Can someone explain what an occult is and tell me a bit about it and why people say they are bad?

Answer 1

Occult practices relate to, or deal with supernatural influences, agencies, or phenomena.

Catholic Church teaches:

All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others - even if this were for the sake of restoring their health - are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion.

These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons.

Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another's credulity.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 2117: http://www.nccbuscc.org/catechism/text/pt3sect2chpt1.htm#2117

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

occult is not bad. The word merely means Mystery or Secret. Many religions are Mystery religions, meaning they are not religions of the book...they are not proscribed by any one man or group. It also means beyond the understanding of human comprehension and is concealed... hidden until you as the seeker discovers and understands it.

Something hidden from the uninitiated...

Wicca is a mystery religion, the longer you are in it and study the more you understand and gain from it. It is a personal journey and not something that can be completely understood from a book or a teacher...they can only point you in the right direction, what you learn is up to the what you put into it.

Most occult/mystery religions do not have an entity of evil or evil connotations at all.

Keir

Answer 3

The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus (clandestine, hidden, secret), referring to "knowledge of the hidden". Occultism is the study of occult or hidden wisdom. To the occultist it is the study of "Truth".

All esoteric schools have of course Occult teachings – usually concerning levels of “reality” within a higher vibratory realm. The essence of such study is how to modify the
“Material Realm” via manipulation within the “Higher Realms”. Science is starting to
catch up to these established Occult teachings with new beliefs systems pertaining to sub-atomic (or, Quantum Mechanics) “realities”. You may wish to investigate Niels
Bhor and other gateways into the Quantum arena.

As an example, Yesod (Kabbalah structure) is the realm of “Potential” before manifesting into Malkuth – “Matter”. Some Occultists compare Yesod with the Quantum realm of
potentiality for obvious reasons. In both cases, “Thought” is believed (no pun for the initiated) to cause an effect – manifestation – modification of “reality”.

Answer 4

Witchcraft with all the hatred pounded upon it by Christians had to keep rituals, spells, beliefs, etc a secret. Occult means 'secret'

Answer 5

"occult" things are the hidden things...a "cult" is a group that is labelled that by another group