The modern interpretation of things occult can be rather difficult to nail down, traditionally - and I use that word loosely - it contains all sorts of esoteric topics; alchemy, astrology, ceremonial magic, geomancy, kabalah, natural magic and philosophy. For the most part when people speak of the occult it conjures up a general idea of what that person is referring to. For someone relatively new to the "occult" it can be confusing, even overwhelming at times. When people introduce new concepts, ideas, and theories, it can become even more confusing. When these ideas not only introduce new concepts but are also built from unproven theories, it can get even worse

Learning the Language of the Occult

I remember when I started trying to learn about magic, I picked up Arthur Edward Waite's Book The Book of Black Magic, flipping through it I was met with strange symbols and diagrams, strange writings, sigils and images that made absolutely no sense - because I was entering a world with a completely different language - for lack of a better term - then I was accustomed to.

It took me years to decipher what those symbols, sigils, diagrams and pictures actually meant and then even more years to figure out what they were used for, this was way before the internet and luckily I had a few people more knowledgeable than myself who I could ask questions of.

One of the greatest challenges facing modern students of occultism is distinguishing historical tradition from modern invention. Few examples illustrate this problem better than the increasingly popular "Black Cube of Saturn" theory.

With today's internet culture, sincere seekers can find countless books on the occult - some by good writers and many by well-meaning but often misleading authors. Then there are those who write to an audience to make money and they sell the mystique instead of the explicitness of the Occult.

The internet provides access to YouTube, Facebook groups, X, Reddit, websites, and countless other sources. There is an enormous amount of information available, but much of it is not grounded in historical accuracy. Even worse, bad actors spread disinformation to make those of us who study the Occult appear as devil-worshipers who sacrifice everything (literally) in the hopes of gaining some supernatural powers.

For some, this concept of "forbidden" secret knowledge becomes an identity. Either they find grounded wisdom in their studies, or they become disillusioned quickly and move on to some other dark mysterious enigma to entertain themselves.

In the meantime they may read some seemingly occult hidden gems, or learn of some mysterious connections or symbols and be lulled into believing it to be true Occultism - when in reality it maybe a more recent invention, and even worse an invention created by our detractors.

For our detractors they will build us up to spread fear; and claim we control the world and manipulate music, hollywood, politicians and even Pokémon cards. Or they will try and belittle us as ignorant and gullible fools. Amazing how we get to be both expert manipulators and country bumpkins whenever it serves their narrative.

One of the challenges facing modern students of occultism is distinguishing historical tradition from modern invention. Few examples illustrate this problem better than the increasingly popular "Black Cube of Saturn" theory.

The Saturn "Black Cube" fallacy

It can appear as arbitrary to put symbolism and belief to a "purity" test, but that is exactly what I am going to do, and my test is historical accuracy from grimoires, books and writers who understood this "hidden language" better than most.

Now if you find certain symbols, or associations that resonate with you and your approach - then please understand I am not trying to gate-keep and tell you are doing it all wrong. Only when it comes to established foundational understanding of historical occult symbolism do we need gates to keep the bullshit at bay.

The first time I had ever heard about a "black cube" of Saturn was in a YouTube video by someone who is one of our detractors. He associated it with the Kaaba and various art pieces in Paris and New York, claiming that it was some secret cabal's nod to a Saturn cult of murderers - who of course wielded Occult magical powers, because if Hammer horror films have taught us anything it is that Magic and Murder go hand in hand.

But I digress.

The Black Cube of Saturn is not an ancient occult symbol or doctrine. As far as I can tell, there is no known ancient text, grimoire, Hermetic tract, or Neoplatonic commentary, Kabbalistic work, or medieval magical manuscript from antiquity through the Renaissance that portrays symbol or a doctrine centered around a "Black Cube of Saturn."

Why this fallacy persists

Often this "Black Cube" fringe theory is supposedly supported by:

1. Saturn’s polar hexagon: NASA imagery of Saturn’s north-pole hexagonal storm became widely known in the late 20th century. Modern occult internet culture began interpreting the hexagon as a “2D cube.” This is historically impossible as an ancient source because nobody before telescopic astronomy knew about Saturn’s polar hexagon. That alone disproves many claims that ancient priesthoods encoded knowledge of the "Saturn cube."

2. General occult geometry: the cube has long symbolized stability, earth, matter, or structure in various traditions:

• Platonic solids
• Kabbalistic symbolism
• Masonic geometry
• Sacred geometry systems

But these systems do not specifically identify Saturn with a black cube. The Platonic solid of a cube is associated with Earth.

3. The Kaaba association: modern internet theorists frequently point to the Kaaba because it is cube-shaped and covered in black cloth. However, historians of Islam do not connect the Kaaba to Saturn worship. That interpretation appears to be a modern esoteric reinterpretation rather than a documented historical tradition.

Where does this association come from? Well, the earliest clear modern "Saturn cube" discourse seems to emerge from fringe/esoteric writers in the late 20th century and early internet era.

Several names repeatedly appear:

• Jordan Maxwell
• David Icke
• Tracy Twyman
• Isaac Weishaupt

Each one of these people impose their own beliefs and assumptions, giving the most forced conclusions based off shady evidence. One commonly cited source is Matrix of Power, where Jordan Maxwell reportedly refers to Saturnian symbolism involving the cube. This appears to be one of the earliest references.

The Adoption of the Black Cube Narrative

One book titled "The Cult of the Black Cube: A Saturnian Grimoire" by Arthur Moros. The book is described as:

"The Cult of the Black Cube: A Saturnian Grimoire by Dr. Arthur Moros has become one of the defining works of contemporary Saturnian occultism... Moros treats the Saturnine current not as an abstract symbol, but as a living force of spiritual ordeal... and initiatic transformation.

...The second and third sections form the Grimoire of the Black Cube. Here, Saturn is encountered through doctrine, devotion, shrine work, ritual practice, magical operation, and direct cultic engagement... sacred time, the Black Cube, the Rite of Chains, the Oracle of Cronos, and rites of summons and self-initiation.

...The Cult of the Black Cube remains an austere and luminous gateway into the mysteries of Saturn. It is intended for magicians, occult scholars, and seekers drawn to... the hidden god enthroned within the cube."

The existence of a modern Saturnian grimoire is not evidence of an ancient "Black Cube of Saturn" tradition. Rather, it demonstrates how contemporary occultists can synthesize older Saturnian symbolism into entirely new systems of practice and belief.

In conclusion

What we are seeing in this new era of information is the emergence of two schools of thought: one is focused on presenting actual occult material as the prime material in which the student can build off, and another school of modern esoteric-conspiracy synthesis that combines several unrelated ideas:

Saturn as a symbol of limitation, time, melancholy, death, or materiality. The geometric cube as a symbol of structure or material existence. The black color associated with Saturn in alchemy/astrology. Saturn’s north-pole hexagon (discovered scientifically in the 1980s). Modern conspiracy culture linking cubes, corporations, religion, and "hidden symbolism."

These ideas are then blended together into a new form of "occult" mythology.

The specific phrase and integrated concept of a “Black Cube of Saturn” appears to be modern. There is simply no evidence it existed as a coherent doctrine in the Hellenistic, Late Antique, medieval, or Renaissance occult corpus. Ancient and medieval sources absolutely do discuss Saturn:

• Cornelius Agrippa in Three Books of Occult Philosophy discusses Saturn as melancholic, cold, dark, restrictive, and connected with lead.
• Marsilio Ficino discusses Saturn extensively in Three Books on Life.
• The Picatrix, Arabic astrology, and Renaissance magic all assign Saturn dark or black correspondences.
• In alchemy, Saturn is associated with lead, heaviness, decay, and nigredo (blackening).

But none of these sources identify Saturn with a sacred black cube.