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- The concept emerged largely in 19th-century western Europe as a means of categorizing various traditions with a much longer history in European societies, including Hermetism, Kabbala, Rosicrucianism, ceremonial magic, alchemy, and astrology, although it has since also come to encompass more-modern traditions, such as Spiritualism, Theosophy, Wicca, and the New Age milieu.
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The concept of the "esoteric" originated in the 2nd century [ 4 ] with the coining of the Ancient Greek adjective esôterikós ("belonging to an inner circle"); the earliest known example of the word appeared in a satire authored by Lucian of Samosata [ 5 ] (c.125 – after 180).
esoteric, the quality of having an inner or secret meaning. This term and its correlative exoteric were first applied in the ancient Greek mysteries to those who were initiated (eso, “within”) and to those who were not (exo, “outside”), respectively.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Esoteric knowledge refers to information or insights that are intended for or likely to be understood by only a small, specialized group of people. This type of knowledge often involves hidden meanings, mystical experiences, or secret teachings that are not accessible to the general public.
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Esotericism is not a single tradition, but a vast array of often unrelated figures and movements. Nevertheless, the following examples provide an overview of some of the most prominent esoteric movements and figures throughout history: In the ancient Graeco-Roman world, "Mystery religions," or simply "Mysteries," were belief systems in which full a...
Faivre, Antoine. Access to Western Esotericism.Albany: SUNY Press, 1994.Faivre, Antoine. Theosophy, Imagination, Tradition: Studies in Western Esotericism.Albany: SUNY Press, 2000.Frazer, James G. The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion.London: Macmillan, 1957.Kirk, Geoffrey S. Myth: Its Meaning and Function in Ancient and Other Cultures.Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1970.All links retrieved March 20, 2024. 1. ESSWEEuropean Society for the Study of Western Esotericism, with many links to associated organizations, libraries, scholars etc.
Even if this shadowy society did not exist, however, the philosophy laid out in the Chymical Wedding and other works described a quest for esoteric and occult knowledge inspired directly by the hermetic and cabalistic traditions and personified in practitioners like Dee.
Mainly since the beginning of the 1990s, esotericism, or rather Western esotericism, has been used in academic parlance to designate (from a strictly historical perspective) a speciality covering a number of currents and traditions that present some obvious similarities.
