The relationship between the Third Reich and the occult was complex and highly contradictory. While Adolf Hitler publicly dismissed mysticism as backward-looking nonsense, and the Gestapo actively suppressed independent astrologers, several high-ranking Nazi officials—most notably SS Chief Heinrich Himmler and Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess—were deeply entrenched in esoteric belief systems.
Within this atmosphere of state-sanctioned pseudo-science and hidden agendas, a few select mystics managed to exert profound influence over the ideological and aesthetic symbols of Nazi Germany.
Karl Maria Wiligut: Himmler’s Secret Rasputin
The most official and powerful mystic within the Nazi regime was undoubtedly Karl Maria Wiligut, who operated under the pseudonym Karl Maria Weisthor. An Austrian veteran of World War I, Wiligut claimed to be the final descendant of an ancient, prehistoric lineage of Gothic kings. He asserted that he possessed "ancestral memory," a spiritual gift that allowed him to look back tens of thousands of years into Germanic history to see the original, pure Aryan religion.
In 1933, Wiligut was introduced to Heinrich Himmler. Captivated by his claims, Himmler inducted Wiligut into the SS and appointed him head of the Department for Pre- and Early History. Wiligut’s influence on the SS was monumental. He successfully convinced Himmler to acquire and remodel Wewelsburg Castle, turning it into the occult headquarters and spiritual "order castle" for the SS elite.
Furthermore, Wiligut designed the infamous SS Totenkopfring (Death’s Head Ring), decorating it with ancient Germanic runes that he claimed held magical protective properties. He was eventually forced into retirement in 1939 when his past history of psychiatric hospitalization was uncovered.
Karl Ernst Krafft: The Propagandist’s Astrologer
Karl Ernst Krafft was a brilliant Swiss astrologer and graphologist whose fate highlights the dangerous volatility of operating as a mystic under a totalitarian regime. Krafft achieved overnight notoriety in November 1939 when he accurately predicted an assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler at the Bürgerbräukeller beer hall in Munich. Initially, the Gestapo arrested Krafft, suspecting him of being part of the conspiracy. However, once they realized his prediction was based strictly on astrological charts, he caught the attention of Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels.
Goebbels decided to weaponize Krafft's talents for psychological warfare. Krafft was hired to re-interpret the ancient prophecies of Nostradamus, systematically "proving" that the French seer had predicted the inevitable victory of the Third Reich and the destruction of Great Britain. Krafft’s fortune turned abruptly in May 1941, when Rudolf Hess secretly flew to Scotland on a rogue peace mission. Hitler blamed Hess's erratic behavior on the influence of astrologers, triggering a massive domestic crackdown known as the Aktion Hess. Krafft was arrested, imprisoned, and eventually died in 1945 while in transit to the Buchenwald concentration camp.
Erik Jan Hanussen: The Prophet of the Early Reich
Before the NSDAP fully consolidated its power, the hypnotic clairvoyant Erik Jan Hanussen (born Hermann Steinschneider) was one of the most famous entertainers in Berlin. Hanussen cultivated close ties with high-ranking members of the Sturmabteilung (SA) and reportedly met with Hitler before the 1932 elections. Historical accounts suggest Hanussen gave Hitler private lessons in public speaking, body language, and dramatic hand gestures to maximize his crowd-hypnotizing effect.
In February 1933, during a performance at his newly opened "Palace of Occultism," Hanussen fell into a trance and dramatically predicted the burning of a massive government building. The very next day, the Reichstag Fire occurred, giving Hitler the political leverage to seize dictatorial control. Hanussen’s prediction proved to be his undoing; he knew far too many internal secrets about the SA and the Nazi party's rise. Furthermore, Nazi authorities discovered that Hanussen was of Jewish descent. In March 1933, he was executed by an SA hit squad in a forest outside Berlin.
Herman Wirth: The Archeologist of Hyperborea
Herman Wirth was a Dutch-German historian and mystic who co-founded the Ahnenerbe (Ancestral Heritage) society in 1935 alongside Himmler. Wirth was obsessed with the idea that humanity originated from a utopian, northern polar civilization called Hyperborea. He claimed that the original Aryan race practiced a highly spiritual, matriarchal monotheism, and he dedicated his life to searching for its remnants in ancient rock carvings and symbols. Although Himmler initially funded Wirth's expeditions, his theories were ultimately deemed too eccentric and unscientific even for the SS. He was quietly removed from his position in 1937, though the Ahnenerbe continued its dark pseudo-scientific missions without him.
Conclusion
The stories of these mystics illustrate how the Nazi regime was willing to exploit the occult for political gain, ideological justification, and psychological warfare. Whether designing runic rings for the SS or distorting prophecy for wartime propaganda, these figures cast a long, esoteric shadow over one of the darkest chapters of modern history.
