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occultism

occultism

3 9.9
The study and practice of magic and secret powers
  • noun
  • /əˈkʌltɪzəm/
translation icon : ocultismo
  • Not all cultures think that religion and occultism/magic are a natural dichotomy.
  • British occultism

And so the occultism of of Nazism really is, is something that is brought in from the ground up, OK, as these people are setting up this society.

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Examples

  • The reality is that Crowley-influenced occultism relies heavily on Jewish and Christian traditions.

    Blog text (28)
  • I'm a student of occultism.

  • If you seriously look at books on occultism, you are still lost.

    Blog text (28)
  • Yes, I guess with all these books on occultism, I should pay attention and say, I agree with you.

    Blog text (28)
  • Germany had a strong heritage in occultism: it was the original home of Rosicrucianism, and related movements like Freemasonry were popular.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The idea of astral travel is rooted in esotericism and occultism.

  • Is it the elite's peculiar brand of occultism, mainly represented by the symbol of the Eye of Horus?

    Blog text (2)
  • Now that communism and state atheism have collapsed, is not occultism all the vogue in Russia?

    Fiction book (1995)
  • And this knowledge can be attained through occultism, alchemy, numerology, and a wide variety of other "hermetic sciences."

    Academic text (2003)
  • As a researcher, I have always been fascinated by occultism and its impact on different cultures.

Synonyms

magic
vsoccultism
3.2

Power that makes impossible things happen, often in stories or rituals

emphasises systematic study and practice of these powers rather than acts
occult
vsoccultism
20 9.8

Beliefs about secret supernatural powers and practices

focuses on learning and practising those beliefs and powers
supernaturalism
vsoccultism
1 9.2

A belief that some events are caused by beings or powers beyond what science can explain

deals with studying and practising those supernatural causes and powers
esotericism
vsoccultism
  • Formal
1 9.9

Secret or special knowledge and ways of doing things that only a small group understands

focuses specifically on supernatural beliefs and their organised study and practice
occult arts
vsoccultism
9.9

Practices that try to use hidden powers like magic

covers both study and practical use of those techniques

Antonyms

1.3

The careful study of the natural world using observation and experiments

rationalism
  • Formal
5 7.7

The belief that reason and logic give true knowledge more than feeling or experience

How Supernatural

mysticism
11 9.4
esotericism
  • Formal
1 9.9
occultism
3 9.9
spiritualism
3 8.5

Surface Forms

occultism singular
occultisms plural

Morphology

occultism = occult (transparent) = occult + ism

Derived by the productive suffix '-ism' meaning a system or doctrine applied to 'occult', so the formation 'occult' → 'occultism' is straightforward.

Etymology

Occultism comes from the Latin word occultus, which means 'hidden' or 'secret' and is the same root as occult. So occultism is the study or practice of 'hidden' powers and secret knowledge.