When I tell people I decode esoteric symbolism, they often ask, “What does esoteric mean?”
Esoteric means hidden. It has the same meaning as occultism, which refers to hidden forces.
The hidden force is consciousness, which becomes manifest through the nature of your thoughts, actions, and emotions. The power of your energetic forces.
Esoteric symbolism reveals a hidden part of your nature which is not accessible to the conscious mind, a part of your nature that is repressed and unconscious.
It should be noted that, contrary to popular belief, occultism and esoteric symbolism are not inherently evil.
Sure, symbols can be used for evil, but they can also be used for good. The symbols themselves are neutral. It is the intention of the person that determines whether they are positive or negative.
In other words, it is the nature of your thoughts, actions and emotions that determine the meaning of the symbol, and thus the use of the symbol.
Libera Mente explains how to use symbols as a self-development tool. Because symbols bring messages your energy has attracted, you can improve your life by interpreting the esoteric meaning of the symbols you see.
This involves observing the nature of a symbol and reflecting on how the symbol relates to your life around the time it appears. For example, if an eagle comes into your life, what does an aspect of the eagle’s nature reveal about your own nature?
We encourage you to consider how your thoughts, emotions and actions are creating conflicts, challenges and problems in your life. When you understand this, you reach a point of self-realisation which you can use to your advantage — to transform your personality and transform how you experience life.
If you want to know more about how Libera Mente designs symbology courses for personal development, read this tutorial: How To Use Esoteric Symbolism For Self-Development.
Why Esoteric Symbolism?
Libera Mente uses esoteric symbolism as a self-development tool. How we interpret the meanings is grounded in depth psychology, philosophy and ancient wisdom so they can be used to guide you through life.
Esoteric symbolism helps you to make decisions with confidence — for the rest of your life.
However, in my opinion, it’s important to make a distinction between esoteric symbolism and exoteric symbolism.
Because unless you know the hidden meanings of symbols, symbology becomes a blunt tool. This is evidenced by the exoteric interpretations you find on most websites.
Why?
Because exoteric symbolism is only intended for the general public. The definition given by The Cambridge Dictionary is:
“intended or suitable for people generally, not only for some people.”
The Merriam-Webster dictionary provides a two-tier response: (1) “suitable to be imparted to the public” and (2) “belonging to the outer or less initiate circle.”
In other words, the general public is considered the outer or less initiated member of society and are not privy to the secrets hidden behind esoteric symbolism.
And that brings me to the focus of this article; I want to explain the important difference between esoteric symbolism and exoteric symbolism. Knowing the difference can make a huge difference in how you interpret the meaning and apply it to your life.
What Is Exoteric Symbolism?
You will find that most websites on the internet use exoteric symbolism, which does not delve beyond surface-level interpretations. However, you will also find some interpretations resonate with you in that moment.
Whether you will find the right interpretations every time is open for debate, but I doubt very much you will find it from the same source — because the writers are merely expressing their experiences and understandings of a symbol.
And that might not be the same experience or perception you have of a symbol.
The esteemed scholar and alchemist, Eric John Holmyard, said that exoteric aspects cannot be properly appreciated if you do not keep the esoteric meaning in mind.
At best, exoteric sources guide you into another layer of symbolism, posing as a final answer. You will often read that a symbol means transformation, or intuition, or being connected to the Higher Self.
But what do any of these interpretations mean precisely for you? They may have a general meaning to you, but what do they specifically mean to you?
If you don’t know how a symbol specifically relates to you, the interpretations you read about on exoteric websites can be misleading.
Libera Mente attempts to guide you to the right answer by helping you to understand the esoteric meaning of symbols and how they relate to your nature at the time the symbol reveals itself.
We guide you to archetypes with which a symbol shares a relationship. In the archetypes, you will identify a specific behaviour, attitude or motivation that is creating a challenge or conflict.
The archetypes show you the parts of your personality that are creating problems and offer you a solution that will enable you to integrate a repressed part of your personality.
Whilst working with symbols, I came to realise that the nature of the symbol is a reflection of your own nature at the time the symbol appears. The symbol either guides to a transformation or confirms a transformation.
Once I realised the relationship between esoteric symbolism and my True Nature, it dawned on me that ancient mythologies are a blueprint of the human psyche.
The secrets of esoteric wisdom started to be revealed to me through the gods of mythology, which, ultimately, represent archetypes. And archetypes reveal patterns of human nature and the qualities you need to live a happy, abundant and fulfilling lifestyle.
Let me give you an example.
As Above, So Below
One of the most famous axioms of alchemy is As Above, So Below. The quote comes from the Emerald Tablets, a Hermetic text supposedly handed down from the Egyptian God of Wisdom, Thoth.
The rest of the quote is less well known. “As within, so without; as above, so below; as the universe, so the soul.”
The verse essentially relates to energy. The energies you store in your central nervous system are projected into the world by what you say and what you do. Thoughts become words and your behaviours create your experience of reality.
As above is mind is the brain. As below is the body, or more precisely the nervous system. How you think, speak, believe and perceive with the conscious mind becomes a subconscious program, a memory which returns to the brain and influences what you think, say and do.
The Universe is the electromagnetic field which is composed of energetic waves filled with atoms. All atoms contains information and become matter when they are activated, or as quantum physicists put it, “measured”.
When a wave function collapses, it becomes a single particle, a single particle carrying information. Some of that information will tell you what to do and how to do it — or in other words, the archetypal qualities you need to adopt to overcome a challenge.
The esoteric astrologer, theosophist and pioneer of modern astrology, Alan Leo writes:
“…the main difference between Esoteric and Exoteric Astrology, [is that] the former is concerned with man’s actions within and with the power to harmonise himself with nature’s laws, and the latter with man’s impulses prompted by the attraction that are without;”
~ Alan Leo, Esoteric Astrology
So what does Leo mean by actions within and attractions without?
Esoteric symbolism describes which energies you are projecting from ‘within’ your inner world into the outside world, which is ‘without’.
The energies you store within are projected onto the outside world. Your thoughts, actions and emotions are all energies which create your experiences of life in relation to the information stored as memory.
If you apply esoteric symbolism, you can identify the archetypal energies that are influencing your decision-making, and thus your experiences of life.
Esoteric symbolism guides you to resolve problems that arise in your life. It brings unconscious content into the light of the conscious mind and prompts you to make relevant changes that integrate unexpressed aspects of your personality and improve your life.
Leo states that exoteric symbolism focuses on the outside world — that which is By “Without,” and not “Within.” When the energy is in the outside world and not within, the information is stored in the Universe, and not in the soul.
Soul is an ancient term for the subconscious mind — the central nervous system.
How the subconscious mind is the central nervous system is explained in finer detail in the Beginner’s Guide To Symbolism. The content also describes how atoms (Adam) become matter (mother Eve).
For now, this passage written by the disciple Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 explains that Adam, in his animal form, man is made of “psyche”, the Greek word for soul.
The last Adam — Jesus — is made from spirit or “Pneuma” the Greek word for God in man.
Thought-Provoking Quote
“There is a ψυχικός [psyche/soul] σῶμα [soma, body], and there is a πνευματικός [spiritual] σῶμα [body]. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a ψυχή psychē; the last Adam [was made] a quickening πνεῦμα pneuma [spirit]. Howbeit that [was] not first which is spiritual, but that which is ψυχικός psyche; and afterwards that which is spiritual. The first man [is] of the earth, earthy: the second man [is] the Lord from heaven. As [is] the earthy, such [are] they also that are earthy: and as [is] the heavenly, such [are] they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.”
~ Paul, from 1 Corinthians 15
In his meditations, Marcus Aurelius also alludes to the soul being his animal aspect appearing in his mind.
Thought-Provoking Quote
“What is the use that now at this present I make of my soul? Thus from time to time and upon all occasions thou must put this question to thyself, what is now that part of mine which they call the rational mistress part, employed about? Whose soul do I now properly possess? A child’s? Or a youth’s? A woman’s? Or a tyrant’s? Some brute, or some wild beast’s soul?
~ The Golden Book of Marcus Aurelius, Book 4 para 11 (c. AD 171-175)
Subconscious programs stored in the central nervous system typically drive you towards attachments and passions in the external world — basic needs such as food, water and sex.
Every time you search for comfort, pleasure or relief from suffering, you’re experiencing your animal self. The animal Self has not transcended the basic needs of the earthly ego and is, therefore, disconnected from the spiritual Self.
This is the difference between surviving and thriving.
The Self is above the ego — God in man.
The Higher Self communicates to you through symbols. Oftentimes, it informs you of the archetypal qualities you do not have stored within — the qualities you live without.
When you live without archetypal qualities that enable you to manage your world, you encounter challenges, conflicts and problems. These challenges exist to help you learn which qualities you need to overcome them.
Symbols and archetypes point to the archetypal qualities you are without.
Can this approach work?
Of course, it can.
If you observe the patterns of energy you are projecting that cause problems in your life, then identify the emergent archetype that is influencing your experiences, there is more scope for you to identify the right solution.
An Example of How Esoteric Symbolism Works
Let me give a typical example of an exoteric statement that you will typically find in exoteric astrology. It’s this type of description that Alan Leo says directs your attention to the material world:
“Libra is the sign of relationships and therefore represents both the deeper and material aspects of our most intimate relationships. It is about the things that are shared with others such as resources, assets, money, and values.”
This description prompts you to look at your relationships with the external world; resources, assets, money, and values you share with others.
But from an esoteric standpoint, Libra relates to the relationship you have with yourself in relation to others. How do you share resources, assets, money, and values with others?
Libra in astrology is, in part, associated with the Caretaker archetype. This part of your personality is responsible for taking care of your personal well-being and emotional nourishment.
When the Caretaker is developed, you are adept at looking after yourself and others. You know how to put your resources, assets, money, and values to best use.
By taking care of yourself and others, you show respect, kindness and generosity to yourself and others.
Individuals who have an undeveloped Caretaker, on the other hand, are typically people pleasers. In taking care of others, they neglect to take care of themselves.
The motivation to please others is because they are worried people will think they are selfish and do not offer any value.
The gravest fear for individuals with a dominant Caretaker is to be seen as unkind, unwanted and useless. To avoid this fear becoming a reality, you adopt behaviours, motivations and attitudes that ensure you are kind, warm and generous.
However, how you show your value often means that your emotional needs go unfulfilled. People-pleasers eventually burn themselves out and become ill.
When you are ill, you cannot take care of anybody or anything and fulfil your worst fear of being useless.
Does this description resonate with you?
If so, the lesson the people-pleasing Caretaker has to learn is not to give away energy, time and resources to others if it means neglecting your own emotional wellbeing.
Unless you adapt your behaviours, attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions — the information stored within — you will continue to encounter problematic situations.
Wisdom frees you from challenges. Esoteric symbolism gives you the keys to unlock self-knowledge. Self-knowledge becomes self-awareness. Self-awareness is the catalyst to healing “emotional wounds” and can become wisdom.
Wisdom is, therefore, the key difference between esoteric symbolism and exoteric symbolism.
If you want to discover more examples of how to use exoteric symbolism to work out the hidden meaning in esoteric symbolism, check out this tutorial: How To Use Esoteric Symbolism For Self-Development
Esoteric Means Hidden
Esoteric symbolism means the hidden meaning of symbols because it’s the unconscious mind communicating with you.
Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, two of the most influential voices of depth psychology, believed the unconscious communicates to us through dreams, images and unusual events.
Using a language of symbolic images is an attempt made by the unconscious mind to bring repressed content into the light of the conscious mind.
Jung discovered that seeing a repetition of the same symbol in a short space of time is a “meaningful coincidence” that carries a significant meaning.
Thought-Provoking Quote
“How the harmonising of conscious and unconscious data is to be undertaken cannot be indicated in the form of a recipe. It is an irrational life-process which expresses itself in definite symbols. In this case, knowledge of the symbols is indispensable, for it is in them that the union of conscious and unconscious contents is consummated. Out of this union emerge new situations and new conscious attitudes.”
~ Carl Jung, CW9 Part 1, The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, 2nd ed (1968)
When you understand how consciousness works, you learn how to expand conscious awareness and bring balance and harmony to the central nervous system.
Essentially, you upgrade subconscious programs that do not serve you.
The Universe is conscious and is composed of wave particles that store all the information you need to become God in man.
“God” is the Superconscious aspect of your nature, the Higher Self that is split off from conscious awareness and trying to make itself known.
Jesus, Buddha and Mohammad are the enlightened beings of world religions — men who integrated the archetypal qualities of the gods.
En-lighten-ed beings — universal consciousness in the light of the conscious mind — is how you become the best version of yourself.
Symbols guide you. Archetypes teach you.
Want to know more about Esoteric Symbolism?
If you want to explore how to extract the esoteric meaning from exoteric sources, check out this in-depth tutorial: How to use esoteric symbolism for self-development
If you are ready to unlock the secrets of the universe, purchase the key and discover the need-to-know foundations of self-development in our Beginner’s Guide to Esoteric Symbolism.
