Esotericism

Esotericism
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Esotericism or Esoterism signifies the holding of esoteric opinions or beliefs,[1] that is, ideas preserved or
understood by a small group of those specially initiated, or of rare or unusual interest.[2] The term derives from the
Greek (esterikos), a compound of (es): "within", thus pertaining to interiority or mysticism. Its
antonym is "exoteric".
The term can also refer to the academic study of esoteric religious movements and philosophies, and religious
movements or philosophies whose proponents distinguish their beliefs, practices, and experiences from mainstream
exoteric and more dogmatic institutionalized traditions.[3]
Examples of esoteric religious movements and philosophies include Alchemy, Astrology, Anthroposophy, early
Christian Mysticism,[4] Freemasonry, Gnosticism, Kabbalah, Neoplatonism, Magic, Merkabah mysticism,
Mesmerism, Rosicrucianism, Taoism, Theosophy, Swedenborgianism, Spiritualism, the Alawites,[5] the Christian
Theosophy of Jacob Bhme and his followers, and the Theosophical revivalist movement associated with Helena
Blavatsky.
Although Esotericism refers to the exploration of the inner meanings and symbolism of various philosophical,
historical and religious texts, these texts themselves are often central to mainstream religions. For example the Bible
and the Torah are examples of esoteric material[6].

Etymology
Plato, in his dialogue Alcibades (circa 390 BC), uses the expression ta es meaning "the inner things", and in his
dialogue Theaetetus (circa 360 BC) he uses ta ex meaning "the outside things". Aristotle applied this distinction to
his own writings. The probable first appearance of the Greek adjective esterikos is in Lucian of Samosata's "The
Auction of Lives", 26, written around AD 166.[7]
The term esoteric first appeared in English in the 1701 History of Philosophy by Thomas Stanley, in his description
of the mystery-school of Pythagoras; the Pythagoreans were divided into "exoteric" (under training), and "esoteric"
(admitted into the "inner" circle). The corresponding noun "esotericism" was coined in French by Jacques Matter in
1828 and popularized by Eliphas Levi in the 1850s.[8] [9]. It entered the English language in the 1880s via the works
of theosophist Alfred Sinnett.

Esotericism

Definition
Among the competing understandings of what unites the various currents designated by "Esotericism" in the
scholarly sense, perhaps the most influential has been proposed by Antoine Faivre. His definition is based on the
presence in the esoteric currents of four essential characteristics: a theory of correspondences between all parts of the
invisible and the visible cosmos, the conviction that nature is a living entity owing to a divine presence or life-force,
the need for mediating elements (such as symbols, rituals, angels, visions) in order to access spiritual knowledge,
and, fourthly, an experience of personal and spiritual transmutation when arriving at this knowledge. To this are
added two non-intrinsic characteristics. Esotericists frequently suggest that there is a concordance between different
religious traditions: best example is the belief in prisca theologia (ancient theology) or in philosophia perennis
(perennial philosophy). Finally, esotericism sometimes suggests the idea of a secret transmission of spiritual
teachings, through initiation from master to disciple.[10] It should, however, be emphasized that Faivre's definition is
one of several divergent understandings of the most appropriate use of the term.
The perennialist or traditionalist school is represented by authors like the French Ren Gunon (18861951), the
Indian Ananda Coomaraswamy (18771947), the Swiss Frithjof Schuon (19071998), the Italian Julius Evola
(18981974), the Iranian Seyyed Hossein Nasr (born in 1933), both scholars and esotericists. They postulate that
there exists a Primordial Tradition of non-human origin.
We say that it [the origin of the traditions] is polar, and the pole is nomore Western than it is Eastern. It is
only in a later epoch that the seat of the primordial tradition, transferred to other regions, was able to become
either Western or Eastern. We consider the origin of the traditions to be Nordic, and even more to be polar,
since this is expressly affirmed in the Veda as well as in other sacred books. [11] [12]
In perennialist usage, esotericism is a metaphysical concept referring to a supposed transcendent unity of all great
religious traditions. Esotericism is the metaphysical point of unity where exoteric religions are believed to
converge.[13] [14]
Our starting point is the acknowledgment of the fact that there are diverse religions which exclude each other.
This could mean that one religion is right and that all the others are false; it could mean also that all are false.
In reality, it means that all are right, not in their dogmatic exclusivism, but in their unanimous inner
signification, which coincides with pure metaphysics, or in other terms, with the philosophia perennis. (F.
Schuon, 1995).
After all, the esoteric tradition may be recovered if the seeker undergoes initiation.
Initiation is essentially the transmission of a spiritual influence, a transmission that can only take place
through a regular, traditional organization, so that one cannot speak of initiation outside of an affiliation with
an organization of this kind. We have explained that 'regularity' must be understood to exclude all
pseudo-initiatic organizations, which, regardless of pretention and outward appearance, in no way possess any
spiritual influence and thus are incapable of transmitting anything. [15]

History
Since the field of esotericism is not a single tradition but a vast array of often unrelated figures and movements, there
is no single historical thread underlying them all.[16] The developments that one might wish to emphasize in drawing
up a history of esotericism furthermore depends on whether esotericism in the dictionary (non-scholarly) or the
scholarly sense is intended.
Several historically attested religions emphasize secret or hidden knowledge, and are thus esoteric in the dictionary
sense, without necessarily being esoteric movements in the scholarly sense of the word. Thus, the Roman Empire
had several mystery religions which emphasized initiation. Some saw Christianity, with its ritual of baptism, as a
mystery religion. None of these are "esoteric" in the scholarly sense. The terms "Gnosticism" and "Gnosis" refer to a
family of religious movements which claimed to possess secret knowledge (gnosis). Another important movement

Esotericism
from the ancient world was Hermeticism or Hermetism. Both of these are often seen as precursors to esoteric
movements in the scholarly sense of the word.
Non-Western traditions can also display the characteristics of esoteric movements. The Ismaili Muslims also stress a
distinction between the inner and the outer. It is believed that spiritual salvation is attained by receiving the 'Nur'
(light) through the "esoteric", that is, spiritual search for enlightenment. Ismaili Islam also has some of the
characteristics associated with esotericism as defined by Faivre, e.g. the belief in an intermediate spiritual sphere
mediating between humans and the divine. Esoteric movements in Buddhism, which fall under the general category
of Vajrayana Buddhism, employ esoteric training into Buddha's teachings, through use of symbols, mantra and
hand-gestures, or mudra. Initiation rituals are typically given to students as they progress along these paths, and care
is taken not to discuss specific rituals to those lacking the right empowerment.
In order to distinguish esoteric currents based primarily on sources from late Antiquity and the European Middle
Ages, from e.g. Islamic or Jewish currents with similar features, the more precise term "Western esotericism" is
often employed.
Western esoteric movements in the scholarly sense thus have roots in Antiquity and the Middle Ages. A major phase
in the development of Western esotericism begins in the Renaissance, partly as the result of various attempts to
revive such earlier movements. During the Italian Renaissance, for example, translators such as Ficino and Pico della
Mirandola turned their attention to the classical literature of Neoplatonism, and what was thought to be the
pre-Mosaic tradition of Hermeticism. Other pursuits of Antiquity that entered into the mix of esoteric speculation
were astrology and alchemy. Beside such revived currents from late Antiquity, a second major source of esoteric
speculation is the Kabbalah, which was lifted out of its Jewish context and adapted to a Christian framework by
people such as Johannes Reuchlin. Outside the Italian Renaissance, yet another major current of esotericism was
initiated by Paracelsus, who combined alchemical and astrological themes (among others) into a complex body of
doctrines.
In the early 17th century, esotericism is represented by currents such as Christian theosophy and Rosicrucianism. A
century later, esoteric ideas entered various strands of Freemasonry. Later in the 18th century, as well as in the early
19th century, the diffuse movement known as Mesmerism became a major expression of esotericism. In the 19th
century, esotericism is also represented by certain aspects of the philosophy, literature and science associated with
Romanticism, by spiritualism, and by a notable French wave of occultism.
The major exponent of esotericism in the latter part of the 19th century is the Theosophy of H. P. Blavatsky, not to
be confused with the Christian Theosophy mentioned above. In the 20th century, Theosophy was further developed
by Annie Besant and Charles Webster Leadbeater, while people like Alice Bailey, Rudolf Steiner and many others,
became the source for a whole range of post-theosophical movements such as The Summit Lighthouse. The
post-theosophical Anthroposophical movement is a synthesis of occultist, Christian and Neoplatonic ideas with
Western esoteric concepts as formulated in the wake of Theosophy. Anthroposophy, which was founded by Rudolf
Steiner in the early part of the 20th century, includes esoteric versions of education, agriculture, and medicine.[17]
Yet another notable esoteric strain stems from the teachings of G. I. Gurdjieff and P. D. Ouspensky.
Theosophy is also considered a major influence on the many less institutionally organized varieties of esotericism in
metaphysical milieus, "Ascended Master Activities", and within the New Age.
The renowned Radiologist Dr Richard Riordan is a firm believer in the removal of esotericism from the teaching of
radiological science.
Finally, it can be noted that Carl Gustav Jung can be seen as an exponent of esotericism: his writings concern
esoteric subject matter such as alchemy, and rephrased the concept of correspondences in a modern, psychologizing
terminology in his theory of synchronicity.

Esotericism

Methodology
Wouter J. Hanegraaff is Professor of History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents at the University of
Amsterdam (1999). The Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA) is the world's first academic institution to have created a
complete program for research and teaching in the field of Western Esotericism.[18] He is also president of the
European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism. Essential to Hanegraaffs methodology is what he calls an
empirical approach, with an informed, open, and, so much as possible, neutral mind. He makes a sharp division
between a religionist perspective and an empiricist one.
Empirical research must be based on methodological agnosticism with regard to religious and philosophical
first principles, and must fully recognize the historicity of religious phenomena. This empirical perspective is
applied to the newly emerging academic field of esotericism. [19]
Secondly, Hanegraaff follows a distinction between an emic and an etic approach to religious studies. [20] The
emic approach is that of the alchemist or theosopher as an alchemist or theosopher. The etic approach is that of the
scholar as an historian, a researcher, with a critical look. An empirical study of esotericism needs emic material and
etic interpretation.
The principal theoretical tool to safeguard scientific legitimity in this situation is the distinction between emic
and etic. Emic denotes the believers point of view. On the part of the researcher, the reconstruction of this
emic perspective requires an attitude of empathy which excludes personal biases as far as possible. Scholarly
discourse about religion, on the other hand, is not emic but etic. Scholars may introduce their own terminology
and make theoretical distinctions which are different from those of the believers themselves. [21]
Pierre A. Riffard (Ph.D., University of the French West Indies) studies the method used by esotericists themselves
(alchemists, magicians, Rosicrucians, Anthroposophists...).[22] He examines some of their procedures. 1)
Mythological origins. The esotericists trace the origins of their doctrine or practice to an extremely distant past. They
situate the life of Hermes in times immemorial. 2) Cosmic cycles. For Gaston Georgel, history is governed by
cycles of 540, 1080 and 2160 years. 3) The chains of initiation. Some Rosicrucians include Francis Bacon among
their masters and trace their origins back to the time of Thutmosis III. 4) The secret books. Esotericists prefer to base
their beliefs on secret writings, unknown to the majority of people and inaccessible to the uninitiated: for instance,
among the Theosophists, The Book of Dzyan. 5) Spiritual interpretations. The esotericists are able to endow the most
profane texts with an occult meaning. The alchemists discover within the Greek and Roman myths the Great Work
of alchemy. 6) Magical uses. A book can be used as a talisman, a divinatory machine... The Sortes Sanctorum (Lots
of the saints) were, in early Christianity, a divination which consists in taking passages of the Bible at chance, and
drawing conclusions from them concerning future. [23]
Arthur Versluis (Professor, Ph.D., Michigan State University) proposes the term sympathetic empiricism as the
approach that he finds most amenable in the study of Western Esotericism.
While I am convinced of the critical importance of historiography in the study of esotericism (and for this
reason all of my academic books are firmly grounded in historical method) I do not believe that historiography
is adequate in itself to convey the complex, multivalent nature of esoteric thought, traditions, or most of all,
experience. Esotericism, given all its varied forms and its inherently multidimensional nature, cannot be
conveyed without going beyond purely historical information: at minimum, the study of esotericism, and in
particular mysticism, requires some degree of imaginative participation in what one is studying.[24] [25]

Esotericism

References
[1] Chambers 20thC dictionary, 1972
[5] Historical dictionary of Syria by David Dean Commins, Scarecrow Press, 2004, page 29
[7] Lucian of Samosata, The Auction of Lives (also called The Auction of the Philosophical Schools), 26. Pierre A. Riffard, Lsotrisme.
Quest-ce que lsotrisme?, Paris: Robert Laffont, coll. Bouquins, 1990, 65.
[8] Jacques Matter, Histoire critique du gnosticisme, Paris: Levrault, 1928, 83 (Jean-Pierre Laurant, Lsotrisme chrtien en France au XIX
sicle, Lausanne: Lge dhomme, 1992, 13-48 ; Lsotrisme, Paris: Cerf, 1993, 40-41.)
[9] http:/ / books. google. fr/ books?id=H4axIwRLRkwC& printsec=frontcover& dq=Laurant+ l%27%C3%A9sot%C3%A9risme+ 1993&
source=bl& ots=UBSzl6yO9I& sig=V41iwMgKXHdqpzjcJgv7AFYLMiM& hl=fr& ei=OThBTb6iLuKR4gaHqvXnDw& sa=X&
oi=book_result& ct=result& resnum=1& ved=0CBoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage& q& f=false
[10] Antoine Faivre, Access to Western Esotericism, Albany: State University of New York Press (SUNY Series in Western Esoteric
Traditions), 1994, 10-15. Wouter J. Hanegraaff (ed.), Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism, Leiden / Boston: Brill, 2005, I, 340.
[11] Ren Gunon, Traditional forms and cosmic cycles (1925-1949, first published in 1970), New York: Sophia perennis, 2003, 16.
[12] http:/ / books. google. fr/ books?id=XGwEg0KDrYUC& printsec=frontcover& dq=%22Traditional+ forms+ and+ cosmic+ cycles%22+
%22primordial+ tradition%22& source=bl& ots=QlUr668xn4& sig=WHcceS5PFyBsLwen7uaYP0revGo& hl=fr&
ei=P9dBTYP0NIik8QPXi80F& sa=X& oi=book_result& ct=result& resnum=1& ved=0CBsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage& q& f=false
[13] Frithjof Schuon, The Transcendent Unity of Religions (1948), London: Faber and Faber, 1953.
[14] http:/ / books. google. fr/ books?id=HScR1XS6q7MC& printsec=frontcover& dq=schuon+ %22transcendent+ unity%22& source=bl&
ots=waHDMGjHc_& sig=nQKx504zMGKuxVLqqvXTy0tQRE0& hl=fr& ei=9NBBTZDhAcmY8QP-_L0q& sa=X& oi=book_result&
ct=result& resnum=5& ved=0CEIQ6AEwBA#v=onepage& q& f=false
[15] Ren Gunon, Perspectives on initiation (1946), New York: Sophia perennis, 2001, 48.
[16] Jean-Paul Corsetti, Histoire de lsotrisme et des sciences occultes, Paris: Larousse, coll. Rfrences, 1992, 17-319. Kocku von Struckrad,
Western Esotericism: A Brief History of Secret Knowledge (2004), London / Oakville: Equinox Publishing, 2005, 12-145. Arthur Versluis,
Magic and Mysticism: An Introduction to Western Esotericism, Plymouth: Rowman and Littlefield, 2007, 11-264.
[17] Robert McDermott, The Essential Steiner, ISBN 0-06-065345-0, pp. 3-11
[18] http:/ / www. amsterdamhermetica. nl/ index. php
[19] Wouter J. Hanegraaff, Empirical Method in the Study of Esotericism, in Method and Theory in the Study of Religion, Florida State
University, 7:2 (1995), 99-129.
[20] http:/ / books. google. fr/ books?id=GodzjIfO7e8C& pg=PA12& lpg=PA12& dq=Hanegraaff+ emic+ etic& source=bl&
ots=BVmZwci1ay& sig=byewSWZ04K3NDLnXOv27qGsl_sQ& hl=fr& ei=FF5ATenPFsek8QPW0Jm6BA& sa=X& oi=book_result&
ct=result& resnum=1& ved=0CBsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage& q=Hanegraaff%20emic%20etic& f=false
[21] Wouter J. Hanegraaff, New Age Religion and Western Culture. Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought, Albany: State University of
New York Press, 1998, 6.
[22] Pierre A. Riffard, The Esoteric Method, in Western Esotericism and the Science of Religion, Leuven: Peeters, coll. Gnostica, 1998,
63-74.
[23] http:/ / books. google. fr/ books?id=GodzjIfO7e8C& pg=PR7& lpg=PR7& dq=%22western+ esotericism+ and+ the+ science+ of+
religions%22& source=bl& ots=BVmZx7m8gF& sig=V_o5odZa7cx0K9fS521aZo5k8R0& hl=fr& ei=AzRBTZvgIJW64gb5tPUU& sa=X&
oi=book_result& ct=result& resnum=7& ved=0CFUQ6AEwBg#v=onepage& q& f=false
[24] Arthur Versluis, Methods in the Study of Esotericism, Part II: Mysticism and the Study of Esotericism, in Esoterica, Michigan State
University, V, 2003, 27-40.
[25] http:/ / www. esoteric. msu. edu/ VolumeV/ Mysticism. html

Further reading
Aries: Journal for the Study of Western Esotericism, Leiden: Brill, since 2001. (http://brill.publisher.
ingentaconnect.com/content/brill/arie)
Aries Book Series: Texts and Studies in Western Esotericism, Leiden: Brill, since 2006. (http://www.brill.nl/
arbs)
Esoterica, East Lansing, Michigan State University (MSU). An online resource since 1999 (http://www.
esoteric.msu.edu/Contents.html). I (1999) (http://www.esoteric.msu.edu/Contents.html#Volume1); VIII
(2006) (http://www.esoteric.msu.edu/VolumeVIII/EsotericaVIII.pdf); IX (2007) (http://www.esoteric.
msu.edu/VolumeIX/EsotericaIX.pdf)
Antoine Faivre, Access to Western Esotericism (1986), Albany: State University of New York Press (SUNY
Sries in Western Esoteric Traditions), 1994, X-369 p. (http://books.google.fr/books?id=HXk9lnPx0_MC&
printsec=frontcover&dq=''Access+to+Western+Esotericism''&source=bl&ots=3cfP-3YbX8&

Esotericism
sig=jU6Md2IXXTOQclHiBdKF0EdM9Uk&hl=fr&ei=z38-TdmgMpyG4gaj_tCvCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&
ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false)
Antoine Faivre, Theosophy, Imagination, Tradition: Studies in Western Esotericism (1996), Albany: SUNY Press
(SUNY Sries in Western Esoteric Traditions), 2000, XXXV-269 p. (http://books.google.fr/
books?id=ZW4FtJLNe-kC&printsec=frontcover&dq=''Theosophy,+Imagination,+Tradition:+Studies+in+
Western+Esotericism''&source=bl&ots=oupghU9qi_&sig=ijsFXJZv20C2UrAkn_uXFgQpLJU&hl=fr&
ei=ZIA-TdW4K4mG5AaulvzWCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&
ved=0CDoQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false)
Ren Gunon, Perspectives on initiation (1946), New York: Sophia perennis, 2004, 320 p. (http://books.google.
fr/books?id=lfrXdz01X8kC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Gunon+"Perspectives+on+initiation"&source=bl&
ots=S3wt73EbPm&sig=jIgf5snAChRaKEq0L0fylFf5mao&hl=fr&ei=jvY7TeCWNMeq8QPF4rW_CA&
sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false)
Wouter J. Hanegraaff, The Study of Western Esotericism: New Approaches to Christian and Secular Culture, in
Peter Antes, Armin W. Geertz and Randi R. Warne, New Approaches to the Study of Religion, vol. I: Regional,
Critical, and Historical Approaches, Berlin / New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2004, 497 p. (http://books.google.
fr/books?id=OYsk8ZtJaMIC&pg=PA489&lpg=PA489&dq=The+Study+of+Western+Esotericism:+
New+Approaches+to+Christian+and+Secular+Culture&source=bl&ots=IcmnMDcPww&
sig=XX7jRaTy4JL49DRWXJnlYaaUvGs&hl=fr&ei=4YA-Tb-yNYmj4Qa0qK22Cg&sa=X&oi=book_result&
ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=The Study of Western Esotericism: New
Approaches to Christian and Secular Culture&f=false)
Wouter J. Hanegraaff (ed.), in collaboration with Antoine Faivre, Roelof van den Broek, Jean-Pierre Brach,
Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism, Leiden / Bristol: Brill, 2005, 2 vols., 1228 p.ISBN
90-04-14187-1.
douard Schur, The Great Initiates: A Study of the Secret History of Religions (1889), Blauvelt (N.Y.): Garber
Books, 1992, 480 p. (http://books.google.fr/books?id=92K99tgkbesC&printsec=frontcover&dq="The+
Great+Initiates"&source=bl&ots=zhF7btr2kX&sig=_JsKRENmyQJl9kfNXzP0JORPjSo&hl=fr&
ei=hgo_Ter0HImA5AbZo5WiCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&
ved=0CDsQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false) Rama, Krishna, Hermes, Moses, Orpheus, Pythagoras, Plato,
and Jesus.
Kocku von Stuckrad, Western Esotericism: A Brief History of Secret Knowledge (2004), London / Oakville:
Equinox Publishing, 2005, XVII-167 p. (http://www.scribd.com/doc/34348366/
Western-Esoteric-Ism-A-Brief-History-of-Secret-Knowledge-by-Kocku-Von-Stuckrad-KnowledgeBorn-Library)
Arthur Versluis, Magic and Mysticism: An Introduction to Western Esotericism, Plymouth: Rowman and
Littlefield, 2007, 208 pages. (http://books.google.fr/books?id=1X2bEHOk8L4C&printsec=frontcover&
dq=Arthur+Versluis,+''Magic+and+Mysticism&source=bl&ots=hLfThnyxyI&
sig=xzWzdb6Ntb_wpl_g6UaGO_5wZsQ&hl=fr&ei=4_45TcGfFILA8QPXhZTTCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&
ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false)
Benjamin Walker, Encyclopedia of Esoteric Man: The Hidden Side of the Human Entity, London: Routledge and
Kegan Paul, 1977, 353 p.ISBN 0-7100-8479-X. New title: Body Magic, London: Granada Publishing, Paladin
Books, 1979, 478 p.ISBN 0-586-08323-5. Arranged alphabetically.
Benjamin Walker, Man and the Beasts Within: The Encyclopedia of the Occult, the Esoteric, and the
Supernatural, New York: Stein and Day, 1978, 343 p.ISBN 0-8128-1900-4

Esotericism

External links
University of Amsterdam Center for Study of Western Esotericism (http://www.amsterdamhermetica.com)
Research & BA/MA programs in Western esotericism.
University of Exeter Centre for the Study of Esotericism (EXESESO) (http://www.huss.ex.ac.uk/research/
exeseso/)
ESSWE (http://www.esswe.org) European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism, with many links to
associated organizations, libraries, scholars etc.
Association for the Study of Esotericism (http://www.aseweb.org/)
What is understood by Western Esotericism? (Prof. Wouter Hanegraaff) (http://www.esoteric.msu.edu/
Hanegraaff.html)
What is Esoteric? (Prof. Arthur Versluis) (http://www.esoteric.msu.edu/VolumeIV/Methods.htm)

Article Sources and Contributors

Article Sources and Contributors

Esotericism Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=566593970 Contributors: 129.128.91.xxx, 999, A. Parrot, Aaron Brenneman, AdelaMae, Aeuio, After Midnight, Alansohn,
Alcidebava, Alerante, Ales Tosovsky, Alex756, AlexTiefling, Alias Flood, All Is One, Altenmann, Anarcho hipster, Andre Engels, Andres, Angel2000, Apola, Aquarius Rising, Argotechnica,
Arion 3x3, Aristophanes68, Atreklin, Avaya1, Bazonka, BenFrantzDale, Bender235, Bernfarr, Blucky*321, Blueboar, Bradeos Graphon, Brianfedirko, Buddhipriya, BullRangifer, Bunzil, CJ,
Calicocat, Can't sleep, clown will eat me, Carrionluggage, Caturdayz, Charley sf, CharonM72, Chase me ladies, I'm the Cavalry, Chinanski, Ckatz, Coemgenus, Conversion script, CopperSquare,
Cro..Scream, Cybercobra, Cyberevil, Dara Allarah, Darklilac, Daveswagon, Davidiad, Dazedbythebell, Deconstructhis, Dicklyon, Diddims, Dino, Discospinster, Dismas, Donatus, Dougweller,
DowagerMonk, Dragenfly, DragonflySixtyseven, Dreadstar, Drkarthi, EPadmirateur, ERK, Eep, El C, EoGuy, Epbr123, Erudite, Esoteric Lebanon, Esowteric, Fiasco229, FocalPoint,
Fredbauder, FreeKnowledgeCreator, Fuper, Fuzzypeg, GTBacchus, GalaazV, Gallidux, GameKeeper, Gary D, Geneisner, Gerash77, Gilliam, Gire 3pich2005, Glocky, Golmor, GossamerBliss,
Gregbard, Hadal, Haputdas, Harvester, Heidimo, Hermes3, Hgilbert, Hrafn, Hu, Hugh Mason, Hveziris, IFaqeer, II MusLiM HyBRiD II, Ian Pitchford, Ilmari Karonen, Ina custers, Intgr, IronEye,
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Contributors: JamesJen

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