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What is Hermetism?

… Hermeticism is only cognizable for people who are open for the arcane. It eludes the „convenient” approach as long as one is not willing to engage with one’s own inmost being.

… The roots of Hermeticism lie in ancient Egypt. From the official historical records very little is known of these roots. Known hermetic treatises, as for instance the “Corpus Hermeticum”, deal with theological and philosophical questions such as the repeated earth lives and the apotheosis of the human being at hand of cognizance of a transcendental god. The philosophical orientation of these treatises is Greek rather than Egyptian. The Greeks recognized a close relationship between Hermes and the Egyptian god, Thoth.

… HERMES taught: To the extent that the human being uses his skills and capacities while on earth in accordance with the intentions of the spiritual powers, he prepares in himself the ability to unite himself with these powers after his death (Rudolf Steiner, „Occult Science“, GA 13, 1972, p. 210).

… The impulse of the ancient Egyptian Hermeticism therefore lies „above“, whereas the souls “below” should learn to form themselves in analogy with the “above” so as to be able to eventually reunite with the “above”.

… HERMES could teach this analogy of “above” and “below” because he was able to apprehend the world “above”, the world “below”, as well as the interrelation between the two.

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… The pupils of the great HERMES had to purify and shape their soul forces of thinking, feeling and willing in such a way that they would be able to unite themselves after their death with the Being of the Sun. This Being of the Sun, however, has through the events enacted at the turning point of time descended from the realm of the sun and has united himself with the earth.