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The occult is a category of supernatural beliefs and practices, encompassing such phenomena as those involving mysticism, spirituality, and magic in terms of any otherworldly agency. It can also refer to other non-religious supernatural ideas like extra-sensory perception and parapsychology.
Robert S. Ellwood, Notes on a Neopagan Religious Group in America, History of Religions (1971). J. Gordon Melton (2003). Encyclopedia of American religions. Gale / Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-0-7876-6384-1. G. Melton and I. Poggi, Magic, Witchcraft, and Paganism in America (1992). Sarah M. Pike (2004). New Age and Neopagan Religions in America ...
Today, North America hosts a diverse array of beliefs about witchcraft. [1] [2] Indigenous communities such as the Cherokee, [3] Hopi, [4] the Navajo [5] among others, [6] included in their folklore and beliefs malevolent figures who could harm their communities, often resulting in severe punishments, including death. [7]
The occult (from Latin: occultus, lit. ' hidden ' or ' secret ') is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mysticism.
Hoodoo is an ethnoreligion that, in a broader context, functions as a set of spiritual observances, traditions, and beliefs—including magical and other ritual practices—developed by enslaved African Americans in the Southern United States from various traditional African spiritualities and elements of indigenous American botanical knowledge.
[1] [2] Often, it arises from ignorance, a misunderstanding of science or causality, a belief in fate or magic, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and practices surrounding luck , prophecy , and certain spiritual beings, particularly the belief that future events can be foretold by specific (apparently ...
Native American religions were prevalent in the pre-Columbian era, including state religions. Common concept is the supernatural world of deities, spirits and wonders, such as the Algonquian manitou or the LakotaŹ¼s wakan, [19] [20] [9] as well as Great Spirit, [21] Fifth World, world tree, and the red road among many Indians. [9]
The religion's practices have therefore attracted attention and been adopted by many non-Lakota, whether Native American or non-Native, the latter including many New Agers. [425] Various Native critics have spoken against those promoting Native-derived practices to non-Native audiences, with Sun Bear and Lynn Andrews being particularly targeted ...