Gustav Meyrink and the occult tradition in Germany before World War II

All through the years i have always been interested in the occult history of Germany, and especially Berlin.

Of course, I have read Karl Frick's masterpiece of scholar research "Die Erleuchteten", a heavy volume which deals with all the gnostic-theosophic and alchemical-rosicrucian secret societies in the german speaking countries up to the end of the 18th century.
Therein i found the most extensive excourse on the german Gold-und-Rosenkreutz-Orden and its spin-off the asiatic Brethren i have ever read, both organisations being antecedents of the modern Golden Dawn.

I have another book in my possession, a limited edition of 500 copies which is simply called "Gold-und Rosenkreutzer", published by the "Archiv für altes Gedankengut und Wissen" in Germany, with beautiful typeset and bound in red linen, and this one consists mainly of very cryptic recipes of laboratory alchemy written down by different brethren of the old G.u.R. Order.

A very detailed historic account on the occult history of Germany and Bohemia we also find in the biography of Gustav Meyrink, a german writer (1868-1932) who is famous for his occult novels, especially "Der Golem".

Gustav Meyrink not only was the head of the bohemian branch of the Asiatic Brethren, but also of countless other masonic and esoteric bodies and branches of that time. He knew every renowned person of the occult and theosophic scene of that time, and he also was in mail contact with William Wynn Westcott, from whom he received certain instructions on hermeticism.

This biography is full of interesting anecdotes on occultism, since Meyrink, throughout his whole life, tried to "become more than human", and experimented with several systems to achieve this, western and eastern techniques alike.

At the end of his life he even said that he found out that the primary aim of any occult student should be to strive to not only change consciousness through magic, but moreover to transmute the physical body into higher forms of energy.

This, and the whole knowledge displayed throughout his extensive body of writing, published and private, reveals that he certainly has reached a high level of attainment.

One of the most interesting anecdotes that comes to my mind when remembering Hartmut Binders biography is that Meyrink once described the official emblem of the Asiatic Brethren, which consisted of the heads of a boar and of an unicorn, placed symmetrically to each other.

Then there is http://user.cyberlink.ch/~koenig/, the page of one Peter König, who is regarded as one of the best historic researchers on german occultism, especially on the phenomenon of the O.T.O., the german Fraternitas Saturni, and everything that predated these two organisations. It is said that Peter König possesses even more material on the history and origin of the O.T.O. than the O.T.O. itself.

On the 7th of December 1937, the german Nazi government forced every masonic and related esoteric organisations to close down their lodges, and on Königs research page we find a facsimile of the original edict with a list of all the names of these esoteric bodies. And hey, this list is HUGE.
Amongst all the numerous masonic organisations, we find also countless rosicrucian bodies, and even one organisation called "Der hermetische Orden der Goldenen Dämmerung", which, of course, caught my greatest interest, since i never heard of one german branch of it before.

I also once saw on TV a documentary on Hitler and the occult, where i saw shots of the inside of several occult lodges in Berlin in the 30s.

This all sums up to the conclusion that there once was a rich occult tradition in the german speaking countries, and that this tradition suffered a severe cut through Hitlers regimen.
He not only was committing genocide, but also murdered a vast esoteric corpus, and at the same time, and paradoxically, tried to incorporate bits and pieces of plain esoteric knowledge into his semi-esoteric ario-sophic Order of the S.S.
Hitler made tabula rasa on the occult landscape of Germany, and i believe only the smallest pieces of it could survive underground.

After World War II, the occupation forces of America helped to re-erect Freemasonry, and a few personalities from the several occult bodies who survived the War began to re-erect the O.T.O. and a pansophic lodge out of which was born the Fraternitas Saturni.
Soon Crowley appeared on the scene, and after becoming head of the english branch of the O.T.O. through Theodor Reuss, exerted his influence on the german countries as well, by proclaiming that he was the Prophet of the New Aeon at a famous congregation of occultists in Thüringen in the 40s.
Since then, the loose strands of german occultism that survived WWII became influenced by the Law of Thelema in varying degrees, and in my opinion, spoiled.

What is left in Germany since then is Freemasonry, the O.T.O., and the Fraternitas Saturni, that was founded by one Eugen Grosche, formerly secretary of the pansophic lodge, who was also present at the convention in Thüringen and highly excited by Crowleys appearance.

And last but not least, in 2002 a Temple of the Golden Dawn was inaugurated in Berlin
by David Griffin, the international Imperator G.H. Frater L.e.S., to bring back the Light to its original place!

My conclusive thought on all that is, although its sad that probably a great deal of knowledge simply got lost during WWII, its maybe not necessary to have a vast amount of esoteric bodies here, like it has been in former times.
We have to bear in mind that at the beginning of the 20th century, and even before, it was to some extent simply "trendy" to be member of a secret society- given that you were upper class or at least of "good standing", of course....
Quantity is not quality.