Editing Hermeticism (section)

====Cosmogony and the fall of man====
{{Main|Fall of man}}
A [[Creation myth|creation story]] is told by God to Hermes in the first book of the ''[[Corpus Hermeticum]]''. It begins when God, by an act of will, creates the primary matter that is to constitute the [[cosmos]]. From primary matter God separates the [[Classical element|four elements]] (earth, air, fire, and water). "[[Logos|The Word (Logos)]]" then leaps forth from the materializing four elements, which were unintelligent. Nous then makes the seven heavens spin, and from them spring forth creatures without speech. Earth is then separated from water, and animals (other than man) are brought forth. Then God orders the elements into the [[seven heavens]] (often held to be the spheres of [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]], [[Venus]], [[Mars]], [[Jupiter]], [[Saturn]], the Sun, and the [[Moon]], which travel in circles and govern [[destiny]]). The God then created [[Androgyny|androgynous]] man, in God's own image, and handed over his creation.{{sfn|Segal|1986|pp=16–18}}

Man carefully observed the creation of nous and received from God man's authority over all creation. Man then rose up above the spheres' paths to better view creation. He then showed the form of the All to Nature. Nature fell in love with the All, and man, seeing his reflection in water, fell in love with Nature and wished to dwell in it. Immediately, man became one with Nature and became a slave to its limitations, such as sex and [[sleep]]. In this way, man became speechless (having lost "the Word") and he became "[[Fall of man|double]]", being mortal in body yet immortal in [[Spirit (animating force)|spirit]], and having authority over all creation yet subject to destiny.{{sfn|Westcott|2012}}

The alternative account of the fall of man, as preserved in ''[[Isis the Prophetess to Her Son Horus]]'', describes a process in which God, after creating the universe and various deities, fashioned human souls from a mysterious substance and assigned them to dwell in the astral region. These souls were then tasked with creating life on Earth. However, the souls became prideful and sought equality with the highest gods, which displeased God. As a consequence, God instructed Hermes to create physical bodies to imprison the souls as a form of punishment. The souls were told that their time on Earth would be marked by suffering, but if they lived worthily of their divine origin, they would eventually return to the heavenly realm. If not, they would face repeated reincarnation on Earth.{{sfn|Scott|1924}}