Occult

The Oxford dictionary describes the occult as “mystical, supernatural, or magical powers, practices, or phenomena”. However, this definition is incredibly broad and seems to fall into the characterisation of spiritualism, something which historians have also acknowledged. Clement Chevoux described the occult as being “far too vast a field for a focused historical study”, making it difficult to pinpoint an exact set of beliefs.

The word occult comes from the latin occultus, meaning hidden. According to Thomas Laqueur, true ‘occultism’, or what we recognise as such, was first developed in 1876 and stemmed from a focus of the relationship of reason and unreason, of science and religion, and of the spiritual and the secular.

If we were to compare it to spiritualism more broadly, the occult as a phenomenon seems to be more physical in nature, as demonstrated by Chevoux’s study of its relationship with photography, wherein ‘real life’ evidence of supernatural beings are presented.

There also seemed to be a link with more tangible occurrences, such as actual physical beings rather than beliefs in intangible systems (e.g. mysticism and ghosts vs. mesmerism and connecting life fluids). To put it more simply, the occult is hidden or unexplainable occurrences and beings liked to a physical presence.

The Occult Movement and Madame Blavatsky
Another issue which complicates matters is how there was a lack of an entirely unified Occult movement. Janet Oppenheim writes on how the occult could appeal to a wide range of different spiritualists within the community. Quote: “For the occultist, there is no distinction between matter and spirit, tangible and intangible, and that frame of mind proved highly tempting, particularly to spiritualists with inclinations towards mysticism.”

Despite this lack of unity, there were some clear figure heads in the general movement. For example, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (co-founder of the Theosophical Society), a Russian occultist and spirit-medium. She encouraged a following of orientalism, and held strong beliefs in mysticism and that ancient truths underlined all modern religions. The phrase “there is no religion higher than the truth” was the motto for the Theosophical Society.

Debates existed surrounding the legitimacy of her claims and her abilities. Some argued for particular individuals being gifted in supernatural communication, whilst other were not. On the other hand, other individuals such as Blavatsky herself made a case for anyone being able to communicate with the occult if they were taught. Mark Bevir illustrates how Blavatsky herself claimed to have studied under the tutelage of Coptic magician Paulos Metamon in Egypt, which gave her the pragmatic basis of communication with the occult.