The occult is found is books. The occult is found in small, darkened shops off the beaten path. The occult can be hiding in plain sight as part of institutions or traditions that we make find safe, free of the occult -- a safety upon which we may take for granted, as implied by the films referenced in this paper. The occult is what is revealed when a person pulls back the proverbial curtain on reality displaying unknown yet influential powers at work. The occult tradition is one of secrecy and masking. The occult is present in everyday reality, no matter how modern or simple, as in the Name of the Rose, where the occult mystery takes place within the setting of an abbey amidst monks and other members of the clergy/church. In this film, the Inquisition is another serious factor at play amidst all the mystery. The Inquisition was led by the church, a key link between the occult and the church, specifically is public opposition, and private connection. If the church is not directly linked to the occult in an occult film, then the characters of the occult in the film are some time of secret group that behave similarly to those who are heavily religious, in the traditional sense of the word.
There are instances within occult films, there are parallels drawn between the occult and religion, specifically Christianity, in western films. Not only similarities drawn between the occult and religion, but also, the occult is used as a strategy to question and/or expose clandestine elements of religion. Polanski's Rosemary's Baby is an example of an occult film that is linked to literature and literary representational traditions of the occult, as well as is a film that aligns secret occult groups or societies with traditional religious groups and goes on to interrogate the practicality of blind, unquestioning, religious devotion in the modern age. The film was released in 1968, an extremely pivotal and critical year in not only the history of the United States of America, but also to the history of the world.
While some will consider Rosemary's Baby to be nothing more than a scary movie playing on the sensibilities of devout Christians and young mothers, others see it as Roman Polanski's courageous exposition of high society's occult mind state. Many however see the movie as an occult manifesto, heralding a new era. Rosemary's Baby is Aleister Crowley's "Child of the new Aeon," or Horus the son of Isis -- the bringer of a new era in world history. Whether it was intentional or not, Rosemary's Baby did appear at the brink of a new era and became part of an important social change…Society became the equivalent of Rosemary who has learned of the evil nature of her baby, but nonetheless accepted the responsibility of mothering it. Today's debased pop-culture is simply the evolution of this system. (TVC, 2011)
The Vigilant Citizen considers that one of Polanski's intentions was to show a weakness in those who are religiously devout. Perhaps it was Rosemary's devotion to her Christian, heterosexual, normative lifestyle that left her vulnerable to and susceptible to manipulation by the secret group using her to bring forth the anti-Christ. There must be some intentional irony in that a wholesome, blond, blue eyed, American, Christian heterosexual woman births the anti-Christ. It may seem more intuitive for a member of the occult to be developed and sacrificed as a vessel through which the anti-Christ figure enters the world. In Polanski's film, it is the all American blond Christian girl next door who is the mother of the anti-Christ. Even this kind of question the film asks of Christianity is occult, or at least implies Christianity in the occult as well as draws very basic similarities between Christianity and the occult, in addition to the symbols of each, respectively.
What is more, the Maltese cross is a direct allusion to the various orders that used this cross as a symbol, orders that were connected to the Holy Land, the
45). There are also important racial issues that are examined throughout "A Touch of Evil"; these are accomplished through what Nerrico (1992) terms "visual representations of 'indeterminate' spaces, both physical and corporeal"; the "bordertown and the half-breed, la frontera y el mestizo: a space and a subject whose identities are not fractured but fracture itself, where hyphens, bridges, border stations, and schizophrenia are the rule rather than the exception" (Nericcio,
It is only through occult understanding that the forms and the archetypal images and symbols can be interpreted. Here we see that the term unconsciousness is very similar to the Platonic ideals and forms. Another aspect that will form part of the theoretical perspective of this study is the concept of transformation. In order to understand the occult and its relationship to the forms, a process of transformation has to
Rather than continue the process that began in the first two books, in which the Rosicrucian Order first announced themselves, gave their history, and then responded to certain criticisms while making their position within Christian theology clearer, the Chymical Wedding can almost be seen as the first instance of literature written within the Rosicrucian tradition, rather than as part of its manifesto-like founding documents, because it does not seek to
Your answer should be at least five sentences long. The Legend of Arthur Lesson 1 Journal Entry # 9 of 16 Journal Exercise 1.7A: Honor and Loyalty 1. Consider how Arthur's actions and personality agree with or challenge your definition of honor. Write a few sentences comparing your definition (from Journal 1.6A) with Arthur's actions and personality. 2. Write a brief paragraph explaining the importance or unimportance of loyalty in being honorable. Lesson 1 Journal
Colonialism and Imperialism in Heart of Darkness, Things Fall Apart, And Apocalypse Now The shadow of colonization: Projecting European anxieties onto nonwhite peoples The Jungian concept of 'the shadow' is not that 'the shadow' is inherently dark or evil: rather, it is a hidden part of an individual or collective subconscious that is a repository of all of the aspects of society wishes to hide. The shadow' may contain elements of forbidden
In addition, both governments and churches began to grow suspicious of the group, probably because of the "organization's secrecy and liberal religious beliefs" (Watson, 2009). As a result, Portugal and France banned Freemasonry; in fact, it was a capital offense to be a Freemason in Portugal (Watson, 2009). Moreover, "Pope Clement XII forbade Catholics from becoming Freemasons on penalty of excommunication" (Watson, 2009). Feeling pressure in Europe, many Freemasons
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