| MATTERS INVISIBLE | |
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ANCIENT EGYPT : THOTH & HERMES |
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| THOTH : | |
| A mythical Egyptian sage whose wisdom is said to have elevated him to the status of a God. Venerated throughout Egypt since at least the time of the Old Kingdom (3700-2150 BCE) and worshipped as God of Wisdom, Magic & Healing, he is further credited with revealing to the Egyptians all knowledge of mathematics, geometry, architecture, medicine, alchemy & religion, and with the invention of writing (hieroglyphics). His wisdom and knowledge were seen as comprehensive, he was the "one who knows the mysteries", the one who was "great in magic". He is portrayed in temples and tombs as a scribe with the head of an Ibis - a tall wading bird with slender beak that inhabited the Nile basin. | |
| HERMES : | |
| The Greeks, who were in awe of the knowledge and spirituality of the Egyptians, identified Thoth somewhat inadequately with their own God Hermes. Hermes, for the most part, plays a subordinate part in Greek myth, being more a messenger of the greater Gods, and especially of Zeus, than an independent actor. | |
| HERMES TRISMEGISTUS : | |
| The figure of this legendary Egyptian sage arose from the merging of the 2 Gods, Thoth and Hermes, in the Hellenistic period following the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great (332 BCE). Hermes Trismegistus (thrice great) is attributed with the authorship of many works, said to reflect the teachings of the Ancient Egyptian religion, collectively known as "The Hermetica". Sundry other works also bear his name. Differences in style and content show pretty conclusively that he was not the author of many of these writings, rather that the work was a product of the school of thought of Hermes Trismegistus. All but a very few of the works attributed to him were written down between the 1st and 5th centuries CE. The epithet "Trismegistus" refers to Thoth's reputation as being a great Philosopher, great Priest and great Prince. |
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| THE HERMETICA : | |
| The early origins of The Hermetica are shrouded in mystery, but the evidence suggests that they are the direct descendant of the ancient philosophy & religion of the Egyptians. Largely ignored today, the surviving works attributed to Hermes Trismegistus are written in Greek, Latin or Coptic. They were collated in the city of Alexandria during the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE. Here the Hermetic philosophy helped to inspire some of the greatest intellectual achievements of the ancient world. Alexandria surpassed even Athens as a centre of learning. Its founder, Alexander, had conquered and united Greece, Persia, Egypt and northern India into one vast empire. Cultures that had developed more or less independently were brought together, and there was no greater melting pot than Alexandria. Under the enlightened rule of the Greek Ptolemy I a library and museum were founded where the wisdom of the world was first systematically collected. At its height the library housed some 500,000 scrolls. Science flourished at Alexandria as did philosophy and esoteric knowledge. Pythagorianism, the Chaldean Oracles, Greek Myth, Platonic and Stoic Philosophy, Judaism, Christianity, the Greek Mystery Schools, Zoroastrianism. Astrology, Alchemy, Buddhism, Egyptian knowledge...all were practised, studied, compared and discussed. Following the destruction of the library and persecution of the "Pagans" in the 5th century CE, many scholars and sages fled to the newly emerging Arab culture. Within 200 years the Muslims had created an empire whose learning and scientific achievements were unsurpassed. Baghdad saw its first university established in the early 9th century - "The House of Wisdom". The mystical sects of the Sabaeans and the Sufis owe their inspiration to Alexandria and the Hermetica. The Italian Renaissance was the next major centre to be inspired by the ancient learning. Religious intolerance and the arrival of the Scientific Age finally confined the esoteric teachings to secret societies. They have been slowly emerging once again since the latter 19th century. The New Age, currently a bewildering confusion of beliefs, practices and therapies assembled from all parts of the globe, will surely take a firmer shape in the near future. I expect Hermetic teachings to become pivotal. Hermeticism has been said to lie between Christianity and Paganism as a 3rd view of God and his Cosmos. "History shows that wherever the works of Hermes Trismegistus have been studied and venerated, civilization has flourished". |
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| THE QABALAH : | |
| The mystical writings of Judaism with the great glyph of the Tree of Life have also strongly influenced Western Esoteric thought. | |