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:
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.
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.
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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