Editing Hermeticism (section)

===The nature of divinity===
====''Prisca theologia''====
[[File:RWS Tarot 01 Magician.jpg|thumb|upright|[[The Magician (Tarot)|The Magician]], from the [[Rider–Waite tarot deck]], is often thought to display the Hermetic concept of "as above, so below".]]

Hermeticists adhere to the doctrine of ''[[prisca theologia]]'', the belief that a single, true theology exists, which is present in all religions and was revealed by God to humanity in antiquity.{{sfnm|1a1=Yates|1y=1964|1p=14|2a1=Hanegraaff|2y=1997|2p=360}} Early Christian theologians, including [[Church Fathers]] such as [[Lactantius]] and [[Augustine]], referenced [[Hermes Trismegistus]], sometimes portraying him as a wise pagan prophet whose teachings could complement Christian doctrine.{{sfnm|1a1=Copenhaver|1y=1992|2a1=Ebeling|2y=2007}}

During the [[Renaissance]], scholars such as [[Marsilio Ficino]] and [[Giovanni Pico della Mirandola]] sought to integrate Hermetic teachings into [[Christian theology]], viewing the Hermetic writings as remnants of an ancient wisdom that predated and influenced all religious traditions, including [[Christianity]]. It was during this period that the association of Hermes Trismegistus with biblical figures like [[Moses]], or as part of a lineage including [[Enoch (ancestor of Noah)|Enoch]] and [[Noah]], was more explicitly developed by these scholars to harmonize Hermetic thought with biblical narratives.{{sfnm|1a1=Yates|1y=1964|1pp=27, 52, 293|2a1=Copenhaver|2y=1992|2p=xlviii}} This blending of traditions was part of a broader intellectual effort to reconcile pagan and Christian wisdom during this period.{{sfn|Hanegraaff|2012}}

====As above, so below====
{{main|As above, so below}}
"As above, so below" is a popular modern [[paraphrase]] of the second verse of the ''Emerald Tablet'' (a compact and cryptic text attributed to Hermes Trismegistus and first attested in a late eight or early ninth century [[Arabic]] source),{{sfnm|1a1=Kraus|1y=1942–1943|2a1=Weisser|2y=1980|p=54}} as it appears in its most widely divulged medieval [[Latin]] translation:{{sfn|''The Emerald Table''|1928}}

{{blockquote|text=
{{lang|la|Quod est superius est sicut quod inferius, et quod inferius est sicut quod est superius.}}
That which is above is like to that which is below, and that which is below is like to that which is above.
|multiline=yes
|source=''[[Emerald Tablet|The Emerald Tablet]]''
}}

====The seven heavens====
{{further|Body of light}}
[[File:Michelangelo Caetani, The Ordering of Paradise, 1855 Cornell CUL PJM 1071 06.jpg|thumb|''La materia della [[Divine Comedy|Divina commedia di Dante Alighieri]]'', Plate VI: "The Ordering of Paradise" by [[Michelangelo Caetani]] (1804–1882)]]

In addition to the principles of ''prisca theologia'' and "as above, so below," Hermeticism teaches that the soul's journey back to the divine involves ascending through the [[seven heavens]]. These heavens correspond to the seven [[classical planets]] and represent stages of spiritual purification and enlightenment. As the soul transcends each heavenly sphere, it sheds the material influences and attachments associated with that level, progressively aligning itself with the divine order. This process symbolizes the soul's return to its divine origin, ultimately seeking unity with The One—the source of all existence. The concept of the seven heavens underscores the Hermetic belief in the potential for spiritual transformation through divine knowledge and practice, guiding the soul toward its ultimate goal of reunification with the divine.{{sfnm|1a1=Fowden|1y=1986|2a1=Copenhaver|2y=1992}}