Definition of Occult

[Bruce Michael]

Peace Friends,
This is a word that often leads to confusion. It is mostly used in the pejorative sense these days, however it only means "hidden" and is therefore not anti-christian or unchristian.

The word is in fact amoral- the occultist can work evil or good. The occultist as opposed to the mystic, is egoically inclined, self consciously seeking facts hidden in the world of Nature and the spiritual worlds. However the occultist can get lost in the facts if they don't gel together into a Meaning.

This is where the esotericist comes in. The esotericist can sort through the facts to the inner meaning. Therefore esotericism and occultism are two different things. In a sense the esotericist stands midway between the mystic and the occultist.

-Br.Bruce

[bgruagach]

Good post!

You are absolutely right that "occult" is a value neutral term, and that the negative connotations have been projected onto it.