Black Occultism

Black magic, like many areas of study, can often branch off into other sectors of focus. Hermetic sciences, for example, have direct relations to the study of black magic, as well as demonology. Are the two mutually exclusive? Perhaps, although that isn’t always the case for various versions of the dark arts.

Occultism is often a misunderstood area of study. The term is wrongly interchanged with black magic studies, even though portions of it do cross over. In film and literature the term has been twisted to reflect an evil persona of a user, casting the person in a more mysterious light. The case that people fear what they do not understand is applicable to occultism.

Occultism is simply the study of wisdom and the hidden truth. What drives nature? What unseen forces bend the will of an entire reality? It can easily involve black magic as a learning tool, just as much as it can delve into areas like astrology and spiritualism.

The abstract understanding of how the world basically functions, of how existence operates, is the crux of occultism. This is needed to understand how black magic might function in a real setting, however the reverse is not true. Occultism, while often paired with workings of black magic, can stand on its own as a unique study or philosophy.

One of the driving forces in this misconception of occultism, and its relation to black magic, are the Nazis. It is famed truth that Hitler was a devout occultist, in the sense that he was trying to use unorthodox means to his own ends. He had people study unusual things that modern religions had denied, or failed to claim as their own at the very least. The Nazis are seen as some of the most evil people that the world has ever known, and the association with the occult has issued a taboo label to the term.

That’s not to say that occultism doesn’t dabble in unruly practices. At the beginning of the twentieth century, an English occultist named Aleister Crowley developed a philosophy called Thelema. The main rule of Crowley’s work and developments was “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.”

When breaking this statement down, the obvious ties that Crowley had with black magic become prevalent. One of the fundamental motivations of black magic is selfish intent, or desire to propel oneself above another. If Crowley’s Thelema allows for one to do what one wants, regardless of the outcome, then this is a perfect instance of where occultism can cross over with the beliefs of black magic.

Occultism in general can be found amongst many other areas of study, such as Gnosticism, Hermeticism, Wicca, Satanism, and Neopaganism. Again, while occultism shares a strong relationship with black magic, it is less about the actual dark arts and more of a generalized term that can be applied to most unorthodox researches.

The modern occult revival can be traced to Germany in 1890, when attempts were made to use occultism to expand scientific methods. While the science of black magic cannot be directly related to these particular methods, they can be associated through common ground.