual
preferences."

14C. _The Grail Legend_ by Emma Jung and Marie-Louise von Franz. NY: G.P.
Putnam's Sons, 1970. (TS-4) (OT-1) MA: "Another book for the C.G. Jung
Foundation for Analytical Psychology [see also #19K], this impressive study
treats all major historical versions of the Grail legend, identifies their
common features, and evaluates their significance. The definitive work on
the Grail. See also #6N, Appendix 36 - In Quest of the Unholy Grail."

14D. _The Spear of Destiny_ by Trevor Ravenscroft. NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons,
1973. (TS-3) (OT-3) MA: "The chief merit of this book lies in its profile of
the metaphysical and occult-society concepts and movements that influenced
pre-Nazi and Nazi Germany. Read critically but thoughtfully. Since it is
heavily footnoted to Theosophical Society (Blavatsky) and Anthrosophical
Society (Steiner) sources, this book cannot be considered factually
reliable."

14E. _1984_ by George Orwell. NY: Harcourt, Brace & Co., 1949. (TS-3) MA:
"Orwell's classic portrait of a 'negative utopia', with many features
adapted from Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia - but also a satire of
socialist trends in postwar Britain. Many features of Orwell's imaginary
society may be increasingly applied to actual ones today. The shape of
things to come?"

14F. _Mein Kampf_ by Adolf Hitler. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1943.
(TS-5) (OT-3) MA: "Everyone knows that this is 'the most evil book ever
written', but few have taken the time to actually read it, hence cannot
really explain why. Further complicating the situation is Hitler's
interspersion of political philosophy (interesting) with emotional tirades
(not so interesting). Look for the discussions concerning the selection of
leaders, control of the masses, and the justification for human social
organization. You may be surprised at what you discover. Keep in mind that
this book was written not as a historical memoir, but rather as a propaganda
device to lend an image of philosophical substance and coherence to the
still-fledgling and somewhat [due to Hitler's incarceration in prison at the
time of MK's writing] disorganized Nazi Party. A far more revealing 'Hitler
Memoir' is #14K."

14G. _Hitler: Legend, Myth, & Reality_ by Werner Maser. NY: Harper & Row,
1971. (TS-3) MA: "As time passes, biographical profiles of Hitler become
increasingly more objective. This is probably the most useful one currently
in print, which Colin Wilson calls 'the most important document on Hitler so
far published'. It is noteworthy for its focus on the man rather than on the
political official [for the political official see #14H]. If you are going
to take a look at Hitler's own writings and statements (#14F/K/L), read this
first for perspective."

14H. _The War Path_ (NY: Viking, 1978) and Hitler's War (2 volumes) (NY:
Viking, 1977) by David Irving. (TS-4) MA: "1933-39 (WP) and 1939-45 (HW)
through Hitler's eyes. An impressive work of research that will show you
peacetime Nazi Germany and World War II as you've never seen them before.
Sound scholarship, objective evaluation."

14I. _The Bormann Brotherhood_ by William Stevenson. NY: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, 1973. (TS-3) MA: "Around VI-VII the pursuit of underground Nazi-
survivalist organizations was all the rage, and there was a flurry of
Bormannism, ODESSA films/novels, etc. This little book was sort of
overwhelmed in the general stampede, but it didn't deserve to be. A cold,
clear, fact-packed study of the post-World War II survival of the original
Nazi hierarchy."

14J. _Three Faces of Fascism_ by Ernst Nolte. NY: Holt, Rinehart and
Winston, 1963. (TS-4) MA: "This is a political science text analyzing 20th-
century fascist movements in France, Germany, and Italy. The observations
concerning the metapolitical implications of the philosophy are among the
most profound yet voiced. The analysis of the failure of the French movement
is as instructive as that of the successes of the German and Italian
movements. It is interesting to contrast Nolte's assessment of fascism with
Hitler's [as set forth in #14F]."

14K. _Hitler's Secret Conversations 1941-1944_ by H.R. Trevor-Roper (Ed.).
NY: Farrar, Straus and Young, 1953 [simultaneously published in England as
_Hitler's Table Talk_ by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London]. (TS-5) (OT-3) MA:
"Martin Bormann was sufficiently fascinated by Adolf Hitler's private
conversational comments on various topics that he persuaded Hitler to allow
them to be stenographically recorded. After 1945 the transcriptions were
found among Bormann's private papers and were ultimately compiled and
published by Professor Trevor-Roper (who also edited and published the final
entries of Dr. Goebbels' diaries). Hitler's conversations cover an
astonishingly broad spectrum of topics - organized religion, metaphysics,
dogmatism, Voltaire, origins of the human race, aesthetics, Egyptian & Greek
culture, Hoerbiger's cosmology, genius, philosophy of law, superstition,
mental diseases, etc. An impressive look into the mind of an individual whom
the postwar world has been conditioned to dismiss as a crude, criminal, and
unintrospective thug. Read, then judge for yourself."

14L. _The Voice of Destruction_ by Hermann Rauschning. NY: G.P. Putnam's
Sons, 1940. (TS-5) (OT-3) MA: "Rauschning was a regional party leader
(Gauleiter) of the early Nazi Party who was a confidant of Hitler's during
1932-34. At first so impressed with the F~hrer's private statements that he
took extensive and immediate notes, he later took fright and bolted to
Paris. In 1937-38 he wrote a theoretical condemnation of Nazism entitled The
Revolution of Nihilism: Warning to the West (NY: Alliance Book Corporation,
1939). It seemed so alarmist that few took it seriously - until World War II
broke out. Then Rauschning was able to publish these transcripts and
analyses of Hitler's conversations. Topics include: Aristocracy, Antichrist,
barbarism, ethics of war, a new social order, the Human Solstice, Black &
White Magic, and the mystical elements in Obersalzburg. Most of the material
for Nazi occultism quoted and alluded to in #4B came from this book. It was
generally regarded as so "weird" as to be spurious until after the war, when
the #14K material came to light and substantiated it."

14M. _Hitler's Secret Sciences_ by Nigel Pennick. Suffolk: Neville Spearman,
1981. (TS-4) (OT-1) MA: "The esoteric section of the German Nazi SS was not
the Sicherheitsdienst [as alleged in #6L] but the Deutsche Ahnenerbe (German
Ancestral Heritage Organization). Most histories of the SS concern
themselves with the better-known organizations and activities of the Black
Order, mentioning the Ahnenerbe only in passing. This is one of the first
books to discuss it in any detail. Again there is a lot of #14B/C/D
material, but it is all relevant and coherently organized. This is a concise
(177 pages), fact-packed book bolstered by a strong bibliography of rare and
unusual publications and periodicals. If you are seriously interested in the
Ahnenerbe, and are fluent in highly-technical German, see Kater, Michael H.,
_Das 'Ahnenerbe' der SS 1935-1945: ein Betrag zur Kulturpolitik des Dritten
Reiches_ (Stuttgart, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, 1974). [The complete
archaeological, magical, and administrative records of the Ahnenerbe are
contained on microfilm rolls #120-211, Microcopy T-580 (10-135-4) in the
National Archives Building of the United States, Washington, D.C. These
papers have never been sorted, indexed, and annotated in detail, but the
Order of the Trapezoid has compiled a working index with brief annotations
pending a more thorough study. Initiates of the Order who may be traveling
to Washington and wish to examine that microfilm are invited to contact the
Temple office for a copy of the index.] [See also #5H.]"

14N. _The Passing of the Great Race_ by Madison Grant. NY: Charles
Scribner's Sons, 1916. (TS-5) MA: "You can still find #14F in print, because
it's a good whipping-boy for sanctimonous finger-waggling. It is less easy
to find the books from 'our side' that argued along similar lines. This is
[was!] one of the more famous, and you may still uncover an occasional copy
in the back room of a used-book store or in the darkest corners of obscure
libraries. Grant was not exactly a nonentity or lunatic-fringe fanatic. He
was Chairman of the New York Zoological Society, Trustee of the American
Museum of Natural History, and a Councilor of the American Geographical
Society. In this book [by a prominent publisher] he argues a forceful case
for a European race history that would have done credit to Hitler and
Rosenberg. The most interesting aspect of this book is that only a very few
years ago it was accepted as a respectable contender in the
academic/scientific community. After World War II it was, in Orwell's terms,
guilty of Crimethink and thus condemned to be an Unperson. There is a lesson
to be learned here concerning the durability and invulnerability of
'established scientific fact' when it becomes politically or socially
inconvenient. I hereby suggest that you make up your own mind as to whether
the book is convincing. After all, I wouldn't want to get in trouble for
even appearing to endorse it."

14O. _Race and Race History and Other Essays_ by Alfred Rosenberg (Robert
Pois, Ed.). NY: Harper & Row (Harper Torchback #TB-1820), 1974. (TS-5) MA:
"Extracts from the major race-history writings of the Nazis' 'official
philosopher' - with a finger-waggling introduction, of course. It is O.K.
for this book to be in print; it has the appropriate editorial condemnation.
[See also #14S.]"

14P. _Geopolitics: The Struggle for Space and Power_ by Robert Strausz-Hupe.
NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1942. (TS-4) MA: "The study of international
relations on the basis of power politics is academically known as political
realism (Realpolitik), and before reading #14P you might want to flip
through the bible of this school, Hans Morgenthau's _Politics Among
Nations_, for a general familiarity with its principles. In 1926 and 1928
Oswald Spengler published his powerful indictment of contemporary Western
civilization, _The Decline of the West_, and this made a great impression on
a German General named Karl Haushofer. Haushofer became a professor who
gained increasing fame in Germany as the master-theoretician of
'Geopolitics', being a part-political, part-geographic, and part-mystical
rationale for aggressive state expansionism. Haushofer was considered by
many to be the evil genius behind Hitler's 'blood and soil' and 'living-
space' programs. He wrote no single, coherent text of his philosophy. This
book was commissioned in order to explain Geopolitics to a still-
uncomprehending U.S. diplomatic community, and it does a good job.
Geopolitical thinking was out of favor in the West until reintroduced by
Henry Kissinger (a Morgenthau enthusiast), but it has always been the
lynchpin of Eastern (Soviet/Chinese) foreign policy. Strausz-Hupe
summarizes: 'World policy evolves towards several continental systems, and
technology accentuates the strategic importance of large, contiguous areas.
Thus the era of overseas empires and free world trade closes. If this
reasoning is pushed to its absolute conclusion, the national state is also a
thing of the past, and the future belongs to the giant state. Many nations
will be locked in a few vast compartments. But in each of these one people,
controlling a strategic area, will be master of the others.'"

14Q. _Wewelsburg 1933 bis 1945: SS Kult- und Terrorstaette_ by Prof. Dr.
Karl Hueser. Paderborn: Verlag Bonifatius Druckerei, 1982 (German language
edition only). (TS-5) (OT-5) MA: "The definitive documentary study of the
role of the Wewelsburg Castle in the mythological and Black Magical
practices of the SS. This is a historical, not an 'occult' publication; in
the first few paragraphs it easily discounts the fanciful, ignorant accounts
of the Wewelsburg such as appear in #14B/D/N/R, etc. Here is bedrock:
bewildering to some, but a Gate to the Order of the Trapezoid."

14R. _Hitler: The Occult Messiah_ by Gerald Suster. NY: St. Martin's Press,
1981. (TS-3) MA: "This is a short (200-page) hardcover book which brings
together most if not all of the occult speculations concerning Nazi Germany,
with a reasonable degree of footnoting. Hence it is included here as a good
introductory survey of the field. Extensive quotations from Crowley and an
'AEon of Horus' theme throughout the text expose the author's Thelemite
bias."

14S. _The Myth of the Master Race: Alfred Rosenberg and Nazi Ideology_ by
Robert Cecil. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd, 1972. (TS-4) (OT-3) MA: "The best
biography and critical analysis concerning Alfred Rosenberg, 'official
philosopher' of the Nazi movement. Much of the material otherwise in
existence concerning Rosenberg is suppressed by the Soviet Union, while
previous Western biographies and editions of his memoirs were crudely edited
to portray him as more of a monster than a human being, much less a
philosopher. Nevertheless Cecil is no apologist for Rosenberg, bringing out
his weaknesses as well as his strengths. This book also describes the
ideological background and climate of Nazi Germany as a whole, and
summarizes the main arguments of Rosenberg's _Myth of the Twentieth
Century_. [A 1982 English translation by Vivian Bird of Rosenberg's _The
Myth of the Twentieth Century: An Evaluation of the Spiritual-Intellectual
Confrontations of our Age_ is available from Noontide Press, 1822-1/2
Newport Blvd. #183, Costa Mesa, CA 92627, USA.][See also #14O.]"

14T. _Metapolitics from the Romantics to Hitler_ by Peter Viereck. NY:
Alfred A. Knopf, 1941. (TS-4) (OT-1) MA: "This is quite simply the
definitive history and analysis of the Germanic mystical and magical
tradition as it has been applied to society and politics. No other political
analysis of Nazi Germany compares with it, and an understanding of the Nazi
phenomenon is impossible without it. Major sections deal with Romanticism,
life-worship, Kultur, dynamism, Wagner, Chamberlain, Fichte, Hegel,
Rosenberg, and Hitler."

14U. _For Freedom Destined: Mysteries of Man's Evolution in the Mythology of
Wagner's "Ring" Operas and "Parsifal"_ by Franz E. Winkler. Garden City, NY:
Waldorf Press, 1974. (TS-4) (OT-1) MA: "The definitive study of the magical
and philosophical aspects of the _Ring_ and _Parsifal_ operas. From the
book: 'When we think of the origin of man, we insist illogically on
confusing the history of his purely biological being with the history of his
spirit; the latter defies any attempt at investigation by methods we now
call scientific. Darwin and his followers deal with the emergent evolution
of visible man, while on the other hand religion and mythology deal with the
evolution of his invisible soul. In his cycle of the _Ring_ and _Parsifal_,
Wagner uses the magic power of music, words, and scenery to open man's heart
to the history of the hidden essence of his own self, and to the changing
forces that are active behind the sensory phenomena of man and Earth.'"

14V. _The True Believer_ by Eric Hoffer. NY: Harper & Row, 1951. (TS-3) (OT-
3) MA: "Hoffer's thoughtful study of the mind of the fanatic and of the
various media through which such a mind attempts to fulfill itself -
religious, political, or social. It is particularly instructive to compare
Hoffer's theses with the experiences of Hitler, Himmler, and Rosenberg as
treated elsewhere in this reading-list category. The book's strong point is
Hoffer's famed common-sense, but this same feature is also its weak point,
because it is obvious that Hoffer is not aware of [or does not understand]
the principles discussed, for example, in #14T."

14W. _Astrology and the Third Reich_ by Ellic Howe. Wellingborough,
Northamptonshire: Aquarian Press, 1984. (TS-3) (OT-3) MA: "A historical
study of astrological beliefs in Western Europe since 1700, with special
emphasis on German astrology during 1919-1930 and in Nazi Germany. A revised
and expanded edition of Howe's earlier _Urania's Children_, this book also
presents and critiques basic astrological theory and explores the Lesser
Magical use of astrology as a psychological warfare device during World War
II. Howe, in addition to being the author of #10F and a contributor to #4E,
served in Britain's Political Warfare Executive during World War II."

14X. _The Occult Roots of Nazism: The Ariosophists of Austria and Germany
1890-1935_ by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke. Wellingborough, Northamptonshire:
Aquarian Press, 1985. (TS-3) (OT-3) MA: "This new and very scholarly book
fills a crucial need in the study of 20th-century Germanic occultism, namely
a detailed and non-sensationalistic account of Guido von List's
Armanenschaft, Joerg Lanz von Liebenfels' Order of New Templars, and Rudolf
von Sebottendorff's Thule Gesellschaft. Also profiled is SS-Oberfuehrer Karl
Wiligut, occult counselor to Heinrich Himmler and architect of such projects
as the Wewelsburg restoration and the SS-Totenkopf ring. This book is a
revised version of the author's doctoral thesis at Oxford."