Esotericism
In its broadest manifestation esotericism is an approach which asserts theexistence of something concealed and hidden
,
whose knowledge or experience is of decisive or even redemptive import. The esoteric mentality is embodied in variousforms of thought. It appears in theological and magical contexts, in which hiddenknowledge of the godhead and the universe are transmitted, or else as a method of exegesis of canonical works disclosing an encoded level of meaning. Esotericism alsohas a secular form, in which it serves as the basis for socio-political explanationswhich assume that nothing is as it appears, and that society is, in fact, governed bysecret organizations pulling on hidden strings. In its political contexts, the esotericmentality is a breeding ground for a multitude of conspiracy theories, which assumehidden centers of power behind what appear to be individual, unrelated actions. Thepsychoanalytic conception, which maintains that people’s actions are guided by arepressed, guarded region of consciousness controlled by an inner censor, is also acomplex
instance
of the esoteric outlook.Some
theories of the universe or of society are extremely remote from the revealedsurface of things. Modern physics postulates the existence of particles which havenever been observed; or the Marxist perspective, which maintains that the ideologicaland economic structure of society is determined by the level of development of means of production. Yet, the enormous gap between these theories and what isrevealed on the surface is not sufficient for them to be considered esoteric teachings.In addition to the existence of such gaps, esoteric conceptions claim that theexistence of the esoteric is dependant on intentional concealment and camouflage(which does not hold true, for example, in the case of modern physics), or thatessentially, the esoteric may only be expressed through indirect symbols. We mightsay that what is common to all types of esotericists is the metaphor of the “key”.Esotericists do not understand, interpret and explain; rather, they open, decipher,liberate or expose.The remarkably varied structure of esoteric knowledge includes multiple complextechniques for approaching the hidden: the adoption of a precise and strict method of thought in order to penetrate the deep metaphysical structure of being, enteringalternative states of consciousness to facilitate insights from other planes, the use of various magical techniques
,
the interpretation of dreams and their analysis for thepurpose of revealing the repressed level of the ego, in order to overcome internalcensorship, and many, many others. Aside from the esoteric mentality, which postulates the existence of the esotericand seeks to attain it, esoteric teachings form a body of knowledge whosedissemination is severely restricted.
These restrictions are meant to carefully screenthe listening public in the case of oral transmission, and to impose limits on copying
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