Occultism
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Occultism is the study of supposed occult or hidden wisdom. It is a 'grey' area, perhaps larger than any other in the realm of religion. It can deal with subjects ranging from talismans, magic (alternatively spelt and defined as magick), sorcery, and voudou, to ESP, astrology, numerology, and lucid dreams. It is all encompassing in that most everything that isn't claimed by any of the major religions is included in the realm of the occult. Even qabalah has been considered an occult study, perhaps because of its popularity amongst magi and Wiccans.
Direct insight into or perception of the occult is said not to consist of access to physically measurable facts, but to be arrived at through the mind or the spirit. The term can refer to mental, psychological or spiritual training. An oft-cited means of gaining insight into the occult is the use of a focus. A focus may be a physical object, a ritualistic action (for example, meditation or chanting), or a medium in which one becomes wholly immersed.
The beliefs and practices of those who consider their activities "occult" or part of "the occult" in the more ususal western interpretation 'hidden knowledge' (ceremonial magicians, Satanists, and so on) are generally far from being secret or hidden, being found very easily in print or on the Internet. This ready availability is historically recent and corresponds to a reduced interest in traditional religion and a growing perception of the occult as a broad term for 'alternate confession'
History
Occultism has seen countless resurgences throughout history, possibly because some people who investigate the occult seek for meaning in their lives, while critics maintain other people interested in occult knowledge are perhaps seeking a means to power over others.
Between World War I and World War II the centre of occult and mystical activity was shifted from France to Belgium. Belgium became the main centre for many brotherhoods and secret societies of which many branches still exist today.
One of the more recent branches of Occultism originated in the 1970s with the advent of chaos magic which embraces the meta-belief that "Nothing Is True, Everything is Permitted". Chaos magic allows the occultist to deliberately paradigm shift in order to achieve magical results. The most recent resurgence is in a large way due to movies like Necronomicon, and The Craft, and works from authors like Aleister Crowley, Robert Anton Wilson, Israel Regardie and Rudolf Steiner.
See Also
References
Large portions of this text was originally taken from: Wikipedia. (2004). Occultism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occultism). Retrieved Sept. 23, 2004.
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