What Does Esoteric Mean to You and How Has It Influenced Your Life? (@TribeSteemUp Bi-Weekly Question)
The word esoteric isn't known to most people. What does the word itself mean? Let's look at the etymology to uncover that original meaning the word was imbued with.
Esoteric comes from the Greek esoterikos, meaning "belonging to an inner circle". Further, from esotero meaning "more within" or "further inside", and the adverb eso "within".
The original meaning was about secret teachings, hidden teachings, that the public or masses didn't know about or have access to. The public knowledge or teachings are call exoteric in contrast to esoteric.
Esoteric is related to occult, in that it's a hidden, concealed or secret knowledge because it's not given, it's covered up and concealed from the public. Those who think of esoteric material often call it occult material as well. Occult or esoteric teachings are often associated with alchemy, magic and astrology, but are also marred in dark imagery related to dark works like dark sorcery or demons.
Information is knowledge. It can be true or false. Some information is delivered with symbolism, imagery, metaphor, allegory, analogy and parables through a story, narrative, poem, myth or legend. Word symbols can convey multi-layered meanings in some cases. This is how some esoteric knowledge has been covertly delivered through an exoteric front.
A story can convey a literal meaning at an exoteric layer, but it can also contain a deeper symbolic layer that weaves a difference and more meaningful message. And there can even be multiple levels of esoteric meaning layered within an exoteric story.
Each later goes deeper to potentially uncover some more meaningful and valuable truth that can affect our lives. The layers above hide the deeper meaning, making it secret and concealed. Most people can read the story and only read what it said outright because they aren't versed in the imagery that the word symbolism invokes within consciousness.
Here is how the exoteric and esoteric can be looked at:
![](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://i.imgur.com/I1CLF84.jpg)
Made by @krnel
Each layer hides more knowledge, and you can peel them back like an onion to Russian doll to uncover what lays beneath. Knowledge covered up may be deeper truths, ideally, but it can also be anything covered. Just because it's covered up, doesn't make it true.
An example is the Christian story in the New Testament. At the exoteric level, a story is told about people and the outside world, things meant for the masses to accept. This is the theology and the outermost area that most are exposed to and most reside in. At a deeper level, you can understand moral teachings, and see the story of astrotheology, with the 12 constellations and astrology, for example. Only those who know about the knowledge can recognize the symbolism being evoked. This is the inner area where fewer people reside.
All the major religions have an exoteric sect for the masses, and an esoteric sect for the few that holds and propagates deeper occulted knowledge. For Christianity, there were many groups, suc as the Essenes, the Gnostics, the Cathars, and more. For Judaism, it's the Kabbalah. For Islam, it's the Suffis.
Conspiracies are covered up as well. Only a small group of people knows what really going on, while the rest of people are fed a story that serves to cover up the real intention and true reflection of what is happening. The conspiracy can be real and true in that it is indeed happening, but that doesn't mean it's a real or true way for things to be happening, or that what is being done is in alignment with true principles for life and living, such as moral truth.
The knowledge of things kept hidden in the world, like conspiracies that most mock, is one way that the esoteric has influenced my life. I've learned about government cover-ups and media manipulation that tries to keep us distracted and looking somewhere else. I've learned about the way money works, while most people don't really have a clue.
I've learned so much by looking into the esoteric, hidden, occult and concealed information that is less available. Or at least prior to the internet, it was much harder to access. Before that, the esoteric was a lot more esoteric. But now anyone can go look into the majority of topics, while there is still some hidden knowledge kept in secret societies. And we can't know everything about all the conspiracies being cooked up and played out in our world, but we can keep an eye out to discern and be more aware.
Being shaken up by atrocities and the chaos of the world has woken me up, awakened me to a deeper purpose, and awakened a deeper me, a truer, realer and higher me at the core of my being. It ignited the care for truth, like a flame that started burning brighter and giving me value and meaning to life. It set me on the path and way of truth, a knowledge or "spiritual journey or quest in my life that will never end.
![](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://i.imgur.com/SVJTjpZ.jpg)
Made by @krnel
That is how the esoteric has influenced my life for the better. That is why I know some of the things I know, and why I consume knowledge and generate it back out into the world through writing, to share, preach and speak it for others to consume. And on and on it goes for those who care to seek truth and embark on the journey as well.
![](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://i.imgur.com/CaUc7PW.jpg)
Made by @krnel
The world can be made better if we understand quality information like various truths that most people ignore, like the depth of various moral truths. A lot of it is out there, but people aren't seeking truth out because they don't care for truth deep enough within them. The flame isn't burning enough for them to want to do the work to go find it. But there is plenty of it out there as people write, speak and share it.
Thank you for your time and attention. Peace.
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When I think of the word esoteric I think of knowledge that has been purposely restricted to a small group. The purpose for this is possible to hide the facts from us in order to maintain a leg up. Human nature is to keep people guessing and hide details that would otherwise make for a more even playing field. I also understand the comfort that comes along with ignorance. It is too easy to stay blind, not look deeper into issues that raise a red flag, but then again that would take some effort. With the struggles that play out daily just to keep one's head above water, exhaustion most time will prevail. I really believe that is exactly what our government wants. It is easier to herd the uninformed, exhausted, and dependent masses.
Yes, a focus on survival means not much thought it paid into deeper thinking issues, since there isn't much time nor the will to put in the effort to do the thinking. And so things stay at the are channeled to be by those who engineer and move society behind the scenes. But ppl have plenty of time to watch shows, movies, and especially play games that are the worst distraction and escape from reality and doing something to better our lives.
I use the terms esoteric and exoteric quite frequently. The exoteric is knowledge about an external, reproducible world, essentially science but includes our phenomenal perceptions.
In contrast, esoteric knowledge is about the inner world that, so far, at least, remains personal and has proven difficult to formalise scientifically. It is about those experiences that others cannot perceive. Thus, knowledge about the esoteric world is a form of exoteric knowledge, but esoteric experiences are truly esoteric.
Such wisdom is not "hidden" in the sense that you are not told the correct incantation, it is only hidden because few choose to deliberately dwell in that space.
For most people, like myself, such experiences first happen by accident, and for those who do not back away, the rabbit-hole beckons.
That's an another aspect to look at it as, thanks ;)
you're a real master of such mind-maps!
they really help to understand the essence of the question better, thanks for caring for your readers!:)
Esoteric appeared in my life about 4 years ago. After reading the definite book that had changed me greatly.
I could never believe that this would happen to me.
But the Universe has many surprise for us, and, as a rule, everything we deny or can't believe in, can appear in our lives very soon.
Have you noticed such "life jokes";)?
and what does this tag mean? tribesteemup?
Things happen that move us causally to wear we are along with our will to choose where to do ;) It's good to find things that we come across or seek out :)
@tribesteemup is an account that supports certain authors for the type of content they write about. Sometimes questions are put forth for ppl to answer, like this one ;)
aha, thank you!
so there's a definite group of people, and nobody else can enter this group?
or anybody can use this tag and write about these topics?
The esoteric has been a subject of inquiry since I hit my teens, and having some level of understanding of this, illuminates a much wider world view, such as economics the way of politics and institutions today..
A broad knowledge base is always an advantage in trying to work out what the hell is going on in the world..
Yup, the more data you collect, the more you can filter out contradiction with logic and see what doesn't add up, giving you a clearer picture of what does add up and the likely reality of politics, money and other things.
my view is that esoteric is the subtle aspects of reality, the things that aren't spelled out in black and white. Things that are soul based don't require language and data, they are your soul speaking to the universal soul in the language of light and because of this it is more experiential and internal than an exoteric experience. Learning to calm your brain(which is not your mind) has been the most difficult for me, but with some time and effort this becomes easier. I would suggest some reading that was a massive eye opener and resonated on a deep spiritual level with me; the law of one: ra material. That material touches on tangible and intangible and clarified many questions I had.
I've tried to read the law of one. It's interesting as a story, but not so sure to trust it as a reflection of reality. Light isn't a language, so not sure what you mean there. The brain is the source of consciousness, i.e. "mind" and "heart". There is no demonstrable consciousness without a brain from which this property emerges fro psychological beings.
@krnel
Great, nicely written, never thought about learning and existence of such deeper level . !! Will surely follow it in more detail:-)
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Good luck, there is much out there, and not all of it is necessarily true...
Thanks @krnel
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Recently I started series on world heritage sites do provide your valuable feedback @krnel
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https://steemit.com/photocontests/@unknownphoton/unesco-world-heritage-site-series-1st-ajanta-caves-a-man-made-marvel
Recently I started series on world heritage sites do provide your valuable feedback
Posted using Partiko Android
https://steemit.com/photocontests/@unknownphoton/unesco-world-heritage-site-series-1st-ajanta-caves-a-man-made-marvel
Recently I started series on world heritage sites do provide your valuable feedback
Posted using Partiko Android
Nice post. I love this subject. You can study this for years and years and still not know it all. Ancient knowledge is multidimensional meanings.
Yup, multilayered meaning. Even in some novels, authors convey one meaning, and readers can understand it differently even though the author didn't intend that.
Even hidden in video games. We can carry the message and not even know it.
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Thanks again ;)
The word has always sound to me like a cabal who sits and decide the fate of many most especially to their own selfish interest.
Yes, it can have that negative connotation to it ;) It's just not all negative, as with other words that have dual applicability.
I was familiar with esoteric as meaning hidden teachings, but I didn't know the root was based in 'inner circles'. If we all have an inner circle of friends that we can be our 'true selves' with, does that mean they are privy to our personal esoterica?
Thanks to @anouk.nox, this post was resteemed and highlighted in today's edition of The Daily Sneak.
Thank you for your efforts to create quality content!