Nightmare Culture is a 12" split vinyl EP by Current 93 and Sickness of Snakes , which was John Balance and Peter Christopherson from Coil and Boyd Rice .
52-483: The first pressing was limited to 5000 copies with a seal on the cover. The second pressing came out in 1988. It came without an insert and with different center labels. For this release Current 93 were: David Tibet , Ruby Wallis, Steven Stapleton , John Balance, Steve Ignorant and John Murphy . The Current 93 song was later pressed on the CD reissue of "In Menstrual Night". The Sickness of Snakes songs were later released on
104-674: A Russian émigré living in the United States who founded the religion of Theosophy . The article was published in the American Spiritualist magazine, Spiritual Scientist . Various twentieth-century writers on the subject used the term occultism in different ways. Some writers, such as the German philosopher Theodor W. Adorno in his "Theses Against Occultism", employed the term as a broad synonym for irrationality . In his 1950 book L'occultisme , Robert Amadou [ fr ] used
156-576: A corpse in my arms The album was pressed in the Netherlands with catalogue number LAY 14. In 2011, Boyd Rice prepared a limited re-issue of the three Sickness of Snakes tracks on CD and a single-side twelve-inch vinyl, which was finally released in January 2013. On the front cover and liner notes, John Balance is referred to by his legal name, Geff Rushton. Side A: Side B: David Tibet David Tibet (born David Michael Bunting ; 5 March 1960)
208-461: A disenchanted world or, alternatively, by people in general to make sense of esotericism from the perspective of a disenchanted secular world". Hanegraaff noted that this etic usage of the term would be independent of emic usages of the term employed by occultists and other esotericists themselves. In this definition, occultism covers many esoteric currents that have developed from the mid-nineteenth century onward, including Spiritualism, Theosophy,
260-550: A near-fatal case of appendicitis . In 2009, he completed a MA degree in Coptic Language and Grammar through Macquarie University . David was married to the musician and artist Andria Degens, known as "Pantaleimon", who contributed to Current 93 albums between 1996 and 2009. They divorced around 2010. He lives in Hastings with his partner Ania Goszczyńska, an illustrator. The Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections at
312-508: A substantivized adjective as "the occult", a term that has been particularly widely used among journalists and sociologists . This term was popularised by the publication of Colin Wilson 's 1971 book The Occult . This term has been used as an "intellectual waste-basket" into which a wide array of beliefs and practices have been placed because they do not fit readily into the categories of religion or science. According to Hanegraaff, "the occult"
364-539: A variety of occult topics. His interest in Aleister Crowley and Thelema began at age 11 when he purchased The Diary of a Drug Fiend at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Kuala Lumpur . Thelemic concepts appear aspects of the covers, lyrics and themes of Current 93 (including the group's name itself). The initial recording of Current 93, LAShTAL , was, according to Tibet, "the invocation of Malkunofath on
416-459: Is a category into which gets placed a range of beliefs from "spirits or fairies to parapsychological experiments, from UFO-abductions to Oriental mysticism, from vampire legends to channelling, and so on". The neologism occulture used within the industrial music scene of the late twentieth century was probably coined by one of its central figures, the musician and occultist Genesis P-Orridge . The scholar of religion Christopher Partridge used
468-676: Is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mysticism . It can also refer to paranormal ideas such as extra-sensory perception and parapsychology . The term occult sciences was used in 16th-century Europe to refer to astrology , alchemy , and natural magic . The term occultism emerged in 19th-century France , among figures such as Antoine Court de Gébelin . It came to be associated with various French esoteric groups connected to Éliphas Lévi and Papus , and in 1875
520-711: Is an English poet, artist and musician. He is best known for the musical group Current 93 , which he founded and is the only consistent member of, along with his contributions to the band Death in June . David Bunting was born to British parents in Batu Gajah , Perak , Malaysia . His father had fought in World War II and was among the soldiers who liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp . He lived in Malaysia until 1970, when he
572-524: Is thus often used to categorise such esoteric traditions as Qabalah , Spiritualism , Theosophy , Anthroposophy , Wicca , the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn , New Age , and the left-hand path and right-hand path . Use of the term as a nominalized adjective ('the occult') has developed especially since the late twentieth century. In that same period, occult and culture were combined to form
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#1732858788044624-515: The Cornell University Library holds his archives through 2013. Tibet was first exposed to Hinduism , Buddhism , and Taoism in Malaysia. He also showed an interest in esoteric Christianity from an early age, and still identifies as a Christian. Tibet's mysticism is derived from such varied fields as religion, philosophy, witchcraft, poetry and painting. As his stage name suggests, he has Vajrayana Buddhist leanings, and regards
676-753: The German Empire , Austria-Hungary , and the Kingdom of Italy . Unlike older forms of esotericism, occultism does not necessarily reject "scientific progress or modernity". Lévi had stressed the need to solve the conflict between science and religion, something that he believed could be achieved by turning to what he thought was the ancient wisdom found in magic. The French scholar of Western esotericism Antoine Faivre noted that rather than outright accepting "the triumph of scientism", occultists sought "an alternative solution", trying to integrate "scientific progress or modernity" with "a global vision that will serve to make
728-538: The Middle Ages , for example, magnetism was considered an occult quality. Aether is another such element. Newton 's contemporaries severely criticized his theory that gravity was effected through "action at a distance", as occult. In the English-speaking world, notable figures in the development of occultism included Helena Blavatsky and other figures associated with her Theosophical Society, senior figures in
780-650: The antichrist and dedicated the Current 93 song "Hitler as Kalki " to "my father who fought Hitler". After leaving university, he worked with Psychic TV and 23 Skidoo . He is credited on the Psychic TV albums Force the Hand of Chance and Dreams Less Sweet . Tibet left Psychic TV in 1983 and founded Current 93, of which he is the only constant member. Current 93's initial recordings consisted largely of harsh, repetitive industrial noise and dark ambient soundscapes. Under
832-471: The neologism occulture . The occult (from the Latin word occultus ; lit. 'clandestine', 'hidden', 'secret') is "knowledge of the hidden". In common usage, occult refers to "knowledge of the paranormal ", as opposed to "knowledge of the measurable ", usually referred to as science. The terms esoteric and arcane can also be used to describe the occult, in addition to their meanings unrelated to
884-513: The "traditional esotericism" which accepted the premise of an "enchanted" world. According to the British historian of Western esotericism Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke , occultist groups typically seek "proofs and demonstrations by recourse to scientific tests or terminology". In his work about Lévi, the German historian of religion Julian Strube has argued that the occultist wish for a "synthesis" of religion, science, and philosophy directly resulted from
936-758: The 2006 five-CD compilation Not Alone to raise funds for Médecins Sans Frontières . Tibet's 'The Moons At Your Door,' an anthology of 'strange tales that influenced' Tibet illustrated by his own artwork, was released in Paperback Edition in March 2016. He also was the editor of a follow-up anthology of supernatural short stories, titled "There is a Graveyard that Dwells in Man" published in 2020. Most writers below are authors of supernatural and horror fiction . Occult The occult (from Latin : occultus , lit. ' hidden ' or ' secret ' )
988-615: The Coil compilation Unnatural History . "His Body Was a Playground for the Nazi Elite" (issued later on CD) then appeared on the NON album Easy Listening for Iron Youth as "Predator/Prey". "Various Hands" later appeared on the Boyd Rice album The Way I Feel' under the title "Many Hands". The vinyl is etched as follows: Side A: Time for tea and feed the thing. Side B: I slept with Faith and woke up with
1040-511: The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn like William Wynn Westcott and Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers , as well as other individuals such as Paschal Beverly Randolph , Emma Hardinge Britten , Arthur Edward Waite , and – in the early twentieth century – Aleister Crowley , Dion Fortune , and Israel Regardie . By the end of the nineteenth century, occultist ideas had also spread into other parts of Europe, such as
1092-553: The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and the New Age. Employing this etic understanding of "occultism", Hanegraaff argued that its development could begin to be seen in the work of the Swedish esotericist Emanuel Swedenborg and in the Mesmerist movement of the eighteenth century, although added that occultism only emerged in "fully-developed form" as Spiritualism, a movement that developed in
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#17328587880441144-702: The Nightside of Eden , the reverse of the Tree of Life ". Despite his continuing appreciation for Crowley as an individual, Tibet has since distanced himself from Crowleyanity. In April 2006, Ordo Templi Orientis formed the International OTO Cabinet, an advisory, non-voting panel made up of both OTO Initiates and Non-Initiates. Tibet was named among the initial non-member appointments. Although collaborators such as Douglas P. and Boyd Rice have alleged neo-Nazi connections, Tibet himself has referred to Hitler as
1196-494: The United States during the mid-nineteenth century. Marco Pasi suggested that the use of Hanegraaff's definition might cause confusion by presenting a group of nineteenth-century esotericists who called themselves "occultists" as just one part of a broader category of esotericists whom scholars would call "occultists". Following these discussions, Julian Strube argued that Lévi and other contemporary authors who would now be regarded as esotericists developed their ideas not against
1248-468: The background of an esoteric tradition in the first place. Rather, Lévi's notion of occultism emerged in the context of highly influential radical socialist movements and widespread progressive, so-called neo-Catholic ideas. This further complicates Hanegraaff's characteristics of occultism, since, throughout the nineteenth century, they apply to these reformist movements rather than to a supposed group of esotericists. The term occult has also been used as
1300-440: The concept of science. From that point on, use of "occult science(s)" implied a conscious polemic against mainstream science. Nevertheless, the philosopher and card game historian Michael Dummett , whose analysis of the historical evidence suggested that fortune-telling and occult interpretations using cards were unknown before the 18th century, said that the term occult science was not misplaced because "people who believe in
1352-401: The context of contemporary socialism and progressive Catholicism . Similar to spiritualism, but in declared opposition to it, the emergence of occultism should thus be seen within the context of radical social reform, which was often concerned with establishing new forms of "scientific religion" while at the same time propagating the revival of an ancient tradition of "true religion". Indeed,
1404-449: The context of theoretical frameworks that relied heavily on a belief in occult qualities, virtues or forces." Although there are areas of overlap between these different occult sciences, they are separate and in some cases practitioners of one would reject the others as being illegitimate. During the Age of Enlightenment , occultism increasingly came to be seen as intrinsically incompatible with
1456-504: The early modern Lutheran thinker Jakob Bohme , and seeking to integrate ideas from Bohmian theosophy and occultism. It has been noted, however, that this distancing from the Theosophical Society should be understood in the light of polemical identity formations among esotericists towards the end of the nineteenth century. In the mid-1990s, a new definition of "occultism" was put forth by Wouter Hanegraaff. According to Hanegraaff,
1508-713: The emergence of both modern esotericism and socialism in July Monarchy France have been inherently intertwined. Another feature of occultists is that – unlike earlier esotericists – they often openly distanced themselves from Christianity, in some cases (like that of Crowley) even adopting explicitly anti-Christian stances. This reflected how pervasive the influence of secularisation had been on all areas of European society. In rejecting Christianity, these occultists sometimes turned towards pre-Christian belief systems and embraced forms of Modern Paganism , while others instead took influence from
1560-514: The influence of Death in June , Tibet began incorporating neo-folk elements that would come to dominate Current 93's music. Tibet has had a reciprocal relationship with other musicians and groups. Steven Stapleton of Nurse With Wound appeared on nearly every Current 93 release until 2010, while Tibet has appeared on many Nurse With Wound releases and collaborations with Stapleton. Death in June members Douglas P. and Tony Wakeford appeared on Current 93 releases from 1987 until 1993, while Tibet
1612-720: The legendary tantric figure Padmasambhava as his own tutor. His album Buddhist Monks of the Maitri Vihar Monastery (1997) reflects his interest in Tibetan Buddhism. He also has longstanding interests in Christian mysticism and esoteric Christianity , especially Christian eschatology , and his lyrical subject matter reflects a consistent preoccupation with such apocalyptic imagery as death, loss, and destruction. Other influences include Gnosticism , Austin Osman Spare , and
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1664-534: The mid-19th century and their descendants. Occultism is thus often used to categorise such esoteric traditions as Spiritualism, Theosophy, Anthroposophy, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and New Age. A different division was used by the Traditionalist author René Guénon , who used esotericism to describe what he believed was the Traditionalist, inner teaching at the heart of most religions, while occultism
1716-509: The names Maldoror (referring to Les Chants de Maldoror ), Durtro (from the Tibetan word for charnel ground ), Jnana Records, Coptic Cat, The Spheres, Ghost Story Press, and Cashen's Gap (named for the home of Gef ). These businesses publish and release his own work, as well as the work of artists he has collaborated with or has an interest in. The first album by Antony And The Johnsons was released by Durtro. Together with Mark Logan, he curated
1768-737: The nineteenth century and their twentieth-century derivations. In a descriptive sense, it has been used to describe forms of esotericism which developed in nineteenth-century France, especially in the Neo-Martinist environment. According to the historian of esotericism Antoine Faivre , it is with the esotericist Éliphas Lévi that "the occultist current properly so-called" first appears. Other prominent French esotericists involved in developing occultism included Papus , Stanislas de Guaita , Joséphin Péladan , Georges-Albert Puyou de Pouvourville , and Jean Bricaud . The idea of occult sciences developed in
1820-519: The older term occult , much as the term esotericism derives from the older term esoteric . However, the historian of esotericism Wouter Hanegraaff stated that it was important to distinguish between the meanings of the term occult and occultism . Occultism is not a homogenous movement and is widely diverse. Over the course of its history, the term occultism has been used in various different ways. However, in contemporary uses, occultism commonly refers to forms of esotericism that developed in
1872-469: The possibility of unveiling the future or of exercising supernormal powers do so because the efficacy of the methods they employ coheres with some systematic conception which they hold of the way the universe functions...however flimsy its empirical basis." In his 1871 book Primitive Culture , the anthropologist Edward Tylor used the term "occult science" as a synonym for magic . Occult qualities are properties that have no known rational explanation; in
1924-417: The recent socialist teachings of Charles Fourier . The French esotericist Éliphas Lévi then used the term in his influential book on ritual magic , Dogme et rituel de la haute magie , first published in 1856. Lévi was familiar with that work and might have borrowed the term from there. In any case, Lévi also claimed to be a representative of an older tradition of occult science or occult philosophy. It
1976-470: The religions of Asia, such as Hinduism and Buddhism . In various cases, certain occultists did both. Another characteristic of these occultists was the emphasis that they placed on "the spiritual realization of the individual", an idea that would strongly influence the twentieth-century New Age and Human Potential Movement . This spiritual realization was encouraged both through traditional Western 'occult sciences' like alchemy and ceremonial magic , but by
2028-436: The religious or philosophical belief systems on which such practices are based. This division was initially adopted by the early academic scholar of esotericism, Antoine Faivre, although he later abandoned it; it has been rejected by most scholars who study esotericism. By the 21st century the term was commonly employed – including by academic scholars of esotericism – to refer to a range of esoteric currents that developed in
2080-503: The sixteenth century. The term usually encompassed three practices – astrology, alchemy, and natural magic – although sometimes various forms of divination were also included rather than being subsumed under natural magic. These were grouped together because, according to the Dutch scholar of hermeticism Wouter Hanegraaff , "each one of them engaged in a systematic investigation of nature and natural processes, in
2132-411: The start of the twentieth century had also begun to include practices drawn from non-Western contexts, such as yoga . Although occultism is distinguished from earlier forms of esotericism, many occultists have also been involved in older esoteric currents. For instance, occultists like François-Charles Barlet [ fr ] and Rudolf Steiner were also theosophers , adhering to the ideas of
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2184-553: The supernatural. The term occult sciences was used in the 16th century to refer to astrology , alchemy , and natural magic . The earliest known usage of the term occultism is in the French language, as l'occultisme . In this form it appears in A. de Lestrange's article that was published in Dictionnaire des mots nouveaux ("Dictionary of new words") by Jean-Baptiste Richard de Radonvilliers [ fr ] in 1842. However, it
2236-461: The term occultism can be used not only for the nineteenth-century groups which openly self-described using that term but can also be used in reference to "the type of esotericism that they represent". Seeking to define occultism so that the term would be suitable "as an etic category" for scholars, Hanegraaff devised the following definition: "a category in the study of religions, which comprises "all attempts by esotericists to come to terms with
2288-427: The term as a synonym for esotericism, an approach that the later scholar of esotericism Marco Pasi suggested left the term superfluous. Unlike Amadou, other writers saw occultism and esotericism as different, albeit related, phenomena. In the 1970s, the sociologist Edward A. Tiryakian distinguished between occultism, which he used in reference to practices, techniques, and procedures, and esotericism, which he defined as
2340-719: The term in an academic sense, stating that occulture was "the new spiritual environment in the West; the reservoir feeding new spiritual springs; the soil in which new spiritualities are growing". Recently scholars have offered perspectives on the occult as intertwined with media and technology. Examples include the work of film and media theorist Jeffrey Sconce and religious studies scholar John Durham Peters , both of whom suggest that occult movements historically utilize media and apparatuses as tools to reveal hidden aspects of reality or laws of nature. Erik Davis in his book Techgnosis gives an overview of occultism both ancient and modern from
2392-401: The vacuousness of materialism more apparent". The Dutch scholar of hermeticism Wouter Hanegraaff remarked that occultism was "essentially an attempt to adapt esotericism" to the " disenchanted world ", a post-Enlightenment society in which growing scientific discovery had eradicated the "dimension of irreducible mystery" previously present. In doing so, he noted, occultism distanced itself from
2444-484: Was a member of Death in June from the mid-'80s to 1995. Many other mutual collaborators, such as Jhonn Balance of Coil , were also part of the community surrounding Psychic TV. Tibet is an established visual artist with much of his work in well-known galleries such as the Henry Boxer Gallery and Isis Gallery. His exhibitions include: Tibet has created a series of record labels and small publishing houses under
2496-602: Was from his usage of the term occultisme that it gained wider usage; according to Faivre, Lévi was "the principal exponent of esotericism in Europe and the United States" at that time. The term occultism emerged in 19th-century France, where it came to be associated with various French esoteric groups connected to Éliphas Lévi and Papus , The earliest use of the term occultism in the English language appears to be in "A Few Questions to 'Hiraf'", an 1875 article by Helena Blavatsky ,
2548-445: Was introduced into the English language by the esotericist Helena Blavatsky . Throughout the 20th century, the term 'occult' was used idiosyncratically by a range of different authors. By the 21st century the term 'occultism' was commonly employed –including by academic scholars in the field of Western esotericism studies – to refer to a range of esoteric currents that developed in the mid-19th century and their descendants. Occultism
2600-578: Was not related, at this point, to the notion of Ésotérisme chrétien , as has been claimed by Hanegraaff, but to describe a political "system of occulticity" that was directed against priests and aristocrats. In 1853, the Freemasonic author Jean-Marie Ragon had already used occultisme in his popular work Maçonnerie occulte , relating it to earlier practices that, since the Renaissance , had been termed "occult sciences" or "occult philosophy", but also to
2652-446: Was sent to England to attend the (at the time all-boys) Red House School , an experience he has spoken poorly of. He attended Newcastle University . He was given the name "Tibet" by Genesis P-Orridge while working with Psychic TV in the early '80s. In January 2005 he announced that he would revert to the name David Michael, although he continues to use the well-known "Tibet" in his public career to date. Around 2000, he suffered
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#17328587880442704-427: Was used pejoratively to describe new religions and movements that he disapproved of, such as Spiritualism, Theosophy, and various secret societies . Guénon's use of this terminology was adopted by later writers like Serge Hutin and Luc Benoist . As noted by Hanegraaff, Guénon's use of these terms are rooted in his Traditionalist beliefs and "cannot be accepted as scholarly valid". The term occultism derives from
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