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Occult Practices Around the World
The occult has very strong connections to European culture and western culture in general, but it is also observed in other areas of the world and has been for centuries. Beginning in India, there are communities of people that hold the belief that individuals, families, and sometimes entire villages, or a certain piece of land hold healing powers. It is believed, in these villages, that the healing powers come from an otherworldly source, and these powers are granted to those that have earned the virtue to heal others. This virtue can come from a multitude of experiences, one experience noted in Occult Powers of Healing in the Panjab by Charlotte Burne is a woman who had been divorced many times. The heartache that she endured granted her the virtue to heal. These healers were belived to be able to heal one or multiple ailments or body parts. This healing would take place by the healer either performing a ritual over the afflicted person or have the person ingest a tonic that the healer created. To be healed by a specific piece of land, the afflicted person would be taken there at a certian part of the day or night and a ritual would be performed or the affilicted person would then ingest a healing substance. Charlotte Burne's Occult Powers of Healing in the Panjab offers detailed accounts of the healing work done in the villages. The accounts were collected by those that lived in these villages and given to a Mr. H. A Rose, who then gave the accounts to Burne to compile.

Moving on to the Islamic tradition; it has also been entwined with the occult for centuries, and although there is no scientific evidence to prove its existence, the believer's faith is unwavering. This practice is called Islamic occult science, and Alireza Doostdar investigates the differences between those that truly practice the Islamic occult tradition and those that only participate when needed in the article, Impossible Occultists: Practice and Participation in an Islamic Tradition. Doosrtdar explains that to be a practitioner is to practice with the intent to become better each time, whereas those participating only when needed may not care about their skill level. An example given by Doostdar of one that is only a part time practitioner is that of a man who owned an Internet cafe; his landlord evicted him and stole his customers, so this man cast a spell from his grimiore to bring harm to the landlord. This man did not practice the Islamic occult tradition daily, but he did participate when needed. Grimoire's such as this can be created by the individual, or they can be passed down from generation to generation along with other occult traditions.

Similarly, the occult is woven into the lives of some of those living in areas of Africa. In Cameroon, Africa, after colonization in the 90's, those suspected of witchcraft were put on trial and sometimes thrown in jail. While being in fear of being a possible witchcraft victim was very real, there was also a fear of being accused a witch wrongly. While some may have been falsly accused of witchcraft, in cases of being affilated with someone whose house was struck by lightning or being in a better financial standing than one's family, some seem to be justified. Cyprian Fisiy examines two cases that went to trial as a result of witchcraft. One in with the accused lured his step-daughter to be eaten by a crocodile as a sacrifice to his coven leader. The other involving an unfaithful husband whose mistress supposedly cursed him to be impotent with every women aside from herself. Before colonization, the belief in witchcraft was investigated by the colonizers; it was believed that this belief was going to hold the area back from becoming a developed area, but it was found that this was not the case, and the belief in witchcraft has since been worked into the penal system.

While some cultures have been engrained with the occult for many decades, in western culture, there has been an occult revival since the early 1970's. During this occult revival some of the main focuses are astrology, witchcraft, Satanism, eastern religion, and parapsychology. According to Marcello Truzzi, parapsychology and easter religion haven't gotten the attention that witchcraft, astrology, and satanism have gained. Astrology is one of the most popular of the occult practices observed in western society. While more women do practice astrology, there are men that also practice, and it seems to reach over even religious barriers. Lennart Ejerfeldt found that mainly atheist and very strict Catholic believers were the most unaccepting of astrology. Truzzi explains that there are levels to the astrology practice; those that occasionally read their horoscope, those that are aware of and have their whole charts cast and read, and those that cast and read said charts. The main idea behind astrology is to break down and track what motivates individuals to do what it is that they do. Witchcraft is the second practice that has gained much attention from the occult revival. There are two main types of witchcraft, white or pure and black or evil. The last practice discussed by Truzzi is that of Satanism, of which there are four sects. The first two sects have little to do with the occult; one being more of a bondage cult and the other revolving more around drugs. The other two, however, are more within the realm of the occult. Satanism can be either the belief and worship of the Christian devil, while the other is the belief that each individual is their own god and devil or heaven and hell. The later version of Satanism is about the worship of one's self and the duality within the self. While Truzzi claims that this occult revival is just a fad that will fade. Ejerfeldt thinks that this revival may actually be the masses going back to superstiton and old beliefs.

Also within western culture is the practice of young children, mainly girls, playing slumber party games in which they are involving themselves with the occult. There are three games specifically discussed by Anelise Farris, Sandman, Catscratch, and Concentrate. There is a very crucial difference between these games and games such as Bloody Mary, and that difference is the intent. Much like everything else discussed in this section, the practice has the intent to commune with otherworldly forces to bring upon the desired outcome. During each of the three games, the participant is to lay down while a friend chants that games respective story and rubs the participants temples. The intended outcome is to commune with an otherworldly force to bring about an experience, whereas, games like Bloody Mary only intend to scare the participants. Bibliography Burne, C. S. (1910). Occult Powers of Healing in the Panjab. Folklore, 21(3), 313-334.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/1253859

Burne is given a collection of folklore from a Mr. H. A. Rose along with the suggestion to organize and publish the accounts. Burne did just that, beginning with the accounts of healers who had the virtue to receive these healing gifts in which they would heal a specific ailment by touching the afflicted person, performing a ritual over the afflicted area, or making something for the afflicted person to ingest. Next Burne tells of the healing locations, muds, and waters found around the villages in India. Finally, Burne tells of the sacred words individuals speak to heal certain ailments. Burne concludes the article with an acknowledgment to the tribes that recorded the information.

Truzzi, M. (1972). The Occult Revival as Popular Culture: Some Random Observations on the Old

And the Nouveau Witch. The Sociological Quarterly, 13(1), 16-36.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/4105818

Truzzi begins this article with the idea religious beliefs have begun to seem mundane, and this collective boredom with religion, mostly within the youth, is what has sparked the renewed interest in the occult. There is a brief explanation of what the occult consists of, Eastern religion, parapsychology, witchcraft/ Satanism, and astrology. The first two mentioned have not garnered as much attention, therefore are not mentioned much more. Truzzi then gives a detailed explanation of astrology and the three levels of interest, the occasional horoscope reader, those that have their charts cast and read, and those that cast and read charts. Next, Truzzi explains what witchcraft and Satanism are and how they interact along with the four types of Satanism. Two also not being involved with the occult, therefore they are not mentioned much more, and two that are occult practices. One, the followers believe they are serving the Christian Satan, and the other which believe in the duality of man being the only divine force. Finally, Truzzi discusses the causes of this occult revival along with the ramifications.

Farris, A. (2017). Experimenting With the Occult: The Role of Liminality in Slumber Party Rituals.

Preternatural: Critical and Historical Studies on the Preternatural, 6(1), 154-179.

https://doi.org/10.5325/preternature.6.1.0154

This article begins with the reminiscent thought of slumber parties as children and teens, and a recollection of scary games like “Bloody Mary” and “Candyman”. Farris mentions the three games she is focused on, however, are “Concentrate”, “Cat Scratch”, and “Sandman” which are different than the first two games mentioned because they do not have the intent to fear driving them, but instead the intent to commune with otherworldly forces. Farris then explains what children’s folklore is and how it is collected, which is not directly from children, but from asking adults to recall their childhood. After establishing how she will collect the information, Farris introduces her participants, herself and two friends that participated in these games along with her as children. Farris then goes into detail about each game and how her friends and herself feel about said game.

Fisiy, C. F. (1998). Containing Occult Practices: Witchcraft Trials in Cameroon. African Studies

Review, 41(3), 143-163.

https://doi-org.ezproxy.uno.edu/10.2307/525457

Fisiy investigates how witchcraft has been handled legally in Cameroon, Africa both pre-colonization and post-colonization. Fisiy offers evidence as to how serious an offense witchcraft was before colonization. Fisiy also offers evidence showcasing how witchcraft was approached after colonization. There are two cases that are deeply investigated within this article, and the argument that the punishment for the so-called crimes were possibly not necessary. Fisiy concludes the article by arguing that courts recognizing witchcraft is turning point for modern judicial systems.

Doostdar, A. (2019) Impossible Occultists: Practice and Participation in an Islamic Tradition.

American Ethnologist, 46(2), 176-189.

https://doi=org.ezproxy.uno.edu/10.1111/amet.12760

Doostdar asks the question, does one have to practice Islamic occult science to participate in the practice. Three accounts of individuals that do not practice the science, but did, however, participate in the science a time or two. After relaying the accounts, Doostdar comes to the conclusion that one does not have to practice in order to participate in a practice, but the virtues of the practice may be lost on an outsider to the practice.

Ejerfeldt. (1975). Sociology of religion and the occult revival. Scripta Instituti Donneriani Aboensis, 7. https://doi.org/10.30674/scripta.67092

Ejerfeldt investigates the occult revival. First discussed, the occult revival and the mass involvement is suggested to be a returning to the old ways of religion and superstition. The second is the effect this occult revival has had on the culture of cults in western culture, and the fact that more cults have arisen since this revival. The last discussion is that of the different spiritual practices and fads that have come from this revival.