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.
The Kybalion on The Principle of Polarity.
Tag: hermeticism
THE BAPHOMET
A close look at the details of the image reveals that each symbol is
inevitably balanced with its opposite. Baphomet himself is an
androgynous character as it is bearing the characteristics of both
sexes: female breasts and a rod representing the erect phallus. The
concept of androgeneity is of a great importance in occult philosophy as
it is representing the highest level of initiation in the quest of
becoming “one with God”.Baphomet’s phallus is actually Hermes’ Caduceus – a rod intertwined
with two serpents. This ancient symbol is has been representing
Hermetism for centuries. The Caduceus esoterically represents the
activation of chakras, from the base of the spine to the pineal gland,
using serpentine power (hence, the serpents) or Astral Light.COME WORSHIP THE BAPHOMET AT LITTLESALLY666.COM
I believe this quote beholds many of the principle points that make the foundation of Magick.
“Magic in its earliest form is often referred to as The Arte. I believe this is completely literal… Indeed to cast a spell is simply to spell, to manipulate words, to change people’s consciousness…. In latter times I believe artists and writers have allowed themselves to be sold down the river. They have accepted the prevailing belief that art and writing are merely forms of entertainment… they’re not seen as transformative forces that can change a human being… they are seen as simple entertainment. Things with which we can fill twenty minutes, half an hour, while we’re waiting to die.”
– Alan MooreFrater 440.’.
93 93/93
The title of ninth Sephira, or emanation of the Tree Of Life, is YSVD (Yezod). It is the Sephira of the Lunar magick of Aub, or Ob, the Serpent (whence “obeah”).
The Serpent is a Symbol common to the Yezidi, Voodooists, Tantrics, and Thelemites.
Yezod or Yesod as the secret center of the Yezidi is an apt description of the Sephira wich corresponds to the sexual center in the human body. Yesod means “Foundation”, and the Hadit of the Thelemites, is the Foundation of the World, as Yesod is the foundation of the Tree Of Life.
The accursed God of the South is, then no other than the lord of the reproductive forces typified by the southernmost Sephira-Yesod.
Yesod is attributed to the Moon. not to the Sun. The curious symbolism is explained by the connection of the Serpent or Dragon with the lunar current typified by Babalon- “for he is ever a sun, and she a moon”. The symbolism may be fathomed at the Hindu level of mythology where Shiva (the Indian Seth) is called “the god with the crescent” (i.e the moon) in the Bhagavad Gita. Also, Thoth the Moon-god, was originally the God of Sirius, identical with the Star-God-Seth, before the luni-solar mode of reckoning time supplanted the stellar reckoning.
This is the reason why the inverted pentagram, or pointed towards the south is usually abhorred as a seal of the devil. Is the seal of Satan because it invokes the snake sex, snake Obeah. The osirisian, and Christians, fled from this aspect of existence, and the pentagram of Set, the south, was considered the symbol of impurity and of abomination. It is still the star of Satan for those who consider the use the current of sexual magic as “evil” that is diabolic. Originally there was no moral pollution; it comes from the hands of the followers of the cult of the old Aeon, those represented in myth by God Dying: Adonis, Osiris, Christ, etcKenneth Grant
“The Magical revival”
Initiation into Hermetics by Franz Bardon
Picture of the Magician: 1st Tarot card ~ Interpretation of the Symbolism
Below you will find the mineral, vegetable and animal kingdoms expressed in a symbolic manner.
The female on the left side and the male on the right side are the plus (positive) and the minus (negative) in every human being. In their middle is seen a hermaphrodite, a creature personifying the male and female combined in one as the sign of concinnity between the male and female principle.
The electrical and magnetical fluids are shown in red and blue colors, electrical fluid being red, magnetical fluid blue. The head region of the female is electrical, therefore red, the region of the genitals is magnetical, consequently blue. As for the male, it happens to be in inverted order.
Above the hermaphrodite there is a globe as a sign of the earth sphere, above which the magician is illustrated with the four elements. Above the male, there are the active elements, that of the fire in red and the air element in blue color. Above the female there are the passive elements, the water element in green and the element of the earth in yellow color. The middle along the magician up to the globe is dark purple, representing the sign of the akasa principle.
Above the magician’s head, with an invisible ribbon for a crown, there is a gold-edged silvery white lotus flower as a sign of the divinity. In the inside there is the ruby red philosophers’ stone symbolizing the quintessence of the whole hermetic science.
On the right side in the background there is the sun, yellow like gold and on the left side we see the moon, silvery-white, expressing plus and minus in the macro- and microcosm, the electrical and magnetical fluids.
Above the lotus flower, Creation has been symbolized by a ball, in the interior of which are represented the procreative positive and negative forces which stand for the creating act of the universe.
The eternal, the infinite, the boundless, and the uncreated have been expressed symbolically by the word AUM and the dark purple to black color.
imustnotfearfearisthemindkiller:
“According to the universal laws, the magician will form his own point of view about the universe which henceforth will be his true religion.”
— Franz Bardon, “Initiation into Hermetics”
(Via ΙΑΩ)
Hermeticism: the nexus between science, philosophy and spirit
Last week, I summarized the history of alchemy in Europe, the Middle East, India and China. Alchemy is tradition spanning millennia that influenced the development of modern chemistry, medicine, philosophy and psychology. Western alchemy blends Greek, Egyptian, Islamic and Jewish traditions, and is a branch of Hermetic philosophy, which is based on the works of Hermes Trismegistus, meaning “Thrice-Great” Hermes.
It is debated why Hermes Trismegistus was called “Thrice-Great” but it is thought that it is because he knows three parts of the wisdom of the universe: alchemy (the operation of the sun), astrology (the operation of the stars) and theurgy (the operation of the gods). Hermes credited the creation of astrology to Zoroaster, founder of the Zoroastrian religion and Middle-Eastern philosopher living sometime in the second half of the 2nd millennium BC.
Hermes Trismegistus is considered the founder of science, religion, mathematics, geometry, alchemy, philosophy, medicine and magic. He is a combination of theEgyptian God Thoth of wisdom, learning and communications and the Greek God Hermes, messenger of the gods.
He is also credited to have written somewhere between 20,000 (Seleucus) to 36,525 (Manetho) works, of which 42 were kept the great Library of Alexandria, which was destroyed multiple times. Unfortunately, but against all odds, a small handful of Hermes’ texts remain today, most of which are compiled into the Corpus Hermeticum.
It is said that Hermes Trismegistus received his divine wisdom in meditative trances. He covered topics such as medicine, chemistry, law, art, music, magic, philosophy, geography, mathematics and anatomy. His knowledge was so vast and all-encompassing that the ancient Egyptians called him the messenger or communicator of the gods.
Who was Hermes Trismegistus?
Hermes Trismegistus may have been an actual living king, philosopher and priest, as well as a sage, scientist and sorcerer. He was known by many names and he was considered to be an amalgamation of several people and mythological figures of ancient history. The main function of the various “incarnations” of Hermes is to transcribe the word of God, and his main symbol is the caduceus or serpent staff.
Historical and mythological figures associated with Hermes Trismegistus:
- Thoth (Egyptian Paganism): Egyptian god of wisdom, learning and communications. He is the scribe of the gods and was believed to have invented language, the alphabet and writing (i.e. hieroglyphs). The Egyptians credit him as the author of all works of science, philosophy, religion, wisdom and magic. It is believed that Thoth would have actually been an Egyptian priest-king and philosopher who would have lived somewhere around 2000-1200 BC.
- Hermes (Greek Paganism): The Greeks identified Thoth with Hermes, the son of Zeus and the god of science, commerce, language and writing, as well as the messenger of the gods and the first teacher of alchemy. Hermes was also believed to be the inventor of astronomy, astrology, mathematics, geometry, medicine, botany, theology and all branches of knowledge.
- Mercury (Roman Paganism): The Roman adaptation of Hermes is the god Mercury, who is the patron of commerce
- Enoch/Metatron (Biblical figure in Judaism and Christianity): Enoch is the great grandfather of Noah who ascends to heaven and becomes the archangel Metatron, celestial scribe.
- Idris (Prophet in Islam): Synonymous with Enoch.
- Moses (Judeism, Islam & Christianity): Moses was an Egyptian prince of Hebrew heritage, who lived in Egypt somewhere between 2000-1200 BC. He established a monotheistic religion in pagan Egypt but was forced to exile. He is credited with the writing of the Torah and the Ten Commandments, which were given by God through Moses.
- Akhenaten (Egyptian Pharaoh; reigned from 1353–1336 BC): He attempted to make pagan Egypt monotheistic under one sun god. His mother, Tuy, was likely of Hebrew origin and he was driven out of Egypt like Moses. The city with the most Statues of Akhenaten is the the city of Hermopolis, which is dedicated to Hermes Trismegistus
- Nabu (Babylonian): God of writing and wisdom, scribe of Marduk and keeper of the Tablets of Destiny.
In modern day, the term “Hermetically sealed” is commonly used to mean airtight and impervious to gases. The word “Hermetic” today typically means secret or sealed. Hermeticism was generally veiled in secrecy and only those who were truly ready could receive the Hermetic teachings. Hermes is also said to have had magical powers that could seal a box or chest is such a way that it could never be opened.
Hermes’ symbol, the caduceus, is also the modern symbol of commerce and medicine.
Hermetic Philosophy
Hermetic philosophy or Hermeticism is one of the oldest religious and philosophical traditions, a synthesis of religion, philosophy, which flourished in Ptolomaic Egypt. Hermeticism was not embodied in a single religious group, but instead was a philosophical system that is at the root of many traditions, some of which are still alive today!.
Hermeticism is a blend of ancient Egyptian religion, philosophy, science and magic with elements of Greek Paganism, Alexandrian Judaism, ancient Sumerian religion andChaldaean astrology/astronomy, and Zoroastrianism. It is associated with the philosophical schools of Platonism, Neo-Platonism, Stoicism and Pythagorianism.
Hermeticism is said to hold “prisca theologia”, a doctrine that claims a true theology at the root of all religions that was given to man in antiquity. The Hermeticists believe in one transcendent God and that “All is One” in the universe, though they also believe in the existence of other beings such as aeons, angels and elementals. Hermeticism influenced Judaism, Islam and Christianity, especially the early Christian Gnostics who were considered heretics.
The destruction of Hermetic wisdom
Much of the Hermetic and alchemical literature was destroyed and the remainder shifted to the Islamic world in 400-600 AD, and eventually emerged in medieval Europe into the Renaissance. The Christians, starting with Emperor Constantine and his successors, erased almost every trace of Hermeticism from 312 AD until well into the 6thcentury, putting to death thousands of pagans, many of whom were Hermetic, and destroying temples and sacred texts.
Being opposed by the Church, the Hermetic tradition was forced to the occult underground and permeates Western esoteric traditions. This includes secret societies such as the Freemasons, Rosicrucians, Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Thelema, as well as modern Paganism, New Age, and Wicca. The Theosophical Society, the philosophy behind the Waldorf/Rudolf Steiner schools, is also influenced by Hermetic philosophy.
Hermeticism’s influence on the Scientific Revolution
The Greek philosopher, mathematician and astronomer, Pythagoras (570 – 495 BC), was said to be an initiate to the Hermetic arts, which he studied in Egypt. Plato (424/423 – 348/347 BC) was deeply influenced by Pythagoras and was also inspired by the Hermetic teachings; some claim he also studied with the Egyptian masters. Both Pythagoras and Plato were influential for early modern scholars of the Scientific Revolution.
The Greek philosopher and scientist Aristotle studied at Plato’s Academy in Athens from 328 – 347 BC. He taught Alexander the Great starting in 343 BC, who conquered Egypt in 331 BC and founded Alexandria, a hub for alchemy and Hermeticism.
Contrary to popular belief, Hermeticism, Neoplatonic mysticism and natural magic had a remarkable influence on the Scientific Revolution, which began in the Renaissance period. The Scientific Revolution embraced empiricism, reason and open inquiry over faith, mysticism, or dogma. Ironically, the Renaissance saw a resurgence of Hermetic ideas, as well as in mythical, metaphorical and magical ways of thinking.
Indeed, the fathers of the modern science and the scientific method were deeply religious and many were alchemists and esotericists, traditions rooted in Hermeticism. Hermetic principles can be seen in the works of luminaries such as Nicolaus Copernicus, Johannes Kepler, Robert Boyle, Isaac Newton and Francis Bacon, as well as medieval philosophers, notably Roger Bacon, but also Islamic philosophers like Al-Kindi and Avicenna.
Copernicus, who presented the first predictive mathematic model for a heliocentric system, describes the sun:
“in the middle of all sits the Sun enthroned. In this most beautiful temple could we place this luminary in any better position from which he can illuminate the whole at once? He is rightly called the Lamp, the Mind, the Ruler of the Universe; Hermes Trismegistus names him the Visible God, Sophocles’ Electra calls him the All-seeing. So the Sun sits as upon a royal throne ruling his children the planets which circle around him.”
Isaac Newton, the father of modern physics, spent most of his time rediscovering the occult wisdom of the ancients, including the Corpus Hermeticum and the Emerald Tablet. He was a devout scholar and practitioner of alchemy, which greatly influenced his scientific work, including the laws of motion, the theory of gravity, his work on optics and the invention of calculus.
Although there is a link between celestial and terrestrial realms in Hermeticism (“As above, so below”), there is the central idea of progress of knowledge and advancement of learning. In the Hermetic tradition, nature is investigated through observation, experiment and illumination. The purpose is to discover and detect that which is invisible and find the hidden linkages between things. The magical tradition within Hermeticism endeavors to discover the influence of one thing over another, to understand phenomena and learn how to manipulate them.
Paracelsus was a Renaissance physician, surgeon, botanist, astrologer, alchemist, and is considered the founder of toxicology. He wrote the famous phrase “The dose makes the poison”. Paracelcus had an affinity for Hermetic, Neo-Platonic and Pythagorean philosophy. He advocated that the final arbiter for a theory should be experience, and that humility and diligent labor is necessary.
“he can be surprised by an anomaly- like a white raven- which confounds all the books; and all his experience, everything he has learned at the sickbed, is suddenly gone. Therefore study each day without respite, investigate and observe diligently; despise nothing, and do not lightly put too much trust in yourself. Do not be arrogant.” – Paracelsus
The separation of spirit and science
While Hermeticism was influential in the rise of modern experimental science, part of the Hermetic tradition had to be repudiated in order for science to emerge. This includes a separation of science from religion and the spiritual world, as well as removing illumination as a way of obtaining knowledge.
Until the mid-17th century, natural philosophy generally described nature as an organic, dynamic, living, interconnected organism. There was no clear distinction between astronomy and astrology; alchemy and chemistry; science and magic. The Scientific Revolution separated these disciplines and brought a mechanistic view of nature, a focus on rational and logical thought, and a separation of religion and spirituality from the pursuit of knowledge.
In science, a phenomenon that is being observed is separated from the soul and the internal value system of the observer. When science observes a phenomenon, it assumes that’s its nature; the perceptual is the actual. However, in the modern fields of relativistic and quantum physics, observation affects the process being observed, with a different outcome than if the process were unobserved.
In Hermeticism, that which is being studied is a reflection of the observer and the two are instrinsically linked. This is central to Hermetic philosophy as seen in the famous phrase “As above, so below’: the universe is a symbolic reflection of what is happening inside of ourselves. The quest for knowledge becomes a spiritual journey to return to a state of unity with the divine, known as the “Great Work” of humankind.
All are one. As above, so below.
“What is the Universe? We have seen that there can be nothing outside of THE ALL. Then is the Universe THE ALL? No, this cannot be, because the Universe seems to be made up of MANY, and is constantly changing, and in other ways it does not measure up to the ideas that we are compelled to accept regarding THE ALL, as stated in our last lesson. Then if the Universe be not THE ALL, then it must be Nothing – such is the inevitable conclusion of the mind at first thought. But this will not satisfy the question, for we are sensible of the existence of the Universe. Then if the Universe is neither THE ALL, nor Nothing, what can it be? Let us examine this question. If the Universe exists at all, or seems to exist, it must proceed in some way from THE ALL – it must be a creation of THE ALL. But as something can never come from nothing, from what could THE ALL have created it. Some philosophers have answered this question by saying that THE ALL created the Universe from ITSELF – that is, from the being and substance of THE ALL. But this will not do, for THE ALL cannot be subtracted from, nor divided, as we have seen, and then again if this be so, would not each particle in the Universe be aware of its being THE ALL – THE ALL could not lose its knowledge of itself, nor actually BECOME an atom, or blind force, or lowly living thing … But, what indeed is the Universe, if it be not THE ALL, not yet created by THE ALL having seperated itself into fragments? What else can it be – of what else can it be made? … We find here that the ‘Principle of Correspondence’ comes to our aid here. The old Hermetic axiom, ‘As above so below’, may be pressed into service at this point. Let us endeavor to get a glimpse of the workings on higher planes by examining those on our own. The Principle of Correspondence must apply to this as well as to other problems. Let us see! On his own plane of being, how does Man create? Well, first, he may create by making something out of outside materials. But this will not do, for there are no materials outside of THE ALL with which it may create. Well, then, secondly, Man pro-creates or reproduces his kind by the process of begetting, which is self-multiplication accomplished by transferring a portion of his substance to his offspring. But this will not do, because THE ALL cannot transfer or subtract a portion of itself, nor can it reproduce or multiply itself – in the first place there would be a taking away, and in the second case a multiplication or additon to THE ALL, both thoughts being an absurdity. Is there no third way in which Man creats? Yes, there is – he CREATES MENTALLY! And in so doing he uses no outside materials, nor does he reproduce himself, and yet his Spirit prevades the Mental Creation … THE UNIVERSE, AND ALL IT CONTAINS, IS A MENTAL CREATION OF THE ALL. Verily indeed, ALL IS MIND!”
— Three Initiates, The Kybalion – A Study of the Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt & Greece
“The Pentagram signifies the domination of the mind over the Elements, and the demons of Air, the spirits of Fire, the phantoms of Water, and the ghosts of Earth; all are enchained by this sign. Equipped therewith, and suitably disposed, you may then behold the Infinite through the medium of that faculty which is like the soul’s eye, and you will be ministered onto by legions of angels and hosts of fiends…. It follows that, by means of the imagination, demons and spirits can be beheldd, really and in truth; but the imagination of the Adept is diaphanous, whislt that of the crowd is opaque…. The Pentagram is called in Cabbalah the Sign of the Microcosm…. By the Pentagram also is measured the exact proportions of the great and unique Athanor necessary to the confection of the Philosopher’s Stone and to the accomplishment of the [alchemical] Great Work.” – Transcendental Magic: It’s Doctrine and Ritual by Eliphas Levi
The Seven Hermetic Principles
“The Lips of Wisdom are sealed except to the ears of understanding.”
I. THE PRINCIPLE OF MENTALISM.
“THE ALL is MIND; The Universe is Mental.“This Principle embodies the truth that “All is Mind.“It explains that THE ALL (which is the Substantial Reality underlying all the outward manifestations and appearances which we know under the terms of “The Material Universe”; the “Phenomena of Life”; “Matter”; “Energy”; and, in short, all that is apparent to our material senses) is SPIRIT…
II. THE PRINCIPLE OF CORRESPONDENCE.
“As above, so below; as below so above.“This Principle embodies the truth that there is always a Correspondence between the laws and phenomena of the various planes of Being and Life.
III. THE PRINCIPLE OF VIBRATION.
“Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates."This Principle embodies the truth that "everything is in motion”; “everything vibrates”; “nothing is at rest”; facts which Modern Science endorses, and which each new scientific discovery tends to verify.
IV. 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…”It explains that in everything there are two poles, or opposite aspects, and that "opposites” are really only the two extremes of the same thing, with many varying degrees between them.
V. 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.”This Principle embodies the truth that in everything there is manifested a measured motion, to and fro; a flow and inflow; a swing backward and forward; a pendulum-like movement; a tide-like ebb and flow; a high-tide and low-tide.
VI. THE PRINCIPLE OF CAUSE 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."It explains that: "Everything Happens according to Law”; that nothing ever “merely happens”; that there is no such thing as Chance… only law unseen.
VII. THE PRINCIPLE OF GENDER.
“Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine Principles Gender; manifests on all planes."This Principle embodies the truth that there is GENDER manifested in everything — the Masculine and Feminine Principles ever at work. This is true not only of the Physical Plane, but of the Mental and even the Spiritual Planes.
The Emerald Tablet Of Hermes & The Kybalion: Two Classic Bookson Hermetic Philosophy
Occult Aspects 