Hermeticism. Not to be confused with Hermit.
Hermeticism, also called Hermetism,[1][2] is a religious and philosophical/esoteric tradition based primarily upon writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus ("Thrice Great").[3] These writings have greatly influenced the Western esoteric tradition and were considered to be of great importance during both the Renaissance[4] and the Reformation.[5] The tradition claims descent from a prisca theologia, a doctrine that affirms the existence of a single, true theology that is present in all religions and that was given by God to man in antiquity.[6][7] Many Christian writers, including Lactantius, Augustine,[8] Thomas Aquinas[citation needed], Marsilio Ficino, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, Giordano Bruno, Campanella, Sir Thomas Browne, and Emerson, considered Hermes Trismegistus to be a wise pagan prophet who foresaw the coming of Christianity.[9][10] History[edit] Late Antiquity[edit] Renaissance[edit] Philosophy[edit] Prisca theologia[edit] "As above, so below.
" Hermetic Qabalah. Teachings[edit] Conception of Divinity[edit] A primary concern of Hermetic Qabalah is the nature of divinity, its conception of which is quite markedly different from that presented in monotheistic religions; in particular there is not the strict separation between divinity and humankind which is seen in monotheisms.[2] Hermetic Qabalah holds to the neoplatonic conception that the manifest universe, of which material creation is a part, arose as a series of emanations from the godhead.[3] The Sephiroth in Hermetic Qabalah[edit] From Ain Suph Aur crystallises Kether, the first sephirah of the Hermetic Qabalistic tree of life.
From Kether emanate the rest of the sephirot in turn, viz. Each sephirah is a nexus of divine energy and each has a number of attributions. Tarot and the Tree of Life[edit] Hermetic Qabalists see the cards of the tarot as keys to the Tree of Life. Tree of Life. From Thelemapedia Categories: Qabalah | Tree of Life The Tree of Life is a tool used to categorize and organize various mystical concepts, and is central to the teachings of Aleister Crowley and the Qabalah.
At its most simple level, it is composed of ten spheres, or emanations, called sephiroth (sing. "sephira") which are connected by twenty two paths. The sephiroth are represented by the planets and the paths by the characters of the Hebrew alphabet, which are subdivided by the five elements, the seven classical planets, and the twelve signs of the Zodiac. Within the western magical tradition, the Tree is used as a kind of conceptual filing cabinet. Parts of the Tree of Life The Negative Veils Ain, "Nothing" Ain Soph, "The Boundless" Ain Soph Aur, "The Limitless Light" Sephiroth (Emanations) Kabbalah.