Hermeticism

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Hermeticism
By: / Beginner
Post # 1
History of Hermeticism
Hermeticism began as a mystery school of thought centered around the titular being, Hermes Trismagestus (or Hermes Thrice-Great which was the Greek translation of for how the Egyptians revered their God of Knowledge, Thoth), which soon began to spread throughout magical theory and practice around the world.
Maxims of magic such as "As Above, So Below, As Within, So Without", actually emerged from Hermetic principles; this saying is a simplified version of the Universal Law of Correspondance, but more on that later.
In order to explain the reason for why the Hermetics do what they do, I must explain where their beliefs come from, the Universal Laws. Here below I will provide a link that I found from this very site explaining these Universal Laws in a simplified manner that makes them more relatable and palpable.
Here is a link to the video which I originally found on this site titled "The 12 Universal Laws" from the Youtube channel "RachelTalks Spiritual":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1P_nQbKITMg
I think the way she explains these laws is an excellent introduction to Hermeticism as well, but also the fact that these Universal Laws can be applied to just about anything since they serve as a key of connection much like the Tree of Life in its multitude of values and meanings.
Here is a paraphrase of these Universal Laws, with the addition of my interpretation of each of them, just to have it on here since I will be referring to them often:
LAW OF ONENESS
Summary:
Everything is one unified consciousness
Interpretation:
Everything is connected, from the smallest quanta of matter to the entire Universe. Every living and nonliving body of matter is one unified mass of conscious existence, so it is important to remember this when interacting with others.
LAW OF VIBRATION
Summary:
Everything vibrates (good or bad vibes)
Interpretation:
A part of the intuition's job is to protect the self from any energy field or state that may harm the self in the long run similarly to how the amygdala (emotional center of the brain) is responsible for keeping you out of danger physically.
LAW OF ACTION
Summary:
Every cause must have an enacted effect
Interpretation:
In order for any intention to have consequence, it has to have an action start the chain of events leading to it taking effect (i.e wishing alone will not accomplish anything if you do not take the initiative to act upon it). This principle will come into play later when I talk about the Four Worlds of the Tree of Life.
LAW OF CORRESPONDANCE
Summary:
What you are within, you project outward to the world.
Interpretation:
You are a microcosm of the macrocosm, meaning that you are a reflection of the Universe you experience, so if you are hostile and/or feeling damaged continuously, then the Universe you experience will appear hostile and damaged. This law may be one of the most powerful laws in magic as it may be a major part of the reason why it works the way it does.
LAW OF CAUSALITY
Summary:
Cause and effect, "You reap what you sow"
Interpretation:
Every action has a reaction, regardless of it that action was for the better or for the worst (though these views would be relative). Once a chain of causality is set in motion it can only ride its course.
LAW OF ATTRACTION
Summary:
"What you ARE , is what you attract"
Interpretation:
Repeated thought patterns and habits can affect the way the Universe responds to you existing in it, so being loving, kind, and selfless repeatedly may actually cause the Universe to respond in giving manner towards you.
LAW OF COMPENSATION
Summary:
"What you give is what you I get"
Interpretation:
The very principle of economy, as well as the Physical Law of Conservation of Mass and Energy operate on this principle that nothing can be destroyed, and thus, what you lose or put out you get back in full in some form.
LAW OF MOTION (aka. LAW OF THE PERPETUAL TRANSMUTATION OF ENERGY)
Summary:
Everything is always changing towards something
Interpretation:
Everything is always moving in a state of flux, through intention that flux can be harnessed to achieve desired changes in the world.
LAW OF RELATIVITY
Summary:
Everything is exactly as it is, good and bad are relative
Interpretation:
The Universe does not operate on the principle that some things are good, and some things are bad, that is purely thought of by the people experiencing it.
LAW OF POLARITY
Summary:
Everything has an opposite
Interpretation:
Every action has a reaction, every black has a white, so on and so forth.
LAW OF RHYTHM
Summary:
Everything changes in immutable cycles
Interpretation:
The seasons, the years, the Procession and Precession of the Equinoxes are all examples of how the Universe operates in a cyclical manner.
LAW OF GENDER
Summary:
Everything has a masculine and feminine
Next I will be going into the applications of these Universal Laws, the three branches of the Hermetic Arts.

Re: Hermeticism
By: / Novice
Post # 2

Thank you for this. It is very well written and the extra resources are appreciated


Re: Hermeticism
By: / Beginner
Post # 3

Response

Thank you Belit, I really appreciate your feedback, and in this post I will be keeping it going. Hermeticism is one of my many interests, and it is always nice to know that what I put on here is useful to other members of the coven. A part of Hermeticism is its Universality, since it is essentially the magical application of the Universal Laws, so in each of these posts I will see if I can discuss how the material therein can be used across a multitude of paths.

The Three Hermetic Arts

The primary subject of this post is the Three Hermetic Arts of Hermeticism which are Astrology, Alchemy, and Theury.

The First Hermetic Art: Astrology

References for beginning Astrology

Signs of the Zodiac: http://www.astrology.com.au/astrology/zodiac-signs

Modern Astrology: http://www.astrology.com.tr/articles.asp?artID=40

Traditional Astrology: http://www.renaissanceastrology.com/traditionalastrology.html#A

Hermetic Astrology: http://www.astrogeographia.org/about_us/hermetic_astrology/

Natal Chart instructions: http://www.wikihow.com/Create-an-Astrological-Chart

Online Ephemeris: http://www.khaldea.com/ephemcenter.shtml

Guide to reading an Ephemeris: http://www.skyscript.co.uk/ephemeris.html

Guide to Aspects and their meanings: http://www.astro.com/astrology/in_aspect_e.htm

Terms used:

to divine (as in Divination) : method of predicting future or past events through observing a particular set of external phenomena

macrocosm : greater scheme or larger scale of existence (i.e. planets, stars, galaxies, etc.)

microcosm : lesser scheme or smaller scale of existence (i.e. person, isolated event, family, etc.)

natal chart: chart divided into twelve parts which is used with the aid of a ephemeris to analyze the positions of the planets in the regions of the zodiac that they were at the original moment of a person, event, organization, or intent.

ephemeris: Book used by Astrologers to determine the exact zodiacal position of a planet at any particular date of a particular year, a tool quintessential for creating a natal chart

zodiac: a celestial wheel of twelve animals constellations whose energies are said to influence the subtle energies of the planets, and through this influence, affect events on Earth ( for more information on the particular signs of the zodiac and their meanings, go to the coven forum post by Pyra titled "Astrology", it contains a bounty of useful information on the signs of the zodiac and their unique properties )

aspects: the angles between planetary bodies said to affect the influence a planet has on the subject of the natal chart.

astrologer: person creating the natal chart and analyzing the results

querent: the person making the inquiry in question that the reading (or in this case natal chart) is for if pertaining to a personal event

Reviewed concepts:

Universal Law of Oneness: "Everything is one unified field of consciousness", the idea that all things are connected, and the basic premise for all other Universal Laws. Assumes the existence of a Monad or divine whole which emanated or projected itself into the multitude that became the whole of existence as we know it and beyond.

Universal Law of Correspondance: "As above, so below", the idea that the macrocosm and the microcosm are connected in such a way that connections can be drawn between them, and that by altering the microcosm of oneself, one can theoretically alter a particular aspect of the macrocosm in some subtle or profound way through the proper means.

Premise of Astrology:

The idea in accordance to the Law of Correspondance and the Law of Oneness that the cycles and positions of the planets and stars could be used to divine the future. The idea is that since they are a part of the macrocosm that can be applied to the microcosm, using the natal chart of the subject of inquiry the aspects of the planets in their positions in the zodiac can shed light on the various details of the subject in question.

Conclusion of Astrology Segment& Coming Up in "Hermeticism"

There is an incredible amount of information available on this topic, which is why I have left such a multitude of resources. There are two more Hermetic Arts that I will cover next, but this has been an intensive post; I will have the remaining two posted soon.

Hope you guys are enjoying these posts, and with that said,

Be wonderful, be beautiful, be bless'ed, bless'ed be.

"


Re: Hermeticism
By:
Post # 4

This is really informative and interesting. Thank you for taking the time to write this.


Re: Hermeticism
By: / Novice
Post # 5

Great information, Thank you for sharing!


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