Hermeticism

As above, so below — the pattern that repeats.

All 108 concepts

• The Principle of Mentalism — The All is Mind; the Universe is Mental.
• Understanding The All — The All is the Infinite, Eternal, Omnipresent Reality underlying all manifestation.
• The Mental Universe — Creation occurs through the mental activity of The All.
• The Principle of Correspondence — As above, so below; as below, so above.
• The Microcosm and Macrocosm — The human being is a small universe reflecting the greater cosmos.
• The Three Great Planes — Reality exists on physical, mental, and spiritual planes.
• The Principle of Vibration — Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates.
• Raising and Lowering Vibration — The Hermetist learns to consciously alter vibratory rates.
• The Principle of Polarity — Everything is dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites.
• Mental Transmutation — The art of changing mental states along the poles.
• The Principle of Rhythm — Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides.
• The Law of Neutralization — The adept rises above the swing of the pendulum.
• The Principle of Cause and Effect — Every Cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause.
• Becoming a Cause — Rising above being merely an effect to become a causer.
• The Principle of Gender — Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine Principles.
• Mental Gender — The masculine and feminine principles operating in the mind.
• Hermetic Axiom - Know Thyself — Self-knowledge as the foundation of all wisdom.
• The All in All — The All is in all things, and all things are in The All.
• Living in The All — Understanding our existence within the Mind of The All.
• The Divine Paradox — Understanding how the relative and absolute truths coexist.
• Practical Application — Using the seven principles in daily life.
• The Emerald Tablet - Prima Materia — The legendary text containing the secrets of the universe.
• The One Thing — All creation derives from a single source.
• The Father Sun and Mother Moon — The masculine and feminine cosmic principles in creation.
• The Wind and the Earth — The carrying and nurturing of the One Thing.
• The Father of All Perfection — The One Thing as the source of all that is complete and whole.
• Separation of Earth from Fire — The alchemical process of refining the subtle from the gross.
• Ascending and Descending — The circulation of energy between heaven and earth.
• The Glory of the Whole World — The achievement of the Great Work brings universal power.
• The Force of All Forces — The One Thing as the most powerful force in existence.
• World Creation — How the universe was created through these principles.
• Wonderful Adaptations — The infinite variations arising from the One Thing.
• Hermes Trismegistus — The legendary author and founder of Hermetic wisdom.
• The Three Parts of Wisdom — The threefold philosophy of alchemy, astrology, and theurgy.
• The Solar Work — The operation of the Sun in alchemical transformation.
• The Lunar Work — The operation of the Moon in alchemical transformation.
• Solve et Coagula — Dissolve and coagulate - the fundamental alchemical operation.
• The Philosopher's Stone — The legendary product of alchemical work.
• The Great Work — The magnum opus of alchemical and spiritual transformation.
• Poimandres - The Divine Mind — The first book of the Corpus Hermeticum and its divine vision.
• The Creation Vision — How the universe came into being according to Hermetic teaching.
• Anthropos - The Divine Human — The original nature of humanity as divine and cosmic.
• The Path of Ascent — How the soul returns through the planetary spheres to its divine source.
• Gnosis - Direct Knowledge — Spiritual knowledge as direct experience rather than belief.
• Nous - The Divine Mind in Humanity — The spark of divine Mind present in every person.
• The Soul's Journey — The wandering and return of the soul to its source.
• Rebirth - Palingenesis — Spiritual rebirth as transformation of consciousness.
• The Twelve Tormentors — The vices that bind the soul to ignorance.
• The Ten Divine Powers — The virtues that replace the tormentors in rebirth.
• God as Father and Good — The Hermetic understanding of God's nature.
• The Silence of the Father — The ineffable nature of the divine source.
• The Cosmos as Divine Order — The universe as a manifestation of divine intelligence.
• Human as Third God — The divine status and potential of humanity.
• The Spiritual Senses — Developing inner faculties for perceiving spiritual realities.
• The Ogdoad and Ennead — The highest spheres of spiritual attainment.
• The Sacred Marriage — The union of masculine and feminine principles within.
• The Luminous Body — The development of a body of light through practice.
• The Art of Mental Alchemy — Transforming base mental states into refined ones.
• Concentration and Visualization — Developing focused mind and vivid imagination.
• Meditation on the Principles — Contemplative practice with the seven Hermetic principles.
• The Art of Polarization — Consciously moving along the poles of any quality.
• Working with Rhythm — Using natural cycles for spiritual advancement.
• Self-Observation — Developing the witness consciousness.
• Thought Control — Mastery over the contents of one's mind.
• Energy Work - Vitality — Working with life force for health and power.
• Ritual and Ceremony — Using structured practice for spiritual development.
• Correspondence Work — Using analogies and symbols to affect reality.
• Study and Scholarship — The importance of learning the tradition.
• Teacher and Student — The transmission of wisdom from adept to aspirant.
• Secrecy and Discretion — The tradition of guarding sacred knowledge.
• Keeping Records — The magical diary as a tool for progress.
• Daily Practice — The importance of regular, consistent practice.
• Testing and Proving — Verifying teachings through personal experience.
• Balance and Moderation — The middle way in spiritual practice.
• Service to Others — Using acquired abilities for the benefit of all.
• The Three Principles — Sulfur, Mercury, and Salt as the basis of all things.
• The Four Elements — Fire, Water, Air, and Earth as building blocks of reality.
• Nigredo - The Black Stage — The first stage of alchemical transformation involving putrefaction.
• Albedo - The White Stage — The second stage involving purification and washing.
• Citrinitas - The Yellow Stage — The third stage involving the dawning of spiritual illumination.
• Rubedo - The Red Stage — The final stage of completion, the making of the Stone.
• The Athanor - The Furnace — The alchemical vessel where transformation occurs.
• The Philosophical Mercury — The living spirit that animates matter.
• The Philosophical Sulfur — The active, fiery principle that gives form.
• The Conjunction — The sacred marriage of opposites.
• The Peacock's Tail — The display of colors during transformation.
• Multiplication and Projection — Increasing and using the Stone's power.
• The Elixir of Life — The medicine that heals all ills and prolongs life.
• Spagyric Medicine — Alchemically prepared medicines using plant matter.
• Inner Alchemy — The transformation of the self as the true alchemy.
• The Laboratory and Oratory — The integration of practical work and prayer.
• Alchemical Symbolism — The language of symbols used to encode alchemical knowledge.
• Patience and Timing — The necessity of proper timing in the alchemical work.
• The Celestial Influences — How planetary forces affect earthly life.
• The Seven Planets — The traditional planets and their correspondences.
• Planetary Hours — Timing activities according to planetary rulership.
• The Zodiac — The twelve signs and their qualities.
• The Natal Chart — The map of the heavens at birth.
• Electional Astrology — Choosing optimal times for important actions.
• Talismanic Magic — Creating objects charged with celestial power.
• The Planetary Spirits — The intelligent beings associated with the planets.
• Cosmic Sympathy — The interconnectedness of all things through correspondence.
• The Sphere of the Fixed Stars — The eighth sphere and its significance.
• Decans and Their Powers — The thirty-six faces of the zodiac.
• The Great Year — The cycle of the precession of the equinoxes.
• Astrological Ages — The great epochs marked by precession.
• The Music of the Spheres — The cosmic harmony produced by planetary motion.
• The Hermetic Path — The complete way of transformation through Hermetic wisdom.

Essays on Hermeticism

• What Hermeticism says about the pattern in things — Ten Hermetic concepts on pattern: as above so below, the One Thing, microcosm, the three planes, vibration, polarity, rhythm and cosmic sympathy.
• What Hermeticism says about reverence — Nine Hermetic concepts on reverence: The All, the silence of the Father, God as the Good, the ordered cosmos, Nous, gnosis, and discretion.
• What Hermeticism says about teachers and lineage — Hermeticism has no household ethic. What it has is lineage: teacher and student, testing what you are taught, and a language of divine parentage.
• What Hermeticism says about illness and the body failing — Ten Hermetic concepts on illness and dying — the four elements, spagyric medicine, the Elixir that never arrived, and the ascent through the spheres.
• What Hermeticism says about failure — Ten Hermetic concepts on failure — nigredo, solve et coagula, rhythm, cause and effect and the peacock's tail — and where the tradition turns harsh.
• What Hermeticism says about habit and discipline — Ten Hermetic concepts on discipline — daily practice, the athanor, the magical diary, moderation — and where the tradition contradicts itself.