User talk:Tapsell
Hermeticism & Gnosticism
[edit]Hi Tapsell. Interesting description of yourself.
Anyway, I've just dropped this onto the Gnosticism discussion page in regarding your question about its relationship with Hermeticism:
- Hermeticism doesn't have a concept of a malevolent or negative Demiurge who creates the world of Matter as opposed to Spirit (ie it is not dualistic). In the Hermetica the Demiurge is the Sun who works for God benevolently. Hermeticism also has no real cosmologogy including figures such as the Sophia or Christ as it either predates Christianity or is contemporaneous with its inception (interestingly though Hermeticism shares an enormous amount of imagery with Judeo-Christian tradition - a similar creation myth for instance). It concieves of the Universe being entirely an expression of Mind, or God, or the Divinity with Man as the only created being who is able to experience and communicate with God. There are different and sometimes contradictory statements about the relationship between God and Matter - in the Libellius God is inherent in everything so everything is Divine (cf Blake - 'Every thing that lives is Holy'). Elsewhere Matter is seen as being a block to our connection with God, which has more in common with Gnosticism. Hermeticism has no rituals attached to it, it is purely conceptual/philosophical in nature, which is why no-one has ever tried to make a religion out of it. Where it really seems to have a similarity with Gnosticism is in the belief that Man can achieve knowledge of God (Gnosis) and thus transcend his earthly existence and become Divine: 'Gods are immortal Men, Men are mortal Gods'. Hope this helps. For a set of beliefs which have had such an enormous influence on Western culture it is amazingly hard to get hold of copies of the Hermetica.
I'm half way through reading the Hermetica now. Its extraordinary stuff. You can well see how it regenerated Europe in the Renaissance. Reading it is like going back to the original source of all the Western religions and Mystical movements. What is refreshing is its complete lack of dogma, orthodoxy or ritual. It is pure description of the Universe and Man's relationship with the Divine. God is seen as being present in all creation and Man is seen as having the potential to realise his own divinity. God is also both male and female and, in the Hermetica, has no rage. There are huge similarities with the Chinese concept of the Dao, the cosmology of the Kaballah and the findings of modern Quantum Physics. Where it links with Gnosticism is in its perception of Matter as Illusion and the need for Gnosis to free us from this. Where it diverges is in it not seeing Matter as a prison. The Hermetica blesses Creation as it is inherently awash with God of which we are part. What it encourages is a proper understanding of this through Gnosis so that we can transcend our earthly existence and live to the full. The Hermetica also believes in Reincarnation and the need for Man to be 'Reborn' as a Divine Being, as in the Psalm 'I have said ye are Gods, and children of the Most High' which Christ himself quotes in one of the Gospels. Its vision is one of joy rather than the pessimism of some Gnosticism. The only full copy I could find is translated by Walter Scott - ISBN 1873616147. Happy hunting. ThePeg 16:05, 24 November 2006 (UTC)
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