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The Occult Conspiracy
The power of secret societies in world history.
198 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1989
7 people are currently reading
290 people want to read
About the author
Michael Howard
199 books42 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Michael Howard (United Kingdom) was the editor of The Cauldron magazine from 1976 to his death in 2015. He has written numerous articles for other occult and neo-pagan magazines and since the 1970s has had over thirty-five books published on the runes, witchcraft, angelic magic, folklore, herbal remedies, and occult parapolitics.
Michael Howard (United Kingdom) was the editor of The Cauldron magazine from 1976 to his death in 2015. He has written numerous articles for other occult and neo-pagan magazines and since the 1970s has had over thirty-five books published on the runes, witchcraft, angelic magic, folklore, herbal remedies, and occult parapolitics.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 15, 2025
Finished this rather short book, at 178 pages. The idea of secret societies influencing major events of world history is an intriguing one. I'm not sure that the secret societies have controlled events but certainly individuals connected with secret societies have had some influence.
I'm particularly interested in the Freemasons and their effect on bringing about the American and French Revolutions. As Howard points out, George Washington was a high-ranking Mason. Among the fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence only six were NOT members of the Masonic Order. And the influence of the Masons and Rosicrucians is shown by the occult symbolism of the American flag and the Great Seal.
As a diplomat in Paris, Benjamin Franklin, a Mason ( of course!) used his Masonic contacts to raise funds to buy arms for the American rebels. He had been a Grand Master in Philadelphia and was made Grand Master of a Freemason lodge in Paris. Members of that lodge included the Marquis de Lafayette and Danton, who would become one of the leaders of the French Revolution.
Michael Howard traces the development of the Knights Templar, the Freemasons, the Rosicrucians, the Illuminati, the Thulists, and others, tracing back to the origins of occultism in Ancient Egypt. The Thulists were of particular interest as they were involved in the rise of Nazism. The Thule Society in Germany took its name from a mythical island located in the Arctic. The Thulists believed that island was the source of occult wisdom. They opposed Communism and started the German Workers' Party to attract the German workers away from the left wing and in support of nationalism--and "Aryan" racial superiority. This was the party that Hitler took over and had renamed as the National Socialist Party. When Hitler was sent to prison ( where he wrote "Mein Kampf"), the occultist Alfred Rosenberg became the active leader of the Party. Rosenberg was interested in reviving Germanic paganism. When Hitler was released from prison, he rejected Rosenberg's idea of a new German religion. Hitler felt too many Germans took comfort from the Christian religion and would oppose him if he tried to do away with Christianity ( of course, for Hitler, Jesus was an Aryan, not a Jew). Later, after Hitler took power, Heinrich Himmler supported occult ideas and wanted to build the SS as a vehicle to restore the racial purity of Germany and create the master race of supermen. Fortunately for the world, Hitler was defeated in World War II and so we will happily never know how Himmler's ideas would have worked out....
A fascinating little book and we are left with the idea that secret organizations continue to operate in world affairs today.
I'm particularly interested in the Freemasons and their effect on bringing about the American and French Revolutions. As Howard points out, George Washington was a high-ranking Mason. Among the fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence only six were NOT members of the Masonic Order. And the influence of the Masons and Rosicrucians is shown by the occult symbolism of the American flag and the Great Seal.
As a diplomat in Paris, Benjamin Franklin, a Mason ( of course!) used his Masonic contacts to raise funds to buy arms for the American rebels. He had been a Grand Master in Philadelphia and was made Grand Master of a Freemason lodge in Paris. Members of that lodge included the Marquis de Lafayette and Danton, who would become one of the leaders of the French Revolution.
Michael Howard traces the development of the Knights Templar, the Freemasons, the Rosicrucians, the Illuminati, the Thulists, and others, tracing back to the origins of occultism in Ancient Egypt. The Thulists were of particular interest as they were involved in the rise of Nazism. The Thule Society in Germany took its name from a mythical island located in the Arctic. The Thulists believed that island was the source of occult wisdom. They opposed Communism and started the German Workers' Party to attract the German workers away from the left wing and in support of nationalism--and "Aryan" racial superiority. This was the party that Hitler took over and had renamed as the National Socialist Party. When Hitler was sent to prison ( where he wrote "Mein Kampf"), the occultist Alfred Rosenberg became the active leader of the Party. Rosenberg was interested in reviving Germanic paganism. When Hitler was released from prison, he rejected Rosenberg's idea of a new German religion. Hitler felt too many Germans took comfort from the Christian religion and would oppose him if he tried to do away with Christianity ( of course, for Hitler, Jesus was an Aryan, not a Jew). Later, after Hitler took power, Heinrich Himmler supported occult ideas and wanted to build the SS as a vehicle to restore the racial purity of Germany and create the master race of supermen. Fortunately for the world, Hitler was defeated in World War II and so we will happily never know how Himmler's ideas would have worked out....
A fascinating little book and we are left with the idea that secret organizations continue to operate in world affairs today.
August 20, 2015
I doubt I could put into words how relieved I am that this didn't devolve into anti Semitism.
No lizard people, no ancient aliens, overall a grounded and informative piece of (speculative?) non fiction.
No lizard people, no ancient aliens, overall a grounded and informative piece of (speculative?) non fiction.
August 26, 2018
An amazing look into secret societies. The Occult Conspiracy reads like a history book, which I enjoyed, as it was absent of opinions on the good or evil of the particular secret societies. This is a great place to start if you are looking to research The Templars or their predecessors.
November 12, 2016
Interesting concepts, especially the chapters on the Knights Templar and the one on Nazi occultism. it tended to ramble and go off on tangents, but the author stuck to dates and facts instead of conjecture and hyperbole.
January 3, 2009
pretty good when taken with a large pinch of salt, but definitely interesting and i learned some stuff i wasn't aware of
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April 11, 2010The Occult Conspiracy by Michael Howard
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews