Grace Hui and Cécile Tanmaya for Incentre
The word “occult” has taken on a wide range of meaning these days. To some, it is a word that sparks “fear”, and yet for others, it is a word that inspires curiosity. But what does the “Occult” actually mean?
Some think that the occult is spells, charms and magic – something out of this world. But in truth, the word “occult” translates to mean “ that which is hidden”. The journey to discover “hidden knowledge” is the practice of the occult.
So, what are the six truths about the Occult that are rarely known?
1. The Occult works with the Light by allowing you to lift the veil of ignorance
Some religious groups have brandished all occultic practices as “dark”. Yet, this is a completely reductive dismissal of a practice that is older than organised religion itself.
In ancient days, the wise men and women have sought to acquire “hidden knowledge”, to discover the mysteries of life, to seek meaning and purpose, to connect with the divine and to truly “know themselves”.
Contrary to most religions the metaphysical studies or hidden knowledge of true mystery schools aims at guiding individuals back to their true power and knowledge. To that which was always there. It empowers individuals to live life in alignment with their true being and to connect with the divinity within to share that vibration with others.
In the universe, there is polarity and duality. This means that there is no light without dark, no sun without rain, and no good without evil. Everything will have its “good” and its “bad”. What we need to do is to choose to do good. And humanity shows the potential to do that every day, even though this might not be what you see reported in the media.
Invariably, some will choose to engage in dark practices, but should a journey to “know thyself” and uncover the mysteries of life be abandoned because some people have chosen to do bad?
As Ipsissimus Dave Lanyon of the Modern Mystery School said: “ Should we ban baseball because someone might use a baseball bat to hit someone?”
This illustration is as simple as it is profound. There is always a choice to do either bad or good and we have the power to make that choice. And in fact this is why many of us fear our own power, because subconsciously or otherwise, we may not want the responsibility of making that choice. But if we refuse our power because of the fear of using it in the wrong way we also do not allow ourselves to claim and wield our light. Looked at in a different way, the power to make that choice is also extremely empowering, because we have the power to choose correctly. We have agency and are not just the victim of circumstances.
The Occult is neither evil or bad. It is the choices of people that may make it so. But people also have the power to choose good and overwhelmingly, people do choose good and we need to remember that.
It also bears noting that religious propaganda has played a huge role in anchoring this misconception. For example, there was many periods in history during which, any mention of the occult would be deemed as heresy which is something that could bring on severe punishment and even execution. It is no wonder that the occult , which was originally the tradition of many communities in many different countries became associated with "fear".
2. The Occult works with high and low Magick, with nature and the universe
While the practice of witchcraft could form part of the Occult. The Occult is far more expansive and wider that witchcraft.
The term witchcraft is itself the subject of great misunderstanding being wrongly associated with the summoning of evil entities to do ill to others. But “Wicca” or “Witchcraft” is simply a practice to connect with the cycles of the earth, plants, animals, the planets. It is a way to invoke the powers of nature to live life well on earth. It is an innate form of magick that has existed since antiquity across virtually all cultures.
The Occult however, is more than just connecting with nature. While connecting to nature can help us unlock the secrets of life and uncover the “hidden”, it is just a tool in the tool kit.
Beyond Witchcraft, the Occult includes the study of Alchemy, astrology, hermetics, ritual and ceremonial magick, the Kabbalah, initiation and much much more, After all, in accordance with its definition of the seeking of “hidden knowledge”, it can be anything that helps us to uncover that “hidden knowledge” in which we seek.
3. The Occult is often practiced in “orders” that have a defined “culture” – does that make them a cult?
A common misconception is the association with “a cult” and “occult”. According, to the Britannica, the term cult is often applied to a religious movement that exists in some degree of tension with the dominant religious or cultural inclination of a society. In recent years the word cult has been most commonly used as a pejorative term for a religious group that falls outside the mainstream and, by implication , engages in questionable activities. Many new religions are controversially labelled as cults.
Further, it is imperative to note that historically, there are no negative connotations to the use of the term cult. It is especially common in works on Classical history, as the ancient Mediterranean world was home to a large variety of mystery cults. These were small groups whose elite members were initiated into secret rituals for a particular deity. Far from existing at tension with the society at large, many Roman cults were heavily integrated into the surrounding society. In Pompeii one of the most lavishly decorated temples was that of the cult of Isis . An inscription records that the individual who paid for the temple’s refurbishment was rewarded with a position as town councillor, indicating a strong interconnection between this mystery cult and the civic order of the city. Furthermore, one of the most prominent Roman cults was the imperial cult, which was dedicated to the worship of deceased and deified Roman emperors and their deified family members. Imperial cult worship reinforced the power of the dominant political state and most or all of pre-Christian Roman society had some degree of membership in it.
The negativity of the word “cult” was born in the 1970s when it became linked with the presence of a charismatic leader who controls all the actions of all members of the “cult” where people are brainwashed and where their freewill and agency are systematically taken away to serve the interest of the enigmatic but manipulative leader.
The word "Culture" has also similarly been thrown into the mix to cause further confusion. Culture is generally considered a neutral word whereas Cult is considered negative. But yet, both words come from the same Latin roots. So how much of our opinions are formed by unconscious biases, social norms and / or ignorance?
But the Occult is anything but that. If we go back to the original meaning of “that which is hidden”, it is about the expansion of knowledge as opposed to control or manipulation.
Do not confuse the two as they couldn’t be less alike.
How to know if a magickal order can be trusted:
Question 1: Is there more than one leader?
If there are several leaders who work together in harmony, that is a sign that they have overcome their ego and are able to collaborate for the greater good in unity, which is ultimately the objective of true occultic practices that are of the light
Question 2: Is both the divine masculine and divine feminine represented?
For true magick, divine flow and balance, both genders need to work together. Orders or so called mystery schools that don’t represent both genders in their leadership tend to get imbalanced and there is a distortion in the flow of energy.
This is a very important point. In the Modern Mystery School there is a council of 12 Divinas (Women) who form part of the school’s leadership together with the third order (3 men). The highest level of initiation – Ipissimus has been attained by 3 men and 7 women, who together are responsible for safeguarding and advancing the teachings for future generations.
Question 3: Is there a path to becoming a leader yourself?
All true paths of progression are there to show you the way. You don’t have to stay a follower – you can become a leader of your own life and potentially become greater than the teacher. The path is not one of ego or limitation but one that is expansive, liberating and guides us to reaching our highest potential.
Question4: Is your discernment being refined?
A true mystery school will teach you how to discern, not what to believe without question. The tools should be empowering you to make the right in your life for you based on knowing thyself without dictating to you what you should do.
Question 5: Do the teachers and leaders have joy, abundance and balance?
An accomplished teacher on the occultic path will have what they teach. They will walk the talk and embody their teachings. When we are connected to who we truly are, we live with joy, abundance and balance, with peace from within and without
4. The Occult can be uncomfortable and that is supposed to be so
I suppose anything unknown will always be considered scary or uncomfortable. This goes back to our instinct for survival where anything unknown could be deemed dangerous or harmful. But this is a mindset that is anti-progress. Think about it, if everyone refused to delve into the unknown in order to seek knowledge to do better, we would still be using snail slime to treat warts or engaging in burning haemorrhoids with hot irons or trepanning – also known as drilling a hole in your skull to relief cranial pressure. I can list many more examples but you get the drift.
The Occult is about discovering that which is hidden, associated with the gold within. That wisdom that makes clear who we are, why we are here and what it is that we are meant to do. It is very much about our connection with our own inner wisdom and higher selves. Imagine a world where everyone always behaved as their higher selves and always had connection with divine wisdom! There would be peace on earth! How can the quest for that be scary or dangerous?
That is not to say however, that there do not exist practices that are perhaps not of the light. However, if we were to uncover the hidden by walking a path that has been walked by many great masters before us - in other words, tried and tested and proven to bear fruit, we will be practicing the occult and discovering the hidden in a safe way.
That is the path of the ancient mystery schools where initiates continue on a path of progression that helps them to get to truly know themselves, their mission of this earth and so on.
5. The Occult dispels Superstition
Superstition is often described in a belief that is not grounded in reason or basis. It could be an old wives tale or something that has been taken completely out of context.
For example, not letting a black cat cross your path is a superstition that has no real basis in modern times. In the olden days of the western world, black cats were seen as evil omens but now, many many many households have black cats as pets and no misfortune or catastrophe has befallen them! It is also curious that different communities within the western world also have divergent beliefs about black cats. For example, in some European folklore, black cats are considered common companions of witches and bringers of misfortune if they happened to cross your path. In contrast, Welsh folklore depicts black cats would bring luck to a home and could even be a reliable weather predictor
Some might mistakenly confuse superstition with the occult. But a true understanding of what it means to uncover the hidden truths is that it actually dispels superstitions. After all, the more you know, the less you will fall prey to superstition!
6. The Occultic path works on the inner self first and is for those who seek to become “guardians of the flame”
As the hermetic saying goes “As above, so below, as within so without,” meaning that our outer world reflects our inner world and vice versa.
This means that progression is always going to be an “inside job”. Before discovering what lies hidden outside of us, we first have to uncover what lies inside of us. As the Modern Mystery School often reminds its students: “Know Thyself”.
In fact, “Know Thyself” is the path. If we truly knew ourselves and our purpose, there would literally be no war. Yet, facing the unknown enemy within the self, is often the hardest thing one can do. But to do that, is where the true treasure lies.
How well do we really know ourselves? Are we living the life society expects of us or are we truly living the lives we are meant to lead?
The more we truly know ourselves the more we can have a genuinely positive impact on the world around us, through our thoughts, our vibration, our words and our actions.
A true “guardian of the flame” is a high-initiate in the occult orders of the mystery school traditions who has worked hard at overcoming his or her ego in order to truly flow light to the self and others. And by doing that the flame of the lineage, the ancient ways is preserved for those who seek it.
A true order of Light will always welcome everyone, all genders, nationalities and backgrounds as the light is meant to be shared with all who seek it.
