What is Hermeticism?

Hermeticism is named after the Greek god Hermes Trismegistus, which translates to Hermes thrice greatest, or Hermes thrice born. Hermes was the god of wisdom and the messenger of the gods. Hermes is believed to be a reincarnation of the Egyptian god Thoth, who was the god of wisdom, writing, science, and magic.

It is said that the seven hermetic principles given in the Corpus Hermetic and the Kybalion are the seven laws that govern the universe, given to man by God in the days of Adam and Eve. Some ancient sages believed that these laws were passed on by vessels such as Enoch, Noah, and Moses.

In the late 1400s during the Italian Renaissance a Catholic priest by the name of Marsillo Ficino, and a philosopher and nobleman, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, set out to reform the Catholic church. They used the writings of Hermeticism, Neoplatonism, Chaldean Oracles, Gnosticism, and Pythagorean literature in an attempt to prove there was a single theology that lived in all religions. The two men called their theory, the Prisca theologia, and Rosicrucians still use the document til this day.

Issac Newton studied Hermeticism and believed it aided him in understanding the physical world around him.

To the alchemist, the seven principles of Hermeticism will allow him or her to become masters of themselves and live more in harmony with the divine. The alchemist believes that through the understanding of the laws that govern the universe, mankind can return to the state of glory God intended when we were created in the image of the divine. To the alchemist, by living within these laws we can reclaim our power and authority, reaching our full potential as beings of light and capable of creating a better world.