Hermeticism and Natural Law: Discovering the Hidden Wisdom of the Universe
Hermeticism is an ancient philosophical and spiritual tradition that has influenced many thinkers throughout history. At its core, it emphasizes the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom, with a particular focus on the hidden laws that govern the universe. One of the key principles of Hermeticism is the concept of Natural Law, which is believed to be the underlying force that governs all of creation. Join me on this journey of exploration as we delve deeper into the world of Hermeticism and the Natural Law.
Hermeticism traces its roots back to ancient Egypt and Greece, and it centers around the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. The teachings of Hermeticism emphasize the importance of understanding the hidden laws and principles that govern the universe. These laws are believed to be universal and immutable, and they govern everything from the movements of the planets to the behavior of human beings.
Hermeticism is often associated with the practice of alchemy, which is the pursuit of transforming base metals into gold. However, the pursuit of alchemy is not limited to physical transmutation, but also includes spiritual transformation. The goal of alchemy is to achieve a state of spiritual enlightenment and to connect with the divine.
Natural Law is a central concept in Hermeticism, and it refers to the underlying principles that govern the universe. These laws are believed to be inherent in all of creation, and they dictate the behavior of all things. Natural Law is often associated with the principles of cause and effect, and it emphasizes the interconnectedness of all things.
The principles of Natural Law can be seen in many areas of life, including the cycles of nature, the laws of physics, and the behavior of human beings. Natural Law is believed to be universal and immutable, and it is seen as the basis for all of creation.
Hermeticism and Natural Law offer a unique perspective on the world, one that emphasizes the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. By understanding the hidden laws that govern the universe, we can gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
Hermeticism and Natural Law remind us that we are all part of a greater whole, and that our actions have consequences that extend far beyond our individual lives. By embracing these principles, we can live in harmony with the universe and find meaning and purpose in our lives.
Hermeticism and Natural Law offer a powerful perspective on the world, one that emphasizes the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. By understanding the hidden laws that govern the universe, we can gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us. These principles offer a unique way of looking at the world, one that encourages us to live in harmony with the universe and to seek wisdom and enlightenment. Embracing the principles of Hermeticism and Natural Law can offer a path to greater understanding and fulfillment in our lives.
Carl Jung
"Nowadays, certainly, the number of hermetics has grown increasingly small. But it was never particularly large, because the aurea catena they write about does not run through schools and conscious tradition but through the unconscious. Hermeticism is not something you choose, it is a destiny, just as the ecclesia spiritualis is not an organization but an electio." [Carl Jung, Letter To Rudolf Bernoulli, 5 October 1944]
R. A. Schwaller de Lubicz
"This Phanes, also called Eros and Dionysus, is, according to myth, born from the Cosmic Egg, formed by the polarization or duplication of Chronos, the Principle of Principles, into Aether (the male principle of Limitation or Distinction) and Chaos (the female principle of Boundlessness).
Thus, since mutual love, or closeness, unites Man and Woman into One whole, it is clear that the original separation — the split or disunion — is at the same time the original union. “Great is the mystery of marriage,” says the Gnostic Gospel of Philip, “for without it the world would not exist.”
Likewise, in the cosmology of Pherecydes, the Primordial Triad is present — Chronos, Zas, and Chthonia — and the world arises from the "marriage" of Zas and Chthonia.
Socrates, in the "Philebus," speaks of this as follows:
There exists a gift of the gods — at least it seems obvious to me — which they released from their abode, and thanks to Prometheus or someone like him, it reached humanity along with an unusually bright fire.
The ancient people, who were better than us and lived closer to the gods, handed this gift down to us in the form of a saying:
Everything ever spoken of consists of One and the Many, and by its nature holds a combination of limit and the unlimited.
For this reason, Plato describes the soul as composed of the Same and the Different, two principles that would become Fire and Water, sulfur and mercury in medieval alchemy. These primordial opposites exist in eternal struggle but find their completion in union or marriage, symbolized by the interpenetrating triangles of the hexagram.
We can understand this as a statement of the mutual and radical interdependence of the Unity of Consciousness and the Multiplicity of Existence, of the Transcendence and Immanence of the Divine and its Presence. Thus, Phanes — this Egg or Seed and perfect union, the “primordial Man in Fiat Lux” — is Light and Life, illuminating and animating all that exists by its very nature.
Phanes, then, the Seed from Seeds — and, therefore, the Seed of all things, in their essence as well as in their becoming — consists of polarity and union. “What is Life if it is not truly existent?” wrote Coleridge. In the identity of two opposing forces — which for Coleridge were “light” and “gravitation” — lies the support of life; in their unity, it immediately dies and is reborn in a new form.
Thus, Hermeticism is a living universe: unity, life, and oneness arising from the union or identity of its components. The manuscript The Golden Age by Cleopatra brings this idea to perfection: a serpent with its tail in its mouth encircles the motto En to Pan — The One is All.
Another text states:
“The One is All, and through It — All, and by means of It — All, and if All did not contain All within itself, then All would be nothing.”
The circle is closed. The universe is a uni-verse: there is nothing else; it is singular, indivisible, and everything is connected to everything else.
The Corpus Hermeticum (XVI) declares:
“If anyone attempts to separate all being from the One, using the term ‘all being’ to denote a mere multitude of things rather than a whole composed of things, he separates All from the One and thereby reduces everything to nothing.”
Similarly, Ostanes, in the earliest alchemical formula, states:
“Nature rejoices in Nature, Nature triumphs over Nature, Nature rules over Nature.”
Clearly, this is not about theory or any sort of reductionist or monistic speculation, but about practical experience — a state of consciousness in which the opposition between subject and object, inner and outer, observer and observed is overcome, revealing the spiritual unity and creative interdependence of human, nature, and cosmos.
Thus, the Hermetic universe, the heroic work, and the human subject are, in certain respects, one and the same. “All is the product of one universal creative effort,” wrote Paracelsus. “The Macrocosm and man (the Microcosm) are one. They are one constellation, one influence, one breath, one harmony, one time, one metal, one fruit.”
As Hermes teaches in the Asclepius:
“Man is all things; man is everywhere.”
This is the teaching that, emerging in the 15th century, was destined to inspire the Renaissance:
None of the heavenly gods ever leaves the heavens, crosses their boundaries, or descends to the earth;
but man ascends even to the heavens and measures them; and most astonishing of all, he ascends to the heavens without leaving the earth — so far can he extend the power of his soul.
Therefore, we must not hesitate to declare that man on earth is a mortal god, and god in heaven is an immortal man.Lubicz
(Corpus Hermeticum X)" [((Nature Word by R. A. Schwaller de Lubicz]
See Also
Hermes Trismagistus
Hermes Trismegistus
hermetic seal
Hermeticism
Hermetism
The Hermetic Tetractys