[This is the moment part of a three part series. In vogue is Portion One, and Portion Three.]
The essential teaching of Hermeticism is: As In excess of, So Below.Hermes is the God of grounds, and exceedingly, as a result, the God of passage grounds. This is fit for the God who activities gleefully amongst self humans on earth and the Gods in the proclaim. Right as it is exceedingly fit for the God who for practical purposes doubtful the distinctions amongst the ancient office traditions of the Egyptians, Hellenes and Romans, and who for practical purposes navigated the false cranium from ancient to modern Paganism.
Hermes is exceedingly the God of appropriation and pretentiousness. He was even inherent in pretentiousness, for Zeus wished to take his liaisons with Maia (from which resulted the child Hermes) a secret from the Saintly Emperor Hera. Maia is a God herself, but by outstanding she lives in solitude in a large conjecture safe place, where Zeus visited her at night after Hera slept. It is assumed that Hermes was inherent at dawn, and by twelve noon that day he was playing a lyre (the very foremost lyre, in fact, which he had completed himself from a tortoise casing). The Homeric Chant to Hermes describes him as a son of haunt shifts, unobjectionably cunning, a robber, a provide driver, a bringer of thoughts, a observer by night, a mugger at the gates, one who was frankly to exhibit forth striking endeavors in the midst of the deathless gods.One of Hermes' top figure noble acts was the appropriation of some of Apollo's sacred provide, which he whole on the sunset of the day he was inherent. By next-door dawn, notwithstanding, Hermes was back frozen in his own structure "as if he were a scrawny beloved". Lately one old man, out attention his wine grower, had observed any of this, but Hermes had sworn him to secrecy: Old man, digging about your vines with curved shoulders, certainly you shall limit ominously wine in the role of all these point fruit, if you respect me and beyond doubt withdraw not to limit seen what you limit seen, and not to limit heard what you limit heard, and to take yawning in the role of not an iota of your own is harmed.Nevertheless, his own God mother had, in fact, noticed his coming and leaving, and she warned him dangerously of the inconsolable rate of angering Apollo. Hermes replied that it was Apollo who had outdo clatter out for himself, and, to boot, he had no aim at of spending his life living in this "evil safe place" far away from the other Gods.
Instinctively it wasn't have a yen otherwise Apollo revealed what had been done and who had done it. Next Hermes saw Apollo future in a teem, he "snuggled down in his perfumed swaddling-clothes... be partial to a new inherent child seeking attractive sleep." Apollo, not stupefied by Hermes' condensed act, searched the safe place and, considered opinion no warning of his provide, threatened the condensed thief: Rib, deceit in the bottom, make speediness and make out me of my provide, or we two will frankly fall out at high speed. For I will take and cast you concerning dry Tartarus and awful lost pessimism, and neither your mother nor your get going shall free you or bring you up once again to the light, but you will ramble under the earth and be the official in the midst of condensed folk. Hermes replied that Apollo's provide were not in the midst of his concerns, which mostly consisted of inactive and feeding at his mother's breasts, and, to boot, he was forlorn inherent yesterday, so he had no fad what a cow looked be partial to, or even what such a thing was!
Now Apollo was stupefied - by the ease and promptness with which Hermes lied: I top figure certainly cleave to that you limit useless concerning haunt a well- built legislature and uncovered treat than one portend wretch clean this night, bulk his goods together all more the legislature short line.Apollo is forlorn placated once Hermes the stage for him on the lyre, a reliable, Apollo proclaimed "the be partial to of which I vow that no man nor God company on Olympus ever yet has recognizable."
Maybe, after that, it call for come as no create that in the role of the astonishment of the old Gods was completed a transgression on expenses by death, Hermes was so far accomplished to clown the book-burning monotheists concerning believing he was one of them, and that his sacred books were not forlorn to be spared the excitement, but were even laudable of prestige and track, to be preserved with purposefulness in Christian libraries point their "Bible".
It call for, but catastrophically does not, go short saying, that any following (enormously) Christian versions of Hermeticism are junior than mindless, except, in all probability, to Christians themselves. I insist on even they weight be accomplished to learn whatever thing from him. And in all probability he is the measure Pagan God for them, to the same degree they are repulsive to any truths layer their own rigorous religious conviction, and Hermes can forlorn too just oblige inhabitants who will forlorn have and learn from him if he is unseen as someone other than himself. But, auspiciously for the rest of us, haunt of inhabitants Medieval "Christian" Hermeticists (and Alchemists, and Qabalists, and Rosicrucians....), be partial to the true devotees of the son of Zeus and Maia that they were, dexterously mock celebration to that other religious conviction and playfully hid the ancient experience of Hermes Logios bottom the swaddling clothes of that other child God.
Wretchedly, for far too haunt Pagans today, what was once well and tightly interior is now lost, and these are incapable to make out the deceive Organize from the true. In spite of the fact that the Organize in neighborhood is himself the immeasurable master of pretentiousness and plaster, one smoldering has to think over at such extensive upset. As In excess of, So Below. Is contemporary any hint in inhabitants words of a world-denying world view? Is it not in evidence that these words refer to a think of the Saintly that is what's more immanent and heavenly, and that any other Saintly think is hideously hobbled? Can personality perhaps cleave to that the philosophy of the Jade Ban is a dualistic philosophy, in the role of Hermes' own words indication that "all kit limit been & arose from one by ye settlement of one" (in Isaac Newton's report)?
[The vivid Alchemical images in this post are from The Gallery at the Alchemy Lab website - subject matter visit it!]