History of Hermetic Philosophy

Initiation and the Hermetic Tradition

by Shawn Gray

The theme of initiation is one that has been found in Hermetism since the earliest times. From the millennia... more The theme of initiation is one that has been found in Hermetism since the earliest times. From the millennia pre-dating the composition of the Hermetic texts, rites of initiation went hand-in-hand with ancient religious traditions such as the temple rites of the Egyptians and the Eleusinian Mysteries of the Greeks. As Hermetic thought came into the mainstream in the first two centuries of our era, it was only natural that initiatory rites would develop their own distinct Hermetic flavour. This essay examines the theme of initiation in the Hermetic Tradition, beginning with a brief overview of the Hermetic texts, and an examination of whether the term “Hermetic Tradition” is in fact a valid one. The teachings and characteristics of Hermetism with relation to the theme of initiation are then covered, with attention given to Hermetic teachings, the figure of Hermes Trismegistus, the idea of a hierarchal progression of steps or stages in the initiation process, and the question of whether or not something did in fact exist which could be described as a “Hermetic community.” Finally, these topics are related to the core theme of Hermetic initiation itself – it’s characteristic nature, the initiator figure, the stages of initiation, and the ultimate goal of passing through death to rebirth and transcendent unity with the Divine.

Introduction - The Midnight Sun. In Search of Astrology's Dark Roots

by Lisa Mendes

This is the Introduction to my MA thesis, undertaken as part of my course at the University of Kent in the Cultural Study of Cosmology & Divination.

The thesis examined the early cosmology and religious beliefs that underlie many of the later conventions and... more The thesis examined the early cosmology and religious beliefs that underlie many of the later conventions and symbolism of modern western astrology and shows the connection between these and other Western esoteric traditions, particularly Hermetism and alchemy.

Focusing particularly on solar symbolism, I examine the possible origin of the angles and their connection to Mesopotamian and Egyptian beliefs and conventions relating to initiation, eschatology, space and mythology, as well as the relationship between landscape and the heavens.

I also ask whether there is any evidence that astrology was initially considered a form of divination and whether practices associated with it shared any connections or conventions with other ancient divination types, including those practised at ancient Greek cult sites such as Delphi.

 

“John Dee's Conversations with Spirits and Problems with Practical Occultism” (Work in Progress)

by Stephanie Spoto

Paper presented at conference "Daimonic Imagination: Uncanny Intelligence", at the University of Kent. May 7th 2011. TO BE PUBLISHED: ed. Angela Voss, et al. Cambrige Scholar Press, 2012.

Abstract:

Heavily influenced by the earlier Neoplatonic and Hermetic works of Pico della Mirandola,... more Abstract:

Heavily influenced by the earlier Neoplatonic and Hermetic works of Pico della Mirandola, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, and Marsilio Ficinio, John Dee constructed a practical form of angelic magic which allegedly allowed him to use spirits in order to spy for Elizabeth I and catalogue a host of “angels” using his infamous scryer, Edward Kelly. The appearance of one spirit, in particular, would recur throughout their occult experiments: Madimi, who would age throughout the process of scrying, and though she first appeared as a young girl, she later began to appear as a young woman.

Simon Forman—another Elizabethan astrologer-physician—would often employ herbs or talismans which connected to the supralunar spheres and planet-daemones using the hermetic properties of sympathies. In constructing his talismans, he would appropriate the sympathetic metals, colors, and stones in connection with a planet, or sphere, which was chosen because its particular power over a certain part of human anatomy. Lauren Kassell would write that “Simon Forman is infamous for his astrology, notorious for his magic and legendary for his sexual exploits”, and he would later appear in the works of Ben Jonson and Christopher Marlowe. Alongside Forman's detailed daily astrological calculations, he would mark in detail with which women he had sex, and at what times—creating a connection between his occult practices and his sexual practices.

As the spirit Madimi grew older during her conversations with Dee, she became increasingly sexualized, until Dee became to question the legitimacy of his 'angelic' experiments. If John Dee had, in fact, been receiving advice from demons rather than angels, he would have been soliciting help using black magic, a practice all semi-respectable magicians were eager to avoid. Their magical practices become increasingly questionable when Kelly informs Dee that the “angels” have requested that the two men share everything between them, even their wives.

The connection between magic and sexuality as practised in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries becomes a concern for historians trying to construct a coherent philosophy surrounding early modern occult cosmologies and intentions. When magicians, who previously followed in the near gnostic and ascetic traditions of preceding occult philosophers, begin to slip into magic mixed with sex-rituals their status as natural, or divine, magician becomes questionable.