‘Occult’ Products And Services
THE NATIONAL INTEREST in occult and the unexplained has perhaps never been greater. Of course, we’ve always been fascinated by mysticism, superstition, ghosts and other unexplainable phenomena, and always will be. Astrology, ghosts, UFOs, demonology, voodoo, ESP, telepathy, reincarnation – there is an endless list of subjects that continue to enchant, frighten and enthrall us.
Thus there are many possible low cost enterprises you could set up selling products or services which tap into people’s obsession with the occult and unexplained. Here are a few idea:
- Visits, trips and holidays
People are fascinated by places that are reputed to be haunted, or where there has been a UFO sighting or some other paranormal even. A little research would undercover a huge list of such places, to which you could organize visits and holidays, perhaps offering a guided tour.
A huge number of houses and castles around the country are said to be haunted and it may be possible to visit and even spend the night at many of them. The city of York prides itself on being ‘the most haunted city in England’ and makes much money from taking tourists around its Ghost Trail. There is no reason why you couldn’t make similar money by conducting your own tours and holidays in places off the beaten track. You could even offer ‘ghost busting’ trips, where enthusiasts can conduct their own research into the paranormal.
Also, there are plenty of places across Britain that are supposed to have magic and / or healing powers, obvious examples being Stonehenge, Avebury Ring can Glastonbury Tor. You could, therefore, provide trips to stone circles and places on ley lines, or to the sites of pagan and ancient religious festivals.
Advertise in the travel sections of newspapers, in occult-related publications such as the Fortean Times or over use travel agents to sell your services.
- Haunted evenings
A variation on the above, haunted evenings could be held in an old hotel or castle banqueting hall that offers overnight accommodation, preferably one reputed to be haunted. You would provide guests with a meal and drinks and the surroundings would be decorated in a suitably spooky manner. You may need to hire in catering staff / facilities and a bar.
To make it a memorable occasion actors could be used to wander around the proceedings, perhaps dressed as ghosts, ghouls and headless specters. Hauntings, mock beheadings, thunderclaps, lights cutting out and similar events could carry on around the guests as they eat and drink. The theme could continue if they are staying overnight, why ghostly apparitions and wailings in and around the guests’ rooms.
Not an event for easily-sacred, but the haunted evenings could prove to be very popular and you could charge accordingly.
- Real life occult experience cassettes and videos
A range of audio cassettes featuring interviews with people who have had, for example, supernatural experiences, or personal involvement / experience in any paranormal or occult phenomena, is likely to be extremely popular.
Subjects to use could be ghosts and poltergeists, UFOs, out of body experiences, re-incarnation, strange predictions and co-incidences, or any other weird and wonderful phenomena. Piece together interviews with people who have had true life experience of these events, advertising for them in the ‘occult’ publications, and perhaps paying them a small fee. Also included could be radio / TV news reports of particular events.
This could be tied in with a magazine or newsletter expanding upon what is contained on the tapes, including things like newspaper reports and pictures. Contact a newspaper clippings agency to obtain your sources. If you are really ambitious and skilled in the area you could create true life occult experience videos instead.
- Re-incarnation certificates
Many people believe in re-incarnation and feel that they have been someone else in a previous life. Why not start a postal business selling novel ‘previous life’ birth and death certificates, giving personal details such as name, occupation, place of origin and date of birth / death?
You could even offer a service using occult methods to identify pervious lives. Another idea is to start a newsletter and / or re-incarnation club. This could include ways to identify previous lives, plus other people’s former lives and experiences, and subscribers could write in to swap stories and get in touch with like-minded people.
- Psychic phenomena school / correspondence club
A school of psychic phenomena and the unknown, teaching people about subjects such as UFOs, ghosts, ESP, the Lock Ness Monster and so on, will be popular with occultists and also people with a passing interest.
The course could be divided up into sections on different topics, covering things like actual events, the views of different experts and scientific research. Each part of the course could have a test section, and every one completing the course should be awarded a certificate and diploma.
Linked in with the school could be a newsletter and correspondence club, whereby people could write in to air their views and seek out people with similar interests.
- Ghost story tapes
People love to be scared, and ghost story tapes are a good way to cash in on this. Each tape would feature one or a series of spooky stories guaranteed to scare people out of their wits
You could do your own research to discover ghost stories from the region, or even write your own. Ideally you should get someone with a good ‘spooky sounding’ speaking voice to narrate the stories, or even have them acted out in a play format, adding scary sound effects where appropriate.
Get the tapes stocked at local retailers, or sell them by mail order, advertising them in ‘occult’ publications and the local press.
- Voodoo products
Voodoo is an interesting and macabre subject likely to draw in potential punters. You could manufacture voodoo dolls, so that when pins are stuck in parts of its body a pain is, theoretically, felt by the target person. Whether it actually works or not doesn’t matter it makes the user feel better!
A less vindictive variation is to manufacture voodoo brains. The ‘brain’ is divided up into areas such as love, stress, pain, anxiety and friendship, and the desired effect is achieved when pins are stuck into the different areas. Voodoo powder is and alternative, the idea is being that when the powder is put onto the target (or their photograph) they fall under the influence of the powder’s owner.
All of these products are ideal for gift, joke and occult type shops, of for selling by mail order.
- UFOs
Apparently true tales of UFO landings, alien encounters and government cover-ups continue to fascinate us. By gathering up this kinds of information there are various related products and services you can develop to exploit the public’s enduring interest in aliens.
You could gather together news reports and interviews with people who have had alien encounters and produce a series of magazines, a book, a cassette or a video. Alternatively, set up a newsletter or correspondence club for people who have had these encounters, or run trips for enthusiasts to places where there have been UFO sightings.
- Occult book club
There are many books available covering all kind of occult topics. You could set up an occult book club, whereby you produce a regular catalogue listing book titles, authors, publishers and prices under different headings. Advertise your service in general newspapers and magazines as well as the ‘occult’ press.
A basic book club is inexpensive to set up as your catalogue need only be a simple black and white photocopied affair, and you would not need a large amount of stock. You could also offer a book finding service or sell recommended reading lists covering different occult subjects.
- Astrological services
Astrology is big business, and whatever your views on the merits of people like Mystic Meg, Patric Walker and Russell Grant there is no denying that these people have done extremely well for themselves and become hugely popular.
If you have a knowledge of astrology (or even if you don’t) the obvious place to begin is by writing and selling your own astrological column. Magazines, local newspapers and other publications often buy them through national syndicates, and there is nothing stopping you from approaching them and offering to supply them with your own column to many different publications. By doing this you can help establish your name and expand your service to include other areas and services.
Another option is to do personal astrological readings by post. People send in a few personal details, including their name, address, date and time of birth, plus their payment, and you send back their reading for the coming year, or their personal profile. Because this can be done by post you could also tie it in with a postal question and answer service or correspondence club, or a personal introduction service based on people’s stars.
You could also set up a stall giving face-to-face readings, operating at markets, fairs, tourist’s sites or by the roadside – people love having their personalities analyzed and this service could be very popular. Even if you have no knowledge or interest in astrology you could set up an agency hiring out astrologers (or even fortune tellers, palmologists, numerologists, graphologists and magicians) for parties, weddings, fairs and other events.
- Star sign and astrological products
Given the public interest in astrology and star signs there are numerous related products you could develop that have a good chance of selling well. By developing t-shirts, badges, scarves, hats and ties people will literally be able to wear their star sign, which – in theory –will attract compatible people.
You could also develop cards or charts enabling people to read their own stars, or a dairy showing people’s stars for each day of the year. Even recipes or cookbooks showing suitable meals for people of different star signs could prove popular. Virtually anything can be given an astrological slant if you use your imagination.
Although producing a catalogue of products and selling by mail order is perhaps the best / cheapest way to start (advertise in women’s lifestyle and specialist magazines and local newspapers), you could also get retailers to stock your wares.
- Fortune telling and palmistry
People love mystique of the tent-based gypsy style fortune teller, so there are plenty of opportunities in this area.
Again, you could set up a tent at markets, fairs and tourist sites, reading palms, tea leaves, and Tarot cards and telling fortunes. An excellent variation is to do special readings for the parents of new-born babies, which could make a novel new birth gift.
If you have no prior knowledge of these skills there are plenty of books available which will teach you. If you do, then why not set up a postal correspondence course on the subject?
Strictly speaking although some people claim to have special powers, the art of telling fortunes from looking into crystal balls is essentially based on being able to ask the right questions and read people’s responses. However, this is an art in itself which can be learnt, and if you are skilled in this then you too could write a book or course on the subject.
- Predictions and fortune products
Plenty of products can be developed that relate to fortune telling and palmistry. ‘How to’ books and cassettes on the subject could be sold through retailers or by mail order, or you could write a book on how to foretell stock market prices and advertise it in the financial press.
Another idea is to make predictions for each forthcoming year based on subjects such as world news, politics, disasters, the Royal family, sports and pop music, and put together a book a cassette.
Alternatively you could collect up the predictions of local mystics and publish a book which could be sold at local newsagents, bookshops and gift shops.
Of course, the classic ‘fortune’ product is the fortune cookie, and you could easily create your own range of these, not forgetting to put a prediction inside each one.
- Numerology
Although its roots lie with the ancient Egyptians, numerology is generally thought of as a ‘New Age’ philosophy in relationships, jobs, and the best and worst dates for doing certain things.
Again there is possibility of writing a book or correspondence course, although a more novel idea is to set up a newsletter, using numerology to make predictions on things like lottery numbers, the football pools and the horses likely to win at certain races.
- Baby service
Bringing together various occult philosophies and ‘ologies’, this service could be used by parents-to-be the world over, getting you to help determine the best name for the baby, or even the best time / date to conceive it.
For a small fee, based on things like astrological and numerological predictions, you would send the potential parents a list of the most suitable names and /or times to conceive. This could be tied in with a fortune-telling and astrological reading service for new-born babies.
- Occult ornaments
Household or garden ornaments could be produced based on places with mystical associations, such as Glastonbury Tor or Stonehenge. Through marketing to gift and garden shops could soon lead to thousands of householders across the country having their own mini-‘Henge in the back garden!
Alternatively, by using luminous materials you could create a whole range of spooky glow-in-the dark ornaments.
- Self-hypnosis
Self-hypnosis is a method used by occultists the world over for relaxation, meditation, phobia-therapy and even things like giving up smoking or losing weight.
There are undoubtedly ‘how to’ books and correspondence courses to be written on this subject, which can easily and cheaply be put together using existing books, although you could get the assistance of a practicing hypnotist for the professional touch.
- Lucky charms
Given the popularity of the National Lottery, lucky charms helping people pick those winning numbers may also be popular.
Various items are reputed to bring good luck, the obvious examples of being four-leaved clovers, rabbits’ feet and horseshoes. If you can track down suppliers of these items or make / obtain them yourself they can easily be sold by mail order, door-to-door or even at the entrance to greyhound and horse race meetings.
You could develop these products, such as stamping horseshoes with a place name or person’s Christian name, or turn the charms into key rings or windscreen novelties. Alternatively, package them to gift shops, newsagents and ‘new age’ type shops.
The number seven is thought of as a lucky number – you could make small number sevens out of wood, metal of plastic and mount them as key rings, or even create a whole ‘lucky seven’ range so that superstitious people can surround themselves with their favorite number.
These products are easy to sell by mail order – you could produce a catalogue or even develop a lucky charm of the month club’. Another possible product to make or sell is the letterbox or telephone charm.
These are placed next to the telephone or letterbox in order to ward off bad news.
- Toys
The imagination of kids and adult collectors alike is likely to be lit up by a range of occult-influenced toys. Soft toys depicting lucky charms, UFOs and ‘cute’ alien figures could prove popular, as could plastic UFOs, ghosts and alien figures.
Kids love grotesque toys, so you could make them as horrible looking as possible, perhaps even making them luminous.
- ‘Secrets of the Occult’ book
Producing a book about the ‘Secret of the Occult’ could be an excellent way to earn money. By conducting research and interviewing experts in various subject areas you could feature little known occult facts and figures, true life stories and strange tales, or even things like hoaxes and how to conduct them.
Again, a newspaper clippings agency should be able to provide you with sources. The sensational nature of the book should ensure that it sells well.
