Thanks to all who commented on the essay. Several of the complaints seem to stem from the condensed format of the piece. I don’t think it makes sense to fault Aeon or the editors for this; if I failed to get my argument across, the responsibility lies with me, not with the magazine. In my view, Aeon should be commended for supporting short-form essays, an important opportunity to explore ideas and examine controversial questions.

The point I tried to make in the essay is this: There are a number of widely circulated beliefs about the supposed relationship between Nazism and occultism, beliefs that do not stand up to historical scrutiny. Those beliefs can get in the way of a clearer understanding of Nazi Germany and its crimes. The same beliefs perpetuate a series of myths about occultism as well.

An analysis like this can sometimes appear unwelcome for readers who remain attached to the beliefs in question. A complicating factor is that scholarly discussions of both occultism and Nazism are often far removed from popular perceptions of the subject. For those interested in learning more about the topic, there are several very good treatments of the historical links, real and imaginary, between Nazism and the occult. I particularly recommend Julian Strube, “Nazism and the Occult” in Christopher Partridge, ed., The Occult World (Routledge, 2015), 336-47, along with the fine analysis by Eva Kingsepp available online:

https://contern.org/cyberproceedings/papers-from-the-1st-international-conference-on-contemporary-esotericism/eva-kingsepp-the-power-of-the-black-sun-occultural-perspectives-on-naziss-esotericism/

I write a lot on these questions, and many of my publications are available at my academia.edu page; if you click on my Aeon profile, you can follow the link there.

Peter Staudenmaier

Peter Staudenmaier

Written by Peter Staudenmaier