Abstract
The central thesis of this paper is the meaning of the Platonic concepts of the forms and particulars as they relate to an understanding of the occult. The difference between the forms and particulars, it is argued, is equivalent to the difference between the unknown and the known, or the strange and the familiar. The occult is viewed as the knowledge of the unknown. This view of the forms and particulars is applied using Freudian and Jungian theoretical perspectives and is applied to an analysis of "Christabel" by Coleridge, the "Blair Witch Project", and "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allen Poe.

Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Platonic Forms and Particulars
2.1. The Occult
3. Critical Perspective
4. Analysis of "The Blair Witch Project" and "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "Christabel"
5. Conclusion

From the Paper
"In his philosophy Plato distinguishes between the world of reality and the world of illusion. The world of reality and timeless truth is that of the forms. The word of illusion refers to the world of particulars and everyday experience. We exist during our lifetimes in this world of the senses or the world of particulars. For Plato and Socrates, death is the escape from the imprisonment of the world of particulars which is the reason why Socrates in the Phaedo states that he welcomes death. He believes that the soul will continue after death and the knowledge that he seeks as a philosopher will be encountered in the death state."

Tags:death, plato, jung

Abstract
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."

Tags:cult, guidance, Heisenberg

Abstract
This paper examines how, throughout the novel, "Ragtime," several characters express interest in the occult, most notably, Harry Houdini and Pierpont Morgan, and how these two men from opposite ends of society both begin their search in response to the inadequacies of the material world.

From the Paper
"Throughout the novel Ragtime, several characters express interest in the occult, most notably, Harry Houdini and Pierpont Morgan. These two men from opposite ends of society both begin their search in response to the inadequacies of the material world. Houdini becomes interested when he finds himself unable to accept his mother's death; without her, his world is empty. Pierpont Morgan's interest also blooms later in life. As he faces his own death, Morgan becomes dissatisfied with his enormous wealth, realizing that worldly affluence will mean nothing to him after his passing. In life, Morgan is a man of power, residing at the top of society, yet in the face of death, he is just as ignorant and helpless as anyone else. His search for occult wisdom relating to death and the afterlife is an attempt for him to feel once more in control."

Tags:pierpont, morgan, harry, houdini

Abstract
The paper reveals that Poe's life as a writer was steeped in the occult, as his work routinely dealt with subjects and themes that extended beyond the reach of mortal rationality. The paper discusses how Poe is well known for intimate, if bleak, portrayals of death and focuses on "Ulalume" and "The Imp of the Perverse", and how they deal directly with the concept and problem of death.

From the Paper
"No one who has read Edgar Allan Poe would suggest that the author does not deal in the macabre. Poe's famous writings--such as "The Raven" or "The Cask of Amontillado"--are classic examples of the manifestation of the occult in literature. The occult, contrary to popular misconception, isn't a word that is simply interchangeable with devil worship or witchcraft. The occult references the darker, less rational, side of the human condition. All of man's experiences that escape the ability of science and logic to explain can fall into the realm of the occult (Hart)."

Tags:poe, occult, death

Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses that the concept of superstition is often commonly understood only in a vague sense as a term that is somehow related to the occult, magic and the paranormal. One of the central aims of this paper is to show that superstitions are often the remnants of knowledge that has been lost or neglected by modern science and forgotten and that they are in many cases not just false beliefs. This approach to the meaning of superstition is one that will allow the reader to understand the term in the context of and in relation to the occult and paranormal traditions in the world. The writer concludes that in the final analysis, the term superstition should be seen as the possible remnant of a larger body of knowledge, which is commonly known as the occult tradition. In this sense, superstition is understood as a watered down version of some greater truth. However, the writer notes that it should also be borne in mind that not all superstitions can be seen in this light and that many are fictitious constructions of fantasy.

From the Paper
"These definitions point to two different ways of looking at superstition. The first and more conventional view sees superstition, as an empty and fanciful set of beliefs that have no foundation in any reality. This is a view that sees superstition as separate from the occult and paranormal traditions of knowledge.
"The second understanding of superstitions is related to the perception of superstitions as linked to other religious views or to the larger occult traditions in religious systems throughout the world. This meaning is more in line with the idea of occult and paranormal traditions. This view would therefore explain superstitions as being based to a greater or lesser extent on knowledge and lost traditions; or at least having its roots in such knowledge rather than seeing it as mere blind faith and empty fancy."

Tags:paranormal, fantasy, belief, knowledge

Abstract
This paper examines Poe's poem "Ulalume" and the short story "The Imp of the Perverse". The paper explains that Poe's life as a writer was steeped in the occult; a human reaction to what we cannot know, to the mysteries that still persist despite the advances of science and knowledge. The paper portrays Poe's characterization of death in these two works.

From the Paper
"No one who has read Edgar Allan Poe would suggest that the author does not deal in the macabre. Poe's famous writings--such as "The Raven" or "The Cask of Amontillado"--are classic examples of the manifestation of the occult in literature. The occult, contrary to popular misconception, isn't a word that is simply interchangeable with devil worship or witchcraft. The occult references the darker, less rational, side of the human condition. All of man's experiences that escape the ability of science and logic to explain can fall into the realm of the occult (Hart). Thus, Poe's life as a writer was steeped in the occult, as his work routinely dealt with subjects and themes that extended beyond the reach of mortal rationality. In particular, Poe is well known for intimate, if bleak, portrayals of death."

Tags:supernatural, macabre, mortality, mysteries, rationality

From the Paper
"The purpose of this paper is to discuss the "New Age" movement. It will be seen that this represents in many ways the changes that society is currently undergoing in its shift from an industrial way of life to the values of an information age. The "New Age" movement is one that gradually grew out of the ideals of the 1960s counter-culture movements in America and elsewhere. In that decade, the so-called baby boom generation came of age and began exploring and developing its own value systems, which often sharply contrasted with the established standards of the previous age. There was a general understanding among the youth of that period that the world was entering the "Age of Aquarius" and that new lifestyles would have to emerge out of that transition. As such, there was an explosion of interest in (...)"

Tags:PARAPSYCHOLOGY, OCCULT

From the Paper
"Before about the last quarter of the eighteenth century, electricity essentially did not exist as a comprehensible phenomenon. The effects of lightning were of course universally known, but no remotely accurate guesses had been made as to its causes. The phenomenon of static electricity was also known--the word electric and its variations comes from the Greek word elektron (in Latin, electrum), or amber, which produces static electricity when rubbed with a cloth (Shilling, 1948, p. 5). (confusing, the term was also used for an alloy of gold and silver, perhaps of similar color.) Experimentation with static electricity began in sixteenth-century Italy; Jerome Cardan, about 1550, first distinguished electrical from magnetic phenomena. The relationship between the two continued to be acknowledged; Gilbert, in 1600, ... "

Abstract
This paper reviews sources claiming that "Harry Potter" is not a harmless literary fantasy, but rather, conservative Christians claim, that Rowling's wizards, witchcraft, and magic may draw impressionable young readers into the occult. The author points out that the American Library Association (ALA) reports the Harry Potter series now has the dubious distinction of being the most censored series of books in America. The paper relates that many other accepted literary treasures, such as "A Christmas Carol", " Macbeth", " The Lord of the Rings", "King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table", "Alice in Wonderland", "The Wizard of Oz", and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", also contain elements of the mystical.

Table of Contents
Specific Anti-Harry Issues Raised by Conservatives and Christians
Seeing the Truth and the Fun in J. K. Rowling?s Sparkling Story-Telling
Conclusion

From the Paper
"In Alamogordo, New Mexico, Jack Brock, pastor of the Christ Community Church, recently "led a mass burning of Harry Potter books and told reporters that the books "encourage our youth to learn more about witches, warlocks and sorcerers, and those things are an abomination to God and to me"." In Lewiston, Maine, a local group called "The Jesus Party," led by the Rev. Dough Taylor, announced a book-burning party in the public park, but when the fire department refused to give his organization a permit, he took scissors to a Potter book and shredded it into a trashcan. Officials of the city's public library in Jacksonville, Florida, have abandoned a plan to distribute "Hogwarts certificates" encouraging young people to read. Why? Because, Boston reports, "Local resident, John Miesburg, complained that the books promoted "the evil of witchcraft"." "

Tags:witchcraft, occult, censor, treasures, book-burning

Abstract
This paper explores the society of the period by examining the impact the Renaissance had on England, and the fact that its diverse trends had been elaborated into divergent and sometimes extreme forms.
The paper describes of the origin of the period's obsession with the occult and the mystical, and explains the plethora of fantastic and mythic creatures running throughout the gamut of Elizabethan theater.

- T A B L E - O F - C O N T E N T S -

INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER I: The Magus in Society, The Life of John Dee
CHAPTER II: Knowledge as Power, Representation of Magic as Knowledge
CHAPTER III: Marlowe and the Magic of Faustus
CHAPTER IV: Societal Instability and the Power of the Unknown
CHAPTER V: The Connotations of Magic Use as Related to the Goals
CHAPTER VI: Prospero's Relation to the Magus in Renaissance Society
CHAPTER VII: The Debate over the Morality of Prospero
CHAPTER IIX: The Ambiguity of Prospero's Morality
CHAPTER IX: The Failure of Prospero
CHAPTER X : The Meaning of the Magus
CONCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHY

From the Paper
The presence of mystical themes is prevalent throughout the theatrical works of the Elizabethan era, almost every play had a ghost, monster, witch, alchemist, etc. of some sort contained within it. What was the origin of the period's obsession with the occult and the mystical, why is there such a plethora of fantastic and mythic creatures running throughout the gamut of Elizabethan theater?

Tags:occult, play, cult, magical, medieval, John, Dee