I have an admission to make; for the past twelve or so years of my life, I have studied and been involved with occultism. Let me be clear of what I mean by occultism - I’m not talking about Wicca, the New Age movement, or rampant Harry Potter fandom. When I talk about occultism, I’m referring to Enochian Magick, The Golden Dawn, Thelema, Chaos Magick, as well as the study of personalities, practices, and history that go along with the Western occult tradition. I am talking about the “hard stuff” that paranoid fundamentalists only dare speak of when they are brave enough to condemn it. I know that nothing stirs as much controversy among the religious as the subject of the occult.
I also know that nothing infuriates atheists and rationalists more than the idea that it just might be possible to alter reality with a thought. It seems to be the very pinnacle of human arrogance to believe that manipulating reality in a way that is currently beyond science is within the ability of a man waving his arms around and chanting in some foreign language. It is an insult to any discerning and sane mind. This isn’t to mention the fact that to accept the proposal that the occult may indeed have some effect on reality, you would have agree that there may be more to reality than what can be empirically proven.
Most people are uncomfortable with the subject of occultism. Understandably so, as popular opinion has it that the occult is either a damnable offense, evidence of utter delusion, or incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands. I’m not going to try to convince anyone otherwise because, quite honestly, it can be all three of these things - even if not exactly in the way in which you would imagine. In my experience, though, it also can be a tool for a greater good. What I will do is attempt to explain exactly what I understand of occultism.
First of all, it is important for me to point out that, to my knowledge, there is no massive global network of occultists seeking to take over the world. 
The simple fact of the matter is that those who study the occult are far too individualistic, egotistical, and/or eccentric to form cohesive organizations strong enough to infiltrate or overthrow governments - yes, even small ones. The largest of occult organizations weigh in at about 1,000 members. Most occult organizations are lucky if they have over 50 members. Don’t get me wrong, it makes for great Hollywood fiction, but that is all it is - fiction.
While we are on the subject of paranoia, I should mention that occultists are not interested in corrupting your children. I am well aware of the use of occult symbols in television, movies, games, and fiction. There is also an abundance of Asian characters and mythology in television, movies, games, and fiction - yet no one seems to think that Buddhists are interested in corrupting children. Our entertainment industry simply has a love affair with anything that is exotic, foreign, or abnormal. The mythology surrounding occultism is also exotic, foreign, and abnormal to the majority of Western society. It stands to reason that television, movie, game, and fiction writers would abuse the stereotype of occultism, or any stereotype for that matter, to sell products. If you want to blame anyone for “corrupting” your children, blame the entertainment industry.
I’ve also learned that the occult is the an amalgamation of religious beliefs and mystical practices driven underground by the persecution of the Catholic Church. The majority of what constitutes occultism is a blend of the remnants of Christian movements deemed heretical by the Catholic Church, the scraps of lore left over from extinguished polytheistic religions, and Jewish traditions. Occultism is a direct outcome of the persecution of Pagans, Jews, and other Christians by Christians. Those groups persecuted includes the Order of the Templar Knights (widely believed to have latter become the basis for Freemasonry), Christian Gnostic sects and Qabalah. In other words, Occultism is a direct result of the persecution and intolerance of the Medieval/Renaissance Catholic Church. I know that is a bold statement, but in reading ancient grimoires, I have frequently been amazed to find the corrupted names of Greek, Roman, Germanic, and Celtic Gods, references to gnostic teachings, angels, and obscured bits of Jewish lore.
Those who practice the occult also often assert that their practice is scientific. Occultists are prone to referring to the chaos theory and quantum mechanics, and often take special interests in scientific developments. In fact, Aleister Crowley defines ritual magic as the “art and science of change.” The irony is that many of the earliest scientists and mathematicians were occultists as well. It is already well known that the science of chemistry evolved from the occult science of alchemy, and that astronomy evolved from astrology. What isn’t well known is that scientists, well into the 18th century, believed in or practiced some form of occultism. I’m not talking about a few isolated individuals dabbling in occult practices; at one time science and occult knowledge went hand in hand. The most notable example is Sir Isaac Newton’s research into astrology.
Finally, it is important to understand that occult practices are deeply psychological. Whether or not you accept the premise that ritual can affect the fabric of reality, there is no question that occult ritual affects the mind in profound ways. Ritual has the potential to reach deeper into the subconscious then prayer or meditation alone. It may even be possible to alter your subconscious with the use of occult ritual. 
This aspect of the occult, in my opinion, can be a useful tool for self exploration and improvement, but for those who are unstable, this can be dangerous. The majority of occultists are well adjusted individuals, but within any group of people there are a few who are not so well adjusted. This is, perhaps, the scariest facet of occultism, and is likely the origin of some horror stories concerning the occult.
My hope in explaining what I understand about the occult isn’t to convince you that the occult should be treated as if it were another hobby, or that all objections to occultism are completely unjustified. I think what I want most is for you to understand that there is vastly more to the subject then supposed experts would lead you to believe. The tendency is to dismiss occultism as a whole based upon assumptions, rather then investigating and thinking for yourself. I find that thinking for yourself is perhaps what is hardest to do when faced with something as polarizing as the occult. I also believe it is most necessary when faced with similar polarizing issues.
First Image provided by FrauBucher. Second Image provided by Edgar Zessinthal. Final Photo by Thomas Roche. Originally Published November 3, 2007.
written by John \\ tags: Christian Gnostic, Golden Dawn, Occult, persecution, Qabalah, Thelema, western occult tradition
When I told my mother that I felt I was no longer a Christian, she remarked that she was more afraid that I was going to tell her that I was a homosexual. No, that didn’t sit well with me, but I let it slide at the time because it meant exploring new faiths without having to hide my activities.
I’ve been reading Aryeh Kaplan’s translation of The Bahir, one of the firsts texts on Qabalah or Jewish Mysticism, and I’ve realized that I am yet to write about Qabalah in any substantial way here on my blog. When I talk about Qabalah on this website, I have this annoying habit of just assuming that my readership knows what I am talking about. Pretty arrogant of me, if I do say so myself. The problem, however, is that I’m not quite sure that my definition can do it justice.
Jewish Qabalah, or Orthodox Qabalah, is what I want to focus on today. However, I want to touch base on the other three as well. Christian Qabalah is, predictably, the application of the practices of Qabalah to Christian teachings. Understandably, Orthodox Qabalists see Christian Qabalah as a perversion of the truth behind Jewish Qabalah. Hermetic Qabalah is the adaptation of Qabalah as a system of symbolism by Occult Qabalists. This is the Qabalah that I know best - The Qabalah of The Golden Dawn. Both Jewish and Christian Qabalists view Hermetic Qabalah as an abomination. “Red String” Qabalah, or pop-culture Qabalah, is the Qabalah that Madonna practices, and which you are most likely to find along side copies of the “Celestine Prophecy” in New Age shops. If you guessed that Jewish, Christian, and Hermetic Qabalists all disdain Red String Qabalah with a vitriol rivaling the toxicity of battery acid, give yourself a pat on the back.
Unlike Zen Koans, the extrapolated knowledge serves as a basis for an even more complicated system of symbols - The Tree of Life - from which ever more complicated riddles emerge. Each successive level of complexity is declared to deliver within it some aspect of the Truth, and indeed adherents find truth in this complexity. I hesitate to call it the Seinfeld of religions, but seeing as so many people find that show funny even though it’s not funny, this works as an excellent metaphor. When they realize that this found truth is in spite of, rather than because of, that complexity, do those who plumb the depths of Qabalah begin to shake free from the habit of literal interpretation and the belief in an absolute Truth. This is where the real work towards enlightenment begins… and consequently, where I have so little experience.
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that they are still read, quoted, and debated by Unitarian Universalists today. If I were to choose one person I wished to emulate as a minster, he would be my choice.
rase, “Think For Yourself & Question Authority” is my personal mantra. For me, this man embodies the potential for radical social change.
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Western Culture has this annoying habit of sanctifying concepts and secularizing the physical world. In no way is this more tangible than in the way we treat the natural world. We have this perception of land being a commodity and limitless resource, believing wrongly that it exists solely to support humanity and our interests. This attitude has taken a toll on the environment and its wildlife. Only now in our history are we beginning to seriously fear the repercussions of our actions and looking for ways in which we can repair the damage. Many people wonder if we are too late.
Sexuality has a lot in common with spirituality; both speak to the very essence of who we are as individuals and both are rooted painfully deep within the psyche. Like most Americans, at some point I was indoctrinated into believing that sex is some dirty cheep thrill, meant only for the pretty and well-endowed. Our culture became saturated with this message that turns women into objects and men into animals. The root of the problem is the failure to accept sexuality as being an expression of the Divine. Wiccan celebration of sexuality and the personification of the Divine as female goes against the grain of our culture and, in part, helps to heal the damage this message has done.
Although I didn’t practice much Wiccan magic, the concepts behind witchcraft later opened me to other occult theories and ideas. Together, these have been a boon to my self confidence, self respect, and self love. How many people today can say that they love themselves? I can. While I don’t stand behind witchcraft’s claim to manipulate reality, I do trust that ritual, whether Wiccan or otherwise, is a powerful psychological tool with which an individual can change themselves.
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Before we can get to answer that question, we have to understand the language that The Gated Emptiness is using. It is no coincidence that we are introduced to both a holy trinity and a human trinity within the confines of the same chapter. This points to the frame work within which we can better understand what the text is telling us. Not only can this be interpreted as a reference to the biblical account of the Divine making mankind in its likeness, but simultaneously introduces the concept of the infinite cycle of history. In my mind, there is no mistaking this passage for anything but a reference to the Gnostic credo, “As Above, So Below.”
Twelve? Six? Eight? What?! This is going to take some explaining. Pay attention, as there will be a quiz later on… The twelve hands represents the twelve astrological signs, six hands represents the six ancient planets (minus the sun), and the eight hands represent the seven lower Sephiroth of the Tree of Life along with Da’ath. The Tree of Life is a graphical representation of creation, as understood by Qabalists, which has ten Sephiroth or stages of creation along with one Pseudo-Sephiroth named Da’ath. The “altar and keystone” are symbolized by these hands; a cube has six faces, twelve edges (where two faces meet), and eight points (where three faces meet).
and appreciate the depth of The Gated Emptiness you would need to be versed in several mystic traditions; the truth, however, is not this glamourous. During the period which I wrote this text, I was heavily into occultism, which influenced my subconscious. Whether you believe that The Gated Emptiness is a divinely inspired text or not, it still had to run through the filter of my subconsciousness. If it had not been for this fact, the two above passages probably would have read very differently:
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culture. While it is still the most popular religion in the world, Islam is quickly closing the gap between itself and Christianity. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but does tend to give rise to the question of whether Christianity was as universal as it purported to be in the first place.
member. Even those rites which are considered “tradition” are up for reinterpretation by an individual coven. Theology, preaching, and passive participation are absent from Wiccan worship. For those looking for worship to be a creative outlet, this religion seems custom made.
