esoterica
Insider lore only
Esoterica refers to obscure or specialized knowledge, or items of interest only to a small group with particular expertise.
The word treats such material as a category: a shop full of occult esoterica, academic esoterica that only specialists would appreciate.
It's the plural of the rare singular esoteric, used as a noun.
Hidden writing system
- enigmaSomething hard to fathom
- riddlePuzzling question to solve
- cryptogramCoded message puzzle
- encodedConverted to cipher
indecipherable · obscure · veiled · abstruse · inscrutable · hidden · clandestine · decipher
Mystical metal transformation
- hermeticismAirtight, impervious condition
- cabalaEsoteric or hidden doctrine
- grimoireTextbook of sorcery
- sigilsSymbols with mystical power
necromancy · theurgy · divination · rituals · incantations · talisman · runes · sorcery
Extensive scholarly knowledge
- scholarshipEducational funding or erudition
- academiaHigher education community
- epistemologyTheory of knowledge
- hermeneuticsStudy of interpretation methods
ontology · phenomenology · semiotics · dialectic · pedagogy · philosophy · cognition · syllogism
Surpassing usual limits
- chakrasBody's spiritual focal points
- karmaSpiritual cause and effect
- mantraRepeated focus phrase
- nirvanaRelease from cyclical existence
reincarnation · aura · supernatural · qi · kundalini · tantra · dharma · satori
Made less dense
- curatedDeliberately selected and organized
- antiquarianScholar of old artifacts
- bibliophileLover of books
- collectorOne who gathers items
aficionado · discerning · refined · obscurantist · cognoscenti · niche · recondite · specialized
cipher
Hidden writing system
- enigmaSomething hard to fathom
- riddlePuzzling question to solve
- cryptogramCoded message puzzle
encoded · indecipherable · obscure · veiled · abstruse · inscrutable · hidden · clandestine · decipher · code
alchemy
Mystical metal transformation
- hermeticismAirtight, impervious condition
- cabalaEsoteric or hidden doctrine
- grimoireTextbook of sorcery
sigils · necromancy · theurgy · divination · rituals · incantations · talisman · runes · sorcery · conjuring
erudition
Extensive scholarly knowledge
- scholarshipEducational funding or erudition
- academiaHigher education community
- epistemologyTheory of knowledge
hermeneutics · ontology · phenomenology · semiotics · dialectic · pedagogy · philosophy · cognition · syllogism · empiricism
transcendence
Surpassing usual limits
nirvana · reincarnation · aura · supernatural · qi · kundalini · tantra · dharma · satori · enlightenment
rarefied
Made less dense
- curatedDeliberately selected and organized
- antiquarianScholar of old artifacts
- bibliophileLover of books
collector · aficionado · discerning · refined · obscurantist · cognoscenti · niche · recondite · specialized · arcana
- obscuritiesmysteries, secrets, enigmas, puzzles, riddles
- esotericismoccult, gnosis, arcana, hidden knowledge, sacred knowledge
- occult booksgrimoire, grimoires, spellbook, spellbooks, Book of the Dead
- magicwizard, wand, sorcerer, witchcraft, mage
- occultwitchcraft, sorcery, necromancy, black magic, tarot
esotericacommon knowledge
Widely shared information
general knowledge · public knowledge · basics · conventional wisdom · fundamentals
esotericapopular culture
Mainstream societal trends
pop culture · mass media · common parlance · generalities · lowest common denominator
- esoteric knowledgeUnderstanding restricted to initiates
- esoteric wisdomKnowledge for the initiated