[25] Egil Asprem has endorsed this approach. Esotericism has more in common with Gnosticism, Theosophy, and Rosicrucianism than genuine biblical Christianity. Scholars may introduce their own terminology and make theoretical distinctions which are different from those of the believers themselves.[143]. To renounce and forget the religion of our [Christian] forefathers simply to immerse ourselves in another religion . under the labels of "superstition", "magic", and "the occult" - terms often used interchangeably. [42] However, the primary exponent of this view was Faivre, who published a series of criteria for how to define "Western esotericism" in 1992. Some could even say magic is an advanced form of psychology; in fact, its techniques have been utilized by psychoanalysts for over a century, including in the acclaimed Carl Jung. [90], A real initiatory brotherhood was established in late 16th-century Scotland through the transformation of Medieval stonemason guilds to include non-craftsman: Freemasonry. Following his death, followers would found the Swedenborgian New Church, although his writings would influence a far wider array of esoteric philosophies. [122], The academic study of Western esotericism was pioneered in the early 20th century by historians of the ancient world and the European Renaissance, who came to recognise that – although it had been ignored by previous scholarship – the effect which pre-Christian and non-rational schools of thought had exerted on European society and culture was worthy of academic attention. [81], Another core figure in this intellectual milieu was Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463–1494), who achieved notability in 1486 by inviting scholars from across Europe to come and debate with him 900 theses that he had written. [93] Another major figure within the esoteric movement of this period was the German physician Franz Anton Mesmer (1734–1814), who developed the theory of Animal Magnetism, which later came to be known more commonly as "Mesmerism". This volume is based upon papers read during the innovative section "Western Esotericism and the Science of Religion" organized at the 17th International Congress of the International Association for the History of Religions (IAHR) in Mexico City, August 5-12, 1995. Esotericism is about secret knowledge for a small group of people. [62] Accordingly, he believed that esoteric groups placed a great emphasis on secrecy, not because they were inherently rooted in elite groups but because the idea of concealed secrets that can be revealed was central to their discourse. Colin Duggan. Unfortunately, it is a practice that characterizes and provides the basis for all of the so-called “major world religions,” including Christianity. From behind the scenes, these teachings have guided and shaped civilization after civilization, leading to all the great advances in human endeavor, be they in the sciences, politics, the arts or religion. [100] Various Spiritualist mediums came to be disillusioned with the esoteric thought available, and sought inspiration in pre-Swedenborgian currents; the most prominent of these were Emma Hardinge Britten (1823–1899) and Helena Blavatsky (1831–1891), the latter of whom called for the revival of the "occult science" of the ancients, which could be found in both the East and West. [54] The advantage of Faivre's system is that it allows varying esoteric traditions to be compared "with one another in a systematic fashion". Through that, a life of conscience can blossom; rather than the other way around. Religion, science, and rejected knowledge [23] Scholars nevertheless recognise that various non-Western traditions have exerted "a profound influence" over Western esotericism, citing the prominent example of the Theosophical Society's incorporation of Hindu and Buddhist concepts like reincarnation into its doctrines. Many of the grimoires seem to have kabbalistic influence. [94] One of Mesmer's followers, the Marquis de Puységur, discovered that mesmeric treatment could induce a state of somnumbulic trance in which they claimed to enter visionary states and communicate with spirit beings. The nineteenth century saw the emergence of new trends of esoteric thought that have come to be known as occultism. [115] Other trends which emerged in western occultism in the later 20th century were satanism as exposed by groups such as the Church of Satan and Temple of Set,[116] as well as chaos magick through the Illuminates of Thanateros group. Mesmer claimed that a universal life force permeated everything, including the human body, and that illnesses were caused by a disturbance or block in this force's flow; he developed techniques which he claimed cleansed such blockages and restored the patient to full health. [106], Emergent occult and esoteric systems found increasing popularity in the early 20th century, especially in Western Europe. Awakening Kindness PDF complete. FINALLY! [...] Mysticism teaches the imminent availability of the divine power. Esotericism is not, after all, religion — it is on the periphery of religion, existing in the spheres of the irrational, the rejected, and the occult. Esoteric ideas permeated the counterculture of the 1960s and later cultural tendencies, from which emerged the New Age phenomenon in the 1970s. ), who argued that the Chaldean Oracles represented an example of a superior religion of ancient humanity which had been passed down by the Platonists. 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. So, in many ways, there is nothing supernatural about it. Thoughts on Wouter J. Hanegraaff about “Rejected Knowledge” in Hermes Explains: Thirty Questions about Western Esotericism (page 149-151). Egil Asprem. [39] Moreover, Hanegraaff noted that when scholars adopt this definition, it shows that they subscribe to the religious doctrines which are espoused by the very groups that they are studying. Albert J. Edmunds, D. T. Suzuki, and Translocative History", Aries Book Series: Texts and Studies in Western Esotericism, The Study of Western Esotericism: New Approaches to Christian and Secular Culture, Center for History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents, The Western Esoteric Tradition Research Site, Association for the Study of Esotericism (ASE), European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism (ESSWE), University of Exeter Centre for the Study of Esotericism (EXESESO), The Secret History of Western Esotericism Podcast (SHWEP), Relationship between religion and science, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Western_esotericism&oldid=998100299, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing examples from November 2018, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from November 2018, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from June 2020, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles needing additional references from November 2018, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. What Hall is saying is that mysticism removes the hierarchy of institution in an organized religion and makes the religious experience personal. [22] His approach is rooted within the field of the history of ideas, and stresses the role of change and transformation over time. Like any newcomer, the discipline tends to evoke curiosity as well as suspicion; and such reactions are all the more … Historian of religion, Henrik Bogdan had said, “Somewhat crudely, esotericism can be described as a Western form of spirituality that stresses the importance of the individual effort to gain spiritual knowledge, or gnosis, whereby man is confronted with the divine aspect of existence.”. [124], At the instigation of the scholar Henry Corbin, in 1965 the world's first academic post in the study of esotericism was established at the École pratique des hautes études in the Sorbonne, Paris; named the chair in the History of Christian Esotericism, its first holder was François Secret, a specialist in the Christian Kabbalah, although he had little interest in developing the wider study of esotericism as a field of research. Kocku von Stuckrad is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Amsterdam, subdepartment ‘History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents’. Scholarly discourse about religion, on the other hand, is not emic but etic. One scholarly model adopts its definition of "esotericism" from certain esotericist schools of thought themselves, treating "esotericism" as a perennialist hidden, inner tradition. "Correspondences": This is the idea that there are both real and symbolic correspondences existing between all things within the universe. [6] Lévi also introduced the term l'occultisme, a notion that he developed against the background of contemporary socialist and Catholic discourses. The noun "esotericism", in its French form "ésotérisme", first appeared in 1828 [5] in the work by Jacques Matter [fr] (1791–1864), Histoire critique du gnosticisme (3 vols.). Esotericism is a multi-disciplinary field of spiritual knowledge contained within all religions which concerns the principles and qualities of magic and mysticism. [73] The later Neoplatonists performed theurgy, a ritual practice attested in such sources as the Chaldean Oracles. [98], In Europe, a movement usually termed "occultism" emerged as various figures attempted to find a "third way" between Christianity and positivist science while building on the ancient, medieval, and Renaissance traditions of esoteric thought. Commonly known in ancient times as 'Old religion'. Search for Library Items Search for Lists Search for Contacts Search for a Library. [22] Historian of religion Henrik Bogdan asserted that Western esotericism constituted "a third pillar of Western culture" alongside "doctrinal faith and rationality", being deemed heretical by the former and irrational by the latter. [20] The emphasis on Western esotericism was nevertheless primarily devised[by whom?] Authoring the influential Isis Unveiled (1877) and The Secret Doctrine (1888), she co-founded the Theosophical Society in 1875. Esotericism is therefore the body of knowledge of alternative movements whose proponents generally distinguish their own beliefs from institutionalized religious traditions. Pinpointing an exact definition of esotericism is difficult. [67], The origins of Western esotericism are in the Hellenistic Eastern Mediterranean, then part of the Roman Empire, during Late Antiquity, a period encompassing the first centuries of the Common Era. [55] However, criticisms have also been expressed of Faivre's theory, pointing out its various weaknesses. [74], After the fall of Rome, alchemy[75] and philosophy and other aspects of the tradition were largely preserved in the Arab and Near Eastern world and reintroduced into Western Europe by Jews[76] and by the cultural contact between Christians and Muslims in Sicily and southern Italy. [108] After their rise to power, the Nazis persecuted occultists. [15], In Europe during the eighteenth century, amid the Age of Enlightenment, these esoteric traditions came to be regularly categorised[by whom?] His work would gain significant support in both areas over the following centuries. By 1939, Wiligut was "forcibly retired from the SS" due to being institutionalised for insanity. Esotericism, religion, and nature. The historical study of Western esotericism would be greatly enriched by sociological studies; and sociological studies of New Age spirituality, neo-paganism, contemporary magic, New Religious Movements, and so forth, would be greatly enriched by making use of the insights gained in the historical study of Western esotericism. [114] In response to Wicca there has also appeared literature and groups who label themselves followers of traditional witchcraft in opposition to the growing visibility of Wicca and these claim older roots than the system proposed by Gerald Gardner. [31] [60], As an alternative to Faivre's framework, Kocku von Stuckrad developed his own variant, although argued that this did not represent a "definition" but rather "a framework of analysis" for scholarly usage. "Imagination and Mediations": Faivre believed that all esotericists place great emphasis on both the human, "Experience of Transmutation": Faivre's fourth intrinsic characteristic of esotericism was the emphasis that esotericists place on fundamentally transforming themselves through their practice, for instance through the spiritual transformation that is alleged to accompany the attainment of, "Practice of Concordance": The first of Faivre's secondary characteristics of esotericism was the belief – held by many esotericists, such as those in the, "Transmission": Faivre's second secondary characteristic was the emphasis on the transmission of esoteric teachings and secrets from a master to their disciple, through a process of, This page was last edited on 3 January 2021, at 20:36. Ficino went on to translate and publish the works of various Platonic figures, arguing that their philosophies were compatible with Christianity, and allowing for the emergence of a wider movement in Renaissance Platonism, or Platonic Orientalism. However, there is no scholarly consensus over what precisely constitutes a religion. This is the foundation of so-called "secret societies;" they do not retain secrecy in support of conspiracy against their fellow man, but to protect the fragile body of spiritual knowledge that they so practiced. Evidence-based scientific thinking as well as common religions are insufficient to explain the world in the eye of Esotericism. Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term under which scholars have categorised a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements which have developed within Western society. [31] Such religionist ideas also exerted an influence on more recent scholars like Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke and Arthur Versluis. [83] Christian Kabbalah was expanded in the work of the German Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa (1486–1535/36), who used it as a framework through which to explore the philosophical and scientific traditions of Antiquity in his work De occulta philosophia libri tres. Various academics have debated how to define Western esotericism, with a number of different options proposed. His writings focused on his visionary travels to heaven and hell and his communications with angels, claiming that the visible, materialist world parallels an invisible spiritual world, with correspondences between the two that do not reflect causal relations. Esotericism is a rather artificial category, applied retroactively to a range of currents and ideas that were public but didn’t necessarily belong together. The medieval period also saw the publication of grimoires, which offered often elaborate formulas for theurgy and thaumaturgy. [100], In the Anglophone world, the burgeoning occult movement owed more to Enlightenment libertines, and thus was more often of an anti-Christian bent that saw wisdom as emanating from the pre-Christian pagan religions of Europe. Second free ebook now available My newest ebook, “Thorn Bushes and Thistles”: The Rise of Prophecy, and the Fall of Man, is now available for free at the following ebook retailers: Amazon’s Kindle store (free Kindle reading apps can be found here). [104] One of the most prominent members of that order was Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), who went on to proclaim the religion of Thelema and become a prominent member of the Ordo Templi Orientis. [35] He added that these Western esoteric currents all shared a core characteristic, "a claim to gnosis, or direct spiritual insight into cosmology or spiritual insight",[35] and accordingly he suggested that these currents could be referred to as "Western gnostic" just as much as "Western esoteric". The academic study of Western esotericism only emerged in the late twentieth-century, pioneered by scholars like Frances Yates and Antoine Faivre. Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism have always emphasized liberation from worldly constraints as the pinnacle of human achievement.The way to liberation can come in many forms. Indian guru Swami Vivekananda was born on January 12, 1863. The spreading of secret teachings and magic practices found enthusiastic adherents in the chaos of Germany during the interwar years. Esotericism, as it is sometimes called, is also the art of working with those energies which emanate from the highest spiritual sources. For the study of religion\s, it is therefore a stroke of luck that several leading scholars of so-called Western esotericism, includ- ing Wouter Hanegraaff, are active members of our tribe, that is, that they are scho- lars of religion and that they cross-fertilize debates raging in the study of religion… [84] The work of Agrippa and other esoteric philosophers had been based in a pre-Copernican worldview, but following the arguments of Copernicus, a more accurate understanding of the cosmos was established. - the spiritual reality of God. The Nature of Esotericism. Esotericism is about secret knowledge for a small group of people. [130] As Hanegraaff noted, Western esotericism had to be studied as a separate field to religion, philosophy, science, and the arts, because while it "participates in all these fields" it does not squarely fit into any of them. [28] "[147], Range of related philosophical ideas and movements that have developed in the Western world, "Arcane" and "Esoteric" redirect here. Taken together, these articles shed new light on the connections between humanity, nature, and religion. Esotericism as a way of life is an art. Now, sometimes the word "esotericism" is used in conjunction with or synonymous to the word "occult." The term "esotericism" thus came into use in the wake of the Age of Enlightenment and of its critique of institutionalised religion, during which time alternative religious groups[example needed] began to disassociate themselves from the dominant Christianity in Western Europe. Esotericism, as it is sometimes called, is also the art of working with those energies which emanate from the highest spiritual sources. But it is also a science -- a science of the soul of things.. While so many people have become interested with deconstructing the… He has published widely on methodological and historical aspects of European history of religion from antiquity to the present, with particular focus on esotericism, astrology and philosophy of nature. [96] Although most forms of Spiritualism had little theoretical depth, being largely practical affairs, full theological worldviews based on the movement would be articulated by Andrew Jackson Davis (1826–1910) and Allan Kardec (1804–1869). [125] In 1979 Faivre assumed Secret's chair at the Sorbonne, which was renamed the "History of Esoteric and Mystical Currents in Modern and Contemporary Europe". [34], This definition—originally developed by esotericists themselves—became popular among French academics during the 1980s, exerting a strong influence over the scholars Mircea Eliade, Henry Corbin, and the early work of Faivre. 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