ESOTERIC & EXOTERIC PHILOSOPHY
The title of this collection of esoteric and exoteric philosophy presents at least one, if not two very misunderstood and misinterpreted words, namely ‘esoteric’ and ‘exoteric’. And whilst ‘exoteric’ is not so widely in use, the word ‘esoteric’ as it stands today is very far away from its original and very practical and down to earth meaning. Esoteric means the inner-most and it is that which is found in the inner-heart of every human being. The esoteric is that which is truest and closest to what we actually and truly are; it is our essence as human beings in a physical body and the place where true wisdom can be accessed.
As it stands today, the word ‘esoteric’ has been demeaned and misinterpreted to signify that which is somewhat obscure and abstruse, something that is only for the select few and those with special knowledge. This definition begs the question: How can something that is at the very core of every, yes every human being made out to be or described as obscure and only for a select few when we all have it equally?
That it can’t be for a select few immediately makes sense when you consider that the esoteric is at the very core of each, yes of each one of us – the feeling of a certain quality and knowingness that is undeniably there if we but care to stop long enough and connect to it. And thus - is it possible that it has mistakenly been described as abstruse or obscure by virtue of the fact that we have not connected to it even though it is ever present?
In summary: ignore something long enough and it becomes obscure by virtue of the fact of having been ignored. But remember that it was only the choice to ignore it that made it obscure or abstruse and that it is not by its very nature anything like that. Does it really make sense that something that is at the very core of every human being can be described as obscure or abstruse? Of course not.
The word philosophy is less contentious in its meaning and translates as “love of wisdom” from the ancient Greek. And thus you have before you a collection of sayings that are steeped in the wisdom of what is known as the Ancient Wisdom – an unshakeable and undeniable knowingness and wisdom that has been there as long as human beings have walked the earth. And where can it be found, where can it be accessed? Where is this place of absolute knowingness that tells us whether something has the ring of truth or not? In the inner-most, the esoteric which we all have equally.
The exoteric is the expression of the esoteric in the outer physical world of the five senses, the stage we all share as human beings. The sayings under the umbrella of esoteric and exoteric philosophy presented in this book bridge what is known to be of truth in the inner-most to the outer world of action and expression. And thus the way of true and practical philosophy – the application of true wisdom based on the esoteric in exoteric expression, in our daily lives.
