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Western Esotericism
Malmö University, Faculty of Education and Society (LS), Department of Society, Culture and Identity (SKI).ORCID iD: 0000-0002-7383-9857
2024 (English)In: Religion und Geschlecht / [ed] Birgit Heller & Edith Franke, Berlin; Boston: Walter de Gruyter, 2024, p. -339Chapter in book (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

This chapter provides a condensed and selective history of notions of gender and sexuality in (Western) esotericism, a complex of genealogically related religious currents originating in late antiquity, which emphasize an intuitive, experiential knowledge ("gnosis") beyond faith and rational enquiry. In the chapter, it is argued that the complex, hierarchical and interlinked cosmologies espoused by esotericists from antiquity until today challenge modern understandings of biological sexual dimorphism. Through the idea of the individual human being as a microcosmic reflection of creation, notions of a dual-gendered Godhead have coincided with ideas of both sacred sexuality and divine androgyny, and esoteric notions of spiritual ascent have often been gendered (whether advancement is viewed in terms of gender balance, transcendence, or in honing masculinity or femininity specifically). However, the symbolic and social levels do not always coincide. Esoteric thinkers who have valorized the divine feminine have not always advocated for egalitarian male-female relationships. Similarly, despite the preponderance of symbolism related to gender transcendence in historical esotericism it is only in the twentieth century that beliefs in sacred androgyny have been articulated as part of a political mobilization for queer, trans, or intersex rights.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Berlin; Boston: Walter de Gruyter, 2024. p. -339
Keywords [en]
esotericism, Western esotericism, gender, sexuality, occultism, magic
National Category
History of Religions
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-66318DOI: 10.1515/9783110697407-038ISBN: 978-3-11-069340-9 (print)ISBN: 978-3-11-069740-7 (electronic)ISBN: 978-3-11-069748-3 (electronic)OAI: oai:DiVA.org:mau-66318DiVA, id: diva2:1844201
Available from: 2024-03-13 Created: 2024-03-13 Last updated: 2024-03-13Bibliographically approved

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Hedenborg White, Manon

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CiteExportLink to record
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Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
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  • Other style
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  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
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  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
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  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
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  • asciidoc
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