The etymology of the word comes from the Latin
OCCULTUS which means "hidden" or "secret".
I'm pretty sure all of you can look up all
the information on
Wiki,
but there are certain things
personally I can't agree with. For example:
A lot of sources state that it's another form of ESOTERISM.
I think they could be used in a similar context or form,
but they
are related to different (but not exclusive)
cultures and practices. The occult is
mostly linked with
western cultures and philosophies rather than eastern ones.
They both seek deeper knowledge about the mystic, the unknown,
but
occultism uses "darker" magic, practices, rituals, ceremonies,
while esoteric
teachings are more "lighter"(?). More related to
patience, meditation, preparation, etc...
But prepare for what?
Esoterism as a teaching is leaning mainly on the concept of
reincarnation, while Occultism on the other hand is going towards
the idea of being
able to achieve/recieve something
(be it spiritual or material) in this current life even
if it means to sacrifice their or someone else's biological
or spiritual matter/energy.
Now that we've got the terminology
and the basic idea for what occultism means we
can dive deeper
into different sub-segments, examples, practies, rituals and so forth.
You can do that by clicking riiiiiiiight -------> HERE