Of Western Esotericism

                    Western Esotericism is a movement that has its origins back to the Hellenistic Eastern Mediterranean, then it continued into the middle ages and the renaissance period as the works of ancient Greek and Roman philosophers were translated before its emergence from the enlightenment as a "modernist occult" movement with esoteric lodges appearing in Europe and North America in the early 1900s. Finally, in the early 20th century it became a multi-disciplinary subject in America that encompasses theology, alchemy, and the arts used primarily to study the impact of esotericism on Western culture and Christianity.  It is important to note the medieval Greeks and Byzantines of South Eastern Europe never lost ancient Greek and Roman tradition, so they would have indeed been able to carry on the esoteric traditions of the ancient Greeks and Romans.  Arabic cultures are well known for their translations of ancient Greek and Roman philosophy during the medieval era.  This allowed North African and Middle Eastern civilizations to make notable advancements in math, medicine, and engineering.  Scholarship was promoted throughout much of the Near East, North Africa, Greece, and Byzantine throughout the middle ages and renaissance.
               Western Esotericism includes the tribal religions that most of ancient Europe had before the spread of Christianity throughout the early Middle Ages.  Indeed, these esoteric traditions combined with those of ancient of ancient Greece and Rome had a profound impact on Christianity and Western culture.   It is important to note that ancient Egyptian and Sumerian culture influenced Greek and Roman culture.  Thus, western culture and Christianity was indirectly influence by ancient Egyptian and Sumerian culture. The study of these cultural influences is often referred to as Western Esotericism and few scholars still study it to this day.  In my view, the "modernist occult movement" is evidence that these ancient esoteric traditions were indeed passed down and perhaps even practiced by secret societies.  If this is true then that means that western culture and Christianity is still being directly influence by these ancient traditions to this day and that is high octane speculation.  I would say that there is maybe a 20% chance that this is indeed true.  Also, if some people read ancient Greek and Roman philosophy or ancient Sumerian literature such as The Epic of Gilgamesh it would be yet another way that these ancient traditions could influence western culture.  It is important to note that Irish Folklore, Norse Sagas, and other ancient literature from pre-Christian Europe would also be good to read.