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There’s always been something mythic about Elvis Presley. Look at his origin story: born in abject poverty, he overcame the odds and through happenstance became one of the top entertainers of all time, only to fall in a spectacular and tragic way that seems as mythic as his rise. A new book, The Occult Elvis, takes a long, exhaustive look at the mythic and mystical side of The King.   

Elvis was a seeker. From an early age, he sought to please his mother; as he got older, he became more religious, and then he sought to please his fans. This caused a schism in Elvis, because the same organized religion he sought to please turned on him, calling him evil and sinful. This hurt drove him from traditional Christianity, leaving him looking for something more. When he met hairstylist and spiritualist Larry Geller, he found what he had been looking for: someone to guide him into the more. 

And more is exactly what Geller gave Presley. Elvis was introduced to Eastern concepts and such ideas as theosophy, astral projection, Jainism, Buddhism, UFOlogy, Kabbala, and clairvoyance. Presley dabbled in these things and voraciously ate up anything occult-related. It’s related how whenever Elvis traveled, he had boxes filled with up to 200 books with him, so he could read them as the mood hit him.  

Presley was already attuned to things supernatural when he met Geller; he believed in out-of-body experiences, often claiming he could astral project into space. He thought of himself as a healer—a trait he shared with his mother, Gladys—and would routinely heal those around him, either by laying on of hands or financially relieving their burden—it was all a generosity of spirit. He believed in UFOs, having seen strange lights before, as well as having an odd blue light shine over his house when he was born.  (The UFO bit doesn’t stop there; remember that the infamous “WOW signal” took place mere hours from when Presley died. Mothership calling him home? We’ll let you be the judge of that.)

If you’re only marginally familiar with Presley, all of this sounds pretty kooky and eccentric, and perhaps it is. But author Miguel Conner goes to great length to offer only witnessed incidents and anecdotes, which gives what Elvis experienced and did more credibility. And it’s to Elvis’s credit that none of this ever got out to his public to impact his image. That image of Presley is striking—pure American Christendom, a boy of poor mean becomes successful but still loves his God, his Country, and his Mama. Elvis’s only Grammy awards in his lifetime were for his Gospel recordings. He was seen as a good Christian man in the eyes of the world—even if the truth was strikingly in contrast to reality.  

The Occult Elvis is a complex read. If you’re not well-versed in the occult, it might strike you as dense and hard to follow. Stick it out, though—we recommend watching this lecture and then giving it a read afterward—because doing so will open you up to a rich, interesting, and thought-provoking experience. 

Purchase: Amazon

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