Distinguishing Magic from Occultism

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There is considerable confusion
between the concept of occultism

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and the idea of the practice of
magic.

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Whether considered white magic
or black magic, Occultism

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essentially is the science of
dealing with forces subliminal

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to our outer senses, but
nevertheless active and acting

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upon our being on the material
plane.

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Electricity is essentially an
occult force, working unseen but

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having palpable results of its
action.

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Those who learn how to generate,
channel, and put electricity to

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work are essentially practicing
occultism on the material plane.

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Similarly, there are forces that
act on the vital or mental

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planes, or even on the spiritual
planes that, while unobserved by

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our external senses,
nevertheless have their impact,

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follow their own laws of
development of action, and can

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be studied, harnessed and
utilized by those who take up

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the study of occultism.
Magic, on the other hand, is

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essentially a cookbook of
processes that are developed

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using various words, gestures,
symbols and prescribed actions

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designed to invoke a particular
energy or perhaps a vital being

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to accomplish some fixed task
set by the practitioner of

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magic, the Mother writes.
Quote.

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You must not mix up magic with
occultism.

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Occultism is a science and it is
the knowledge of invisible

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forces and the capacity to
handle them, as one has the

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capacity of handling material
forces if one has studied them

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scientifically.
Magic.

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These are different kinds of
processes which were fixed

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probably by people who had a
certain knowledge and still more

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a certain power of vital
formation.

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These things can be learned
without having any special

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capacity.
That is, someone who has no

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inner power can learn this as he
learns chemistry, for example,

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or mathematics.
It is one of the things which

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are learned like that.
It is not a thing one acquires,

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so it doesn't itself carry any
special virtues except the same

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kind of qualities as those one
learns through chemical

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manipulations.
You may reproduce these

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manipulations, but if you are an
intelligent and capable being,

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you can, by the help of these
manipulations, obtain an

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interesting and useful result
and in any case be sheltered

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from all danger, whereas if you
are an idiot, misfortunes may

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come to you.
It is something similar with the

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help of magical formulas.
One may produce a certain

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result, but this result is
necessarily limited and has no

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particular interest for those
who, through their inner

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development, spontaneously
receive powers of which they

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have a higher knowledge, not a
mechanical one.

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It is not for someone who is
truly a Yogi.

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It has no interest except that
of curiosity.

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It is interesting only for
people who are precisely not

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yogis and who want to have
certain powers which in fact

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they have in a very limited way.
It is always limited.

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What is special about it is that
it has a direct action upon

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matter, while usually, apart
from some rare exceptions, with

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people who have spiritual
powers, yogic powers, it acts

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through the intermediary of the
mental forces, usually either

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spiritual or mental forces,
sometimes of the vital forces,

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more rarely, but not directly
upon matter, except naturally

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with those who have done yoga in
matter.

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But these are exceptional cases
of which one doesn't speak.

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These things put into motion
certain small entities which are

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usually the result of the
decomposition of human beings,

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and yet have a sufficient
contact with the material world

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to be able to act there.
But anyhow, if the action is of

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a lower order, the power is of a
lower order, and it is something

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almost repugnant for one who is
truly in relation with the

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higher forces.
End Quote Reference Sri

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Aurobindo and the Mother, The
Hidden Forces of Life, Chapter

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5, Occult Forces, pages 103 to
105.