Hermeticism

Hermeticism

The religion known as hermeticism follows many different beliefs, the primary being that the participants believe in a supreme deity which they consistently refer to as God, The All or The One.

This refers to a belief in the absolute power of one higher source energy which is the main focus in the tradition. However it is difficult to categorize Hermetics into a specific monotheistic (that of believing in one God) verses a Polytheistic (that of believing in many god-forms) branch of beliefs because they teach that their God is us, and we are it, and that is the entire universe.

In this Hermetics participates in the belief system of the Scientific Revolution, that of Deism. God is within all of us and not without like some monotheistic beliefs might subscribe to. The participants of the hermetic beliefs posit that other forces, such as gods, angels or elementals also exist in the Universe.

Perhaps one of the most well-known concepts of Hermetics is the idea that what is above us is also below us. ‘As above, so below.’ This concept, while claimed and held true to hermetics was actually originated by the gnostics regarding the creation of the world.

Hermetics have adopted the theory it refers to the magic of creative thought. What is created above in heaven is also created here on Earth. What we think, we create, and therefore, a large part of hermeticism is that we as humans take charge of our lives by being the creative force within it.

In addition to the belief in Deism, there are also three main tenants that hermeticists focus on in life. They call this, ‘The Three Parts of Wisdom of the Whole Universe.’

The first tenant refers to the Alchemy of the operation of the sun. In this there is a reference to the physical changing of lead into gold, which has long been an alchemical tale that has been passed on throughout the ages. This refers to the hermeticist’s journey to understand the very nature of spirituality and the role of the material including the mysteries of birth, death and resurrection.

The second tenant is about Astrology and the operation of the moon. There is a tale about Hermes which claims that Zoroaster discovered the wisdom of the entire universe and then took that information and taught it to thousands.

Within hermetic thought, the movements of the planets have meaning beyond the laws of physics. This is common as well in modern day astrology, where certain planets influence the human race in different ways. For example, if the moon influences the tide, and we have a large percentage of water within us, then the moon must also influence us.

The third tenant is known as Theurgy, which is the operation of the Stars. Also known as the divine magic of the Gods.

Hermeticists focus entirely on these items within their belief system and this is how they connect to the ONE or ALL God.

They believe that by dissecting the sciences of the Universe and finding deeper metaphorical meaning they will find a greater sense of accomplishment as well as oneness with God and the Universe.

Recommended Books:

The Corpus Hermeticum
The Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus

By Flo Saul
Nov 7, 2012