The truth of the occult sciences

Belief is the adherence of the soul to an opinion. This classic definition gives it a great subjectivity, that is to say an individual character which varies with the judgment, the feelings, the habits specific to each person.
Can we agree that each individual is free to believe what they want and therefore, any debate on occultism seems vain, especially since the very expression “occult sciences” seems improper? Science being an intellectual process followed with a view to exact and reasoned knowledge of a defined subject.

A narrow Cartesianism We very often say that the Western is Cartesian or, if we prefer, nationalist, so that for common sense these two words are synonymous. It is showing inintelligence or immaturity to claim to explore the world of the invisible, the domain of the irrational, the uncertain. There is nothing to seek beyond reason, this opinion will find its roots in the doctrine of the philosopher Descartes who sees in “ideas seeds of truth” of which “clarity” and “evidence” are the undeniable criteria: “Everything that presents itself with clarity and evidence to my understanding is true…” This is the deep meaning of the “cogito” inscribed in his famous formula: ‘I think therefore I am’. This sums up all the philosopher’s thoughts for fans of rationalism. But this is, in truth, a vulgar Cartesianism which is based on ignorance of Descartes’ approach. The discovery of the cogito, the thinking self, opens the way to knowledge of the soul and leads to knowledge of God. However, these “supersensible ideas”, to speak like Kant, cannot be apprehended by reason. Our “so-called” Cartesians believe they have understood the master whose thoughts they so often stop along the way. Science is an object of knowledge. Thanks to evolution, it has given itself the task of ridding man of ignorance; a contrario this cannot be considered as the royal road which leads to knowledge. And, there is, precisely, in this primary Cartesianism a form of adventure which prevents minds jealous of “their rationalism” from probing the depths of the occult to discover what is hidden in science. Contemporary epistemology has shown with G. Bachelard that empiricism is not science but a movement of the mind which “begins with the recording of obvious facts”. Science denounces this evidence to establish hidden laws. Revival of spirituality and resurgence of occultism In his prophetic vision of the world, Malraux affirmed that “the 21st century will be religious or metaphysical”. The wind of his prediction already seems to be blowing on humanity which is witnessing a revival of spirituality as sects multiply, spread almost everywhere, exalt on one side Jesus Christ and on the other commit maddening ex-centricities, preaching collective suicide or assigning salvation to their followers through a macabre destiny. The appearance of Vodoun in the West, a cult previously unknown and relegated to the rank of vile superstitions even though it deserves the full attention of religious ethnology, attests to this vitality of spiritualism. Furthermore, we are observing a resurgence of occultism which we judge in a Manichean way located at the antipodes of spiritualism as falling within the domain of the forces of evil. The occult is characterized by its esotericism, that is to say by the fact of being essentially reserved for initiates only and initiation consists of raising the degree of knowledge of a person.individual to enable him to understand what he cannot grasp when he is awake. Occultism is based on a true science that the greed of men very often corrupts, especially since most of these prophets of doom who hand you a business card at the exit of the metro to attract customers have perhaps never had access to the teachings of an experienced guide. From there to generalize the experiences of a few to the results of the effectiveness of a science whose unusual standards repel the layman becomes a paralogism.

The awareness-raising role of the media

How can we deny the predictions of Nostradamus which came true before the eyes of his contemporaries? And who can still assess the probability that an event like the hostage-taking in Algiers* predicted ten days earlier in front of thousands of viewers by Aurélien Le Blé could come true? And yet, it did indeed take place. With all due respect to the advocates of rationalism who laughed that day at the expense of the guests present on the set. Is it a coincidence that we are raising more and more awareness today in the media among minds hungry for knowledge about mysterious phenomena? And what about these competent doctors who are sometimes perplexed by critical cases of illness to the point that they advise their patients to resort to occult practices? Those who suffer can testify to this after experiencing hours of anguish that nothing, not even substantial medical analyzes, can justify. To the question asked to viewers on February 10, 1994 during the program “I believe in it, I don’t believe in it” to know whether or not they believe in the effectiveness of alternative medicine, 70% responded positively and I am tempted to emphasize like this MEP from the Greens present that evening on the set “Pretending that reality does not exist is not intelligent.” This is indeed a judicious reply to the lesson that modern intelligent people claim to give to the “primitives” of the end of the 20th century. Let science, imbued with prejudices guaranteed by its progress, remember its origins. It owes its birth to men who had a broadened awareness of the occult. Keppler worked his astronomy on the basis of the mystical data of the thought of Pythagoras. Paracelsus and Newton also made alchemists. Taking up Bachelard’s idea that “there is no science except what is hidden” let us repeat with Father Teilhard de Chardin that “only the fantastic has a chance of being true”

Cosine Zinsou QUENUM Researcher in Human Sciences

• article published in: Destins