First Post

      This post will hopefully be the first step of a regularly maintained blog concerning my research into what is reffered to as the Occult. The definition of the term Occult for the purposes of these posts will include all human magical experiences that are charactarized by some degree of obscurity. The subject matter will be fairly broad and open to recommendations on further areas of study. Frankly I am seeking a durable repository to allow me to reference and reflect on what I learn in the course of my studies.
         Given the potential vastness of the topic it is easy to become daunted my the reach of the subject matter. My first tentative step into this record will to be a fresh list, by no means exhaustive in its items, to be added to over time and checked back with to ensure a conneciton between the fields I study and the original goals of the blog.
         Again recommendations are welcome. I am approaching this subject matter from a psuedo-academic standpoint and do not actually invest in a partcular metaphysical belief system nor do I condone the willing doing of harm onto others in the name of said systems. I attest that the powers of autohypnotic trance states and the powers of suggestion in making the unconscious conscious are powerful cornerstones in these frameworks. Mythology, worship, and observance play integral roles in how we construct ethics, psychology and culture.

The list of topics I will describe include but are not limited to:

Hermeticism
Paganism
Druids
Wicca and Witchcraft
Shamanism
Divination or Prognostication
Alchemy
Astrology
The Tantra
Yoga
Meditation
Kabbalah
Theurgy
Cults
Hypnotism
Mysticism
Rosicrutionism
Freemasonry
The psychadelic experience
The Varieties of religious experience
Symbolism
The Zodiac
I Ching
Tao
Jung



This is a syncretic effort. I will also afford references to websites I have found pertinent to the subject matter. For example the term "Omnigatherum" is an obscure word defined as a gathering of miscellanious  yet collective materials. This was attained from The Phrontistery, a painstaking assembly of uncommon yet interesting and useful words. "Uncommon, interesting and useful" is a string of adjectives one could use to describe the occult in the sense that we are studying. Connections such as these are the central objective in depositing my notes here, most of the information contained henceforth will be gained from the local library and Wikipedia. Again this is a syncretic effort, and my aim is to establish parallels and join concepts on a format more streamlined and moldable than the comprehensive and informative Wikipedia articles that supply my potential umbilical features.