Editing Hermeticism (section)

==Philosophical and theological concepts==
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===Cosmology and theology===
====God as 'the All'====
In the [[Hermetica#Religio-philosophical Hermetica|religio-philosophical ''Hermetica'']], the ultimate reality is called by many names, such as God, Lord, Father, Mind (''[[Nous]]''), the Creator, the All, the One, etc.<ref>{{harvnb|Festugière|1944–1954|loc=vol. II, pp. 68–71}}; {{harvnb|Bull|2018|p=303}}.</ref> In the Hermetic view, God is both the all ([[Ancient Greek|Greek]]: ''to pan'') and the creator of the all: all created things pre-exist in God<ref name="Copenhaver 1992 216">{{harvnb|Copenhaver|1992|p=216}}.</ref> and God is the nature of the cosmos (being both the substance from which it proceeds and the governing principle which orders it),<ref>{{harvnb|Festugière|1944–1954|loc=vol. II, p. 68}}.</ref> yet the things themselves and the cosmos were all created by God. Thus, God ('the All') creates itself,<ref>{{harvnb|Bull|2018|p=303}}</ref> and is both [[Transcendence (religion)|transcendent]] (as the creator of the cosmos) and [[Immanence|immanent]] (as the created cosmos).<ref name="Copenhaver 1992 216"/> These ideas are closely related to the [[Stoic physics|cosmo-theological views of the Stoics]].<ref>{{harvnb|Festugière|1944–1954|loc=vol. II, p. 70}}.</ref>

====''Prima materia''====
{{main|Prima materia}}
[[File:Lotto Capoferri Magnum Chaos.jpg|thumb|''Magnum Chaos'', wood-inlay by [[Giovan Francesco Capoferri]] at the [[Santa Maria Maggiore, Bergamo|Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore]] in [[Bergamo]], based on a design by [[Lorenzo Lotto]].]]

In Hermeticism, ''prima materia'' is a key concept in the alchemical tradition, representing the raw, undifferentiated substance from which all things originate. It is often associated with [[Chaos (cosmogony)|chaos]], the formless and potential-filled state that precedes creation. The idea of ''prima materia'' has roots in [[Magic in the Greco-Roman world|Greco-Roman traditions]], particularly in [[Orphism (religion)|Orphic]] cosmogony, where it is linked to the [[cosmic egg]], and in the biblical concept of ''[[Tehom]]'' from Genesis, reflecting a synthesis of classical and Christian thought during the Renaissance.{{sfnm|1a1=Fowden|1y=1986|2a1=Copenhaver|2y=1992}}

In alchemy, ''prima materia'' is the substance that undergoes transformation through processes such as ''[[nigredo]]'', the blackening stage associated with chaos, which ultimately leads to the creation of the [[philosopher's stone]]. This transformation symbolizes the ''[[magnum opus (alchemy)|magnum opus]]'' ('Great Work') of the alchemist, seeking to purify and elevate the material to its perfected state. Renaissance figures like [[Paracelsus]] expanded on this concept,{{efn|{{harvnb|Khunrath|1708|p=68}}: "[t]he light of the soul, by the will of the Triune God, made all earthly things appear from the primal Chaos."}} connecting it to the elements and the broader Hermetic belief in the unity of matter and spirit.{{sfnm|1a1=Ebeling|1y=2007|2a1=Hanegraaff|2y=2012}}

The significance of ''prima materia'' in Hermeticism lies in its representation of the potential for both material and spiritual transformation, embodying the Hermetic principle of "[[as above, so below]]", where the [[macrocosm and microcosm]] reflect each other in the alchemical process.{{sfnm|1a1=Copenhaver|1y=1992|2a1=Hanegraaff|2y=2012}}

===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}}

===Creation, the human condition, and spiritual ascent===
====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}}

====Good and evil====
Hermes explains in Book 9 of the ''[[Corpus Hermeticum]]'' that nous (reason and knowledge) brings forth either good or evil, depending upon whether one receives one's perceptions from God or from [[demon]]s. God brings forth good, but demons bring forth evil. Among the evils brought forth by demons are: "adultery, murder, violence to one's father, sacrilege, ungodliness, strangling, suicide from a cliff and all such other demonic actions".{{sfn|''The Way of Hermes''|1999|p=42}}

The word "good" is used very strictly. It is restricted to references to God.{{sfn|''The Way of Hermes''|1999|p=28}} It is only God (in the sense of the nous, not in the sense of the All) who is completely free of evil. Men are prevented from being good because man, having a body, is consumed by his physical nature, and is ignorant of the Supreme Good.{{sfn|''The Way of Hermes''|1999|p=47}} ''[[Asclepius (Hermetic treatise)|Asclepius]]'' explains that evil is born from desire which itself is caused by ignorance, the intelligence bestowed by God is what allows some to rid themselves of desire.{{sfn|''Asclepius''|2001|p=31}}

A focus upon the [[Economic materialism|material life]] is said to be the only thing that offends God:
{{Blockquote|As processions passing in the road cannot achieve anything themselves yet still obstruct others, so these men merely process through the universe, led by the pleasures of the body.{{sfn|''The Way of Hermes''|1999|pp=32–3}}
}}

One must create, one must do something positive in one's life, because God is a generative power. Not creating anything leaves a person "sterile" (i.e., unable to accomplish anything).{{sfn|''The Way of Hermes''|1999|p=29}}

====Reincarnation and rebirth====
{{See also|Reincarnation|Transmigration of the soul}}
[[Reincarnation]] is mentioned in Hermetic texts. Hermes Trismegistus asked:

{{blockquote|O son, how many bodies have we to pass through, how many bands of demons, through how many series of repetitions and cycles of the stars, before we hasten to the One alone?{{sfn|''The Way of Hermes''|1999|p=33}}
}}

Rebirth appears central to the practice of hermetic philosophy. The process would begin with a candidate separating themselves from the world before they rid themselves of material vices; they are then reborn as someone completely different from who they were before.{{sfn|Bull|2015}}