User:King Vegita/Hermeticism and other thought systems

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This is a comparative religion article which outlines both similarities between Hermetism, Hermeticism, and other thought systems as well as their interactions between one another.

Contents

[edit] Buddhism

Buddhism shares some essential concepts with Hermetic thought. Buddhism is a personal journey that brings personal revelation, as Heremeticism is highly individualistic as well. Buddhists try to understand God through understanding themselves, searching in quiet meditation. This is in accordance with the Hermetic principle of "as below, so above," searching the microcosm to understand the macrocosm. Both also believe in an illusionary world, where the physical is only an illusion[citation needed].

[edit] Christianity

[edit] Hermeticism affecting Christianity

Hermeticism had influenced the Christian religion, with Hermes being seen often as a virtuous and prophetic man living at about the same time as Moses, some even thinking that the two were one and the same[citation needed]. It was suggested in 1593 CE, by a Cardinal Patrizzi, that Hermeticism replace Aristotle's teachings as the basis for Catholic thought. However, those wishing to continue the reign of Thomas Aquinas's Aristotelian philosophy won the battle and Hermeticism became a heresy. In 1600 CE, the friar Giordano Bruno, a primary supporter of Hermetic thought in Christianity, was burned at the stake for heresy. [1]

Hermes, unlike other pagan (i.e. non-Christian) philosopher-priests, was not condemned by early Christians, but rather found to be enlightened. They, however, felt that he could be much greater with their teachings. [2]

[edit] Christianity affecting Hermeticism

Hermes Trismegistus, floor mosaic in the Cathedral of Sienna
Hermes Trismegistus, floor mosaic in the Cathedral of Sienna

In medieval Europe, where Christianity was the dominant political and religious force, many Hermeticists incorporated Christian symbols into the Hermetic art of Alchemy. Some Hermeticists hold that the true meaning of Christianty lies in the symbolic view of Christianty as opposed to the dogmatic. Such a theory goes against orthodox Christian teaching, and thus many Hermeticists were put to death for heresy, as well as witchcraft relating to their magical practices. On the other hand, many Hermeticists were employed by Kings and other nobles, as court magicians, astrologers and scholars. Many Catholic priests were also involved in Hermetic study. Henrich Cornelius Agrippa's teacher was Johannes Trithemius, a German abbot. To this day many European Churches are decorated with Hermetic symbolism. A mosiac of Hermes Trismegistus is in the Cathedral of Siena, in Sienna Italy, is one such example[citation needed].

St. Augustine thought Hermes lived later than Moses. Whilst Augustine opposed Hermeticism, some Renaissance scholars claimed that Hermetic thought was closer to Christianity than those of Ancient Greece.

Many Hermeticists seem to write from a Christian perspective. This may have been sincere, or may have simply been a way to get their books published, avoiding censorship, and a way to avoid persecution; especially during the Inquisition. Rosicrucianism employs many Christian symbols. Some regard this as Christian mysticism, though such Hermetic orders and texts are generally labeled "demi-Christian" since they do not usually subscribe to a literal interpretation of the New Testament, using the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as metaphors for spiritual attainment and enlightenment. Orthodox Christianity does not generally accept any form of Hermeticism, Alchemy, Rosicrucianism or Occultism, though from a Hermetic point of view, one could possibly be both Christian and Hermetic[citation needed].

[edit] Potential perversion

(See Hermeticism#Possible Perversion by Christianity)

[edit] See also

Religious perspectives on Jesus#Hermeticism

[edit] Gnosticism

Gnosticism and Hermeticism are often seen as being sister religions, both flourishing in the same period, sharing the goal of the soul escaping from the material realm through true understanding, and emphathizing personal knowledge of God [3]. Gnostics, however, felt that there was something seriously wrong with Nous, a part of The All [4]. This could be stretched so far as to say that by bringing the world into existence, God had to remove himself from it at the same time [5]. In essence, the primary difference between the philosophy of Hermeticism and Gnosticism is that Hermeticism is optimistic about God, while Gnosticism is pessimistic [6]. Other differences persist, such as the views on Jesus of Nazareth. The Gnostic Bible is often read by Hermeticists and the Hermetic works are often read by Gnostics, though each puts more credibility on their own works.

[edit] Hinduism

Hinduism, like Hermetic thought, has a school of thought (Adwaita) which claims that God is the cause of creation; that the whole Universe and all that is of it (stars, planets, moons, plants, animals, stones, air, water, time, space, fire, etc ad infinitum) is the physical manifestation of God.

[edit] Islam

Of the three movements primarily influenced by Hermeticism, the Illuminati involves Islam. The prophet Mohammed is one of three people that is said to represent the Illuminati, along with Roger Bacon and Paracelsus [7]

In 830 CE, a group of Hermetic pagans in Harran needed protection by being either Muslim, Christian, Jewish, or Sabian. They took the Corpus Hermeticum as their scripture and Hermes Trismegistus as their prophet, and decided to call themselves Sabians. As no one was sure what the Qur'an meant by Sabian, they were accepted as being such having a monotheistic scripture and a prophet. This group played a large role in Baghdad's intellectual life from 856 - 1050.[8]

The most famous of the Harranian Sabians was Thabit ibn Qurra, who made great advances in alchemy, astronomy, and mathematics, citing his paganism as the reason for his ability.[9] They however began to decline in 950 CE when the caliph imposed strict Islamic orthodoxy forcing explicit Hermetism underground and forcing other Hermetists to change Hermes to Mohammed. It is further theorized that this may also have lead to the beginning of Sufism, mystical Islam, as their first great order also appeared in that year.[10]

The author Antoine Faivre theorizes that Hermes Trismegistus is mentioned in the Qu'ran as well, under the name of Idris. (19:56, 19:57) Idris is also identified with Enoch,[11] who is also identified with Hermes.[12] He is called "Thrice Wise," relating to Hermes' title "Thrice Great."[13]

[edit] Judaism

Medieval Hermeticism was heavily blended with the Jewish Kabbalah, [14] and it is not uncommon to see Greek philosophers mentioned side by side with Biblical figures and with the same esteem. In some cases Hermes Trismegistus is even equated to be the Biblical Enoch [15] or Moses [16]. However, it is unlikely that Moses could be equated as Hermes, as it is also said that he was initiated into the Hermetic arts, suggesting that Hermes predated him. [17]

It is considered highly possible that the Pentateuch comes from the Hermetic Mystery schools' teachings. [18] Moses, claimed to be the writer of these five books, has a name that is an anagram for the sun. משֶׁה, the Hebrew spelling of Moses, is easily changed to שמֶה, a name of the Sun. Initiates were often given a name that was equivalent to the Sun to show their own redemption and regeneration. In fact, the stories of Moses prior to the Exodus match ceremonies in the Hermetic Mystery schools exactly. [19]

The Tabernacle was also of Egyptian origin, being a copy of one in Egypt. The inside held deep symbolism in the Hermetic Mysteries. [20] The Ark of the Covenant also matches depictions of an Egyptian ark, down to the kneeling figures on the lid. [21] The common use of the number twelve in Jewish and Christian texts also refers to the Zodiac and astrology, an art taught to the Jews by the Egyptians. [22]

[edit] The Occult

Much of the Western Esoteric tradition is based off of a blend of Hermeticism and the Kabbalah Ma'asit, so called magical or practical Kabbalah. Occultism uses the Hermetic and Kabbalistic theory of creation and angelic/demonic forces, as a basis for ritual magic, and theurgy. Most magic theory involves the manipulation of Yetzirah, the world of Formation, and letting the effect trickle down to the physical universe (in accordance to the Hermetic concept of "as above, so below"). This includes the communication and manipulation of inhabitants of Yetzirah, angelic or demonic forces. The spelling of "Qabbalah", is generally referred to as the Hermetic Qabbalah, often having a magical or occult slant. While "Kabbalah" refers to the tradtional Jewish branch.

These beliefs were influential in European occult lore, especially from the Renaissance forward. During the middle ages and Renaissance, magicians wrote grimoires which show a major influence from both Hermeticism and Kabbalah and have since become a basis for most practical occultism. In more recent times, magical orders such as The Golden Dawn revived and revised these traditions.

[edit] Taoism

The Taoists have a concept called shoong. It is the state in which you stop perceiving yourself as separate from the Universe, but rather perceiving yourself as one with everything else. [23] This is the same as the state of mind cultivated prior to Theurgy.

(For more information on Taoism and Hermeticism, see Hermeticism#Mental Gender, Polarity, and Duality)

[edit] Trancendentalism

Trancendentalism's concept of a spark of God in everyone, which can eventually consume a person if properly treated is very similar to the Hermetic conception that God is everything, and the ultimate goal is to rejoin with God. Hermeticism and Trancendentalism also share the view that the physical can be trancended individually by sentient beings.

[edit] Wicca and Paganism

A depiction by Edward Coley Burne-Jones of the God and Goddess. These are personifications of the Masculine and Feminine aspects of The All
A depiction by Edward Coley Burne-Jones of the God and Goddess. These are personifications of the Masculine and Feminine aspects of The All

Wicca and Paganism, though not exactly the same, have the same relation to Hermeticism. Silver Ravenwolf explains Wicca, in part:

"Down we go then, to the first two branches of the tree, right below the All. Each branch is exactly the same, one on the right side of the tree and one on the left. Totally balanced in every respect to each other. They represent the God and the Goddess, or the Lord and the Lady. Separate yet equal, together they combine into the essence of the All." [24]

Ravenwolf reveals an acceptance of the Hermetic concept of The All, and that the God and Goddess are merely the masculine and feminine aspects of The All. Wiccans and Pagans break the God and Goddess into the pantheons of gods and goddesses [25] much as Hermeticists may break The All into archangels, angels, and demons, or even follow the Wiccan/Pagan path. As far as the view of God is concerned, the major difference between Hermeticism, Paganism, and Wicca is that Pagans and Wiccans personify the masculine and feminine aspects of The All.

These three also share a sense that all things in nature are in some sense sentient, possessing intelligence, consciousness, and feeling, however weak. [26]

Primary use of signs, herbs, stones and animal imagery, which was quite popular in Hermeticism as a means for drawing down the planetary powers into such signs,[27] albeit some degree of modification depending on the tradition of Paganism, such practices still exist today.

[edit] Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism plays a large role in influencing Hermeticism. In 525 BCE, Egypt was conquered by the Persian Empire, bringing Zoroastrian ideas along with it. [28] In obscure texts, Hermes claims to look to Zoroaster as a spiritual father, having learned much of the zodiac from him. It is further said that Zoroaster had penetrated the mystery of the zodiac more than any other. [29] Alternatively, it has been suggested that Zoroaster (like so many others) and Hermes are one and the same. [30] It is possible that this was from a faked Zoroastrian text however. Theurgy is often called Zoroastrian Magic as well. [31]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ (Hoeller)
  2. ^ (Hall The Secret Teachings of All Ages p. 95)
  3. ^ (Hoeller)
  4. ^ (Horgan p. 41)
  5. ^ (Horgan pp. 39-40)
  6. ^ (Hoeller)
  7. ^ (Hall The Hermetic Marriage p. 226)
  8. ^ (Churton pp. 26-7)
  9. ^ (Churton pp. 27-8)
  10. ^ (Churton pp. 37-8)
  11. ^ (Faivre 1995 pp.19-20)
  12. ^ (Hall The Secret Teachings of All Ages p. 94)
  13. ^ (Faivre 1995 pp.19-20)
  14. ^ (Regardie p. 15)
  15. ^ (Hall The Secret Teachings of All Ages p. 94)
  16. ^ (Hall The Hermetic Marriage p. 223)
  17. ^ (Regardie p. 16)
  18. ^ (Hall The Secret Teachings of All Ages p. 427)
  19. ^ (Hall The Secret Teachings of All Ages p. 428)
  20. ^ (Hall The Secret Teachings of All Ages p. 429)
  21. ^ (Hall The Secret Teachings of All Ages p. 430)
  22. ^ (Hall The Secret Teachings of All Ages p. 439)
  23. ^ (Liao pp. 30-31)
  24. ^ (Ravenwolf p. 44)
  25. ^ (Ravenwolf p. 45)
  26. ^ (Hall The Hermetic Marriage p. 230)
  27. ^ (Yates Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition p. 45)
  28. ^ (Abel & Hare p. 8)
  29. ^ (Powell pp. 15-6)
  30. ^ (Hall The Secret Teachings of All Ages p. 516)
  31. ^ (Garstin pp. 9-10)

[edit] References

  • Abel, Christopher R. and Hare, William O. (1997). Hermes Trismegistus: An Investigation of the Origin of the Hermetic Writings. Sequim: Holmes Publishing Group. 
  • Churton, Tobias. The Golden Builders: Alchemists, Rosicrucians, and the First Freemasons. New York: Barnes and Noble, 2002.
  • Faivre, Antoine. The Eternal Hermes : From Greek God to Alchemical Magus translated by Josceleyn Godwin (Phanes). 1995. ISBN 0-933999-52-6.
  • Garstin, E.J. Langford (2004). Theurgy or The Hermetic Practice. Berwick: Ibis Press.  Published Posthumously
  • Hall, Manly P. (date unknown). The Hermetic Marriage. Kessinger Publishing. 
  • Hall, Manly P. (1928 (copyright not renewed)). The Secret Teachings of All Ages. San Francisco: H.S. Crocker Company. 
  • Hoeller, Stephan A. On the Trail of the Winged God: Hermes and Hermeticism Throughout the Ages. 1996. [1]
  • Horgan, John (2003). Rational Mysticism: Spirituality Meets Science in the Search for Enlightenment. Boston, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. 
  • Liao, Waysun (1990). T'ai Chi Classics. Boston: Shambhala. 
  • Powell, Robert A. (1991). Christian Hermetic Astrology: The Star of the Magi and the Life of Christ. Hudson: Anthroposohic Press. 
  • Ravenwolf, Silver (1993). To Ride a Silver Broomstick: New Generation Witchcraft. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications. 
  • Regardie, Israel (1940). The Golden Dawn. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications. 
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