Rise of the Occult in Contemporary America

Paper Summary:

In the past several decades, more people in American culture have been turning to alternate forms of spiritualism. People are rejecting the established organized religions and switching to more individualized forms of intuitive knowledge. The paper shows that in contemporary American society this clashes with the established norms of religion and therefore these forms of spiritualism have been termed as cults. Many perceive them as dangerous to the values of society, yet people continue to be fascinated by these unfamiliar New Age forms of spiritual guidance. The paper shows that as American society progresses into the twenty-first century, old forms of religion are not providing the spiritual needs of many people in society. In addition, as science seeks new "truths" about the physical world, more people are doubting its direct benefits to mankind. The paper concludes that they are therefore seeking to understand more of the spiritual side of their existence. As a result, interest in the occult continues to escalate.

From the Paper:

"This connection with science finds its basis over twenty-five centuries ago with the mathematical knowledge established by Pythagorus. His insistence on the importance of abstract numbers influenced the beliefs of numerology, fortune-tellers, mystics, as well as tarot card readers23. In addition, the importance of symbols in many occult sciences is similar to that of physicists who use symbols on an everyday basis yet they accept that these symbols relate to things which are beyond their knowledge24. As a result, both science and New Age beliefs deal with the unknowable."

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