Thread: Terminology for the Progressive Occult and its Laws of the Supernatural

The occult is rich with terminology. Simply mention ‘sigil’ or ‘Rule of Three’ on these forums and it would be a safe bet that those who come will know what these mean. Then there are the more obscure terms such as ‘alectryomancy’, which may have some members refer to their bookshelves or Google or Wikipedia or whatever. Tens of thousands of words exist that relate to magic and divinity, and every now and then we are lucky to have someone within our community to coin a term that is both appropriate and memorable. Such modern occult terms are ‘psionics’ and several combinations of Greek prefixes and suffixes that were non-existent or not in common use such as ‘chronokinesis’ or ‘technomancy’. No doubt that as our understanding of the occult progresses we will discover new materials and processes and laws that will require naming.

For many of today’s occultists their focuses are primarily set to understand the past, to delve into the ancient history of magic for some forgotten wisdom or power. As for the future of the occult, a lot of its projects are placed on the backburner as the past takes priority. It is important to know of our past – it is only when we understand where we have come from do we have some idea as to where we should be going. Perhaps it is because of the occult’s patchy past that its future is suffering a very tedious progression. Still, we have acquired much, observed much, and experimented much. If the occult is to have a future then occultists need to start contributing more to its present.

Every fact begins only in theory. Many perceived common facts (gravity, for example) remain actual theory and probably will forever remain theory (the fact is that you will fall back to earth every time – the theory is ‘gravity’). For the occult it is more involved than science. To define the question to find the answer of anything supernatural is difficult because said supernatural event rarely occurs naturally or with natural enabling or motivating. We can of course gather information on these events (hence the occult’s domineering past) and with modern technology better store recorded data and compare to an advanced scientific system for scrutiny and better draw our hypotheses. But it is the contained experimenting and retesting that is our downfall – for if it were not, every scientist today would be wielding magic at their discretion (let us ignore conspiracies of psychic warfare and secret paranormal laboratories).

Is this because magic simply does not exist and every natural peculiarity (deemed supernatural) can be explained with logic? It is doubtful that the reader of this thread would believe so, having visited and/or registering with these forums. Pioneering minds are all alike – there is always something more and something that has been overlooked. Perhaps time will tell of the yet to be thought of technologies or methods to better understand the supernatural.

This elaboration on where the occult has been and where it is going is not the point of this article, but it illustrates the format for the topic nicely:

Do you have any of your own terms for theoretical laws, processes, or materials to contribute to today’s occult?

These terms ought be appropriate and memorable to survive future generations so that they themselves may one day be looked back upon in antiquity.

@ Fatalist, there was also this axiom in The Kybalion:

The possession of Knowledge, unless accompanied by a manifestation and expression in Action, is like the hoarding of precious metals - a vain and foolish thing. Knowledge, like Wealth, is intended for Use. The Law of Use is Universal, and he who violates it suffers by reason of his conflict with natural forces.