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][3] 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.
[4] The terms
esoteric and
arcane have very similar meanings, and the three terms are interchangeable.
[5][6]
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.
[edit] Occultism
Reconstruction of the "Holy Table" as used by
John Dee.
Occultism is the study of occult practices, including (but not limited to)
magic,
alchemy,
extra-sensory perception,
astrology,
spiritualism, and
divination. Interpretation of occultism and its concepts can be found in the belief structures of religions such as
Gnosticism,
Hermeticism,
Theosophy,
Wicca,
Thelema,
Satanism, and
neopaganism.
[7] 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,
Neo-Platonism, and the Kabbalah, all originating in the eastern Mediterranean area during the first few centuries AD.
[8]
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".
[9] Alchemy was common among important seventeenth-century scientists, such as
Isaac Newton,
[10] and
Gottfried Leibniz.
[11] Newton was even accused of introducing occult agencies into
natural science when he postulated
gravity as a force capable of
acting over vast distances.
[12] "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".
[9] They were, however, preserved by antiquarians and mystics.
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".
[13] Since that time many authors have emphasized a
syncretic approach by drawing parallels between different disciplines.
[14]
[edit] 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".
[15][original research?] 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.
[edit] Occult qualities
Occult qualities are properties that have no rational explanation; in the
Middle Ages, for example,
magnetism was considered an occult quality.
[16] Newton's contemporaries severely critiqued his theory that gravity was effected through "action at a distance" as occult.
[17]
[edit] Religion and the occult
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
neopagan 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".
[edit] 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.
[18] 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,
[19] mainstream institutional Christianity has always resisted occult influences, which are:
[20]
Furthermore, there are heterodox branches of
esoteric Christianity that practice
divination, blessings, or appealing to angels for certain intervention, which they view as perfectly righteous, often supportable by gospel (for instance, claiming that the old commandment against divination was superseded by Christ's birth, and noting that the
Magi used
astrology to locate
Bethlehem).
Rosicrucianism, one of the most celebrated of Christianity's mystical offshoots, has lent aspects of its philosophy to most Christianity-based occultism since the 17th century.
[edit] 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.
[21] 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,
naturopathy,
yogic practices,
sex magic, and
trance also together form the multifaceted and multilevel nature of Tantra.
Yantra, literally: "instrument" or "tool" are geometric diagrams are 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.
[edit] Religious Jewish views
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 Kabbalah—even 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"), was not yet 40 years old when he passed away.
[edit] See also
- ^ Crabb, G. (1927). English synonyms explained, in alphabetical order, copious illustrations and examples drawn from the best writers. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co.
- ^ Underhill, E. (1974). Mysticism, Meridian, New York.
- ^ http://www.icrcanada.org/kundandpara.html
- ^ Blavatsky, H. P. (1897). Occultism of the Secret Doctrine. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing.
- ^ Houghton Mifflin Company. (2004). The American Heritage College Thesaurus. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Page 530.
- ^ Wright, C. F. (1895). An outline of the principles of modern theosophy. Boston: New England Theosophical Corp.
- ^ Nevill Drury., The Watkins Dictionary of Magic, ISBN 1-84293-152-0. p. 03
- ^ Goodrick-Clarke, Nicholas (1985). The Occult Roots of Nazism. p. 17. ISBN 0-85030-402-4.
- ^ a b Goodrick-Clarke (1985): 18
- ^ Newton's Dark Secrets.
- ^ Baron Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz (1646-1716)
- ^ Edelglass et al., Matter and Mind, ISBN 0-940262-45-2. p. 54
- ^ Goodrick-Clarke (1985): 29
- ^ IAO131. "Thelema & Buddhism" in Journal of Thelemic Studies, Vol. 1, No. 1, Autumn 2007, pp. 18-32
- ^ Schopenhauer, Arthur. The World as Will and Representation
- ^ Religion, Science, and Worldview: Essays in Honor of Richard S. Westfall, Margaret J. Osler, Paul Lawrence Farber, Cambridge University Press, 2002, ISBN 0-521-52493-8
- ^ Gerd Buchdahl, "History of Science and Criteria of Choice" p. 232. In Historical and Philosophical Perspectives of Science v. 5 (ed. Roger H. Stuewer)
- ^ Gibbons, B. J. (2001). Spirituality and the occult: from the Renaissance to the twentieth century. London: Routledge. pp. 2.
- ^ Yates, Frances Amelia (1979). The occult philosophy in the Elizabethan age. New York: Routledge and Kegan Paul. pp. 1–5.
- ^ 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. 12–15.
- ^ Einoo, Shingo (ed.) (2009). Genesis and Development of Tantrism. University of Tokyo. p. 45.
[edit] References
[edit] 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
- Martin, W., Rische, J., Rische, K., & VanGordon, K. (2008). The Kingdom of the Occult. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishing.
- Regardie, I., Cicero, C., & Cicero, S. T. (2001). The Tree of Life: An Illustrated Study in Magic. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications.
- 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, 1920.
- Davis, R., True to His Ways: Purity & Safety in Christian Spiritual Practice (ACW Press, Ozark, AL, 2006), ISBN 1-932124-61-6.
[edit] External links
- Center for History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents, University of Amsterdam
- University of Exeter Centre for the Study of Esotericism (EXESESO)
- ESSWE 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 (Esoteric Archives: Occult Literature)
- Asiya, Magical Athenaeum (Collection of occult works in PDF Format)
"Occult Art, Occultism". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913.- eLibrary of ancient books on occultism, spiritism, spiritualism, séances, 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 An on-line encyclopedia of the occult
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