Terminology
Western Esotericism uses many terms which are often either misinterpreted by, or totally alien to, our common vocabulary. To this end we have endeavoured to address some of the most common examples for the sake of the newcomer and the curious.
Occult
The word Occult has been often associated with both Satanism and Religious Cults. Both of these associations are misleading. The word Occult comes from the Latin Occular, of the Eye and means, quite simply, "Hidden from Sight" or "invisible". This may refer to the nature of the subject (i.e. the Spirit, the Mind or God) or the nature of a teaching or group (i.e. the "Mysteries" of the Church, or the Invisible Rosicrucian Order).
It is important, also, to realize how the negative associations came to exist. If a word means "invisible" or "hidden" then it is applicable to organizations, like cults, who do not wish to be infiltrated, or who are engaged in nefarious activities. These Evil organizations are "occult" but not everything that is "occult" is Evil. It is the same as saying all Catholics are Christian, but not all Christians are Catholic.
We often use this term in reference to teachings and activities which have been hidden from sight, either by their very nature, or due to the necessity of avoiding persecution in the past. The study of the hidden things in nature, such as the Spirit, or the Ethereal, is referred to as "Occultism". We use the word in its accurate sense and do not practice, or condone, any evil, or nefarious activities either within our fraternity or in our associations.
Esoteric
Esoteric means much the same as Occult in that it refers to that which is hidden. More specifically it refers to that which is unknown to the masses. Computer technology is often thought of as "esoteric".
Exoteric
The antithesis of Esoteric. Exoteric is that which is widely known or easily accessible.
Western Mysteries
Religion has, of necessity, had both an outer teaching and an inner teaching, the Esoteric and the Exoteric. The Mass means different things to the everyday church goer than it does to the Priest performing it. These inner meanings, these spiritual experienced are often referred to as "Mysteries".
The "Western Mysteries" is the name we give the body of knowledge and spiritual experience which is the underlying force of Western religion and is, therefore, Judeo-Christian based. Dion Fortune, one of our most prolific and respected writers on the subject, points out that the Western Mysteries could have no other root than Judaism as it is from this tradition that both Christianity and Islam developed and between them they define the three major religions of the West.
Pagan
In general the term Pagan has come to mean a person who does not believe in God. The reality is that it refers to someone, or a body of thought, that does not believe in Jesus Christ as the embodiment of God. Although most modern Pagans profess that they believe in multiple Gods and Goddesses ("Polytheism") they all acknowledge that there is one superior force above them all. This force is also known as "The Limitless Light" or "I Am". Pagan deities are of the same stuff as Judeo-Christian Archangels and do not preclude a belief in the One unknowable and omnipresent Lord of the Universe.
L.V.X.
In the Latin name of our Fraternity, Fraternitas L.V.X. Occulta, is a strangely presented word which often causes people to ask why it is represented in this way. In old Latin there was no such thing as the letter "U" and, as such, the letter "V" is often used where we would currently expect the vowel. LVX is the same as the newer Latin word Lux, which means "Light". As seen above, Occult means Hidden, hence a direct translation of our Latin name would be the "Fraternity of the Light which is Hidden".
L.V.X. also has another reference in that the letters can be seen as Latin (or Roman) numerals. Hence L=50, X=10 and V=5 for a total of 65. Through Gematria (a Biblical system of reducing words to numbers) this is the same result as the Hebrew words for Lord (Adonai), to shine (halal), and temple (havikaw) as found in the Old Testament. Thus it is a very powerful symbol of our goals towards greater spirituality and an understanding of the divine.
Qabalah
Although often transliterated into English as Kabbala, Cabala and other forms, Qabalah is the most accurate English representation of the word which stands for the Jewish Mysteries. Although the modern Qabalah encompasses many faiths, philosophies and concepts, the ground rules for this complex system comes to us from the ancient Rabbis and High Priests of Israel.
The Qabalah was only ever taught "from mouth to ear" for what some claim to be thousands of years until the Roman occupation of Israel forced some learned scholars to attempt to write down as much of the hidden knowledge as possible in the hopes that it would not be lost to the world. The Qabalah forms the basis of the Western Mystery Tradition and many very excellent books are now available.