McLaughlin, C. (2016) Open-source occultism now: implications for practitioners of Western esotericism. Invited Presentation presented to: The Occult Conference 2016: Time of the Gods, Glastonbury, 08-10 April 2016.
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Abstract:
Even outside of groups that actively align themselves with open-source occultism, those groups ostensibly adherent to proprietary based, authoritarian, hierarchical, and change-resistant esoteric traditions are consistently somewhat open-source in their praxis. Free association, open communication and sharing the of esoteric ideas is normative on the online world that they invariably inhabit, even if supposed oaths and principles of initiatic secrecy should indicate otherwise.
Occultism is about the concealed, but correspondingly, it is about revelation, openness and the process of enlightenment, inasmuch as, it is about knowledge transfer; whether that be in the sense of direct gnosis of ineffable mystery or the imparting of knowledge: it making the unknown known. As Hanegraaff notes, counter to early theories in sociology, where the occult was viewed as a ‘disconcerting phenomenon of social “deviance”’ that seemed to be regressive, in more recent years, the occult is increasingly seen ‘as a significant manifestation of modernity’. Open-source occultism, as a manifestation of the Age of Information, is an evolution of this process on a mass scale.
Subjects:
Creators:
McLaughlin, C.
Faculties, Divisions and Institutes:
Date:
10 April 2016
Date Type:
Publication
Event Title:
The Occult Conference 2016: Time of the Gods
Event Dates:
08-10 April 2016
Event Location:
Glastonbury
Event Type:
Conference
Language:
English
Status:
Published / Disseminated
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