The occult simply means "hidden," as in knowledge which is hidden or secret.
Different groups of people use the term in different ways. Christians generally use it as a shorthand for anything they consider evil, demonic, related to the devil, or simply outside the realm of mainstream Christianity. While those topics may be included in some forms of occult study, they are not common to all, nor do they really do justice describing the range and depth of the occult as a whole.
To me, the occult means that you are looking beyond the surface, trying to penetrate to mysteries that are hidden beneath, or in the shadows. There is a strong element of searching, exploration and experimentation. There is also a very strong emphasis on gaining knowledge through both rational and non-rational means. Often people who are interested in the occult borrow from many different types of religious and spiritual traditions in their quest for understanding.
Brief Introductions to the Occult
- The Occult in Today's Culture
- A question and answer session I conducted on my Pop Occulture site with a student researching the importance and place of the occult and religious freedom in contemporary society.
- The Occult on Wikipedia
- Wikipedia's entry on the occult isn't very long or detailed, but it does provide an okay starting point for people new to the field.
- What is the Occult?
- ReligiousTolerance.org has lots of valuable entries on different types of religion the world over. Their occult entry has some good info for people who are trying to understand what the term means.
- The Occult: What does the Bible say about it?
- This page is a very traditional Fundamentalist Christian anti-occult bit of hysteria. I personally don't agree with it, but maybe it will be useful to people as a counter-point.
- Occultism
- This is the Catholic Encyclopedia's entry on/against the occult. Their page description is "A detailed anti-occult article holding that in reality, magic is but a disease
of religion." Take that for whatever it's worth to you.
Occult Techniques
Just what is it that people who practice the occult do?
1. Prayer
2. Rituals
3. Reliance on intuition
4. The importance of dreams
5. Interpreting symbols
6. Out-of-body experiences
7. Altered states of consciousness: trance, psychedelics, etc
Detailed Occult References
- Occult Symbols
- Excellent visual dictionary of symbols from magick, astrology, the occult, and world religious traditions.
- Glossary of Magick, Hermetecism, and the Occult
- Excellent alphabetical glossary of occult terminology.
- Esoteric & Occult Sacred Texts
- Sacred-Texts.com offers tons of invaluable primary resources when it comes to world religious tradition. Their esoteric/occult section covers everything from Alchemy to Atlantis, UFO's to Fortean phenomena and lots more.
- Occult Tattoos Links & Resources
- This is a page that I actually created for information on occult and religious tattoos, but it has tons of useful links for symbols and imagery that all occult researchers will find useful.
Encyclopedias on the Occult
- Occultopedia
- Online encyclopedia of occult terms and concepts. Some good basic info for research.
- Thelemapedia
- Thelemapedia is sort of the Wikipedia of the occult world. It features a full-range of articles on topics of interest to Western Occultists of a variety of backgrounds and interests.
- Encyclopedia Mythica
- This is focused more on folklore and mythology than strictly the occult, but it has good scholarly historical information which I find very useful.
- The Mystica
- An on-line encyclopedia of the occult, mysticism, magic, paranormal and more. Mostly very good information, but sometimes kind of a mixed bag.
Occult Blogs & More
Blogs dedicated to the occult and alternative religion
- Pop Occulture
- My own blog exploring the dark side of pop culture and the weird aspects of religion and everything in between.
- Key23
- Collaborative weblog and online publishing center on occult practices, theory and culture.
- Delirium's Realm
- Very good blog, media reviews, and article collection on the occult, religion and demonology.
- Alternative Religions
- Excellent resource on all this related to the occult and alternative religions, brought to you by Jennifer Emick of About.com. Site features lots of great introductory info, articles, definitions, symbols and links.
- Grey Lodge Occult Review
- Very popular online magazine featuring tons of great articles and media items related to all topics in the occult and alternative religion.
- Disinformation
- Very popular publishing company which puts out info on the occult, conspiracy, and a huge variety of alternative and counter-cultural topics.
Remember This!
One important tip for studying the occult
Even if you have a religious axe to grind, it's important to approach people of differing religious traditions with an attitude of simple humanity and openness if you'd like true communication to occur.
Occult Books & Media
Do Dead People Watch You Shower?: And Other Questions You've Been All but Dying to Ask a Medium
Amazon Price: $11.16 (as of 08/07/2008)
Marked (House of Night, Book 1)
Amazon Price: $8.95 (as of 08/07/2008)
Ghosts Among Us: Uncovering the Truth About the Other Side
Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 08/07/2008)
