Mmothra
07-20-2004, 03:02 AM
Metatron
07-02-2004, 09:15 AM
Occultism.
By
J.D.Petersen
The mysteries which always have surrounded Occultism has drawn people from many walks of life, to at least at some stage in their life reflect on the question what is Occultism ?
Anyone who has spend more than a few hours contemplating this question, properly made a visit to their local book shop, in the hope that they would be able to shed some light on the subject. Today when the shelf containing Occultism (which in most book shops is quite large) seems to cover a vast range of topics, some apparently in a complete complimentary set of philosophical ideas, it can be very hard indeed to find any even remotely possible explanation to the question and most people either just go home, or pick up one of the books and make that become their version of occultism.
It is hard to see how somebody apparently had intellectual capabilities to make sense of all these different ideologies, or even pretend to understand half of them. Part of the problem is of course to establish exactly what they should look for when answering their question Most people quickly realize that occultism can’t be everything which seem to classify as such (at least in the book shop).
It becomes no easier to simply use a dictionary, where occultism normally is translated to mean something like hidden, or obscured. The word has changed; or rather its use has changed. We now consider everything which contains any kind paranormal phenomenon to be occultism, and even though classical occultism does contain such events, it certainly does not contain them all.
In the following I hope to be able to shed some light on what classical occultism really is all about. We will not encounter any flying sources, or relatives returning from the dead, there will be no mention of pyramid shaped hats or secret knowledge of runes which can be bought for a small sum of money. These things, no matter how insistent their believers are, do not belong within classical occultism. What we will encounter is a complicated concept of the world and all that is in it.
I did mention paranormal phenomenon, which I for the remaining part of the text will rename occult phenomenon, for such events have an essential key for anyone hoping to understand occultism.
So what exactly are these phenomenons? To understand that, we must first try to define what normal phenomenon's are (this very deep question will be described in detail in the follow-up text).
A normal phenomenon is something we all see. It is a common event which we have been able to make a useful description of, and which goes well with most other descriptions for other phenomenon. In short; it’s something which is a definite part of our world, not just mine but everyone's.
As occultism by its definition not only contains what is obviously part of our reality, we might call Occult phenomenon a description of another (larger) reality, obviously it falls short of a proper definition and I trust the reader to expect more argumentation for even the existence of another reality. For now however, it will have to do (The concept of reality will also be dealt with in detail later).
In this short introduction, we must look at occultism as arguing for such reality. The bigger picture, or as Aldus Huxley called it, "the mind at large". One of the fundamental cornerstones of occultism is the idea of perception. Not only in occultism, but in most philosophical systems, reality consists of what we perceive through our senses. There’s nothing mystical about that, our part of the world consists of what we can perceive, if the world consisted of anything more (which is quite possible) we would have no sensory input to tell us about it. In the occult understanding of the world, the idea is of course that there is something more, there is reality and there is the world as it works. But where a classical science tell us that even if there is more, we need not to bother about it, since it’s outside our reach (the senses define and limits what we can experience). Occultism tells us that reality is a choice, if not a strictly personal choice then a choice made for us by our cultural definition of this reality. Our perception system is made so, not only for us to act with our surroundings, but to stop us from perceiving all thing at once, in which case we of course wouldn't be able to act at all.
It is also made in a way which enables us to perceive the world in a way which quite close resembles our friends and neighbors. If it did not do that, we would have no way of communicating our experiences, or even thoughts and would properly end up in a mental hospital.
What really makes things real have nothing to do with the thing itself (at least in an objective sense of the word), but that others also experience the thing in a way which enables us to discuss it (reality is consensus). Occultism states that though our reality at any time consists only of what we definitely can agree on, the world beyond this agreement can be quite different.
Is it possible (and indeed it has to be, if the statements in occultism are to be valid) that other cultures shared another common reality, or individual persons somehow evade this cultural defined reality. In the first case we will have to look at such cultures. If they did have another consensus on reality, maybe that could explain their behavior and ideological difference to ours. Later we shall see that this not only is possible, but actually the only explanation for their cultural development (or we can of course as some anthropologists seem to think, insists that any culture other than ours, consisted entirely of morons who would believe anything).
In the latter case (of a personal set of "reality goggles"). We must seek our evidence outside what is our normal (cultural) definition of reality; such a place could be cases of mental illness, or the psychoactive drugs.
A mental patient like a schizophrenic, certainly represent a different reality. We classify this kind of mental activity as broken; his reality does not work and leaves the poor unfortunate in an incommunicable reality. I am not saying that another culture would accept this defect as "normal" behavior, it is after all still broken, but lets just say such a patient could be seen as having his own little reality. In the Hallucinogenic drug, which in effect comes close to the mental patient, we have a short term "defect" in the perception of reality, things are not right. The experiences under such drugs range wildly, but running through them as a common theme, is the change in reality and the "understanding" of the world it (if only short term) gives the user.
Occultism is about these things. It is about perceiving the world, but more correctly about the world it self. We can, even in occultism, only perceive the world, but it states that we are able to change our way of perception to include a broader range of phenomenon, and even interact with the world through these, as we today interact with what is inside our (consensus) reality.
If Occultism claims to explain how such a change is possible, then might it not also tell us how such a change can be archived?
These two questions is what occultism is all about, it might seem a bit dull compared to other more fanciful newcomers on the occult book shelf, but opposed to them it gives a full explanation and it does so in a way which gives people, who understand it, the possibility to explain quite a lot of other things, they be spiritual or otherwise.
This intro, short as it is, represent a brief description of ideas connected with classical occultism. It must not be seen as a complete description, since occultism is perhaps the most complex philosophical system ever devised (even more so from our modern world of ideas. It is after all a medieval art)
So, what did I intend with this text?
Honestly I’m tired of people’s misconceptions about Occultism. I know many pocket-occultists prefer to see a more Hollywood style occultism, pentagrams, demons, grimoria (naturally in Latin, although I doubt their grasp of it) and dark clothes. Occultism has these things (there is no smoke without a fire), but what is most important (paramount to any use of the art) is a proper understanding of the theory.
Hopefully one or two readers will find something useful within this text. Maybe even enough to begin their discovery of classical occultism. For the rest: flame me at the address below J
Remember:
Occultism is the science of understanding creation.
redeo@hotmail.com
07-02-2004, 09:15 AM
Occultism.
By
J.D.Petersen
The mysteries which always have surrounded Occultism has drawn people from many walks of life, to at least at some stage in their life reflect on the question what is Occultism ?
Anyone who has spend more than a few hours contemplating this question, properly made a visit to their local book shop, in the hope that they would be able to shed some light on the subject. Today when the shelf containing Occultism (which in most book shops is quite large) seems to cover a vast range of topics, some apparently in a complete complimentary set of philosophical ideas, it can be very hard indeed to find any even remotely possible explanation to the question and most people either just go home, or pick up one of the books and make that become their version of occultism.
It is hard to see how somebody apparently had intellectual capabilities to make sense of all these different ideologies, or even pretend to understand half of them. Part of the problem is of course to establish exactly what they should look for when answering their question Most people quickly realize that occultism can’t be everything which seem to classify as such (at least in the book shop).
It becomes no easier to simply use a dictionary, where occultism normally is translated to mean something like hidden, or obscured. The word has changed; or rather its use has changed. We now consider everything which contains any kind paranormal phenomenon to be occultism, and even though classical occultism does contain such events, it certainly does not contain them all.
In the following I hope to be able to shed some light on what classical occultism really is all about. We will not encounter any flying sources, or relatives returning from the dead, there will be no mention of pyramid shaped hats or secret knowledge of runes which can be bought for a small sum of money. These things, no matter how insistent their believers are, do not belong within classical occultism. What we will encounter is a complicated concept of the world and all that is in it.
I did mention paranormal phenomenon, which I for the remaining part of the text will rename occult phenomenon, for such events have an essential key for anyone hoping to understand occultism.
So what exactly are these phenomenons? To understand that, we must first try to define what normal phenomenon's are (this very deep question will be described in detail in the follow-up text).
A normal phenomenon is something we all see. It is a common event which we have been able to make a useful description of, and which goes well with most other descriptions for other phenomenon. In short; it’s something which is a definite part of our world, not just mine but everyone's.
As occultism by its definition not only contains what is obviously part of our reality, we might call Occult phenomenon a description of another (larger) reality, obviously it falls short of a proper definition and I trust the reader to expect more argumentation for even the existence of another reality. For now however, it will have to do (The concept of reality will also be dealt with in detail later).
In this short introduction, we must look at occultism as arguing for such reality. The bigger picture, or as Aldus Huxley called it, "the mind at large". One of the fundamental cornerstones of occultism is the idea of perception. Not only in occultism, but in most philosophical systems, reality consists of what we perceive through our senses. There’s nothing mystical about that, our part of the world consists of what we can perceive, if the world consisted of anything more (which is quite possible) we would have no sensory input to tell us about it. In the occult understanding of the world, the idea is of course that there is something more, there is reality and there is the world as it works. But where a classical science tell us that even if there is more, we need not to bother about it, since it’s outside our reach (the senses define and limits what we can experience). Occultism tells us that reality is a choice, if not a strictly personal choice then a choice made for us by our cultural definition of this reality. Our perception system is made so, not only for us to act with our surroundings, but to stop us from perceiving all thing at once, in which case we of course wouldn't be able to act at all.
It is also made in a way which enables us to perceive the world in a way which quite close resembles our friends and neighbors. If it did not do that, we would have no way of communicating our experiences, or even thoughts and would properly end up in a mental hospital.
What really makes things real have nothing to do with the thing itself (at least in an objective sense of the word), but that others also experience the thing in a way which enables us to discuss it (reality is consensus). Occultism states that though our reality at any time consists only of what we definitely can agree on, the world beyond this agreement can be quite different.
Is it possible (and indeed it has to be, if the statements in occultism are to be valid) that other cultures shared another common reality, or individual persons somehow evade this cultural defined reality. In the first case we will have to look at such cultures. If they did have another consensus on reality, maybe that could explain their behavior and ideological difference to ours. Later we shall see that this not only is possible, but actually the only explanation for their cultural development (or we can of course as some anthropologists seem to think, insists that any culture other than ours, consisted entirely of morons who would believe anything).
In the latter case (of a personal set of "reality goggles"). We must seek our evidence outside what is our normal (cultural) definition of reality; such a place could be cases of mental illness, or the psychoactive drugs.
A mental patient like a schizophrenic, certainly represent a different reality. We classify this kind of mental activity as broken; his reality does not work and leaves the poor unfortunate in an incommunicable reality. I am not saying that another culture would accept this defect as "normal" behavior, it is after all still broken, but lets just say such a patient could be seen as having his own little reality. In the Hallucinogenic drug, which in effect comes close to the mental patient, we have a short term "defect" in the perception of reality, things are not right. The experiences under such drugs range wildly, but running through them as a common theme, is the change in reality and the "understanding" of the world it (if only short term) gives the user.
Occultism is about these things. It is about perceiving the world, but more correctly about the world it self. We can, even in occultism, only perceive the world, but it states that we are able to change our way of perception to include a broader range of phenomenon, and even interact with the world through these, as we today interact with what is inside our (consensus) reality.
If Occultism claims to explain how such a change is possible, then might it not also tell us how such a change can be archived?
These two questions is what occultism is all about, it might seem a bit dull compared to other more fanciful newcomers on the occult book shelf, but opposed to them it gives a full explanation and it does so in a way which gives people, who understand it, the possibility to explain quite a lot of other things, they be spiritual or otherwise.
This intro, short as it is, represent a brief description of ideas connected with classical occultism. It must not be seen as a complete description, since occultism is perhaps the most complex philosophical system ever devised (even more so from our modern world of ideas. It is after all a medieval art)
So, what did I intend with this text?
Honestly I’m tired of people’s misconceptions about Occultism. I know many pocket-occultists prefer to see a more Hollywood style occultism, pentagrams, demons, grimoria (naturally in Latin, although I doubt their grasp of it) and dark clothes. Occultism has these things (there is no smoke without a fire), but what is most important (paramount to any use of the art) is a proper understanding of the theory.
Hopefully one or two readers will find something useful within this text. Maybe even enough to begin their discovery of classical occultism. For the rest: flame me at the address below J
Remember:
Occultism is the science of understanding creation.
redeo@hotmail.com