Recognizing The Occult

 

As any regular reader of my blog knows, I've spent many years studying and exposing the occult. Since Vatican II, there has been what I have dubbed "The Occult Explosion," "The Occult Invasion," and "The Occult Revival." Any of those phrases fit. The occult has taken-off ("exploded") and seems ubiquitous in modern life since the end of the Robber Council in 1965. The occult has invaded the homes of the unsuspecting, who are receiving no warnings from the Vatican II sect on occult symbols and practices. The occult is enjoying a revival like never before--perhaps being more pervasive than in Old Testament days before Christ came to redeem us, and when the world was very pagan (and it has become such once more). 

This is the first of a couple of posts I will publish on occult symbolism. I've written much on occult practices and how it influences things like music and movies, but not so much on occult symbols. Sometimes my friends will ask, "I want to buy [certain item they show me] but a writing or a picture on it looks strange. Is it occult?" Good question. Sometimes someone will know something is occult, but they don't know exactly why it's bad, other than the general condemnation of the occult by the Church and found in the Bible. 

This post (and at least one more to follow) will expose occult symbolism, and offer some general advice on what to do if you suspect something may be occult. After all, while many things today are occult, not every symbol or writing we don't understand is automatically "occult." We must learn to discern. You may also be better equipped to help a family member or friend who has some occult symbol in his/her possession and may not realize it, thinking it harmless. 

I claim no credit for any of the material in this post. All I did was compile the research on the occult into a terse and reader-friendly installment on this blog. The material comes from many online and print resources.  I hope you find it useful. Please comment and let me know if you got something out of it.

Occult Symbolism

Occult symbols that once belonged to hidden societies and old spell-books are now everywhere—on store shelves, in fashion, in tattoos, and across social media. The Pentagram, the Hamsa, the Ouroboros, the Ankh—what once felt fringe has become familiar. Since Vatican II sent the One True Church underground (so to speak), the occult has been repackaged and popularized by those doing Satan's work. 

In our modern world, the same symbol can function very differently depending on intent, understanding, and context. There are many who wear or have occult symbols. These people fall into one of three (3) categories:

• The casual user wears or has them for style, culture, or personal meaning, largely unaware of their spiritual claims

• The occult "dabbler" looks for help, healing, protection, identity, or “energy,” without considering the source of that power

• The committed occultist understands the symbol’s meaning and intentionally uses it within an occult/pagan worldview

The differences don't make the symbols any less occult, but they can (and should) change how we respond when trying to rescue someone from occult influences. Symbols communicate. They carry meaning even when the wearer has no intention of making a statement. In medio stat veritas--"in the middle lies the truth." Two equal and opposite errors arise from some Traditionalists and others, (a) "it's just art" so you can use any symbol and it's OK, not to worry; (b) "every symbol is dangerous and a sin to have/display." I can not possibly cover all symbols, even in multiple posts.

So how do we discern symbols? There are four (4) vital questions you must ask yourself as outlined below.

Discerning Symbols

 When deciding whether to buy, wear, or display a symbol, consider these four questions.

What does it communicate?

Even if you mean “it’s just a design,” what does it signal to others? Some symbols overtly align with an occult worldview—self-divinization, power through-ritual, or impersonal divinity. Symbols such as the Pentagram, Sigil of Baphomet, Leviathan Cross, and Sigil of Lucifer fall into this category. These can be rejected without further evaluation. 

Other symbols are more flexible and require discernment. Ask: 

Does this create confusion about what I believe? Does it publicly associate me with a false worldview that is non-/anti- Traditionalist? If so, that alone is reason to reject the symbol. It could cause scandal.

What is it connected to---i.e., consider both its function and setting. 

For example, a crescent moon on a child's pajamas most probably represents nighttime and going to sleep for the night. A crescent moon on a pendent and sold as a "charm" is most probably an occult talisman, or if it has Arabic letters, it is probably offering praise to "Allah" the false moon god of Mohammedans. A crystal on display in the context of many different rocks is probably connected to geology, whereas a crystal sold to give you "good vibes" is occult.

What is your intent?

Be honest with yourself. If you are seeking power, protection, guidance, identity, control, or peace from the symbol itself, you are assigning it spiritual power. Spiritual power does reside in e.g., a blessed statue of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, which power comes from God through the blessing of His priest. We must not do this with symbols not expressly approved and blessed by the Church.

What kind of reaction do you get from it?

After displaying it/wearing it/engaging with it, do you notice fear, anxiety, or obsession with it? Does it cause you to consider looking up certain spiritual practices (non-Church approved) that you wouldn't otherwise do? This is the test given to us by Our Lord Himself: "By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit." (St. Matthew 7:16-17). 

Ancient Pagan Symbols Tied to the Occult

These symbols originate in pagan religious systems that located divinity within creation itself, treating the natural world as sacred rather than as a gift pointing beyond itself to the Creator. The occult and pagan worldviews have much in common. The occult teaches, "God" is within you. Pantheism (God and the world are one) and panentheism (God is in creation as a soul in a body) pervade both occult and pagan teachings. 

The Ankh

Meaning: Clutching at immortality. It represents the “breath of life” as a force to be possessed rather than a gift to be received. It is the ultimate symbol of vitality and fertility, a visual hope that life can be extended and death cheated through the right knowledge and power. 

Origin: Dating to around 3150 BC, it appeared in Egyptian art as gods bestowed the ankh to pharaohs, symbolizing immortality. Its precise origin is debated—theories include a sandal strap, the Knot of Isis (a fertility symbol), or the union of Osiris and Isis representing life’s creation. 

Uses Today: Worn as jewelry or tattooed as a charm, often signaling an affinity with esoteric wisdom, Neopaganism, or African cultural identity; it typically expresses belief in an impersonal “life force” that can be drawn upon for energy or protection. Some women use it to signal they are fertile and available--especially if worn as long earrings. 

Why it should not be used: Eternal life comes from Christ through His One True Church. The Ankh is pagan in origin, and is a sign that eternal life comes from an impersonal force. For women it sends an impure message, even if unintended.

Eye of Horus

Meaning: A watcher that never blinks. It is a talisman of paranoia, worn to ward off the “evil eye” and darker spirits. Its design mimics the falcon’s eye with a teardrop marking, symbolizing fractions of the senses (sight, smell, thought). It promises that if you wear the right drawing (the Eye of Horus, aka Wedjat), you are safe from the invisible malice of the spiritual world.

 

Origin: Born from a god’s mutilation. In Egyptian myth, the falcon god Horus has its eye torn out in a violent battle with Set and magically restored. It became the prototype for the “amulet”—a damaged thing made whole, used to protect the living and the dead. 

Uses Today: Worn as jewelry and tattoos, often signaling affinity with ancient Egyptian wisdom or protection beliefs. Popular in occult contexts as a talisman for warding off harm and accessing spiritual insight. 

Why it should not be used: It has a decidedly pagan origin and offers "protection"--not from God---against "spirits." It is an implicit calling upon evil, and also is an indirect denial of God's protection by substituting an impotent pagan symbol. 

The Celtic Triskele

Meaning: The dizzying spin of existence. The three interlocking spirals suggest that reality is an endless loop of motion—life, death, rebirth; past, present, future; land, sea, sky. It denies the “End” of history, offering instead the comfort (and trap) of eternal recurrence. A symbol of heretical/pagan/occult reincarnation

Origin: Carved into the rock of Newgrange 5,000 years ago, these spirals predate the Celts. They are the ancient world’s attempt to map the feeling of time moving forward while seasons cycle back. Celts adopted and expanded the motif into intricate knotwork appearing on stonework, manuscripts, and jewelry. 

Uses Today: Popular in jewelry, tattoos, and festival branding. Used as a devotional emblem in Neopagan communities to represent the goddess’s triple aspect and cyclical rebirth. 

Why it should not be used: It's a symbol of reincarnation; nothing more need be said.

Kabbalistic Tree of Life

Meaning: The "ladder to godhood." This complex diagram maps the human attempt to climb back to heaven. It claims that through intellectual effort, we can ascend the ten spheres (sefirot) connected by 22 path; climbing from the earthly Kingdom (Malkuth) to the Divine Crown (Kether). 

Origin: Jewish mysticism’s answer to the problem of distance. Later adopted by Western ceremonial magicians (like the Golden Dawn), it became a roadmap for “pathworking," i.e., using the mind to travel spiritual dimensions. 

Uses Today: Appears as home décor, pendants, yoga-studio art, and occult diagrams. Used as a map for pathworking and astral projection, where practitioners symbolically ascend the spheres to access higher consciousness or gnosis. 

Why it should not be used: Jewish-occult symbol that mocks God. We don't "ascend to become God," rather God descended to become one of us and reconcile sinners to Himself (St. John 1:14). 

Conclusion

Symbols have deep meaning and are important. They link things tangible to realities that are intangible. We can't see love, but when a man brings red roses to his wife, love is symbolized. The ultimate symbol of love is the crucifix, God died so we may live forever. Those are wonderful symbols. However, when the symbol is linked to intangible evils by symbolizing heresies, immoralities and calling upon (evil) spirits for "protection" they become an invitation (wittingly or not) for evil to enter your life. Invite evil in and it will take you up on your request.