3. The relationship between diverse genres of the arts and Western Esotericism are close and multivalent; many artists, historical and contemporary, are practising occultists or influenced by esoteric philosophies or practices. Western Esotericism is an academic field of research, scholarship, and education that focuses on the history of European and Western esotericism. A multitude of examples of esoteric-inspired art can be identified . It explores these traditions, from their roots in Hermeticism, Neo-Platonism, and Gnosticism in the early . This new book then is a welcome and much-needed . Examples are: the conference Kunst en Westerse Esoterie. Glossary. Islamic or Jewish currents with similar features, the more precise term "Western esotericism" is often employed. . Western esotericism is a term that refers to a wide range of cultural and scholarly traditions in Western society that lie outside of the mainstream. Flag. It will be argued that Western Esotericism should be studied within Religious Studies due to the fact that it provides a re-conception of religious study from a sociological, psychological and philosophical lens. . Favorite. . An example of this "Vedanticization" is Ramana Maharshi, who is regarded as one of the greatest Hindu-saints of modern times,, . Western esotericism combines spirituality with an empirical observation of the natural world while also relating humanity to the universe through a harmonious celestial order. from a "western" historical perspective, the history of esotericism is inseparable from a history of persecution and mainstream institutional criticism by orthodox religionists (catholics and protestants, for example, writing against the rosicrucians) who deny the value and importance of maintaining viable, non-orthodox spiritual views or … This means that, while their examples of work in the orange and purple rays are quite accessible to me — Hermetic magic and Christian devotion — their examples of the green way are frequently (and necessarily) related to their land and its spirits — Celtic mythopoeia or Faery traditions. Western esoteric currents and traditions tend to place a strong emphasis on personal religious experiences as an . 1. One scholarly model adopts its definition of "esotericism" from certain esotericist schools of thought themselves, treating "esotericism" as a perennialist hidden, inner tradition. Western esotericism or Hermeticism (also Western Hermetic Tradition, Western mysticism, Western Inner Tradition, Western occult tradition, and Western mystery tradition) is a broad spectrum of spiritual traditions found in Western society, or refers to the collection of the mystical, esoteric knowledge of the Western world. Western Esotericism. Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke. In order to distinguish esoteric currents based primarily on sources from late Antiquity and the European Middle Ages, from e.g. . 2 Aleister Crowley, Moonchild: A Prologue (London: Man- The Fifth International ESSWE Conference WESTERN ESOTERICISM AND THE EAST Organized in cooperation with the Latvian Society for the Study of Religions, University of Latvia, Daugavpils University 16-18 April, 2015 University of Latvia Programme structures and requirements, levels, modules, credits and awards: This is a part-time (23 months) programme for graduates wishing to develop their expertise in the study of Western esotericism. Share to Twitter. The European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism (ESSWE) is a learned society established in 2005 to advance the academic study of the various manifestations of Western esotericism from late antiquity to the present and to secure the future development of the field. This is usually represented with the idea of "As above, so below". 87-93. . Share to Reddit. Defining "esotericism" is a difficult task, and one fraught with controversy. Western esotericism has been a pervasive presence in Western culture from late antiquity to the present day, but until recently it was largely ignored by scholars and surrounded by misconceptions and prejudice. and takes examples from Scandina vian, and particu-larly . Download Free PDF Download PDF Download Free PDF View PDF. I ts Practice in Dar k Magic and Meaning Making in . Western Esotericism and the Science of Religions 49 literature, and music. Access to Western Esotericism. . He demonstrates that, far from being a strictly intellectual movement, the spread of esotericism owes a great deal to geopolitics and globalization. But the world we are documenting is a world of scholarship - the academic study of western esotericism - and inevitably involves us in the use of highfalutin' terms like a priori, heuristic, and hermeneutic.This glossary tries to define in an accessible way what we mean by these . While yes, we can for example . Abstract. This introduction to the Western esoteric traditions offers a concise overview of their historical development. For example: esoteric AND "study and teaching" TIP: keep track of useful subject terms for future searching. For an academic 'field', however, that wants to establish international networks and to bring together scholars from various . The concept of Western Esotericism includes a multiplicity of traditions and lines of thought included in Western culture, from antiquity and the renaissance up to modern times. It is often used to refer to different forms of hidden knowledge, accessible and comprehensible only to especially initiated persons. The degree involves 120 credits of taught modules and a dissertation. Welcome to our website - a home for everybody. art and esotericism.80 The traditionalist definition of esotericism is thus particularly relevant because it is directly related to the development of later academic definitions of esotericism.81 Some of the major founding figures of the traditionalist movement are René Guénon (1886-1951), Ananda Coomaraswamy (1877-1947), and Frithjof Schuon Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society.These ideas and currents are united since they are largely distinct both from orthodox Judeo-Christian religion and Enlightenment rationalism. Characterized by certain common denominators, its elements form a coherent corpus which can be placed under the general rubric "esotericism." Examples of esoteric trends or currents include alchemy; the philosophia occulta; New Age, too, has on the order of 1% efficiency, as does modern Western Buddhism. Perceived as being based on forms of "rejected knowledge", it is not difficult to find historical examples of marginalisation or even . for example. I am not scholar enough to judge the Scandinavian verse, but the Irish poetic speech seems to me at worst an over abundance of the esotericism which is an essential element in all admirable literature, and I think it is a folly to . . In this two-week online winter course, we will investigate the key thematic aspects of Western esotericism, as they have manifested themselves historically within currents such as Hermeticism, gnosticism, astrology, alchemy, magic, to name but a few. . . This chapter discusses four discourses that can be found in many esoteric NRMs . . Despite the fact that during the last fifteen years we have witnessed the emergence of a research field of 'Western esotericism', scholars are still far from agreeing on definitions of 'esotericism'. Modules have a credit rating of 15, 30 or 45 credits, with the whole MA . Somewhat crudely, esotericism can be described as a Western form of spirituality that stresses the importance of the individual effort to gain spiritual knowledge, or gnosis, whereby man is confronted with the divine aspect of existence. The edit you made was just one example; I still think the lead definitely falls into the "intimidating, difficult to read, and may cause the reader to lose interest halfway" category. Superstition is a pejorative term for any belief or practice that is considered irrational: for example, if it arises from ignorance, a misunderstanding of science or causality, a positive belief . Esotericism is understood pragmatically as an umbrella term covering a range of historical currents that have been conceived of as "alternative" to the established religious institutions of Europe and its related colonial and post-colonial societies. Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke Abstract Western esotericism combines spirituality with an empirical observation of the natural world while also relating humanity to the universe through a harmonious celestial order. in the field of western esotericism, as in that of religious studies more generally, it is important to balance on the one hand the virtues of scholarship that strives to achieve a standard of objectivity, and on the other hand the virtues of an approach that seeks to sympathetically understand one's subject, to understand it from the inside out, … e rst dissertation in the eld of W estern esoteri- cism was Kennet Granholm 's Embracing the Dark: e Magic Order of Dragon Rouge. These include "gnostic," Hermetic, or theurgical currents in late antiquity, the so-called "occult sciences" (astrology, alchemy, magic), Jewish and Christian kabbalah, theosophy, Rosicrucianism, illuminism, occultism, spiritualism, and related trends in modern and contemporary culture such as new age and occulture. for example, writer Antons Austrins (1884-1934). This dictionary covers Gnosticism and esotericism from antiquity to the present. The most comprehensive general reference source for Western esotericism is the two-volume Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism, edited by Wouter Hanegraaff. In the second part of the chapter four examples of esoteric NRMs are briefly discussed, Spiritualism, Theosophy, Thelema, and Wicca. Western Esotericism and Rituals of Initiation. Vivekananda's acquaintance with Western esotericism made him very successful in Western esoteric circles, beginning with his speech in 1893 at the Parliament of Religions. This is not a commentary about the full chapter, but is related to Concerning the Practice of Concealing Esoteric Truths from The Masses: Esotericism Ancient and Modern. Western esotericism has been a pervasive presence in Western culture from late antiquity to the present day, but until recently it was largely ignored by scholars and surrounded by misconceptions and prejudice. Western Esotericism in Scandinavia is a detailed encyclopaedic work covering all major esoteric currents in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. One of the model examples is the removal of information about the engagement in Spiritualism of many members of American .