eh-so-TER-i-kuh -- (n.) Things understood by a select few; a secret knowledge rare to the rest of the world.
Esoterica is one of those words you probably already know but use it so infrequently it might as well not even exist. So here's to changing that status quo. We hear phrases like "he babbled on about some esoteric historical tidbits" or "the esoteric nature of her lecture made it both fascinating and dense." Esoterica is the plural form of esoteric and has a more 'clubby' feel to it. It implies a sort of rarified minority that is let in to understand something rare or not understood by most. Inherent in esoterica is the fact that it is an unseen, invisible thing to most of the world but to those who can and do understand, it is a privilege. Everyone has some esoterica; belonging to some 'club' of understanding that our passions or our upbringing have helped us grow wiser for. We possess esoterica on topics we don't even realize until we immerse ourselves into another world, into different circles of people, into new cultures. What is common knowledge for some is esoterica -- rare knowledge -- to others. Esoterica isn't something we're born with though. It is something we earn in time and after a point, we must actively seek. Esoterica reveals itself to those who want it -- and wanting rare knowledge is a choice we can make every day.
~Wordeby's by Chanel Rion
🦋 ART: "A World" (1899) by Maximilian Lenz
🦋 STYLE: Symbolism
🦋 NATIONALITY: Austrian
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