Religious and philosophical texts

Main article: Hermetica

Some of the most well-known Hermetic texts are:

The Corpus Hermeticum is the most widely known Hermetic text. It has 17 chapters,
which contain dialogues between Hermes Trismegistus and a series of other men. The
first chapter contains a dialogue between Poimandres and Hermes. Poimandres teaches
the secrets of the universe to Hermes. In later chapters, Hermes teaches others,
such as his son Tat and Asclepius. It was first translated into Latin by Marsilio
Ficino (1433–1499), whose translation set off the Hermetic revival in the
Renaissance.
The Emerald Tablet is a short work attributed to Hermes Trismegistus which was
highly regarded by Islamic and European alchemists as the foundation of their art.
The text of the Emerald Tablet first appears in a number of early medieval Arabic
sources, the oldest of which dates to the late eighth or early ninth century.[46]
It was translated into Latin several times in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
Among Neo-Hermeticists, "As above, so below" (a popular modern paraphrase of the
second verse of the Tablet) has become an often cited catchphrase.
The Asclepius (also known as The Perfect Sermon, The Perfect Discourse, or The
Perfect Teaching) was written in the second or third century and is a Hermetic work
similar in content to the Corpus Hermeticum. It was one of the very few Hermetic
works which were available to medieval Latin readers.
Other important original Hermetic texts include Isis the Prophetess to Her Son
Horus,[65] which consists of a long dialogue between Isis and Horus on the fall of
man and other matters; the Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius;[66] and
many fragments, which are chiefly preserved in the anthology of Stobaeus.

There are additional works that, though not as historically significant as the
works listed above, have an important place in Neo-Hermeticism:

A Suggestive Inquiry into Hermetic Philosophy and Alchemy was written by Mary Anne
Atwood and originally published anonymously in 1850. This book was withdrawn from
circulation by Atwood but was later reprinted, after her death, by her longtime
friend Isabelle de Steiger. Isabelle de Steiger was a member of the Golden Dawn. A
Suggestive Inquiry was used for the study of Hermeticism and resulted in several
works being published by members of the Golden Dawn:[67]
Arthur Edward Waite, a member and later the head of the Golden Dawn, wrote The
Hermetic Museum and The Hermetic Museum Restored and Enlarged. He edited The
Hermetic and Alchemical Writings of Paracelsus, which was published as a two-volume
set. He considered himself to be a Hermeticist and was instrumental in adding the
word "Hermetic" to the official title of the Golden Dawn.[68]
William Wynn Westcott, a founding member of the Golden Dawn, edited a series of
books on Hermeticism titled Collectanea Hermetica. The series was published by the
Theosophical Publishing Society.[69]
Initiation into Hermetics is the title of the English translation of the first
volume of Franz Bardon's three-volume work dealing with self-realization within the
Hermetic tradition.
The Kybalion is a book anonymously published in 1908 by three people who called
themselves the "Three Initiates", and claims to expound upon essential Hermetic
principles.
History of scholarship on the Hermetica
See also: History of scholarship on the Hermetica
After the Renaissance and even within the 20th century, scholars did not study
Hermeticism nearly as much as other topics;[70] however, the 1990s saw a renewed
interest in Hermetic scholarly works and discussion.[70]

Societies
The Western esoteric tradition has been greatly influenced by Hermeticism. The work
of such writers as Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, who attempted to reconcile Jewish
kabbalah and Christian mysticism, brought Hermeticism into a context more easily
understood by Europeans during the time of the Renaissance.

A few primarily Hermetic occult orders were founded in the late Middle Ages and
early Renaissance. In England, it grew interwoven with the Lollard-Familist
traditions.[71]

Hermetic magic underwent a 19th-century revival in Western Europe,[72] where it was

practiced by groups such as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and Ordo Aurum
Solis. It was also practiced by individual persons, such as Eliphas Lévi, William
Butler Yeats, Arthur Machen, Frederick Hockley, and Kenneth M. Mackenzie.[73]

Many Hermetic, or Hermetically influenced, groups exist today. Most of them are
derived from Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, or the Golden Dawn.

Rosicrucianism
Main article: Rosicrucianism
Rosicrucianism is a movement which incorporates the Hermetic philosophy. It dates
back to the 17th century. The sources dating the existence of the Rosicrucians to
the 17th century are three German pamphlets: the Fama, the Confessio Fraternitatis,
and The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz.[74] Some scholars believe these
to be hoaxes of the time and say that later Rosicrucian organizations are the first
actual appearance of a Rosicrucian society.[75]

The Rosicrucian Order consists of a secret inner body and a public outer body that
is under the direction of the inner body. It has a graded system in which members
move up in rank and gain access to more knowledge. There is no fee for advancement.
Once a member has been deemed able to understand the teaching, he moves on to the
next higher grade.

The Fama Fraternitatis states that the Brothers of the Fraternity are to profess no
other thing than "to cure the sick, and that gratis".

The Rosicrucian spiritual path incorporates philosophy, kabbalah, and divine magic.

The Order is symbolized by the rose (the soul) and the cross (the body). The
unfolding rose represents the human soul acquiring greater consciousness while
living in a body on the material plane.

Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn

Main article: Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Part of a series on the
Hermetic Order of
the Golden Dawn

Leading figures
Teachings
Texts
Organizations
Related topics
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Unlike the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
was open to both sexes and treated them as equals.[76] The Order was a specifically
Hermetic society that taught alchemy, kabbalah, and the magic of Hermes, along with
the principles of occult science.

The Golden Dawn maintained the tightest of secrecy, which was enforced by severe
penalties for those who disclosed its secrets. Overall, the general public was left
oblivious of the actions, and even of the existence, of the Order, so few if any
secrets were disclosed.[77]

Its secrecy was broken first by Aleister Crowley in 1905 and later by Israel
Regardie in 1937. Regardie gave a detailed account of the Order's teachings to the
general public.[78]

See also
Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica – former library
Hermeneutics – Theory and methodology of text interpretation
Hermeticists (category)
Hermetism and other religions
Magic in the Greco-Roman world
Renaissance magic – Magical science during the Renaissance