There is a widespread and false perception surrounding the occult realm of knowledge. If you ask a few people in your life what word they first associate with the word occult, they will likely respond with the word evil or some variation thereof. A cursory internet search of the occult will conjure imagery of inverted pentagrams and dark sorcery. However, the true meaning of the occult is not mystical at all. It simply means hidden knowledge.
The word occult is derived from the Latin adjective occultus: “hidden from sight,” from the Latin verb occultare: “to hide; to conceal; to keep secret,” and from the Latin noun oculus: “eye.”
One can see that, through this obfuscation of meaning, the very word occult itself has been occulted (or hidden from sight). Those who have hidden such knowledge seek to create a power differential between themselves and the ignorant masses who have little to no understanding of it.
What information or hidden knowledge, then, does the occult comprise? The occult consists of two bodies of knowledge:
1. The Minor Arcana: the microcosmic world of the human psyche
2. The Major Arcana: the macrocosmic world of the physical and spiritual laws of Nature
Understand that occult knowledge is not about otherworldly or supernatural phenomena. Here is a mundane example of occult knowledge: A billboard displays a fast-food ad that contains a thinly disguised astrological symbol in colors that are known to increase appetite. The designers of that ad were in possession of occult knowledge of the microcosm, the human psyche. The study of the occult allows an individual to level the playing field between themselves and the few occultist of the world. Please join me in the uncovering of information, symbolism, and art.
