Trevor Ravenscroft

This one is a really really weird book. I haven't read such a mish-mash of occult and mysterious since ... I do not know truth be told.

Premise is that Hitler succumbed to the dark ethereal entities that possessed him (Exorcist possession) in order to obtain a very potent metaphysical weapon (Spear of Destiny) that can bring joy and prosperity when wielded by those with pure heart and mayhem and utter destruction when used by dark and evil entities. When you look into this this is same story as ever - from ancient Greece to legends of Arthur and (why not :) ) Warhammer 40.000 universe.

In my opinion there is much to the world around us than it is visible - there are many currently unexplainable things that one day will be explained. Power hungry people have always organized themselves into secret societies and flirted with "forbidden" knowledge. Nazi's were no different and they had some pretty strange and weird pseudo-religious approach and philosophy. Power of symbol is extremely great so I was interested in the book.

Book starts relatively OK - lots of weird and far-fetched elements but OK this was expected. Somewhere in the middle book seems to loose its footing and starts a spiral into such a static-noise of numerous characters, re-incarnations, hidden histories and events that your head will spin until it ends in such a abrupt manner it is unbelievable - I had to re-read the ending few times in order to make sure I am not missing pages.

Maybe this book is not intended for general populace - I am not familiar with many of the occult and magical lore author refers to (although I will try reading some of the books he used as reference) - but nevertheless some editing had to be done to make this more concise book (when talking about Atlantis and its legacy author seems unable to take side whether this legacy is good or evil). There are few elements that you will not see coming - I especially liked the turn on Tibetans.

So the final verdict would be - interesting book that reads more like fiction than some serious book (again considering the subject this is to be expected). Keep in mind that it requires large amount of effort to finish.

If you are expecting scientific work then maybe it is better to look somewhere else. But on the other hand if you are interested in secret societies and hidden history and don't mind un-scientific approach to subject then do give it a try.
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1514 The Spear of Destiny: The Occult Power Behind the Spear Which Pierced the Side of Christ, by Trevor Ravenscroft (read 15 Apr 1979) I was reading a book on the Crusades and read how the finding of the spear which allegedly pierced the side of Christ invigorated the Crusaders at Antioch. This made me think of a book I bought some years ago but never read. I found it and read it. It is an awful book: just a mish-mash. If anything in it made any sense, and if it were seriously documented, it'd be fascinating. But it has so much gibberish in it I wonder why I read it. Its thesis is that Hitler was possessed, and greatly influenced by the Sword of Longinus which pierced the side of Jesus. It would be a good book if it was not so obviously thrown together by a nut.… (more)

Ravenscroft's Spear of Destiny is a landmark in the genre, bringing to light a whole hidden area of the occult, and in a very readable, easily digestible form. Raised a Catholic, I was always intrigued by the actual events of Jesus's life, rather then the teachings and lessons. What was he really like as a person? What really happened to him? And did all those relics which appeared over the years have real power? The Spear of Destiny answers some of those questions in regards to Christ's death on the cross and the fate of a single item associated with that event - the spear that pierced his side. The story of the spear continues to resonate, most recently in the Keanu Reeves movie Constantine. The Spear of Destiny is therefore highly recommended, both for subject matter and in the telling.… (more)