Occult, Astrology, Black Mass

3. Study of Hidden Knowledge
In religion, occultism or occult studies is the study of hidden
knowledge. This in and of itself can be interpreted several ways
Knowledge kept from the wider population, offered only to
initiates after proper preparation. Reasons for this commonly
include the belief that such knowledge is dangerous to the
unprepared, and that revealing sacred knowledge to the
common populace profanes that knowledge
Knowledge disguised by God for only
the select few to comprehend, books
with clues and messages, left by God,
which can be found and deciphered by
those both educated and worthy.

4. Study of Hidden Knowledge
Knowledge of realms, energies, or abilities not recognized by
the general populace. The most common use of the term
occult in this way is in relation to the practice of magic, but in
a wider sense anything supernatural or paranormal might be
included.
Occultism is often considered
roughly synonymous with
esoteric and mystical, two far
less threatening terms often
used in conjunction with
branches of mainstream and
alternative religions alike.

5. What Is Meant By The Occult ?
The occult is a set of practices associated with many diverse
beliefs often based on monism (all is one; there is a life force
uniting all creation) & pantheism (all is God; the life force is
God). The occult normally involves:
 Techniques to manipulate reality or to gain secret
information.
 Divination: a practice designed to gain hidden or secret
information about the past, present, or future, such as tarot
cards, crystal balls, astrology, psychic techniques, palm
reading, numerology, tea leaf reading, automatic writing,
reading the symbols of runes or the I Ching, or looking for
omens as advice.

6. What Is Meant By The Occult ?
 Attempts to contact spirit beings (spiritism) such as angels,
demons, departed souls, or those believed to be in other planes
or dimensions. This is done using the Ouija Board, channeling,
meditation, visualization, drugs or automatic writing.
 Drugs (especially hallucinogens such as LSD and mescaline) are
often used to reach an altered state or hypnotic trance, a state
desirable by occultists for visions, enhanced abilities, & spirit
contact.
 A self-induced hypnosis or trance state: Considered desirable or
necessary for many occult practices. This trance state, also called
an altered state of consciousness, is often achieved through
meditation, drugs, chanting, yoga body positions, breathing
techniques, repetitive motions or words, or focus on a divination
tool.

7. Common Beliefs InThe Occult ?
 Monism: Man & the universe are part of the same universal
energy or life force.
 Pantheism: God(dess) or a divine energy pervades the universe.
We are all part of this divine force; there is no or little
differentiation between humans & nature.
 Pantheism: Creation is part of God(dess); God(dess) is contained
in creation.
 Polytheism: There are many gods/many manifestations of the one
God/Goddess.

8. Common Beliefs InThe Occult ?
 Syncretism: Combination of beliefs. Sometimes Christianity is
mixed with occult, New Age or Eastern beliefs. The occult often
(mis)uses Christian phrases or concepts.
 Animism: The earth & objects are pervaded by spirits and/or
energies/forces.
 Everything is energy; magic is the manipulation and/or alteration
of energy through ones will, the use of rituals and/or incantations.
8. There is no absolute reality, truth, or morality; truth is in
subjective experience.

9. What Is The Occult ?
The occult contains a large spectrum of practices which often seem
harmless - but they can be a doorway leading to more serious
involvement. Not everyone will go further with their dabbling, but
some clearly do. It is the Christian view that Satan is far more
intelligent than us and has an agenda which centers on harming
God's creation.
Christian know that human beings are ignorant creatures who think
they are smarter than they really are - while occultists tend to
believe they are in control of the powers that control them!
We live in a day when people are looking for answers to life's basic
questions: 'What is the purpose of life?'; 'Is there life after death?';
'Is there evidence for the existence of a supernatural God?'

10. Characteristics of People Who Practice The Occult ?
 Many are escapists. The world of
 the occult becomes attractive to
 people who find it difficult to face
 up to their moral responsibilities.
 Many more are superstitious. Going
 beyond the bounds of revelation
 and common sense, they profess to see demonic activity in
many areas and suffer many of the disabilities commonly found
in victims of demonization.
 All are victims. Each one is a victim, the victim of powers
immeasurably more powerful and knowing than they

11. What Kind of People Practice
The Occult ?
 The curious, who experiments and plays with demonic forces,
only to find eventually that they are playing with him.
 The conformist, who looks
around at this peer group
and says, 'Everyone does it,'
and decides to be another
who 'does it.
 The dissatisfied, whose religious experience has left him
unfulfilled and skeptical.
 The sad, whose bereavement inclines him toward anything
that offers knowledge of the dead.

12. What Kind of People Practice
The Occult ?
 The rebellious, who recoils from the status quo in the church
and in society, and seeks a viable alternative elsewhere.
 The psychically inclined, who wants to develop suspected
latent powers.
 The offspring of practicing occultists,
who are conditioned from childhood.
 The credulous, and every generation
seems to produce its quota of them!

13. Let’s Look At Some Practices In
The Occult ?

14. History of Astrology
 Astrology dates back as far as 20,000 years
 Carvings on bones that are indicative of an interest in the
motion of the moon
 Astrology Today
 Esoteric
 Dates back 4,000 years to around 1792 bc. in Mesopotamia—
modern day Iraq
 Alexander the Great conquers
Mesopotamia (331 bc.) and
takes Astrology back to
Greeks & Babylonians
 Astrology spreads through Europe when the Romans march
through Europe

15. Methodology of Astrology
Terms
Chart
Signs (12)
Planets (10+)
Houses (12)
Ascendent / Descendent
Midheaven / Lower
Heaven
Aspects
Transits
Progressions
Planets
Sun (Wisdom)
Moon (Emotion)
Mercury (Intelligence)
Venus (Love)
Mars (Aggression)
Jupiter (Luck / Phi)
Saturn (Discipline)
Uranus (Change)
Neptune (Idealism)
Pluto (Regeneration)
various asteroids

16. Signs
By Element
 Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
 Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
 Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
 Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
Methodology of Astrology

17. Methodology of Astrology
Houses
1st (Self)
2nd (Possessions)
3rd (Knowledge)
4th (Home)
5th (Creativity)
67th (Primary Rel)
8th (Joint Resources)
9th (Social)
10th (Reputation)
11th (Goals / Groups)
12th (Subconscious)
th (Personal Resp.)
Berkley
Study of 1,000 Adults (1971)
 Tested personality traits of Leos
and found no correlation for
leadership
 The tendencies did not differ
between signs.
 Recipients responded to the
accuracy.
 94% said was accurate and so did
90% of friends and family.
 All of them had the same
horoscope--of a mass murderer.

18. Why People Believe Astrology Works
 Self-fulfilling prophecy
 Remember coincidences
not misses
 power of suggestion
 scientists who do believe
in astrology doesn’t
prove it. because users
believe it works doesn’t
mean it does.
 Electromagnetic effect of
a clock would be greater
than the nearest planet
at birth.
 Correlation does not
imply causality.
 How can we be sure that
planets were given the
correct attributes?
 Why were there not
inaccuracies noted from
not using yet undiscovered
planets such as Uranus,
Neptune, and Pluto?
 Most full moon studies
causing strange behavior
have been attributed to
suggestion not causality.
Therefore, the moon does
not effect behavior.

20. History of The Black Mass
The origins of the current known versions of the Black Mass date
back to the 14th century in France. This was the time when the
Church was persecuting heretics.
 The Knights Templar, in particular, were accused of conducting
these Masses and also other blasphemous rites in which they
denounced Christ,
 worshipped idols composed of stuffed human heads,
 spit on and trampled the cross,
 and worshipped the Devil in the form of a black cat.
Through accusations and trails the order was tumbled, but
whether all the accusations were true still remains a mystery to
many.

21.  The Black Mass is erroneously associated with witches and
witchcraft. It is doubtful if any, but only a few witches, ever
participated in the cerebrations. ‘
 The Black Mass was more of a ceremony that attracted the more
wealthy and educated dissenters of the Catholic Church. The
Black Mass has no association with modern Witchcraft because
most Neo-Pagan Witches do not believe in the Devil or
worshipping him.
 There is no set Black Mass ritual, rather the ceremony is a parody
on the holy Catholic Mass.
History of The Black Mass

22. The Black Mass is a ritual is that it is performed in entirety, or in
parts, backwards. The Mass may include,
inverting the cross, spitting and stepping on the cross, stabbing
the host and other obscenities.
Urine, supposedly, was at various times substituted for holy
water, or for the wine. Sliced pieces of rotted turnips, black
leather, or black triangles were substituted for communion
bread.
Black candles were used instead of white ones. A defrocked
generally performed the Black Mass wearing vestments of black
or a color of dried blood, and embroidered with inverted
crosses, a goat's head (referring to Baphomet), or magical
symbols.
Methodology of The Black Mass

23. The Black Mass Today?
The peak for the Black Mass was reached in the 17th century
during the reign of Louis XIV
During the 19th and 20th century the Black Mass went into a steep
decline. Speculation is that the ritual has become little more
than sexual escapades with large quantities of alcohol.
In 1947, a Black Mass was performed at the graveside of Aleister
Crowley, who in life thought himself the Antichrist. When the
Church of Satan was founded in 1966, the Black Mass was not
included among its rituals because the founder, Anton Szandor
LeVey, thought the Black Mass was outmoded.
However, other satanic groups do conduct their versions of the
Black Mass that include deviant sexual acts and orgies,
necrophilia, cannibalisms of sacrificial victims (including human
beings), and drinking the blood of the victims.