Occult guide to the good life

Common teachings from occult wisdom and esoteric secret societies.

Nov 28, 2024

Illuminati. The Eye of Providence. Digital Art by Tom Hill - Pixels

Occult, esoteric wisdom and spirituality has enduring appeal. But what do these philosophies actually preach as a way to live?

What are the the ethics, the practical teachings about how to live well, find a purpose, and be happy?

Looking at a variety of esoteric teaching, occult secret societies, Hermeticism, Rosicrucianism, Thelema, the Society of Guardians, Wicca, Kabbalah, Neoplatonism, a surface-level observation gives us the appearance of at least some common threads.

Be good

undefined — Charity, compassion, altruism can stem from a respect of the world beyond ourselves and our desires, and understanding our role in cosmic harmony.

Trying to be a better person is a major thread. What that actually means in practice is debatable, but one commonality seems to be the idea that we should act as if all is interconnected. Our actions extend beyond us, and can return to us.

Wicca and Paganism

Some Wiccans may refer to the “Rule of Three,” which is a reciprocal concept of the energy you put out there coming back to you (times three), and the famous Wiccan Rede: “An ye harm none, do what ye will.” And you’ll typically encounter the belief that respecting nature is essential, not only for its divine nature, but as our harmonic relationship with nature is essential to well being.

The “Rule of Three” warns against malicious use of magic.

The Neoplatonists believed the four cardinal virtues: justice, prudence, temperance, and courage, were not social tools, but rather our virtuous life was “to bring back the god in us to the divine in the All.”

Rosicrucianism

The esoteric order began with a group of doctors who vowed to heal the sick for free. And in modern form, the Rosicrucians have a “code of life” packed full of morality:

“Be humanistic. Regard all humanity as your family. Beyond race, culture, and belief, all human beings are brothers and sisters. Consequently, they all deserve the same respect and consideration.”
“Be generous towards those who are in need or less favored than you. Arrange things every day so that you do at least one good deed for someone else.”
— Rosicrucian Code of Life

Rather than charity and living a moral life, the Illuminati may have set out to be a little more influential in their sense of morality, and to push it on the world, with a goal to “put an end to the machinations of the purveyors of injustice, to control them without dominating them.” They wanted to take down the man, in a sense. They saw overbearing religious influence as stifling to mankind.

Cultivate mental strength and abilities

There is often an emphasis on cultivating mental strength or abilities in occult/esoteric/mystical societies, whether through meditation, or through some kind of mysticism or magic.

"When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds." - Patanjali

The mystical Society of Guardians describes how change starts from within and extends outwards:

“If there is some aspect of my reality that I am not completely happy with, the onus is on me to effect some change in accordance with my Will and Intention. For things’ to change, first I must change. It is a fact of life that any changes anywhere within my being will involve changes in my nervous system - and in like manner, any changes in my nervous system will bring about changes in my whole being.
Of all the things we do, breathing is the one thing which we all normally do automatically, but which any one of us can take conscious control of, whenever we choose.”
— On “Magical Breathing” from The Society of Guardians

Hermetic power

In Hermeticism, there is sometimes an emphasis on some kind of power that we can tap into.

“The Master of Hermetics polarizes himself at the point at which he desires to rest, and then neutralizes the Rhythmic swing of the pendulum which would tend to carry him to the other pole ... the Master does this consciously, and by the use of his Will, and attains a degree of Poise and Mental Firmness almost impossible of belief on the part of the masses who are swung backward and forward like a pendulum.”
— The Kybalion

Members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn practice ritual magic, drawing (like other societies) from Hermetic beliefs.

Find the higher purpose

The belief in a higher power, and the goal of seeking a higher purpose, are very common in esoteric secret societies.

Many societies may be non-dogmatic, but emphasize being a part of something bigger than ourselves.

Do you know your purpose, or are you still seeking it? Art by Wyrdis

“Man is destined for a greater, more sublime purpose—to become a conscious vehicle of the cosmic creative process.”
— Paul A. Clark, The Hermetic Qabalah

Whether the society is preaching charity, the influencing of politics, magic ritual, or esoteric study, it’s nearly universal that we have a “higher purpose” here on Earth.

So you might say that the good life, according to occult tradition, is very similar to the good life according to spirituality, religion, and moral philosophy.

But perhaps with a universality and openness that is non-dogmatic, and in some cases, something that is attainable to the “initiated.”

And though occult originally meant “hidden,” a higher purpose is nevertheless discoverable by any individual open to it.

True will

Thelema has the concept of “Pure Will,” also called “True Will.”

True Will is the idea of aligning yourself with your life purpose, and staying true to it, as a light, guiding you down a path to spiritual growth and harmony with the cosmos.

“True Will should spring, a fountain of Light, from within, and flow unchecked, seething with Love, into the Ocean of Life.” – Aleister Crowley

Harmony: putting it all together

Perhaps you could sum up the esoteric and occult guide to the good life as nurturing cosmic harmony. Our actions upon the world, our internal guidance system, our attuning to a path. All strings of the same instrument, tuned to itself and to the harmony of the spheres.

Harmony within, harmony without. Harmony between.

As above, so below.

- Joe