Esotericism, the search for the hidden What does this ancient practice mean?

How many times are we not witnessing the use of astrology, magic and tarot to determine the secrets of our life?

Well, those that we mention are usually very popular esoteric practices, but with an ancient tradition that all those who carry them out must study.

There are many questions that surround the meaning of esotericism, some even brand it as satanic, due to the persecution to which everything related to the afterlife has been subjected in history.

But through the ages, progress has been made in the discovery of esoteric approaches that involve numerous aspects of daily life.

What is Esotericism and what is it for?

Esotericism, let's be clear:

It is the constant search for answers for those spiritual secrets that escape our understanding and science, and that, even so, are still present in the history of humanity, leaving a mystery that many are trying to solve.

The fact is that this current is not satanic and it is not witchcraft.

Esoteric practices have thousands of years in the history of humanity and require study and a lot of knowledge, as they include traditions and disciplines such as secrecy and divination, and many others of complicated understanding.

Esotericism does not involve the practice of spells or rituals of devil worship. Its definition couldn't be further away.

This current refers to the search for something hidden such as:

The inner knowledge,
the spirituality of the human being,
the evolutionary process of the spirit and the soul.

This term in its etymology comes from the Greek esoterikós compound esoteric, which means "further inside" and similar to the Latin word occultism occultus, which means secret.

Some types of Esoteric Practices and their meaning:

Through esotericism, traditions and disciplines such as:

Hermeticism: philosophy that studies the knowledge of God to achieve divine wisdom.
Astrology: beliefs that can predict future events according to the study of the stars.
The cabal: Discipline that interprets the Old Testament from the Jewish tradition and attempts to reveal the hidden wisdom of God and the world.
The tarot: means of divination through the deck of cards that interprets the present, past and future, as well as dreams and perceptions.
Numerology: Divination practice through the hidden meaning of numbers, relating it to living beings and spiritual forces.
The meaning of dreams: Technique that interprets dreams, finding a meaning according to the elements manifested.
Clairvoyance: Ability to divination or to perceive even paranormal realities that not everyone can see.
The I-Ching: Ancestral book of Chinese origin used for divinatory or oracular practice, teaches how to balance energies.
The runes: engraved sacred symbols. A group of alphabets through which contact with the divine dimension is established.
Alchemy: Belief linked to the transmutation of matter, combining elements of chemistry, metallurgy, physics, medicine, astrology, semiotics, mysticism, spiritualism and art.

Many of these disciplines are known at least in part, by anyone, since esoteric practices have been made over the years, very close to humanity.

What does Esotericism seek in its practice?

As we see, esotericism not only seeks to reveal hidden secrets, but also determines the personal transformation that human beings experience in their passage through life.

Learning, personal fulfillment and the fulfillment of the goals that we set for ourselves, are changing our spirit and all this is a reason for study.

The term also encompasses a set of knowledge, doctrines, teachings, practices, rites, techniques or traditions of the current of thought that uses secrets, incomprehensible or difficult-to-access symbols that are only known to some people.

Esotericism seeks to understand the world through the solution of the hidden secrets and for this includes practices, symbols and rituals, such as divination, predictions, use of stones, among other elements.

A little history about Esotericism How did it come about?

The exact date in which esotericism was born is not known, but it can be confirmed that esoteric practices have extended for thousands of years in the history of humanity and that they have also evolved, at the same time that man has.

So old are the esoteric practices, that they are related to great researchers and thinkers of humanity such as Plato and Pythagoras.

And it is that formerly, esotericism or occultism was related to the study of metaphysics, the analysis of the essence and the reason for being.

For this reason, some very famous teachers of metaphysics, as we explained, Plato, Aristotle and a little later, Leonardo da Vinci, have been linked to esoteric practices.

In the eastern region, the esoteric schools are the oldest of humanity, since the secrets of that part of the world began to be studied much earlier than in the West.

But in that culture, knowledge was jealously guarded by guardians and priests from restricted circles, so much information has been lost over the years.

However, several scholars indicate that really, all religions in any part of the world, have an esoteric core, which due to its complexity remains hidden from most believers.

This indicates the lack of information that currently exists on esoteric practices.

The most popular esoteric currents today

There are numerous spiritual expressions that are included within esotericism due to its characteristics.

Many literary works address the relationship of esoteric practices with the social process of evolution of humanity.

It is said that there are two great currents or millenary cultural roots from which these esoteric analyzes derive that are included in religions, arts, sciences and philosophies of history:

The Semitic and Aryan currents.

The first originated with Hermes Trismegistus, and followed by Moses in Egypt, and the second, represented by Rāma and Krishna in India and by Zarathustra in Persia.

Thus, there are numerous types of esotericism depending on the current that is followed or the ideology that is practiced.

The most recognized and studied types of esotericism are:

Masonic esotericism
Egyptian esotericism
Tantra
Taoism
Yoga
Mayan esotericism
Anthroposophy
Theosophy

These currents are currently extremely popular in many parts of the world, which is why their practice is today a characteristic element of mass culture.

In fact, it is said that esotericism is a new fashion that many follow and that many practice without even having the knowledge required for it.

Because of this, there are numerous "soothsayers" who have not really studied the esoteric currents and the actual methods to carry out this practice.

Elements and practices widely used in esotericism:

The current practice of esotericism includes all kinds of recognized and usual exercises, therapies and thousands of other rituals with elements such as: