Introduction. Where are you going, spiritual man? – humanity has been facing this question since antiquity, when Christian culture was an alternative to sacred teachings. Modern society in recent “pandemic” years, against the background of a stable state of traditional religiosity, has shown an explosive interest in esotericism. Theoretical analysis. The ontological approach to the phenomenon of the esoteric tradition made it possible to show its dialectical nature: sacred teachings contained values that could serve as the basis for the spirituality of society or one of the reasons for its cultural decadence. The syncretism of mythological and mass consciousness allows esoteric culture to remain the constant of society. The socio-philosophical analysis of the functional features of myth-thinking made it possible to discover a platform for stable positions of existence in the universal culture of the esoteric tradition. Conclusion. Today, the existence of esotericism in human practice is at a bifurcation point, where some values are actively fi lling the intellectually elitist trend in the development of culture, while others are being redirected into the ordinary form of presence in society. Aspects of myth-thinking are systematized, thanks to which the esoteric tradition ensures its functional stability in society.