Invisible Eagle
 | |
| Author | Alan Baker |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Occultism in Nazism |
| Publisher | Virgin Books |
Publication date | 2000 |
| Pages | 322 |
| ISBN | 1-85227-863-3 |
| OCLC | 43879187 |
| 943.086 | |
| LC Class | DD256.5 .B316 2000 |
Invisible Eagle: The History of Nazi Occultism is a book written by Alan Baker. It was published in 2000 by Virgin Books. The book is focused on the intersection of occultism and Nazism. Among other subjects the book deals with themes of Hollow Earth theory, the Vril Society and similar speculative theories that were associated with Nazi Germany. It was seen as speculative and sometimes sensationalistic, and received mixed reviews from academics.
Contents
[edit]The book is focused on the intersection of occultism and Nazism, and its manifestations and influences on other occult elements.[1] He particularly examines the influence of Ariosophy on Nazi ideas of the occult. He further notes the influence of Helena Blavatsky's Theosophy on such conceptions, but emphasizes that her ideas were hijacked, and argues she would have been against such manifestations.[2] Among other subjects the book deals with themes of Hollow Earth theory, Welteislehre, the Vril Society, the Holy Lance, foo fighters, and similar speculative theories that were associated with Nazi Germany. Esotericist Raymond W. Bernard and his Hollow Earth theories are covered. While many other writers considered him to be merely a fraud, Baker argued that he was mislead by his associates.[3][4] Most of his chapter on Hollow Earth is unrelated to Nazism, rather Hollow Earth theories in general.[3]
It also discusses the association of UFOs with Nazi conspiracies.[5] He refers to the castle of Wewelsburg, though does not name it, and discusses an alleged ritual thought of by Himmler, to "to influence the mind of a person in the next room through the concentration of will-power".[6] Baker ultimately argues that there is very little evidence for Nazi officials practicing black magic, though Nazi currents were influenced by esotericism.[1] It contains notes, a bibliography, and an index.[3]
Publication history
[edit]Invisible Eagle was published in London in 2000 by Virgin Books.[5][7] Its first edition was 322 pages. It was authored by British author Alan Baker.[5][7][8] Baker was born in 1964 in Birmingham and has a Bachelor of Arts Honors degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Reading. He has published several other books on occultism, paranormal topics, and fiction.[9] Invisible Eagle was part of a then-lucrative market for explorations of this topic matter.[10]
Reception
[edit]The book was seen as somewhat speculative,[11] and was criticized by scholar Christian Giudice as "under-researched.[10] Despite this, it has been cited in several academic publications.[1][11] Scholar Eva Kingsepp cricicized the academic book Vril: Eine okkulte Urkraft in Theosophie und esoterischen Neonazismus by Julian Strube for "legitimizing some speculative writers as reliable sources by making references to their books", naming this as an example; she also noted scholar Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke utilizing it as a source, which she found odd.[11] Scholar Peter Staudenmaier named it among a list of works on the subject of Nazism and occultism that were "thoughtful popular works that are less credulous though still derivative and excessively sensationalistic".[12] Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke noted it as critically examining "Trevor Ravenscroft's military career and the doubtful nature of his contact". He noted that Baker "sought to document and analyze" the subject matter, despite its complications; he agreed with Baker it was "a valid field of inquiry, irrespective of the dubious nature of this latter-day literature".[1]
Occultist and academic Stephen E. Flowers was critical and said Baker's interest in Nazi occultism was more about pseudoscience generally, though said he did "address the fact that there is a great deal of fantasy involved in the whole field of Nazi occultism", but that he did not deal with this well. He named its chapter on Hollow Earth theory specifically as "an example of the poor methodology typically used in the composition of questionable books [...] on the subject of Nazi occultism"; he criticized how Baker opened it by merely naming it as one of the "strange and irrational beliefs held by the Nazis", and how most of the chapter was not even properly connected to Nazism but a broader discussion of Hollow Earth. He criticized the result, saying "it is writing such as this which has led to the current crop of Nazi esotericists who, based on such literature, also make the same sorts of associations between Nazism and other unusual theories".[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Goodrick-Clarke, Nicholas (2002). Black Sun: Aryan Cults, Esoteric Nazism and the Politics of Identity. New York University Press. pp. 126–127, 323–324. ISBN 978-0-8147-3124-6.
- ^ McCann, Gillian (2012). Vanguard of the New Age: The Toronto Theosophical Society, 1891-1945. Montreal: McGill–Queen's University Press. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-7735-8697-0.
- ^ a b c d Flowers, Stephen E. (2022). The Occult in National Socialism: The Symbolic, Scientific, and Magical Influences on the Third Reich. Rochester: Inner Traditions. ISBN 978-1-64411-575-6.
- ^ Folk, Holly (2021). "Raymond W. Bernard, Hollow Earth, and UFOs". In Zeller, Benjamin E. (ed.). Handbook of UFO Religions. Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion. Leiden: Brill Publishers. p. 316. doi:10.1163/9789004435537_015. ISBN 978-90-04-43437-0. ISSN 1874-6691.
- ^ a b c Barkun, Michael (2003). A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America. Comparative Studies in Religion and Society. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 142, 212, 221. ISBN 978-0-520-23805-3.
- ^ Siepe, Daniela (2022). "Wewelsburg Castle in Fantasy Literature". In John-Stucke, Kirsten; Siepe, Daniela (eds.). Myths of Wewelsburg Castle: Facts and Fiction. Schriftenreihe des Kreismuseums Wewelsburg. Paderborn: Brill Publishers. pp. 99, 109. ISBN 978-3-657-79200-9.
- ^ a b "Invisible Eagle: The History of Nazi Occultism by Alan Baker". Barnes & Noble. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
- ^ "THE GLADIATOR: The Secret History of Rome's Warrior Slaves". Publishers Weekly. New York City. ISSN 0000-0019. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ "Alan Baker Biography". Andrew Lownie Literary Agency. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ a b Giudice, Christian (2022). Occult Imperium: Arturo Reghini, Roman Traditionalism, and the Anti-Modern Reaction in Fascist Italy. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-19-761024-4.
- ^ a b c Kingsepp, Eva (1 January 2014). "Julian Strube,Vril: Eine okkulte Urkraft in Theosophie und esoterischen Neonazismus, München: Wilhelm Fink 2013. 222 pp. ISBN: 978-3-7705-5515-4". Aries. 14 (2): 264–267. doi:10.1163/15700593-01402009. ISSN 1567-9896.
- ^ Staudenmaier, Peter (1 January 2009). "Occultism, Race and Politics in German-speaking Europe, 1880—1940: A Survey of the Historical Literature". European History Quarterly. 39 (1): 47–70. doi:10.1177/0265691408097366. ISSN 0265-6914.