Esoteric traditions
For everyone
Esoteric traditions are currents holding that there is a "hidden" knowledge of nature and humanity open only to those who follow a particular path. Hermeticism, alchemy and astrology are the main ones. Throughout history they developed intertwined with science: Kepler was a court astrologer and Newton studied alchemy for years. Today they continue to be practised in both material and spiritual forms.
For specialists
Western esotericism as an academic field was defined by Faivre and Hanegraaff. For Faivre its core features are correspondences (between cosmos and human), living nature, imagination and mediations, the experience of transmutation, concordance among traditions, and transmission of knowledge. In the Islamic world too, fields such as the science of the stars (ʿilm al-nujūm), alchemy and the secrets of letters have an extensive literature.
Claims
- Western esotericism is a form of thought definable by shared features such as correspondences, living nature and transmutation.[1]
Positions
- Wouter Hanegraaff
- Esotericism is a field excluded by the post-Enlightenment academy as "rejected knowledge" and should be studied seriously as history.[2]
Connections
Parent
HumanitySub-branches
Sources
- Book (1994). Access to Western Esotericism. SUNY Press, Albany
- Book (2012). Esotericism and the Academy: Rejected Knowledge in Western Culture. Cambridge University Press
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Cite this page
Athena contributors. (2026). Esoteric traditions. Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/ezoterik/
@misc{athena_ezoterik,
title = {Esoteric traditions},
author = {{Athena contributors}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/ezoterik/}},
note = {Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Accessed: 2026-11-01}
}Added: September 27, 2026 · Last changed: September 27, 2026 · Page history