Shinto’s Perspective on the Occult: Clairvoyance Doesn’t Mean Enlightenment

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Over the past few decades we have seen an increased interest in what is known as the occult. Today, we find occult-related themes in books, movies, and even video games. What was once a taboo subject  is steadily becoming a part of mainstream society.

The occult is a technology and historically it was held in the grasp of every advanced civilization. Sciences, such as math and reading, were seen as occult technology in ancient times. More and more people are discovering that understanding the occult is also an acknowledgement of natural law. Articles, such as The World’s Oldest Occultist Plant or Human? reveal that what is often labeled as the occult is more formally a natural law that is outside the preview of the five senses

Unfortunately, there exists a long-standing misconception that by use of the occult one can solve life’s problems, especially in a manner that will impress other people. Manly P. Hall had the following to say in Magic, A Treatise on Esoteric Ethics:

“The ancients claimed that there was a hierarchy of demons for each of the sins of man, and that in reality, the demons were, in most cases, the incarnated principles of these sins. By this it is understood that the animal excesses of man build, on lower planes of the astral world, strange creatures, some resembling debased human beings, and others shaped like animals, lizards, snakes, and other reptiles. The power of the black magician lies in his ability to direct these soulless creatures, which, while not in reality individualized things, still have tremendous power over their own essences, both in the body of nature and of individuals….We seldom realize that our passions and hates create these demoniacal beings in the superphysical world, but this is one of the secrets of black magic.”

Readers can find a full discussion on Hall’s work in an older article entitled Avoid The Excesses of Magical Power. Many have brought pain and sorrow into their lives by acting as a gate for underworld forces. Any negative thought can be said to be an act of black magic. The true “work” is found in keeping the heart and mind pure. Often times, a person is deceived into participating in such undertakings by the showy display of some poltergeist effects and base the power of magical system on “what happens to them,” and what occurs in dreams and etc. While these things can be forms of communication from the spirit world, the spirit realm and the divine world are not the same. Just because some event occurs that breaks the mold of consensus reality doesn’t mean it should be followed. It is surprising that so many are so quick to follow the voice of some spirit in the night, as if the principle of “do not talk to strangers” doesn’t apply also to the realm of the supernatural. Hall continues in the work cited above:

“The black magician, becoming a conscious channel for these forces, launches a stream of hell-demons into the world. In so doing, he sells his own soul (for these forces must pass through his own astral body) in exchange for the powers that these demons will give him over his fellow men. The powers of these elemental creatures are practically unlimited, and there are many depraved souls who are glad to barter their immortal spirits for the power which these demons give them over the material world.”

When I person is following the true gnosis their lives should improve for the purpose of exercising a greater good towards humanity and the world of nature, which humankind are also a part. Happiness is achieved by work not by chance. Our work can and will help us develop clairvoyant powers and abilities, but this is no the purpose of the path itself. Some of the most spiritually-advanced people may not even possess a single attribute that can be called a supernatual power, while some of the most-clairvoyant people are the least enlightened in this world.

There are others who will ignorantly allow supernatural things into their lives and become so disillusioned that they cannot see that their poor life condition has a lot to do with their relationship with entities, who often pose as gods, and loan them not a divine power, but gifts of the lower astral world. In other words, they may appear to have some sort of supernatural abilities, but these are really the gifts from negative energies that use and bind the practitioner as a gate so that they can enter this world and cause havoc. Ultimately, the so-called magician is only doing the bidding of wandering spirits. These same spirits create problems in the life of the novice while he is empowering the same energies that are causing the problems. Any workings that do not require virtue or religions that teach that one’s sins can be cured by the sacrifice of another, are all part of the black magical scheme of things. Hall continues:

“Nowhere is black magic more apparent than in the modern phases of religion. In both the new and old doctrines, instead of emphasizing the will of the Logos as the law of men, students have been taught to demand of the Infinite, and that He will obey. No man may justifiably demand anything except the fruitage of his own labors. Today, however, millions are seeking to reap where they have not sown, believing that the possession of a knowledge which them greater than their brethren entitles them to enslave the weaker and uninformed.”

Shinto’s View on Black Magic

The same esoteric principles that are the highlight of much of Manly P. Hall’s work, were known among those of Shinto faith centuries earlier. In the Nihon Shoki we read about how a new religion was struck down because of the “poverty” that it created among the people. Ohofu Be no Oho propagated this obscure form of belief that is recorded in the Nihon Shoki. The account begins as follows:

“Autumn, 7th month. A man of the neighbourhood of the River Fuji in the East Country named Ohofu Be no Oho urged his fellow-villagers to worship an insect, saying: “This is the God of the Everlasting World. Those who worship this God will have long life and riches.” At length the wizards and witches, pretending an inspiration of the Gods, said: “Those who worship the God of the Everlasting World will, if poor, become rich, and, if old, will become young again.” So they more and more persuaded the people to cast out the valuables of their houses, and to set out by the roadside sake, vegetables, and the six domestic animals.’ They also made them cry out: “The new riches have come!” Both in the country and in the metropolis people took the insect of the Everlasting World and, placing it in a pure place, with song and dance invoked happiness. They threw away their treasures, but to no purpose whatever. The loss and waste was extreme. Hereupon Kahakatsu, Kadono no Hada no Miyakko, was wroth that the people should be so much deluded, and slew Ohofu Be no Oho. The wizards and witches were intimidated, and ceased to persuade people to this worship. The men of that time made a song, saying: “Udzumasa..Has executed..The God of the Everlasting World..Who we were told..Was the very God of Gods.”

This insect is usually bred on orange trees, and sometimes on the Hosoki. It is over four inches in length, and about as thick as a thumb. It is of a grass-green colour with black spots, and in appearance entirely resembles the silkworm.”

The account above describes a scheme to create a “God of Gods.” A movement towards a “supreme monotheistic deity,” as noted by William George Aston, which left its followers in a poor place. The promises this faith offered the people seemed to be genuine and decorated in happiness. It was even promoted by many of the wizards and witches at that time, and despite the emotional tranquility that it may have created among its followers, it ultimately left these people in a poor place in life. This was truly the work of black magic.

First, we know that god is not the creator and it is a blasphemy to associate one with the other. Readers can get a deeper explanation on this truth  by reading the article Where Can I Find Information That God and the Creator Are NOT One and the Same? The history of the caterpillar god reminds me of a passage in The Ivory Tablets of the Crow, which states:

“They learned the blasphemy of damnation and would recite the incantations and spells in reverse, which closed the doors to the outer worlds, while deceiving the children of men by their showy display and righteous character. Their deception and trickery is not easy to say in words, but it can be known because of their belief in one god.”

Monotheism is the epitome of black magic because it is unnatural. Many people wonder why the world is in the condition it is in today. The culture of modern man is infused with black magic, primarily by monotheism. As explained in some of our previous articles, the term  “god” was often times defined as an ancestor-shaman. A magical worker who labored for a particular tribe and was strengthened after death by the sacrifices given to him by his descendants. In the book, Spiritism and the Cult of the Dead in Antiquity, by Lewis Bayles Paton, we read the following:

“Sacrifice is a rite that has meaning only in the cult of the dead. The blood, in which the life of the animal resides, is poured out in order that the shades may drink of it and renew their vigour. Offerings of food and drink are not needed by celestial deities, but are needed by spirits of the dead, and have been offered to them from the earliest times…and were afterward extended to other divinities..”

Monotheism provided a way for conquering tribes to keep their captives as slaves. It works that the conquering tribe aligns its ancestor with the creator. These people would then force the worship of their ancestor, posing as the creator, upon other people. This would give the ancestor deity more strength where he could thereby bless his descendants with more than the captives who would now ignorantly pledge their lives in worship of this god that goes around posing as the creator. The altar of sacrifice is now life itself. Acts of genocide are purposefully orchestrated to feed this “jealous” god’s appetite. A god who boastfully claims that he will have “no other gods before him.” This is why the ruling class of today are descendants of the most popular monotheistic god worshipped. Monotheism is the epitome of black magic. If the majority of the people living in the world today keep worshipping this monotheistic evil, the problems of the world will increase.

Secondly, we are told that the people who fell into the ignorance and worship of the caterpillar deity were lured into doing so based on promises that their riches would increase and the “old would become young again.” This too is also a form of black magic. If we remember, Manly P. Hall was quoted earlier in this article, as saying:

“No man may justifiably demand anything except the fruitage of his own labors. Today, however, millions are seeking to reap where they have not sown, believing that the possession of a knowledge which them greater than their brethren entitles them to enslave the weaker and uninformed.”

Hall continues in the work cited:

“Happiness must be earned.” We are born with a divine birthright-a mind, a heart, two hands, and two feet. If any of these be missing at the time of our appearance, we have some other function proportionately developed to take its place. With these tools, we may go forth and earn happiness, but we have no right to assume that someone is going to thrust it upon us. We have come here for experience, as a child who goes to school. We may be happy in our studies, or we may curse them all the days of our lives. The wise are happy in doing the thing that should be done. When we command the universe to make well the sick or to make the rich poor, we know not whereof we speak; for in our zeal and ignorance we may be doing an irreparable injury to the one we love, like a parent who cannot deny their children the sweetmeats that they want. In granting their desires, we endanger both the lives and their future efficiency.”

Invoking one’s fantasy life instead of working diligently for it can often cause harm to ourselves and those that we love. It is no wonder that many who are deceived by wrathful spirits can boast about the great power that they wield, but can’t see that these same powers are the cause of the misfortune for them and their loved ones.

Shinto teaches us that we can gain our desired goals in life through hard work and effort. we must work on maintaining a pure heart and mind. Many of the rituals engaged in by Shinto practitioners address purity as a theme. it is the foundation of true spiritual work. Once effort has been put forth in this regard, spiritual forces aid in the cultivation of such things. One can only access the divine world in purity. In conclusion let us read the words recorded in The Yi Jing Apocrypha of Genghis Khan:

“It is the work of the Fool, like the baby that feeds from its mother’s breast. It is the work of the Fool. And the Fool will reach the Mountain of all that he has sacrificed to reach the Path of Knowing. When he has arrived at the foot of the Mountain, he will hear the voice of the wind giving him certain instructions. Above all, he must begin cleaning up the things that he has sacrificed on the journey, which is now the Mountain itself.

Be careful. It is a very difficult way of cleaning. It is ridding the mind of all the things that have caused us to be infatuated with ourselves. The Fool carries all the tools of the Magician. He thinks that he is a Magician because he has traveled on the journey for so long. He has all the tools of the Magician, but does not know how to use them. He came into possession of the Magician’s tools because he is the youngest son of the High Priestess like every other Fool. The Fool can only be a Fool. He can be nothing more than a Fool. In order for him to become a Magician, he must first destroy the Fool. Change cannot occur unless something is destroyed and made into something new. The Wind at the foot of the Mountain is different than the Wind at the crown of the Mountain.

When the Fool arrives at the foot of the Mountain, the voice of the Wind will instruct him. It will tell him to clean up the Mountain. This is no easy task for he has neglected so much, which must be amended in the faith of the virtue that was learned on the journey. It is during this process of cleaning that he can destroy the Fool and become a Magician. In cleaning up all that he has sacrificed on the journey, he must begin to use the tools of the Magician.

At first, he may fear the practice of becoming and being a Magician. It is a practice that does not appear similar to the great and wondrous things that he read about in books. When such is the case, you must know that the Fool has not been destroyed. Later, he will begin to measure his actions against the results they produced. When he finds such behavior displeasing, though it may appear pleasing in the eyes of the uninitiated, the Fool is beginning to die.

The Wind, his eldest sister and reflection of his mother, will persist in causing the destruction of the Fool. Such was the case with Xuz. It is written in the Ivory Tablets of the Crow:

“The people began treating Nudzuchi like an evil spirit. So Xuz took his family up to the mountains for a short while, teaching Johuta the wisdom of the lands that he acquired during his journeys, as well as, their mysterious languages, and the unique path that connects many lands, which were unknown to merchants during that time.”

The Magician is born when the Fool no longer thinks of himself as a Magician. The Wind at the foot of the Mountain is different than the Wind that blows upon its crown.”