Isaac Newton and the Meaning of Occult
What ideas pop in your head when you read the word occult? If you have some familiarity with the subject, you may think of the Journey of Self Knowledge, of Hermes and the Emerald Tablet, of the Kabbalah, of Ceremonial Magick, of Angels and Archangels, of Alchemy and Completing the Great Work.
If you are not so familiar with these subjects, you might think of some unsavory characters in robes in a dimly lit room, drawing pentagrams in blood and casting evil spells. You might think of “devil” worshipers, of Satan, of witches in black hats lighting candles at a dark altar. You may even think of famous cults or serial killers that we have mythologized through movies and “true crime” documentaries.
This imagery in our mind is the direct product of media conditioning and propaganda. Not only is it blatantly inaccurate, it is an example of one of humankind’s most ancient thought control systems.
This “evil” occult representation is an explicit attempt to instill fear surrounding the tools of spiritual actualization that threaten the prevailing authoritative control systems of their age.
To better understand occultism, we can look at the life of the great scientist, Isaac Newton.
Isaac Newton, in between constructing the foundation for all of Physics and Calculus, was an accomplished alchemist and occultist, probably one of the best of all time. He kept this hidden his entire life, fearing what might happen if this was discovered.
More than likely, he would have been stripped of his university standing and ousted from the academic community of his time. Alchemy, in the form of turning lead into gold, was also illegal by decree of the English Government, so he might have even been jailed.
Newton began his work in Alchemy even before his groundbreaking discovery of gravity, and he began working deeply with Alchemy at the exact same time he developed Calculus for the first time. He also translated the Emerald Tablet into English for the first time in history.
Had Newton been discovered for his work in the occult and exiled from academia, his later discoveries may have very well been lost to obscurity, or never happened at all.
It was over 200 years after Newton’s death until his private papers came to light. We discovered he had written over one million words on Alchemy alone and spent decades conducting alchemical research in secret. Before his death, he burned many of his writings, and his niece burned even more. This was a matter of protecting his legacy and mainstream discoveries.
As the academic community at large enjoyed the fruits of Newton’s genius breakthroughs, the power structures that he operated within shunned the very roots of alchemical knowledge that helped him make those breakthroughs in the first place.
Another key to understanding Newton is his life as a devout Christian. He wrote more commentary on the Bible than he did on Physics.
Newton believed that the Church had become corrupted, and followed Christian ideas that were considered heretical at the time (such as Arianism - a rejection of the Trinity). In fact, Isaac Newton was likely one of the most religious scientists of all time, while also being one of the most accomplished alchemists of all time.
Does this fit the radical image of devil worshiping that we are conditioned to believe is associated with the occult? Did this devout Christian genius, a man who participated in the Divine Alchemical Science of the Self and contributed more to our scientific understanding of the universe than possibly any other human being, really worship Satan? To think so is counter intuitive to Newton’s entire identity.
Even though Isaac Newton’s life was likely not literally in danger like occultists who came before him, his way of life absolutely was, and his ability to contribute to the scientific community was in jeopardy at all times. This was exactly why he kept this part of his life hidden, which in itself helps us understand the term “occult.”
Occult means “hidden” or “secret.” It comes from the Latin occultus. In some ways it is a blanket term, as it refers to a very broad category of philosophies and mystical practices, but primarily it refers to esoteric or “hidden” information.
One of the major motivations for keeping occult information hidden was the consequences of persecution, which historically were often lethal. In Newton’s case, it was hidden to protect his way of life and academic discoveries.
Another primary motivator for keeping this type of information hidden was to protect it. Dating all the way back to the ancient mystery schools of Egypt, and the secret societies of Pythagoras in ancient Greece, organizations were formed to pass down this information in its purest form. Initiations were conducted, and the tools of Self Knowledge were shrouded in mystery and ritual.
Often times, this information was hidden even further by cloaking it in symbolism, the key to which was only passed down orally or with immense caution.
It is thanks to this caution that any of this information survived countless wars and inquisitions. Many governments and religious power structures throughout human history attempted to destroy it for good, knowing the unrest to those structures that might occur if the information fell into the hands of the people. To protect their power, they worked hard to instill fear surrounding occult information and persecute those who seek it and obtain it.
Where does this leave us now? To tell you the truth, Pandora’s Box has been blown wide open. The advent of the internet means that the dissemination of information cannot truly be controlled, and many rare occult books that were once extremely difficult to come by are now available in .pdf format with a quick search online.
This does not mean that the authoritative tools to control this information have vanished. Instead, these tools have shifted focus to more subliminal strategies.
Ironically, these very strategies are a real world example of what actual occultism looks like when used to fulfill dark ambitions.
They do not look like the Hollywood version of Satanic rituals, but are instead occult tools used for thought control and propaganda as a means of perpetuating the prevailing authoritative control systems. They depend on manufacturing conflicting dualities, and understanding us better than we understand ourselves.
This is the modern day version of book burning and persecution: deflection, distortion, and corruption of the information that leads to self-actualization. If Pandora’s Box cannot be closed, then the systems which benefit from an unawakened populace will find new ways to keep the information out of reach.
A hammer can be used to build just as it can be used to destroy, but if we do not pick up the hammer ourselves, we allow somebody else to pick it up on our behalf.
Spiritual authority is Internal, everything you seek is Within. Divine revelation does not require any external influence, and the tools given to us through occultism are merely aids in each of our respective journeys into Self Knowledge.
Throughout this publication, we will be exploring much of the aforementioned occult information and tools through an objective lens. These are tools that can be used to develop the Self and thereby shape reality, much like a chisel can be used to shape marble.
The Inner reflects the Outer. To know the Self is to know the Universe.
Isaac Newton used his understanding of the occult to aid in his quest to peer beyond the inner workings of the universe. How will you use yours?
“That which is below is like that which is above & that which is above is like that which is below, to do the miracles of one only thing” - Isaac Newton’s translation of the Tabula Smaragdina, also known as, the Emerald Tablet (pictured below).
