The Occult, are you a believer?

["Skeet" McD]

The most interesting book I've read recently on this subject is Beyond the Occult, by Colin Wilson.

Taking a step back from the practice and the ritual -- the ideology of The Occult -- Wilson describes the enlightenment process as one of gaining insight through examining experience.

Hmmm...here's a tack. Two books that I would highly recommend are:

The World of the Witches by Julio Caro Baroja, first published in 1964
This work, concentrating primarily on Spanish sources, attempts to connect folk elements which the writer saw himself with classical-era sources and, ultimately, to a widespread nature religion of prehistory. I find his observations canny; his reasoning just that(!); and his argument ultimately very convincing.
http://www.amazon.com/World-Witches-Phoenix-Press/dp/1842122428

The Dream Hunters of Corsica by Dorothy Carrington, first published in 1995
The material for this book was mostly gathered in the 1950s, at a time when the village world of that fascinating island was, as yet, fairly untouched by the modern world. She investigates the strange culture of the signadori and mazzeri, village shamans who possess powers of divination--and much more!, and attempts to connect their activities to a neolithic religious source. Utterly fascinating, and--if you are open to the concept of "things you can't explain, but seem to be amply attested by trustworthy people"--quite perplexing.
http://www.amazon.com/Dream-Hunters-Corsica-Dorothy-Carrington/dp/1857994248

"Skeet"

 

[BellyTank]

That is, in fact, one of the better FLounge lookee likee efforts.

bk

Thankyaaaw!

Don'tcha just get sicka the lame-o ones..?


B
T

 

[Fedord Spaniard]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cthulhu[/URL]

HPL has a devoted and fairly insane group of devotees. A coven of them active in the penumbra of the film industry here have created quite an amazing modern silent film....with period-correct score, no less--of one of HPLs best stories THE CALL OF CTHULHU. Take a peek at the trailer!

http://www.cthulhulives.org/cocmovie/trailer.html

Although an amateur production, and clearly not a very high-budget one, what they have achieved is...mindboggling. Someone spent A LOT of time looking at German Expressionist cinema! They are currently at work on a 1930s style sound picture.

Enjoy! Ph'nglui mglw'nafh C'thulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!

"Skeet"

Hey Skeet, are you ready to "Ride The Lightning"


The Call of Ktulu, AKA "When Hell Freezes Over" (Demo ver.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IbkEEtED6s

One of the Metallica songs composed by Dave Mustaine and Cliff Burton.

Im not really a Metallica fan (Im a Megadeth junkie instead) but "Ride The Lightning" is my favorite Metallica album.

 

[Story]

[QUOTE="Skeet" McD]
Enjoy! Ph'nglui mglw'nafh C'thulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!
"[/QUOTE]

Your pronunciation would be more accurate if your tongue had been ripped out at the root, but hey - close enough for gummint work! :eusa_clap

 

[Slim Portly]

I agree with the buddha's advice that there are a few things in life that are a complete waste of time to even consider.

 

[Creeping Past]

I agree with the buddha's advice that there are a few things in life that are a complete waste of time to even consider.

Remember that he'd taken the time to consider all those things first, on the way to enlightenment...

 

[Slim Portly]

Remember that he'd taken the time to consider all those things first, on the way to enlightenment...

Yes, considered, and then discarded.

 

[Feraud]

Thankyaaaw!

Don'tcha just get sicka the lame-o ones..?


B
T

Do you mean most guys do not look like Gable or Grant? I'm shocked!

 

[Creeping Past]

Yes, considered, and then discarded.

So considered rather than not considered at all is my point

 

[Slim Portly]

So considered rather than not considered at all is my point

If one prefers reinventing the wheel, most certainly. Or in this case, reinventing the flat tire.

 

[Creeping Past]

If one prefers reinventing the wheel, most certainly. Or in this case, reinventing the flat tire.

I regard enlightenment/learning as the product of an examination of individual experience, rather than a kind of incremental, progressive social endeavour. In many arenas of experience I prefer to take nobody's word for it, not even Siddhattha Gotama's. :cheers1:

I leave the last word to you, Slim.

 

["Skeet" McD]

In many arenas of experience I prefer to take nobody's word for it, not even Siddhattha Gotama's. :cheers1:

Ummmm...particularly regarding menu choices: "I'll have the sukaramaddava, please...!"

Just another hungry illuminatus,
"Skeet"

 

[Viola]

Overall, I enjoy reading about the occult but I can't say it's an easy subject to research and understand with as much certainty as, say, Islam or Judaism.

Certainty, in Judaism? I'm sorry, you must have the wrong number, sir.
lol

 

[HungaryTom]

Cults of Sodom and Gomorrah, sexual rituals with animals i.e. the literal bestiality, and sodomy, incest? They are still real the porn industry makes a lot of money from them.

Old Testament reports in several places about throwing children in the burning altars of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moloch ….93 % of all abortions occur for social reasons (i.e. the child is unwanted or inconvenient) = sacrificed simply for a better living standard. [/B]http://www.abortionno.org/Resources/fastfacts.html

Idolatry – adoration of the golden calf in Egypt - only in Egypt???
http://www.bized.co.uk/images/bull.jpg

Jesus the Christ was not a solar hero but a historical person and yes the devil exists
See the Magical realist novel for answers>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Master_and_Margarita
Chapter 1 instantly answers why fortune telling is not so good

Living todays extremely materialist world (consumer society) results in sleep as Gurdjieff puts it and eternal cycle of worldly reincarnation or even worse when the spirit is lost in Hades, seol, Hell, wandering amidst its own projections missing what all book of the dead (Tibetan, Egyptian) write about, namely to find the light...

Esoteric branches of religions are not to be mixed with occult NO Kabbalist, Christian Mystic or Sufi or Hindi Saint became materially rich. Their kingdom is not of this world. John 18:36.

Occult is also a business where lot of money is made, self proclaimed practicioners are actually fiddling with kakodaimons and least clean entities if anything apart from being simple liars and pretenders– and making a lot of money. What I do wonder is how do occultists believe that they will be able to command something which they hardly know about and they definitely are inferior and how they don’t realize that they are only are abused as serfs in order to provide contact to this world.


I still say stick to the Bible - it is a good basis in spirituality for people of the Western (Judeo-Christian) civilization.

 

[Subvet642]

Esoteric branches of religions are not to be mixed with occult NO Kabbalist, Christian Mystic or Sufi or Hindi Saint became materially rich. Their kingdom is not of this world. John 18:36.

Occult is also a business where lot of money is made, self proclaimed practicioners are actually fiddling with kakodaimons and least clean entities if anything apart from being simple liars and pretenders– and making a lot of money. What I do wonder is how do occultists believe that they will be able to command something which they hardly know about and they definitely are inferior and how they don’t realize that they are only are abused as serfs in order to provide contact to this world.


I still say stick to the Bible - it is a good basis in spirituality for people of the Western (Judeo-Christian) civilization.

At the end of the day, the purpose of religion/spirituality, as I see it, is to form a personal relationship with the Divine, and as such no one can define what that is for you. The Creator is much too big to wrap our little minds around, and I believe that the Creator shows Itself to us in ways that we can best understand. BTW, I have never made a dime in the practice of my beliefs; it is a privilege to serve.

 

[reetpleat]

I regard enlightenment/learning as the product of an examination of individual experience, rather than a kind of incremental, progressive social endeavour. In many arenas of experience I prefer to take nobody's word for it, not even Siddhattha Gotama's. :cheers1:

I leave the last word to you, Slim.

If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him.

 

[Lefty]

...because there can be only one Highlander

 

[Undertow]

Viola, I see what you mean. :eusa_doh:

I guess I mean to say, "there are far more 'reliable' sources on a specifically focused topic", as opposed to the occult which ranges from card reading women in backalley shops to demon mediums casting curses on great portions of the population. And as HungaryTom mentioned, many of the sources one finds regarding the Occult are almost always money seeking opportunists.

Personally, I find no shame in someone taking peoples' money for the sake of entertaining them with possibly (likely) fictional material, however, when one plans to research a topic, it's a veritable minefield.

I do find almost all aspects of the Occult interesting, or at least entertaining, but isn't that the inherent nature that keeps the Occult alive?

As far as my actual beliefs regarding the Occult...well, that's another matter entirely.

 

[Foofoogal]

Only interest I have in the occult is wondering why every single palm reader with a sign in the yard I have ever seen Always has boats, cars or rvs for sale in the yard. I always wonder if either they have a sideline business or didn't do their homework when they bought the items in the first place.lol

 

[stephen1965]

Only interest I have in the occult is wondering why every single palm reader with a sign in the yard I have ever seen Always has boats, cars or rvs for sale in the yard. I always wonder if either they have a sideline business or didn't do their homework when they bought the items in the first place.lol

Yes it draws one towards a distinction between 'knowledge' and 'being'. Having access to a lot of 'knowledge', as most of us do these days, doesn't mean that we can do anything with it. (We are weak yogis). Alternatively, one could have a lot of ability (being) and not have the knowledge to apply it (a stupid saint).Difficult to strike a balance.. (Is this connected to the idea of scribes and pharisees?)

Living todays extremely materialist world (consumer society) results in sleep as Gurdjieff puts it and eternal cycle of worldly reincarnation

I doubt if there's much we can do to save the world as I think you're right, it keeps us asleep. We are, according to Gurdjieff's cosmology, part of a descending octave which seems to imply things are getting worse (in the sense of deeper sleep). According to G, 'escape' is available as there is a side octave which has as it's 'Do', the Sun. So perhaps there's another link to the analogy of a saviour(Jesus etc) as something Solar...
Could you say more about your ideas on 'eternal cycle of worldly reincarnation?' My interest is in the idea that there are repeated incarnations into the exact same 'life' (eternal recurrence) and that we only get out by becoming 'awake' to ourselves. But it's just a theory, not a belief..