"If I had to try to sum up their teaching in one sentence, none would serve the purpose better that, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see god"
Robin Lane Fox, "Pagans and Christians", 1986: 126
Actually "for they shall _be_ god" would be more accurate, which shows the shortcomings of some research and the pitfalls of not allowing a philosophy to speak to us in its own words.
Hermetic Prayer of Thanksgiving (revised)
Having come forth from the sanctuary, they began their prayers to God, looking to the south; for when a man wishes to pray to god at sunset, he ought to face south, just as at sunrise he ought to face east. . .
"We thank thee, O thou whose name none can tell,
but whom we honour by the appellation "God".
Because your alone are master, and blessed by the appellation "creator",
Because you have shown in acts toward all humanity and in all things, loving kindness and affection such as a parent feels and more
you have bestowed on us mind, speech and knowledge,
Mind that we may apprehend thee;
Speech that we may call upon thee;
And knowledge, that having come to know thee, and found salvation in the light thou givest, we may be filled with gladness.
We are glad because though hast revealed thyself to us in all thy being;
Glad because, while we are yet in the body, though hast made us gods by the gift of your own eternal life.
We thank you by learning to know you.
Brightly shining light of the world of mind;
True life of the life of man.
All prolific womb, made pregnant by the creator.
Eternal constancy, unmoved, yet makes the universe revolve.
We adore thee,
who alone art good, and crave nothing save knowing, loving,
and to continue in this blest way of life. "
Asclepius (Epilogue)
Questions:
Who is God in the Hermetica? Is it Thoth Hermes or is he acting as guide or messenger of something beyond himself?
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1 comment:
I guess the answer to that, somewhat predictably, has to be both yes and no!! The very nature of Hermes/Thoth/Mercury as the patron deity of things hermetic and alchemical, seems to be that he is incredibly slippery and fluid- so by his mercurial nature he is at once the God beyond God, and yet is still only "a finger pointing at the moon".
Seems to the problem when you get into the realms of the supernal triad that language starts to break apart and you end up with the somewhat inevitable "neti neti"
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