OCARINA 



4331 



OCCULTATION 



OCARINA, okare'na, the diminutive of an 

 Italian word, oca, meaning goose, is the name 

 applied to a musical instrument originating in 

 Austria or Switzerland. It was so named from 

 its slight resemblance to the egg of a goose. 

 In its simplest 

 form it is a hol- 

 low piece of 

 molded clay, with 

 a mouthpiece on 



one side and holes ^^ OCARINA 



for keys. In the improved instrument, several 

 different sizes of which are made, the holes are 

 replaced by a row of keys, and at one end is a 

 piston for modifying the note. The various 

 sizes are needed to give variety of sound, as 

 the compass of the ocarina is small and its 

 tones are monotonous. 



OCCULT, ok'ult, a term referring to the 

 types of learning that sought a knowledge of 

 the hidden or supernatural world. The study 

 aimed to confer a knowledge of mysteries and 

 the control of forces transcending those of 

 common observation. The pursuit of the oc- 

 cult is supported by the idea that the secrets 

 of nature must be guessed, like a riddle; and 

 in practice led to the formation of a cult of 

 those especially fitted to attain the stages of 

 revelation. This in turn is an outgrowth of the 

 belief in the possession of peculiar powers by 

 favored individuals. 



The pursuit of the occult sciences changes 

 under different influences. It carries the gen- 

 eral tradition of the Orient Babylonia, Egypt 

 and India and of stages of adeptship and in- 

 sight gained by rising above the limitations of 

 the human senses. With this is combined the 

 reading of signs and the control of fate, of 

 which astrology is the best type. A similar 

 pursuit among the processes which we should 

 now call physical and chemical led to the de- 

 pment of alchemy, in which in turn the 

 central object was the transmutation of metals, 

 particularly of the base metals, into gold. The 

 alchemistic, the astrological and the general 

 "spiritual" pursuits with the underlying idea 

 of penetrating the secrets of hidden forces, pos- 

 sibly by the aid of spirits, developed together, 

 formed a mystic and secret tradition of occult 

 learning. Such learning was handed on by tra- 

 in and by the initiation of disciples into 

 mysteries; the body of doctrine thus ac- 

 cumulated bears the name of caballah, or oral 

 secret tradition, which is more particularly ap- 

 1 to the Jewish lore as promulgated in its 

 later form. 



It must not be supposed that these several 

 traditions were continuous, or that any one set 

 of doctrines formed the basis of occult learn- 

 ing. Its history is most irregular and repre- 

 sents little more than a series of stages or by- 

 paths of a type of learning that has always had 

 a fascination for certain types of mind. Reviv- 

 als and survivals of such cults are recorded 

 down to the present time. An interesting one 

 is Theosophy," as practised by Madame Bla- 

 \ at sky (which see). She revived the idea of 

 a special exclusive lore, distinguishing higher 

 planes of existence and stages of adeptship to 

 comprehend their meaning. The practical dem- 

 onstnition was in the nature of miracles d ty- 

 ing the laws of nature, such as the instant 

 transfer of a message from distant places, an- 

 swers to sealed questions placed in the shrine, 

 etc. These were proven to be accomplished by 

 fraud. 



The occult type of thought is consistent with 

 the medieval practices of alchemy and kindred 

 pursuits and with the view of spirit-forces and 

 the nature of the universe supported by medie- 

 val philosophy; the effect of Oriental mysti- 

 cism also pervades it. An interesting incident 

 in the history of the occult sciences is the in- 

 vention of a mythical sect, the "Rosicrucians," 

 by an anonymous author (1614) inviting mem- 

 bers to join a society and learn the making of 

 gold and other secrets. It contained so faith- 

 ful an interpretation of the occult teachings 

 that it has found its way into surviving forms 

 of the lore. The tendency to turn to abstruse, 

 mystic and exclusive interpretations of the 

 realm of nature is itself an interesting habit of 

 mind and is responsible for the continuance 

 of occult tendencies. jj. 



Relating; to VariouN Ilrllef*. The articles on 

 the following topics, while they do not all trr.it 

 of phases of the occult. :u<- nf in(< x-st in this 

 connection because they deal with pseudo-sci- 

 ences: 



Alchemy 



Astrology 



Clairvoyance 



Conjuring 



Demonology 



Divination 



Faith Cure 



Hypnotism 



Magic 



Medium 



Mesmerism 



Mind ReadinR 



Necromancy 



OCCULTATION, ok \dt a' shun. Whrn the 

 sun or moon is hi<Mc n. wholly or partially, by 

 some planet, the phenomenon is called an 



Palmistry 



Phrenology 



Physiognomy 



Psychical Research 



Psycho-Annlyxls 



Spiritualism 



Subconscious 



Suggestion 



Superstition 



Telepathy 



Theosophy 



Tran. > 



Witchcraft 



