Esoteric Training - What Is It, and How Do I Take Part?

Myth, Magic, Alchemy, Psychic and Enlightenment,

These words often stir up mixed feelings within us human beings.

On the one hand they may conjure images of a mystical world in a far away place, inhabited by wizards and fairytale creatures. Perhaps they also create images of monks meditating on the Himalayan Mountains with special connections to the universe. On the other hand they may feel as if they no longer serve a place in modern society and that they belong to the pages of Harry Potter or upon the screens of your local cinema. Any mention of them in history books reminds us of a time when humanity was ‘backward’ or ‘superstitious’ believing in Ghosts and Witches.

But what if I was to tell you that this is wrong? That these very ‘mystical’ and magical things belong and are being practiced within our society today? That in fact, these words are so incredibly misunderstood that if we truly comprehended their meaning we could potentially transform our entire lives.

Sounds pretty dramatic right? You would be forgiven for thinking that it’s ridiculous to make such a claim. But before you judge what I am saying, I ask you give me a chance to explain further.

The majority of people believe that modern day society has discarded teachings such as Alchemy, the Kabbalah, Mysticism and true Spiritual Practices. These teachings would fall under the label of ‘Esoteric’ or ‘Occult’, which both originate from the Greek and Latin words Esoterikos and Occultus simply meaning hidden knowledge belonging to a select group of individuals.

It might surprise you to know that far from rejected knowledge, these teachings are so alive and practiced today that the United Nations themselves have an entire organization dedicated to research and training within them. The Lucis Trust, founded by a Theosophist (more on theosophy in future posts) known as Alice Bailey, train and practice a huge variety of spiritual disciplines such as Meditation, Raising Consciousness, Diet, Psychological Development, Ego Control, Self Reflection and Intuition. However it doesn’t end here; Universities around Europe teach Masters degrees in Western Esotericism and in Amsterdam the Embassy of The Free Mind has one of the largest collections of Esoteric Literature in the world and hosts events teaching their practices. The Temenos Academy in London endorsed by the Prince of Wales specializes in training candidates in Western and Eastern Mysticism. Finally the Goetheanum in Switzerland has an entire team of Doctors and Researchers who investigate the relationship between Science and Spirituality as taught by Rudolph Steiner in the 1900’s.

As you can see, far from the rejected, superstitious, pseudoscience that they are so often claimed to be, these teachings are in fact considered incredibly important by the highest levels of society.

So why are they kept from the mainstream? Why are we taught that a materialistic, secular and scientific world-view is the ultimate truth?

Could it be that these ‘Esoteric’ practices teach mindsets that strengthen the individual? Could it be that these teachings can aid in self-development, making some of the deepest realities of being human unveil themselves to us?

We have all heard of secret societies such as the ‘Freemasons’ but do we know what they actually teach?

What we need to understand is that far from being mystical and unrealistic fantasies, these disciplines offer practical, psychological and often scientific tools to help us enhance and improve our lives.

Modern day Science, Psychology and Philosophy focus on the problems. They tell us what is wrong with the world and regularly concentrate on fixing the symptoms of a broken society, made up of broken individuals. It is important to acknowledge what is wrong with this world, but we shouldn't stop there.

Becoming aware of what is wrong allows us to transcend it, focusing on what we can do right not only for ourselves but for each member of our collective world.

Within my posts we shall explore how to enhance and develop ourselves, working on creating the best life possible.

This is my focus; to help individuals transcend the ‘lower vibration’ of reality and truly develop themselves into a well-rounded, spiritual human being.