XLIII: EROTICA and ESOTERICA

Before we proceed with the theme of sex, let’s clear the confusion between EROTICA and ESOTERICA. EROTICA refers to the art and literature that deal with sex aesthetically, while ESOTERICA are books that deal with OBSCURE (difficult to understand) subjects. Erotica is derived from EROS, the god of love, whereas esoterica comes from ESOTERIC, difficult to understand. ESOTERIC subjects are those which are very difficult to grasp or comprehend. They are ABSTRUSE, RECONDITE, and HERMETIC. The term HERMETIC is applied in various ways. If we say something is HERMETICALLY sealed, it means it is sealed AIR-TIGHT. HERMETIC can mean air-tight, impermeable. Hence, HERMETIC x POROUS HERMETIC x PERMEABLE We also come across expressions like, hermetic poems. Hermetic poems are those into the meaning of which we cannot penetrate. They are very difficult to be understood. Hence, HERMETIC x EASILY COMPREHENDED A theory or philosophy that is understood only by very few people we also call RECONDITE and ABSTRUSE. So, RECONDITE x WIDELY UNDERSTOOD. When something is MYSTERIOUS, it also becomes very difficult to grasp. So, the words which mean MYSTERIOUS can also be considered to mean difficult to be grasped. All the following words can denote the meaning of MYSTERIOUS, DIFFICULT TO BE COMPREHENDED. ENIGMATIC INSCRUTABLE RUNIC ARCANE CRYPTIC ENCODED ENCRYPTED HERMETIC ABSTRUSE RECONDITE Of these, CRYPTIC comes from CRYPT which can mean CODE. ENCRYPTION is the act of encoding. CRYPTOLOGY is the science of encoding and decoding. A CRYPTOLOGIST knows how to crack a code. He\she studies codes, just as a PETROLOGIST studies rocks. CRYPTOLOGIST: CODES PETROLOGIST: ROCKS An ESOTERIC book, as we have seen, demands PROFOUND knowledge to understand it. PROFOUND means very DEEP. It can also mean PERSPICACIOUS (deeply insightful). PROFUNDITY is PERSPICACITY, in other words, DEPTH of INSIGHT. PROFUNDITY x SUPERFICIALITY(shallowness) We will call it a day today and continue tomorrow. Before I leave the post I’d like to ask a question. Do you know what RUST-OUT means? If you do, mail me please.