There exists a strain of thought today, some of it in academia and political commentary, that historically links occult and New Age movements to fascism and rightwing extremism.
Even if one writes with critical sympathy on occultism, as I do, its diffuse history and influence — intellectually, spiritually, socially, and in literature — is difficult to capture. Excellent historians, including my colleagues Richard Smoley and Gary Lachman, spend years probing the byways.
There exists no easily summarized connection between occultism and politics. This is because, among other things, there exists no unitary cultural and historical definition of outsider spirituality, much less its sprawling impact.
Even seemingly familiar terms (e.g., “Theosophy,” “Ascended Masters,” “Rosicrucians,” “Freemasons”) are laden with encyclopedic complexities and mean different things to different users and practitioners, although there are major historical currents, often neglected.
Unsurprisingly, a strain of occult influence historically appears in movements considered both regressive and progressive, with no definitive plurality in either.
Yet an occult-rightwing connection is widely heard about. Indeed, there exists a recently revived trend within academia to ascribe “green” and occult roots to the…
