Politics and the Occult The Left, the Right, and the Radically Unseen

We don't usually associate the gritty business of politics with the occult, but esoteric beliefs have influenced the "destiny of nations" since the time of ancient Egypt and China, when decisions of state were based on portents and astrology. Gary Lachman shows how occult ideas continue to shape modern political consciousness. He also asks whether the separation of church and state characterizing modern political philosophy should be maintained. Just a few of his many fascinating topics include: ? The fate of the Knights Templar and the medieval Gnostic Cathars. ? The occult roots of America and the French Revolution in Freemasonry. ? How nineteenth-century spiritualism empowered the women's rights movement by giving women a "voice". ? The influence of early Theosophists H. P. Blavatsky, Annie Besant, and Henry Steel Olcott on the rise of Indian nationalism; how Theosophy helped stop the spread of communism. ? The watershed of World War I, which brought about the rise of right-wing occult streams that led to Germany's National Socialism; the truth about Hitler's belief in the occult; Gurdjieff and the swastika. ? Soviet interest in UFOs; ESP in the Kremlin; the CIA and LSD. ? The dawning Age of Aquarius; levitating the Pentagon in the 1960s. The millenarian politics that seem to inform the U.S. struggle with Islamic terrorists; fundamentalism and the fear of uncertainty. About the politics of the future, Lachman comments, "It's time to grow up". From the first Queen Elizabeth's Dr. Dee to Ronald Reagan's astrologer, his view is fresh and conscientious, avoiding wild speculation, proving him one of the best and most intelligent writers on these matters in the English-speaking world.