"Occult: supernatural and mysterious phenomena that cannot be scientifically explained."

From the early esoteric traditions of the ancient Egyptians
From a Reinterpretation of Modern Occultism
A thorough exploration of the beliefs, rituals, and philosophies of occultists around the world.

Stories about the occult are ancient and date back to ancient times.
It is a story about the sky above and the earth below, and a story about the relationship between God (or God), humans, and nature.
And it is a belief in the mutual harmony of all things, a story about the intricately intertwined creation, the great chain of being.

--- p.10

These individuals and groups often had a much broader range of interests than their medieval and early modern predecessors, adding new elements to the occult.
Examples include card reading and tarot, an interest in the East, religious wisdom, mostly from India, a new orientation toward parapsychology and psychic research, animal magnetism, hypnotism, spiritualism and psychic powers, out-of-body experiences or ascended masters, and a gradual liberation from (or hostility to) Christianity.

--- p.32

Astrology is based on the premise that there is a connection between the positions and movements of the sun, moon, and planets as seen against the background of the constellations and life on earth.
Astrologers believe that knowledge of these relationships can be beneficial to human life.

--- p.37

Western alchemy is by no means a single system; it has many varieties.
For centuries, some people have combined alchemy and astrology, while others have tried to interpret the highly obscure alchemy using other approaches, such as the Jewish Kabbalah and the Christian Kabbalistic texts.
Some people communicated through text, others through a combination of text and images, or sometimes through images alone.

--- p.67

Christian Kabbalah and modern Kabbalah deviate significantly from their original Jewish Kabbalah.
However, the ideas of Pico della Mirandola and his successors had an undeniable influence on the history of Western esotericism and occultism.
--- p.112

Physiognomy is the ability to predict a person's fate by reading the wrinkles on their forehead.
According to theory, everyone has up to seven deep wrinkles on their forehead.
At this time, each wrinkle has an associated planet.
The Moon rules the lowermost wrinkles just above the eyebrows, while Saturn, the planet furthest from Earth, rules the uppermost wrinkles near the hairline.

--- p.133

The main task in celestial magic is to create magical seals.
These seals are usually associated with one specific planet to bring good energy.
If possible, the seal is made of a metal or gem associated with that planet.
The seals contain the symbolism of the planets, the symbols of the zodiac signs associated with them, the names of the gods, usually written in Hebrew, the names of the angels, spirits and demons representing the planets, signs representing their mysteries, images of pagan gods associated with the planets, and a magic square containing the answers.
--- p.142

Ritual magic is the most controversial form of magical practice.
It mainly deals with the supernatural world, invoking angels through spells and summoning ghosts.
It involves a complex series of acts, including drawing a magic circle to protect the wizard and confine spirits, using the language of power to subdue evil spirits, and lengthy preparatory rituals of purification and prayer.

--- p.159

Public interest in occult philosophy waned during the Enlightenment, but it persisted in Freemasonry and was revived in the 19th century, first in France and later in the United States and Britain, through groups such as the Theosophical Society.
Occultism drew on sources from earlier periods, but added new aspects, such as religious enthusiasm for spiritualism.

--- p.179

Some scholars consider the 'Kabbalah Tarot 22 Arcana' to be the first occult tarot.
These cards were drawn by the Swiss occultist and Freemason Oswald Wirth under the direction of Stanislas de Guaita and published in Paris in 1889 as a limited edition of three hundred and fifty hand-painted lithographs.
This card was used by members of the Rosicrucian Kabbalistic Order of de Guaita.

--- p.206

Palmistry, or palm reading, examines the overall appearance of the hand, as well as the lines of the palm, the length and shape of the fingers and fingernails.
A psychic synthesizes all these factors to determine a person's physical and moral disposition and to predict what will happen in the future.
Each finger is associated with a planet and has its own meaning.
The thumb is Venus and represents willpower, the index finger is Jupiter and represents ambition and leadership, the middle finger is Saturn and represents justice and morality, the ring finger is the Sun and represents creativity, and the little finger is Mercury and represents self-expression.
Mars rules the center of the palm, and the Moon rules the outer side of the palm.

--- p.238

Occult ideas are flexible and easily modified.
The occult has persisted for centuries, adapting to cultural changes and finding new mediums through which to convey its ideas and practices.
Sometimes it was part of mainstream culture, sometimes it was part of a hidden trend or counterculture, and what might seem conservative and conventional now was at the time cutting-edge, innovative, moral, and transcendent.
The occult is enjoying a renaissance today.
Because many people who seek inspiration to fuel their imagination are deeply attracted to the hybrid, eclectic, and polymorphous nature of the occult.

--- p.246