A question about esotericism and mysticism

Question: What is the difference between esotericism and mysticism, and how do esoteric Christians look at the Bible?

Esotericism has to do with going 'further in' to yourself, teaching that 'the inner world is as rich and diverse as the outer world and consists of many levels of being' which can be understood as 'way stations' along our journey back to the Divine. It is usually characterised by an interest in these different levels of consciousness and being.

Mysticism is similar to esotericism in so far as it also focusses on attaining or

re-gaining unity with the Divine/Ultimate Being. However, while the mystic seeks the most immediate or direct way, the esotericist more actively explores the 'landscape' along the way. Both are represented within the Christian tradition.

Esoteric Christians understand that the Bible can be read on several different levels, including, but not exclusively, both literal and 'liberal' perspectives. Origen, a 2nd century CE Christian scholar, wrote that Scripture interweaves the historical with the 'imaginary' – which I understand to mean the symbolic, metaphorical, or allegorical, as well as the mysterious, the mystical and the esoteric.