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Occult - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Occult

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The occult (from the Latin word occultus "clandestine, hidden, secret") is "knowledge of the hidden".[1] In
common English usage, occult refers to "knowledge of the paranormal", as opposed to "knowledge of the
measurable",[2] usually referred to as science. The term is sometimes taken to mean knowledge that "is
meant only for certain people" or that "must be kept hidden", but for most practicing occultists it is simply
the study of a deeper spiritual reality that extends beyond pure reason and the physical sciences.[3] The
terms esoteric and arcane have very similar meanings, and in most contexts the three terms are
interchangeable.[4][5]
It also describes a number of magical organizations or orders, the teachings and practices taught by them,
and to a large body of current and historical literature and spiritual philosophy related to this subject.

Contents
1 Occultism
2 Science and the occult
2.1 Occult qualities
3 Religion and the occult
3.1 Christian views
3.2 Hindu views
3.3 Religious Jewish views
3.4 Hellenic religious views
4 See also
5 Notes
6 References
7 Further reading
8 External links

Occultism
Occultism is the study of occult practices, including (but not limited to) magic, alchemy, extra-sensory
perception, astrology, spiritualism, religion, and divination. Interpretation of occultism and its concepts can
be found in the belief structures of philosophies and religions such as Chaos magic, Gnosticism,
Hermeticism, Theosophy, Wicca, Thelema and modern paganism.[6] A broad definition is offered by
Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke:
OCCULTISM has its basis in a religious way of thinking, the roots of which stretch back into
antiquity and which may be described as the Western esoteric tradition. Its principal ingredients
have been identified as Gnosticism, the Hermetic treatises on alchemy and magic, NeoPlatonism, and the Kabbalah, all originating in the eastern Mediterranean area during the first
few centuries AD.[7]
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From the 15th to 17th century, these ideas that are alternatively
described as Western esotericism, which had a revival from about 1770
onwards, due to a renewed desire for mystery, an interest in the Middle
Ages and a romantic "reaction to the rationalist Enlightenment".[8]
Alchemy was common among important seventeenth-century scientists,
such as Isaac Newton,[9] and Gottfried Leibniz.[10] Newton was even
accused of introducing occult agencies into natural science when he
postulated gravity as a force capable of acting over vast distances.[11]
"By the eighteenth century these unorthodox religious and philosophical
concerns were well-defined as 'occult', inasmuch as they lay on the
outermost fringe of accepted forms of knowledge and discourse".[8]
They were, however, preserved by antiquarians and mystics.

Reconstruction of the "Holy

Table" as used by John Dee.

Based on his research into the modern German occult revival (1890
1910), Goodrick-Clarke puts forward a thesis on the driving force behind occultism. Behind its many varied
forms apparently lies a uniform function, "a strong desire to reconcile the findings of modern natural science
with a religious view that could restore man to a position of centrality and dignity in the universe".[12] Since
that time many authors have emphasized a syncretic approach by drawing parallels between different
disciplines.[13]

Science and the occult

To the occultist, occultism is conceived of as the study of the inner nature of things, as opposed to the outer
characteristics that are studied by science. The German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer designates this
"inner nature" with the term Will, and suggests that science and mathematics are unable to penetrate beyond
the relationship between one thing and another in order to explain the "inner nature" of the thing itself,
independent of any external causal relationships with other "things".[14] Schopenhauer also points towards
this inherently relativistic nature of mathematics and conventional science in his formulation of the "World
as Will". By defining a thing solely in terms of its external relationships or effects we only find its external
or explicit nature. Occultism, on the other hand, is concerned with the nature of the "thing-in-itself". This is
often accomplished through direct perceptual awareness, known as mysticism.
From the scientific perspective, occultism is regarded as unscientific as it does not make use of the standard
scientific method to obtain facts.

Occult qualities
Occult qualities are properties that have no known rational explanation; in the Middle Ages, for example,
magnetism was considered an occult quality.[15] Newton's contemporaries severely criticized his theory that
gravity was effected through "action at a distance", as occult.[16]

Religion and the occult

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Some religions and sects enthusiastically embrace occultism as an integral esoteric aspect of mystical
religious experience. This attitude is common within Wicca and many other modern pagan religions. Some
other religious denominations disapprove of occultism in most or all forms. They may view the occult as
being anything supernatural or paranormal which is not achieved by or through God (as defined by those
religious denominations), and is therefore the work of an opposing and malevolent entity. The word has
negative connotations for many people, and while certain practices considered by some to be "occult" are
also found within mainstream religions, in this context the term "occult" is rarely used and is sometimes
substituted with "esoteric".

Christian views
Christian authorities have generally regarded occultism as heretical whenever they met this: from early
Christian times, in the form of gnosticism, to late Renaissance times, in the form of various occult
philosophies.[17] Though there is a Christian occult tradition that goes back at least to Renaissance times,
when Marsilio Ficino developed a Christian Hermeticism and Pico della Mirandola developed a Christian
form of Kabbalism,[18] mainstream Christianity has always resisted occult influences, which are:[19]
Monistic in contrast to Christian dualistic beliefs of a separation between body and spirit;
Gnostic i.e. involving the acquisition of secret knowledge rather than based on scripture and open
church tradition
Seen as involving practices such as divination and calling on spirits which are forbidden in the Bible
Not monotheistic, frequently asserting a gradation of human souls between mortals and God; and
Sometimes not even theistic in character.

Hindu views
Tantra, literally meaning "formula", "method", or "way", (parallel to the Chinese Tao, which also means
"the way" or "the method"), and also having the secondary meaning of "loom", "thread", or "warp and
woof", is the name scholars give to a style of religious ritual and meditation that arose in medieval India no
later than the fifth century CE, and which came to influence all forms of Asian religious expression to a
greater or lesser degree.[20] Tantra is at the same time a method of psychoanalysis, a way of integrating the
body, mind, and spirit, and a way of using the mind or will to cause change in one's external situations and
circumstances, hence "magic". It includes amongst its various branches a variety of ritualistic practices
ranging from visualisation exercises and the chanting of mantras to elaborate rituals. Alchemy, astrology,
herbalism, yogic practices, sex magic, and trance also together form the multifaceted and multilevel nature
of Tantra. Yantra, literally: "instrument" or "tool" are geometric diagrams considered to be the subtle or
finer representation of the psychological or natural powers that are the deities, the proper use of which
would result in the yantra becoming "activated" and infused with the particular powers and capacities of the
said deity, for the practitioner or adept to put to his or her use.
Occult concepts have existed in the Vedic stream too. The Atharva Veda, representing an independent
tradition markedly different from the other three Vedas, is a rich source parallel to the Vedic traditions of
the Rig, Sam, and Yajur Vedas, containing detailed descriptions of various kinds of magical rituals for
different results ranging from punishing enemies, to acquisition of wealth, health, long life, or a good
harvest.

Religious Jewish views

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In Rabbinic Judaism, an entire body of literature collectively known as Kabbalah has been dedicated to the
content eventually defined by some as occult science. The Kabbalah includes the tracts named Sefer
Yetzirah, the Zohar, Pardes Rimonim, and Eitz Chaim.
Although there is a popular myth that one must be a 40-year-old Jewish man, and learned in the Talmud
before one is allowed to delve into Kabbalah, Chaim Vital says exactly the opposite in his introduction to
Etz Chaim. There he argues that it is incumbent on everyone to learn Kabbalaheven those who are unable
to understand the Talmud. Further, the father of the Lurianic School of Kabbalah, Isaac Luria (known as the
Ari HaKadosh, or the "Holy Lion"), died before he was 40.

Hellenic religious views

Followers of Hellenismos or Hellenic Reconstructionist Polytheists, reject magic and occultism on the basis
that it pretends to force or compel the gods into taking action and also because severe laws were enacted
against magic by the Athenian Assembly.

See also
Ariosophy
Esotericism
List of occult terms
List of occultists
Magic (paranormal)
Nazism and occultism
Neotantra
Order of the Occult Hand
Onmyd
Renaissance magic
The Morning of the Magicians (book)

Notes
1. Crabb, G. (1927). English synonyms explained, in alphabetical order, copious illustrations and examples drawn
from the best writers. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co.
2. Underhill, E. (1911). Mysticism, Meridian, New York.
3. Blavatsky, H. P. (1888). The Secret Doctrine. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing.
4. Houghton Mifflin Company. (2004). The American Heritage College Thesaurus. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Page 530.
5. Wright, C. F. (1895). An outline of the principles of modern theosophy. Boston: New England Theosophical
Corp.
6. Nevill Drury, The Watkins Dictionary of Magic, ISBN 1-84293-152-0. p. 03
7. Goodrick-Clarke, Nicholas (1985). The Occult Roots of Nazism. p.17. ISBN0-85030-402-4.
8. Goodrick-Clarke (1985): 18
9. Newton's Dark Secrets (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/newton/alch-newman.html).
10. Baron Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz (1646-1716) (http://kirjasto.sci.fi/leibnitz.htm)
11. Edelglass et al., Matter and Mind, ISBN 0-940262-45-2. p. 54
12. Goodrick-Clarke (1985): 29
13. IAO131. "Thelema & Buddhism (http://www.webcitation.org/query?
url=http://www.geocities.com/hdbq111/JoTS/JoTS1-1.pdf&date=2010-01-17+12:04:48)" in Journal of Thelemic
Studies, Vol. 1, No. 1, Autumn 2007, pp. 18-32
14. Schopenhauer, Arthur. The World as Will and Representation

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15. Religion, Science, and Worldview: Essays in Honor of Richard S. Westfall (http://books.google.com/books?
id=jbLWJPca_zoC&pg=PA185&lpg=PA185&dq=occult+qualities&source=web&ots=UPY2bsdAcp&sig=pOw
VAmv9XFFq_Qu6x5x3D97oeEU#PPA187,M1), Margaret J. Osler, Paul Lawrence Farber, Cambridge
University Press, 2002, ISBN 0-521-52493-8
16. Gerd Buchdahl, "History of Science and Criteria of Choice" p. 232. In Historical and Philosophical Perspectives
of Science v. 5 (ed. Roger H. Stuewer)
17. Gibbons, B. J. (2001). Spirituality and the occult: from the Renaissance to the twentieth century. London:
Routledge. p.2.
18. Yates, Frances Amelia (1979). The occult philosophy in the Elizabethan age. New York: Routledge and Kegan
Paul. pp.15.
19. Surette, Leon (1993). The Birth of Modernism: Ezra Pound, T. S. Eliot, W. B. Yeats, and the Occult. Montreal:
McGill-Queen's University Press. pp.1215.
20. Einoo, Shingo (ed.) (2009). Genesis and Development of Tantrism. University of Tokyo. p.45.

References
Walker, Benjamin (1980). Encyclopedia of the Occult, the Esoteric and the Supernatural. New York:
Stein & Day. ISBN0-8128-6051-9.
Harold W. Percival, Joined the Theosophical Society in 1892. After the death of William Quan Judge
in 1896, organized the Theosophical Society Independent and then wrote Thinking and Destiny which
covers in plan terms the purpose of the universe and occult meanings.

Further reading
Bardon, Franz (1971). Initiation into Hermetics. Wuppertal: Ruggeberg.
Fortune, Dion (2000). The Mystical Qabala. Weiser Books. ISBN 1-57863-150-5
Gettings, Fred, Vision of the Occult, Century Hutchinson Ltd, 1987. ISBN 0-7126-1438-9
Kontou, Tatiana Willburn, Sarah (ed.) (2012). The Ashgate Research Companion to NineteenthCentury Spiritualism and the Occult. Ashgate, Farnham. ISBN 978-0-7546-6912-8
Martin, W., Rische, J., Rische, K., & VanGordon, K. (2008). The Kingdom of the Occult. Nashville,
TN: Thomas Nelson Publishing.
Molnar, Thomas (1987). The Pagan Temptation. Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing
Co.; 201 p. N.B.: The scope of this study also embraces the occult. ISBN 0-8028-0262-1
Regardie, I., Cicero, C., & Cicero, S. T. (2001). The Tree of Life: An Illustrated Study in Magic. St.
Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications.
Newton, Isaac, Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel, and the Apocalypse of St. John.
Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel, and the Apocalypse of St. John by Sir Isaac Newton
(http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/275-0932910-2493948?url=search-alias%3Daps&fieldkeywords=Observations%20Prophecies%20of%20Daniel%20and%20Apocalypse%20)
Rogers, L. W. (1909). Hints to Young Students of Occultism. Albany, NY: The Theosophical Book
Company.
Shepard, Leslie (editor), Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology, Detroit, MI: Gale Research
Co., 1978
Spence, Lewis, Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology (http://books.google.com/books?
id=U1qqguX24fAC&printsec=frontcover), 1920.
Davis, R., True to His Ways: Purity & Safety in Christian Spiritual Practice (ACW Press, Ozark, AL,
2006), ISBN 1-932124-61-6.
Partridge, Christopher (ed.), The Occult World, London: Routledge, 2014. ISBN 0415695961
Forshaw, Peter, 'The Occult Middle Ages', in Christopher Partridge (ed.), The Occult World, London:
Routledge, 2014 [1] (https://www.academia.edu/10048161/The_Occult_Middle_Ages)

External links
Center for History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related
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Currents, University of Amsterdam

Wikiquote has quotations
(http://www.amsterdamhermetica.com)
related to: Occultism
University of Exeter Centre for the Study of Esotericism
(EXESESO) (http://www.huss.ex.ac.uk/research/exeseso/)
ESSWE (http://www.esswe.org) European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism, with many
links to associated organizations, libraries, scholars etc.
Joseph H. Peterson, Twilit Grotto: Archives of Western Esoterica (http://www.esotericarchives.com)
(Esoteric Archives: Occult Literature)
Occult Science and Philosophy of the Renaissance (http://exhibitions.blogs.lib.lsu.edu/?p=1257).
Online exhibition from the Louisiana State University Libraries Special Collections. Accessed 201309-15.
"Occult Art, Occultism". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913.
eLibrary of ancient books (http://transcommunication.org/) on occultism, spiritism, spiritualism,
sances, development of mediumship in the Western and Oriental Traditions. Many technical advice
on ITC and EVP, and practical tips concerning the development of different forms of Mediumship
provided by medium Maryse Locke.
the MYSTICA.ORG (http://www.themystica.org/mystica/default.html) An on-line encyclopedia of
the occult
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