      An Introduction to Occultism
              Presented by:
  Utopia Rising and Frederick Nagash
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Before I begin what may very well turn into an extraneously long essay, I feel it necessary to clear up one of the largest misconceptions people have dealing with two words, "Occult" and "A cult".  The word "Occult" comes from the Latin word for "Hidden" whereas "a cult" is a small group of individuals believing in a non-mainstream religion or a religion that is not considered "Publicly acceptable". Occultism is the study and belief in the unseen or hidden and the attempt at better understanding of the self, the world around us, life, creation and death through alternative means. 

Most valid forms of occultism have nothing to do with hurting others, human sacrifice, hurting animals or any other act of the mentally ill or undeveloped. Most occultists practice magic or have some form of ritual use and although curses are practiced, all valid forms of magic have some degree of morality behind it and or hold a sense of justice behind it. To the occultist there is no right or wrong, good and evil are seen as solely perceptions of an individuals own personal beliefs, practices or interpretations. One mans deity is another mans demon.

A common mistake is to call oneself or another occultist a "Pagan" or "warlock" because what most don't know is that both are derogatory terms. The term "Pagan" translates to "Country dweller" and would be the modern equivalent of calling someone a "Hick" or "hillbilly". The term "warlock" translates to "oath breaker" and would be the modern equivalent to calling someone a "Lier" or untrustworthy". There are various groups, covens, churches and temples in the thousands of sects of occultism and generally many resources are readily available online and yet some groups choose to remain hidden.

I don't suggest going to Google to search for "Occult" or "Occultism" as you'll draw a plethora of misinformation, sites by children, moron's and dabblers and anti-occult propaganda. I would suggest instead for one to begin learning from someone researched and experienced and is that is not available, to find some decent books on the subject. Today it is simpler to set up a website then to get just anything published to book form and so although there are shitty books also, there's millions more shitty websites. 

All occultists who practice magic have either an alter or specific tools (or both) they utilize and that they consider sacred. The magicians tools are not to be touched or handled by anyone but the magician and are;

1. Anything arranged like an altar.
2. Daggers
3. Wand
4. Bells
5. Incense and burners.
6. Clothes
7. Robes
8. Statuary
9. Candles
10. Gongs
11. Skulls or bones
12. Books

If a magician gives permission to touch or handle any sacred object and only then, may someone else touch them in any way. The sciences of magic are just as varied as philosophies in the occult however, some sects attempt to mystify the art and dilute it with philosophical and metaphorical misinterpretations that add nothing but mumbo-jumbo. I would highly suggest that the beginner buy and read "Liber Null and Psychonaut by Peter Carroll" for a good basic understanding of how most magic works. 

Another decent beginners books is "Mastering Witchcraft by Paul Huson", although we differ philosophically, Mr. Huson's book offers a fairly good introduction to magic. Before running out and joining anything, realize that just as in every religion, the occult has quite a few loons, quacks and weirdos to be weary of. As in everything in life use common sense and see if what "so-and-so" says is logical and reasonable or irrational and unstable and as in anything, do the legwork and research on everything. 

A very large misconception running rampant in the occult communities is the general differences in so called "High and Low" magics. "Low magic" is magic used to alter or change events or things in the natural world through what may seem like a series of coincidences or otherwise against normal circumstances. "High magic" is magic used to change perception, emotion and all other facets of the self or to otherwise commit oneself to personal change. Without high magic, there is no low magic and vice-versa. 

But the occult is more then the sum of its parts, as a whole someone who has genuinely committed themselves to the occult commits themselves to a lifetime pursuit of knowledge, wisdom, experiences, change and personal progression. Not to utterly separate occultists from the rest of humanity, occultists are not devoid of emotion, nor are the all about curing others and gaining the favor of the opposite sex. Occultists love, hate, desire and dream just as anyone else and the only real differences are philosophy and magic. 

Humanity as a whole fears what they don't understand, fear leads to ignorance and there's already too much ignorance in the world so I hope this article helps at least one person to better understand some things about the occult. 