My journey into understanding esoteric wisdom starts here...

Ladies, gentlemen and gentleladies . I come one here seeking wisdom in the esoteric arts. Consider me a beginner.

All posts are welcome, however, I would ask those that are looking to learn to sit back and refrain from posting. Please do not get all hot and bothered by my request, as I am just trying to keep a cohesive, uncluttered thread. Do not get ahead of yourself and ask questions that are further down the line. Any perspective esoteric s might be deterred from commenting on a neanderthalish thread that is unorganized in-cohesive.

Any esoteric s that choose to comment, please give your answers in questions. And if something is missed by me in my quest to understanding please notify me in the form of a question. I want to think and I want the other newb's to think. I want to learn without being taught.

So thank you for your time if you are reading this and if you abide my requests may the one infinite intelligence bless you for your kindness.

So lets start...

???...??..??..

Have you identified the thoughts that are yours, and those that are the result of conditioning in your environment?

~Tenth

reply to post by tothetenthpower


Sadly I would say no. And as you probably know that is our biggest problem.

How would I identify the differences? Separate emotion from thought???

Much gratitude

Originally posted by lucifer6
reply to post by tothetenthpower

 

Sadly I would say no. And as you probably know that is our biggest problem.

How would I identify the differences? Separate emotion from thought???

Much gratitude

edit on 12-6-2013 by lucifer6 because: (no reason given)

Isn't that only one layer of the thoughts that "are not yours?"
good start
Is there ever a point at which you know thyself completely?
read my sig.

reply to post by lucifer6

How would I identify the differences? Separate emotion from thought???

Ever been sitting around and had a thought, then immediately afterwards thought to yourself " where did that come from?"

It mostly happens when you say something that came to mind and somebody else challenges you and makes you change your mind entirely. This is usually the result of conditioned thought as opposed to free thought.

~Tenth

Originally posted by Dustytoad

Originally posted by lucifer6
reply to post by tothetenthpower

 

Sadly I would say no. And as you probably know that is our biggest problem.

How would I identify the differences? Separate emotion from thought???

Much gratitude

edit on 12-6-2013 by lucifer6 because: (no reason given)

Isn't that only one layer of the thoughts that "are not yours?"

Is there ever a point at which you know thyself completely?

It is MY biggest problem... Is that right?

I have certain opinions that cannot be changed, however I would say as a whole I do not know myself at all. I have been forced into every environment imaginable, making my views of how one should believe in ones self in-cohesive... Any where near what you were looking for...

Very cool, I never knew what esoteric wisdom was before, thanks Tenth you explained it well so far.

Although everyone always tells me I march to the beat of my own drummer. I guess I have something to add to this thread.

What do you think makes you believe thoughts that are not true? More than likely, it is a result of societal pressure. For example, if you do not think this incorrect thought, then society will retaliate somehow.

--------------------

For example, you wish to drink water from a pristine lake. However, someone tells you it is much better from the swamp! You disagree, and they slice off one of your fingers.

Oh my! How much tastier is that swamp water!

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
reply to post by lucifer6

 

How would I identify the differences? Separate emotion from thought???

Ever been sitting around and had a thought, then immediately afterwards thought to yourself " where did that come from?"

It mostly happens when you say something that came to mind and somebody else challenges you and makes you change your mind entirely. This is usually the result of conditioned thought as opposed to free thought.

~Tenth

I grew up in foster care moving from place to place so my conditioned life is even in-cohesive. Growing up in every type of class, poor, middle class, millionaires. Suburban life style, urban life style country life style and inherited lifestyle. I have been raised by Whites Blacks and even Muslims. If that tells you anything. So I have my own thoughts based on the things I have learned from each of them instead of conditioned thoughts.

Can you work with that? If that tells you anything if my mind is even sane. And even thought it looks as if I contradicted myself I dont believe I have.

reply to post by lucifer6
Hey OP,I'm sitting back and listening in..........Hope you get a good response because I'd like to know more about this stuff too

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
Have you identified the thoughts that are yours, and those that are the result of conditioning in your environment?

~Tenth

So to be esoteric is to separate yourself from the conditioned world and live with free thought

Originally posted by darkbake
Very cool, I never knew what esoteric wisdom was before, thanks Tenth you explained it well so far.

Esoteric means something that is hidden, or buried under layers of meaning. There are typically 7 layers of esoteric understanding behind the exoteric.

Exoteric is just the face value. The outward understanding; the most basic statement or symbol of an idea.

Exoteric secrets are surface level secrets. They’re the kinds of secrets that are easily transmitted, easily learned, easily shared, and thus easily stolen or imitated. Examples of exoteric secrets are things like the Colonel’s 11 herbs and spices or the formula for Coca-Cola. If the secret, the recipe, got out, there’s no practical way for these companies to ever put the genie back in the bottle.

Esoteric secrets are deep secrets. These are the kinds of secrets that require extensive training, knowledge, and experience to even be able to comprehend, much less make use of. Esoteric secrets include things like the process for building a nuclear weapon, which are so common you can find them online. The challenge for the non-nuclear physicists among us isn’t learning “the recipe” as much as it is having the means and the ability to make use of that knowledge. Another example is a black belt martial arts technique. You can show it to someone who’s not a black belt, but only the time, experience, and wisdom of a black belt will let someone execute it successfully.

www.christopherspenn.com...


Because esoteric concepts are hard to teach or transmit to others, they are typically represented by symbols. The symbol itself, and the basic answer to the question "What's that symbol mean?" Would be the exoteric. The true meanings of that symbol, which are more difficult to grasp or talk about, would be the esoteric.


For example all of the symbols of Freemasonry and the basic understanding of what they (might) mean are exoteric. The true meanings of those symbols are esoteric.

Arguably, Judaism is an exoteric religion... And Kabbalah would be the esoterica of Judaism.

Hope that helps your understanding of exoteric vs esoteric.

reply to post by Heliophant


"Exoteric is just the face value. The outward understanding; the most basic statement or symbol of an idea."

Part of my belief is that the powers that be condition the populous or manipulate the populous by any means necessary.

What I think would be a good example would be the myATS icon. Why is the my in the myATS icon the only lowercase letters on the menu bar.

Is it mean to belittle the user by making them feel smaller and insignificant? Without them knowing

why is most of ATS grey and blue. Grey is a very unemotional color. And blue is a calming color. Is this to take the sharp emotion out of the people and detach them from their original goal of waking the masses by giving them the most calming blue and most un emotional grey possible, giving them an escape with other like minded people ATS's slogan is deny ignorance question authority. Yet day after day people come on here just to talk about the things the authority are doing instead of questioning it and doing something about. The manipulation gives them a place to vent their anger with like minded people at the same time keeping them from questiong the authority and keep them talking about it.

Would you say ATS is an esoteric tool to control those who find this site and keep them encased in manipulated world to keep from doing what needs to be done to return to a spiritual world and by giving them their own world all while maintaining the outsides world of reason.

Is that a better understanding of what it means to be esoteric.

Originally posted by tothetenthpower

I was under the impression that to be esoteric was to keep the manipulation of man by any means and keep the face that negative influence encourages positive empowerment secret. Yet hide the truth within the manipulation for those that know wat to look for

reply to post by lucifer6


What to you think "esoteric" means? Exclusivity does not equate to a superior wisdom just because it's exclusive. Also, why insist on answers being questions?

In any case, if you have direct questions about particular avenues, you may do well to post them. I actually work for an "esoteric community" but that doesn't confer to me the wisdom that it implies. I'll answer what I can as I'm sure some others here will but maybe focus the information stream a bit?

reply to post by Cuervo


Alright 2 part question.

Where should I start in my journey?

What does it mean to live in an esoteric community? What does it entail?

Originally posted by lucifer6
reply to post by Cuervo

 

Alright 2 part question.

Where should I start in my journey?

Wherever you are interested. Are you interested in the symbolism? Secret societies? Magick societies? Schools of magick? Witchcraft? Judeo-Christian mysticism? This is what I meant by narrowed field. Saying "esoteric" is like saying "religion"; it could mean any number of things.

Originally posted by lucifer6
What does it mean to live in an esoteric community? What does it entail?

I don't live in one. I work for a corporation that considers itself that. I only brought it up because, even though the word is in my job title, I only know a little about most of it and only know most of only a few categories. I don't think anybody could be a jack-of-all-trades expert in all things esoteric.

I take that back. We do have some creepy-smart people on ATS. I learn more here than I contribute and for that, I'm in debt to the smarties here.

This is not really esoteric. For me personally, why would I waste my time circling down an endless rabbit hole of layers of symbolism, design to take me out of myself so I can recognize my Self, when I could just as easily recognise the Truth.

"Your task is NOT to seek for love, but merely to seek and FIND all of the barriers WITHIN YOURSELF that you have built AGAINST it. It is NOT necessary to seek for what is true, but it IS necessary to seek for what is FALSE. Every illusion is one of fear, WHATEVER form it takes...." A Course In Miracles

Truth is true, nothing else is true.

I broke my head open by pondering over the following statement for several weeks:

"because the things you think you think appear as images before your eyes, you refuse to accept them as nothing."

not coincidentally, this has the same focus as what tenth suggested above.

reply to post by MindpurelyMind


the quote I posted above also comes from a course in miracles. bizarrely, I did not see your post as I was typing mine when you posted.

Originally posted by Cuervo

Originally posted by lucifer6
reply to post by Cuervo

 

Alright 2 part question.

Where should I start in my journey?

Wherever you are interested. Are you interested in the symbolism? Secret societies? Magick societies? Schools of magick? Witchcraft? Judeo-Christian mysticism? This is what I meant by narrowed field. Saying "esoteric" is like saying "religion"; it could mean any number of things.

Originally posted by lucifer6
What does it mean to live in an esoteric community? What does it entail?

I don't live in one. I work for a corporation that considers itself that. I only brought it up because, even though the word is in my job title, I only know a little about most of it and only know most of only a few categories. I don't think anybody could be a jack-of-all-trades expert in all things esoteric.

I take that back. We do have some creepy-smart people on ATS. I learn more here than I contribute and for that, I'm in debt to the smarties here.

I would guess that symbolism would be a good start. From there magick societies. Magick societies is what peaks my interest the most. But I get the impression that symbolism is universial knowledge amongst the esoterics. So we will start there as not to get ahead of ourselves.

You live east of ohio but south of vermont and north of the carolinas. Your textual dialect points to that region.