Die Vision von Hermes ist eine allegorische Darlegung großer philosophischer & mystischer Wahrheiten

The life and teachings of the dead Hermes Trismegistus. Assumptions about the identity of Hermes. Iamblichus claimed that Hermes was the author of 20,000 books. Manetto increased the number to more than 36,000. Numbers that make it clear that a single person, even if he is overshadowed by divine privileges, could hardly have accomplished such monumental work. Of the arts and sciences that are claimed to have revealed Hermes to man, they include medicine, chemistry, law, architecture, astrology, music, rhetoric, magic, philosophy, geography, mathematics, especially geometry, anatomy and speech art. Orpheus was also similarly revered by the Greeks. In his Biographia Antica, Francis Barrett says about Hermes, If God has ever appeared in man, then he has appeared in him, as can be seen from his books as well as from his pymanda. In these works he has passed on the essence of the abyss and the divine knowledge to the afterlife. With this he has proven that he was not only an inspired god, but also a profound philosopher, who acquired his wisdom from God and heavenly things, and not from man. His outstanding knowledge led to the fact that Hermes was identified with many of the early wise men and prophets. In his Ancient Mythology, Bryant writes, I have mentioned that Cadmus was identical to the Egyptian death, and this is obvious due to his identity with Hermes and the invention of the letters that are assigned to him. Researchers believe that Hermes was the one who was known to the Jews as Hinoch. Hermes was included in the mythology of the Greeks and later became the Mercury of the Romans. He was revered in the form of the planet Mercury, because this body is the closest to the sun. Hermes was closest to God of all creatures and was known as a messenger of the gods. In the Egyptian depictions, death carries a wax tablet and serves as a writer while weighing the souls of the dead in the courtroom of Osiris. A ritual of great importance. Hermes is of the greatest importance for Freemason scholars, because he was the author of the Freemason initiation rituals, which were taken from the mysteries established by Hermes. Almost all Freemasonic symbols are Hermetic in nature. Pythagoras studied mathematics with the Egyptians and gained his knowledge of the symbolic geometric bodies from them. Hermes is also revered for his reform of the calendar system. He increased the year from 360 to 365 days and thus created a precedent case that is still valid. Hermes was given the name Three Times Greatest because he was considered the greatest of all philosophers, the greatest of all priests and the greatest of all kings. It is worth mentioning that the last poem of the beloved American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a lyrical ode to Hermes. In his History of Chemistry, James Campbell Brown writes about Hermetic books After the Chaldean and early Egyptian periods, of which we have no remains, but no records, and of which no names of chemists or philosophers have been handed down to us, we are now approaching the historical period in which books were written, first not on parchment or paper, but on papyrus. A series of early Egyptian books is attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, who could have been a real scholar or a personification of a long series of writers. Some identify him with the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god of death, who was the moon god, and in ancient paintings is depicted as Ibis-shaped with the disc and the crescent of the moon. The Egyptians regarded him as the god of wisdom, writing and time measurement. Due to the great respect that the old alchemists showed Hermes, chemical writings were called hermetic, and the expression hermetically sealed is still used to describe the closing of a glass vessel by fusion according to a kind of chemical manipulation. We find the same root in the hermetic medicines of Paracelsus and the hermetic free-mining of the Middle Ages. Among the fragmentary writings of which it is believed that they originate from the feather of Hermes, there are two famous works. The first is the Smaragd Table, and the second is the divine Pymanda, or, as it is more often called, the Herd of Men, which is discussed in the following. A remarkable point in relation to Hermes is that he was one of the few philosophizing priests of paganism that the early Christians did not fall on in anger. Some church fathers even went so far as to explain that Hermes showed many signs of intelligence and that he, if he had only been born in a more enlightened age and could have benefited from their instructions, would have been a truly great man. In his book Stromata, Clemens of Alexandria, one of the few chroniclers of paganism, whose writings have survived to this day, gives practically all the information about the original 42 books of Hermes and their meaning, both for the worldly as well as for the spiritual power of Egypt. Clemens describes one of their ceremonial processions as follows. For the Egyptians follow their own philosophy. This is mainly shown through their holy ceremony. The singer proceeds, carrying one of the symbols of the music. For they say he must learn two of the books of Hermes, of which one contains the hymns of the gods, and the other the prescriptions for the life of the king. And after the singer comes the astrologer with a sundial in his hand and a palm, the symbol of astrology. He must always have the astrological books of Hermes, which are four in number, in his mouth. One of these is the order of the visible fixed stars, another of the conjunctions and luminous appearances of sun and moon, and the rest is about their processes. Next comes the holy writer, with wings on his head, and in his hand a book and a ruler, in which there are ink and pen for writing. He must be familiar with the so-called hieroglyphs and know something about cosmography and geography, about the position of sun and moon, as well as about the five planets. He must also know the description of Egypt and the map of Nile, as well as the description of the equipment of the priests and of the place of worship, as well as about the dimensions and the objects that are used in the holy rites. Then comes the dressmaker, who wears the veil of justice and the chalice for the drunken sacrifice. He knows all the points that as pedagogy, as education and as a sacrifice. There are also ten books that deal with the worship of their gods and the Egyptian cult, such as sacrifices, first-birth gifts, hymns, prayers, processions, festivals and the like. And at the very back, the prophet goes, with the water bottle open in his arms, followed by those who carry the body. He, as the leader of the temple, learns the ten books, which are called hieratical, and they contain everything about the laws, the gods and the entire education of the priests. For the prophet is also responsible for the distribution of the income among the Egyptians. So there are 42 books of the Hermes that are indispensable. Of these, the 36 books, which contain the entire philosophy of Egypt, are taught by the aforementioned people, and the other six, which are medical, by the pastoralists, the image-bearers. They deal with the structure of the body, diseases, instruments, medicines, eyes and, last but not least, women. One of the greatest tragedies in the world of philosophy was the loss of almost all 42 books of the Hermes that were mentioned before. These books were lost during the burning of Alexandria, because the Romans, and later the Christians, realized that they could never subjugate Egypt as long as these books existed. The few books that escaped the fire were buried in the desert, and only a few members of the secret schools know their exact location today. THE BOOK OF DEATH While Hermes was still wandering among the people, he handed over to his chosen followers the holy book of death. This work contained the secret procedures by which the regeneration of humanity was to be accomplished, and also served as a key to his other writings. Nothing is known about the exact content of the book of death, except that its pages were covered with strange hieroglyphic figures and symbols, which gave those who were familiar with their use unlimited power over the spirits of the air and the underworld deities. When certain areas of the brain are stimulated by the secret procedures of the mysteries, the consciousness of man expands, and he is able to see the immortal and enter the present of the higher deities. The book of death describes the method by which this stimulation was achieved. In truth, it was the key to immortality. According to legend, the book of death was kept in a golden box in the inner sanctuary of the temple. There was only one key, which, in possession of the master of mysteries, was the highest insider of the hermetic secret. Only he knew what was written in the secret book. The book of death was lost with the decay of the mysteries, but its true insiders carried it in a sealed, holy box to another land. The book still exists and leads the young people of this age into the present of the immortals. No further information can be given to the world, but the apostolic sequel of the first Hierophant, who was consecrated by Hermes himself, is uninterrupted to this day. And those who are particularly able to serve the immortals can discover this invaluable document if they look for it sincerely and tirelessly. It is claimed that the book of death is in fact the mysterious tarot of the Bohemians. A strange, emblematic book with 78 pages, which has been in their possession since the time when the gypsies were expelled from their ancient temple, the Serapeum. According to the secret stories, the gypsies were originally Egyptian priests. Today there are several secret schools in the world that are authorized to invite candidates into the mysteries, but in almost every case they lit their altars with the flaming torch of Hermes. Hermes revealed in his book of death the whole of humanity, the one way. And for eons the wise of every nation and every faith have established the immortality through the way in which he has established the way to the salvation of humanity. Poimandres, the vision of Hermes. The divine Poimander of Hermes Mercurius Trismegistus is one of the earliest preserved Hermetic writings. Although it is probably not in its original form and was redesigned during the first centuries of the Christian era and since it was misinterpreted, this work undoubtedly contains many of the original concepts of the Hermetic cult. The divine Poimander consists of 17 fragmentary writings, which were summarized and published as one work. The second book of the divine Poimander, called Poimandres or the vision, describes the method by which the divine wisdom was revealed to Hermes for the first time. After Hermes had received this revelation, he began his work and taught all who wanted to listen the secrets of the invisible universe, as they had been revealed to him. The vision is the most famous of all Hermetic fragments and contains a description of the Hermetic cosmogony and the secret sciences of the Egyptians about the culture and development of the human soul. For some time it was falsely referred to as the Genesis of Henoch, but this mistake has now been corrected. In preparation for the following interpretation of the symbolic philosophy, which is hidden in the vision of Hermes, the author had access to various references. In order to promote clarity, the narrative form was chosen, instead of the original dialogic style, and outdated words were replaced by more common ones. While Hermes wandered around in a rocky and deserted area, he devoted himself to meditation and prayer. Following the secret instructions of the temple, he gradually freed his higher consciousness from the bondage of his physical senses. This freed him and revealed to him his divine nature, the secrets of the transcendental spheres. He saw a figure, frightening and awe-inspiring. It was the great dragon, whose wings stretched over the sky and whose body shone light in all directions. The mysteries taught him that the universal life was personified as a dragon. The great dragon called out Hermes' name and asked him why he meditated on the secret of the world. Frightened by the sight, Hermes threw himself down in front of the dragon and asked him to reveal his identity. The mighty being replied that it was Puimandres, the spirit of the universe, the creative intelligence and the absolute ruler over all. Then Hermes asked Puimandres to reveal to him the nature of the universe and the creation of the gods. The dragon agreed and asked Trismegistus to capture his image in his mind. Puimandres' form changed immediately. At the place where he had stood, there was a glorious and pulsating radiation. This light was the spiritual nature of the great dragon himself. Hermes was lifted up in the midst of this divine brightness and the universe of material things disappeared from his consciousness. Soon a great darkness descended and spread out to swallow up the light. Everything was at rest. A mysterious, watery substance was swirling around Hermes, which emitted a smoke-like steam cloud. The air was filled with whistling and whistling, which seemed to come out of the light that had been swallowed up by the darkness. His mind said that the light was the form of the spiritual universe and that the swirling darkness that had swallowed it represented the material substance. Then a mysterious and holy word emerged from the captured light and took its place on the smoking waters. This word, the voice of the light, rose from the darkness like a great pillar and the fire and the air followed it, while the earth and the water remained motionless below. Thus the waters of the light were separated from the waters of the darkness and from the waters of the light the worlds were formed above and from the waters of the darkness the worlds were formed below. The earth and the water mixed and became inseparable and the spiritual word, which is called reason, moved over its surface and caused endless chaos. Then the voice of Poimandres was heard again, but his form was not revealed. I, your God, am the light and the spirit, which were separated from the substance, from the separation of spirit and darkness. And the word, which emerged as a pillar of flames from the darkness, is the Son of God, born from the mystery of the spirit. The name of this word is reason. Reason is the child of thought. And reason will separate the light from the darkness and establish the truth in the midst of the waters. Understand, O Hermes, and meditate deeply on the mystery. What is seen and heard in you is not from the earth, but is the embodied word of God. It is said that the divine light lives in the midst of the mortal darkness and ignorance cannot separate it. The union of the word and the spirit creates that mystery that is called life. As the darkness outside of you contradicts itself, so is the darkness within you. The light and the fire that rise up are the divine man who rises up on the path of the word. And the one who does not rise up is the mortal man, who cannot participate in immortality. Learn deeply about the spirit and its mystery, because it contains the secret of immortality. The dragon revealed himself again before Hermes, and for a long time they looked at each other, eye to eye, so that Hermes was trembling before the gaze of Poimandres. Upon the word of the dragon the heavens opened, and the innumerable powers of light were revealed, which fly through the cosmos on wings of radiant fire. Hermes saw the spirits of the stars, the beings of heaven who control the universe, and all those forces that shine with the brilliance of one fire, the glory of the sovereign spirit. Hermes realized that this spectacle was only revealed to him because Poimandres had spoken a word. The word was reason, and through the reason of the word invisible things were revealed. The divine spirit, the dragon, continued with his speech. Before the visible universe was formed, its form was already cast. This form was called the original image, and this original image was in the highest spirit long before the beginning of the process of creation. The highest spirit was enraptured by the original images and took the word as a mighty hammer to grind caves into the primordial space and to pour the form of the spheres into the original image. At the same time it sowed the seeds of the living into the newly formed bodies. The darkness below received the hammer of the word, and was formed into an ordained universe. The elements were separated into layers, and each brought forth living creatures. The highest being, the spirit, male and female, brought forth the word. And the word, floating between light and darkness, gave birth to another spirit, which is called the worker, the master builder, or the creator of things. In this way it happened, O Hermes. The word, which moved like a breath through space, called forth the fire through the friction of its movement. Therefore the fire is called the son of desire. The worker went like a whirlwind through the universe and brought the substances through friction to vibrate and glow. The son of desire thus formed seven guides, the spirits of the planets, whose orbits limited the world. And the seven guides dominated the world through the mysterious power, which was given to them by the fiery worker, which is called fate. When the second spirit, the worker, had organized the chaos, the word of God immediately rose from a prison of substance, and left the elements without reason, and united with the nature of the fiery worker. Then the second spirit and the ascended word established themselves in the middle of the universe, and the wheels of the heavenly forces spun. This will continue from an infinite beginning to an infinite end, because beginning and end are in the same place and in the same state. Then the downward-facing and unreasonable elements brought forth creatures without reason. The substance could not give reason, because reason had risen from it. The air brought forth flying creatures, and the water such as swim. The earth received strange four-legged and creaking animals, dragons, assembled demons and grotesque monsters. Then the Father, the highest spirit, who is light and life, formed a glorious universal human being in his own image, not an earthly one, but a heavenly human being, who lives in the light of God. The highest spirit loved the human being he had formed, and gave him control over the creations and works. The man who then strived to work took his place of residence in the sphere of witnessing, and observed the works of his brother, the second spirit, who sat on the ring of fire. And after he had seen the achievements of the fiery worker, he, too, wanted to create things, and his father gave permission for it. The seven guides, whose powers he shared, rejoiced, and each gave the human being a share of his own nature. The human being longed to penetrate the scope of the circle, and to understand the secret of the one who sat on the eternal fire. Since he already possessed all power, he bent down, and later went through the seven harmonies, and broke through the strength of the circle, to reveal himself to nature below. The human being looked into the depths and smiled, for he saw a shadow on the earth, and a mirror image in the waters, which were a reflection of himself. The human being fell in love with his own shadow, and wished to ascend into it, and at the same time, with the desire, the intelligent thing united with the unreasonable image or form. The nature, which saw the descent, enveloped the human being, for it loved him, and the two were mixed. For this reason, the earthly human being is put together. In him is the human being of heaven, immortal and beautiful. Outside is nature, mortal and transient. Therefore, suffering is the result of the infatuation of the immortal human being in his shadow, and the task of reality, to linger in the darkness of illusion. For as immortal, the human being possesses the power of the seven handles, also life, light and word. But as mortal, he is controlled by the rings of the handles, fate or determination. The immortal human being should be told, that he is twilight, male and female, and eternally vigilant. He neither sleeps nor rests, and he is governed by a father, who is also male and female, and always vigilant. This is the hidden secret to this day. For nature, which is mixed with the human being of heaven, brought forth a miracle, which is wonderful. Seven men, all bisexual, male and female, and upright in shape, of whom each embodies the nature of the seven handles. In this way, the seven men were created. The earth was the female element, and the water the male element. And from the fire and the ether, they received their spirits. And nature brought forth bodies according to the kind and form of the human being. And the human being received the life and light of the great dragon. And from the life his soul was made, and from the light his spirit was made. And so all these assembled creatures, which carry immortality in them, but participate in immortality for the duration of a period in this state. They multiplied out of themselves, for everyone was male and female. But at the end of the period, the knot of fate was broken by the will of God and the binding of all things. Then all living creatures, including the human being, who were hermaphroditic before, were separated. The men were separated for themselves, and the women were also separated according to the commandments of reason. Then God spoke to the Holy Word in the soul of all things and said, Multiply yourselves and multiply yourselves in great quantities, all you My creatures and works. He who is gifted with understanding shall know that he is immortal, and that the cause of death is love for the body. He shall learn all things, for he who has recognized himself enters into the state of the good. And when God had said this, the foresight brought together the genders with the help of the seven guides and harmony, in which He created mixtures and founded generations. Everything was multiplied according to its kind. The one who loves his body remains wandering in the darkness and suffers among the things of death. But the one who recognizes that the body is only the grave of his soul rises to immortality. Then Hermes wished to know why the human being, alone due to the sin of ignorance, is presented with immortality. The great dragon answered, For the ignorant, the body is of the highest importance, and they are unable to recognize that immortality lies within them. Since they only know the mortal body, they believe in death, because they worship that substance which is the cause and reality of death. Then Hermes asked how the righteous and wise came to God. Poimandres answered, What the word of God said, I say also, because the Father of all things consists of life and light, from which man is made. So if a man learns and understands the nature of life and light, he will go into the eternity of life and light. Hermes then explored the way on which the wise reached eternal life, and Poimandres went on, The man who is gifted with a mind should take care of himself, think about it, and learn from himself. With the power of his mind, he should separate himself from his non-self and become a servant of reality. Hermes asked whether not all people had a mind, and the great dragon answered, Beware of what you say, for I am the mind, the eternal teacher. I am the Father of the Word, the Redeemer of all people. And in the Being of the Wise the Word becomes flesh. Through the Word the world is saved. I, the thought, death, the Father of the Word, the mind, come only to the holy and good people, the pure and merciful, who live humbly and religiously. My presence is an inspiration and a help to you. Because when I come, you immediately know everything and pray to the Universal Father. Before such wise and philosophical people die, they learn to lay down their senses, knowing that these are the enemies of their immortal souls. I do not allow the evil senses to control the bodies of those who love me, but I allow evil emotions and evil thoughts to penetrate them. I become like a gatekeeper and keep the evil away, by protecting the wise from their own lower nature. But I do not come close to the evil, the jealous and greedy, because they cannot understand the secrets of the mind. Therefore I am unwelcome. I leave them to the raging demon they create in their own souls. Because the evil takes over every day and torments people more and more. And every evil deed adds to the previous evil deeds until the evil finally destroys itself. The punishment of the greedy is the torment of dissatisfaction. Hermes bowed his head to the great dragon who had taught him so much and was about to hear more about the last of the human soul. Then Poimandres went on. When death comes, the material body of man returns to the elements from which it arose. And the invisible divine man rises to the source from which he came, namely the eighth sphere. The evil reaches the dwelling place of the demon and the senses, feelings, desires and bodily passions return to their source, namely the seven guides, whose beings seem destructive in the lower human being, but give life in the invisible spiritual human being. After the lower nature has returned to animality, the higher nature strives again to regain its spiritual state. It rises on the seven rings on which the seven guides sit and gives back to each of them its lower powers in the following way. On the first ring sits the moon and it is given back the ability to grow and to flit. On the second ring sits Mercury and it is given back doings, deception and cunning. On the third ring sits Venus and it is given back the desires and passions. On the fourth ring sits the sun and this lord is given back the ambitions. On the fifth ring sits Mars and he is given back overconfidence and God's blasphemous courage. On the sixth ring sits Jupiter and he is given back the sense for abundance and wealth. And on the seventh ring sits Saturn at the gate of chaos and he is given back falsehood and evil intrigues. Then, naked of all the accumulations of the seven rings, the soul reaches the eighth sphere, namely the ring of the fixed stars. Here, freed from all illusion, it wanders in the light and sings praises to the Father with a voice that only one spirit can understand. Behold, O poor one, there is a great mystery in the eighth sphere, for the Milky Way is the seedbed of the souls. And from there they fall into the rings and return from the wheels of Saturn back to the Milky Way. But some cannot climb the seven-step ladder of the rings. So they wander in the darkness down below and are dragged into eternity by the deception of the mind and the earthiness. The way to immortality is difficult and only a few find it. The others await the great day when the wheels of the universe stand still and the immortal sparks escape from the caves of substance. Woe to those who wait, for they must return, unconsciously and unknowingly, to the seedbed of the stars and await a new beginning. Those, however, who are saved by the light of the mystery that I have revealed to you, O Lord, and that I now ask you to establish among the people, will return to the Father who dwells in the white light and surrender to the light and rise in the light. In the light they will become forces in God. This is the way of the good and will reveal to only those who possess wisdom. Blessed art thou, O son of light! I have revealed to you, Poemandrus, the light of the world, to all men. I command you to go forth, to become a guide for those who wander in the darkness, so that all men in whom the spirit of my wisdom, the universal wisdom dwells, may be saved by my wisdom in you, which will call forth my wisdom in them. Establish my mysteries, and they will not disappear from the earth, for I am the wisdom of the mysteries, and as long as the wisdom exists, which never ends, Poemandrus disappeared with these farewell words, shining in heavenly light, and mixed with the forces of heaven. Hermes raised his eyes to heaven, blessed the Father of all things, and dedicated his life to the service of the great light. So Hermes preached, O people of the earth, people born and made of the elements, but with the spirit of the divine in you, arise from your sleep of ignorance, be sober and thoughtful, recognize that your home is not in the earth, but in the light. Why have you surrendered yourselves to death, when you have the power to cost immortality? Repent and change your thoughts, depart from the dark light and leave corruption forever. Prepare yourselves to ascend through the seven rings and to merge your souls with the eternal light. Some who heard it spied and went their way and surrendered themselves to the second death, of which there is no salvation. But others threw themselves at the feet of Hermes and asked him to teach them the way of life. But Hermes stood up without recognition for himself, and with his staff in his hand he went out to teach and lead mankind and to show them how they can be saved. In the worlds of men Hermes sowed the seeds of wisdom and nourished the seeds with the immortal waters. And finally came the evening of his life, when Hermes ordered his disciples to keep his teachings through all ages without harm. He wrote down the vision of Poimandres so that all people who desire immortality can find their way in it. When he finished his vision, Hermes wrote, The sleep of the body is the sober vigilance of the mind, and the closing of my eyes reveals the true light. My silence is filled with germinating life and hope and is full of good. My words are the flowers of the fruit of the tree of my soul. For this is the faithful report of what I received from my true mind, which is Poimandres, the great dragon, the Lord of the Word, through whom I was inspired since that day my mind is always with me and in my own soul the Word was born. The Word is the reason and the reason has set me free. For this reason I give with all my soul and all my strength praise and blessing to God the Father, the life, the light and the eternal good. Holy is God, the Father of all things, the One who is before the first beginning. Holy is God, whose will is fulfilled by His own power, which He has borne from Himself. Holy is God, who has decided that He shall be recognized and who is recognized by His own, whom He reveals Himself. Holy are You, from Whom the whole nature is the image. Holy are You, whom the lower nature has not formed. Holy are You, who is stronger than all forces. Holy are You, who is greater than all perfection. Holy are You, who is better than all perfection. Holy are You, who is greater than all perfection. Holy are You, who is greater than all perfection. Holy are You, who is greater than all perfection. Holy are You, who is greater than all perfection. Holy are You, who is greater than all perfection. Holy are You, and praise You and enter into Peace and trust in Your Light and Life. You are glorified, O Father! The man whom You have formed wants to be joined with You, for You have given him the power to sanctify others with Your Word and Your Truth. and mystic truths, and their hidden meaning can only be grasped by those who have been raised into the present of true understanding.