Hermes, Trismegistus

Mythical character, whose name was taken by hermetic philosophy. In Egypt, the God
Thuth or Thot. As HERMES-THOTH-AAH is THOT, the Moon, that is, its symbol is the
bright side of the Moon, which is believed to contain the essence of creative wisdom,choose from
HermesHermes was the most mysterious of the Gods.
As the Egyptian Thoth or in his human aspect as Greek Hermes, he was the God of
wisdom. He was the father of the occult science, the founder of astrology, the discoverer of
alchemy.
Among the ancients, and according to Plato,discovered numbers, geometry, astronomy and letters.

Hermes is a generic name, like Manu or Buddha. It designates at the same time a man, a caste.
and a God.
Man is the first, the great initiator of Egypt; the caste is the priesthood that holds the traditions.
hidden; O God, it is the planet Mercury, assimilated with its sphere to a category of initiators
divine.
The Greeks, disciples of the Egyptians, called him 'HERMES TRISMEGISTUS' or three times.
great, because he was considered a king, legislator, and priest.
It represents a time when priesthood, magistracy, and royalty were united in one.
government body.
Thoth came to teach the doctrine of the inner light to the priests of the temples, who formed the powerful
priestly hierarchy of Egypt led by the Pharaoh. Taught them that the 'light illuminates every man who
comes into the world." The echo of these teachings is still in the fourth Christian gospel. He said, "I am
"this light" and made the men repeat "I am that light". Osiris is that light.
When a man identifies with Osiris (Christ, Buddha, etc.) he identifies with the whole of which
it was a part.
Of the most precious legacies left, we highlight the 'Emerald Tablet,' a synthesis of hermeticism.
of all time, known in the Tarot cards. The cards of Hermes have passed into posterity,
involved in the cloak of mystery, to give rise to playing cards during the time of the hundred years war.
Hermes-Trismegistus was also the esoteric name of a high university of ancient Egypt, guardian
in charge of condensing and synthesizing the substance of Egyptian wisdom, whose doctrine of Hermes remained
summarized in the following theses:
De facto, that is, without falsehood, certain and true: what is above is like what is below; what is below is
as what is above, to perform the miracles of a single thing. And as all things were originated from the ONE,
thus all things were born from this unique thing, through adaptation.
The Sun is your father, the Moon your mother, and the wind carried her to her bosom; the Earth nourishes her; the father of all, the talisman of all.
the world is in this; its strength is total if it is converted into land.
Separated from earth by fire, the subtle from the dense, sweetly, with all care, rises from the earth to the sky and back again.
descends from heaven to earth and receives strength from the superior and inferior things.

You will have the glory of the whole world, and darkness will keep away from you. And the strong force of all force, because it will prevail.
All subtle things will penetrate all solid things. Thus the world was created. From here came admirable adaptations,
whose means is this. For this I was called Trismegistus - possessing the three parts of the philosophy of the total world. It is
I concluded what I said about the operation of the Sun.

(Hermes Trismegistus in the Polymath).

From the wisdom of this time, remains, poorly known and poorly interpreted like all religion, gods and
Egyptian symbols, the 'Book of the Eternal Dwelling' or the 'Book of the Dead', as it is more commonly known.
known. This book, whose origin dates back to the beginnings of Egyptian civilization, does not seem to have been
written until the third dynasty. Its teachings were conveyed orally.
The "Book of the Dead" was the work of God King-Manu-Thoth himself, the same Greek Hermes. Among others
Works attributed to Hermes include: "The Book of the Mural" (which existed in underground galleries and which,
time transformed into the Tarot), the "Emerald Tablet", the "Poimandres", the "Asclepius", and "Minerva"
"mundi" or "Corê cosmou", all known to the profane.

HERMETIC PHILOSOPHY

The lips of wisdom are closed, except to the ears of

Understanding.
Even in our days we use the term hermetic in the sense of secret,
closed in such a way that nothing escapes etc., for the reason that the disciples of
Hermes always observed the principle of secrecy in their precepts.
They ignored that 'do not cast pearls before swine'.1, but
they preserved the precept of "giving milk to children, and meat to grown men"
maxims that are familiar to all readers of the Christian scriptures, but that
they were already used by the Egyptians many centuries before the Christian era.

The ancient occultism of India and Persia degenerated and was completely lost because of its
instructors became priests and mixed theology with philosophy. The same happened with the
ancient Greece and Rome and also with the precepts of the Gnostics and early Christians, which were lost
in the time of Constantine.
Despite all this, there have always been some loyal souls who kept the flame alive. And thanks to
these steadfast hearts and intrepid minds, we still have the truth with us. But most of this
it is not found in books. It has been passed down from master to disciple, from lips to ears.
In the early days, there existed a compilation of certain basic doctrines of hermetism, which was
known by the name of 'Caibalion', which in the secret language means tradition or precept
manifested by a being from above. This word has the same root as the word Qabala, Qibul, Quibal,
with the addition of 'lon', life or manifested being or 'Eon' from the Gnostics. These precepts
they really constituted the basic principles of art, of hermetic alchemy which, contrary to what
it is generally believed to be based on the domains of mental forces, rather than on the domain of elements
materials; in the transmutation of mental vibrations into others, instead of in the change of one type of
metal in another.
The legends of the philosopher's stone, which transformed any metal into gold, were allegories of philosophy.
hermetic perfectly understood by all students of true hermeticism (by the way
they made a distinction between religion and theology, between philosophy and metaphysics).
Religion for us is the institutional realization of the existence of the 'Whole' and its relationship with it; to
the step that theology represents is the effort of man to attribute to it personality, qualities and
characteristics, the theories regarding their businesses, plans, wishes and wants, and the appropriations of
all this for the role of mediators between the 'Whole' and the people.
Philosophy is, for us, the investigation according to the knowledge of knowable things and
conceivable; whereas metaphysics is the attempt to take investigation to the incognizable regions and
inconceivable and beyond its limits, with the same tendency as theology. Therefore, the
religion and philosophy are for us things that have their origin in reality, while theology and
Metaphysics seems like slender reeds, rooted in the quicksand of ignorance, and nothing more.
they constitute the most uncertain support for the mind or soul of men.

1
We can interpret in other words: "do not throw your big truths at unprepared minds"
However, although the essential nature of the 'Whole' is unknowable, there are certain connected truths.
with its existence that the human mind has been forced to accept. And the examination of these truths forms a
subject suitable for investigations, especially when they agree with the testimony of the enlightened
in the upper plans.

ANALYSIS OF THE SEVEN PRECEPTS

The seven principles on which all Hermetic philosophy is based are as follows:

1. The principle of mentalism;

2. The principle of correspondence;

3. The principle of vibration;

4. The principle of polarity;

5. The principle of rhythm;

6. The principle of cause and effect;

7. The principle of gender;

THE PRINCIPLE OF MENTALISM

Everything is mind; the Universe is mental.

This principle contains the truth that "everything is mind". It explains that the ALL is spirit, it is
incognizable and indefinable in itself, but can be considered as a"lively mind"universal e
infinite2It also teaches that the entire phenomenal world or Universe is simply a 'creation'
"mental" from TODO, subject to the laws of created things, and that the Universe, in its parts or units, has
your existence in the mind of EVERYTHING, inwhose mind we live, move and have our existence.

A old hermetic master wrote a long time ago:

He who understands the truth of the mental nature of the Universe is well advanced on the Path of Mastery.

THE PRINCIPLE OF CORRESPONDENCE

What is above is like what is below, and what is below is like what is above.

This principle contains the truth that there is a correspondence between the laws and the phenomena of
various planes of existence and life.
It is said that 'what is above is like what is below', that is, analogous and corresponding, but not
neither the same nor similar.

The understanding of this principle gives man the means to explain many obscure paradoxes and
secrets of nature. There are plans beyond our knowledge, but when we apply them to the
principle of correspondence we come to understand a lot of things that otherwise would be
impossible to understand. The ancient hermeticists regarded this principle as one of the most

2
Some consider the Akasha as the mind of God.
important mental instruments, through which man can see beyond the obstacles that
they cover the unknown in plain sight.

THE PRINCIPLE OF VIBRATION

Nothing is still; everything moves; everything vibrates.

This principle encompasses the truth that everything is in motion: everything vibrates, nothing is still. It explains
the differences between the various manifestations of matter, energy, mind, and spirit result from the
variable orders of vibration.
From the Todo, which is 'pure spirit', to the grossest form of matter, everything is in vibration;
the higher the vibration, the higher the position on the scale.
The vibration of the spirit is of such infinite intensity and speed that it is practically at a standstill,
like a wheel that moves very quickly seems to be stationary.
At the lower end of the scale are the coarse forms of matter, whose vibrations are so
vagabonds that seem to be stopped. Between these poles are millions and millions of different degrees
of vibration.
The knowledge of this principle, along with the appropriate formulas, allows the hermetic student
to know your mental vibrations, as well as those of others.
He who understands the principle of vibration has attained the scepter of power,

THE PRINCIPLE OF POLARITY

Everything is dual; everything has poles; everything has its opposite; the equal and the unequal are the same thing; the
opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; the extremes touch each other; all the
truths are half-truths; all paradoxes can be reconciled.

This principle contains the truth:Everything is dual; everything has two poles; everything has its opposite, which formed an old axiom.
hermeticHe explains that in everything there are two poles or opposing aspects, and that the opposites are
simply the two extremes of the same thing, with the difference being a variation in degree. For
example: heat and cold, although they are opposites, are the same thing, and the difference between them
it simply consists of the variation in degree of the same thing. There is no thing of absolute heat or of
absolute zero; both terms indicate that the same thing that manifestsnothingbut it is just a
shape, variety, and order of vibration.
The same principle is manifested in the case of light and darkness, which are the same thing, consisting of
the difference simply in the variations of degrees between the two poles of the [Link] it ceases
darkness and beginsLight? What is the difference between the big and the small? Between the strong and the weak? Between the white
And the black? Between the insightful and the ignorant? Between the high and the low? Between the positive and the negative?

The same principle operates on the mental plane. Thus, it allowed us to take an extreme example: that of love.
And hatred, two mental states that appear completely different. And yet, there are degrees of hatred.
and degrees of love, and a point where we use the terms "equal or unequal", which overlap
mutually in such a gradual way that sometimes we have difficulty recognizing what is the same as us,
unequal or neither one nor the other. And more than this (something that hermeticists consider of utmost importance)
importance), it is possible to change vibrations of hate into vibrations of love, in the mind of each individual
of us and in the minds of others. Therefore, you can make its realization possible by exercising the use of your
will through hermetic formulas.
God and the Devil are, therefore, the poles of the same thing, and the hermetist understands the art of transmuting the
Devil in God, through the application of the principle of polarity.
In summary, the 'art of polarity' becomes a phase of 'mental alchemy'. The knowledge of
the principle will enable the disciple to change their own polarity, as well as that of others, if they
to dedicate the time and study necessary to achieve mastery of the art.

THE PRINCIPLE OF RHYTHM

Everything has its ebb and flow; everything has its tides; everything rises and falls; everything manifests itself by
compensated oscillations; the measure of the movement to the right is the measure of the movement to the
left; rhythm is compensation.
This principle contains the truth that in everything there is a manifestation of a movement back and forth, a
flow and reflux, a movement of attraction and repulsion, a movement similar to that of a pendulum,
according to the principle of polarity that we discussed a little while ago. This law is manifested in creation and
destruction of worlds, in the rise and fall of nations, in the life of all things and, finally, in the
mental states of man.
The hermetists understood this principle by recognizing its universal application; they discovered
also certain ways to control their effects on the very being using formulas and methods
appropriate. They apply the mental law of neutralization. They cannot annul the principle or prevent
their operations, but they learned how to escape their effects on the person themselves, up to a certain degree
that depends on the mastery of this principle. They learned how to apply it, rather than being employed.
for him.
The master of the hermetists polarizes himself to the point he desires, and then neutralizes the rhythmic oscillation.
pendulous that would tend to drag it to the other pole.
All individuals who have achieved any degree of self-control perform this to a certain extent.
more or less unconsciously, but the master does it consciously and with the use of his will,
reaching a degree of balance and mental firmness almost impossible for the masses to believe
popular ones that go back and forth like a pendulum.

The principle of cause and effect

Every cause has its effect, every effect has its cause; everything happens from
agreement with the "Law"; chance3it is simply a name given to a 'Law' not
recognized; there are many plans of causality, but nothing escapes the "Law".

ThisThe principle contains the truth that there is a cause for every effect and an effect for every cause.
Hermeticists know the art and methods of raising themselves from the ordinary plane of cause and effect to a
certain degree, and through mental elevation to a higher plane they become causes instead of effects.
The masses of the people are driven forward; the desires and wills of others are stronger than the
their wills; heredity, suggestion, and other external causes move them as if they were
pawns on the chessboard of life. But the masters, rising to the higher plane, dominate their
genius, character, their qualities, powers, as well as those around them who become engines instead
of pawns. They aid in the creation, whether physical, mental, or spiritual. The masters obey causality
from the upper plan, but help govern our plan.

3
Einstein liked to say: "Chance is the way God uses when He wants to remain anonymous"
Chance does not exist, insofar as what happens is generally the effect of a created cause. All existence
is conditioned by events that result, for the most part, from what is thought, said or done, here or in one of the
past lives.
 THE PRINCIPLE OF GENDER
Gender is in everything; everything has its masculine principle and its feminine principle;
gender manifests itself on all levels.
This principle encompasses the truth that gender is manifested in everything; that the masculine principle and the
The feminine principle is always in action. This is true not only on the physical plane but also on the levels
mental and spiritual. In the physical plane, this principle manifests as sex; in the higher planes it takes
higher forms, but it's always the same principle.
All things and all people contain within themselves the two elements of this great principle: all
masculine things also have the feminine element; all feminine things have the element
male. We warn you that this principle has no relation whatsoever to the theories and practices
luxurious, harmful and degrading, with exciting and fantastic titles, and which are nothing more than
that the prostitution of the great natural principle of gender. Such theories, based on ancient forms
infamous of phallicism4, tend to ruin the mind, the body, and the soul; and hermetic philosophy always
published severe notes against these precepts that tend toward lust, depravity, and perversion of
principles of nature. If you wish for such teachings you can seek them elsewhere, for the
Hermeticism contains nothing in these lines that serves you.
For the pure, all things are pure; but for the corrupt, all things are corrupt and base.

THE MENTAL UNIVERSE

The WHOLE is spirit! But what is spirit?
This question cannot be answered because its definition would be practically that of TODO, which does not
can neither be explained nor defined. Spirit is a simple name that men give to their highest
conceptions of the infinite living mind, this word means thereal essence.
Let us now consider the nature of the Universe, both as a whole and in its parts.
What is Universe?5
We said that there is nothing outside the All. So is the Universe the All? No; it is not; because it seems to be
made up of many others and is constantly changing, or, in other words, it cannot be
compared to the ideas we established about the Whole.
So, if the Universe is not the ALL, it is the NOTHING; such is the inevitable conclusion of the mind at first.
view. But this does not satisfy the question, because we feel the existence of the Universe.
Now, if the Universe is neither the WHOLE nor the NOTHING, what will it be then? Let's examine the question: If
truly the Universe exists, or seems to exist, it will proceed directly from the ALL, it could be
a creation of the WHOLE. But how could anything come out of NOTHING from which the WHOLE would have created it?

Several philosophers answered this question, saying that the ALL created the Universe from itself.
But this cannot be, because the WHOLE cannot be divided or diminished, as we have already seen, and if this
if it were true, each particle of the Universe could not help but know its entity - the WHOLE. With
some men effect, judging that the WHOLE is exactly EVERYTHING, and also recognizing that they,
the men, exist, ventured to conclude that they were identical to the WHOLE and disturbed the airs
with your cries of 'I am God!' for the amusement of the crowd and the smile of the wise. The cry
from the corpuscle that said: 'I am a man!' would be more modest in comparison.
But what is the Universe if not the WHOLE separating itself into fragments? The old axiom
hermeticwhat is above is like what is belowcan be successfully used in this
point.
4
Phallus cult - representation of the male member as a symbol of fertility.
5
Universe - the inverse of One, diversity, multiplicity.
Let us then see, in his own plane of existence, how man creates:
1. he can create by doing something with external materials. But he cannot do it this way, because
there are no materials outside the WHOLE, with which it can create;
2. man procreates or reproduces his species through the process of generation, which is the very
multiplication through the transformation of a part of its substance into that of its offspring. But,
that can't be either, because the WHOLE cannot transfer or subtract a part of itself
the same. Thus, how to reproduce or multiply oneself.
In the first case, there would be a revocation of the Law and, in the second, a multiplication or addition of the
TODO, totally absurd ideas.
Is there no other way by which man creates?
Yes, there is; he creates "mentally"! And in this way, he does not use external materials, does not reproduce himself.
even so, and despite this, your spirit penetrates the mental creation.
According to the principle of correspondence, we have reason to consider that the WHOLE creates mentally the
Universe in a similar way to the process by which man creates "mental images". This is the
testimony of reason that perfectly agrees with the testimony of the enlightened, as he
manifests through his teachings and writings.
Such are the teachings of the wise. Such was the doctrine of Hermes.

Hermetic Teachings
Hermetic Writings

One of the definitions of the word 'alchemy' is the power to transmute, or the act (or process) of
to transform something common into something precious. The transmutation or change, in all planes of
existence, visible or invisible, and in all aspects of life, is the basic idea presented in
teachings derived from the wise Hermes Trismegistus, which are encompassed under the name of 'Philosophy'
Hermetic. Whatever the designation used, there have always been, in all eras, men whose imagination
was inflamed by these ideas. It was reasoned that, just as man was created to
image of God, man can create, just as God does. 'As it is above'
"below", this is the axiom of the alchemist. There could not be a set of laws for the Cosmic and another
for man; therefore, a single set of laws governs everything. They are cosmic laws, laws that would be the
the same, regardless of where and how they were applied.
Creation began when the Cosmic Mind, through the power of will, propelled consciousness, the
that produced the manifestation. The alchemist, following this reasoning, conceived the idea of the 'prima'
"matter" or "first matter", a basic substance from which all matter is formed. The prima
matter is what the Rosicrucians call 'energy-spirit', because when the movement or
vibration was imprinted in the spirit-energy by the mind, by the will, and by consciousness, this energy-
spirit was divided into all forms of matter.
The alchemists were unaware of the terminology of modern physicists; however, they conceived and
they understood the theoretical concept that it would be possible to alter matter, making it raw material and,
So, create with all that you wish, for, in reality, all matter was one thing, there being
just a vibrational difference in its various formations. Accepting this premise as
Indeed, the structure of the alchemist's reasoning and the development of his ideas were logical.
He believed that all common and coarse metals could be transmuted into their highest form.
shape, gold, and that it would be possible to create a "tincture" capable of effecting this transformation. He
he dreamed of transmuting the human body into something perfect, with a universal remedy capable of curing all
diseases. He also believed in the possibility of transmuting everything that was coarse and common into
the essence of man's personality in a transcendental being, in the personality of a Master. Everything
this was something more than simple dreams, for there were evidence passed down by wise men of the past that
they had already walked the same path.
The purpose of the Alchemist, therefore, is the transmutation of something common into something precious. This objective
is achieved through a real understanding of the Law of Correspondences or Cosmic law that acts
at all levels.
The process of transmutation, however, is one of growth, beyond change. By tradition, the 'how' of...
The process has always been a carefully preserved secret. The medieval alchemist deemed it wise
describe the steps of transmutation in the most obscure and cautious terms; some alchemists
they talked about four steps; others mentioned twelve or more. Paracelsus, who lived most of the
existence in the sixteenth century, describes seven steps: calcination (1), sublimation (2), dissolution (3),
putrefaction (4), distillation (5), coagulation (6), and dyeing (7). These seem to be chemical processes, but
They could also describe processes at higher levels.
The hermetic writings, or HermethicsThey are works attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, a character
that most historians consider allegorical or mythical. Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, however,
he referred to Hermes as a real person. The treaties contained in the Hermethicsare in the form of
conversations that introduce the mysteries, with the mystical interlocutor receiving the first hints
...I... was freed; filled with power,
He flowed into my being, and full of what He had taught me about the nature of the All...
AHermethicstogether with the Emerald Tablet (which was the basis of Alchemy), are two works
strictly hermetic on which the science and philosophy of alchemy are based.
The Emerald Tablet will be compared with the hermetic writings in two speeches of the present series.
This speech consists of a summary of four hermetic writings. As they are summaries, they have been omitted.
the numbers of the paragraphs and omissions and condensations cease to be pointed out.
What follows is a summary of Book I, Poemandres, which is a dialogue between the Mind and
Poemandro or Hermes, narrated by Hermes. The comments added to this summary are between
parentheses.
The author begins by saying that he was meditating and provides two elements of his meditation: elevation
of thoughts or consciousness, and the repression of objective senses. A vast Being appears before him.
Hermes asks Poemandros who he is, and Poemandros replies that he is Mind, in Greek Nous.
(We useweto describe the universal, cosmic, creative force, the energy that can be
considered as Mind or psychic energy, cosmic. The writings say that the Mind is
always with the man. In other words, man has the Cosmic Mind within him; he
never is separated from her.)

Hermes, the author, wishes to know the things that exist, understand their nature, and know God.
He is warned to keep such desires in mind and the Mind, Poemandro, will teach him. He must
focus and meditate on these things.
The aspect of Poemandros changes, and all things open to Hermes. Everything becomes light.. So
comes the darkness expelling smoke and giving an inarticulate cry like a lament. From the light comes the
Word that descends upon the humid nature. (This is creation, which can be diagrammed as follows:

Mind
Darkness Light
 Wet nature The Word

Fire
Ar
Water
Earth
Meanwhile, Light is Mind, the first God, and the Logos, the Word, is thus the son of God. This
it corresponds to the man in whom the mind is the father and speech is the son.

(We, Mind, are the Father and correspond to Ptah. Logos, Word, is the Son and corresponds to Thoth.)
The two are united, for life is the union of logos and nous, word and mind.
Focusing on the light, the author discovers that it consists of numerous Powers, and that it has become a
cosmos ordered and unlimited, and that what he had just seen was the archetypal idea of creation, the model
cosmic. Elements of nature come into existence by the will of God, by the Word and by the copy
the imitation of the cosmic archetype. Thus, the cosmic material is a copy of the cosmic archetype.
The First Mind is Life and Light. It is bisexual or bipolar, containing within itself both factors.
necessary for creation. Thus, it produces another Mind, the Artisan of things (the architect of the universe
as some more recent authors called him, or the craftsman of Alchemy who, just like nature,
is assisted by the human craftsman. It is possible that here Jacob Boehme found his concept of
two Minds and two Wills.
The second Mind of the spirit of the air. It created Administrators that encompass the
sensible world or cosmo-material. (These administrators correspond to what Fludd calls
intelligences, angels or rulers of the planets.) Their administration, according to hermetic writings, is
callDestinationwe could use the termCarma).
We were told that the Word came from the Light; and that fire, air, water, and earth were separated and kept in
movement for the Word. Now we have learned that the Word jumps from the elements born below to the
pure nature, uniting with the Artisan, the second Mind, for the Word has the same nature as
Second Mind. Without the Word, the elements are pure matter. The Artisan Mind is the Demiurge,
Creator. Along with the Word, he encompasses the spheres of the planets and the stars, and makes them spin so that
They begin where they end.
Two elements, Nature, as a second Mind, wishes and produces creatures without the Logos, winged things.
nor air, things that swim in the waters, etc. But the Mind, which is Life and Light, is what gives birth to the
Man, that is, to the Cosmic Man who, as Man, is the image of his Father. God loves His
image and gives Man everything that He (God) made.
The man also feels the desire to create and receives permission from the Father. Each of the seven
Administrators give the man a portion of his [Link] other words, this is
a share that makes man a participant in the cosmic work, and in part, this is what he returns in his ascension,
through the spheres, for God.) Man understands the essence of the Administrators, sharing in their
nature and wishes to transcend the limit of its spheres.
Nature is the form (phormon) of God. Man has the activity of the seven Administrators.
The love between nature and man symbolizes their attraction, harmony, and union. Both are the
image of God: they are the macrocosm and the microcosm. Man, however, possesses the logos, reason,
while nature is devoid of reasoning.
Moreover, Man is dual. He is mortal because of his body and immortal because of Man.
essential (or that part of it that comes from the Mind or Nous). He has all things under his power,
however, it is subject to Fate. It is above Harmony or outside the cosmos, yet it is its servant.
Just as God is bisexual, so is man. The immortal part of Man never sleeps, just like
God never sleeps, but in his mortal part he is subdued by sleep.
From the union between Man and Nature arise seven men who are also bisexual.
Cosmic man or archetype, seven Administrators, seven archetypal men and God, all bisexual or
bipolar, capable of creating from their own natures or elements.) The seven men receive the
vital spirit of the ether; from fire they receive their maturation, from earth the negative polarity and from water the
positive polarity. In them Life becomes soul, and Light becomes Mind.
All living creatures were separated into males and females, and all creatures multiply.
according to its species.
He who dedicates himself to knowing himself, however, will enter into the Good that is above all being.
He who allows himself to be diverted by desires, or love, dissipates his love in the body, wanders through the darkness of the world.
of senses and suffers death. (“The man who knows himself” refers to the knowledge of the whole Self.
in opposition to the one who gets lost in the world of objective senses.)

Ignorance, therefore, consists of the love for what is material, a source of darkness. He who knows himself
even participates in the Good because the Father of all consists of Life and Light. The immortal part of man
comes from Life and Light. The man who knows this returns to Life.
The Mind is present in good and holy men. The Mind, as Guardian, will prevent activities.
malevolent.
When the material body dies, it is subject to changes and its ideal form (eidos) becomes invisible.
Man then ascends to the spheres through Harmony. To each of the seven zones he delivers an attribute.
Ascend, then, to the eighth sphere dressed in your own power. In other words, he will have left
with the seven spheres the characteristics derived from them. Therefore, those who reach the eighth sphere,
They ascend to the Father. Becoming immanent powers, they are in God, who is the full realization of those.
who have attained gnosis, or knowledge of God. Having given thanks to God, the author begins to preach
to men the beauty of piety and gnosis. He sows among them the logos of wisdom and they receive
to drink the water of immortal life.
The remainder of Book I is a hymn and a prayer.
Holy is God the Father of all, who was before the first principle;
Holy is God, whose purpose is fulfilled by His diverse Powers;
Etc.

The Book V of Hermethicsencompasses the teachings of Hermes to his son Tat, another form of the word
Tot. The book refers to God, the manifestation and the manifest. In this explanation we learn about the nature of
God or the Cosmic.
The basic argument is that God in Himself is manifested. If He were manifested, He would not exist, for
what is manifest is subject to change, to become. God is not subject to change; therefore it is
I manifest. He always is, but makes all other things manifest.
He does not become visible, for that would be manifestation. God is beyond visibility.
(This concept is similar to Eastern ideas about the world as appearance or maya.) In doing all the
things arise, God appears in everything and through everything.

Now to the One who is Unique, for only thought can 'see' the hidden or unmanifest. If you wish to see God,
contemplate the Sun, the stars. Every order must be created; that which has no order was not created.
Everything that was created has order, consisting of place, number, and measure.
Who produced everything other than the hidden God, who made all things according to His will? He
is greater than all names. He is the Only One, and His work is to be a Father. His own being is to conceive and create.
all things. For this reason, He does not exist if He is not continuously creating everything that is in heaven, in
to be, on land and in the depths of the sea. He is as much in the things that are as in those that are not. Those that
He made the existing manifest, and those that do not exist He contains within Himself.
He is beyond any denomination and can only be grasped by thought; however, we can
See Him with our eyes, in what is manifest. He is incorporeal; however, He has many bodies or
He is materialized in all bodies. All things that exist are Him; therefore, all names are
Delete. For this reason, He has no name, because He is the Father of all.
He has no mode, nor place, nor anything of what is manifest. Yet, the totality of things
It is in Him and they depart from Him. He gives everything and takes nothing.

As Hermes says, 'You are what I am; You are what I do; You are what I say.'

(In Book VIII, Hermes also teaches his son, this time about destruction and death. Of this
we learn about the nature of God, the cosmos, and man.
Death is a word devoid of facts, for death is destruction and nothing in the cosmos is destroyed. The
Cosmo is a second God, an immortal being and no part of him can die.
First there is God, eternal, without beginning, the Creator of all.
In the second, there is the cosmos, made by God in His image, maintained in a state of being by God, a being
eternally alive.
The Father is eternal in Himself, but the cosmos is eternalized by the Father.

In third place is man, made in the image of the cosmos. His mind is above all creatures of
Earth. He feels part of the cosmos and can perceive God through thought. He perceives the cosmos.
as body, but understands God as incorporeal, as the Mind of Good.
Matter retains some disorder, that's the reason for growth and decay.
The cosmos is made by God and is in God. Man is made by the cosmos and is in the cosmos. The beginning, end and
the union of everything is God.

Book XI, like the first, is a dialogue between the Mind and Hermes, where the latter wishes to know
the nature and the relationship between the cosmos and God. The modes of manifestation of God are in order
descendant, to use a metaphor: God, aeon or eternity, Cosmos, Time, the Becoming...

Book XII contains an interesting dialogue with the son:

"What exists, then, that is true, O Trismegistus?"

― The unblemished, the one that has no limits, no color, no shape, that which is immutable, bare, shining, that which
it cannot be apprehended by anything else by itself, the unchangeable Good, the incorporeal.
― Behold, I am really mad, my father, I thought you had made me wise, and now it has become obstructed.
perception I had of my thought.
And this is right my son, what is placed high like the fire: below, like the earth; what is
liquid like water, that which blows through the entire universe like air ... but how could you perceive it by
through the senses, what is neither solid nor liquid, what cannot be closed, nor inserted, and that
it is not apprehended except by the effects of its power and its energy, this requires someone capable
to know the birth of God?
And of this, am I incapable, oh father?

― May it not be so, my son. Take him to you and he will come; desire him and he will be produced; hold back the activity of the
bodily senses and then the birth of divinity will be produced; purify yourself from irrational punishments
of the matter.
Do I then have stains on me, oh father?
And not in small number, child, but terrible and numerous.
I do not know them, oh father.
Ignorance, my child, is the first of punishments; the second is sadness; the third is
incontinence; the fourth, concupiscence; the fifth, injustice; the sixth, avarice; the seventh, deception;
oitava, ainveja; a nona, afraude; a décima, acólera; a décima primeira, aprecipitação; a décima
second, malice.
These punishments are twelve in number; but beneath them, many more numerous, through the body,
they force the inner human to suffer through the senses. Conversely, they distance themselves from the human being
those whom God had mercy on do not drift away massively, it is true, but this is what it consists of
regeneration.
Ignorance - lack of knowledge
Incontinence - without moderation in thoughts, words, and actions. Sensuality. Immoderation.
Concupiscence - Unmoderated desire to satisfy sensuality.
Cupidity - ambition, greed
Fraud - bad faith
Precipitation - to throw oneself into an unfavorable situation, lack of sense
 The Emerald Tablet
It is true, without falseness, certain and more than real (without lie)6that (which all that) is
below (or inferior) is like that which is above (or superior)7and that everything that is above is
like what is below8, to fulfill the wonders of one thing. (the manifestation of the Unique Being)9
Just as all things are created from one thing (everything that exists has its origin in the marvelous Being
Unique), by the Will and Command (or meditation; by the Word of Unity), of the one who created it (all the
things owe their existence to this Unity)10thus all things are born (or come) from this one
thing by prescription (by decree of Nature, by the laws) and union (by adaptation; improvement by
Harmony with your Consciousness.

Your Father is the Sun, your Mother is the Moon, the Wind carries you in its womb, your nurse is the Earth..11This is the
Father of Perfection in this whole world. (Talisman - the immanence). His power is perfect when
transformed into Earth; (Its potential reaches perfection when it transmutes into Earth) for this reason, you must
separate the earth from the fire, (once transmuted into Earth, it separates the Earth from Fire), the subtle from the rough and
rough, but with love, with great understanding and discernment.12
She rises from the Earth to the Sky, comes back to the Earth and again receives the power from Above and from
Below. In this way, you will have the splendor of the whole world. All the lack of understanding and of
capacity will abandon you. This is the greatest of all powers, for it can surpass (overcome;
overcome) all subtlety (all energies) and can penetrate everything that is solid13(because it triumphs over
all subtle things and penetrate everything that is solid). Thus the world was created14.

For this reason, I am called Trismegistus, for I possess the three parts of wisdom.15of the world. Everything the
What I said about the work of the Sun is fulfilled.
The Emerald Tablet

The oldest references to the Emerald Tablet that are known are Arabic and date back to the century
Nine, probably through Syrian versions. The references attribute its origin to Greek authors.
but differ in terms of authorship. Legends say that the Tablet was found with Hermes, in his
tomb, or with Alexander, also in the tomb. It was supposedly written in Phoenician characters in a
emerald tablet.
The Table expresses the hermetic axiom 'As above, so below,' but it is not the only source of this.
concept. It can be found, under other terminologies, in many religious and philosophical writings.
The Tablet is unique for expressing itself in alchemical terms and for being a philosophical or metaphysical basis of the
Alchemy. Astrology and Magic also rely on this concept, or on the idea of the macrocosm.
microcosm (the mathematical binomial).
The Emerald Tablet is written in alchemical terms and presents the alchemical theory. The Writings
Hermeticism is written in terms of mystical philosophy. However, the ideas contained in both
can be applied to Alchemy. The concepts are, therefore, parallel; one corresponds (Law of
6
The truth of the three worlds.
7
Law of polarity, of magnetization.
8
Law of Correspondence
9
Triangle Law or Ternary Law.
10
Law of Unity.
11
The four elements: Fire (Sun); Water (Moon); Air (Wind); Earth.
12
Separation of spirit and matter.
13
Law of Love
14
Law of accomplishment
15
Knowledge of the three planes: Divine, Astral, and Physical
correspondence) to the other.
To understand the Emerald Tablet, we will first point out some of its main aspects.
concepts, later to read the text itself, followed by additional explanations of some concepts.
Finally, the parallels between the Tablet and the Hermetic Writings will be discussed.

1st. - the basis of Hermetic philosophy is the axiom, as the Table says:
That which is below (or inferior) is like that which is above (or superior).
That is, the macrocosm andmicrocosm is analogous, they correspond, the great world that is the cosmos and the small
world that is man. It is expressed in the writings when they say that the cosmos is made in the image of
God, and man in the image of the cosmos.
2nd. - there are three expressions that use the idea of the one, and we must understand what they mean. The Table
affirms:
... to fulfillthe wonders ofone thing.
This thing that is fulfilled refers to what the alchemists called the philosopher's stone, but that
in mystical terms refers to the harmonization and Cosmic consciousness. The Tablet also says:
Just as all things are created from this one thing...
The thing from which all others are created is the first matter (prima materia) of the alchemists. Say-
We know that everything is vibratory. All things are created from the prime matter. All things are born.
of the philosopher's stone. The Tablet teaches that:

All things are created by the will and command of the One (or United).
This, of course, refers to God as creator, or, in terms of the Hermetica, to the Creative Mind.
Creation is made by the will and command of God, and this command is verbal; therefore, it is the Word.
Creator. Creation, therefore, is made by will and by word.
3rd. - your father is the Sun (referring to the philosopher's stone), your mother, the Moon, representing duality, but
duality in one.
4th. — the Table says that:
This is the father of all perfection in the whole world.
God, being perfect, is the father of perfection in the world. But how God created the first matter, it also...
it could also be considered as the father of perfection. And the philosopher's stone or Cosmic Consciousness,
used properly, it also creates perfection.
5th. - the Table says that:
Your power is perfect when transformed into land.
Reach your perfect power in earthly manifestation.
6th. - the Table says that:
Therefore, you must separate the earth from the fire, and the subtle from the rough or coarse.

Whether it is practical or transcendental alchemy, the earthly or material must be separated from the spiritual or psychic.
quico.
7th. - the Table says that:
She rises from the earth to the sky and from the sky comes again to the earth and again receives the power of the...
Top and Bottom.
It is about the descent to earth and the resurrection to heaven through birth and death (the wheel of samsara), or,
during life, the rise and fall of meditation, or the ascent and descent in the alchemical vessel, that
give power.
8th. - the Table says that:
This is the greatest power, for it can override all subtlety and penetrate everything that is solid.
This power is both material or physical as well as psychic or subtle.
9th. - the Table says that:
Thus the world was created... this being the way of acting.
That is, just as God created the world and the cosmos creates, so can man [Link] man must [Link]
same form as God and nature.
The onlything
A key to understanding the Emerald Tablet and the interpretation of "the one thing" is the phrase
to fulfill the wonders of this one thing.
The first sentence of the Table says that Above and Below, superior and inferior, macrocosm and
microcosm, are the same because of their correspondence and for the purpose of fulfilling or realizing the
the only thing. Superior and inferior refer to the realms of above and below, and in ancient times
this generally referred to the realm above the Moon and the realm below the Moon.
By the law of correspondences, 'only thing' refers to the Divine or Cosmic itself, to the Cosmic in
universe and man. This can be symbolized in alchemical terms by the philosopher's stone, or union
of duality, or alchemical wedding.
But the "only thing" is both the Cosmic and the result of the transmutation, which is a return to
Cosmicto the state of primal cosmic being. The "only thing" achieved is transmutation, whether physical or
transcendental.
The second sentence tells us that all things are created from one, by the will and command of the
Unique (or United) — one uniting― or by the meditation of the one who created it. That of which all the s
things are created from prima materia, the first matter, from which all elements originate. The
elements evolve from this matter to perfection, metals evolve from the roughest forms to
perfection or gold. Development arises from the "one" created by the will of the One (or
United), or God, until the thing that is accomplished.
The "only thing" that is accomplished, and that which is created by God, and the One (or Unified) or God Himself,
they are all related and could essentially be considered as one or the same thing.
The first matter is the beginning of creation emanated from God, the "only thing" is the return to perfection, the
Cosmos, or God.
The only thing that is created by God can also be the Cosmos, which in hermetic writings is a
image of God, or it can be man, who is an image of the Cosmic and of God. In this case, the
"Unique or United" is God, who creates the "one" that is the cosmos or man or the first matter, from which the
"the only thing" is accomplished or transmuted.
The passage also says that all things are created from one, by will and command or by the
meditation of the One, in the same way that all things are born from that one thing. Just as
God creates, the cosmos and man create.
We could rephrase the first part of the Table as follows: The macrocosm and the microcosm
correspond to the realization of the one thing (transmutation). Just as all things are created at
to be made from one (first matter) by the will and command of the One (God), thus all things are
the origin of this thing (prime matter) through prescription and union (in the work of man).
This is the Divine Mind that creates itself and restores itself. It is also the Divine in
man, the craftsman, who creates by imitating the Cosmic Creator. These basic concepts in different forms
They are common to both the Tablet and the hermetic writings.
The command is analogous to the Word or Logos of Hermetics. Creation and transmutation are carried out by
through the will and command or logos, or, as some versions of the Table say, through meditation.
In addition, this is a creation or restoration, which implies a cyclical renewal, a process.
continuous.
The creator is the agent or Cosmic artisan who uses will and command. The cosmos and man are the
agent and artisan who uses prescription and union, or adaptation.
The third sentence begins like this, 'Your father is the Sun, your mother is the Moon.' The Sun and the Moon symbolize the
duality of which the "only thing" is the union. But they also represent the Above and the Below, the
upper and lower kingdoms.
In this way, the "one" is born from a duality. The Sun is the giver of light, it is the active, the sulfur, the king, the
gold. The Moon is the receptor of light, the reflector of light, passive, it is mercury (or salt), the queen, the silver.
The Sun is immaterial, subtle, volatile, psychic; in relation to the Sun, the Moon is material, coarse, fixed.
lower vibrational frequencies.
... and the wind carries it in its womb
refers to pneuma, to spiritus, to breath and to Vital Force, the immaterial element (the prana) inhaled together
with the air. The womb refers to the uterus and to birth. The 'only one' is formed and brought to birth by
wind or Life Force.

...his love is the land;

it represents the concept that in creation or manifestation, the material, earthly element is necessary.
But the nurse takes care of, feeds, and leads the "only" to her proper development and perfection. The nurse is the
Platonic receptacle, which receives the Life Force or soul. The wind and the earth form another duality, and
Thus we have two pairs, Sun and Moon, wind and earth.
Oumé the "father of all perfection in this world."
That is, the first matter is the father of the 'one thing' or philosopher's stone. The One (or United) creates the
the first matter which in turn is the father of the "only thing" or philosopher's stone which is the return to the Cosmic
to Unique.
The "one" arises from the duality of the Sun and the Moon but is, in itself, the father of all perfection. All things
they are born from the One, created by the One, and are the perfection in the One.

Your power is perfect when transformed into earth.

In other words, worldly, material manifestation is necessary for the achievement of the 'one thing'.
It is part of the cyclical process necessary for the accomplishment of the 'one thing'. First, one manifests
in earthly form, then it is separated into earth and fire.
... you must separate the earth from the fire, and the subtle from the coarse.

Only after this separation does one ascend 'from the earth to the sky and descend again from the sky to the earth, and again
;
receives the power from Above and Below.
The steps presented here are:
1. The Earth, the receptacle, receives the soul or Vital Force. "It is transformed into earth."
2. The earth, or the coarse, is separated from the subtle or fire.
3. The subtle (the soul or psychic part) ascends to the Above, and descends to the Below and receives the
power.
In this way, you will have the splendor of the whole world.

This splendor, in terms of the transmutation of man, is the illumination or Cosmic consciousness. It is a
union or unification.
Any lack of understanding or capacity will abandon you. This is the greatest of powers, for it can
to surpass all subtlety and penetrate everything that is solid.
"Thus the world was created," that is, by God.
"This is the way to act," meaning this is the way a man acts.
Just as the alchemical process requires the separation of the subtle and the coarse, meditation requires the
separation of the psychic self from the physical self. The work must be done 'lovingly, with great
understanding and discernment" or the student will fail to achieve physical transmutation, or the
transcendental.
The Table says:
"That is why I am called Trismegistus, for I possess the three parts of the world's wisdom."
This could be a reference to the three basic steps we described. It refers to Trismegistus as
king, philosopher, and priest. It also corresponds to the three kingdoms:
― eternal, celestial or astral, and mundane and temporal, or
God, nature, and man.
The knowledge of the three is necessary for the triple mastery suggested by Trismegistus.
"Everything I said about the work of the Sun is fulfilled."
The Sun is the symbol of God and also of gold, which represents perfection, the result of the process of
transmutation.

THEOPHRASTUS PARACELSUS
THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION OF HERMES, INTERPRETED BY THEOPHRASTUS PARACELSUS, REGARDING
SUPREME SECRET OF THE WORLD.

Hermes, Plato, Aristotle, and the other philosophers... who introduced the Arts, and, more specially,
they explored the secrets of the lower Creation, eagerly seeking a way by which the body
humanity could be preserved from decay and endowed with immortality. They were responded that
Nothing exists that can free the physical body from death; there is One Thing that can delay decay,
renew youth and prolong the short human life... Therefore, the philosophers mentioned and many others,
in searching for this 'One Thing' with great diligence, they discovered that it defends the body from corruption and
prolongs life, that is conducted with respect towards other elements, as if it were with the Heavens,
from where they deduced that the Heavens are a substance superior to the Four Elements. And just as the
Heavens, with respect to the other elements, are considered the fifth substance... also this 'One
"Thing" (compared to the forces of our body) is an indestructible essence that dries everything.
superfluities of our body, and has been philosophically referred to by the above-mentioned name.
It is neither hot and dry like fire, nor cold and humid like water; nor hot and humid like air, nor
dry and cold like the earth. But it is a skillful and perfect equation of all the Elements, a correct
mixture of natural forces, a particular union of spiritual virtues, an indissoluble union of
body and spirit. It is the purest and noblest substance of an indestructible body, produced by Art that
cannot be destroyed or harmed by the Elements... This spiritual essence, or One Thing, was
revealed to Adam from Above, and was greatly desired by the Holy Fathers, and called by Hermes and
Aristotle of Truth without Lies, the most certain of certain things, the Secret of all Secrets. It is
The Last and Most Elevated Thing to be Sought under the Skies, a wonderful closure and finish of
philosophical work... What the mouth of man cannot pronounce can be found in its entirety
in this spirit.
This is the Spirit of Truth, which the world cannot understand without the interference of the Spirit.
Holy, or without the instruction of those who know him. This One Thing is of mysterious nature,
marvelous strength, unlimited power. Avi-scene called this Spirit the Soul of the World. For thus
As the Soul imparts movement to all the members of the Body, so this Spirit moves in all.
The bodies... It is sought by many and found by few. It is seen from afar and found nearby, for
exists in everything, everywhere, and at all times. It has the powers of all creatures; its action is
in all elements, and in it are the qualities of all things, even in their highest form.
perfection...
When the philosophers discovered this 'One Thing', with great diligence and labor, they
they immediately concealed it in a strange language and in parables, so that it would not become
known to the unworthy, so that pearls would not be thrown to pigs.
In its first state, it appears as an unclean earthly spirit, full of imperfections...
second nature, it appears as a watery body... because... its Virtue is greater. It is more
next to the Truth being more effective in works...
"But in its third nature it appears as an aerial body of oily nature, almost free from
your imperfections...
In its fourth nature, it appears in fiery form, not completely free of imperfections, ...with many
virtues...
In her fifth and final nature, she appears in a glorified and illuminated form, without flaws,
shining like gold and silver, possessing all the preceding powers and virtues, in a higher degree
it's wonderful.
For it heals all living and dead bodies without medications...
This essence also reveals all the treasures of the earth and the sea, converts all metallic bodies
in gold, and nothing compares to it under the firmament.
Although these writings may be considered false by the reader, they are, for the initiate, true and
possible, when the hidden meaning is properly understood. For God is wonderful in His
works, and His wisdom knows no bounds.
This work of God is too deep for us to understand, for it is the last, greatest, and most
elevated secret of Nature. It is the Spirit of God, which in the Beginning filled the earth and hovered over the
waters, that the world cannot comprehend without the intercession of the Holy Spirit and the instruction of those
what do we know...

It is the best of all things, for nothing can compare to it, and only in it is the truth... For all this,
is called Stone and Spirit of Truth...
O unfathomable abyss of the Wisdom of God, who thus united and included in the virtue and power of this
Unique Spirit, the qualities of all the bodies that exist...
Therefore, Morien said, 'He who has it, has all things as well.'
This spirit is a genius, Divine, marvelous and noble power. For it encompasses the whole world, and
"surpasses the Elements and the fifth Substance."
 Loose literature taken from the internet

THE MYTH AND THE REALITY

Son of Zeus and Maia, the youngest of the Pleiades in Greek mythology, Hermes was born on the fourth day (a number that
he was consecrated), in a cave on Mount Cyllene, to the south of Arcadia.

Complex deity, with multiple attributes and functions, Hermes was initially an agrarian god, protector of
pastors and flocks. A writing by Pausanias makes this attribution of Maia's son very clear: "There is no
another god that shows so much solicitude for the flocks and for their growth." Later, the
writers and poets expanded the myth, such as Homer, in his epic poems Iliad and Odyssey. In
In the Odyssey, for example, the god intervenes as a magician and as a guide of souls (in Rhapsodies X and XXIV).

Protector of travelers, Hermes is also the god of roads. At crossroads, to serve as guidance, the
passers piled stones and placed on top of the hill the image of the god's head. The thrown stone
on a mound of other stones, symbolized the union of the believer with the god to whom they were consecrated.
It was believed that in the stones of the mountain were the strength and presence of the divine.

For the Greeks, Hermes ruled the roads because he moved with incredible speed, thanks to his provided sandals.
of wings. Thus, he became the messenger of the gods, mainly of his father, Zeus. Knowing of
paths, not getting lost in the darkness and being able to move freely in the three levels (Hades or hells, Earth or
telluric and Paradise or Olympus), Hermes became a god who guides souls.

The cunning, the inventiveness, the power to become invisible and to travel everywhere, allied with the caduceus with which
guiding the souls in light and darkness, these are the attributes that exalt the wisdom of Hermes, especially in
dominance of the occult sciences, which will become the main qualities of the god in the Hellenistic era.

From this point on, Hermes became the patron of the occult and esoteric sciences. He is the one who knows and who
transmits all secret science. The sorcerer Lucius Apuleius declares in his book of witchcraft (On Magic) that he invoked
Mercury – the Hermes of the Romans – being the one who possessed the secrets of magic and the occult.

Hermes Trismegistus is the Greek name given to the Egyptian god Thoth, considered the inventor of writing and of all
sciences related to it, including medicine, astronomy, and magic. According to the historian Herodotus, already in the 5th century
Thoth was identified and assimilated to Hermes Trismegistus, i.e., to the Three Times Mighty Hermes.

The Rosetta Stone, inscribed in 196 BC, also identifies Hermes as Thoth. The translation of the hieroglyphs of the
the mortuary chambers of the Valley of the Kings allowed the division of the writings attributed to Hermes-Thoth into two types
main: the 'popular' Hermeticism that deals with astrology and occult sciences, and the Hermeticism for the 'cultured',
it deals with Theology and Philosophy.

From the Renaissance until the end of the 19th century, little attention was given to popular Hermetic writings.
Recent studies have shown, however, that popular hermetic literature predates what is known as cult Hermeticism, and
reflects the dominant ideas and convictions in the Roman Empire.

The Hermetic Writings on Theology and Esotericism consist of seventeen treatises, which make up the Corpus.
Hermeticum. This set of Writings gathers the compilations made by Stobaeus and by Apuleius. The compilation of
Apuleius translated into Latin by Asclepius. These writings date back to the first three centuries of the era.
Christian and were written in Greek, although the concepts contained within them are of Egyptian origin.

The Corpus Hermeticum combines the Hermetic and the Emerald Tablet. These two works are strictly
hermetics on which the science and philosophy of alchemy are based. The Hermetic consists of a series of books,
of which the most important is Book I, Pimander, which is a dialogue of Hermes with himself.

Hermeticism was studied for centuries by the Arabs, and through them it reached the West, where
influenced men like Albertus Magnus. Throughout Medieval and Renaissance literature, they are frequent.
references to Hermes Trismegistus and the Hermetic Writings, studied and deepened, mainly by
Alchemists and the Rosicrucians. For the Rosicrucians, Hermes Trismegistus was a wise man. Dr. H. Spencer Lewis,
writer and Great Master of the Rosicrucian Order, referred to Hermes as a real person.

In the Greco-Roman world, especially in Rome, with the Gnostics and Neoplatonists, Hermes Trismegistus became
a god whose power has spanned the centuries. In reality, Hermes Trismegistus resulted from a syncretism with the
Latin Mercury and with the Egyptian god Thoth, the scribe in the judgment of the dead in the Paradise of Osiris, and patron
of all the sciences in Ancient Greece.
In Rome, starting from the first centuries of the Christian era, many religious treaties and documents emerged.
and the esoteric that claimed to be inspired by Egyptian religion, Neoplatonism, and Neopythagoreanism. This vast
a collection of writings that are gathered under the name of Corpus Hermeticum, a collection related to Hermes
Trismegistus is a fusion of philosophy, religion, alchemy, magic, and astrology, and has very little to do with Egyptian.

From this Corpus Hermeticum, Gnosis (esoteric knowledge of divinity, transmitted through) benefited greatly.
two initiation rites). The Gnostics, with their Greco-Egyptian-Jewish-Christian religious syncretism that also arose
In the first centuries of our era, they sought to reconcile all religious tendencies and explain their
fundamentals through Gnosis.

Hermes' sandals were equipped with wings, separating the earth from the heavy and living body, and from that comes the
symbolic importance of the discarded sandals, Masonic rite that evokes the attitude of Moses on Mount Sinai,
stepping barefoot on holy ground. Taking off the sandal and handing it to the partner was, among the Jews, the guarantee of
fulfillment of a contract.

For the ancient Taoists, sandals were the substitute for the bodies of the immortals, and their means of movement in
space. In Hermes and Perseus, the winged sandals are the symbol of mystical elevation.

The caduceus means herald's staff in Greek. One of the oldest symbols, its image has already been engraved since the
2600 BC, in the cup of King Gudea of Lagash. There are various forms and multiple interpretations of the caduceus.
The main insignia of Hermes is a staff around which two serpents wrap in opposite directions.
Wrapping around the caduceus, they

they symbolize the balance of opposing trends around the axis of the world, which leads to interpreting the staff of
god of Cilene as a symbol of peace. The serpent is a symbol found in the mythology of all peoples.
All the great ideas that emerged at the dawn of Civilization were represented by the serpent: the Sun, the Universe,
God, Eternity. Entwined in the Tau, the serpent is the symbol of Degree 25 of the REAA.

It can also be interpreted that the caduceus is the symbol of the erect phallus, with two entwined serpents. This
The interpretation of the caduceus is one of the oldest Indo-European representations, found in ancient India.
and modern, associated with numerous rites, as well as in Greece, where it became the insignia of Hermes.
Spiritualized, this phallus of Hermes penetrates the unknown world in search of a spiritual message from
liberation and healing. Nowadays, the caduceus is the universal symbol of Medicine.

The Masonic esotericism, with its translation in rituals, symbols, and teachings, is the creation of great
researchers, collectors of books and rare manuscripts, and great scholars of ancient cultures.
Elias Ashmole, Desaguilliers, and Francis Bacon were some of these men, Rosicrucians and great scholars.
of hermeticism and the alchemical transmutation of metals, through the Philosopher's Stone. They introduced it into Freemasonry
the same philosophical concepts, now using the instruments of the art of building, as symbols of
regeneration and the moral and spiritual improvement of Man.

Hermes Trismegistus was, in Greek Mythology, the god who combined the attributes of all great thinkers and
initiates wanted to convey to future generations. He was such an important god that in the city of Lystra, the
the crowd, upon seeing the miracle performed by the apostle Paul, took him for Hermes and shouted enthusiastically, thinking
to stand before a god in human form.

Works consulted
Hermes Trismegistus - Hermetic Teachings AMORC Grand Lodge of Brazil
Great Encyclopedic Dictionary of Freemasonry and Symbolism – Nicola Aslan
Freemasonry Made Understandable to Its Adepts – Oswald Wirth
Encyclopaedia Britannica – Volume XI
The Valley of the Kings – The Mystery of the Royal Tombs of Ancient Egypt – John Romer
The Secret Doctrine - Volume V - H.P. Blavatsky
Odyssey - Homer

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Hermes Trismegistus, the Thrice Great, was considered by the Egyptians the Messenger of
Gods, for having transmitted the teachings to this great people of antiquity and having implanted
the sacred tradition, the sacred rituals, and the teachings of the arts and sciences in their Schools
of Wisdom. Medicine, astronomy, astrology, botany, agriculture, geology, the
mathematics, music, architecture, political science, all of this was taught in these schools and
in his books, which according to the Greeks totaled 42. Among them is The Book of the Dead.
which is also called The Book of the Exit of Light. Hermetic Science is based on its
teachings and confirms with its precepts, that the Great Hermes came to transmit to the
humanity a Divine Wisdom, poorly understood to this day despite being widely
proven.

Hermetic Philosophy is based on the Hermetic Principles included in the book The Kybalion, (Three
Initiated – Pensamento Bookstore) and seems destined to plant a seed of Truth in
heart of the wise, who perpetuate and transmit their teachings. In all civilizations
There have always been attentive ears to these precepts. As the Kaibalion itself says:

Anywhere the traces of the Master are found,

The ears of those who are prepared to receive
Your Teaching will be completely opened.
When the disciple's ears are ready to listen,
Then come the lips to fill them with wisdom.

However, the Kybalion also teaches us that:

The lips of Wisdom are closed, except to the ears of Understanding.

The Kybalion was transmitted to us through Hermetic Tradition and gathers the basic teachings of the Law.
that governs all manifested things. The word Caibalion, in the Hebrew language, means tradition.
or a precept manifested by a being from above. This word has the same root as the word Qabala.
(Kabala), or Qibul, or Qibal, which in Hebrew means tradition.

The largest of the Mystics' Stores (Temples of Initiation) was established in ancient Egypt and was by
through its doors entered the Neophytes who, later, as Hierophants, Adepts, and Masters,
spread all over the earth, taking with them the precious knowledge that
they had, in order to teach it to those who were prepared to understand it. It is from this
the same source that the Essenes drank from, and therefore Jesus as well.

In our days, the term 'hermetical' means secret, closed in such a way that nothing escapes,
meaning that the disciples of Hermes always observed the principle of secrecy in their
precepts. The ancient instructors asked for this secret, but never wished for the
teachings were not transmitted. They did not establish a religion, so that these
principles could be utilized by everyone but belonged to no faith. In fact,
the 'Hermetic Principles' are based on the Laws of Nature, and as such belong only to
Divine Order.

The doctrines have always been transmitted from 'Master to Disciple', from Initiate to Hierophant, of
lips to the ears. Even though it is written everywhere, its truth has been deliberately
veiled with the terms of alchemy and astrology, so that only those who possess the key
They can read it well. (The Kybalion).

The Seven Principles (or Seven Laws) on which Hermetic Philosophy is based
they are the following:

I – The Principle of Mentalism

II – The Principle of Correspondence
III – The principle of Vibration
IV - The Principle of Polarity
V - The Principle of Rhythm
VI - The Principle of Cause and Effect
VII - The Principle of Gender