Heinrich Himmler and Occult Projects

          Heinrich Himmler was a man of great intelligence and sought his own advancement in the Nazi Party. His goals included becoming head of the Schutzstaffel and to make a new independent order for the SS members. Himmler was also involved in the formation of the Lebensborn and Ahnenerbe, as well as projects such as Wewelsburg Castle and the Quedlinburg Abbey. Throughout Himmler’s life and career, there were indications that he was influenced by occult practices.

Heinrich Himmler was born into an average Catholic family in Bavaria, Germany on October 7, 1900 CE. His father Joseph Gebhard Himmler was a teacher, tutor, and later a principal.[1] Carmelo Lisciotto in Heinrich Himmler noted that, “Heinrich was named after his godparent, Prince Heinrich of Wittelsbach of the royal family of Bavaria, who was tutored by Gebhard Himmler.”[2] Himmler’s mother raised her three children, of which Heinrich Himmler was the middle child. His older brother was Gebhard Ludwig and his younger brother was Ernst Hermann.[3]

At an early age Himmler became fascinated by war and closely followed the events of World War I. Himmler joined the military as soon as he was able and became part of the 11^th Bavarian Regiment.[4] John Simkin in Heinrich Himmler reported that, “Himmler’s hopes of being a German officer on the Western Front ended with the defeat of the country in November 1918.”[5] For a short time after the war he studied agriculture at the Munich Technical College and then worked on a farm for the following year.

Himmler quickly became inspired by the events taking place within Germany and was greatly influenced by the rising Nazi party. John Simkin explained that, “In July 1923 CE, Himmler joined the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP).”[6] When Himmler joined the NSDAP, also known as the Nazi party, his world opened to new opportunities and he was able to meet many people that would become influential to him. He became deeply involved in Nazi politics.

Himmler became secretary to Gregor Strasser, leader of the Nazi party, in 1924 CE. During that time he was also introduced to Gregor’s brother Otto Strasser. According to Otto Strasser, Himmler was, “a remarkable fellow. Comes from a strong Catholic family, but does not want to know anything from the Church. Looks like a half-starved shrew. But keen I tell you, incredibly keen.”[7] Despite Himmler’s appearance, his intelligence brought him continuously up the political ladder.

In 1925 CE, Himmler began to gain his first official positions. Himmler was appointed Gauleiter, or district manager, in a portion of lower Bavaria.[8] Then, in 1926 CE, he became Gauleiter of upper Bavaria, as well.[9] Simkin explained that during that same year Himmler began running propaganda for the Nazi party.[10] However, another major event occurred within his life during that year.

Himmler met his future wife Margarete Boden in a hotel lobby while traveling. Gebhard Himmler stated that it was most likely her “Aryan” looks, blonde hair and blue eyes, which drew Himmler’s attention.[11] They married, in 1928 CE, and moved to the country to raise chickens. Margarete gave Himmler a daughter, Gudrun, on August 8, 1929 CE. Himmler’s relationship with his wife would grow distant over time, with his constant travels, but he remained close to his daughter.

In 1929 CE, Himmler’s responsibilities began to increase as his relationship grew with Hitler. Himmler had admired Hitler as a leader that would change Germany for the better.[12] Simkin points out that, “[Adolf] Hitler, who was always vulnerable to flattery decided in January 1929, that Himmler should become the new leader of his personal bodyguard, the Schutzstaffel (SS).”[13] From that point on Himmler found it to be his personal responsibility to make certain that the SS members were the purist “Aryan” specimens and sought to increase the group’s numbers quickly. Himmler’s position, while important in the SS, was not as high of a rank in its parent organization the Sturmabteilung, otherwise known as the SA or storm troopers.

Himmler had larger aspirations in mind for himself and the SS. Himmler convinced Hitler that Gregor Strasser, then head of the SA, was planning to overthrow him.[14] Hitler, Himmler, and several of their most trusted SS members prepared an assault on the top SA leaders. On June 29, 1934 CE, they arrested or killed those accused of conspiracy.[15] The night became known as the Night of Long Knives. The SS then officially became its own entity placing Himmler in complete command over the organization.[16]

Hitler placed Himmler in charge of many departments as his career advanced. In 1934 CE, Himmler became Inspector of the Secret State Police, also known as the Gestapo.[17] Himmler was also put in a position to oversee all of the concentration camps, however gave up his control, in 1942 CE.[18] Simkin explained that, in 1939 CE during the beginning of World War II, Hitler made Himmler Commissar for the Consolidation of Nationhood, which essentially meant that Himmler was in charge of ridding Germany of all the non-Aryans that threatened Germany. In 1941 CE, Himmler was placed in control of the Reich Main Security Office, also referred to as the RSHA. Finally, in 1934 CE, he was also appointed Minister of the Interior.[19]

During this period of time Himmler also began an affair with his secretary, Hedwig Potthast, in 1939 CE.[20]While Himmler never divorced his wife Margarete, they remained separated. Himmler settled down with his mistress to begin a new life. Hedwig gave him a son, Helge, in 1942 CE, and a daughter Nanette, in 1944 CE.[21] Through these changes, Himmler still remained close to his daughter, Gudrun, who often accompanied him on trips.

            Himmler’s beliefs brought about a transformation for the SS, which was thought to be inspired by the occult. While, the majority of SS and Nazi members were concerned with the purity of the “Aryan race” and decreasing the influence of the “Jewish race” in Germany, Himmler’s had several goals in mind. These goals were to find a way to increase the numbers of Aryans, to search for proof of an ancient Aryan people, and to replace Christianity with a new form religion. As head of the SS and overseer of many departments, Himmler was in a position to make these goals possible.

            Himmler gave a speech, in June 1942 CE, to top SS leaders following the funeral of Reinhard Heydrich in Berlin, Germany. In Himmler’s speech he stressed why he thought it was important to rid the country of Christianity, producing more children, and purifying the race. Himmler stated:

On a different plane, something else must happen: we must once again be rooted in our ancestors and grandchildren, in this eternal chain and eternal sequence. By rooting our people in a deep ideological awareness of ancestors and grandchildren we must once more persuade them that they must have sons….But everything that we do must be justifiable vis-à-vis the clan, our ancestors. If we do not secure this moral foundation which is the deepest and best because the most natural, we will not be able to overcome Christianity on this plane and create the German Reich which will be a blessing for the earth. That is our mission as a nation on this earth. For thousands of years it has been the mission of this blond race to rule the earth and again and again to bring it happiness and culture.[22]

            In 1936 CE, the Lebensborn, or the Fount of Life Society, was created. The purpose of the Lebensborn was to increase the birth rate of the “Aryan race.” Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke in The Occult Roots of Nazism noted that the, “advocacy of brood-mothers…served by pure-blooded Aryan stud-males (Ehehelfer), was revived in the Third Reich with Himmler’s anticipation of polygamy for the SS, the preferential care of unmarried mothers in SS maternity homes, and his musings on the education and marriage of the Chosen Women (Hohe Frauen).”[23] The children of the Lebensborn were often placed into orphanages or adopted by SS families.

            On October 4, 1943 CE, Heinrich Himmler gave a speech to high ranking SS members in Poznan, Poland. In his speech he discusses another method of increasing the “Aryan race.” Himmler stated, “What the nations can offer in good blood of our type, we will take, if necessary by kidnapping their children and raising them with us.”[24] It is estimated that 100,000 Polish children were kidnapped and many Norwegian children, as well, because of their blonde hair and blue eyes.[25] It is estimated that a total of 250,000 children had been kidnapped, with only 25,000 being returned to their families following the end of World War II.[26]

            Another one of Himmler’s projects was the Ahnenerbe, which was founded in 1935 CE. The purpose of the Ahnenerbe was to research and search for archaeological evidence of the ancient “Aryan race.” The Ahnenerbe even funded an expedition to Tibet to search for artifacts from such a race. According to Joseph P. Farrell in Reich of the Black Sun, “The Ahnenerbe also had archeologists digging up all of Europe for remains of Germanic culture. More than fifty departments in this branch succeeded in spending over a million marks ($400,000) on such ‘vital’ matters.”[27] The Ahnenerbe’s research did not end with searching for signs of the mythical race.

            The Ahnenerbe began using occult sciences in their research. Joseph P. Farrell explained, “this ‘occult science’ is to be understood as contained in various artifacts, ancient mysteries, various esoteric [understood by few] or other ‘occult traditions’ per se, and actual physical structures or other types of physical artifacts.”[28] It also included discovering the hidden meaning behind texts and artifacts.[29] In 1939 CE, the Ahnenerbe began using “remote viewing,” or using the ability to sense something mentally, as a means of locating U-boats in the ocean.[30] The methods of the Ahnenerbe only became more mysterious over time.

            These strange beliefs that Himmler held extended its influence toward the SS. Even the symbol for the SS had a different meaning than simply representing the Schutzstaffel. Farrell reported that it was, “a meaning with roots deep in the occult and in ancient Sumerian, Babylonian, and to a certain extent, Egyptian belief…The letters ‘SS’ referred to die Schwatze Sonne, the Black Sun.”[31] This runic symbol was worn on the uniform of every SS member and found in the SS headquarters at Wewelsburg Castle.

            The Wewelsburg Castle, located just west of central Germany in the town of Wewelsburg, became known as the SS headquarters, in 1934 CE. The castle was intended to become a school for SS officers, but Himmler’s plans changed and he began remodeling it for other purposes.[32] According to the KreisMuseum Wewelsburg, “the plaster was knocked off and the moat deepened so the castle would look more foreboding and fortress-like. Nordic symbols and other ornamentation were soon adopted into the rooms of the Wewelsburg.”[33] Those ornamentations were just the beginning of Himmler’s plans for remodeling the structure.

            Himmler had great dreams for what the finished product of the Wewelsburg Castle would look like. Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke points out that:

In the large domed circular room of the massive enlarged north tower were to hang the coast-of-arms devised for the dead SS-Gruppenführer [group leaders]; in the vault of SS-Obergruppenführer [senior group leaders] hall below unspecified ceremonies were envisaged. In the wings of the castle the study-rooms had already been named and furnished after figures representing a ‘nordic mythology’ such as Widukind [leader of the Saxons during the Saxon Wars], King Heinrich [the Fowler], Henry the Lion, and King Arthur and the Grail.[34]

            Himmler had even created a labor camp around the castle as a way to decrease the length of time it took for the renovations to be completed.[35] The construction on the castle ended during the outbreak of World War II. As Allied forces grew near the Wewelsburg Castle, Himmler ordered it destroyed due to the incriminating evidence it contained. Today, a portion of the north tower still stands and is a popular location for Neo-Nazis.[36]

            Heinrich Himmler developed a fascination for the Germanic King Heinrich the Fowler. On July 2, 1936 CE, Himmler held a celebration in honor of Heinrich the Fowler on the one thousandth anniversary of his death, in a town called Quedlinburg, Germany.[37] Heinrich the Fowler had been buried at the Quedlinburg Abbey, in 936 CE. J. H. Brennan in Hitler’s Nazi Rituals explained that Heinrich the Fowler was, “the medieval king who founded the Ottonian dynasty and pushed the Slavic tribes across the River Elbe to establish new boundaries for his budding empire.”[38] Himmler felt that he had a connection with the medieval Germanic king.

            Himmler had great plans for the Quedlinburg Abbey. During the celebration he stated that the cathedral would be a place for German pilgrimage, but later closed its doors to Christians.[39] J. H. Brennan noted that, “Himmler was known for his desire to replace Christianity with a more thoroughbred Aryan religion, reviving Old German gods like Wotan [also known as Odin].”[40] Himmler instead made the Abbey a shrine to Heinrich the Fowler, during the following year, when he had the king’s remains dug up and placed within the cathedral’s crypt.[41] His obsession with the Germanic king did not end there.

            It is speculated that through occult practices, Himmler may have attempted to find a spiritual connection with the long deceased king. It is rumored that he may have even held séances in order to make contact with Heinrich the Fowler for advice.[42] Brennan stated, “was it possible that such a man had based his decisions on the whisperings of a spirit?...This was not a question of whether spirits existed but of Himmler’s perception of them. Had millions died because one silly little man believed he could talk to ghosts?”[43] It is a thought that brings uneasiness when considering the events of the Holocaust and the Final Solution.

            Himmler’s dreams came to an end as the Allied armies approached Germany. He feared for the lives of the “Aryan race,” which he had so desperately tried to protect and increase.  Lisciotto insisted that, “realizing the war was lost, Himmler attempted to approach the Allies for peace negotiation through the Head of the Swedish Red Cross, Count Folke Bernadotte.”[44] News of these negotiations reached Hitler, who felt the sting of Himmler’s betrayal. Hitler ordered Himmler to be stripped of his offices and arrested.[45]

            Himmler feared for his life with the advancement of the Allied army and fled into hiding. Simkin reported that Himmler stole the identity of a dead policeman and attempted to sneak by British forces.[46] Himmler was arrested along with many other SS officers. Himmler was not about to let the many secrets he held be revealed during the impending interrogation. On May 23, 1945 CE, Heinrich Himmler died after swallowing a cyanide capsule.[47]

            Heinrich Himmler sought a military career for himself from the time he was an adolescent. Instead he became one of the most influential Nazi leaders and head of the SS. Himmler’s beliefs in an Aryan religion and super race influenced his career as leader and contributed to the projects that he began. His projects such as Lebensborn, Ahnenerbe, the Wewelsburg Castle, and the Quedlinburg Abbey indicate his deepening interest in occult practices.

            Many historians and conspiracy theorists believe that Himmler’s interest in the occult practices inspired his many projects and anti-Semitic orders while leader of the SS. Julius Evola in Hitler and the Secret Societies insists that, “one can see clearly the intention of Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler to create an Order in which elements of Prussian ethics were to be combined with those of the old Orders of knighthood, especially the Teutonic order.”[48] Evola also notes that he does not believe the research of the Ahnenerbe were the product of occult interest.[49] It is possible that Himmler’s interest in his many projects were simply a hobby. It could also be indications of a personality much more sinister, which sought the destruction of inferior races and the advancement of a pure and superior “Aryan race.”

            Heinrich Himmler with the aid of his intellect moved himself into a position of great power within the Nazi party. As head of the SS and other departments Himmler was able to put his plans into motion. Himmler’s projects with Ahnenerbe, Lebensborn, Wewelsburg Castle, and Quedlinburg Abbey indicate that he was influenced by occult practices. Throughout Himmler’s career he gave many indications of his plans to lead the SS in a new direction and replace Christianity with a new way of thinking.

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[1] Carmelo Lisciotto, “Heinrich Himmler,” Holocaust Education & Archive Research Team, accessed October 15, 2014. http://www.holocaustresearchproject.net/holoprelude/himmler.html

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] John Simkin, “Heinrich Himmler,” Spartacus Educational, accessed October 15, 2014. http://spartacus-educational.com/GERhimmler.htm

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Otto Strasser, quoted in John Simkin, “Heinrich Himmler,” Spartacus Educational, accessed October 15, 2014. http://spartacus-educational.com/GERhimmler.htm

[8] Simkin, “Heinrich Himmler.”

[9] Ibid.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Gebhard Himmler, quoted in John Simkin, “Heinrich Himmler,” Spartacus Educational, accessed October 15, 2014. http://spartacus-educational.com/GERhimmler.htm

[12] Simkin, “Heinrich Himmler.”

[13] Ibid.

[14] Ibid.

[15] Ibid.

[16] Ibid.

[17] Ibid.

[18] Ibid.

[19] Ibid.

[20]Ibid.

[21] Ibid.

[22]Heinrich Himmler, “Himmler and Religion,” (Speech to top leaders of the SS, Berlin, Germany, June 9, 1942.), World Future Fund, accessed October 21, 2014. http://www.worldfuturefund.org/wffmaster/Reading/Germany/himmler.religion.htm

[23] Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, The Occult Roots of Nazism: Secret Aryan Cults and their Influence on Nazi Ideology, (London, GBR: Tauris Parke Paperbacks, 2005), 97.

[24] Heinrich Himmler, “Heinrich Himmler: Collection of Remarks,” (Speech to SS Major-Generals, Poznan, Poland, October 4, 1943), Jewish Virtual Library, accessed October 21, 2014. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/himmler_remarks.html

[25] “The Nazi Party: The ‘Lebensborn’ Program,” Jewish Virtual Library, accessed October 24, 2014. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/Lebensborn.html

[26] Ibid.

[27] Joseph P Farrell, “Reich of the Black Sun: Nazi Secret Weapons and The Cold War Allied Legend,” Scribd, accessed October 15, 2014. http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/reichblacksun/contents.htm#Contents

[28] Ibid.

[29] Ibid.

[30] Ibid.

[31] Ibid.

[32] “Historical Background,” KreisMuseum Wewelsburg, accessed October 21, 2014. http://www.wewelsburg.de/en/wewelsburg-1933-1945/historischer-hintergrund.php

[33] Ibid.

[34] Goodrick-Clarke, “The Occult Roots of Nazism,” 187-188.

[35] “Historical Background,” KreisMuseum Wewelsburg.

[36] Ibid.

[37] J. H. Brennan, “Himmler’s Nazi Rituals: The Secret History of the Spirit World (Excerpt),” Huffington Post, last modified June 13, 2013. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/12/himmler-rituals_n_3428856.html

[38] Ibid.

[39] Ibid.

[40] Ibid.

[41] Ibid.

[42] Ibid.

[43] Ibid.

[44] Lisciotto, “Heinrich Himmler.”

[45] Ibid.

[46] Simkin, “Heinrich Himmler.”

[47] Ibid.

[48] Julius Evola, “Hitler and the Secret Societies,” Amerika, accessed October 15, 2014. http://www.amerika.org/texts/hitler-and-the-secret-societies-julius-evola

[49] Ibid.

Bibliography

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