Lately I've become somewhat addicted to studying the occult. Mostly western occultism but also kabbalah, Christian esotericism and even stuff like Theosophy and Aleister Crowley. Hearing the WikiLeaks stuff kind of planted the seed for me and now that these books are really easy to access, I've found myself really absorbed into that world.
It's extremely interesting but also very useful. I totally understand how knowing this stuff can separate average people from the true leaders of society. It does make you more powerful. It reveals how the world around us is manipulated and shaped by will. I think every leader or politician must have studied this before. It's the master key to power.
I've read a bit of Hermetics. Haven't started practicing yet.