American Alchemy – “NASA’s Dark Secrets: UFOs, Pagan Rituals & Time Travel”

Host: Jesse Michels
Release Date: September 20, 2025

Episode Overview

In this rich and provocative episode, Jesse Michels delves into the occult and mystical underpinnings of NASA’s history and the wider space race. Moving beyond the publicly celebrated narrative of science and engineering, Michels explores the hidden role of secret societies, pagan rituals, esoteric symbolism, and even alleged contact with non-human intelligence—all entwined within the rocket science that ultimately took humanity to the moon. The episode is a compelling journey from Apollo mission mysteries to Nazi occult experiments, from Caltech’s magicians to Russian cosmic philosophers, investigating the idea that the advancement of space technology is fundamentally connected to the mystical, the unknown, and possibly, the “contacted.”

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ritual and Mystery in America’s Space Program

• Occult Practices and Rituals at NASA

  • Buzz Aldrin’s Communion on the Moon: The first religious ceremony conducted on the moon by Aldrin, using a silver chalice, wine, and bread.
    • “It was interesting to think the very first liquid ever poured on the moon was communion wine.” – Host (01:37)
  • Freemasonry and Moon Landings: The Apollo 11 mission included a Masonic flag, and Aldrin was a 33rd-degree Scottish Rite Mason. The episode draws connections between Masonic symbolism, the structure of NASA’s power, and its intertwining with esoteric traditions.
    • “When man reaches new worlds, Masonry will be there.” – Host quoting Masonic Grand Lodge (01:47)

• Esoteric Symbolism in NASA

  • Mission patches, launch pads (notably “Runway 33”), and launch timing often coincide with ancient pagan or mystical calendars and iconography, from Egyptian deities to Roman gods.
    • “Why are you using the images of Roman gods? Why are you putting them on your mission patches and also utilizing Latin phrases from that time period?... His answer was, our Sponsors.” – Farouk Elbaz, NASA Lunar Scientist (06:00)

2. Science, Genius, and the “Wu” Factor

• Astronauts and Psychic Experiments:

  • Edgar Mitchell (Apollo 14): Carried out ESP experiments en route to the moon, believed in consciousness as a cosmic phenomenon, founded the Institute of Noetic Sciences.
    • “There has to be somebody bigger than you and bigger than me... a creator of the universe who stands above the religions that we ourselves create.” – Edgar Mitchell (05:12)

• Scientists as Receivers, Not Creators

  • George Ellery Hale: Visionary astronomer and alleged recipient of inspiration from spirit beings or “elves.”
  • Jack Parsons: Caltech rocketeer and practicing occultist, engaged in sex magic rituals with L. Ron Hubbard (pre-Scientology). Sought to contact non-human intelligences.
    • “Parsons, as we’ll see, believed in more than just exotic propulsion.” – Host (16:31)
  • The episode draws a historical pattern: major scientific breakthroughs often attributed by their creators to mystical insight or communication with “something else.”

3. Nazi Occultism and the Rocket Science Connection

• Third Reich and Occult Societies:

  • The Nazi leadership’s obsession with occultism (e.g., Thule Society, Himmler’s SS rituals, Vril Society) and their pursuit of mystical knowledge and superhuman power.
  • Secret projects to find ancient artifacts (Holy Grail, runestones, expeditions to Tibet) and ancestral Aryan mythologies.
  • “It wasn’t just Hollywood fantasy… In 1945, near the end of the war, American forces uncovered a hidden stash of Nazi documents… revealing real state sponsored occult projects.” – Host (25:26)

• Operation Paperclip & NASA’s Esoteric Legacy:

  • Key Nazi scientists (e.g., Wernher von Braun, Hermann Oberth) were instrumental in both Nazi and American space programs, with beliefs or claims about alien intervention or contacting non-humans.
    • “We cannot take all of the credit for our record advancements in certain scientific fields. We have been helped. The people of the other worlds.” – Hermann Oberth (28:16)

4. Eastern Bloc Mysticism: Russian Cosmism

• Nikolai Feodorov, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky & Paleocontact
  • Early Russian space philosophy (cosmism) viewed spaceflight as a step toward resurrection and human immortality, tied directly to religious and mystical aspirations.
  • Tsiolkovsky believed in contact with “ethereal beings,” seeing technical breakthroughs as transmissions from higher intelligences.
    • “A genius is one who comprehends and channels these messages from higher beings…” – Host paraphrasing Tsiolkovsky (34:44)
  • In the USSR, “ancient aliens” hypotheses were sometimes legitimized as scientific inquiry, not fringe speculation.

5. NASA, the CIA, and the Modern Occult-Intelligence Matrix

• Mission Patch Symbolism and Ritual Launch Dates

  • Apollo program iconography is intricately connected with Egyptian and Greek myth, particularly the Osiris resurrection myth and the constellation Orion.
  • Key missions corresponded with solstices and cross-quarter days (e.g., Halloween/Samhain for Parsons’ engine test, Apollo 8’s lunar orbit on winter solstice).
  • “The odds of the US space program being bookended by Samhain and Candlemas, two cross quarter days with deep ritual significance… are striking.” – Host (45:01)

• The Aviary, NRO and the Necronomicon

  • The 2005 NROL 16 mission incorporated occult imagery and launched on Walpurgisnacht, echoing ritual instructions from the 1977 Necronomicon grimoire.
  • Ex-CIA operatives and analysts placed unusual emphasis on ritual and symbolism in classified launches.
  • “Some researchers, like Peter Lavenda, have suggested that figures close to these launches encouraged people... to study Greek mythology, especially... Prometheus, to better understand the UFO phenomena.” – Host (49:56)

6. Non-Human Intelligence, Mystical Downloads & Time Travel

• Timothy Taylor (“Tim Taylor”):
  • NASA mission controller claims to receive technical “downloads” from a non-human intelligence, resulting in patents and real mission advances.
    • “One of the most curious aspects of Taylor’s story is his claim that he receives downloads from an intelligence he believes is non human.” – Host (55:11)
  • Taylor’s alleged involvement in a secret time travel program, with links to anti-gravity inventor Thomas Townsend Brown and esoteric teams in the Bahamas, blurring lines between contact, government projects, and fringe science.

7. The Hidden Role of Belief and Consciousness

• Senior Aerospace Executives and Mysticism:

  • Leaders at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works (James Ryder, Charles Chase) explicitly study the overlap of spirituality, altered states, and technological breakthroughs, suggesting that mental or mystical engagement is foundational to real innovation in aerospace and possibly disclosure.
    • “The core thesis of the book Secret Machines is that UAP are mystical machines.” – Host (57:06)

• Mystical Inheritance of Space Science:

  • The episode closes asserting that history’s greatest scientists—Einstein, Dirac, Pauli, Heisenberg—often described their most important breakthroughs as “receptions” from a deeper, possibly non-human source.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Buzz Aldrin on the Moon (Religious Ritual):

  • “It was interesting to think the very first liquid ever poured on the moon was communion wine.” (01:37)

• Edgar Mitchell on Spirituality:

  • “There has to be somebody bigger than you and bigger than me... a creator of the universe who stands above the religions that we ourselves create to govern our lives.” (05:12)

• Wernher von Braun (on UFOs):

  • “I believe that these flying objects come from another solar system.” (28:09)

• Host (on Freemasonry at NASA):

  • "By the mid-1960s, the structure of NASA and I mean the actual power structure was a strange cocktail of former SS officers, Freemasons and occultists.” (40:58)

• Farouk Elbaz on Mission Patch Symbolism:

  • "Why are you using the images of Roman gods? Why are you putting them on your mission patches and also utilizing Latin phrases from that time period?... His answer was, our Sponsors." (06:00)

• Tsiolkovsky’s View of Inspiration:

  • “A genius is one who comprehends and channels these messages from higher beings into technologies, products, and even art.” (34:44)

• Closing Reflection (Host):

  • “It seems like an inescapable conclusion that the history of rocket science and physics is intimately connected to mystical traditions, the occult and ancient mythology.” (60:53)
  • “There are great ideas, undiscovered breakthroughs available... to Those who can remove one of truth’s protective layers.” – Reference to Neil Armstrong (61:36)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:02–01:47]: Aldrin’s moon communion & Masonic connections in Apollo 11
• [04:31–05:12]: Edgar Mitchell’s psychic experiments and views on consciousness
• [06:00–06:23]: Farouk Elbaz on NASA’s mythological mission patches
• [14:40–16:31]: Jack Parsons, Caltech, occultism, and the founding of JPL
• [25:26–28:16]: Nazi occult societies and their influence on scientific projects
• [28:03–28:16]: Hermann Oberth on non-human assistance in scientific advancements
• [34:44–35:30]: Russian cosmism and Tsiolkovsky’s mystical rocket science
• [42:19–43:18]: Neil Armstrong’s alleged involvement with UFO investigations
• [45:01–47:50]: Ritual launch dates, symbolism of mission patches, and the cross-cultural meaning of Apollo/Osiris/Orion imagery
• [49:56–51:43]: NROL 16, CIA involvement, Necronomicon rituals
• [55:11–56:10]: Tim Taylor’s “downloads” from non-human intelligences, ties to secret time travel research
• [57:06–58:09]: Skunk Works executives and mystical approaches to aerospace innovation
• [61:36–62:53]: Armstrong’s post-moon UFO interests & formation of research groups

Conclusion

Jesse Michels’ “NASA’s Dark Secrets” charts a hidden history where science, ritual, and contact overlap. The episode poses the audacious thesis that the journey to the stars has always been powered as much by belief, myth, and mystical experience as by engineering and math. In unveiling this secret history, it challenges listeners to reconsider what “rocket science” really is—and who, or what, might truly be fueling our cosmic ascent.