The ORS uses the term “occult” to refer to the universe of hidden causalities, consisting of so-called forces, entities and energies. The latter are believed to be animated, called forth or received under certain conditions. The word “practice” simply refers to a human action, operation or process.
The term “occult practice” therefore defines a human action that has as its objective the bringing into activity of a hidden causality, energy or entity, and whose effects should be manifested in the experience of a particular human operator or in the world at large.
Through this terminological approach, three essential elements are highlighted and overlap:
- The “occult” as a hidden causal universe interacting with the human.
- Practices as human actions that can manifest or direct a supposed occult force or entity.
- Results that can be experienced by a human or produced in the world.
The term “occult practice” is used within the ORS in a pragmatic way, to refer to a broad and complex object of study, to a meta-category going beyond the single esoteric traditions.
We are aiming, through the contribution of researchers from different backgrounds and disciplines, at defining this meta-category in a precise, clear and exhaustive manner with the intent, over time, of bringing to light a new object of study which points at a specific human action, more than at a sub-category of a given tradition, religion or intellectual current.
