Share
Occult, Occultism, Occultist

Astral Plane
Image from zed tic256

Occultism is a body of knowledge and meme-complexes pertaining to actual and/or supposed or postulated realities behind the surface appearances. The term occult also defines anything which is undisclosed, concealed, or not easily perceived. It may include everything from common superstitions through psychicism and shamanism, to tantra, yoga, mysticism and noetics.

Occultism is often based on the premise that certain correspondences unite all things, so that stars, planets, gems, colors, chakras, elements, toposophic kingdoms, and phyles are interlinked. Various branches of occult studies and practice includes astrology, ceremonial magick, channeling, chionics, crystals, esotericism, hermeticism, numerology, palmistry, paranormal studies, psionics, tarot, and more.

Occultism is often absurdly sensationalized, distorted, and trivialized, especially as a rebellion against official religion and establishment. Common pseudo-occult aesthetics include dressing in black, applying terrifying or repulsive augmentations, and so on.

True occultists are much rarer, and constitute various subcultures and individual endeavors dedicated to penetrating deep into the causal mysteries of universal being and the Universal Mind; including hidden dimensions of existence from the psychic and paraphysical to the divine (more or less synonymous with the esoterics).

 
Related Articles
 
Appears in Topics
 
Development Notes
Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Initially published on 17 December 2001.

 
 
>