While Western esotericism has its roots in the Hellenistic world of the first few centuries of the Common Era, and while much contemporary esoteric thought can be traced back to the rediscovery of early texts during the Renaissance (and, particularly, to the modern occult revival of the nineteenth century), the late modern period since the 1960s has witnessed the emergence of a political and cultural context that has proved particularly conducive to the proliferation of broadly esoteric ideas. Indeed, no longer can such thought be considered occulted or esoteric, in the sense of being recondite and secretive. While there are, of course, occult traditions and organizations that are styled as such, concerned with the cultivation of a sense of gnostic privilege, the culture in which they are embedded is no longer hidden or unfamiliar. It is ordinary and everyday.

The well-documented shift from “religion” to “spirituality”, the turn to the self, the change of focus from external authority to inner experience has significantly increased the appeal and respectability of esotericism. Indeed, such has been the change in the oc/cultural climate that, not only is there widespread popular interest in magic and occultism, but students can now study for degrees in esotericism at some European universities. This chapter is about this new climate. That is to say, rather than providing an analysis of, for example, particular esoteric traditions or organizations, the following discussion is primarily concerned with exploring the social and cultural conditions, the occultural context within which contemporary esotericism thrives.