Literacy is interesting. Previously the only sanctioned literacy was of the priesthood, and only of the sacred texts. The word “talisman” was a reference to magicians marks, or to make marks like a magician. Tally was to make marks on a stick. The Norse did it to count sheep.  They made more complex marks than numbers, thus the runes, the men of the “logs” or sticks, and they did it on gold bracelets they wore also. We all practice the dark arts today as a matter of course.  The darks arts came from ancient trual dramas that involved slight of hand. This is how stage magic became a modern practice.

Is there a good reference (book/website/etc.) for these dark art facets in common usage? Regrettably it is sort of scattered but the research can be done. The influence of modern groups like the new age movement have had a strong agenda for encouraging people to keep politically correct. They have given any metaphysical practice a better public face, but it has muddled a lot. 

The occult should be occult.  The world occult comes from the Latin root occulo, referring to site. Any thing kept secret, or out of public knowledge, is occult. In fact, there is evidence that some of the political parties of the day have “occult roots”. The Masonic lodge which stems back to Egyptian culture adopted a lot of hermetic symbolism which was adopted by the Greeks from the Egyptians.

The information is there but scattered. Less diluted when taken from the order of the golden dawn, or the orders founded by Crowley. You can reference the black book of the Yezidi faith, or the Norse eddas. It is scattered, but still the lore is present. The cultures have shaped our moderns beliefs.

Your thoughts are welcome. Be well friends.

Travis Saunders
Dragon Intuitive
~science,mysticism,spirituality~