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Unholy Alliance: A History of Nazi Involvement with the Occult
Engagingly written, Unholy Alliance is a comprehensive, popular history of the occult background and roots of the Nazi movement, showing how the ideas of a vast international network of late 19th- and early 20th-century occult groups influenced Nazi ideology. Levenda takes readers through the teachings of Madame Blavatsky, Aleister Crowley, the Thule Gesellschaft - the occult secret society that formed the ideological heart of the early Nazi Party - the Order of the Golden Dawn, and the Order of the Eastern Temple and demonstrates how each influenced Nazi ideology. He also details the expedition to Tibet of the Ancestral Heritage Research and Teaching Society, comprised of the same SS officers who would later be involved in grisly medical experiments on concentration camp prisoners. Levenda traces the Nazis' movements as they continued their activities after the war or morphed into neo-Nazi, skinhead, and satanic groups, such as the Christian Identity and White Aryan Resistance movements. Levenda's is not only a "major work of investigative reporting," but also the striking story of the unholy alliance between politics and religion - or politics and occultism - that has dominated events in Europe and the Americas since World War I, with all its implications for continuing racial and religious violence in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
444 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
79 people are currently reading
1330 people want to read
About the author
Peter Levenda
31 books224 followersAuthor who focuses primarily on occult history. He is best known for his book Unholy Alliance, which is about Esoteric Hitlerism and Nazi occultism, and is believed to be the author of the Simon Necronomicon, albeit without much evidence.
He was the president of the international division of Ortronics, Inc., a telecommunications company based in Asia.
He appeared in the TNT documentary Faces of Evil as an expert on Nazi history with special regard to occult and esoteric practices. He has also appeared on the History Channel special Nazi Prophecies. Levenda lives in Miami, Florida.
He was the president of the international division of Ortronics, Inc., a telecommunications company based in Asia.
He appeared in the TNT documentary Faces of Evil as an expert on Nazi history with special regard to occult and esoteric practices. He has also appeared on the History Channel special Nazi Prophecies. Levenda lives in Miami, Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
December 13, 2008
Unholy Alliance has to be the stupidest book written about so called "Nazi occultism" since Spear of Destiny by Trevor Ravenscroft. The author of this book is either insane, a huckster trying to make a buck or a covert ADL agent. It reads like he did his research for this book by watching one of those silly A & E "Nazi occult" documentaries, reading public ADL or SPLC "intelligence" reports designed to scare little old Jewish ladies into thinking the Nazis are coming back if they don't send in a large donation, and then tying the ends by just making a bunch of stuff up.
I mean I really don't know where to start with this one. For one there is absolutely no evidence that Hitler was a Satanist, Odinist or any type of practicing occultist. Levenda can't seem to figure out what the Nazis as a whole are either. In one brush of the stroke he says they are worshippers of Odin, Thor, etc, then in the next he says they were trying to recreate the Christian Knights Templar and the Jesuit Order through the SS!
He also makes the nutty and totally baseless claim that a South American religious cult made up of people of German ancestry are Nazi war criminals who escaped after WW2 and are secretly pulling the strings of the various South American governments behind the scenes. News Flash! There was no connection between the people at ""Colonia Dignidad" and Nazism. Just because you are German and live in South America does not mean you are a "Nazi war criminal" fleeing justice. There were huge amounts of Germans living in South America long before WW2, there have been and still are whole German communities there and 99.999% of the Germans who went to South America after WW2 did so to escape what was going to be a very nasty place to live for many years to come, not because Simon Wiesenthal was hot on their heels. As far as "escaped Nazis" having anything to do with installing these murderous crackpot right wing dictators that popped up at various times in South America its totally baseless and delusional. I think you might look to a Jewish man named Kissinger if you want to know how those regimes came about.
As if all of this wasn't enough I actually heard Levenda on a talk radio show claiming that "Nazi skinheads" were running a multi-million dollar drug smuggling empire as a joint operation with Al-Queda! Ha ha ha! If you believe that you will believe anything.
If you want to read a sane book on Nazis and the occult check out The Occult Roots of Nazism: Secret Aryan Cults and Their Influence on Nazi Ideology by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke.
I mean I really don't know where to start with this one. For one there is absolutely no evidence that Hitler was a Satanist, Odinist or any type of practicing occultist. Levenda can't seem to figure out what the Nazis as a whole are either. In one brush of the stroke he says they are worshippers of Odin, Thor, etc, then in the next he says they were trying to recreate the Christian Knights Templar and the Jesuit Order through the SS!
He also makes the nutty and totally baseless claim that a South American religious cult made up of people of German ancestry are Nazi war criminals who escaped after WW2 and are secretly pulling the strings of the various South American governments behind the scenes. News Flash! There was no connection between the people at ""Colonia Dignidad" and Nazism. Just because you are German and live in South America does not mean you are a "Nazi war criminal" fleeing justice. There were huge amounts of Germans living in South America long before WW2, there have been and still are whole German communities there and 99.999% of the Germans who went to South America after WW2 did so to escape what was going to be a very nasty place to live for many years to come, not because Simon Wiesenthal was hot on their heels. As far as "escaped Nazis" having anything to do with installing these murderous crackpot right wing dictators that popped up at various times in South America its totally baseless and delusional. I think you might look to a Jewish man named Kissinger if you want to know how those regimes came about.
As if all of this wasn't enough I actually heard Levenda on a talk radio show claiming that "Nazi skinheads" were running a multi-million dollar drug smuggling empire as a joint operation with Al-Queda! Ha ha ha! If you believe that you will believe anything.
If you want to read a sane book on Nazis and the occult check out The Occult Roots of Nazism: Secret Aryan Cults and Their Influence on Nazi Ideology by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke.
September 3, 2021
As a lifelong history buff, I have read a number of books about the Third Reich. In addition, having majored in political science as an undergraduate, I have read a number of books about fascism in general and the Nazi party in particular. But in all of the other books I have read, there is a gaping hole, for unlike any other political movement of which I am aware, the Nazi party has its origins in the occult, and mainstream historians and political scientists just don't want to discuss that aspect of the Nazi party. This book fills that gap.
The book is well researched, and if I were rating the book on research alone, I would give it five stars. However, the author is somewhat long-winded, and the book could be better organized.
The book is well researched, and if I were rating the book on research alone, I would give it five stars. However, the author is somewhat long-winded, and the book could be better organized.
April 13, 2015
I had mixed feelings about this book. It seemed to be well researched and was extensively footnoted, although I never double checked the sources. Since my primary reason for reading Unholy Alliance was to obtain background research for a historically-based horror novel I am writing, this book fit my needs. From an academic standpoint, I have two major concerns with the quality of the research.
First, Unholy Alliance repeatedly makes the claim that Martin Bormann escaped from Berlin in May 1945 and safely made it to South America. The author maintains this claim throughout the book, despite the fact that, four years previous to the book's release in 2002, DNA evidence confirmed in 1998 that Bormann had died in Berlin in the closing days of the war. The author's refusal to accept documented fact because it goes against a major theme in his book calls into question the validity of his other assertions.
Second, the author makes numerous snide references against one American political party (never any other party) and, in the final chapters, speculates on post-war Nazi occult activities as if they are facts and presents his own encounter with supposed post-war exiled Nazis with nothing to support the claims. For me, this seemed more like social commentary than history, and made me wonder about the accuracy of the more academic portions of the book.
First, Unholy Alliance repeatedly makes the claim that Martin Bormann escaped from Berlin in May 1945 and safely made it to South America. The author maintains this claim throughout the book, despite the fact that, four years previous to the book's release in 2002, DNA evidence confirmed in 1998 that Bormann had died in Berlin in the closing days of the war. The author's refusal to accept documented fact because it goes against a major theme in his book calls into question the validity of his other assertions.
Second, the author makes numerous snide references against one American political party (never any other party) and, in the final chapters, speculates on post-war Nazi occult activities as if they are facts and presents his own encounter with supposed post-war exiled Nazis with nothing to support the claims. For me, this seemed more like social commentary than history, and made me wonder about the accuracy of the more academic portions of the book.
September 4, 2018
This book is difficult to follow. On first read-through it doesn't appear to be about the stated subject matter at all: Nazis and the Occult. Instead of a factual treatment on the subject, what you get is repeated flights into fancy and brainstorming on the topic. It is wholly unstructured approach, and one that I do not find useful in any regard. I mean, why make up things on this matter? The author continually brings up subject matter far outside of the scope of topic. There are at least 5 prefaces and forwards, all of which are wholly unnecessary, lending an undeserved air of self-importance. I found it scatterbrained, and a bit hair-brained. If you are looking for an orderly, factual treatment of the topic look elsewhere.
February 14, 2018
This is the book I would have wanted when I started reading about the occult and the Nazi perversions thereupon. That was about a decade ago. I didn't know about this book then, and trying to read Goodrick-Clarke's popular volume proved to be a task beyond my ken. Wading through all the names, the people and orders and concepts was difficult enough. The harder part was understanding what any of the obscure topics had to do with what became Nazism. I was bored out of reading it after the first few chapters.
Unholy Alliance may not be any easier for someone unfamiliar with chewing on long exegeses of esoteric theories and virtual posses of spiritual gangsters, but don't let the detractors fool you. I doubt whether many of the people criticizing this book have any real background in dedicated study, if they even read it at all. I find it likely that, as with any internet discussion on white nationalism, we're guest to a small crowd of snakes and trolls trying to discredit one of the few honest, selfless studies on the hot-button topic *occultism* that those in academia lose careers over writing about. The response to Farago's "Aftermath" is a prime example in this context. Truly, Peter Levenda had much more than credibility to lose, and we should be thankful that his research continues to be published, read, reviewed, and consulted.
Understanding where Nazism came from is an immeasurably important puzzle piece for anyone who humbly wants honest answers to why civilization is so uncivilized. And truly, no understanding of what it even is is possible without that understanding, because it was not a political party in the normal sense of the word, but a cult. A cult formed of insecure self-blinded opportunists who would rather be told they're perfect because of their skin than to deal with complex issues.
And with this understanding, which can only be won by a serious labor of love, driven by the heartfelt need to get to the bottom of the dark dank well of humankind's darkest inhumanities and know WHY, you will know the right questions to ask, why this ramshackle cult of misfits continues to wield influence into the age of information.
The simple-minded blend of pseudo-science, inane spiritualishism, and crank sociology at the core of National Socialism is exposed here, in greater detail than I suspected, and the yarn the inner-circle Nazi nerds and industrialists spun over the first half of the twentieth century to try and cover their militant, warmongering asses quick, while they had the chance, before anyone got to the bottom of it!
Which is why this book was not again to be found on shelves after only 2 printings.
Unholy Alliance may not be any easier for someone unfamiliar with chewing on long exegeses of esoteric theories and virtual posses of spiritual gangsters, but don't let the detractors fool you. I doubt whether many of the people criticizing this book have any real background in dedicated study, if they even read it at all. I find it likely that, as with any internet discussion on white nationalism, we're guest to a small crowd of snakes and trolls trying to discredit one of the few honest, selfless studies on the hot-button topic *occultism* that those in academia lose careers over writing about. The response to Farago's "Aftermath" is a prime example in this context. Truly, Peter Levenda had much more than credibility to lose, and we should be thankful that his research continues to be published, read, reviewed, and consulted.
Understanding where Nazism came from is an immeasurably important puzzle piece for anyone who humbly wants honest answers to why civilization is so uncivilized. And truly, no understanding of what it even is is possible without that understanding, because it was not a political party in the normal sense of the word, but a cult. A cult formed of insecure self-blinded opportunists who would rather be told they're perfect because of their skin than to deal with complex issues.
And with this understanding, which can only be won by a serious labor of love, driven by the heartfelt need to get to the bottom of the dark dank well of humankind's darkest inhumanities and know WHY, you will know the right questions to ask, why this ramshackle cult of misfits continues to wield influence into the age of information.
The simple-minded blend of pseudo-science, inane spiritualishism, and crank sociology at the core of National Socialism is exposed here, in greater detail than I suspected, and the yarn the inner-circle Nazi nerds and industrialists spun over the first half of the twentieth century to try and cover their militant, warmongering asses quick, while they had the chance, before anyone got to the bottom of it!
Which is why this book was not again to be found on shelves after only 2 printings.
October 4, 2022
I enjoyed this book. However, there are a few factual inaccuracies and errors here and there. The author does cite sources though which is particularly refreshing in a study of Nazism or of Occultism. An important book, a thrilling read, overall one that I'd recommend, but I'm happy to be done with it as the subject matter is a really dark headspace to be in for very long.
August 31, 2012
A page-turning overview of a subject that is quite obvious, yet unknown to most. *The* book on the subject, along with Goodrich-Clarke's.
March 9, 2021
The Odal Rune on the CPAC stage was a total accident! How’d that get there??? Wait, why is there an Identity Evropa card inside this Donald Trump book? 🤔
September 13, 2007
A very interesting look at a topic rarely discussed, the Nazis and their occult roots. Cripes, was there anything that the Nazis believed that wasn't crazy? Aryans riding out the flood on top of everest, the moon made of ice, hollow earth theory! Even worse is that they used all this utter nonsense to perpetrate one of the worst atrocities of all time. Good riddance!
June 4, 2013
Horrible. Absolutely horrible. It was the first time I can ever remember putting a book down without finishing or intending to finish. I've always found history to be fascinating and this was not the first time I've heard mention of the Occult being part of Hitler's life, so I figured I'd give it a try since it was also part of a collection of books I was given some time ago. By the middle of the 2nd chapter, I had found several major basic historical errors that had nothing to do with the Occult, but rather basic, simple, known historical facts--such as the date of the infamous beer hall putsch was off by about a year, information about his mother was incorrect, including the relationship he had with her, information about his relationship with Eva Braun, and the list continues. I donated the book. I would give this book zero stars if it let me.
July 29, 2021
Despicable Cultural Marxist reading of the emergence of Nazism and how this has echoed down the decades to the present day. Originally published in 1995 it is a bit dated in its fears but an essay tacked on at the end rips into Nationalism, late-Nazism, and the Post-Globalist world.
The latter part of the book drips with hatred for those who would dare take a different view from globalists and trans-nationalists. Today many of these leftwing, authoritarian views hide behind Liberalism and Progressivism but they are the modern-day Nazis and McCarthites.
The first part of the book, exploring the rise of the Nazis and the Nazis in power is quite good. However, the latter part of the book devolves into a twisted political screed.
Freudo-Marxist, Cultural Marxist, Critical Theorists, followers of the Frankfurt School will find a home here but no one else will.
Not worth you time.
The latter part of the book drips with hatred for those who would dare take a different view from globalists and trans-nationalists. Today many of these leftwing, authoritarian views hide behind Liberalism and Progressivism but they are the modern-day Nazis and McCarthites.
The first part of the book, exploring the rise of the Nazis and the Nazis in power is quite good. However, the latter part of the book devolves into a twisted political screed.
Freudo-Marxist, Cultural Marxist, Critical Theorists, followers of the Frankfurt School will find a home here but no one else will.
Not worth you time.
April 14, 2009
Whether or not it is a mood I am in or if it is just boringly written but overall it hasn't grabbed me very well. It could be the subject needs a different approach. Well constructed though. I skipped much of it, read here and there but in the end I couldn't find myself wanting to finish it totally. Not for the masses most definitly.
April 12, 2016
This is for research towards my new novel.
September 5, 2020
A little sensationalist on the delivery, but it was okay.
June 2, 2021
One of my favorite musicians, Matt Skiba from Alkaline Trio and Blink-182, started a book club on Instagram that I discovered recently, and this was his monthly book pick. I have loved learning about WWII and, although I know nothing of the occult, I thought it would be an interesting read.
I learned many things that I seriously knew nothing about. I think a lot of literature that I’ve read had largely skipped over the genesis of Hitler’s/Nazi ideology, but this gave a really in depth look as to where the justification to their platform came from. I had mostly just read Hitler came from indigent circumstances and that led him to resent people in power or who he perceived to be in power. Learning about Blatavsky and theosophy opened a whole new side of things and hearing occult things described in a largely scientific way was really interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever had someone explain to me occult theory and practices they way Levenda did before without it sounding kookydooks to me and I appreciated how he spelled it out.
I also had no idea about a certain subset in the SS called the Ahnenerbe, which as the author described it as, giving the humanities department at UC Berkeley the ok to do anything they wanted. With guns to force people. I knew they had experimented with prisoners but to the extent that they did was kind of mind blowing. Anyway.
I think the part that was most thought provoking for me is how he talked about why Nazism wasn’t just a political movement but a true cultist movement and why it has such longevity. Bringing the occult into the ideology of Nazism gives it roots and power that people crave and speaks to them at a spiritual level and until we acknowledge the power and the depths of spirituality people get from Nazism, there is no way for us to properly combat it.
Interesting book. Dry at times and a bit repetitive but I’m glad I read it. I hope Matt Skiba responds to my thoughts 😬
I learned many things that I seriously knew nothing about. I think a lot of literature that I’ve read had largely skipped over the genesis of Hitler’s/Nazi ideology, but this gave a really in depth look as to where the justification to their platform came from. I had mostly just read Hitler came from indigent circumstances and that led him to resent people in power or who he perceived to be in power. Learning about Blatavsky and theosophy opened a whole new side of things and hearing occult things described in a largely scientific way was really interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever had someone explain to me occult theory and practices they way Levenda did before without it sounding kookydooks to me and I appreciated how he spelled it out.
I also had no idea about a certain subset in the SS called the Ahnenerbe, which as the author described it as, giving the humanities department at UC Berkeley the ok to do anything they wanted. With guns to force people. I knew they had experimented with prisoners but to the extent that they did was kind of mind blowing. Anyway.
I think the part that was most thought provoking for me is how he talked about why Nazism wasn’t just a political movement but a true cultist movement and why it has such longevity. Bringing the occult into the ideology of Nazism gives it roots and power that people crave and speaks to them at a spiritual level and until we acknowledge the power and the depths of spirituality people get from Nazism, there is no way for us to properly combat it.
Interesting book. Dry at times and a bit repetitive but I’m glad I read it. I hope Matt Skiba responds to my thoughts 😬
April 12, 2020
Very interesting and instructive book.
This is not a conspiracy theory as there are books on this subject.
The American author did his best to portray the occult in the Third Reich.
I liked that he described a large number of German occultists who worked in the 20s of the 20th century. Here is a description of Hitler, a detailed description of SS, Himmler, the castle of Vevelsburg. Really great.
South American chapters are of interest. Good luck to the author for being in Chile, in the infamous Dignidad Colony!
This is not a conspiracy theory as there are books on this subject.
The American author did his best to portray the occult in the Third Reich.
I liked that he described a large number of German occultists who worked in the 20s of the 20th century. Here is a description of Hitler, a detailed description of SS, Himmler, the castle of Vevelsburg. Really great.
South American chapters are of interest. Good luck to the author for being in Chile, in the infamous Dignidad Colony!
November 15, 2023
Well written and interesting subject and research. Problem with it is that Levanda (the author) either can’t help himself or is required to insert lame snarky liberal political commentary every other page. He also makes an annoying habit of moralizing throughout the book, which shouldn’t be necessary (it’s about nazis), is sort of ridiculous if he an occultist himself (he is), and he doesn’t have much ground to stand on if he is an American intelligence officer (he was). Otherwise, a pretty good book.
March 26, 2021
Seems like a lot of disinformation. The author has a strong bias and includes sensationalist information that attempts to make a connection to a modern Nazi conspiracy that involves headline news and hillbillies rather than Polar bases and secret societies. Would not recommend for someone looking to get to the core of this subject, it feels like watching History Channel propaganda.
April 1, 2021
Full review here: www.thanktheuniverse.org
I noticed there was a hefty negative review of this book in the reviews below. I thought that the book was engaging and very thought provoking. It inspired me to read further. The piecing together of events on dates withing the occultish calendar also makes for question marks...
I noticed there was a hefty negative review of this book in the reviews below. I thought that the book was engaging and very thought provoking. It inspired me to read further. The piecing together of events on dates withing the occultish calendar also makes for question marks...
September 23, 2023
This is an "in progress" review. This is the second history of this subject that I have read. The first was Hitler's Monsters by Eric Kurlander. Peter Levenda and Eric Kurlander come from very different directions in their books on this topic.
I am not a student of the occult. My interest is in history. The occult has played an important role in history. People's beliefs play an important role in their actions. When people believe in occult forces, they behave as if those forces are real. In this sense, our beliefs create our worlds.
This is also the case with racism. I am a scientist, more specifically I am trained as a molecular geneticist and my doctoral thesis work was on the regulation of gene expression by steroid hormones. I followed that with research in genetic mutations causing premature aging syndromes. You could say that I was an epigenetics researcher, before the term epigenetics was invented.
As a biologist and as a geneticist I can categorically state that there is no such thing as "race." Scientifically it doesn't exist. In science there are species and there are subspecies. There is no such thing as race. It doesn't really exist—except in the human imagination. Unfortunately, large numbers of people are absolutely convinced that "race" is real. Since they are convinced that it is real, they behave as if it is real. This behavior makes "race" real, in the sense that it produces actions based on the idea that is is real. Racism is—tragically—completely real, yet it was only created in the human mind. It is horrifyingly real and the belief in racism has motivated some of the most horrific crimes ever perpetrated by human beings. I am very familiar with the science of genetics and I am familiar with the great many flaws in the racist belief systems of the ignorant and the uneducated. Eric Kurlander's Hitler's Monsters is more focused on Nazi pseudoscience or "border science" as Kurlander refers to it. Levender’s work is specifically focused on Nazi occultism.
Occultism played a major role in forming the world view of many of the Nazis. This ranged from Hitler down to the average German. The occultist beliefs of the highest ranking members of the Nazi party played a major role in the development of their paranoid and racist worldview. Much of that worldview comes from pseudoscientific and occultist belief systems that were widely promulgated at the turn of the previous century. To understand the actions of these Nazis, you must understand the way that they saw the world that they lived in. Their world view, which was only real inside their frequently drug addled minds, was a nightmarish hellscape of savage, unspeakable barbarism.
The occult belief systems of the Nazis played an important role in the formation of their apocalyptic world view. It is important to understand how this worldview shaped their actions. It's important to understand this because the Nazi belief system is still alive in our world today and is still driving the actions of large numbers of people all around the world.
It was with a dawning sense of horror, that I began to realize just how prevalent the Nazi world view is in 21st Century America. The dragon of racism has been slumbering in plain view throughout my lifetime. I naively used to believe that it was comatose, and would never reawaken—I hoped that it would quietly die without emerging from its coma. This realization has caused considerable personal pain, as I have learned that some of my relatives, friends, former classmates, and even some of my own students have embraced the repugnant worldview of Nazism.
Ironically, it was the presidency our nation's first African American President that showed me how wrong I was in imagining that Nazism could never seriously threaten American society. President Obama's two terms in office awakened that dragon. It sent shock waves through the racist elements within American society. Racists within the US, were thrown into a state of panic as they realized that American society was changing in ways that their polluted minds simply could not accept. Those Americans have responded in ways similar to those of the citizens of Germany, following the end of WWI. Many of them have whole heartedly adopted the twisted and repulsive worldview of the Nazi movement, of a century ago.
I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise, to realize that these panic stricken racists are looking at the methods of the Nazis and adopting many of their strategies. Also, like the 1920s and '30s, shameless opportunists are trying to take advantage of this situation. In retrospect, that isn't surprising. So, I am seeking to understand how the Nazi party came to power in Weimar Germany a century ago. This includes trying to understand the forces that shaped the development of their abhorrent and degenerate belief system. My hope is that understanding how that happened in Weimar Germany may help to provide an understanding of this resurgent nightmare. Perhaps it may help in the fight against these forces?
Peter Levenda clearly has a very solid base of knowledge regarding occult societies, their histories, and their practices. He has written a great many books investigating this very unorthodox topic. That's very helpful because there are very few serious scholars who dare to study this topic. I myself have very little familiarity with occult belief systems and their practices. Most of what I "know" of this topic comes from fiction—which is not a reliable source of information. This means that I am completely at sea when studying this topic. I'm very pleased to discover such a meticulously documented study of this topic, written by someone who appears to have a deep well of personal knowledge to draw from.
For traditional academic historians, writing on this subject is an extremely high-risk career activity. Academia is not welcoming to scholars who want to investigate such lurid subject matter. This means that there is only a very small supply of serious scholarly investigations of this topic. Much of what is in print on this subject is sensationalist tripe. I feel fortunate that with the first two books that I've read on this subject, I managed to pick two of the best modern investigations of this subject matter. The bibliographies of these books are a treasure trove on their own. I suspect that I will be reading more of Peter Levenda's work in the future. In fact several of his books are now on my Goodreads Want to Read list.
I am not a student of the occult. My interest is in history. The occult has played an important role in history. People's beliefs play an important role in their actions. When people believe in occult forces, they behave as if those forces are real. In this sense, our beliefs create our worlds.
This is also the case with racism. I am a scientist, more specifically I am trained as a molecular geneticist and my doctoral thesis work was on the regulation of gene expression by steroid hormones. I followed that with research in genetic mutations causing premature aging syndromes. You could say that I was an epigenetics researcher, before the term epigenetics was invented.
As a biologist and as a geneticist I can categorically state that there is no such thing as "race." Scientifically it doesn't exist. In science there are species and there are subspecies. There is no such thing as race. It doesn't really exist—except in the human imagination. Unfortunately, large numbers of people are absolutely convinced that "race" is real. Since they are convinced that it is real, they behave as if it is real. This behavior makes "race" real, in the sense that it produces actions based on the idea that is is real. Racism is—tragically—completely real, yet it was only created in the human mind. It is horrifyingly real and the belief in racism has motivated some of the most horrific crimes ever perpetrated by human beings. I am very familiar with the science of genetics and I am familiar with the great many flaws in the racist belief systems of the ignorant and the uneducated. Eric Kurlander's Hitler's Monsters is more focused on Nazi pseudoscience or "border science" as Kurlander refers to it. Levender’s work is specifically focused on Nazi occultism.
Occultism played a major role in forming the world view of many of the Nazis. This ranged from Hitler down to the average German. The occultist beliefs of the highest ranking members of the Nazi party played a major role in the development of their paranoid and racist worldview. Much of that worldview comes from pseudoscientific and occultist belief systems that were widely promulgated at the turn of the previous century. To understand the actions of these Nazis, you must understand the way that they saw the world that they lived in. Their world view, which was only real inside their frequently drug addled minds, was a nightmarish hellscape of savage, unspeakable barbarism.
The occult belief systems of the Nazis played an important role in the formation of their apocalyptic world view. It is important to understand how this worldview shaped their actions. It's important to understand this because the Nazi belief system is still alive in our world today and is still driving the actions of large numbers of people all around the world.
It was with a dawning sense of horror, that I began to realize just how prevalent the Nazi world view is in 21st Century America. The dragon of racism has been slumbering in plain view throughout my lifetime. I naively used to believe that it was comatose, and would never reawaken—I hoped that it would quietly die without emerging from its coma. This realization has caused considerable personal pain, as I have learned that some of my relatives, friends, former classmates, and even some of my own students have embraced the repugnant worldview of Nazism.
Ironically, it was the presidency our nation's first African American President that showed me how wrong I was in imagining that Nazism could never seriously threaten American society. President Obama's two terms in office awakened that dragon. It sent shock waves through the racist elements within American society. Racists within the US, were thrown into a state of panic as they realized that American society was changing in ways that their polluted minds simply could not accept. Those Americans have responded in ways similar to those of the citizens of Germany, following the end of WWI. Many of them have whole heartedly adopted the twisted and repulsive worldview of the Nazi movement, of a century ago.
I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise, to realize that these panic stricken racists are looking at the methods of the Nazis and adopting many of their strategies. Also, like the 1920s and '30s, shameless opportunists are trying to take advantage of this situation. In retrospect, that isn't surprising. So, I am seeking to understand how the Nazi party came to power in Weimar Germany a century ago. This includes trying to understand the forces that shaped the development of their abhorrent and degenerate belief system. My hope is that understanding how that happened in Weimar Germany may help to provide an understanding of this resurgent nightmare. Perhaps it may help in the fight against these forces?
Peter Levenda clearly has a very solid base of knowledge regarding occult societies, their histories, and their practices. He has written a great many books investigating this very unorthodox topic. That's very helpful because there are very few serious scholars who dare to study this topic. I myself have very little familiarity with occult belief systems and their practices. Most of what I "know" of this topic comes from fiction—which is not a reliable source of information. This means that I am completely at sea when studying this topic. I'm very pleased to discover such a meticulously documented study of this topic, written by someone who appears to have a deep well of personal knowledge to draw from.
For traditional academic historians, writing on this subject is an extremely high-risk career activity. Academia is not welcoming to scholars who want to investigate such lurid subject matter. This means that there is only a very small supply of serious scholarly investigations of this topic. Much of what is in print on this subject is sensationalist tripe. I feel fortunate that with the first two books that I've read on this subject, I managed to pick two of the best modern investigations of this subject matter. The bibliographies of these books are a treasure trove on their own. I suspect that I will be reading more of Peter Levenda's work in the future. In fact several of his books are now on my Goodreads Want to Read list.
January 7, 2019
The works of Levenda are best read with an open mind - whether you're reading them as fact or fiction. Unholy Alliance is a fine pairing with Clark's work on the same subject and while somewhat unreliable is an excellent source of leads to follow up with research.
If you're looking for a compelling narrative of Nazi Occultism (and one that emphasizes rather than downplays Nazi esotericism, without going into complete fantasy territory) rather than a strictly verifiable historical text, it's a solid read. Also highly recommended for anyone planning to tackle Levenda's American Political Witchcraft series. Unfortunately the best part of the book as a stand-alone text - Levenda's adventure to Colonia Dignidad and CD itself - is the smallest part of the work, though quite reasonably so under the circumstances.
If you're looking for a compelling narrative of Nazi Occultism (and one that emphasizes rather than downplays Nazi esotericism, without going into complete fantasy territory) rather than a strictly verifiable historical text, it's a solid read. Also highly recommended for anyone planning to tackle Levenda's American Political Witchcraft series. Unfortunately the best part of the book as a stand-alone text - Levenda's adventure to Colonia Dignidad and CD itself - is the smallest part of the work, though quite reasonably so under the circumstances.
September 10, 2023
Investigational reporting par excellence
Although Levenda may be somehow influenced by the very occult knowledge that he investigates, he does a spectacular job of meticulously reporting the facts of the rise of the occult in Germania. I do hate the use of the term Right-Winged when describing the Nazi Party- National Socialist Worker's Party- as there are no aspects of a conservative Right-Winged platform in a Socialist Worker's Party. Big government totalitarianism with a "tax and spend" mentality isn't a Right-Winged party aspect - nope that's clearly on the Left. All these European demagogues of the early 20th century were nothing but Leftists trying to kill each other in order to install and enslave all of Europe under their interpretation of an Edenic utopia minus Jehovah, Christ, or Christians.
Although Levenda may be somehow influenced by the very occult knowledge that he investigates, he does a spectacular job of meticulously reporting the facts of the rise of the occult in Germania. I do hate the use of the term Right-Winged when describing the Nazi Party- National Socialist Worker's Party- as there are no aspects of a conservative Right-Winged platform in a Socialist Worker's Party. Big government totalitarianism with a "tax and spend" mentality isn't a Right-Winged party aspect - nope that's clearly on the Left. All these European demagogues of the early 20th century were nothing but Leftists trying to kill each other in order to install and enslave all of Europe under their interpretation of an Edenic utopia minus Jehovah, Christ, or Christians.
December 6, 2024
The foreword mentions angels, demons and magic (among other things), and I got the feeling that I might be in for a ride a bit too new age-y for my tastes but luckily that was not the case at all. Sure Aleister Crowley is mentioned more often than in your average nazi occult book but I don't mind, he was an interesting character for sure (mental note to self, read more on Crowley).
Secret societies, the catholic church, South America, nazi war criminals, it's all here. For such an amount of material (400 pages) it was an interesting read with good pacing. I found especially welcome the stories of the author's own adventures in the nazi war criminal operations in South America.
Secret societies, the catholic church, South America, nazi war criminals, it's all here. For such an amount of material (400 pages) it was an interesting read with good pacing. I found especially welcome the stories of the author's own adventures in the nazi war criminal operations in South America.
March 29, 2025
Alianza maléfica es una novela que juega con el suspenso y el misterio, pero no me dejó tan impresionado. La trama gira en torno a una serie de eventos oscuros y conspiraciones, pero a veces sentí que los giros eran predecibles y los personajes no tan profundos. Aunque tiene elementos interesantes, la historia no logra engancharme completamente, y la forma en que se resuelven algunos conflictos me pareció un tanto forzada. Tiene su atractivo, pero no es una lectura que me haya marcado.
August 25, 2025
It was okay, I liked all the stuff like the masons and Aleister Crowley in addition to the obvious Nazi stuff which is always captivating isn't it
Sometimes the book assumes the reader is already astute in WW2 history so a few things were a bit difficult for me to contextualize. This is probably the first Nazi book I have read except for Anne Frank which is kind of a stretch in my opinion, setting aside.
I got it mainly for the occult stuff which was decently satisfying at least.
Sometimes the book assumes the reader is already astute in WW2 history so a few things were a bit difficult for me to contextualize. This is probably the first Nazi book I have read except for Anne Frank which is kind of a stretch in my opinion, setting aside.
I got it mainly for the occult stuff which was decently satisfying at least.
May 30, 2020
A messy text with something something nazi related. So you can read how the Germans were living in Chile even from before WWII. Why? Silence. And there is a disproportionate number of German restaurants. Compared with what? Silence. And that the border with Argentina is over the mountains. So? And that there is a big statue with Valkyries somewhere. Built by whom? Silence.
September 19, 2018
I couldn't force myself to continue reading this book.
January 24, 2022
This is a solid overview of the Nazi infatuation with the occult and esoteric. I do wish the author had less distaste for occultism in general.
January 24, 2022
This is a joke, right?
February 2, 2025
Interesting
I didn’t know much of what is covered here and it is interesting. It really ties stuff going on today with what happened after ww2.
I didn’t know much of what is covered here and it is interesting. It really ties stuff going on today with what happened after ww2.
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