I think that there are some merits to the accusations people make against such ... entities? I don't know if there actually are "occults", but I think the attitude is a real thing for a lot of people. When I was younger, I had suspicions about the occult, masons, and the government's role in socially engineering a reality that caters to religious and other special interests. Today, I value the structure provided by government and organized religion. The only problem I see is overreach.
Mmhm. you know what "ghost" means, don't you? Why People Ghost — and How to Get Over It - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
yerrss... that ghost. I do have dead friends, though. RIP. The other friendly ghost is this guy; pale and pasty-white, but soulful*!
casper has more to do with real occult then wedgie boards. candles, challace, athime, penticle, wand, muffins, and your own book of shadows. tarot cards can be used for spell casting, but really that only messes with probabilities, doesn't actually violate them, mmm, usually. and no its not about summoning anything, nor ill natured spirit people. but it is about messing with probability. soo, i don't see a whole lot of connection with anything posted so far. is all of this what unaware people actually think about it? i know some poeple who think they're in it make some of these same mistakes about it too, but only because they get their ideas from media, or certain brand name belief's prejudice against manipulating probability, and insistence that a universe that is 99.999% mineral somehow depends upon sapience. and did you know that ordinary playing cards have wands (clubs) chalacis (hearts) athemes (swords/spades) and penticles (diamonds)? (all they lack is the major archana) my own deck though has claws, paws, (horse)shoes, and tails. not sure how those map which into what, but otherwise identical to ordinary playing deck (the jokers and "monkey house" have actual furrys)(well the were printed up for a fur con that takes place in the hotel of a cassino, because all of the hotels that have con space, are adjuncts to cassinos because of the history of the town its in) oh and don't forget the druids, who make their magic with beer. i'd expect that to be a big one arround here. then there are the neo-zen druids who worship the trees that aren't there. i don't know about rodeos, but i do know a lot of bull is frequently involved.
I thought the occult was simply anything to do with ghosts, vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein, mummy and the rest of those kind of monsters and all things that go with them like ouija boards and hunting and killing kits. Movie genre is the reason I think this.
actually occault simply means hidden. most occault practicioners do generally feel or believe some connection to ancient beliefs and practicies movie monsters are holy wood or based on written fantacies, i.e. fronkenschtiene and dr a kula. these are a seperate thing all together. then you have, dozzens and dozzens of drunk and disorderly daemons and demigods, the table top role playing game.
closest thing in media i can think of was a tv series called "charmed", (three sexy sisters who owned a strip club and kept their book of shadows in an attic room, and lived in this really cool san francisco victorain house) but even that was over the top with all the summoning and ghost/daemon people most of which the writers made up themselves. misses the mark precisely by giving 'fan service' to those very same popular misconceptions from the same dominant in english speaking parts of the world 'religious' perspective. s/fx were fun though, which makes watching reruns of it fun, as long as you can close your mind to the mangling of the concept. oh and then, i think we've been here before, probably for last hollow ween, walpurgis nocht on you tube and house of mama dragon. (the song, house of mama dragon, actually is spot on, btw)