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"Friedrich Nietzsche is perhaps the greatest philosopher the world has known ...[...] he is a born mystic ... [...] The only thing unfortunate about him is, that he was born in the West; hence, he could never come across any mystery school."
[Osho, Zarathustra: A God That Can Dance]
[Osho, Zarathustra: A God That Can Dance]
I
There are many references in Nietzsche's works, particularly in the imagery of Zarathustra, that suggest that Nietzsche was aware of the traditions of Western Occultism.
This may be down to more than his wide reading; I tentatively suggest the possibility that he was an initiate of an Occult fraternity, but was sworn to secrecy regarding this fact.
The favourite candidate is the 'Ordo Templi Orientis [O.T.O]. This was a group founded in Germany in 1862.
The Manifesto of the English-speaking branch of this lodge states that "Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Nietzsche" were members of the "originating assemblies of the O.T.O.".
There is another link between Nietzsche and the Occult, this time pointing to France.
Eliphas Levi [real name Alphonse-Louis Constant, died 1875] was the author of the hugely influential 'Dogme et rituel de la haute magie'. This work inspired the Marquis Stanislas de Guaita, who was the founder of the 'Rose + Croix' order, thanks to Catulle Mendes who was a friend of both Levi and Guaita.
It was Mendes who introduced Guaita to the work of Levi.[And note that Crowley claimed to be the reincarnation of Levi].
Those readers of Nietzsche's letters will know that Nietzsche wrote to Mendes in admiring terms, sending him his Dionysos Dithyramb poems;
"Eight 'inedita' and 'inaudita', presented to the poet of Isoline, my friend and satyr, with great distinction: may he present my gift to humanity".
[Nietzsche letter to Mendes, Turin January 1st 1889]
This letter was signed " Nietzsche Caesar Dionysos" - the name 'Caesar' was crossed-out with one line.
On the same day he sent another letter to Mendes;
"As I wish to render humanity an unlimited good deed, I give it my 'Dithyramben'.
I place them in the hands of the poet of Isoline, the greatest and first satyr who lives today - and not only today ...
Dionysos".
It is my contention that Nietzsche could have been a member of a Secret Society of the Occult; and that this answered his need to belong to a small intimate band of 'Free Spirits'.
II
"If power asks why, then is Power weakness."
[Crowley, Book of the Law II, 31]
Catulle Mendes [1841-1909]
French poet, novelist and dramatist. Of Jewish origin ... In 1859 he founded the 'Revue Fantaisiste', to which the Parnassians first contributed, and told the history of their movement in 'La legende du Parnasse contemporain' [1884]
Acclaimed for his metrically skillful early verse, 'Philomela' [1864], and a Swedenborgian epic, 'Hesperus' [1869], he succeeded also with stylised plays [e.g., 'Medee', 1898] and opera libretti [e.g., 'Ariane', 1906, with Massenet].
He supported the Wagnerian cult [see his 'Richard Wagner' 1886, etc.] writing a novel about him and Ludwig II, 'Le Roi Vierge' [1881].
His prolific fiction has a characteristic element of erotic fantasy.
[Penguin Companion to European Literature]
The piece Nietzsche refers to - Isoline - is not mentioned, but I believe that this was a libretto of 1888, therefore this enthusiasm is directly contemporary with Nietzsche's last productive years.
Given Mende's aforementioned link with the occult, it strikes me that a rich field of 'Nietzsche and the Occult' has yet to be ploughed.
The cultivation of the Will by occultists has so much to teach us!
And the 'morality' displayed by the likes of Crowley is very close to Nietzscheanism.
Given that Nietzsche is mentioned in the Protocols of Zion, as well as his connection to August Strindberg [an occultist], makes an interest in the occult possible.
"We inquired about the VALUE of this Will to Truth. Granted that we want the truth: WHY NOT RATHER untruth?
And uncertainty?
Even ignorance?".
[Nietzsche BGE]
Lou Salome's book on Nietzsche presented the philosopher as a Mystic, above all.
Nietzsche's conceptions of Superhumans, Order of Rank, the Eternal Recurrence of the Same, the Antichrist, the Will to Power, all have correlations in Occult literature/thinking.
Nietzsche was a Mystic.
There is a CONSTANT overlap between mysticism and occultism [after all, the first means 'of the mysteries' - i.e. of secret initiation, and the second means 'of the hidden'].
Nietzsche wrote in BGE that he 'strove for the forbidden'; he also saw his Zarathustran doctrine as being somewhat 'mysterious' and 'hidden' [see thread below on 'Zarathustra as the anti-Bible of our impossible Nietzscheanism' for evidence].
Thus Spake Zarathustra is an Occult work, comparable to the 'Book of the Law'.
III
The philosopher would prefer the title of "Satyr Nietzsche" in all irony!
"The revival of true Aristocracy has been my deepest idea all my life ..."
[A. Crowley, letter September 11th, 1944]
The Nietzschean echoes in Crowley's 'Book of the Law', and in his general Weltanschauung of 'Thelema' (i.e., 'Will'), are well known.
Also, Crowley had a prediliction for fascism.
During the period of the First World War, Crowley wrote many pro-German articles for George Viereck's publications - Viereck was was an influential promoter of German culture in America throughout the period of both world wars.
In the 1920s, when Hitler was still a struggling politician, Crowley implored one his contacts in Germany [Martha Kuntzel] to pass on a German translation of the 'Book of the Law' to Hitler.
On May 5th 1936, Crowley's diary entry records that he had discussed the idea of promoting;
" 93 [i.e., 'Thelema'] as base for New Order".
[Crowley diary entry May 5th 1936]
In Crowley then renewed contacts with Viereck who was in communication with the Third Reich Leader; once again, Crowley sought to push the 'Book of the Law' Hitler's way;
"One of my colleagues informed me a couple of months ago that the Fuehrer was looking for a philosophical basis for principles [...]
Some of my adherents in Germany are apparently trying to approach the Fuehrer with a view to putting the 'Book of the Law' in its proper position as the Bible of the New Aeon.
I expect you will be in close touch with the Chancellor and his immediate officers, and I should be very grateful if you would put the matter very tentatively before them [...]
Hitler himself says emphatically in 'Mein Kampf' that the world needs a new religion, that he himself is not a religious teacher, but that when the proper man appears he will be welcome".
[Crowley letter to Viereck, July 31, 1936]
Crowley recorded his dreams, and two of 1938/1939 deserve mention in this connexion;
"Elaborate dream about Hitler & cigars & Magick & my horse Sultan. I was running Germany for him".
[Crowley diary entry Feb. 4th 1938]
And;
"I had several long talks with Hitler a very tall man. Forget subjects, but he was pleased and impressed: ordered all my books translated & made official in Germany. Later, a dusk night in a city. A man in gold-braid went round a corner, saw several horsemen, similarly gorgeous, one fired the first shot of the war".
[Crowley diary entry June 2nd, 1939]
During 1942-44 Crowley read Rauschning's 'Hitler Speaks', and made excited annotations in its margins. For example, (here Crowley writes in the third person);
"She [Martha Kuntzel] had been told in 1925 by the Master Therion [i.e., Crowley] that the nation which first accepted the 'Book of the Law', officially, would thereby become the leading nation in the world. She accordingly supplied Hitler with a copy of her translation of the 'Book', and other such parts of the extensive commentary on that 'Book' [...]
Many passages in this volume 'Hitler Speaks' show how clearly he [i.e., Hitler] profited by her teaching, and wherein his interpretations erred".
[from Crowley's annotated copy of Rauschning's 'Hitler Speaks', O.T.O. Archives]
Crowley maintained that Hitler had;
"almost certainly gotten the idea to use the swastika as the symbol from us. I personally had suggested it to Ludendorff in 1925 or 1926 - when he started talking about reviving Nordic Theology - pointing out that the Swastika is the only universal magical symbol which had an ancient title peculiar to that system: the Hammer of Thor".
[ib.,]
[Crowley material from L. Sutin, 'Do What Thou Wilt']
IV
"Jung believed in a ... single tradition of gnosis ... called ... the 'Golden Chain', and thought that it existed from the beginnings of philosophical alchemy and Gnosticism down to Nietzsche's Zarathustra".
[Surrette, The Birth of Modernism]
I note that 'The Temple of Set' [formed as a breakaway from La Vey's 'Church of Satan' by M. Aquino] has as one of its 'Orders', - 'The Order of Nietzsche-Germany'.
Unfortunately the statement by the 'Master of the Order' somewhat disappoints in its politically-correct tone, although it does say the following;
"The Order of Nietzsche will study this great Satanic Master's philosophy from the Setian perspective - the applicability to our personal 'Xeper'.
And Nietzsche was not only a great thinker but a man of refreshing and subtle humour. In one of his posthumously published notebooks - called 'black diamonds' - he wrote: 'Mit den Fursten der Finsternis habe ich Wurfel gespielt' ['With the Prince of Darkness I have gambled at dice']".
I wonder whether to form 'The Order of Nietzsche~England' [ON~E]?
Appendices:
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