Dedicated to the Aviano Stregone, wherever you are!
Created by Questing Rat
Email me: gussie@eudoramail.com
The word 'Occult' brings to mind many different associations depending upon the person hearing it. To some religious persons the word causes fear and anxiety, invoking images of demons and devils. To other scientific people, the word invokes thoughts of charlatans and pseudo-science. For still other alternative people, the word invokes ideas of peace and enlightenment.
The word itself simply means "hidden". That is perchance, the cause of the problem. Humans tend to fear that which they do not understand, ridicule that which they cannot explain, and latch onto things that make them feel unique. Is this a good thing? Is it a bunch of fairy tales? What is the truth?
Devils and Demons
This is perhaps the Occult topic that causes the most anxiety. Even people who claim not to believe in devils and demons, and who otherwise seem logical and rational tend to change thier mind when confronted with the occult. For some reason, the darkness and fear that grew and festered in humanity during the Middle Ages seems to have clung to us and refused to die.Are there really devils and demons? Trick question number 1. Trick answer: Devils and Demon's are not always what they seem.
"Obviously, possessing demons are fairly rare these days. Yet, in medieval literature they seemed to be fairly common. We must ask ourselves, 'What happened to them?' ... We may assume that the 'demons' are being handled in a different manner. If you look at the reports of the exorcisms you must be struck by the similarity between the descriptions of the 'possessed' and people who today would be described as having certain physical or mental problems."{D. M. Kraig, Modern Magick 1992, P 125}
Many modern occultists, following the lead of Carl Jung as early as 1902 (On the Psychology and Pathology of So-Called Occult Phenomena, Jung's Doctoral Dissertation) began attributing psychic causes to occult phenomena. The mysterious 'otherworld' of spirits and demons became understood as the mysterious 'innerworld' of psychosis and memory. The role of the unconscious became more intently studied, especially in such phenomena that previously involved spirits such as ouija, mediums, divination and possession. Demons became our inner demons.
Two natural questions arise from this. First, does the psychic nature of these devils and demons make them any less dangerous? Emphatically not. Our minds are complex constructs, with defensive and offensive capabilities wired into them. Many occult techniques peel back those defenses, or create channels through them. Sometymes these channels come at a tyme when an individual is not ready for them. Demonic possesion isn't a thing of the past, anyone who picks up a gun and terminates someone because of "the voices in his head" can attest to that.
Secondly, does this argument mean that real demons and devils, ghosts and poltergiests don't exist? No. But that theory has very little evidence to support it that the psychic theory does not explain. I don't dismiss the existance of otherworldly entities, I simply choose to focus on a theory that explains things in a way that blends with what we already know about the world. The psychic theory does not explain fully the great extent of occult tradition and history, but what it does explain is more in line with what we know of the world.
Pseudo-Science and Charlatans
The charge of fraud has long accompanied the word occult. A great deal of people, including such names as Hudini, Asimov, Frued and Kreskin, have made careers out of debunking fraudulant occultists. Many occultists object pointing to the scientific background of thier work: astrologers, herbal healers, accupuncture and accupressure, etc. However, thier own studies are generally not backed with the same rigerous scientific experimentation and explanation that is expected by the scientific community.Judging from history, humans are curious creatures who feel a driving need to believe in something. There are a great deal of people who feel the driving need to believe in the Gods Cash, Fame, and Power. While this in itself is not a bad thing, many of those people are unscrupulous and willing to use that same need to believe against others for the sake of bettering themselves. Judging from history, this is also part of our nature. Because of it's 'hidden' nature, the occult is prime breeding grounds for such people.
But the fertility of the occult for frauds and charlatans doesn't not mean that there is no validity to the occult, just as the proliferation of frauds in early field of medicine invalidated the work that many honest Doctors were doing.
The charge of psuedo-science is often more difficult to dispell. I could attack the very philosophy of science that demands repeatable experiments in a world that exists in a state of constant flux, making repeatable expermements impossible. I could attack the dogmatic view of many scientists who refuse to accept evidence even when it is presented to them in acceptable scientific forms (see the work of Dr. Micheal Newton on prayer, or Dr. J. B. Rhine on ESP and Telekenisis). But the simple truth is, most occultists who try to pass thier work on as science are mistaken. Simply because your work includes complex mathmatics or repeated trials does not make it scientific.
On the other hand, not being science does not mean there is no validity to the occult, just as the lack of science in art or literature does not invalidate the work of writers and painters.
However, in this particular field, more so than in art and literature, the lessons learned from science can be and should be used. One of the first things I learned when I started looking into the occult was, "A skeptical witch is a sane witch." A healthy dose of skepticism is your greatest defense against the dangers of the occult. The afore mentioned repeatable experiments, while technically impossible, pragmatically aid one in refining one's abilities. Careful record keeping is very useful, and experimentation is the mainstay of the occult.
Rather than psuedo-science, I would like to see the occult labled as religious science.