The Occult Review (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]Interesting question. In the broader sense, no Neopagans don't believe in the occult. That, being said, in a narrow sense they do.
Let me explain.
First, you have to understand the word. The word occult is derived from the Latin word occultus which means "hidden". The word was once used in science to describe something that could not be seen by mere observation, but upon closer inspection through experimentation or under a microscope could be revealed. Today, it is used more often to describe something of or pertaining to magic, astrology, or any system claiming use or knowledge of secret or supernatural powers or agencies. As a noun, it can describe the study of those things that are beyond the range or ordinary knowledge or understanding, something mysterious; as well as the study of something that is disclosed or communicated only to the initiated. So, it could describe the teachings of Free Masonry.
Now, that you have some understanding of what the word means, we can say that some Neopagans to some extent do believe in the Occult. Confused? Don't be.
One form of Neopaganism, Wicca, are known to pass down occult knowledge in the form of teaching their initiates things that are unique to their tradition. Though, there are some Wiccans that do not do this. To say all Wiccans study the Occult would be false.
Most Neopagans do have some occult practices, or things that are not shared with the public. This is no different from someone having private communion with their God. In Christianity, Jesus taught that prayer should be an occult thing.
[quote style="2"]“Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in synagogues and on street corners so that people can see them. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:5-6).[/quote]
The first kind of prayer is drawing attention to the one praying, the second kind of prayer is more of a communion or relational prayer. So, occult practices can be found where you least expect them.
Finally, someone else has come up with a good definition of prayer, which can be found over at ReligiousTolerance.org.OCCULT: A set of mostly unrelated divination and/or spiritual practices or activities which appear to tap into forces that have not been explained by science, and which are not conventional practices seen in traditional religions.
THE OCCULT - www.religioustolerance.org
I hope that this has cleared up a few things. If you are still confused, don't worry. It takes time to unlearn prejudice based on what you have been taught. If you have any thoughts on this, I'd love to hear them.
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