The Evolving Ties Between Government Intelligence and the Occult Since the Early 20th Century
The connection between government intelligence and the occult has long stirred speculation. Since the early 20th century, these two worlds—one rooted in espionage, the other in esoteric mysticism—have intersected in strange and startling ways. From Aleister Crowley’s rumored spycraft to Cold War mind experiments, both realms relied on secrecy, symbolism, and psychological influence. Their parallel methods suggest a deeper, evolving relationship.
The Roots of the Connection: Secrecy as a Common Thread
The link between intelligence and the occult stretches back centuries. Dr. John Dee, the Elizabethan mathematician and astrologer, serves as an early prototype. Dee advised Queen Elizabeth I and practiced occult rituals, including attempts to contact angels. He also gathered intelligence for the English crown. This duality set a precedent. The occult’s focus on hidden knowledge and cryptic communication offered a natural training ground for espionage.
In the early 20th century, as MI5 and MI6 were forming, occult communities provided unique cover for operatives. Secret societies, with their oaths of silence and selective membership, mirrored the structure of spy agencies. Both worlds dealt in deception—occultists through rituals and symbolism, spies through disinformation and covert operations. The shared ethos made the occult appealing to intelligence agencies. During global conflicts, its unconventional methods proved useful.
Aleister Crowley: The Occultist-Spy Enigma
Aleister Crowley best exemplifies this strange intersection. He called himself the “Great Beast 666” and became one of the 20th century’s most infamous occultists. Crowley was born in 1875 in Royal Leamington Spa, England. He founded the spiritual philosophy of Thelema and later led the mystical order Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO). His decadent and provocative public image earned him the label “the wickedest man in the world” from the British press. Yet beneath the flamboyance, Crowley may have served as a covert British operative. Historians and occult scholars continue to debate this claim
Some biographers suggest Crowley’s intelligence work began as early as his days at Cambridge in the 1890s. Crowley’s involvement became more visible during World War I. He moved to the United States and wrote for The Fatherland, a pro-German newspaper. On the surface, this seemed to align him with Britain’s enemy, but later evidence suggests otherwise. A file from the U.S. Army’s Military Intelligence Division, uncovered by historian Richard B. Spence revealed that Crowley was “an employee of the British Government on official business of which the British Consul, New York City, has full cognizance. This suggests his anti-British writings were a ruse—to infiltrate German circles and sway American opinion toward entering the war.
Crowley’s World Wars: Fact, Fiction, and Files
In Secret Agent 666, historian Richard Spence argues that Crowley was a patriotic Englishman. He believes Crowley used his occult persona as cover for espionage. He suggests Crowley played roles in major events, such as the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915, which helped draw the U.S. into the war, and a plot to overthrow the Spanish government. Rumors suggest that during World War II, British intelligence considered using Crowley to exploit Hermann Hess’s occult interests. Additionally, Crowley’s friendship with figures like Tom Driberg, a British MP and suspected MI5 informant, and his acquaintance with Maxwell Knight, a spymaster, further tied him to intelligence circles.
However, the evidence for Crowley’s spy work is not conclusive. Much of it relies on fragmented documents, Crowley’s own cryptic claims, and secondary accounts. In Magick Without Tears, Crowley observed a “fundamental similarity” between the occult’s “Secret Chiefs” and intelligence officers. He seemed to grasp the parallels between the two. Still, his public vilification and eccentricity raise questions. Was he a genuine asset—or just a tool of convenience? Scholar Tobias Churton warns that Crowley’s spy persona may be overstated, possibly a mix of myth and speculation.. Without definitive records from MI5 or MI6, which remain sealed, the truth remains elusive.
Beyond Crowley: A Broader Trend
Crowley was not an isolated case. The early 20th century saw numerous occultists entangled with intelligence work. Several of Crowley’s associates, including Everard Feilding and Theodore Reuss (founder of the OTO), had ties to spy agencies. Reuss served as a German agent during World War I. Meanwhile, Crowley allegedly worked for Britain—creating a web of occult double agents. In the 1930s, MI6 reportedly recruited him again to monitor Nazi-linked occultists. This reflected a broader tactic: using esoteric circles to track extremist movements.
This trend continued into the mid-20th century. Jack Parsons, an American rocket scientist and devoted Crowley follower, was another figure rumored to have intelligence connections. Jack Parsons helped found the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and was deeply involved in the OTO. He performed occult rituals while also working near military and intelligence circles. During World War II, British occultist Dennis Wheatley wrote espionage thrillers that featured occult themes. His wife worked for MI5, and he drew on real intelligence insights.
The Cold War era further deepened these ties. Both the CIA and the Soviet KGB explored the occult as part of psychological warfare and mind-control experiments. The CIA’s MK-Ultra program, for instance, investigated paranormal phenomena, while Soviet intelligence studied psychic abilities for espionage purposes. The occult offered a way to shape belief systems and perception. These tools proved invaluable to intelligence agencies during ideological warfare.nvaluable in an era of ideological conflict.
The Deep Connection Between Government Intelligence and the Occult
The growing connection between government intelligence and the occult raises profound questions. On one hand, the occult provided a practical cover for espionage, as its secretive nature allowed operatives to move unnoticed. Crowley’s flamboyant persona, for example, may have been a deliberate distraction, masking his true activities. Intelligence agencies, unbound by conventional morality, often embraced the occult’s amorality—Crowley’s motto, “Do What Thou Wilt,” sounds a lot like a spy’s playbook: no rules, just results. When these worlds mix, you get a murky scene where morals disappear, and the line between good and evil gets blurry fast.
Moreover, the overlap highlights a broader cultural fascination with the unknown. The early 20th century was a time of spiritual uncertainty, with interest in occultism peaking across Europe and the U.S. Intelligence agencies capitalized on this, infiltrating secret societies not just for information but to shape public narratives. If Crowley truly influenced the U.S. entry into World War I, it shows how occult methods could be weaponized on a global scale.
From Crowley’s secret missions to the CIA’s psychic tests, the alliance between intelligence and the occult has been a wild ride—full of secrecy, ritual, and psychological warfare. It’s a story that makes you wonder: what else is hiding in the shadows?
Link to MI6 history & CIA’s declassified MK-Ultra files.
