Ariosophy
🧬 What Is Ariosophy?
Ariosophy (from Aryan + Sophia, “wisdom of the Aryans”) is a set of esoteric, racial-mystical teachings developed in Austria and Germany in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
It blends:
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Theosophy and occultism
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Germanic/Nordic mythology
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Völkisch ideology (romantic nationalism and racial purity)
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Pseudo-history and racial mysticism
It was one of several esoteric-nationalist movements floating around pre-Nazi Europe.
🕯️ Key Figures
| Name | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Guido von List | Founder of Ariosophy; wrote about rune magic, Germanic priesthoods, and ancient Aryan wisdom |
| Jörg Lanz von Liebenfels | Mixed theosophy, racism, and Atlantis theories; claimed ancient Aryans were god-like beings |
| Karl Maria Wiligut | SS occultist; advisor to Himmler; claimed direct ancestral memory of ancient Germanic lore |
🧝♂️ Core Beliefs of Ariosophy
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Aryans were a divine or semi-divine race descended from Atlantis or Hyperborea
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Ancient Germanic peoples once possessed magical knowledge and purity, later corrupted
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Runes carry mystical power and encode cosmic wisdom
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History is a spiritual struggle between light Aryans and dark/degenerate forces
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Rebirth of the Aryan spirit is needed for global transformation
🔁 Occult Influences
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Strong influence from Blavatsky’s Theosophy—especially her ideas on root races, karma, and Atlantis
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Borrowed heavily from runic symbols, Hermeticism, and Gnostic dualism
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Mixed with neo-paganism and romanticized notions of a pre-Christian golden age
⚠️ Problematic Aspects
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Ariosophy became a spiritual foundation for certain racist, ultranationalist ideologies
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Its themes were later co-opted by Nazi ideologues, particularly:
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Himmler’s SS
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Occult-influenced Nazi architecture and symbolism
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Beliefs about Aryan blood, ancestral land, and esoteric destiny
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While Hitler himself mocked occultism, members of the SS inner circle were deeply into Ariosophical and occult-mystical theories.
🏰 Ariosophy & Nazi Occultism
Some notorious Nazi-adjacent occult concepts trace back to Ariosophy:
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Thule Society – an esoteric nationalist group linked to early Nazi ideology
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Black Sun symbol, Wewelsburg Castle, and the SS’s occult rituals
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Belief in Antarctica as a gateway to ancient Aryan knowledge (aka “Nazi Hollow Earth” myths)
🧊 Ariosophy vs Other Occult Paths
| Tradition | Focus | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| Theosophy (Blavatsky) | Universal spiritual evolution | Inclusive (but exoticizing) |
| Anthroposophy (Steiner) | Ethical spiritual science | Deep, structured |
| Hermeticism | Alchemical, self-transcendence | Universalist |
| Ariosophy | Racial-mystical nationalism | Ethnocentric, dualistic |
| Franz Bardon | Practical initiation | Neutral, focused on personal development |
🌫️ Where It Stands Today
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Neo-pagan and far-right esoteric groups still draw on Ariosophy
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Some modern occultists have tried to de-racialize aspects (like runic magic), but its roots remain ethically troubling
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Many modern pagan communities reject Ariosophy’s racialist framework
🧘♂️ TL;DR
Ariosophy is a racialized offshoot of Western esotericism that:
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Elevated the Aryan race as spiritually superior
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Mixed Germanic myth, occultism, and nationalist ideology
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Became part of the spiritual undercurrent of early Nazi ideology
It’s fascinating in a historical-esoteric sense, but loaded with dangerous and harmful ideology that’s been used to justify exclusion, violence, and supremacy.