I've gone down the rabbit hole these last few months really trying to figure out the occult and from what I've read and experienced, I can tell you with certainty that it's real.
Occult practices are all based around exploiting parts of the human mind and body. It's like the lesser known features that don't generally get taught to people because they're either extremely difficult to actually practice or potentially dangerous (both are true)
The Freemasons knew about this stuff. Hillary Clinton and John Podesta hinted towards extremely specific practices all throughout the WikiLeaks. I don't even think most people picked up the that the time of day they were sending certain messages had ritual significance.
Anyway, this stuff is scary af but also very useful in the world. I've incorporated some of the safer practices into my daily routine (meditation, constant intentionality, thought-feeling separation) and I've noticed an insane change in my life. If anyone has questions about the occult I'd be happy to answer.
I was absolutely about to post some of Mark Passios work, great recommendation! His lectures are bar none, Freemasonry to Ordo templi Orentis this guy knows exactly what he is taking about and will not bullshit you even for a second.