Philosophy
 

Category:Hermeticism

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Hermeticism refers to a discipline of mysticism derived from traditions surrounding Hermes, the Greek god of communication, and Thoth the Egyptian god of wisdom. The combined reverence for these gods, Hermes-Thoth patronized the sciences, philosophy, intellectual activity and mathematics. This tradition dates back to the Hellenistic period and the marriage of Egyptian and Greek cultures under Alexander the Great. This melting pot of philosophical, religious, and cultural influences was centered in Alexandria, considered the center of civilization at the time.

Hermeticism (also known as Hermitism) encompasses Egyptian philosophy, Greek paganism, Platonism, Neoplatonism, Stoicism, Neopythagorism, Iamblichan, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Gnosticism and even Christianity. Ultimately it was a fusion of one of the most religious societies in history with one of the most philosophical.

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[edit] Egyptian (Khem) Influences

Traditionally, the ancient Egyptians did not separate religion and everyday life. Almost every aspect had a magical or celestial component. The mythos is full of various methods of describing reality and although some philosophies seem contradictory they believed different stories to be different points of view on the same concept.

[edit] Common Egyptian Concepts

  • Creator deity in the form of a superior god related to the sun
  • Nature has regenerative power represented by the Nile and fertility deities
  • A divine human that coexists in the physical and spiritual worlds
  • Humans have several components: khat - physical body, ka - astral body, ba - soul, khu - spirit, sekhem - vital life force

[edit] Greek (Hellenes) Influences

Contrary to the Egyptian approach, the Ancient Greeks used philosophy to describe the reality they lived in via education, critical thinking and scientific principles. Amidst all of the various philosophical explanations of reality, many schools discussed the concept of "apeiron" or the boundless, or what Pythagoras called "number". This concept was also stretched into concepts of monotheism reflecting Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah.

[edit] Common Greek Concepts

  • There are four elements: fire, water, air, and earth
  • All material things are flawed versions of ideas in the supernatural world
  • There is a "One Thing" that is the root of all things
  • There is life after death wherein individuals are judged
  • The soul is divided into immortality (logos), intellect (thumos), and desire (epithymia).
  • There are three types of knowledge: mathesis - knowledge gained through perception, gnosis - knowledge gained through intuition and pathesis - knowledge gained through feeling.

[edit] Hermetism

The earliest form of Hermetists were a loose affiliation of spiritual schools. Mostly descendant from Egyptian philosophy they were also educated in Greek philosophy. It is believed that early Hermetists studied similar scholarly systems as the mysteries but with more religious passion regarding God.

Following are some qualities of original Hermetic practice:

  • Egypt is considered a holy land
  • Way of Hermes honored through piety, morality and purity
  • Adoption of Greek philosophy
  • Common theological roots manifested in what would become the Mysteries.

[edit] Mysteries

Developed during the Hermetic fusion of Alexander the Great, the mystery religions initiated a chosen few to learn higher knowledge through secret rites. The practices still remain mostly unknown, because the members held secrecy as the highest value. Often the mysteries dealt with the concepts surrounding death and rebirth. These concepts eventually were absorbed by the Rosicrucians and Golden Dawn.

Subcategories

This category has the following 4 subcategories, out of 4 total.

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