What Is Esotericism?
Interesting, my perceptions on the definition of "esotericism" as scholars understand it were misguided.
Esotericism is not really "the occult." Esoteric currents consist of traditions and modes of thought containing "rhetoric of a hidden truth, which can be unveiled in a specific way and established contrary to other interpretations of the universe and history" (as quoted from Kocku von Stuckrad's Western Esotericism: A Brief History of Secret Knowledge).
Antoine Faivre is a little bit more precise, if not as flexible. Faivre provides a rubric through which a scholar can judge whether a tradition is esoteric or not. Faivre's paradigm consists of 6 elements.
1) Correspondences. This is essentially the principle that all esotericism contains links between all the levels of reality. Basically everything is a mirror of something else, as von Stuckrad puts it. Famously quoted is the adage, "As above, so below."
2) Living Nature. The world is alive and there is power in Nature. An example is homeopaths using stones, plants, etc. to bring health to the body.
3) Imagination and Mediations. Symbols, unlike most established religions, are integral in expressing and deciphering key concepts to unveiling the hidden truth. I think a decent example would be the seals of the various demons in Solomon's Lesser Key that are utilized in goetic rituals (if I'm not mistaken).
4) The Experience of Transmutation. This term is admittedly borrowed from alchemical terminology. A portion of Nature or the experimenter undergoes an experience that is more than simply a change, but transcendance to another plane via the understanding of the hidden truth.
Two lesser elements follow:
5) The Praxis of Concordance. Basically, the esoteric tradition in question integrates other concepts from other philosophies/beliefs in order to attain a sense of supremacy. The Catholic Church performed something similar (though not quite) in altering pagan holidays to fit the precepts of their organization.
6) Transmission. A master teaches the pupil and the pupil's understanding is expressed in a ritual of initiation. Even college fraternities/sororities practice this.
Pretty cool stuff.
Esotericism is not really "the occult." Esoteric currents consist of traditions and modes of thought containing "rhetoric of a hidden truth, which can be unveiled in a specific way and established contrary to other interpretations of the universe and history" (as quoted from Kocku von Stuckrad's Western Esotericism: A Brief History of Secret Knowledge).
Antoine Faivre is a little bit more precise, if not as flexible. Faivre provides a rubric through which a scholar can judge whether a tradition is esoteric or not. Faivre's paradigm consists of 6 elements.
1) Correspondences. This is essentially the principle that all esotericism contains links between all the levels of reality. Basically everything is a mirror of something else, as von Stuckrad puts it. Famously quoted is the adage, "As above, so below."
2) Living Nature. The world is alive and there is power in Nature. An example is homeopaths using stones, plants, etc. to bring health to the body.
3) Imagination and Mediations. Symbols, unlike most established religions, are integral in expressing and deciphering key concepts to unveiling the hidden truth. I think a decent example would be the seals of the various demons in Solomon's Lesser Key that are utilized in goetic rituals (if I'm not mistaken).
4) The Experience of Transmutation. This term is admittedly borrowed from alchemical terminology. A portion of Nature or the experimenter undergoes an experience that is more than simply a change, but transcendance to another plane via the understanding of the hidden truth.
Two lesser elements follow:
5) The Praxis of Concordance. Basically, the esoteric tradition in question integrates other concepts from other philosophies/beliefs in order to attain a sense of supremacy. The Catholic Church performed something similar (though not quite) in altering pagan holidays to fit the precepts of their organization.
6) Transmission. A master teaches the pupil and the pupil's understanding is expressed in a ritual of initiation. Even college fraternities/sororities practice this.
Pretty cool stuff.