WHITE ORDER OF THULE [WOT]
The White Order of Thule (WOT), originally founded as the Black Order, is an international neo-Nazi occult organisation that emerged in January 1994. Its founder, Kerry Bolton of New Zealand, was formerly active in far-right politics as a leader within the Nationalist Workers’ Party, before abandoning traditional political avenues in the late 1980s to explore what he termed a “magical” or esoteric approach to fascism.
Origins and Ideological Roots
Bolton’s vision was not merely political but metaphysical. In 1992, he established the Order of the Left Hand Path, later renamed Ordo Sinistra Vivendi (OSV)—a group blending Satanic, pagan, and fascist elements into an ideological system that sought to unite occultism with authoritarian racial mysticism. From this current, the Black Order was born in 1994, positioning itself as a network of “occult nationalists” operating across Europe, Australasia, and North America.
The name “Black Order” was intended to symbolise a militant inversion of both spiritual and political order, merging the aesthetics of the occult underground with the racial doctrines of National Socialism. However, the contradiction of a white supremacist organisation adopting the colour black—associated with the Left Hand Path, chaos, and darkness—would later prompt its rebranding.
Structure and Global Network
The group’s membership base spanned Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. It functioned primarily as a support network for neo-Nazi secret societies rather than as a singular hierarchical organisation. Through its internal correspondence, small cells, and publications, it sought to unify disparate far-right occultists, providing them with ideological materials, networking opportunities, and a sense of shared identity.
Central to this network was the group’s quarterly magazine and book-publishing programme, both overseen by Bolton. These publications promoted writings that intertwined Aryan mysticism, racial esotericism, and pseudo-Nordic mythology, presenting fascism not as a political creed but as a spiritual destiny. The Order’s members drew inspiration from mythic constructs such as Thule—the supposed northern homeland of the Aryan race in Nazi occult mythology—and sought to resurrect it symbolically as a spiritual nation of the “elect.”
Rebranding and Relocation
By 1997, the group’s leaders apparently recognised the incongruity of its original name. The Black Order was thus renamed the White Order of Thule (WOT), explicitly aligning itself with the esoteric racial mysticism of early twentieth-century German nationalist movements such as the Thule Society, which had inspired the ideological roots of Nazism itself.
In the same year, the Order’s headquarters shifted to Richmond, Virginia, marking a transition of influence from New Zealand to the United States. Bolton stepped down from active leadership to focus on publishing and ideological dissemination, leaving the American branch to continue developing the movement under its new identity.
By 2001, the White Order of Thule relocated once more—to Deer Park, Washington State, deep within the Pacific Northwest, a region long romanticised by American white nationalists as the ideal location for a future separatist homeland. This relocation reflected the WOT’s fusion of occult ideology, racial utopianism, and apocalyptic nationalism—a triad that continues to characterise the more extreme fringes of far-right mysticism.
Influence and Controversy
Though small in number, the White Order of Thule remains significant for its attempt to sacralise fascism through occult frameworks. It influenced several minor far-right esoteric circles, particularly within the industrial and black metal subcultures, where imagery and symbolism drawn from the WOT’s publications circulated widely in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Its writings echo a persistent theme within the darker corners of esotericism: the belief in an “Aryan spiritual elite” tasked with restoring a mythic cosmic order through struggle, purification, and domination. These doctrines, though pseudo-mystical, serve as vehicles for hate ideology under the guise of spirituality and gnosis.
Legacy
The White Order of Thule stands as one of several attempts to merge political extremism with esoteric philosophy, alongside groups such as the Order of Nine Angles and the Armanen revivalists inspired by Guido von List. While its membership has fluctuated and its influence waned in recent years, the WOT’s existence illustrates how occultism can be co-opted as a framework for extremist ideology, transforming myth into dogma and spirituality into propaganda.
Its dark fusion of magical elitism and racial politics continues to serve as a cautionary example within the study of secret societies — a reminder that not all esoteric orders are devoted to enlightenment; some, like the White Order of Thule, seek power through exclusion, distortion, and hate.
SOURCE:
The Element Encyclopedia of Secret Societies : the ultimate a-z of ancient mysteries, lost civilizations and forgotten wisdom written by John Michael Greer – © John Michael Greer 2006
Revised Edition — Occult World
This article was reviewed and refined by Occult World, blending verified historical insight with esoteric understanding. All texts follow British English spelling. – Updated: 19th of October 2025
