As we learn from the passage, occult practices in our time ----.

Unlike the older forms of occultism, such as magic and
astrology, organized occultism is a modern phenomenon.
Few of the various organized occult movements have
existed for more than 150 years; some were formed as a
belated counter movement to the Enlightenment, when
people began to follow rational schools of thought. Today's
occult views are based on the idea that there are events
within nature, as well as within one's spiritual life, which
seem mysterious and cannot be explained by science.
Examples include extrasensory perceptions such as
telepathy and telekinesis, and haunted places or people.
Believers maintain that these phenomena stem from
unknown powers that can often be accessed only by some
people with special abilities.