Occultism: Occult means Secret or hidden.The study or practise of the lore of the occult. Occultism covers a wide range of thought and activity, from the harmless to the diabolical.Modern Occultism, with the aid of Jungian psychology and other develpments of the 20th century, has moved away from the obsession with death, blood and evil that characterised so much esoteric study in the past.Most occultists are seeking to find a harmony with the forces that guide the Universe and not to oppose them or seek in some theatrical way to 'control' them.Dangers and delusions still remain, however.Confused fragments of occult legend can still attract the ignorant or weak-minded and provide false justifications for all kind of prejudice and persecution.

The term 'occult' means simply secret or hidden (and is used in this sense in orthodox medicine) but has clearly been extended to imply a secret tradition of magical and mystical knowledge followed by initiates down the ages. Unlike the very similar term 'esotericism' which suggests a theoretical knowledge of such subjects, 'occultism'convey the idea of practise as well as study

Occult Powers: According to the poet & Mythological expert Robert Graves, one person in twenty is the possessor of occult powers.These are the people who experience 'second sight, who are capable of entering a state of deep trance, and who are naturally able to tap into the streams of invisible energy that permeate the world.Many pass their lives without being aware of this gift,but it is only from this group that the fully empowered occultist can come

Ogam / Ogham: Ogam is an ancient alphabet of the Celtic languages.Many standing stones bear ogam inscriptions.The alphabet has 20 letters, in groups of five, made from straight lines cut across a single vertical stave.Although there is little direct evidence, it seem that the alphabet was used for divinatiory purposes by incising the letters on the end of twigs then casting the twigs and examinng the patterns in which they fell

Omega: The final letter of the Greek alphabet, taken to represent the end of thingsz, as Alpha does the start

Omen: A supenatural sign or event presaging a future event.There are two basic kins of omen: the normal occurances of nature e.g.hooting of owls or howling of dogs, which are interpreted in a specific context to augur good or bad fortune, an unusual occurrences, such as flights of sacred birds, or eclipses or comets, that are believed to be direct manifestations of the gods. Dreams have provided omens for thousands of years.Some are obscure and hve to be interpreted.Others are precognitive, such as warning of impendng disasters

Oneiromancy: The interpretation of dreams as a means of Divination from Greek oneiros 'dream'.The method used was often the so-called 'incubatory sleep' in which a person slept in a particular building or cave, after some from of purification and possibly consuming some narcotic substance.When he or she awoke, the priests or priestesses of the place would assist in interpreting the dream.This form of divination was practised in ancient Greece but was also widely used by the Celtic peoples

Oonagh (Iceland - Deity): Also known as Onaugh, Oona.Oonagh was maried to Fionnbharr, the head of the Tuatha De Danaans, the inhabitants of Ireland before the Gaelics took over the land.The Tuathas became leprechauns after the invasion.Oonagh was faithful and patient with her husband even though he had many afffairs with human beings.In artwork,Oonagh is portrayed as having golden hair that's long enough to touch the ground.She's a goddess of devotion in love relationships, aesthetics, an magic and she's also a fairy queen. She helps with Beauty & Attractiveness, Dance & Movement, Divine magic,Exercise and motivation,Contacting the Fairies,All aspects of Love relationships

Open Channel: An Altered State of Consciousness in which you are open to the information flow and energies of other Entities

Oracle: A method of divination and prophecy in which gods or spirits are consulted through a human medium.In ancient Greece, the voices or mediums of the oracles were sibyls, women priests who lived in caves regarded as the shrines of deities.The most famous Greek oracles were at Dodua, where Zeus was though to give answers through the rustling of oak leaves, and at Delphi, where Apollo supposedly spoke through a priestess.In both cases, oracular responses came so ambiguoulsy that it was difficult to prove them wrong.A famous Roman oracle was at Cumae, where the sibyl, was said to have drawn inspiration from Apollo

Order of the Knights Templar: The Knights Templar were a military and religious Order founded in Jerusalem during the Crusades. The founders were Hugh de Payns and Geoffrey de Saint-Omer, knights who in 1118 established a religious community on the ancient site of the Temple of Solomon which was dedicated to protecting pilgrims in the Holy Land. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, head of the Cistercian order of monks, drew up the order's rules, but in 1128 Pope Honorious II officially recognised the templars as a seperate order, conferring on them an unprecedented degree of autonomy.They were responsible only to the pope and not to secular rulers, were exempt from local taxes and judicial authoriy and were solely responsible for clerical appointments.The Templars were divided into knights, chaplains, sergeants and craftmen, organised under a grand master and a general council.They wore a white cloak with red eight-pointed cross.The Templars attracted many nobles and soon became an expert military force and a powerful, wealthy order, with branches throughout Europe

After 1291, when the crusading forces were driven from Palestine, the Templars' main activity became money-lending, and their enormous landholdings and financial strenght aroused great hositiliy among rulers and clergy alike. It was rumoured that they had abandoned Christianity, that they worshiped a demon called Baphomet and indulged in a variety of perverted orgiastic and cannibalistic rituals

In 1307, Philip IV of France, in debt to the order, changed the Templars with heresy and immorality.They were arrested and put on trial, and confessions were extracted by torture.Similar attacks were mounted against the order in Spain and England and Pope Clement V, after initially opposing the trials, suppresed the Knights Templar by papal bull at the Council of Viennne in 1312

When the grand master, Jacques de Molay, and other leaders of the Templars retracted their forced confessions and declared their innocence and the innocence of the order, Philip had them burned at the stake at Paris in 1314. The Templars' holdings were disperesed, some going to the Knights Hospitallers and some to secular rulers, although Philip received none.It has been suggested that some leading Templars escape and founded Freemasonry.Another tradition is that Templar survivors founded the Rosicrucians

Order of Oriental Templars: Founded by a German, Karl Kellner, in 1902 after a visit to India, this order borrowed features from the Knights Templar, but its principal novelty was to incorporate some of the ideas of Tantric Yoga.In this Indian & Tibetan school, the Yogi uses sexual ecstasy to create new levels of psychic intensity and spiritual power.Kellner evolved two types of ritual, one based on feasting and orgiastic sex, the other centred on restraint both in consumption and intercourse.In both the focus is on prolonging the sexual intensity rather than ending it by a climax.For a time Aleister Crowley headed an English branch of the Order

Osteopathy: Pain therapy.Correction by manipulation therapy.It was formatlated by Dr Andrew Taylor Still, who was trained in both enigineering and medicine.Whilst he was developing his technique, he appraoched the human body rather as if it fitted together like a machine.He discovered that disease was caused by the spinal vertebrae slipping out of position.This could result in the disturbance of the nerves or blood supply that runs through the vertebrae.Corretion is by manipulation and although Osteopaths are generally thought of as treating back pain, they can also treat successfully such complaints as migrane & painful joints

Ouija board: A board game that is designed to ask questions of Spirits, who can answer with a yes / no or by spelling out answers. Caution is adviced. A board and pointer used for divination and to contact the Spirit World.The namecome from the French for yes 'oiu', and the German for yes 'ja'.The board, which has the letters of the alphabet, the numbers 0-9 and the words 'yes' and 'no' printed on it, is placed on the table.Participants rest their fingertips lightly on the pointer, a heart-shaped device with three felt-tipped legs.One person poses a question, and the pointer is then supposed to move to answer the question

Similar board-type instruments were used for divination in ancient China and Greece.In the mid-nineteenth century a similar device, the Planchette, came into use in Europe.The modern Ouija board is marketed as a game, originally called 'Ouija Talking Board ' and was developed in the late 1890's by an American, William Fuld, who sold the patent to the Parker Brothers game company in 1966

Ouija boards became popular during and after World War I, when many people were desperate to communicate with loved ones killed in the fighting. Parapsychologists regard the Ouija as a means to tap into the subconscious.Critics claim that it is dangerous in that users have no control over repressed material, which may lead to psychological trauma.Most Christians denominations condemn it as dangerous - tinkering with potentially harmful occult forces and a tool of the devil

Out of Body Experiences (OOBE): Experiences outside the physical body that includes near death experiences (NDE), when your Spirit leaves your body and goes someplace else. The experience of feeling separated from one's physical body and apparently being able to travel through space and perceive distant locations.Occultists also call these experiences 'Astral Travel' an 'Astral Projections'.Descriptions of out-of-body experiences are Universal and have occurred throughout history, but there is no scienfific evidence for them, and sceptics claim that out-of-body experiences are a product of an Altered State of Consciousness induced by Meditation,Pschological Stress or Dru

Main info sources:

The Aquarian Guide to the New Age - Eileen Campbell & J.H.Brennan

Dictionary of the Occult-Geddes & Grosset

Archangels & Ascended Masters - Doreen Virtue,Ph.D