http://www.arun-verlag.dehttp://www.gaia-versand.deArun publishing house, a publisher of esoteric literature, in 1989 got sold to
a person called Stefan Ulbrich aka Stefan Bjoern Ulbrich aka Bjoern Falko
Ulbrich.
Ulbrich, born 1963, was a member of neo-fascist Wiking-Jugend (Viking Youth)
between 1980 and 1984. Founded in 1952, WJ was the strongest far-right youth
organisation with 400 members at the point in time it got legally banned in
1994. WJ saw itself in the tradition of Hitler Youth and observed an alleged
nordic/germanic ideology as well as strong anti-semitic and anti-christian
tendencies. Ulbrich left WJ in 1984. By the end of the 1980ies, he is
organising meetings in cooperation with the leader of neo-fascist
Thule-Seminar; between May 1991 and December 1993, Ulbrich was an editor for
the weekly paper „Junge Freiheit“ (Young Freedom) and responsible for their
political department.
Both Thule-Seminar and JF belong to the so-called New Right part of the
fascist movement. Having been founded in 1986 as a bi-monthly paper, JF
meanwhile has flourished to a weekly. JF see themselves in the tradition of
the so-called far-right 'Conservative Revolution'; their issues are „nation“,
„ethnicity“, and „migrants“.
One position held by both Thule-Seminar and JF is 'ethno-pluralism' which
claims that the identity of an ethnic group can only develop and be maintained
within the context of a specific territory and a specific cultural shaping.
Therefore, the different ethnic groups shall keep their cultural
characteristics as well as a regional distance to each other. The ideal is a
multitude of ethnically homogenous territories. Thus this idea does not deal
with a peaceful coexistence of peoples, but with a camouflage of classic
racism as this ideology, too, has the concept of superior and inferior races.
'Superior' races in this perception would suffer from migration of persons
from different cultural backgrounds to their countries and be 'diluted',
while the 'inferior' migrants would not able to adjust to their new
surroundings.
With the publications of Arun, Ulbrich does not intend to concentrate on the
far right but also tries to appeal to the pagan and esoteric scenes and
presents his books in an unsuspicious air. However, from the early 1990ies on,
there are well-know far-right extremists from Germany, Austria and France
among his authors. The topics of some of his books, too, are revealing: e.g.
„Hitler's rightwing adversaries“ (author: Claus Wolfschlag, also writing for
JF) on the nationalist opposition during the Nazi era; a compilation of
essays titled „Multicultopia. Thoughts on a multicultural society“ (which is
viewed as bad as it means the mixing of members of superior and inferior
races).
Ulbrich also published books on Karl Maria Wiligut aka Weisthor and Otto Rahn.
Both Wiligut and Rahn were proteges of Himmler; Rahn as an author of esoteric
novels, Wiligut as a director of the Bureau of Prehistory in Himmler's panel
and as his advisor on esoteric questions (Wiligut had been incapacitated and
sent into a closed psychiatric ward from which he escaped in 1933. Wiligut
believed to be a descendant of the Germanic gods.)
Furthermore, Arun published two titles by Giulio Evola, „Revolt against Modern
World“, and „Cavalcare la Tigre – Riding the Tiger“. Evola was an intellectual
sympathizer and precursor of Italian fascism. He studied Eastern mysticism
and occultism, experimented with drugs and during the 1920 took a turn to
theosophy. In 1928, he published „Imperialismo Pagano“ [Pagan Imperialism] in
which he pleads for a hierarchical, 'organic' leader state. Evola's writings
also have an influence on the Thule-Seminar.
Another book published by Arun is „The Black Sun of Tashi Lhunpo“ by Russel
McCloud (which seems to be an aka; several websites offer explanations re
the actual authorship which vary between RMcD being an aka of Ulbrich's while
others believe the author was Austrian due to certain linguistic
peculiarities). This book became a bestseller in the far right. It describes
an alleged war for world rulership between freemasons and the remnants of an
SS unit: a unit of 666 SS-men are supposed to have managed an escape to the
Himalayans at the end of WWII. They gained immortality and dedicated
themselves to fighting freemasonry. The book idealizes the SS into a mystic
order which means to save the Western World from freemasonry and US
capitalism. As late as the year 2000, Arun advertised the book as follows:
„This book is more than a novel. For those who know how to interprete it,
nothing will remain the same, due to the intensive investigations of the
author on those secret socities at work in politics.“ The book could be
obtained in bookshops until 2002.
By 2006, all of the above books are no longer to be found at Arun's website.
In the meantime, a fierce discussion took place between parts of the pagan
scene and Ulbrich, during which Ulbrich tried to play down his membership in
Viking Youth as a 'juvenile aberration'. He failed, however, to comment upon
his later activities as well as the books he publishes. Ulbrich claims that
his leaving WJ was rated as 'treason' by the rightwing scene. If this was
true, his activities in the vicinity of Thule-Seminar and his job with JF
paper would not have been possible. Last but not least, his claim not to have
shown any far-right activities since his retreat from WJ is countered by some
of the books he published. Arun is being watched by the German secret service
who rate Arun as belonging to the extremist right.
According to the sources analysed, a part of these publications has been
distributed by Gaia Mail-Order which also offers products for the (neo)pagan
and the esoteric scenes with both a website and a catalogue. At this point in
time (summer 2006), there are no products offered at Gaia's website.
In summer 2006, Arun offers a few publications on indigenous spirituality.
These are:
Scout Cloud Lee: The Circle is Sacred. A Medicine Book for Women
(cf entry at NAFPS – Research needed)
Annie Pazzogna: Inipi (3rd edition)
„The seven holy rites of the Holy Pipe are the religious basis of the Lakota
tradition. The Sioux medicine-man Archie Fire Lame Deer speaks through Annie
Pazzogna and tells us about the spirituality of the Plains Indians. The
reader gets to know the ancient teachings of White Buffalo Woman[sic!], of
the 16 great mysteries and the Seven Council Fires. The seven ceremonies are
described in detail: throwing a ball, the making of relatives [the Arun text
as a matter of fact wrongly uses a term which means 'making of relatives by
marriage'], the wake of the spirit, the puberty ceremony, the vision quest,
the sweatlodge, and the sun dance. Pazzogna puts a special emphasis on the
sweatlodge. How did this ritual develop? Which preparations does it need?
How to build a sweatlodge. Which songs are being sung, which herbs get used
to which end, what is the ceremonial procedure.
The descriptions are detailed and competent but at the same time are not a
sell-out of Indian spirituality. Because only those who are informed can show
respect for human beings and mother earth. This is the aim of this book.
Another emphasis made by the author is the description of traditional Indian
sweatlodges for menstruating women and contemporary European moonblood
ceremonies.“
