Hermes Trismegistus: Following the Hermetic Tradition

Hermes Trismegistus or “The Thrice-Greatest Hermes” is attributed with many writings, which are the basis of Hermetic philosophy today. Though it is not clear as to whether or not he was a

The Hermetic Church of the Golden Dawn was founded in 1887 by a small group of magicians in England. It was mainly formed of English aristocracy and was the one of the first such organizations to admit both men and women. The Church of the Golden Dawn believes that all culture’s deities are simply different expressions of the same divine energy, and that the energy is what should receive the attention, not the individual manifestations of it. A magician in the Church of the Golden Dawn would often be seen mixing Egyptian and Christian theologies in the same ritual. The Church of the Golden Dawn does not consider itself a religion, but instead a philosophy. Therefore, it is not uncommon for a Golden Dawn member to also worship as a Christian, Buddhist, Jew, or member of any other world-religion.

In Egyptian mythology, Thoth was the god of the moon, god of wisdom, the measurer of time, and the inventor of writing and numbers. He is said to be an immortal that escaped the sinking of Atlantis and first founded Egypt. Being an immortal, Thoth was said to reincarnate himself and assume a new body when needed. The third incarnation of Thoth was Hermes, the Thrice Greatest. He is credited with devising the standard 365-day year and the building of the Great Pyramid at Giza. Thoth was believed to be the inventor of astronomy, astrology, engineering, botany, geometry, and land surveying. The ancient Egyptians regarded Thoth as the embodiment of the Universal Mind. The Egyptian account is held by scholars believe to be the most accurate. Hermes was probably an early colonizer of Egypt who eventually was deified, due to locals embellishing his deeds.

Modern day Satanism was also influenced by Hermetic philosophy. Aleister Crowley, a Hermetic student, drew upon the writings of the Corpus Hermeticism and the Emerald Tablets. He incorporated many of the ideas and beliefs listed within them into his growing church. A large portion of his membership was also absorbed from the Hermetic philosophy. This growing movement evolved into what could almost be seen as a branch of Hermeticism.

The Roman god Mercury was often portrayed similarly to Hermes, in that he wore winged sandals. Mercury was most likely just a Roman adaptation of the Greek Hermes. He also was considered a messenger god, but the Romans also associated him with commerce

Some topics in this essay:
Hermes Trismegistus, London Paris, Corpus Hermeticism, Emerald Tablets, Golden Dawn, Hermes Mercury, , Trismegistus Hermes, Thrice-Greatest Hermes”, Roman Empire, hermes trismegistus, golden dawn, hermetic philosophy, emerald tablets, church golden dawn, church golden, hermetic texts, corpus hermeticism, modern times ancient, satanism influenced, greeks romans, times ancient, hermes trismegistus actually, tablets deal history,