The meaning of the word Occult and Esoteric vs. Exoteric

Most people think the world occult is synonymous with evil. This is not true as there is a difference between occult which is a verb, and ‘the occult’ which is a verbal phrase. The occult may refer to dark occult orders that are evil, or it may refer to occult orders that are doing good in the world.
Occult - From the Latin verb occultare, which means to hide, conceal, and keep secret. This, in turn, is from the Latin noun Oculus, which means eye. Occultists use the symbol of the all-seeing eye to signify that they have knowledge that others do not have. The word occult does not mean evil; there are two sides to the occult: those who use occult knowledge for the benefit of others and those who use it for selfish ends. The bias that people have of seeing ‘the occult’ as evil is an obfuscation technique to stop people from looking into it. When information is taken out of general circulation, it gives an advantage to those who know and could use it against the public.