Defining Esotericism from a Masonic Perspective

Abstract:

 

Delineates three distinct taxons for the meaning of the word esoteric as it applies to Freemasonry, from the nominal (the regulation of the secret work), to the conceptual (the location of secret meanings within Masonic myth and ritual), to the cultural (referring to western esotericism as a cross-traditional genre).

An earlier version of this article appeared in The Journal of the Masonic Society, 2(2008): 16–21.

Last updated on 01/13/2020