Western esotericism

"Esoteric" redirects here. For other uses, seeEsoteric (disambiguation).

For the academic field, seeAcademic study of Western esotericism.For Eastern forms, seeEastern esotericism.

Thetree of life as represented in the Kabbalah,containing thesefirot

Western esotericism,also known asesotericism,esoterism,and sometimes theWestern mystery tradition,is a term scholars use to classify a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed withinWestern society.These ideas and currents are united since they are largely distinct both from orthodoxJudeo-Christian religionandAge of Enlightenmentrationalism.It has influenced various forms ofWestern philosophy,mysticism,religion,pseudoscience,art,literature,andmusic.

The idea of grouping a wide range of Western traditions and philosophies together under the termesotericismdeveloped in 17th-century Europe. Various academics have debated numerous definitions of Western esotericism. One view adopts a definition from certain esotericist schools of thought themselves, treating "esotericism" as aperennialhidden inner tradition. A second perspective sees esotericism as a category of movements that embrace an "enchanted" worldview in the face of increasing disenchantment. A third views Western esotericism as encompassing all of Western culture's "rejected knowledge" that is accepted neither by the scientific establishment nor orthodox religious authorities.

The earliest traditions of Western esotericism emerged in theEastern MediterraneanduringLate Antiquity,whereHermeticism,GnosticismandNeoplatonismdeveloped as schools of thought distinct from what became mainstream Christianity.RenaissanceEurope saw increasing interest in many of these older ideas, with various intellectuals combiningpaganphilosophies with theKabbalahand Christian philosophy, resulting in the emergence of esoteric movements likeChristian KabbalahandChristian theosophy.The 17th century saw the development of initiatory societies professing esoteric knowledge such asRosicrucianismandFreemasonry,while the Age of Enlightenment of the 18th century led to the development of new forms of esoteric thought. The 19th century saw the emergence of new trends of esoteric thought now known asoccultism.Significant groups in this century included theSocietas Rosicruciana in Anglia,theTheosophical Societyand theHermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.Also important in this connection isMartinus Thomsen's "spiritual science".Modern paganismdeveloped within occultism and includes religious movements such asWicca.Esoteric ideas permeated thecounterculture of the 1960sand later cultural tendencies, which led to theNew Agephenomenon in the 1970s.

The idea that these disparate movements could be classified as "Western esotericism" developed in the late 18th century, but these esoteric currents were largely ignored as a subject of academic enquiry. Theacademic study of Western esotericismonly emerged in the late 20th century, pioneered by scholars likeFrances YatesandAntoine Faivre.

Etymology

The concept of the "esoteric" originated in the 2nd century with the coining of theAncient Greekadjectiveesôterikós( "belonging to an inner circle" ); the earliest known example of the word appeared in a satire authored byLucian of Samosata(c.125 – after 180).

In the 15th and 16th centuries, differentiations inLatinbetweenexotericusandesotericus(along withinternusandexternus) were common in the scholar discourse on ancient philosophy. The categories ofdoctrina vulgarisanddoctrina arcanaare found amongCambridge Platonists.Perhaps for the first time in English,Thomas Stanley,between 1655 and 1660, would refer to the Pythagoreanexoterickandesoterick.John Tolandin 1720 would state that the so-called nowadays "esoteric distinction" was a universal phenomenon, present in both the West and the East. As for the noun "esotericism", probably the first mention in German ofEsoterismusappeared in a 1779 work byJohann Georg Hamann,and the use ofEsoterikin 1790 byJohann Gottfried Eichhorn.But the wordesoterischhad already existed at least since 1731-1736, as found in the works ofJohann Jakob Brucker;this author rejected everything that is characterized today as an "esoteric corpus". In this 18th century context, these terms referred toPythagoreanismor Neoplatonictheurgy,but the concept was particularly sedimentated by two streams of discourses: speculations about the influences of the Egyptians on ancient philosophy and religion, and their associations withMasonicdiscourses and other secret societies, who claimed to keep such ancient secrets until the Enlightenment; and the emergence oforientalist academic studies,which since the 17th century identified the presence of mysteries, secrets or esoteric "ancient wisdom" in Persian, Arab, Indian and Far Eastern texts and practices (see alsoEarly Western reception of Eastern esotericism)

Thenoun"esotericism", in its French form "ésotérisme", first appeared in 1828in the work by Protestant historian of gnosticismJacques Matter(1791–1864),Histoire critique du gnosticisme(3 vols.). The term "esotericism" thus came into use in the wake of the Age of Enlightenment and of its critique ofinstitutionalisedreligion, during which alternative religious groups such as theRosicruciansbegan to disassociate themselves from the dominant Christianity in Western Europe.During the 19th and 20th centuries, scholars increasingly saw the term "esotericism" as meaning something distinct from Christianity—as a subculture at odds with the Christian mainstream from at least the time of the Renaissance.After being introduced by Jacques Matter in French, the occultist and ceremonial magicianEliphas Lévi(1810–1875) popularized the term in the 1850s.Lévi also introduced the terml'occultisme,a notion that he developed against the background of contemporarysocialistandCatholicdiscourses."Esotericism" and "occultism" were often employed as synonyms until later scholars distinguished the concepts.

Philosophical usage

In the context ofAncient Greek philosophy,the terms "esoteric" and "exoteric" were sometimes used by scholars not to denote that there was secrecy, but to distinguish two procedures of research and education: the first reserved for teachings that were developed "within the walls" of the philosophical school, among a circle of thinkers ( "eso-" indicating what is unseen, as in the classes internal to the institution), and the second referring to those whose works were disseminated to the public in speeches and published ( "exo-": outside). The initial meaning of this last word is implied whenAristotlecoined the term "exoteric speeches" (ἐξωτερικοὶ λόγοι), perhaps to refer to the speeches he gave outside his school.

However, Aristotle never employed the term "esoteric" and there is no evidence that he dealt with specialized secrets; there is a dubious report byAulus Gellius,according to which Aristotle disclosed the exoteric subjects of politics,rhetoricand ethics to the general public in the afternoon, while he reserved the morning for "akroatika" (acroamatics), referring tonatural philosophyandlogic,taught during a walk with his students.Furthermore, the term "exoteric" for Aristotle could have another meaning, hypothetically referring to an extracosmic reality,ta exo,superior to and beyond Heaven, requiring abstraction and logic. This reality stood in contrast to what he calledenkyklioi logoi,knowledge "from within the circle", involving the intracosmic physics that surrounds everyday life.There is a report byStraboandPlutarch,however, which states that the Lyceum's school texts were circulated internally, their publication was more controlled than the exoteric ones, and that these "esoteric" texts were rediscovered and compiled only with the efforts ofAndronicus of Rhodes.

Plato would have orally transmitted intramural teachings to his disciples, the supposed "esoteric" content of which regarding the First Principles is particularly highlighted by theTübingen Schoolas distinct from the apparent written teachings conveyed in his books or public lectures.Hegelcommented on the analysis of this distinction in the modernhermeneuticsof Plato and Aristotle:

To express an external object not much is required, but to communicate an idea a capacity must be present, and this always remains something esoteric, so that there has never been anything purely exoteric about what philosophers say.

In any case, drawing from the tradition of discourses that supposedly revealed a vision of theAbsoluteand truth present inmythologyandinitiatory ritesofmystery religions,Plato and his philosophy began the Western perception of esotericism, to the point thatKocku von Stuckradstated "esoteric ontology and anthropology would hardly exist without Platonic philosophy."In his dialogues, he uses expressions that refer to cultic secrecy(for example, ἀπορρήτων,aporrhéton,one of the Ancient Greek expressions referring to the prohibition of revealing a secret, in the context of mysteries). InTheaetetus152c, there is an example of this concealment strategy:

Can it be, then, thatProtagoraswas a very ingenious person who threw out this obscure utterance for the unwashed like us but reserved the truth as a secret doctrine (ἐν ἀπορρήτῳ τὴν ἀλήθειαν) to be revealed to his disciples?

TheNeoplatonistsintensified the search for a "hidden truth" under the surface of teachings, myths and texts, developing the hermeneutics andallegorical exegesis of Plato,Homer,Orpheusand others.Plutarch, for example, developed the justification of a theological esotericism, andNumeniuswrote "On the Secrets of Plato" (Peri tôn para Platoni aporrhèta).

Probably based on the "exôtikos/esôtikos" dichotomy, the Hellenic world developed the classical distinction between exoteric/esoteric, stimulated by criticism from various currents such as thePatristics.According to examples in Lucian,GalenandClement of Alexandria,at that time it was a common practice among philosophers to keep secret writings and teachings. A parallel secrecy and reserved elite was also found in the contemporary environment ofGnosticism.Later,Iamblichuswould present his definition (close to the modern one), as he classified the ancientPythagoreansas either "exoteric" mathematicians or "esoteric" acousmatics, the latter being those who disseminated enigmatic teachings and hidden allegorical meanings.

Conceptual development

'Western esotericism' is not a natural term but an artificial category, applied retrospectively to a range of currents and ideas that were known by other names at least prior to the end of the eighteenth century. [This] means that, originally, not all those currents and ideas were necessarily seen as belonging together:... it is only as recently as the later seventeenth century that we find the first attempts at presenting them as one single, coherent field or domain, and at explaining what they have in common. In short, 'Western esotericism' is a modern scholarly construct, not an autonomous tradition that already existed out there and merely needed to be discovered by historians.

— The scholar of esotericism Wouter Hanegraaff, 2013.

The concept of "Western esotericism" represents a modern scholarly construct rather than a pre-existing, self-defined tradition of thought.In the late 17th century, several European Christian thinkers presented the argument that one could categorise certain traditions of Western philosophy and thought together, thus establishing the category now labelled "Western esotericism".The first to do so,Ehregott Daniel Colberg(1659–1698), a GermanLutherantheologian, wrotePlatonisch-Hermetisches Christianity(1690–91). A hostile critic of various currents of Western thought that had emerged since the Renaissance—among themParacelsianism,Weigelianism,andChristian theosophy—in his book he labelled all of these traditions under the category of "Platonic–Hermetic Christianity", portraying them ashereticalto what he saw as "true" Christianity.Despite his hostile attitude toward these traditions of thought, Colberg became the first to connect these disparate philosophies and to study them under one rubric, also recognising that these ideas linked back to earlier philosophies fromlate antiquity.

In 18th-century Europe, during the Age of Enlightenment, these esoteric traditions came to be regularly categorised under the labels of "superstition","magic",and"the occult"– terms often used interchangeably.The modern academy,then in the process of developing, consistently rejected and ignored topics coming under "the occult", thus leaving research into them largely to enthusiasts outside of academia.Indeed, according to historian of esotericismWouter J. Hanegraaff(born 1961), rejection of "occult" topics was seen as a "crucial identity marker" for any intellectuals seeking to affiliate themselves with the academy.

Scholars established this category in the late 18th century after identifying "structural similarities" between "the ideas and world views of a wide variety of thinkers and movements" that, previously, had not been in the same analytical grouping.According to the scholar of esotericism Wouter J. Hanegraaff, the term provided a "useful generic label" for "a large and complicated group of historical phenomena that had long been perceived as sharing anair de famille."

Various academics have emphasised that esotericism is a phenomenon unique to the Western world. As Faivre stated, an "empirical perspective" would hold that "esotericism is a Western notion."As scholars such as Faivre and Hanegraaff have pointed out, there is no comparable category of "Eastern" or "Oriental" esotericism.The emphasis onWesternesotericism was nevertheless primarily devised to distinguish the field from auniversalesotericism.Hanegraaff has characterised these as "recognisable world views and approaches to knowledge that have played an important though always controversial role in the history of Western culture".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.Scholars nevertheless recognise that various non-Western traditions have exerted "a profound influence" over Western esotericism, citing the example of theTheosophical Society's incorporation ofHinduandBuddhistconcepts likereincarnationinto its doctrines.Given these influences and the imprecise nature of the term "Western", the scholar of esotericism Kennet Granholm has argued that academics should cease referring to "Westernesotericism "altogether, instead simply favouring" esotericism "as a descriptor of this phenomenon.Egil Asprem has endorsed this approach.

Definition

The historian of esotericismAntoine Faivrenoted that "never a precise term, [esotericism] has begun to overflow its boundaries on all sides",with both Faivre and Karen-Claire Voss stating that Western esotericism consists of "a vast spectrum of authors, trends, works of philosophy, religion, art, literature, and music". Scholars broadly agree on which currents of thought fall within a category ofesotericism—ranging from ancient Gnosticism and Hermeticism through toRosicrucianismand theKabbalahand on to more recent phenomenon such as theNew Agemovement.Nevertheless,esotericismitself remains a controversial term, with scholars specialising in the subject disagreeing as to how best to define it.

As a universal secret inner tradition

A colored version of the 1888Flammarion engraving

Some scholars have usedWestern esotericismto refer to "inner traditions" concerned with a "universal spiritual dimension of reality, as opposed to the merely external ('exoteric') religious institutions and dogmatic systems of established religions."This approach views Western esotericism as just one variant of a worldwide esotericism at the heart of all world religions and cultures, reflecting a hidden esoteric reality.This use is closest to the original meaning of the word in late antiquity, where it applied to secret spiritual teachings that were reserved for a specific elite and hidden from the masses.This definition was popularised in the published work of 19th-century esotericists likeA.E. Waite,who sought to combine their own mystical beliefs with a historical interpretation of esotericism.It subsequently became a popular approach within several esoteric movements, most notablyMartinismandTraditionalism.

This definition, originally developed by esotericists themselves, became popular among French academics during the 1980s, exerting a strong influence over the scholarsMircea Eliade,Henry Corbin,and the early work of Faivre.Within the academic field ofreligious studies,those who study different religions in search of an inner universal dimension to them all are termed "religionists".Such religionist ideas also exerted an influence on more recent scholars likeNicholas Goodrick-ClarkeandArthur Versluis. Versluis for instance defined "Western esotericism" as "inner or hidden spiritual knowledge transmitted through Western European historical currents that in turn feed into North American and other non-European settings".He added that these Western esoteric currents all shared a core characteristic, "a claim tognosis,or direct spiritual insight into cosmology or spiritual insight ",and accordingly he suggested that these currents could be referred to as "Western gnostic" just as much as "Western esoteric".

There are various problems with this model for understanding Western esotericism.The most significant is that it rests upon the conviction that there really is a "universal, hidden, esoteric dimension of reality" that objectively exists.The existence of this universal inner tradition has not been discovered through scientific or scholarly enquiry; this had led someto claim that it does not exist, though Hanegraaff thought it better to adopt a view based in methodological agnosticism by stating that "we simply do not know – and cannot know" if it exists or not. He noted that, even if such a true and absolute nature of reality really existed, it would only be accessible through "esoteric" spiritual practices, and could not be discovered or measured by the "exoteric" tools of scientific and scholarly enquiry.Hanegraaff pointed out that an approach that seeks a common inner hidden core of all esoteric currents masks that such groups often differ greatly, being rooted in their own historical and social contexts and expressing mutually exclusive ideas and agendas.A third issue was that many of those currents widely recognised as esoteric never concealed their teachings, and in the 20th century came to permeate popular culture, thus problematizing the claim that esotericism could be defined by its hidden and secretive nature.He noted that when scholars adopt this definition, it shows that they subscribe to the religious doctrines espoused by the very groups they are studying.

As an enchanted world view

The Magician,atarotcard displaying the Hermetic concept of "as above, so below". Faivre connected this concept to 'correspondences', his first defining characteristic of esotericism.

Another approach to Western esotericism treats it as a world view that embraces "enchantment" in contrast to world views influenced by post-Cartesian,post-Newtonian,andpositivist sciencethat sought to "dis-enchant"the world.That approach understands esotericism as comprising those world views that eschew a belief in instrumentalcausalityand instead adopt a belief that all parts of the universe are interrelated without a need for causal chains.It stands as a radical alternative to the disenchanted world views that have dominated Western culture since thescientific revolution,and must therefore always be at odds withsecularculture.

An early exponent of this definition was the historian of Renaissance thoughtFrances Yatesin her discussions of aHermetic Tradition,which she saw as an "enchanted" alternative to established religion and rationalistic science.The primary exponent of this view was Faivre, who published a series of criteria for how to define "Western esotericism" in 1992.Faivre claimed that esotericism was "identifiable by the presence of six fundamental characteristics or components", four of which were "intrinsic" and thus vital to defining something as being esoteric, while the other two were "secondary" and thus not necessarily present in every form of esotericism.He listed these characteristics as follows:

1. "Correspondences": This is the idea that there are both real and symbolic correspondences existing between all things within the universe.As examples for this, Faivre pointed to the esoteric concept of themacrocosm and microcosm,often presented as the dictum of "as above, so below", as well as the astrological idea that the actions of the planets have a direct corresponding influence on the behaviour of human beings.
2. "Living Nature": Faivre argued that all esotericists envision the natural universe as being imbued with its own life force, and that as such they understand it as being "complex, plural, hierarchical".
3. "Imagination and Mediations": Faivre believed that all esotericists place great emphasis on both the humanimagination,and mediations— "such as rituals, symbolic images, mandalas, intermediary spirits" —and mantras as tools that provide access to worlds and levels of reality existing between the material world and the divine.
4. "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 ofgnosis.
5. "Practice of Concordance": The first of Faivre's secondary characteristics of esotericism was the belief—held by many esotericists, such as those in theTraditionalist School—that there is a fundamental unifying principle or root from which all world religions and spiritual practices emerge. The common esoteric principle is that attaining this unifying principle can bring the world's different belief systems together in unity.
6. "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 ofinitiation.

Faivre's form of categorisation has been endorsed by scholars like Goodrick-Clarke,and by 2007 Bogdan could note that Faivre's had become "the standard definition" of Western esotericism in use among scholars.In 2013 the scholar Kennet Granholm stated only that Faivre's definition had been "the dominating paradigm for a long while" and that it "still exerts influence among scholars outside the study of Western esotericism".The advantage of Faivre's system is that it facilitates comparing varying esoteric traditions "with one another in a systematic fashion."Other scholars criticised his theory, pointing out various weaknesses.Hanegraaff claimed that Faivre's approach entailed "reasoning by prototype" in that it relied upon already having a "best example" of what Western esotericism should look like, against which other phenomena then had to be compared.The scholar of esotericismKocku von Stuckrad(born 1966) noted that Faivre's taxonomy was based on his own areas of specialism—Renaissance Hermeticism, Christian Kabbalah, and Protestant Theosophy—and that it was thus not based on a wider understanding of esotericism as it has existed throughout history, from the ancient world to the contemporary period.Accordingly, Von Stuckrad suggested that it was a good typology for understanding "Christian esotericism in theearly modern period"but lacked utility beyond that.

As higher knowledge

Somewhat crudely, esotericism can be described as a Western form of spirituality that stresses the importance of the individual effort to gain spiritual knowledge, orgnosis,whereby man is confronted with the divine aspect of existence.

— Historian of religion Henrik Bogdan, 2007.

As an alternative to Faivre's framework, Kocku von Stuckrad developed his own variant, though he argued that this did not represent a "definition" but rather "a framework of analysis" for scholarly usage.He stated that "on the most general level of analysis", esotericism represented "the claim of higher knowledge", a claim to possessing "wisdom that is superior to other interpretations of cosmos and history" that serves as a "master key for answering all questions of humankind."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.Examining the means of accessing higher knowledge, he highlighted two themes that he believed could be found within esotericism, that of mediation through contact with non-human entities, and individual experience.Accordingly, for Von Stuckrad, esotericism could be best understood as "a structural element of Western culture" rather than as a selection of different schools of thought.

As rejected knowledge

Hanegraaff proposed an additional definition that "Western esotericism" is a category that represents "the academy's dustbin of rejected knowledge."In this respect, it contains all of the theories and world views rejected by the mainstream intellectual community because they do not accord with "normative conceptions of religion, rationality and science."His approach is rooted within the field of thehistory of ideas,and stresses the role of change and transformation over time.

Goodrick-Clarke was critical of this approach, believing that it relegated Western esotericism to the position of "a casualty of positivist and materialist perspectives in the nineteenth-century" and thus reinforces the idea that Western esoteric traditions were of little historical importance.Bogdan similarly expressed concern regarding Hanegraaff's definition, believing that it made the category of Western esotericism "all inclusive" and thus analytically useless.

History

Late Antiquity

A later illustration of Hermes Trismegistus

The origins of Western esotericism are in the Hellenistic Eastern Mediterranean, then part of theRoman Empire,duringLate Antiquity.This was a milieu that mixed religious and intellectual traditions from Greece, Egypt, the Levant, Babylon, and Persia—in whichglobalisation,urbanisation, andmulticulturalismwere bringing about socio-cultural change.

One component of this was Hermeticism, an Egyptian Hellenistic school of thought that takes its name from the legendary Egyptian wise man,Hermes Trismegistus.In the 2nd and 3rd centuries, a number of texts attributed to Hermes Trismegistus appeared, including theCorpus Hermeticum,Asclepius,andThe Discourse on the Eighth and Ninth.Some still debate whether Hermeticism was a purely literary phenomenon or had communities of practitioners who acted on these ideas, but it has been established that these texts discuss the true nature of God, emphasising that humans must transcend rational thought and worldly desires to findsalvationand be reborn into a spiritual body of immaterial light, thereby achieving spiritual unity with divinity.

Another tradition of esoteric thought in Late Antiquity was Gnosticism. Various Gnostic sects existed, and they broadly believed that the divine light had been imprisoned within the material world by a malevolent entity known as theDemiurge,who was served by demonic helpers, theArchons.It was the Gnostic belief that people, who were imbued with the divine light, should seek to attain gnosis and thus escape from the world of matter and rejoin the divine source.

A third form of esotericism in Late Antiquity wasNeoplatonism,a school of thought influenced by the ideas of the philosopherPlato.Advocated by such figures asPlotinus,Porphyry,Iamblichus,andProclus,Neoplatonism held that the human soul had fallen from its divine origins into the material world, but that it could progress, through a number of hierarchical spheres of being, to return to its divine origins once more.The later Neoplatonists performedtheurgy,a ritual practice attested in such sources as theChaldean Oracles.Scholars are still unsure of precisely what theurgy involved, but know it involved a practice designed to make gods appear, who could then raise the theurgist's mind to the reality of the divine.

Middle Ages

After thefall of Rome,alchemyand philosophy and other aspects of the tradition were largely preserved in the Arab and Near Eastern world and reintroduced into Western Europe by Jewsand by the cultural contact between Christians andMuslimsinSicilyand southern Italy. The 12th century saw the development of the Kabbalah in southern Italy andmedieval Spain.

Themedieval periodalso saw the publication ofgrimoires,which offered often elaborate formulas for theurgy andthaumaturgy.Many of the grimoires seem to have kabbalistic influence. Figures in alchemy from this period seem to also have authored or used grimoires. Medieval sects deemed heretical such as theWaldensianswere thought to have utilized esoteric concepts.

Renaissance and Early Modern period

During theRenaissance,a number of European thinkers began to synthesize "pagan"(that is, not Christian) philosophies, which were then being made available through Arabic translations, with Christian thought and the Jewish kabbalah.The earliest of these individuals was theByzantinephilosopherPlethon(1355/60–1452?), who argued that theChaldean Oraclesrepresented an example of a superior religion of ancient humanity that had been passed down by thePlatonists.

Plethon's ideas interested the ruler of Florence,Cosimo de' Medici,who employed Florentine thinkerMarsilio Ficino(1433–1499) to translate Plato's works into Latin. 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.Ficino also translated part of theCorpus Hermeticum,though the rest was translated by his contemporary,Lodovico Lazzarelli(1447–1500).

Another core figure in this intellectual milieu wasGiovanni 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. Pico della Mirandola argued that all of these philosophies reflected a grand universal wisdom.Pope Innocent VIIIcondemned these ideas, criticising him for attempting to mix pagan and Jewish ideas with Christianity.

Pico della Mirandola's increased interest in Jewish kabbalah led to his development of a distinct form ofChristian Kabbalah.His work was built on by the GermanJohannes Reuchlin(1455–1522) who authored an influential text on the subject,De Arte Cabbalistica.Christian Kabbalah was expanded in the work of the GermanHeinrich Cornelius Agrippa(1486–1535/36), who used it as a framework to explore the philosophical and scientific traditions ofAntiquityin his workDe occulta philosophia libri tres.The work of Agrippa and other esoteric philosophers had been based in a pre-Copernican worldview, but following the arguments ofCopernicus,a more accurate understanding of the cosmos was established. Copernicus' theories were adopted into esoteric strains of thought byGiordano Bruno(1548–1600), whose ideas were deemedheresyby theRoman Catholic Church,which eventually publicly executed him.

The MasonicSquare and Compasses

A distinct strain of esoteric thought developed in Germany, where it became known asNaturphilosophie.Though influenced by traditions fromLate Antiquityand medieval Kabbalah, it only acknowledged two main sources of authority:Biblical scriptureand thenatural world.The primary exponent of this approach wasParacelsus(1493/94–1541), who took inspiration from alchemy and folk magic to argue against the mainstream medical establishment of his time—which, as in Antiquity, still based its approach on the ideas of the second-century physician and philosopher,Galen,a Greek in the Roman Empire. Instead, Paracelsus urged doctors to learn medicine through an observation of the natural world, though in later work he also began to focus on overtly religious questions. His work gained significant support in both areas over the following centuries.

One of those influenced by Paracelsus was the German cobblerJakob Böhme(1575–1624), who sparked theChristian theosophymovement through his attempts to solve theproblem of evil.Böhme argued that God had been created out of an unfathomable mystery, theUngrund,and that God himself was composed of a wrathful core, surrounded by the forces of light and love.Though condemned by Germany'sLutheranauthorities, Böhme's ideas spread and formed the basis for a number of small religious communities, such asJohann Georg Gichtel's Angelic Brethren inAmsterdam,andJohn PordageandJane Leade'sPhiladelphian Societyin England.

From 1614 to 1616, the threeRosicrucian Manifestoswere published in Germany. These texts purported to represent a secret, initiatory brotherhood founded centuries before by a German adept namedChristian Rosenkreutz.There is no evidence that Rosenkreutz was a genuine historical figure, nor that aRosicrucian Orderhad ever existed before then. Instead, themanifestosare likely literary creations of Lutheran theologianJohann Valentin Andreae(1586–1654). They interested the public, so several people described themselves as "Rosicrucian", claiming access to secret esoteric knowledge.

A real initiatory brotherhood was established in late 16th-century Scotland through the transformation of Medieval stonemason guilds to include non-craftsmen:Freemasonry.Soon spreading into other parts of Europe, in England it largely rejected its esoteric character and embraced humanism and rationalism, while in France it embraced new esoteric concepts, particularly those from Christian theosophy.

18th, 19th and early 20th centuries

Further information:Esotericism in Germany and Austria

Hypnotic séance.Painting by Swedish artistRichard Bergh,1887

The Age of Enlightenment witnessed a process of increasing secularisation of European governments and an embrace of modern science and rationality within intellectual circles. In turn, a "modernist occult" emerged that reflected varied ways esoteric thinkers came to terms with these developments.One of the esotericists of this period was the Swedish naturalistEmanuel Swedenborg(1688–1772), who attempted to reconcile science and religion after experiencing a vision ofJesus Christ.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. Following his death, followers founded the SwedenborgianNew Church—though his writings influenced a wider array of esoteric philosophies.Another major figure within the esoteric movement of this period was the German physicianFranz Anton Mesmer(1734–1814), who developed the theory ofAnimal Magnetism,which later became known more commonly asMesmerism.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 he claimed cleansed such blockages and restored the patient to full health.One of Mesmer's followers, theMarquis de Puységur,discovered that mesmeric treatment could induce a state ofsomnumbulictrance in which they claimed to enter visionary states and communicate with spirit beings.

These somnambulic trance-states heavily influenced the esoteric religion ofSpiritualism,which emerged in the United States in the 1840s and spread throughout North America and Europe. Spiritualism was based on the concept that individuals could communicate with spirits of the deceased duringséances.Most forms of Spiritualism had little theoretical depth, being largely practical affairs—but full theological worldviews based on the movement were articulated byAndrew Jackson Davis(1826–1910) andAllan Kardec(1804–1869).Scientific interest in the claims of Spiritualism resulted in the development of the field ofpsychical research.Somnambulism also exerted a strong influence on the early disciplines ofpsychologyandpsychiatry;esoteric ideas pervade the work of many early figures in this field, most notablyCarl Gustav Jung—though with the rise ofpsychoanalysisandbehaviourismin the 20th century, these disciplines distanced themselves from esotericism.Also influenced by artificial somnambulism was the religion ofNew Thought,founded by the American mesmeristPhineas P. Quimby(1802–1866). It revolved around the concept of "mind over matter"—believing that illness and other negative conditions could be cured through the power of belief.

Pentagramof Éliphas Lévi

In Europe, a movement usually termedoccultismemerged 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.In France, following the social upheaval of the1789 Revolution,various figures emerged in this occultist milieu who were heavily influenced by traditional Catholicism, the most notable of whom wereÉliphas Lévi(1810–1875) andPapus(1865–1916).Also significant wasRené Guénon(1886–1951), whose concern with tradition led him to develop an occult viewpoint termedTraditionalism;it espoused the idea of an original, universal tradition, and thus a rejection ofmodernity.His Traditionalist ideas strongly influenced later esotericists likeJulius Evola(1898–1974), founder of theUR Group,andFrithjof Schuon(1907–1998).

In the Anglophone world, the burgeoning occult movement owed more toEnlightenment libertines,and thus was more often of an anti-Christian bent that saw wisdom as emanating from the pre-Christian pagan religions of Europe.Various Spiritualist mediums came to be disillusioned with the esoteric thought available, and sought inspiration in pre-Swedenborgian currents, includingEmma Hardinge Britten(1823–1899) andHelena 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. Authoring the influentialIsis Unveiled(1877) andThe Secret Doctrine(1888), she co-founded theTheosophical Societyin 1875.Subsequent leaders of the Society, namelyAnnie Besant(1847–1933) andCharles Webster Leadbeater(1854–1934) interpreted modern theosophy as a form of ecumenical esoteric Christianity, resulting in their proclamation of IndianJiddu Krishnamurti(1895–1986) as world messiah.In rejection of this was the breakawayAnthroposophical Societyfounded byRudolf Steiner(1861–1925).Another form of esoteric Christianity is thespiritual scienceof the Danish mysticMartinus(1890-1981) who is popular in Scandinavia.

New esoteric understandings of magic also developed in the latter part of the 19th century. One of the pioneers of this was AmericanPaschal Beverly Randolph(1825–1875), who argued that sexual energy and psychoactive drugs could be used for magical purposes.In England,theHermetic Order of the Golden Dawn—an initiatory order devoted to magic based on kabbalah—was founded in the latter years of the century.One of the members of that order wasAleister Crowley(1875–1947), who went on to proclaim the religion ofThelemaand become a member ofOrdo Templi Orientis.Some of their contemporaries developed esoteric schools of thought that did not entail magic, namely the Greco-Armenian teacherGeorge Gurdjieff(1866–1949) and his Russian pupilP.D. Ouspensky(1878–1947).

Emergent occult and esoteric systems found increasing popularity in the early 20th century, especially in Western Europe. Occult lodges and secret societies flowered among European intellectuals of this era who had largely abandoned traditional forms of Christianity. The spreading of secret teachings and magical practices found enthusiastic adherents in the chaos of Germany during the interwar years. Notable writers such asGuido von Listspread neo-pagan, nationalist ideas, based onWotanismand theKabbalah.Many influential and wealthy Germans were drawn to secret societies such as theThule Society.Thule Society activistKarl Harrerwas one of the founders of theGerman Workers' Party,which later became theNazi Party;some Nazi Party members likeAlfred RosenbergandRudolf Hesswere listed as "guests" of the Thule Society, as wasAdolf Hitler's mentorDietrich Eckart.After their rise to power, the Nazis persecuted occultists.While many Nazi Party leaders like Hitler andJoseph Goebbelswere hostile to occultism,Heinrich HimmlerusedKarl Maria Wiligutas a clairvoyant "and was regularly consulting for help in setting up the symbolic and ceremonial aspects of the SS" but not for important political decisions. By 1939, Wiligut was "forcibly retired from the SS" due to being institutionalised for insanity.On the other hand, the German hermetic magic orderFraternitas Saturniwas founded on Easter 1928 and it is one of the oldest continuously running magical groups in Germany.In 1936, the Fraternitas Saturni was prohibited by theNaziregime. The leaders of the lodge emigrated to avoid imprisonment, but in the course of the warEugen Grosche,one of their main leaders, was arrested for a year by the Nazi government. AfterWorld War IIthey reformed the Fraternitas Saturni.

Later 20th century

Sculpture of theHorned GodofWiccafound in theMuseum of WitchcraftinBoscastle,Cornwall

In the 1960s and 1970s, esotericism came to be increasingly associated with thegrowing counter-culture in the West,whose adherents understood themselves in participating in a spiritual revolution that marked theAge of Aquarius.By the 1980s, these millenarian currents had come to be widely known as theNew Age movement,and it became increasingly commercialised as business entrepreneurs exploited a growth in the spiritual market.Conversely, other forms of esoteric thought retained the anti-commercial and counter-cultural sentiment of the 1960s and 1970s, namely thetechno-shamanic movementpromoted by figures such asTerence McKennaandDaniel Pinchbeck,which built on the work of anthropologistCarlos Castaneda.

This trend was accompanied by the increased growth ofmodern paganism,a movement initially dominated byWicca,the religion propagated byGerald Gardner.Wicca was adopted by members of the second-wave feminist movement, most notablyStarhawk,and developing into theGoddess movement.Wicca also greatly influenced the development of Paganneo-druidryand other forms of Celtic revivalism.In response to Wicca there has also appeared literature and groups who label themselves followers oftraditional witchcraftin opposition to the growing visibility of Wicca and these claim older roots than the system proposed byGerald Gardner.Other trends that emerged in western occultism in the later 20th century includedsatanism,as exposed by groups such as theChurch of SatanandTemple of Set,as well aschaos magickthrough theIlluminates of Thanaterosgroup.

Additionally, since the start of the 1990s, countries inside of the formerIron Curtainhave undergone a radiative and varied religious revival, with a large number of occult and new religious movements gaining popularity.Gnostic revivalists,New Age organizations, andScientology splinter groupshave found their way into much of the formerSoviet blocsince the cultural and political shift resulting from thedissolution of the USSR.In Hungary, a significant number of citizens (relative to the size of the country'spopulationand compared to its neighbors) practice or adhere to new currents of Western Esotericism.In April 1997, the Fifth Esoteric Spiritual Forum was held for two days in the country and was attendedat-capacity;In August of the same year, the International Shaman Expo began, being broadcast on live TV and ultimately taking place for 2 months wherein variousneo-Shamanist,Millenarian,mystic,neo-Pagan, and evenUFO religioncongregations and figures were among the attendees.

Academic study

Main article:Academic study of Western esotericism

London's Warburg Institute was one of the first centres to encourage the academic study of Western esotericism.

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—even though previous scholarship had ignored it—the effect of pre-Christian and non-rational schools of thought on European society and culture was worthy of academic attention.One of the key centres for this was theWarburg Institutein London, where scholars likeFrances Yates,Edgar Wind,Ernst Cassirer,andD. P. Walkerbegan arguing that esoteric thought had had a greater effect on Renaissance culture than had been previously accepted.The work of Yates in particular, most notably her 1964 bookGiordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition,has been cited as "an important starting-point for modern scholarship on esotericism", succeeding "at one fell swoop in bringing scholarship onto a new track" by bringing wider awareness of the effect that esoteric ideas had on modern science.

In 1965, at the instigation of the scholarHenry Corbin,École pratique des hautes étudesin theSorbonneestablished the world's first academic post in the study of esotericism, with a chair in the History of Christian Esotericism. Its first holder was François Secret, a specialist in the Christian Kabbalah, though he had little interest in developing the wider study of esotericism as a field of research.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".Faivre has since been cited as being responsible for developing the study of Western esotericism into a formalised field,with his 1992 workL'ésotérismehaving been cited as marking "the beginning of the study of Western esotericism as an academic field of research".He remained in the chair until 2002, when he was succeeded by Jean-Pierre Brach.

Scholar of esotericismWouter Hanegraaff

Faivre noted two significant obstacles to establishing the field. One was an ingrained prejudice toward esotericism within academia, resulting in the widespread perception that the history of esotericism was not worthy of academic research.The other was esotericism's status as a trans-disciplinary field, the study of which did not fit clearly within any particular discipline.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.Elsewhere, he noted that there was "probably no other domain in the humanities that has been so seriously neglected" as Western esotericism.

In 1980, the U.S.-based Hermetic Academy was founded byRobert A. McDermottas an outlet for American scholars interested in Western esotericism.From 1986 to 1990 members of the Hermetic Academy participated in panels at the annual meeting of theAmerican Academy of Religionunder the rubric of the "Esotericism and Perennialism Group".By 1994, Faivre could comment that the academic study of Western esotericism had taken off in France, Italy, England, and the United States, but he lamented that it had not done so in Germany.

In 1999, theUniversity of Amsterdamestablished a chair in theHistory of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents,which was occupied by Hanegraaff,while in 2005 theUniversity of Exetercreated a chair inWestern Esotericism,which was taken by Goodrick-Clarke, who headed the Exeter Center for the Study of Esotericism.Thus, by 2008 there were three dedicated university chairs in the subject, with Amsterdam and Exeter also offering master's degree programs in it.Several conferences on the subject were held at the quintennial meetings of the International Association for the History of Religions,while a peer-reviewed journal,Aries: Journal for the Study of Western Esotericismbegan publication in 2001.2001 also saw the foundation of the North American Association for the Study of Esotericism (ASE), with theEuropean Society for the Study of Western Esotericism(ESSWE) being established shortly after. Within a few years, Michael Bergunder expressed the view that it had become an established field within religious studies,with Asprem and Granholm observing that scholars within other sub-disciplines of religious studies had begun to take an interest in the work of scholars of esotericism.

Asprem and Granholm noted that the study of esotericism had been dominated by historians and thus lacked the perspective ofsocial scientistsexamining contemporary forms of esotericism, a situation that they were attempting to correct through building links with scholars operating inPagan studiesand the study of new religious movements. On the basis that "English culture and literature have been traditional strongholds of Western esotericism", in 2011 Pia Brînzeu and György Szönyi urged thatEnglish studiesalso have a role in this interdisciplinary field.

Emic and etic divisions

Emic and eticrefer to two kinds of field research done and viewpoints obtained, emic, from within the social group (from the perspective of the subject) and etic, from outside (from the perspective of the observer).Wouter Hanegraafffollows a distinction between an emic and an etic approach to religious studies.

The emic approach is that of the alchemist or theosopher. The etic approach is that of the scholar as an historian, a researcher, with a critical view. An empirical study of esotericism needs "emic material and etic interpretation":

Emic denotes the believer’s point of view. On the part of the researcher, the reconstruction of this emic perspective requires an attitude of empathy which excludes personal biases as far as possible. Scholarly discourse about religion, on the other hand, is not emic but etic. Scholars may introduce their own terminology and make theoretical distinctions which are different from those of the believers themselves.

Arthur Versluisproposes approaching esotericism through an "imaginative participation":

Esotericism, given all its varied forms and its inherently multidimensional nature, cannot be conveyed without going beyond purely historical information: at minimum, the study of esotericism, and in particular mysticism, requires some degree of imaginative participation in what one is studying.

Many scholars of esotericism have come to be regarded as respected intellectual authorities by practitioners of various esoteric traditions.Many esotericism scholars have sought to emphasise that esotericism is not a single object, but practitioners who read this scholarship have begun to regard it and think of it as a singular object, with which they affiliate themselves.Thus, Asprem and Granholm noted that the use of the term "esotericism" among scholars "significantly contributes to the reification of the category for the general audience—despitethe explicated contrary intentions of most scholars in the field. "

In popular culture

In 2013, Asprem and Granholm highlighted that "contemporary esotericism is intimately, and increasingly, connected with popular culture and new media."

Granholm noted that esoteric ideas and images appear in many aspects of Western popular media, citing such examples asBuffy the Vampire Slayer,Avatar,Hellblazer,andHis Dark Materials.Granholm has argued that there are problems with the field in that it draws a distinction between esotericism and non-esoteric elements of culture that draw upon esotericism. He citesextreme metalas an example, noting that it is extremely difficult to differentiate between artists who were "properly occult" and those who superficially referenced occult themes and aesthetics.

Writers interested in occult themes have adopted three different strategies for dealing with the subject: those who are knowledgeable on the subject including attractive images of the occult and occultists in their work, those who disguise occultism within "a web of intertextuality", and those who oppose it and seek to deconstruct it.

See also

• Black magic– Magic used for evil and selfish purposes
• Ceremonial magic– Variety of rituals of magic
• Eastern esotericism– Esoteric beliefs in the Eastern world
• English Qaballa– English Qaballa system of James Lees
• Medieval European magic– Magic as understood during the Middle Ages
• Medieval Inquisition– System of tribunals enforcing Catholic orthodoxy
• Renaissance magic– Magical science during the Renaissance
• White magic– Magic used for selfless purposes
• Witch trials in the early modern period– Prosecutions for witchcraft in Europe

References

Works cited

• Asprem, Egil (2014)."Beyond the West: Towards a New Comparativism in the Study of Esotericism".Correspondences: An Online Journal for the Academic Study of Western Esotericism.2(1): 3–33.ISSN2053-7158.Archivedfrom the original on 27 February 2021.Retrieved27 June2020.
• Asprem, Egil; Granholm, Kennet (2013). "Introduction".Contemporary Esotericism.Egil Asprem and Kennet Granholm (editors). Durham: Acumen. pp. 1–24.ISBN978-1-317-54357-2.
• Asprem, Egil; Granholm, Kennet (2013b). "Constructing Esotericisms: Sociological, Historical and Critical Approaches to the Invention of Tradition".Contemporary Esotericism.Egil Asprem and Kennet Granholm (editors). Durham: Acumen. pp. 25–48.ISBN978-1-317-54357-2.
• Bergunder, Michael (2010). "What is Esotericism? Cultural Studies Approaches and the Problems of Definition in Religious Studies".Method and Theory in the Study of Religion.22.Kenneth Fleming (translator): 9–36.doi:10.1163/094330510X12604383550882.
• Bogdan, Henrik (2013). "Reception of Occultism in India: The Case of the Holy Order of Krishna".Occultism in a Global Perspective.Henrik Bogdan and Gordan Djurdjevic (editors). Durham: Acumen. pp. 177–201.ISBN978-1-84465-716-2.
• Bogdan, Henrik (2007).Western Esotericism and Rituals of Initiation.New York: SUNY Press.ISBN978-0-7914-7070-1.
• Brînzeu, Pia; Szönyi, György (2011). "The Esoteric in Postmodernism".European Journal of English Studies.15(3): 183–188.doi:10.1080/13825577.2011.626934.S2CID143913846.
• Faivre, Antoine (1994).Access to Western Esotericism.New York: SUNY Press.ISBN978-0-7914-2178-9.
• Drury, Nevill (2011).Stealing Fire from Heaven: The Rise of Modern Western Magic.Oxford University Press.
• Faivre, Antoine; Voss, Karen-Claire (1995). "Western Esotericism and the Science of Religions".Numen.42(1): 48–77.doi:10.1163/1568527952598756.JSTOR3270279.
• Goodrick-Clarke, Nicholas (2008).The Western Esoteric Traditions: A Historical Introduction.Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-532099-2.
• Granholm, Kennet (2013a). "Locating the West: Problematizing theWesternin Western Esotericism and Occultism ".Occultism in a Global Perspective.Henrik Bogdan and Gordan Djurdjevic (editors). Durham: Acumen. pp. 17–36.ISBN978-1-84465-716-2.
• Granholm, Kennet (2013b)."Ritual Black Metal: Popular Music as Occult Mediation and Practice"(PDF).Correspondences: An Online Journal for the Academic Study of Western Esotericism.1(1): 5–33. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2014-08-19.
• Hanegraaff, Wouter J.(1996).New Age Religion and Western Culture: Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought.Numen Book Series. Vol. 72. Leiden: Brill.ISBN978-90-04-10695-6.
• Hanegraaff, Wouter (2012).Esotericism and the Academy: Rejected Knowledge in Western Culture.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-0-521-19621-5.
• Hanegraaff, Wouter(2013a).Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed.Guides for the Perplexed. London: Bloomsbury Press.ISBN978-1-4411-3646-6.
• Hanegraaff, Wouter J. (2013b). "Textbooks and Introductions to Western Esotericism".Religion.43(2): 178–200.doi:10.1080/0048721x.2012.733245.S2CID142996894.
• Kurti, Laszlo (2001)."Psychic Phenomena, Neoshamanism, and the Cultic Milieu in Hungary".Nova Religio.4(2): 322–350.doi:10.1525/nr.2001.4.2.322.ISSN1092-6690.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-03-05.Retrieved2021-05-22.
• Laurant, Jean-Pierre (1998). "Esotericism in Freemasonry". In Faivre, Antoine (ed.).Western Esotericism and the Science of Religion: Selected Papers Presented at the 17th Congress of the International Association for the History of Religions, Mexico City 1995.Belgium: Isd.ISBN978-9042906303.
• Strube, Julian (2016a).Sozialismus, Katholizismus und Okkultismus im Frankreich des 19. Jahrhunderts: Die Genealogie der Schriften von Eliphas Lévi.Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter.ISBN978-3-11-047810-5.
• Strube, Julian (2016b). "Socialist Religion and the Emergence of Occultism: A Genealogical Approach to Socialism and Secularization in 19th-Century France".Religion.46(3): 359–388.doi:10.1080/0048721X.2016.1146926.S2CID147626697.
• Therkelsen, Ole (2016).Martinus, Darwin and intelligent design.Scientia Intuitiva. p. 7.ISBN9788793235014.
• Treitel, Corinna (2004).A Science for the Soul: Occultism and the Genesis of the German Modern.Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.ISBN978-0-8018-7812-1.
• Versluis, Arthur (2007).Magic and Mysticism: An Introduction to Western Esotericism.Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.ISBN978-0-7425-5836-6.
• Von Stuckrad, Kocku (2005a).Western Esotericism: A Brief History of Secret Knowledge.Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke (translator). Durham: Acumen.ISBN978-1-84553-033-4.
• Von Stuckrad, Kocku (2005b). "Western Esotericism: Towards an Integrative Model of Interpretation".Religion.35(2): 78–97.doi:10.1016/j.religion.2005.07.002.S2CID219595283.

Further reading

• Aries: Journal for the Study of Western Esotericism,Leiden: Brill, since 2001.
• Aries Book Series: Texts and Studies in Western EsotericismArchived2007-10-11 at theWayback Machine,Leiden: Brill, since 2006.
• EsotericaArchived2015-09-24 at theWayback Machine,East Lansing, Michigan State University (MSU). An online resource since 1999.I (1999)Archived2015-09-24 at theWayback Machine;VIII (2006)Archived2015-09-24 at theWayback Machine;IX (2007)Archived2015-09-24 at theWayback Machine
• Bogdan, Henrik (2014). "Freemasonry and Western Esotericism". In Bodgan, Henrik; Snoek, Jan A. M. (eds.).Handbook of Freemasonry.Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion. Vol. 8.Leiden:Brill Publishers.pp. 277–305.doi:10.1163/9789004273122_016.ISBN978-90-04-21833-8.ISSN1874-6691.
• Faivre, Antoine (2010).Western Esotericism: A Concise History.Christine Rhone (translator). New York: SUNY Press.ISBN978-1-4384-3377-6.
• Giegerich, Eric (2001). "Antoine Faivre: Studies in Esotericism".The San Francisco Jung Institute Library Journal.20(2): 7–25.doi:10.1525/jung.1.2001.20.2.7.
• Granholm, Kennet (2013). "Esoteric Currents as Discursive Complexes".Religion.43(1): 46–69.doi:10.1080/0048721x.2013.742741.S2CID143944044.
• Hanegraaff, Wouter J., “The Study of Western Esotericism: New Approaches to Christian and Secular CultureArchived2023-07-02 at theWayback Machine”,in Peter Antes, Armin W. Geertz and Randi R. Warne,New Approaches to the Study of Religion,vol. I:Regional, Critical, and Historical Approaches,Berlin / New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2004.
• Hanegraaff, Wouter J., ed. (2005).Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism I.Leiden / Boston: Brill.ISBN90-04-14187-1,2 vols.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: postscript (link)
• Hanegraaff, Wouter J. (2015)."The Globalization of Esotericism"(PDF).Correspondences: An Online Journal for the Academic Study of Western Esotericism.Vol. 3. pp. 55–91.Archived(PDF)from the original on 2016-08-22.Retrieved2016-08-10.
• Kelley, James L.,Anatomyzing Divinity: Studies in Science, Esotericism and Political Theology,Trine Day, 2011,ISBN978-1936296279.
• Martin, Pierre,Esoterische Symbolik heute – in Alltag. Sprache und Einweihung.Basel: Edition Oriflamme, 2010, illustratedISBN978-3-9523616-1-0.
• Martin, Pierre,Le Symbolisme Esotérique Actuel – au Quotidien, dans le Langage et pour l'Auto-initiation.Basel: Edition Oriflamme, 2011, illustratedISBN978-3-9523616-3-4
• Redwood, William (2013). "F(r)iends in Low Places: Monstrous Identities in Contemporary Esotericism". In Stasiewicz-Bienkowska, Agnieszka; Graham, Karen (eds.).Monstrous Manifestations: Realities and the Imaginings of the Monster.Leiden:Brill Publishers.pp. 77–83.doi:10.1163/9781848882027_009.ISBN978-1-84888-202-7.
• Tweed, Thomas A. (2005),"American Occultism and Japanese Buddhism. Albert J. Edmunds, D. T. Suzuki, and Translocative History"(PDF),Japanese Journal of Religious Studies,32(2): 249–281, archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2012-05-22,retrieved2015-09-05
• Versluis, Arthur (1993),American Transcendentalism and Asian Religions,Oxford University PressISBN978-0195076585

External links

• An Esoteric Archive
• Center for History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents,University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
• Association for the Study of Esotericism (ASE)
• European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism (ESSWE)
• Centre for Magic and Esotericism,University of Exeter, United Kingdom
• Aries: Journal for the Study of Western Esotericism
• Esotericaacademic journal
• The Secret History of Western Esotericism Podcast (SHWEP)
• 13 questions to Wouter HanegraaffonYouTube