The negative influence of conspiracy theories, Hollywood, the media and the likes have created a twisted view on Western occult. They have more or less made it seem like a nefarious and menacing practice. Contrary to popular belief, the occult has nothing to do with devil worship and black magic.

What is Occult?

The literal meaning of the word occult is hidden. Occultism, popularly known as occult studies, is thus the practice of studying and revealing hidden truths to gain more understanding. In religious occultism, initiates undergo vigorous training and preparation. After they had completed their training, they would receive knowledge that was hidden from the rest of the population. This article will delve in deeper to debunk western occultism including exploring the practice of astral magick as coined by Aleister Crowley who founded the religion of Thelema.

Ancient sources of Western Esotericism
For starters, Western esotericism can be traced back to writings by Hermes Trismegistus who was the Thrice-Great Egyptian Sage. He wrote a lot on alchemy, cosmology, magic, and astrology. At the dawn of the Christian era, the Greeks began settling in Egypt and could help but to associate their god Hermes with the Egyptian god of magic and wisdom, Thot.

With time, the Greek god Hermes merged with Thoth to create a syncretic god. Together, these two powerful forces revolutionized esotericism into what it is today. Surprisingly, Hermes and Thoth had some striking similarities. Both entities were associated with the moon, were considered witty and playful, and would interpret the divine will of higher beings to the mortals. The people would cast spells and ask Hermes to reveal to them hidden truths or invite the god to appear in their dreams and grant them good fortune.

Magic in the renaissance period
During the renaissance period, commoners and nobility alike were extremely fascinated with magic. Even though magic in Renaissance Europe was not illegal, the authorities took it upon themselves to ensure that practitioners did not put anyone in harm’s way. The obsession with magic reached great heights, causing philosophers and intellectuals to develop new ways of cataloging these categorizing astronomical phenomena.

One Marsillo Ficino was so obsessed with magic and nature that he wrote a book exploring the human body’s connection with the soul and how one could harness the power of the stars. Giordano Bruno coined the twelve horoscopes and developed excellent memorization techniques which he included in his publication, De Umbris Idearum.

The two main types of magic during this period were learned and popular magic. Academic occultists carried out learned magic, which entailed complex rituals and methodical structures to call upon spiritual beings. You can find most of these rituals in grimoires dating back to the 14th to the 16th Century. Learned magic was further divided into natural or demonic practices, with the latter dabbling in summoning spirits to manifest in the human world. Natural magic dealt with using astrology and elements in nature to create amulets and talismans. Ideally, natural magicians in the renaissance period were men of science who craved the hidden truths around them.

Esotericism in the modern era
To be esoteric is to be understood by the chosen few. Therefore, esotericism is the state of being obscure to the masses and known to people with special knowledge. Henry Steel Olcott and Helena Petrovna founded the Theosophical Society in New York in 1875. Helena then established a religion known as Theosophy in the late 19th Century, which has deep-seated beliefs that one could access higher knowledge and gain a deeper understanding of spiritual reality through revelation, meditation, or intuition. Theosophy draws its principles from Helena’s writings of Freemasonry, Neoplatonism, Renaissance magic, Kabbalah as well as mythology from Egypt and Rome. With time, Eastern doctrines from Advaita Vedanta and Buddhism became incorporated into Theosophy.

Around the 1970s and ’80, the world moved into a new cycle, the Age of Aquarius. This discovery made David Spangler, an American Theosophist, to coin the idea of the New Age Movement after he moved to the Findhorn Foundation.

David believed this astrological shift resulted in the creation of powerful spiritual energy waves and preached his message to anyone who would care to believe it. Despite opposition from other people who believed the New Age did not depend on the actions of mere mortals, Spangler urged the natives to take advantage of this astrological phenomenon and embrace an active response. The New Age Movement integrated traditional occult rituals and practices such as yoga, meditation, tarot reading, and astrology to help people transform themselves. These efforts of health, spiritual well-being, and personal transformation would play a significant role in the transformation of the society as a whole and eventually, planetary healing.

Wrapping up
According to occultism, only the worthy possessed the ability to decipher the hidden meanings within clues and phrases. Even though the practice did include its fair share of magic, the main focus of western occultism was to keep sacred knowledge away from the general populace. Such information, if leaked, was harmful to the unprepared.