Dictionary of Gnosis & Western Esotericism

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Occult/Occultism
(3,540 words)

Although the various terms and expressions based upon the latin “occultus” (“hidden, secret”, from occulere, “to cover over, hide, conceal”) tend to be used indiscriminately and are often confused in common parlance, they are the reflection of a historical development in the various stages of which they refer to different things. It is of particular importance to distinguish between the original a…

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Hanegraaff, Wouter J., “Occult/Occultism”, in: Dictionary of Gnosis & Western Esotericism. Consulted online on 04 December 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1873-8338_dgwe_DGWE_265>
First published online: 2008
First print edition: ISBN: 9789004141872, 20061031



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