(Redirected from Esoteric circle)
Part of the Casswiki article series Fourth Way
In common usage, esoteric means the inner or more advanced aspect of a spiritual teaching. Exoteric means the outer form of a teaching, one that is shown to the public. By contrast, in Fourth Way discourse, humankind is divided into four circles according to progress on the path of conscious evolution. There is first the outer circle of exterior men; then three progressive circles of interior men follow: the exoteric, the mesoteric, and the esoteric.
The outer circle of exterior men corresponds to the default state of man – of people not engaged in esoteric work. In this circle it is rare that any two individuals should precisely understand each other on any matter of consequence or complexity. All see the world through thick lenses of subjectivity and are subject to the confusion of tongues alluded to in the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel.
The exoteric circle is the outermost circle of interior or consciously working man. The four Ways lead from the outer circle into the exoteric one.
The understanding of exoteric man is theoretical and contemplative; they know more than they can explain or put to practice, but some degree of shared clarity has begun to form. Then comes the mesoteric circle, the members of which understand each other precisely and possess the information of the esoteric circle but are not capable of bringing all of it to practice. Finally, the esoteric circle consists of the persons having attained the development possible in the form of human life. Their actions cannot be in contradiction with their knowledge and the same knowledge is clear to all members of this circle.
The central idea is that as man progresses, the world is seen with increased clarity. Therefore misunderstanding and ambiguity decrease along the way and actions become naturally aligned since all see the same world and become increasingly capable of acting on esoteric principles.
George Gurdjieff says that the universe needs a group of conscious humans. A certain number of people must have attained the esoteric level by a certain time in order for a cosmic purpose to be fulfilled. The branch of the ray of creation corresponding to the Earth will otherwise wither and be wasted.