Secrecy and Discretion
The tradition of guarding sacred knowledge.
Hermetic tradition emphasizes discretion about spiritual practices and experiences. Knowledge is revealed to those ready to receive it; premature disclosure can be harmful. Silence protects both knowledge and the unprepared.
Seal the lips, lest thou speak of this to the unfit.
Discretion protects both sacred knowledge and unprepared seekers.
Hermetic Tradition
Written about in
- What Hermeticism says about reverence
Discretion is part of the reverence here: material is withheld from those held not ready for it. It also, plainly, makes the tradition hard for anyone outside it to check.