The "Occult" is the oldest known religion. It is the secret doctrine and mysterious practice involving the action or influence of supernatural agencies or some secret knowledge of them, which transcend the natural senses, to seek their influence in our present or future lives, or the lives of others.
The Bible teaches the Occult is from the Devil.
The word occult is derived from the Latin word occultus which means "hidden". The Occult has been defined as any activity which
1. is esoteric
2. depends upon those talents which lie beyond the five senses, and
3. engages with the supernatural.
There is no consensus on the nature of the Occult.Some people look upon the Occult as fascinating, harmless, mysterious, spiritual and a source of knowledge and healing power. Others see it as being evil, criminal, destructive, life threatening, and Satanic. It is a word that generates horror and revulsion.
There are many divisions of the science of Occult. Some of them are:
Divination: Various harmless methods of foretelling the future.
Astrology: The concept that one's future is dependent upon the precise location of the sun, moon and planets at the time of birth.
I Ching: an ancient Chinese oracle book which some believe can be used to foretell the future, answer questions, etc.
Numerology: the practice of assigning a digit to each letter in a person's name, and deriving a series of numbers which have special significance to the person.
Palm reading: foretelling a person's future by the lines and mounds in their palm and shape of their fingers.
Runes: a group of from 16 to 31 (typically 26) letters of an ancient Northern European alphabet. The letters are inscribed on small rocks or pieces of paper or plastic. A group is cast, and the future foretold from the runes that land inverted and not inverted.
Scrying: a technique of producing visions of the future by gazing into a crystal ball, black mirror, bowl of water, hot coals from a fire, etc.
Tarot cards: fortune telling through the use of a pack of 78 Tarot cards which can be divided into four suites (wands, cups, pentacles and swords).
Teacup reading: foretelling the future by the shapes formed by tea leaves after a cup of tea has been consumed.
Other methods: Future events have been predicted through the use of dice, dominos, dream interpretation, pendulum movements, playing cards, etc.
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