Nuggets from Occult Invasion—What Is the Occult?

The word occult comes from the Latin occultus, which means “concealed” or “hidden.” It involves mystic knowledge and magic powers received from the spirit world and dispensed for the benefit of devotees or directed destructively at enemies by those who have been initiated into its secrets. The masters of occult power are known as medicine men (or women), witch doctors, witches, psychics, priests, sorcerers, astrologers, gurus, yogis, shamans, mediums, seers, or healers.

Some of those involved with occult powers attribute them to a variety of deities, others to a “Force” inherent within the universe with a “dark” and “light” side which humans can tap into. Still others claim they are simply using a normal power of the mind which can be cultivated in a special state of consciousness. There are also those who attribute occult powers to the God of the Bible.

Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary defines occult as: 1)-hidden; concealed: 2)-secret; esoteric: 3)-beyond human understanding, mysterious: 4)-designating or of certain mystic arts or studies, such as magic, alchemy, astrology, etc. In apparent agreement with the dictionary definition, and unabashedly identifying himself with the occult, Archie Fire Lame Deer (quoted on the facing page) boasts that a medicine man has “spiritual powers…to do something supernatural which cannot be explained by the white man’s science….” An occult connection is no embarrassment to a medicine man or practicing witch, but would be (or should be) to a priest, pastor, or televangelist. Yet many professedly Christian leaders are involved in the occult and are leading their churches into this error, as we shall see.