The Hermetic/Cabalist magic which was created by
Giovanni Pico della Mirandola and
Marsilio Ficino was made popular in northern Europe, most notably England, by
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa's De
occulta philosophia libra tres. Agrippa had revolutionary ideas about magical theory and procedure that were widely circulated in the Renaissance among those who sought out knowledge of occult philosophy. "Agrippa himself was famous as a scholar, physician jurist, and astrologer, but throughout his life he was continually persecuted as a heretic. His problems stemmed not only from his reputation as a conjurer, but also from his vehement criticism of the vices of the ruling classes and of the most respected intellectual and religious authorities." While some scholars and students viewed Agrippa as a source of intellectual inspiration, to many others, his practices dubious and his beliefs serious. The transitive side of magic is explored in Agrippa's
De occulta philosophia, and at times it is vulgarized. Yet in Pico and Ficino we never lose sight of magic's solemn religious purposes: the magician explores the secrets of nature so as to arouse wonder at the works of God and to inspire a more ardent worship and love of the Creator. "Considerable space is devoted to examples of evil sorcery in De occulta philosophia, and one might easily come away from the treatise with the impression that Agrippa found witchcraft as intriguing as benevolent magic"
Since the field of esotericism is not a single tradition but a vast array of often unrelated figures and movements, there is no single historical thread underlying them all. The developments that one might wish to emphasize in drawing up a history of esotericism furthermore depends on whether esotericism in the dictionary (non-scholarly) or the scholarly sense is intended.
Several historically attested religions emphasize secret or hidden knowledge, and are thus esoteric in the dictionary sense, without necessarily being esoteric movements in the scholarly sense of the word. Thus, the Roman Empire had several
mystery religions which emphasized initiation. Some saw Christianity, with its ritual of baptism, as a mystery religion. None of these are "esoteric" in the scholarly sense. The terms "
Gnosticism" and "
Gnosis" refer to a family of religious movements which claimed to possess secret knowledge (gnosis). Another important movement from the ancient world was
Hermeticismor
Hermetism. Both of these are often seen as precursors to esoteric movements in the scholarly sense of the word.
Non-Western traditions can also display the characteristics of esoteric movements. The
Ismaili Muslims also stress a distinction between the inner and the outer. It is believed that spiritual salvation is attained by receiving the
"Nur" (light)through the "esoteric", that is, spiritual search for enlightenment. Ismaili Islam also has some of the characteristics associated with esotericism as defined by Faivre, e.g. the belief in an intermediate spiritual sphere mediating between humans and the divine. Esoteric movements in Buddhism, which fall under the general category of
Vajrayana Buddhism, employ esoteric training into Buddha's teachings, through use of symbols,
mantra and hand-gestures, or
mudra. Initiation rituals are typically given to students as they progress along these paths, and care is taken not to discuss specific rituals to those lacking the right empowerment.
In order to distinguish esoteric currents based primarily on sources from late Antiquity and the European Middle Ages, from e.g. Islamic or Jewish currents with similar features, the more precise term "
Western esotericism" is often employed.
Western esoteric movements in the scholarly sense thus have roots in Antiquity and the Middle Ages. A major phase in the development of Western esotericism begins in the
Renaissance, partly as the result of various attempts to revive such earlier movements. During the Italian
Renaissance, for example, translators such as
Ficino and
Pico della Mirandola turned their attention to the classical literature of
Neoplatonism, and what was thought to be the pre-Mosaic tradition of
Hermeticism. Other pursuits of Antiquity that entered into the mix of esoteric speculation were
astrology and
alchemy. Beside such revived currents from late Antiquity, a second major source of esoteric speculation is the
Kabbalah, which was lifted out of its Jewish context and adapted to a Christian framework by people such as
Johannes Reuchlin. Outside the Italian Renaissance, yet another major current of esotericism was initiated by
Paracelsus, who combined alchemical and astrological themes (among others) into a complex body of doctrines.
In the early 17th century, esotericism is represented by currents such as
Christian theosophy and
Rosicrucianism. A century later, esoteric ideas entered various strands of
Freemasonry. Later in the 18th century, as well as in the early 19th century, the diffuse movement known as
Mesmerism became a major expression of esotericism. In the 19th century, esotericism is also represented by certain aspects of the philosophy, literature and science associated with
Romanticism, by
spiritualism, and by a notable French wave of
occultism.
The major exponent of esotericism in the latter part of the 19th century is the
Theosophy of
H. P. Blavatsky, not to be confused with the Christian Theosophy mentioned above. In the 20th century, Theosophy was further developed by
Annie Besant and
Charles Webster Leadbeater, while people like
Alice Bailey,
Rudolf Steiner and many others, became the source for a whole range of post-theosophical movements such as
The Summit Lighthouse. The post-theosophical
Anthroposophical movement is a synthesis of occultist, Christian and Neoplatonic ideas with
Western esoteric concepts as formulated in the wake of Theosophy. Anthroposophy, which was founded by
Rudolf Steiner in the early part of the 20th century, includes esoteric versions of
education,
agriculture, and
medicine.
Yet another notable esoteric strain stems from the teachings of
G. I. Gurdjieff and
P. D. Ouspensky.
Theosophy is also considered a major influence on the many less institutionally organized varieties of esotericism in
metaphysical milieus, "Ascended Master Activities", and within the
New Age.
Finally, it can be noted that
Carl Gustav Jung can be seen as an exponent of esotericism: his writings concern esoteric subject matter such as
alchemy, and rephrased the concept of correspondences in a modern, psychologizing terminology in his theory of
synchronicity.