Altered States of Consciousness and the Occult

Premise; Altered States of Consciousness (ASC’s) have a direct relationship with Occult Practice and; certain drug usage is an occult practice (be it recreational or ritualistic). This paper presents evidence from a wide range or sources. To my knowledge all the sources are from non-Biblical worldviews; apart from Gasson (1985), Bobgan (1984) and Dr John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon in their work ‘The Worldview and Practices of the Occult’. Nevertheless all the sources offer evidence in support of the above premise. The phenomenon that we have come to know as the paranormal is far from modern. Many identical stories and similar strange events and practices can be found in all cultures and ages. This paper will touch upon a number of occult practices such as, hypnotism, transcendental meditation, astral projection, channeling, necromancy, alien abduction and certain drug usage. What we shall discover is startling. The examination of drug usage is of significance; evidence will be presented that support the premise; that the use of so-called psychedelic drugs is, in and of itself an occult practice. While investigating all types of occult phenomenon; a number of common factors and motifs begin to emerge. Some of these appear to be universal. These apparent universal factors will be termed trans-cultural denominators (TCDs). The first trans-cultural denominators (TCDs) are the use of ritual, symbols, and various methods of inducing Altered States of Consciousness (ASC). Virtually all occultic methodology’s contain TCD’s of some description.