What is Esotericism? If you’re new to Freemasonry this might be a new term to you, but then again it may not. I know I would have only used the term Esoteric in conversation less than a dozen times in my life prior to joining Freemasonry. Now I hear it far more regularly and usually in all the wrong places.
I want to start this post with adefinition from the Oxford Dictionaries.
esoteric
ADJECTIVE
Intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest.
Origin
Mid 17th century: from Greek esōterikos, from esōterō, comparative of esō ‘within’, from es, eis ‘into’.
During my (short) time in Freemasonry and my other personal experiences outside the fraternity, I have encountered a number of people who are in the blind habit of using this word incorrectly. Not only is this a confusing practice, but it also shows a laziness on our part not to correct it. Let’s begin, shall we?
Freemasonry, by it’s nature is Esoteric.
Breaking down the definition above, you can see Freemasonry is intended for only a small group of people, in most jurisdictions this is a minimum requirement of: men of adult age with a belief in a supreme being. Some will restrict further with background checks on potential criminal activity (something I think is a great idea).
The next part talks about specialized knowledge or interest. Almost everything I have experienced with Freemasonry is of an Esoteric nature. That is to say, comprised of knowledge, of a specialized focus, known only to a small few. I think most anyone would agree, regardless of what secrets we keep and what we can discuss, most of Freemasonry is only of interest to Freemasons, or those interested in joining Freemasonry.
To give a totally mundane point of view, if I get 4 people together and we discuss ways to prepare fish that are not commonly known or understood, we could say we’re Esoteric Fish Cooking enthusiasts. Is there any involvement in ritual, religion, belief or morals? No – we cook fish. But it’s still Esoteric.
Now, in some cases people use Esoteric correctly. But from context and further discussion, a vast majority of them appear to mean to say Occult/Spiritual/Mystical/Metaphysical. These topics can be Esoteric – but to lump them into one broad term is generally lazy.
If we look at the definition provided above, there are elements of mysticism and the supernatural present in Freemasonry, as there are in any religion that has a belief in Deities or God. Anytime a person prays to God and feels a response, that’s defined as a mystic or spiritual connection, and is part of the Occult.
I have had conversations with people about discussions being shut down in Freemasonry because “they’re too Esoteric”. I don’t think they meant it was of an interest of too small a sub-group to be of enough interest – from context I believe they were talking about the Occult – and that makes sense – there are elements of the Occult that is applicable to Freemasonry and there are elements that are better suited to research outside the lodge. I firmly believe we should keep Freemasonry focused on the business of Freemasonry and not to outside topics – those can be explored by the individual in their own leisure.
I’ve heard comments from people with statements along the line that “Esoteric stuff doesn’t belong in Freemasonry”. These generally make me roll my eyes in unconcealed weariness, because all of Freemasonry is Esoteric, and it just gets more Esoteric the further along the path you travel. One of the first things you learn upon joining is that every time you think you’ve learnt something, there’s always more, leading into smaller and smaller circles of who knows what.
The modern attempts of Freemasonry over the better part of the last century to convince the public that there is nothing ‘weird’ or ‘different’ about Freemasonry seems to have only convinced ourselves that there is nothing special about Freemasonry beyond male bonding and financial charity. In my opinion, these types of mindsets are what is limiting Freemasonry from being what it should be.
Many young men are looking at society, and more than a desire for male bonding, for Fraternity, they are looking for meaning, understanding, not just of themselves but of the world, universe and reality. How they can understand their relationship with God in an ever evolving and modern world. I think some of the Esoteric elements of Freemasonry, primarily ritual, give us the tools to look inward and address these questions.
I think there is a drive of younger Freemasons who are joining and investing their time and energy in our Fraternity because they hold the belief that there is something more than bonding, charity and a generally average dinner. I think this is a positive step forward and I suspect I’ll make it a topic of a future post.
But I’ll ask each of you, the next time you go to call something Esoteric, stop and think about what you actually want to say.
Ars Fraternitas 