The Actor as an Occultist

A friend of mine once told me that the paths of the actor and occultist are quite similar. With my local drama club’s auditions for ‘Neighbourhood Watch’ now upon us, this is something I’ve found myself considering.

I’ve long thought of the arts as numinous; that is, I believe that when an artist creates, they are accessing similar realms to those of the mystics. I think this is mostly done unconsciously; an artist certainly need not include concepts of spirituality as part of his belief system. In simple terms, I think that the creation of art is a spiritual enterprise, regardless of whether the creator is aware of this or believes in it.

Complexities of occultism notwithstanding, in the most basic sense, an occultist employs non-physical means – magick – to manifest physical results. The artist uses non-physical means – imagination – to produce a tangible product. To relate this to acting, a magician forms a vision of their intent and brings this to fruition via the medium of magick. An actor will work within the boundaries placed upon them by the writer and director’s vision, but will use their own creative skill to bring life to their character.

Both actors and occultists use material adornments to aid in their work. Actors will use stage props, costumes, or rather more technical apparel if they are working on a film. Many occultists will use candles, crystals, wands and costumes of their own in their spell work. But in both cases, the material items are not the main force behind the creation work. They are tools to help the process, and in the case of acting, to add realism to the project. But the essence of acting, as with the essence of occultism, is a non-material force invisible to the naked eye.

Actors and occultists both undergo changes in consciousness whilst at work. An occultist will usually meditate or use another technique to achieve the focus required for a successful magickal operation. Watching an actor is like watching someone under an enchantment. The rehearsing thespian is not so very different from the witch in a trance petitioning Aphrodite for help in their personal relationships.

As occultists shift their focus to a spiritual realm, actors shift their focus to the world in their script. Both temporarily remove themselves from the here and now, this physical portion of reality, and apply their consciousness to a separate environment. I’ve watched actors and directors ‘in the zone’; they are entirely divorced from their material homes and appear to be operating on an entirely different plane to that of the casual observer. So it is with occultists.

To me, imagination and spirituality are very much the same thing; I would even suggest that imagination is our connection to the spirit realm and the mind a tool we utilise to traverse it. It’s been a long time since I believed that imagination was mere fantasy; I think the universes and worlds and characters created by the imagination of writers each have a valid reality of their own, but on a plane that is physically inaccessible.

Looked at from this perspective, the paths of the actor and occultist are not so very different. One could propose that the creation of art is itself an act of magick. Indeed, the actor is a very fine occultist…