Growing up in a religion creates feelings of community as well as ones of inadequacy. It becomes an interesting mix as one grows up and begins having their own existential crisis. These situations create an amalgamation of feelings that need to be felt, discovered, and dealt with as one gets older. It is no wonder that many who grow up within secular religions, find peace in personal explorations of the occult or nature crafts. It becomes a way for someone to discover their personal feelings in a personal and spiritual way.
Looking at the feeling of community growing up, it can be a major boon for people. One grows up with children their own age with similar values. Many children’s activities create a space where children can learn and grow in a way where they are protected and looked after. Many single parent households could not have survived without these communities to rely upon.
When one has a community with similar values and feelings it creates a bubble from the outside world. Anyone not within the bubble is looked on as a threat or an unwanted figure. Many fights arise when children who are within the bubble learn the difference between us and them. Some are forced to choose us OR them. It becomes a battle in some instances. That drama can create feelings of inadequacy which destroys the view of the bubble.
One interesting thing is people have started to go back to the old religions or the occult to feel a connection to history and ancestry. It becomes a way to connect to the inner turmoil and understand the difference between spirituality and religion.
Where to turn? Occult history
The word occult can be defined as, “matters regarded as involving the action or influence of the supernatural or secret knowledge of them.” This definition is rather dry. Other dictionaries place it more into the realm of, “not being detectable by clinical methods alone,” or “not easily apprehended or understood: hidden from view,” or “come to terms with a disenchanted world,” by some instances, not revealed. It is beyond scientific understanding.
In today’s day and age, anything within the occult are considered forms of divination, mysticism, rituals and ritual magic, and esoteric sciences. Basically in its simplest terms, anything that covers cosmic or spiritual mysteries. It was a way to distinguish oneself from other groups. This is a generalized view, but in today’s world, the occult is a way to practice mysticality in a world of rigid rules and thoughts. It is bringing back that feeling of magic one felt as a child.
Spirituality and the Earth magics fall under this purview. The world is continuously trying to expand into areas where mother nature has taken root. It is a worry that technology will destroy everything natural and well made. There is that environmental prophecy from Alanis Obomsawin, “When the last tree is cut, the last fish is caught, and the last river is polluted; when to breathe the air is sickening, you will realize too late that wealth is not in bank accounts and that you cannot eat money.” It is a sobering thought when one delves into it. Mother Nature holds a delicate balance between destruction and growth, if too much growth happens, fires come and cull things back. No trees lead to mud and rock slides, over farming leads to dust, lack of trees leads to loss of oxygen…the cycle continues. It is no wonder that natural magics are being looked into because of inflation and a lack of caring within the world.
Natural magics and the occult, help people return back to the world and create a way to become more symbiotic with it again.
The argument:
Traditional religious groups often view divination and the occult as a departure from true faith, as these practices shift one's focus toward magical influences instead of keeping it solely on a higher power. In certain circles, like the Catholic Church, tools such as tarot are dismissed as superstition because they place trust in hidden forces rather than divine authority. There is also a strong desire to avoid the "appearance of sin," where even a curious interest in the esoteric is seen as a betrayal of shared values that could cause a scandal. This tension is heightened by the "bubbles" these communities create; when a group is built on rigid rules, anything outside the norm is treated as a threat, often forcing people to choose between their community and their own spiritual curiosity.
Conversely, those who turn to the occult and divination often view these practices as a necessary reclamation of personal agency rather than a rejection of sacred values. For many practitioners, engaging with ritual or nature-based magic is a way to bridge the gap between a disenchanted modern world and a deeper, intuitive sense of mystery. By stepping outside the rigid boundaries of established rules they seek to build a private, symbiotic relationship with the natural world—viewing elements like the environment, cyclical history, and the self as living, accessible forces. In this light, the occult serves not as an adversarial power, but as a tool for personal healing and spiritual curiosity, allowing individuals to reintegrate the "magic" of existence that they feel has been eroded by modern alienation.
Can it be possible to have both? YES
Many people who turn to the occult and divination find that instead of turning away from their established religion from growing up, one can blend both together. There are those within the traditional religions who would frown upon this duality, feigning that, “no man can serve two masters.”
This comes to a personal example. Growing up, I was (and still am) a part of the LDS faith. I am ashamed to admit that my time in the culture and bubble of us vs. them created a bit of a monster within myself. As I grew up and began to question the truths, I was able to connect to the spirit. I felt that where I was was important and I have always felt that I was in the right spot. What I didn’t really feel was the human nature aspect of it. A quote from Angels and Demons always felt quite appropriate for me, “Religion is flawed because man is flawed.” You are welcome to believe how you want to believe and feel the spirit reveal it to you…don’t just do it because man says to you have to. It is all about belief.
I also work within the realm of the occult or divination or spiritual side. I do not feel like this goes against the LDS faith because it has helped me become a better, more spiritually inclined person. I read tarot personally as well as professionally for people. I don’t follow your average readings, it comes more from an intuitive side.
Historically, tarot was a game for people in the aristocracy. The cards were used as a way to craft stories and tell the future. Fun albeit harmless. Today, there are numerous readers who read the rote definitions of the cards. There is nothing wrong with that method.
As for me, I read tarot from an intuitive standpoint. I learned that the tarot follows a storyline. I could see the story and what the symbolism revealed. A mixture of psychology from Carl Jung, where he shows how the tarot symbolism helps the brain connect from the ego to the subconscious. I view the tarot as a tool to help people find clarity in choices in front of them, just like writing a journal or free writing would do. It helps connect the brain to the subconscious.
There are times when the cards create those intuitive leaps, where my brain focuses on tiny aspects over the bigger picture. Many times these intuitive leaps are what the querent (the people who ask the question) needs to hear or know. I know with some it feels like magic, but to me, it's the brain getting clarity through viewing pictures.
There are those outlier readers, occultists, etc who actually work with energies that are along the negative spectrum. I do not deny that these energies exist, but I choose to stay away from the more negative energies. I believe that there truly is evil and if one goes against one's nature and searches for ways to harm others there are some very real consequences.
Human nature is a balance of dark and light. We cannot hope to stay bright and cheery, without understanding our shadow self. The shadow is not darkness, it is just our programming that has grown from youth. As adults we need to understand all of us if we hope to find true balance.
I truly feel that a person can be a part of organized religion and feel the spirit, as well as take part in rituals and energies from more occult paths. Occult doesn’t mean evil. The way I feel it is, the spirit that comes from the LDS church is more bright and warming towards the soul, heart, and mind. I have felt spirituality and different energies when out in the world. For example, when I visited the memorial for 9/11 in New York. There was a wall of static energy that hit me. It was like being in the middle of a room of screaming people or white noise. I couldn’t shut it out. I believe that people who pass away in pain and terror, tend to leave behind traces…and when it is done so in such a concentrated area...I could feel it.
On a side note, when I went to the graveyard near St. Patrick’s, I could feel that there were energies there but they were more subdued, like travelers who pass you by. It is the same way with new people you meet or places where your skin gets goosebumps or your hair rises…you don’t know why you feel that way but something feels off. This is the energies and the subconscious speaking to you through visceral reactions. That is what I believe.
Everyone is free to believe what they want to believe. Organized religion is flawed because man is flawed. Doctrine and spirituality can be attained when one truly wants to know. I believe that our energies become transmuted when we die. We exist on a new plane of existence. I also believe that if you do harm to others and are a complete jerk, you will reap your own consequences.
You believe how you want to believe, love who you want to love, do what makes you happy…THAT is what matters. No one deserves to be ostracized for being different or an outlier. You are a creation and a masterpiece, act like it. Just like in a museum, your viewpoint about the art will be different from other people. You have your view, they have theirs. No one is wrong or right about them. If you decide to destroy those beautiful pieces of art…the consequences will come to you for your actions.
You can be both.
