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Copyright The Esoteric Quarterly, 2009 33

Hermeticism: Rise and Fall of an Esoteric System:Part II

John F. Nash

Abstract

his is the second part of an article examin-ing the appearance, early in the Common

Era, of texts believed to contain revelationfrom the god Thoth/Hermes/Mercury andteachings of the ancient Egyptian priesthood. Itexplores the evolution of Hermeticism, whichhas continued to influence the western esoterictradition and remains an important pillar ofmodern esotericism. Part II begins with an ex-amination of the applications of Hermeticismduring the Renaissance and concludes with adiscussion of its continued relevance in mod-ern times.

Applications of Hermeticism

arsilio Ficino, Cornelius Agrippa,Robert Fludd, and Giordano Bruno

approached Hermeticism as a broad, all-

encompassing field. But a number of Renais-sance scholars focused on specific applica-tions. One of them was the Austrian noblemanParacelsus (14931541), whose full namewas Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bom-bastus Von Hohenheim.1A close contempo-rary of Agrippa, Paracelsus applied Hermeti-cism to medicine. His parallel interest in al-chemy will be discussed later. Paracelsus pre-scribed mineral and herbal remedies, layingimportant groundwork for modern pharmacol-ogy; but he also devoted much time and energy

to what we would call alternative therapies. Hecreated astrological talismans for curing a va-riety of physical and psychological maladies.In The Archidoxes, Paracelsus devoted a wholechapter to remedies for impotence, one ofwhose causes he believed was witchcraft. Toward of such attacks, the patient should take apiece of horseshoe found in the highway, ofwhich let there be made a trident-fork on the

day of Venus and the hour of Saturn.2Thesuitably inscribed trident talisman is shown inFigure 1. Like Agrippa, Paracelsus also in-vented an alphabet (which he calledthe Alphabet of the Magi) for engraving an-gelic names on talismans.

Paracelsus regarded magic as an indispensableingredient in healing work. Comparing his own

methods to those of the clergy, he asked:What Divine that is ignorant of magiccanheal the sick, or administer any other help tohim by his faith alone?3He was scathing inhis criticism of the medical establishment,which he regarded as incompetent. As a result,Paracelsus was continually persecuted by fel-low physicians; nevertheless his work had last-ing influence. He is mentioned by name in theFama Fraternitatis, the first of the RosicrucianManifestos.4And among his later admirers wasthe German esotericist Jakob Bhme (1575

1624).The Italian philosopher Tommaso Campanella(15681639) applied Hermeticism to politicaltheory. Like many other Dominican friars whodabbled in Hermeticism,5he fell afoul of bothecclesiastical and civil authorities. He spent 27years in prison for his role in a failed rebellionagainst Spanish oppression in southern Italy.However, while incarcerated, he wrote a num-

About the AuthorJohn F. Nash, Ph.D., is a long-time esoteric student,author, and teacher. Two of his books, Quest for theSouland The Soul and Its Destiny, were reviewedin the Winter 2005 issue of theEsoteric Quarterly.His latest book, Christianity: The One, the Many,was reviewed in the Fall 2008 issue. Further infor-mation can be found in the advertisements in thisissue and at http://www.uriel.com/.

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The Esoteric Quarterly

34 Copyright The Esoteric Quarterly, 2009

ber of important books. His most famous work,City of the Sun, was a utopian vision inspiredto some degree both by PlatosRepublicandby the magic city ofAdocentynin the Pica-trix.6Campanellas city was designed on Her-metic lines. A large, domed temple, atop a cen-

tral hill, dominated a circular city consisting ofseven concentric, tiered rows of buildings. Thetemple clearly corresponded to the Sun and theconcentric tiers to the planets. Seven lanterns,representing the planets, hung in the temple;and elaborate planetary symbols adorned thewalls of the buildings.Christian images werenot neglected, andrepresentations ofChrist and the 12apostles were given

prominent positionson the citys outerwall.7The city wasruled on magicalprinciples by the sun-priest, an autocraticleader who derivedhis power from thegreat magus, Christor perhaps from Her-mes Trismegistus.Following the idealis-

tic theme, the popula-tion was virtuous andlived an idyllic life ofpeace and harmony.Education and medi-cal care were pro-vided by magi-priestswho reported to the sun-priest.

Over time, Campanellas utopian vision ex-panded from a city to the whole world. He en-visioned a benevolent, imperial theocracybacked by Spanish military might and headedby the pope, who would function as a latter-day Egyptian pharaoh. He tried unsuccessfullyto interest Pope Urban VIII, who was other-wise sympathetic to Hermeticism, in his plan.Undaunted, he moved to France, where amodified versionbased on French instead ofSpanish military mightappealed to the pow-erful Cardinal Richelieu.8Richelieus prodigy,

King Louis XIV, eventually assumed the titleSun-King.

Alchemy attracted the attention of many peo-ple during the Middle Ages, including AlbertusMagnus and his student, Thomas Aquinas,

who is believed to have written an alchemicaltext shortly before his death.9But alchemy wasneglected during the Florentine revival in favorof magic and astrology. It finally came into itsown in the 17th century with the work ofParacelsus, mathematician John Dee, Robert

Fludd, and many oth-ers. Two alchemicaltexts were publishedalong with the Rosicru-cian Manifestos in16141616: Considera-tion of the More Secret

Philosophy by Philip

Gabella, a paraphraseof a work by Dee, andthe much longer al-chemical allegory, TheChymicalWedding ofChristian Rosenkreuzby German Protestanttheologian JohannValentin Andreae(15861642).10

By the 17th century,Kabbalistic conceptswere being incorpo-rated into alchemy, asthey had been intoHermeticism a centuryearlier. Furthermore,

the goals of alchemy had broadened. Thetransmutation of metals remained of interest,but it was viewed primarily as a demonstrationof the spiritualization of matter and the per-sonal transformation of the alchemist. Trans-

mutation represented the descent and ascentthrough the concentric spheres that surroundedthe Earthor the Sun, when the Copernicanmodel finally took hold. A further goal of al-chemy was to discover the elixir of life.

Like other Renaissance Hermeticists, Paracel-sus viewed his alchemical studies and his relig-ion as parts of a seamless continuum. He af-firmed that the foundation of these and other

Hermeticism envisioned a uni-

verse in which gods, planets,

the zodiac, and the myriad

lives on Earth form an organic,

sentient whole. Activity in onepart of the universe can affect

all other parts. Celestial bod-

iesand the exalted intelligen-ces that animate them

influence human activity; but,

in return, humankind can in-

fluence the celestial powers

and its own destiny through

magicIn itself ethically neu-

tral, magic could be used for

either destructive or construc-tive ends.


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arts be laid in the holy Scriptures, upon thedoctrine and faith of Christ.11After providingdetailed instructions on the process of transmu-tation, he ended with this prayer:

Whosoever shall find out this secret, and at-

tain to this gift of God, let him praise themost high God, the Father, Son, and HolyGhost; the Grace of God let him only im-plore that he may use the fame of his glory,and the profit of his neighbor. This themerciful God grant to be done, through Je-sus Christ his only Son our Lord. Amen.12

Paracelsus insisted that alchemical transmuta-tions, like talismanic magic, had to be per-formed when the Sun, Moon, and planets werein favorable alignment;13otherwise the processcould be ineffective or dangerous.

A number of individuals combined careers inmathematics and science with a profound in-terest in Hermeticism. One was John Dee(15271608), a respected mathematician whowrote the preface to an English translation ofEuclidsElementsand contributed to the the-ory of navigation. His mathematics also em-braced concepts of number studied by esoteri-cists from Pythagoras onward.14Dee served asastrological adviser to Queen Elizabeth I15andgained international fame as an alchemist. Hedevoted the latter part of his life, assisted bythe unscrupulous Edward Kelley, to communi-cating with angels. There too, Dees studies innumber, so successful and factual in what hewould think of as the lower spherescould beextended with even more powerful results intothe supercelestial world.16Eventually publicopinion turned against him, and he died inpoverty.

Isaac Newton (16431727) held the prestigiousLucasian chair in mathematics at Cambridgeand wrote the Philosophi Naturalis Principia

Mathematica, one of the most influential booksin the history of science. He also translated theEmerald Tabletinto English and dabbled inalchemy, even setting up an alchemical labora-tory on the grounds of Trinity College.17EliasAshmole (16171692), noted antiquarian andcharter fellow of the Royal Society in London,was an astrologer and alchemist. Robert Boyle,father of modern chemistry, who was offered

the presidency of the Royal Society, wasschooled in Paracelsian alchemy.18

For leading scientists to be interested in al-chemy might seem paradoxical today, but wemust remember that Renaissance scienceor

natural philosophy as it was still calledcoexisted and competed with modern reduc-tionist science during the early years of theRoyal Society. Indeed, the Society was widelyregarded as the manifestation of the Rosicru-cian Invisible College.19Within a few dec-ades the Royal Society became a bastion ofempirical science and resisted pressure to pub-lish Isaac Newtons papers on alchemy.

Decline and Revival ofHermeticism

he decline of Hermeticism had multiplecauses. Pre-Reformation ecclesiastical

attitudes were always mixed. Giovanni Picowas interrogated by the Inquisition but eventu-ally received papal support for his work.Tommaso Campanella received a fair hearingin Rome, but his proposals for a papal utopianautocracy were rejected. Giordano Bruno wasexecuted, and Cornelius Agrippa narrowly es-caped a similar fate.

The Scientific Revolution obviously chal-

lenged the worldview on which Hermeticismwas based. However, as we have seen, Brunoembraced the Copernican model of the solarsystem; and Renaissance natural philosophyand the new empirical science competed forinfluence in the late 17th century. The Enlight-enment, which built upon the Scientific Revo-lution, was a more serious threat, seeking todepict Hermeticismalong with traditionalChristianityas superstition. Since that time,magicians have been ridiculed by the scientificcommunity as much as they have been con-

demned by the church.By then, Renaissance Hermeticism had alreadysuffered a major setback of a different kind.The Swiss classical scholar and philologist,Isaac Casaubon (15591614), used emergingmethods of textual criticism20to demonstratethat the classical Hermetic texts were notnearly so old as previously believed. The vo-cabulary was relatively modern, and the texts

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referred to events in the early Christian era.The implication from Casaubons findings wasthat whoever wrote the texts did not predateMoses and Plato but postdated Christ! Theprophecies, which so fascinated the churchfathers were not prophecies at all; they were

written by people familiar with emergingChristian doctrine. Academic historians nowbelieve that the texts were written in the firstthree centuries CE. We also know now that thetitle Trismegistus was itself comparativelymodern.21

The realization thatthe Pseudo-Hermeswas not the Gen-tile Prophet ofOld-Testamenttimes destroyed anyexpectation that theHermetic teachingsmight have some-thing valuable tocontribute to Chris-tianity. It gave or-thodox elements ofthe Counter-Reformation am-munition to stiflewhat influenceHermeticism stillhad in upper eche-lons of the Romanchurch. In a delib-erate snub to Ren-aissance Neoplaton-ism, and Hermeticism to which it had givenlegitimacy, the Council of Trent reaffirmed theAristotelianism of Thomas Aquinas as the of-ficial philosophy of the Catholic Church. TheProtestant reformers were no more sympa-thetic. They strongly condemned sacramentalmagichocus pocus summed up popularattitudes to Eucharistic transubstantiation22and their condemnations overflowed into otherkinds of magic.

Despite these unfavorable developments, manypeople were unfazed in their interest in Her-meticism. Robert Fludd and Tommaso Cam-panella were most productive in the early dec-ades of the 17th century, and the study of al-

chemy peaked at about the same time. As lateas the 1650s, Athanasius Kirchnera member,no less, of the Society of Jesus, which wasfounded to spearhead the Counter-Reformationpublished his Oedipus Aegyp-tiacuscontaining numerous references to the

Hermetic literature.23Kirchner surmised thatEgyptian hieroglyphics, which Hermes (theinventor of language) must have designed,were sacred talismans.24Kirchner was neverpersecuted by the Roman church, but he wasnearly killed by an advancing army of Protes-

tants for whom Jesuitswere anathema.

Individual Protestantstook an interest in Her-meticism, ignoringnegative attitudes tomagic on the part ofecclesiastical authori-ties. For example, Ja-kob Bhme was a Lu-theran; and the Rosi-crucian Manifestoswere published in theCalvinist Rhine Palati-nate. Perhaps the verydemystification ofProtestant beliefs andpractices spurred com-pensatory interest inHermeticism amongthose with a hunger formystery.25

The longer-term impact of the deterioratingenvironment of the 17th century was to driveHermetic studies underground. Whereas Her-meticism had long been a topic of open dis-course, it retreated more and more behind theclosed doors of private salons or occult socie-ties. Some of them eventually evolved into

Masonic or Rosicrucian lodges.The first reference to Freemasonry, in anythinglike its present form, can be found in the min-utes of a 1598 meeting in Edinburgh, Scot-land.26Elias Ashmole, whose role in the RoyalSociety has already been mentioned, was in-ducted into a Masonic lodge in Warrington,England, in 1646.27Within 100 years, multiplebranches of Freemasonry operated throughout

Reductionist science challenged

notions of universal, organic in-

terconnectedness. And Enlight-

enment rationalism branded the

Hermetic teachings as medievalsuperstition. Hermeticism was

forced onto the defensive, but it

never died out. The teachingswere preserved in Rosicrucian

and Masonic organizations.

They also influenced the arts, as

exemplified by the plays of

Shakespeare, the music of Mo-

zart, the writings of Goethe, and

the poetry and art of William

Blake.


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Europe and North America and even in Russia.What level of organized Rosicrucian activityexisted in the 17th century is less clear. TheManifestos (which called for the reform ofChristianity and major advances in science,education, and medicine) were published in

16161617, shortly after Casaubons findingswere published. They attracted widespreadattention, inspiring Robert Fludd, Elias Ash-mole, Thomas Vaughan (who translated the theFama Fraternitatisinto English), and numer-ous others. But there is no evidence that a co-hesive fraternity ever existed, and regionalgroups seem to have been small and short-lived.28Large-scale Rosicrucian organizationsdate from the mid-19th century.

Continued Relevance

iehard believers still hold onto a shred ofhope that there was a real Hermes Tris-

megistus and that the Hermetic texts are au-thentic. One of many 20th-century Hermeticworks describes Hermes as father of OccultWisdom; the founder of Astrology; the discov-erer of Alchemy.29In the influentialwork, The Secret Teachings of All Ages, ManlyPalmer Hall (19011990) speaks of Hermes asbeing a real god-man.30

Regardless of when the Hermetic texts were

written, they may contain traces of ancientEgyptian, Chaldean and Persian religion.31It isnot out of the question that an oral traditionpreserved teachings from earlier times and thatthe authors compiled and commented uponthose teachings. Furthermore, the teachingsmay well express elements of a perennial phi-losophy and/or were inspired by Intelligencesbeyond the human level.

In any event, the Hermetic texts intrinsic va-lidity has to be evaluated separately from theirauthenticity; and the teachings have obvious

merit. The philosophical mindset of the Her-metic teachings was a combination of Platon-ism, Stoicism, Gnosticism, and Neoplatonism;this last emerged in the third century with thework of Ammonius Saccas, Plotinus, Por-phyry, and Iamblichus. The teachings them-selves were representative of the esoteric cul-tures of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and other partsof the region. Most likely the texts were writ-

ten in Alexandria, which, by the first centuryCE, had become a general melting pot of Ro-man, Greek, and Middle Eastern thought.

A major Hermetic revival began in 19th-century France. Alphonse Louis Constant

(18101875) adopted the title of magus andwrote a number of books and articles on cere-monial magic under the pseudonym liphasLvi. His books disclosed information that hadpreviously been discussed only in secret socie-ties. Lvi acknowledged that the classical textswere probably creations of the Alexandrianschool,32but he affirmed an authentic Her-metic tradition and seemed to believe that theEmerald Tabletwas actually the work of Her-mes. One of Lvis lifelong ambitions was tosee a rapprochement between magic and Chris-tianity, as had been attempted during the Ren-aissance.

Another Frenchman, the Marquis Saint-YvesdAlveydre (18421909), made an interestingcontribution with his creation of the archeom-eter.33The device, which may have been in-spired by a passage in the early Kabbalistictext, the Sefer Yetzirah,34consisted of a discinscribed by correspondences between num-bers, letters, colors, musical notes, signs of thezodiac, and planets (Figure 2). DAlveydreclaimed that it provided the key to understand-

ing all ancient science and religion. Reportedlyhe obtained a patent for the device in 1903.

The Hermetic Society of the Golden Dawn wasestablished in London in 1888. Structuredalong Masonic lines, with graded initiations,its stated mission was to preserve the body ofknowledge known as Hermeticism. A largermission was to promote the philosophical,spiritual, and psychic evolution of humanity.35Drama and rituals were performed resemblingancient mystery rites,36and a broad range ofesoteric topics were studied, including magic,astrology, and the Kabbalah. Although mem-bers of the Golden Dawn drew upon relevantHebrew texts,37their Kabbalistic teachingswere strongly influenced by Hermeticism. TheSocietys work was protected by initiatoryoaths, but publications by individual memberssoon brought the teachings to a wide reader-ship. The Golden Dawns influence on modernwestern esotericism was immense.38

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Modern Rosicrucian organizations includeHermetic teachings in their study curricula.Alchemy also continues to command interest.Despite John Dees contention that alchemywould become almost impossible after histime, on account of humanitys increasing

barbarism, several individuals are reputed tohave achieved the transmutation of metals.39Alchemy has also interested Jungian psycholo-gists who see in its imagery archetypes fromthe collective unconscious.40Emphasis on thesymbolism of alchemy is now so strong thatthe transformative aspectstransformation ofthe alchemist as well as the tinctures in theirretortsare often overlooked.

Hermeticism and the Tarot

n important expression of Hermeticism,which remains popular today, is the

Tarot. The word Tarot is French, but it isderived from the plural Italian word tarocci(possibly trumps or triumphs), believed torefer to a card game.

While there is some evidence that the Tarotwas known in early medieval Europe and theMiddle East, the oldest extant Tarot deck datesfrom about 1460. The hand-painted deck wascommissioned by Duke Filippo Maria Viscontiof Milan and his successor Francesco Sforza.41

The 74 unnamed, but recognizable, cards weredivided into two sections resembling the Majorand Minor Arcana familiar today.42From thesame period, a set of 50 woodcuts is attributedto Andreas Mantegna, painter and printmakerin Padua. Some of Mantegnas cards havecaptions like The Emperor and Justice,which appear in the modern Tarot; but theyalso include Poetry, Jupiter, and ChiefAgent. Mantegna and the unknown creator ofthe Visconti-Sforza deck were contemporariesof Giovanni Pico and doubtless knew of his

and Marsilio Ficinos interest in Hermeticism.The artwork of the Visconti-Sforza deck (Fig-ure 3) is of a high order and recalls the classi-cal themes of Ficinos talismans.

The French Freemason Antoine Court de G-belin (c.17191784) recognized ancient sym-bols in the Tarot and concluded that they wereof Egyptian origin. He also suggested that theMajor Arcana could be correlated with letters

in the Hebrew alphabet.43Soon thereafter,Tarot cards began to be used for divination,meditation, and esoteric study. A century later,the Tarot became the subject of intense studyby liphas Lvi and other French occultists.Lvi claimed that:

A prisoner devoid of books, had he onlya Tarot of which he knew how to makeuse, could in a few years acquire a uni-versal science, and converse with an un-equalled doctrine and inexhaustible elo-quence.44

At about the same time, the Tarot entered therepertory of the Society of the Golden Dawn;and, in due course, it spread to other westernesoteric bodies.

The Tarot reveals obvious Hermetic influenceand seems to have a direct link with Renais-sance Hermeticism. Tarot cards are talismans,albeit now serving purposes other than magic.Whether a separate link can be establishedwith Egyptian Hermetism is less clear. Never-theless, Golden Dawn initiate Aleister Crowleyreferred to the Tarot as the Book of Thoth.45And the artwork in the popular Waite-Smithdeck46has an Egyptian flavor that calls to mindthe mythical setting of classical Hermeticteachings.

Concluding Remarksermeticism has had an enormous influ-ence on the western esoteric tradition.

Even though the classical Hermetic textsturned out to be more recent than originallybelieved and cannot be traced to the god-manHermes, their powerful message has resonatedwith seekers for nearly two millennia. Regard-less of their origins, the Hermetic teachingsspeak for themselves.

Classical Hermetism and the later Hermeticism

envisioned a universe in which gods, planets,the zodiac, and the myriad lives on Earth forman organic, sentient whole. Activity in one partof the universe can affect all other parts. Celes-tial bodiesand the exalted intelligences thatanimate theminfluence human activity; but,in return, humankind can influence the celes-tial powers and its own destiny through magic.Hermetic magic was a broad field that in-

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volved the use of minerals, herbs, perfumes,color, talismanic images, spoken or chantedinvocations, and many other artifacts. In itselfethically neutral, magic could be used for ei-ther destructive or constructive ends. Human-ity had divine potential, and to become a ma-

gus was within the reach of anyone willing toinvest the necessary time and resources and toattain the required moral perfection.

Hermeticism, and the Kabbalah with which itoverlapped in western esotericism, were em-braced by leading Christians. Scholars, magi-cians, priests, and even some popes saw noconflict with their faith; in fact, they envi-sioned ways in which Hermeticism could en-rich Christianity or serve as a basis for neededreform. Christ and many of the saints wereviewed as powerful magi, and Hermetic practi-tioners saw themselves as legitimate succes-sors. More orthodox Christians felt threatenedto the point that they felt compelled to opposeHermeticism by any means at their disposal,including the torture and execution of thoseinvolved.

Reductionist science challenged notions ofuniversal, organic interconnectedness. AndEnlightenment rationalism branded the Her-metic teachings as medieval superstition. Her-meticism was forced onto the defensive, but it

never died out. The teachings were preservedin Rosicrucian and Masonic organizations.They also influenced the arts, as exemplifiedby the plays of Shakespeare,47the music ofMozart,48the writings of Goethe,49and the po-etry and art of William Blake.50Hermeticismfinally enjoyed a major revival in the late 19thcentury, and it survives today as a major com-ponent of modern esotericism. Numerousbooks on magic, alchemy, and mundane andesoteric astrology continue to be published forreaders at every level of understanding.

In this post-modern age, when trust in rational-ism and scientific reductionism is eroding,people are attracted to a worldview that honorsbelief in a live, sentient, integrated cosmos.Travel through the spheres, planes, or how-ever else we choose to represent levels of real-ity, remains a goal of every mystic. Corre-spondingly, the invocation of power fromhigher spheres is the goal of every white magi-

cian. To be sure, we are dismayed by someaspects of Renaissance magicas much as weare repelled by the crude sorcery, prevalent inprehistory and continuing today, that Hermeticideals never touched. However, we have op-portunities to develop new attitudes to magic;

and, in that regard, much depends on perspec-tive. What, from below, might seem like a fu-tile attempt to defy inviolable laws of nature isseen from above as the use of higher mindNous,Mens, orManasto manipulate subtleenergy within a framework of more compre-hensive laws. We are reminded that the initia-tory path demands mastery of magic as an in-strument of service and the means to build anew world order for the Aquarian Age.

1 The name Paracelsus meant comparable toCelsus, the latter being the famous Romanphysician whose work dominated westernmedicine until the 16th century.

2 Paracelsus, Celestial Medicines, The Archi-doxis, treatise II, chap. 1, trans. R. Turner(Paris: Ibis Press, 1656/1975), 114. Quote tran-scribed into modern American English.

3 Paracelsus, Of Occult Philosophy, The Archi-doxis, treatise II, chap. 1, 81-82. Quote tran-scribed into modern American English.

4 Fama Fraternitatis, 1614. See the discussion in

Frances Yates, The Rosicrucian Enlightenment(London: Routledge, 1972), 61, 301.5 Considering the number of Dominicans who

engaged in Hermeticism, it is ironical that theOrder played so prominent a role in the Inquisi-tion that persecuted them.

6 Frances A. Yates, Giordano Bruno and theHermetic Tradition(New York: Vintage Books,1964), 370. In the Hermetic view, Platos uto-pian dream was perfectly understandable sincehe had derived his wisdom from Hermes.

7 Ibid.8 Ibid., 376, 384-392.9 Thomas Aquinas (attributed to),Aurora Con-

surgens, ed. Marie-Louise von Franz (Toronto:Inner City Books, 2000).

10 The primary manifestos were the Fama Frater-nitatisand the Confessio Fraternitatis. Themythical Christian Rosencreutz, mentioned inthe Chymical Wedding, was viewed as a magusin the Hermetic tradition.

11 Paracelsus, Prologue to Of Occult Philoso-phy, treatise II, chap. 1, 30. Quote transcribedinto modern American English.


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12 Paracelsus, Secrets of Alchymy, treatise II,chap. 8, 28. Quote transcribed into modernAmerican English.

13 Paracelsus, An Election of Time to be Ob-served in the Transmutation of Metals, The Ar-

chidoxis, treatise II, chap. 1, 159-160.14 Dees preface to Euclid began with an invoca-tion to Divine Plato. See Frances A. Yates,The Occult Philosophy in the Elizabethan Age(New York: Routledge, 1979), 94. Plato hadbeen the primary expositor of Pythagoras the-ory of number.

15 Dee may have served as the model for the ma-gus Prospero in Shakespeares The Tempest.

16 Yates, The Occult Philosophy in the Elizabe-than Age, 96.

17 Skeptical colleagues dismissed his interest as asymptom of encroaching dementia.

18

Boyle declined the presidency of the Royal So-ciety because of reluctance to swear an oath.19 Yates, The Rosicrucian Enlightenment, 248.

The Rosicrucian Manifestos promised that theInvisible College would teach without booksor marks all the languages of the worldanddraw man from error.

20 The methods he used came to be called highercriticism and were applied to scripture, outrag-ing religious conservatives.

21 The name appeared on an inscription on thesecond-century BCE Ibis shrine at Sakkara,Egypt. See Clement Salaman, Dorine van Ovin,and William D. Wharton, The Way of Hermes(Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions, 2000), 80.

22 The term was a contemptuous parody of thewords of consecration:Hoc est enim corpusmeum.

23 The three-volume work was published in Romein 16521654.

24 That notion seems less fantastic when we recallthat the medieval Kabbalists believed that theHebrew alphabet was of sacred origin.

25 Tobias Churton, The Magus of Freemasonry(Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions, 2004), 136.

26 Charles W. Leadbeater, Glimpses of MasonicHistory(Adyar, India: Theosophical Publishing

House, 1926), 243.27 Churton, The Magus of Freemasonry, 92-117.

Churton depicts the Craft, in the 17th century,as being in transition from operative (guild) ma-sonry to modern speculative Freemasonry.

28 For a discussion of the Rosicrucian movement,see Yates, The Rosicrucian Enlightenment. TheBrotherhood of the Rose Cross was so secretthere are doubts that it ever existed except inconcept. The growth of imitative Rosicrucian

organizations was severely limited during theThirty Years War and the witch-hunts that fol-lowed. By the end of the 17th century, Rosi-crucian had acquired a pejorative sense.

29 The Kybalion(Chicago: Yogi Publication Soci-

ety, 1908/1912), 17. Authorship of The Ky-balionwas attributed to three initiates.

30 Manly Palmer Hall, The Secret Teachings of AllAges: An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic,

Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian Sym-

bolical Philosophy(Los Angeles: PhilosophicalResearch Society, 1928). The book was pub-lished when the author was only 27 years old.

31 Salaman et al., The Way of Hermes, 84.32 The History of Magic, trans. A. E. Waite (San

Francisco: Weiser, 1913), 79-80.33 The archeometer is mentioned in correspon-

dence between dAlveydre and Papus (Grard

Encausse). See the lattersThe Qabalah(SanFrancisco: Weiser, 1892/1977), 28-35. Figure 2is reproduced fromhttp://kingsgarden.org/English/Organizations/OM.GB/Alveydre/Archeometre.html (accessedDecember 24, 2008).

34 Sefer Yetzirah(short version), 2:2-6, trans. A.Kaplan (San Francisco: Weiser, 1997), 262-263.

35 Israel Regardie, The Golden Dawn(Woodbury,MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1940/1971).

36 Mary K. Greer, Women of the Golden Dawn(Rochester, VT: Park Street Press, 1995). Seealso W. Wynn Westcott, Historic Lecture(London: Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn).

37 On the other hand, a major source was KabbalaDenudata(Kabbalah Unveiled) by the 17th-century Christian Kabbalist, Knorr von Rosen-roth.

38 The original Society of the Golden Dawn didnot last long into the 20th century, but deriva-tive organizations still operate on both sides ofthe Atlantic, including the Builders of the Ady-tum.

39 They include the Count of Sainte-Germain(17101784?), Jean Julien Fulcanelli (18771932), and R. A. Schwaller de Lubicz (18871961). For a discussion on famous alchemists

throughout history see Kenneth R. Johnson, TheFulcanelli Phenomenon(London: NevilleSpearman, 1980), 25. Also: Jacques Sadoul,Al-chemists and Gold(London: Neville Spearman,1970), 59-187.

40 See, for example, Carl G. Jung, Psychology andAlchemy(Princeton, NJ: Princeton UniversityPress, 1953);Mysterium Coniunctionis(Prince-ton University Press, 1977);Alchemical Studies(Princeton University Press, 1983). Also,


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Marie-Louise Von Franz,Alchemy: An Intro-duction to the Symbolism and the Psychology(Toronto: Inner City Books, 1981).

41 A reproduction is available from Lo Scarabeo,Torino, Italy.

42 The Visconti-Sforza deck must have containedat least 76 cards because two of the missingones left obvious gaps in the minor arcana.Missing from the major arcana are The Deviland The Tower.

43 Antoine Court de Gbelin, The Primitive World,Analyzed and Compared to the Modern World,vol. viii (Paris, 1781).

44 liphas Lvi, The Mysteries of Magic(London:Kegan, 1897), 285.

45 Aleister Crowley, The Book of Thoth: EgyptianTarot(San Francisco: Weiser 1944/1969).

46 The deck is often referred to as the Rider

Deck, after its publisher. The deck was de-

signed by Arthur Waite and Pamela ColemanSmith, both members of the Golden Dawn.

47 Yates, The Occult Philosophy in the Elizabe-than Age, 148-192.

48 Jacques Henry,Mozart the Freemason(Roches-

ter, VT: Inner Traditions, 1991). Mozarts TheMagic Flute, published in 1791, is replete withoccult symbolism.

49 Matthew M. Ryder, Goethe, Lessing andSchiller: German Dramatists, Freemasons, Poetsand Romanticists, http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/ (accessed September 15,2008).

50 Dsire Hirst,Hidden Riches: Traditional Sym-bolism from the Renaissance to Blake(London:Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1964).


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Figure 1. Talismanic Image for Combating Assaults on Potency(after Paracelsus)


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Figure 2. Saint-Yves d'Alveydres Archeometer


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Figure 3. Two Cards from the Visconti-Sforza Tarot Deck(with modern names)

The Hermit The Star

hermeticism and alveydre

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