Occult - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Occult refers to an area of knowledge or thought that is hidden.^[1] The word occult has many uses in the English language. Often it means knowledge that lies outside the range of normal experience or scientific explanation. The term sometimes means knowledge meant only for certain people or knowledge that must be kept hidden. For most occultists it is the study of a deeper spiritual reality.^[2]

The term occult is also used as a label given to a number of magical organizations or orders, and the teachings and practices as taught by them. The name also extends to a large body of literature and spiritual philosophy.

Occultism is the study of occult. It can involve such subjects as magic (alternatively spelled and defined as magick), extra-sensory perception, astrology, spiritualism, numerology and lucid dreaming. There is often a strong religious element to these studies and beliefs, and many occultists profess adherence to religions such as Gnosticism, Hermeticism, Satanism, Thelema, and Neopaganism. While Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam are generally not considered as occult, some of their modern interpretations can be, such as the interpretation of Hinduism within Theosophy or the various occult interpretations of the Jewish Kabbalah.

Alchemy, is considered an occult practice. Alchemy used to be common among scientists, such as Isaac Newton.^[3] During the Age of Enlightenment alchemy and science went their separate ways. Newton was accused of introducing occult agencies into natural science when he proposed that gravity was a force capable of acting over vast distances.^[4]

• Esotericism
• Haunted house
• Spiritual séance

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Occultism

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Occult.

• Journal of Thelemic Studies Archived 2020-01-16 at the Wayback Machine - the first non-partisan, academic journal investigating the occult tradition of Thelema, founded by the infamous Aleister Crowley
• The Occult Lodge Archived 2008-09-18 at the Wayback Machine For all things Occult
• University of Amsterdam Center for Study of Western Esotericism
• University of Exeter Centre for the Study of Esotericism (EXESESO)
• ESSWE European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism, with many links to associated organizations, libraries, scholars etc.
• Joseph H. Peterson, Twilit Grotto: Archives of Western Esoterica (Esoteric Archives: Occult Literature)
• Athenaeum Archived 2007-02-10 at the Wayback Machine (Collection of occult works in PDF Format)
• Inner Quest Archived 2008-07-06 at the Wayback Machine All things occult