HERMETICA

"I am the eye with which the universe beholds itself and knows itself divine;
All harmony of instrument or verse, all prophecy, all medicine, are mine, all
light of art or nature; --- to my song, victory and praise in their own right
belong." .................. Shelley

The ongoing quest for the Philosopher's Stone, the elixir of life, and that mystic process by which man could turn lead into gold, has obsessed, impoverished, and in some cases cost the life of more than just a few practicing alchemists, depending on the time and circumstances to which they were born. Most of the hardships of the alchemists were due to exposing the incredibility of the Christian Church during the centuries of wanton slaughter perpetrated by the "Unholy Inquisition". Added to this was the precarious dilemma that if a king asked an alchemist to produce gold and he was not successful, it was quite likely that the unfortunate alchemist could well meet with an untimely end.
It is believed by Hermetic philosophers that man, the microcosm, is but a reflection on a small scale of the universe, or macrocosm. All things in the universe are linked in harmony with each other. Man has the ability to discover and use this harmony for his own benefit, primarily through the system of correspondences that outline a special relationship between certain climates, feelings and objects, and ultimately by coming to understand the nature of the universal spirit that permeates the universe. It was this spirit that the alchemists were attempting to identify and possess in the Philosopher's Stone. Alchemy, being the paradigmatic Hermetic art, was for the famous alchemist Paracelsus a means of understanding the miracle of creation. Since the creation of the cosmos was a chemical action, Paracelsus believed that the universe continued to operate according to chemical laws. Therefore, if he made a deep and extensive study of the chemistry of creation, he felt certain that he could learn, not only about Nature, but about the Creation of World and Universe as well.
Alchemy from its origin was born out of Hermeticism and by no means was it limited to chemical process alone. Also encompassed are the fields of Pythagorean lore, the theory of the four elements, the microcosm / macrocosm relationship and the Lullian art (alchemist Raymond Lull) all were inextricably tied together with the original Hermetic revelations. The revival of Hermeticism during the Elizabethan period marked the dawn of the scientific age because it unleashed the driving spirit that inspired man to compel natural forces to serve him to an extent never dreamed of before. Renaissance Hermetic Magic was an enlightened and refined discipline and diametrically opposed from the dark and primitive Black Magic of the middle Ages. However, there was never a complete break between Medieval and Renaissance Magic; both were based on similar assumptions.
Hermes was the Father of Occult Wisdom. Much of the surviving teachings of Hermes are contained in the text known as the Corpus Hermeticum. Hermeticism views the universe in terms of Light and Dark, Good and Evil, Spirit and Matter. Like their Gnostic contemporaries, both preach a mind-body dualism and salvation through the possession of true and divine knowledge. Hermeticism encompasses both pantheism and Monistic-polytheism (soft polytheism) within its belief system. It teaches that The All, or one "CAUSE", is that which we, and the entire universe, are all a part. Also it subscribes to the notion that other beings such as gods and angels, ascended masters and elementals exist in the universe as parts of The All.
What is meant by the term "The All" in Hermeticism is clearly explained in this following passage from the Kybalion: "Under, and back of, the Universe of Time, Space and Change, is ever to be found The Substantial Reality---the Fundamental Truth.”Substance" means that which underlies all outward manifestations; the essence; the essential reality; the thing in itself, etc. "Substantial" means actually existing; being the essential element; being real, etc. "Reality" means the state of being real; true, enduring; valid; fixed; permanent; actual, etc.
Under and behind all outward appearances or manifestations, there must always be a Substantial Reality. This is the Law. Man considering the Universe, of which he is a unit, sees nothing but change in matter, forces, and mental states. He sees that nothing really IS, but that everything is BECOMING and CHANGING. Nothing stands still---everything is being born, growing, dying---the very instant a thing reaches its height, it begins to decline---the law of rhythm is in constant operation---there is no reality, enduring quality, fixity, or substantiality in anything---nothing is permanent but Change. He sees all things evolving from other things, and resolving into other things---a constant action and reaction; inflow and outflow; building up and tearing down; creation and destruction; birth growth and death. Nothing endures but Change. And if he be a thinking man, he realizes that all of these changing things must be but outward appearances or manifestations of some Underlying Power---some Substantial Reality.
All thinkers, in all lands and in all times, have assumed the necessity for postulating the existence of Substantial Reality. All philosophies worthy of the name have been based upon this thought. Men have given to this Substantial Reality many names---some have called it by the term of Deity (under many titles); others have called it "The Infinite and Eternal Energy"; others have tried to call it "Matter"---but all have acknowledged its existence. It is self-evident---it needs no argument."
Though many religious sects have incorporated useful aspects of Hermeticism into their own body of religion such as Rosicrucianism, Gnosticism, Christianity, Neo-Platonism and the like, the most fertile ground for Hermetic thought is best represented in Wotanism, as Wotan and Hermes have long been believed to be both one and the same entity. The lion's share of Hermetic teachings were destroyed between the three burnings of the Great Library of Alexandria, but the ever faithful Hermetic souls through the long course of history have kept that which remained, well preserved. Wotanism today has incorporated the full body of Hermeticism into its own and maintains these ancient teachings in their purest and original form. Hermetic Philosophy is the only Master Key which opens all the doors of Occult Teachings and must be insured a safe haven for the benefit of all of posterity.
The Principles of Truth are Seven; he who knows these, understandingly, possesses the Magic Key before whose touch all the Doors of the Temple fly open. The Seven Hermetic Principles upon which the entire Hermetic Philosophy is based are as follows:

#1 THE PRINCIPLE OF MENTALISM: ("The All is Mind; The universe is Mental")

#2 THE PRINCIPLE OF CORRESPONDENCE: ("As above, so below; As below, so above")

#3 THE PRINCIPLE OF VIBRATION: ("Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates.")

#4 THE PRINCIPLE OF POLARITY: ("Everything is Dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; extremes meet; all truths are but half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled.")

#5 THE PRINCIPLE OF RHYTHM: ("Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates.")

#6 THE PRINCIPLE OFCAUSE AND EFFECT: ("Every Cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause; everything happens according to Law; Chance is but a name for Law not recognized; there are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes the Law.")

#7 THE CAUSE OF GENDER: ("Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine Principles; Gender manifests on all planes.")


The Egyptian moon god, Thoth, God of Wisdom and Justice, like most other divine archetypes, was derived from a real-life historical personage. The man who justly earned this deification was the greatest of all sages, who was known by the Greek name, "Hermes Trismegistus", (Thrice Greatest). The Atlantean high priest Hermes is most remembered for his astounding knowledge on many subjects and as designer of the great pyramids, music, astronomy, alchemy, hieroglyphic writing to name just a few of his many, many amazing accomplishments. Hermes on one occasion was known to have made a trip to Phoenicia to work on a flying craft for king Cronos. Hermes was called the Thrice Greatest because he was considered the greatest of all philosophers, the greatest of all priests and the greatest of all kings. The Egyptians viewed Hermes as a God and honored him with the name "Thoth". According to historian Sanchuniathon, In the Egyptian myths Hermes became known as the "Scribe of the Gods", and his writings are traced upon the tables of the most distant memory. With a gesture Hermes veils these records from the uninitiated, but reveals them to such as have awakened their inner consciousness.
Hermeticism raised man from the status of a pious and awestruck observer of God's wonders and encouraged him to operate within his universe by using the powers of the cosmos to his own advantage. Hermeticism has frequently been compared to Gnosticism and does share many similarities. Each is concerned with the knowledge of God, the world and the soul, and equally teaches that the human soul can only escape from its bondage to matter if it possesses the true knowledge or understanding, which is the privilege of the select few. The spirit, to the Hermeticist, is considered godly and good. Matter and the body are of the lower unconscious levels. Man must live in conformity with the spirit, which means that he must try to know God and the divine entities while here on earth and to eventually ascend to his rightful place above the base world of matter which is his temporary prison.

"The possession of Knowledge, unless accompanied by a manifestation and
expression in Action, is like the hoarding of precious metals---a vain and foolish
thing. Knowledge, like Wealth, is intended for Use. The Law of Use is Universal,
and he who violates it suffers by reason of his conflict with natural forces."
.........................The Kybalion

For the Hermeticist..... it is through mystical experience that man attains liberation. In fact that experience, when at its greatest intensity, the soul is wholly absorbed in the vision of the Godhead. For the same reason sejdr (Aryan shamanism) was much employed throughout European paganism. Understanding and the higher self are the only important things. For the Hermeticist... it is through mystical experience that man attains liberation. In the religion of Teutonic Wotanism, Wotan himself, as reigning archetype, is characterized as a practicing sejdr master. Like the Egyptian sun gods, Ra and Horus, Wotan's left eye symbolized the moon and his right eye, the sun.
Hermes specifically referred to the sun as the "demiurge" or "the second God". He further states, “In the center of all, rests the sun. For who would place this lamp of a very beautiful temple in another or better place than this, whence it can illuminate everything at the same time? As a matter of fact, some are still known to call it 'lantern', others, 'the mind' and still others 'the pilot of the world'." Hermes himself will always remain the "Great Central Sun of Occultism", whose rays have served to illumine mankind through his divine teachings. All the leading religions today can be traced back to the wisdom of Thoth Hermes, the greatest teacher to have ever walked the Earth in our known history. As for the all High Creator God of the Universe, it is important to remember that while All is in THE ALL, it is equally true that THE ALL is in All. To him who truly understands this truth hath come great knowledge!
Both the cross within a circle, known as the Solar wheel, or Wotan's Eye, and the Fylfot, or Swastika are representative of the earliest known sun symbols of Aryan man, dating back, to Hyperborean and Atlantean times. Hermes supported and enriched this idea which respected the sun's spiritual role with and within man. The fact that light could visibly embody itself in the sun is one of the central mysteries of Hermeticism and tremendously significant to the alchemists. As Hermes writes, "The sun occupies the highest dignity; we represent it (on account of its superiority) by a full circle with a visible center." You do not have to shovel out or sweep out the Darkness, but by merely opening the shutters and letting in the Light, the Darkness will likewise disappear. To kill out a Negative quality, concentrate upon the positive Pole of that same quality, and the vibrations will gradually change from Negative to Positive, until finally you will become polarized on the Positive pole instead of the Negative. To change your mood or mental state---change your vibration!
Horus was known as one of the sun gods of ancient Egypt and Set was his counterpart, as the god of darkness. At midday when the sun is at its highest point, this third element was symbolic of the All High God. Thousands of years later the Christians adapted a much similar trinity to their own religion, using an All High God, with Jesus representing light and Satan representing darkness. The life-giving sun comes up on the horizon (Horus) and sets (Set) into darkness. When we speak of the horizon and sunset, we are using words which have particular origins with the Egyptian gods, namely both Horus and Set. When Christians speak of the Son of God physically walking on water, this is a grossly misconstrued interpretation from its true occult origin, which was to represent the literal light of the Sun in the sky reflecting upon the water, we say the suns light walks or dances upon the surface of the water, not a man actually walking on water. Many of the ancient mysteries have been misrepresented in such ways and taken in the literal sense to further enhance a story only to the further confusion of its reader.
The ancient Egyptians used to place a winged solar disk over the gateway of every temple forecourt. In all the original pagan systems everything is circular, self-generated, self-nourished, self-renewed (as symbolized in the Ourobouros which is a circle formed by a snake biting its own tail). Many religions serve to cloud the life truths which are always self-evident in Nature. The secrets of Nature are not secret as such, but a way of life that will not be revealed until we fulfill the true mission of our enlightenment. All human progress has sprung from the repeated effort of the soul of man to give expression to those primeval spiritual ideas that were implanted deep within the memory of the races of man when they first experienced their original beginnings upon the Earth.
Hermeticists believe, as is stated in the Kybalion, that the half-wise, recognizing the comparative unreality of the Universe, imagine that they may defy its Laws---such are vain and presumptuous fools, and they are broken against the rocks and torn asunder by the elements by reason of their folly. The truly wise, knowing the nature of the Universe, use Law against laws; the higher against the lower; and by the Art of Alchemy transmute that which is undesirable into that which is worthy, and thus triumph. Mastery consists not in abnormal dreams, visions and fantastic imaginings or living, but in using the higher forces against the lower--- escaping the pains of the lower planes by vibrating on the higher. Transmutation, not presumptuous denial, is the weapon of the Master. Our business in this Universe is not to deny its existence, but to LIVE, and to LEARN using the Laws to rise from lower to higher. We are all on The Path---and the road leads upward ever, with frequent resting places.

"The wise ones serve on the higher, but rule on the lower. They obey the laws
coming from above them, but on their own plane, and those below them, they
rule and give orders. And, yet, in so doing, they form a part of the Principle, instead of opposing it. The wise man falls in with the Law, and by
understanding its movements he operates it instead of being its blind slave."
....................The Kybalion

We have indeed reached a turning point now in life, beyond which we dare no longer submit to the rigidity of dogma. Religion must always be a guide, not a jailer. Over 4,000 years ago Hermes put forth these words: "O people of the earth, men born and made of the elements, but with the sleep of ignorance! Be sober and thoughtful. Realize that your home is not in the Earth but in the Light. Why have you delivered yourselves over to death, having power to partake of immortality? Repent, and change your minds. Depart from the dark light and forsake corruption forever. Prepare yourselves to climb through the Seven Rings and to blend your souls with the Eternal Light."
The sun wisp of Aryan man shines its ancient ray of Life and Light from the Eye of Wotan. The age old Hermetic circles will never be broken. If you seek to understand the whole universe, you will understand nothing at all.... but seek to understand yourself and you will come to understand the whole universe. The lips of wisdom are closed, except to the ears of Understanding. True Hermetic Transmutation is a Mental Art! THE ALL IS MIND; THE UNIVERSE IS MENTAL. "Wisdom is as a flower from which the bee its honey makes and the spider poisons each according to its own nature." Chose your Path and Time on Earth wisely!

Posted in: Europe,Indo-European