Home › Glossary › Letter O

Occult sonnet

Form
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A sonnet using mystical, magical, or supernatural imagery, often following esoteric traditions

Detailed Definition
An occult sonnet employs esoteric symbolism, mystical imagery, or hidden structures (e.g., numerology, alchemical references, or coded language) within the traditional 14-line form to explore metaphysical, spiritual, or forbidden knowledge, often drawing from Hermetic, Kabbalistic, or Neoplatonic traditions.
Example
Example in poetry:
Occult sonnet in W.B. Yeats’ “A Prayer for My Daughter” with esoteric symbols; Aleister Crowley’s mystical sonnets; Rosicrucian imagery in George Sterling’s “The Testimony of the Suns”; contemporary occult sonnets in Ariana Reines’ “Mercury”
Additional Notes
Occult sonnet explores hidden knowledge, esoteric wisdom, mystical secrets within 14-line form. Related to mystical sonnet but emphasizes hidden/forbidden rather than divine. Often features hermetic imagery, alchemical metaphors.
Also Known As
Hidden sonnet Secret fourteen-liner Esoteric love poem Mysterious sonnet Supernatural sonnet
Skip to main content