As Above So Below · The Great Work · Hermes Trismegistus

Hermeticism & Alchemy

The ancient philosophical and spiritual tradition attributed to Hermes Trismegistus — its seven universal principles, the alchemical Great Work and their enduring influence on Western esotericism.

Hermeticism is one of the foundational streams of Western esotericism — a philosophical and spiritual tradition drawing on texts attributed to the legendary figure of Hermes Trismegistus ("Thrice-Great Hermes"), believed to be a synthesis of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. The Hermetic texts that survive — primarily the Corpus Hermeticum and the Emerald Tablet — were probably composed in Alexandria between the 1st and 3rd centuries CE, though they claim far greater antiquity. Their influence on Renaissance magic, Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry and the entire Western esoteric tradition has been enormous.

Section 01

Hermes Trismegistus

Hermes Trismegistus — "Thrice-Great Hermes" — is the legendary author of the Hermetic writings: a syncretic figure combining the Greek messenger god Hermes (patron of communication, alchemy, magic and the psychopomp who guides souls to the underworld) with the Egyptian god Thoth (patron of writing, wisdom, magic and the keeper of divine knowledge).

Renaissance scholars believed the Hermetic texts to be more ancient than the Old Testament — perhaps the oldest wisdom in the world, preceding Moses and Plato. When Isaac Casaubon demonstrated in 1614 that the texts were actually composed in the early centuries CE rather than ancient Egypt, it was a significant blow to Hermetic authority — but one that did not end its influence. The ideas proved potent regardless of their age.

The most famous Hermetic text is the Emerald Tablet (Tabula Smaragdina) — a brief, cryptic document of unknown origin whose opening line has become the most quoted axiom in all of Western esotericism: "As above, so below; as below, so above."

"That which is above is the same as that which is below, and that which is below is the same as that which is above, for the performance of the miracles of the One Thing."

The Emerald Tablet — Hermes Trismegistus

Section 02

The Seven Hermetic Principles

The Seven Hermetic Principles come primarily from The Kybalion (1908) — a text attributed to "Three Initiates" that distills Hermetic philosophy into seven universal laws. The Kybalion is not an ancient text (it was published in the early 20th century) but draws on genuine Hermetic tradition. These principles describe the fundamental laws by which the universe operates — and by which the Hermetic practitioner can work consciously with those laws.

The Principle of Mentalism

"The All is Mind; the Universe is Mental"

The foundation of all Hermetic philosophy — that the universe is fundamentally mental in nature. All that exists is a thought in the Mind of the All (the infinite, living Mind that underlies all existence). This does not mean reality is "just imagination" — it means that consciousness is the primary substance of reality, not matter. Matter is the denser manifestation of mind.

Thought creates reality. The quality of your mental world shapes the quality of your material experience. Mastering the mind is mastering the conditions of your life.

The Principle of Correspondence

"As above, so below; as below, so above"

The most famous Hermetic axiom — that there is a correspondence between all levels of reality: the physical, mental and spiritual planes are not separate but reflect each other at different scales. The macrocosm is reflected in the microcosm and vice versa. What is true at the level of atoms is true at the level of galaxies; what is true in the individual is true in the cosmos.

Astrology, numerology and sacred geometry all operate on this principle — finding the pattern that repeats across scales. Understanding one level of reality gives insight into all others.

III

The Principle of Vibration

"Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates"

All matter, all energy, all mind vibrates at some frequency. The difference between matter, energy, mind and spirit is entirely a matter of vibration rate — from the densest physical matter at the lowest vibration to the purest spirit at the highest. The Hermetic practitioner works by consciously raising or lowering vibration — in the body, in the emotions, in the mind — to align with the desired level of reality.

Modern physics confirms: at the quantum level, all matter is vibrating energy. The Hermetic framework offers a way to work consciously with this vibrational reality.

The Principle of Polarity

"Everything is dual; everything has poles"

Everything has its opposite — and opposites are identical in nature, different only in degree. Hot and cold are the same thing at different points on a scale. Love and hate are the same emotional energy at different vibrations. Light and dark, positive and negative, masculine and feminine — all are poles of the same reality. Understanding this destroys fixed judgment and reveals the possibility of transformation: any quality can be transmuted into its opposite by shifting along the pole.

Hatred can be transmuted into love — not by suppression but by raising the vibration of the same energy. This is the alchemical principle at its most psychological.

The Principle of Rhythm

"Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides"

Everything moves in cycles — advance and retreat, rise and fall, expansion and contraction. This is universal and unavoidable. The tides, the seasons, the cycles of civilisations, the cycles of individual life — all follow rhythmic patterns. The Hermetic practitioner does not fight the rhythm but learns to work with it — rising with the tide, retreating with the ebb, and maintaining inner equilibrium through both.

Lunar cycles, astrological transits and personal life cycles all reflect this principle. Working with rhythm rather than against it is the foundation of conscious living.

The Principle of Cause & Effect

"Every cause has its effect; every effect has its cause"

Nothing happens by chance — every effect has a cause, every cause produces an effect. What appears as chance is simply causation too complex to trace. The Hermetic practitioner seeks to become a cause rather than merely an effect — to act consciously rather than react unconsciously. This is karma in Western philosophical dress: the understanding that every action ripples outward and returns.

Taking full responsibility for one's life — not as self-blame but as recognition of creative power — is the practical application of this principle.

VII

The Principle of Gender

"Gender is in everything; everything has its masculine and feminine"

The masculine and feminine principles exist in all things — not as biological sex but as complementary modes of being. The masculine principle is directed, projective, initiating, active. The feminine principle is receptive, containing, gestating, reflective. All creation — on any level — requires the interaction of both. The Hermetic master cultivates both within themselves, using masculine will to direct and feminine intuition to receive.

All effective manifestation requires both — clear masculine intention and receptive feminine allowing. Yang without yin burns out; yin without yang drifts without direction.

Section 03

The Art of Alchemy

Alchemy is one of history's most misunderstood traditions — popularly known as the futile attempt to turn lead into gold, it was in reality a complex philosophical, spiritual and protochemical tradition that operated simultaneously on multiple levels. The outer alchemy was the laboratory work with metals, minerals and substances. The inner alchemy — the deeper teaching understood by initiated practitioners — was the transformation of the human soul.

Carl Jung's groundbreaking work in the 20th century revealed that alchemical imagery, when read symbolically, provides a remarkably accurate map of the individuation process — the psychological journey toward wholeness. The alchemists were not merely proto-chemists; they were mapping the transformation of consciousness using the language of matter.

The Four Primary Stages of the Great Work

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Nigredo

The Blackening

The first stage — putrefaction, dissolution, the death of the old form. The prima materia (base matter / the raw self) must first be reduced to its most basic state. Psychologically: the dark night of the soul, the confrontation with the shadow, the breakdown of the false self. Difficult but necessary — no transformation without dissolution.

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Albedo

The Whitening

The second stage — purification, washing, the dawn after the dark night. The essential qualities emerge from the dissolution purified and clarified. Psychologically: integration of the anima/animus, the recovery of innocence, the beginning of inner clarity. The moon phase — reflective, receptive, feminine.

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Citrinitas

The Yellowing

The third stage — sometimes merged with Rubedo in later alchemical texts. The dawning of solar consciousness, the emergence of wisdom and insight. Psychologically: the development of the gold of wisdom from the purified material of the previous stages. Not yet the final completion but its imminent approach.

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Rubedo

The Reddening

The final stage — the completion, the production of the Philosopher's Stone, the sacred marriage of opposites (Sol and Luna, masculine and feminine, spirit and matter). Psychologically: the integration of all aspects of the self into a coherent, authentic whole — what Jung called individuation. The gold is not material wealth but the fullness of the Self.

The Philosopher's Stone

The legendary goal of the alchemical opus — the Philosopher's Stone (Lapis Philosophorum) was said to turn base metals into gold and to be the universal medicine (the Elixir of Life). On the psychological and spiritual level, the Stone represents the achieved Self — the fully individuated, integrated human being who has transmuted the "lead" of unconscious suffering into the "gold" of conscious wisdom. It is not a thing to be found but a state to be achieved — and it is achieved through the Great Work of transformation: the four stages of Nigredo, Albedo, Citrinitas and Rubedo applied to one's own soul.

Section 04

The Great Work Today

Solve et Coagula

Dissolve and coagulate

The master alchemical instruction — dissolve what is rigid and false, then allow what is true and essential to crystallise in a new, purified form. The pattern of all transformation: breakdown followed by rebuilding at a higher order. Apply to beliefs, identities, relationships, habits.

Jung & Alchemy

Psychology & the Opus

Jung spent decades studying alchemical texts and found in them a pre-scientific map of the individuation process — the psychological journey to wholeness. His books Psychology and Alchemy (1944) and Mysterium Coniunctionis (1956) are the definitive modern reading of alchemy as inner work.

The Emerald Tablet

The foundational text

One of the most studied short texts in Western esotericism — fourteen lines that contain, according to Hermetic tradition, the complete secret of the Great Work. Read and re-read by every major figure in Western alchemy from Jabir ibn Hayyan to Isaac Newton, who wrote his own commentary on it.

Newton's Secret

Science and Hermeticism

Isaac Newton — the father of modern science — wrote more about alchemy and Hermetic philosophy than he did about physics. His unpublished alchemical manuscripts run to over a million words. John Maynard Keynes, who purchased Newton's papers, described him as "the last of the magicians." Science and Hermeticism were not always opposites.

Section 05

The Hermetic Legacy

Renaissance Magic

Marsilio Ficino, Pico della Mirandola and Giordano Bruno all drew directly on Hermetic philosophy in developing Renaissance Neoplatonism and ceremonial magic.

Rosicrucianism

The Rosicrucian manifestos of the early 17th century drew heavily on Hermetic philosophy — the Rose Cross tradition has maintained Hermetic principles as central to its teaching.

Freemasonry

Hermetic philosophy permeates Masonic symbolism and degree teachings — particularly in the higher degrees of the Scottish Rite as systematised by Albert Pike in Morals and Dogma.

Golden Dawn

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn placed Hermetic philosophy — particularly the principle of correspondence between the Tree of Life and all other systems — at the heart of its magical framework.

Theosophy & New Age

Blavatsky's Theosophy absorbed many Hermetic principles. The New Age concept of "as above, so below" is directly Hermetic, as is much of the framework of Law of Attraction teachings.

Modern Science

Alchemy's laboratory practices contributed directly to the development of chemistry. The Hermetic principle of universal vibration anticipates quantum field theory. The relationship between Hermeticism and science is more complex than simple opposition.