Today found me contemplating the currents of thought and philosophy that blended together in order to create Freemasonry, so I thought that a discussion about one of those currents might prove interesting for us to have. I’ve questioned…
What role did Hermeticism play in the founding of Freemasonry?
Does it still play a role in today’s Freemasonry?
Would today’s Freemasons benefit from studying the Corpus Hermeticum and the Asclepius?
Moving on to what I suppose we could call neo-hermeticism, would today’s Freemasons benefit from studying the Kybalion? Even though that book was published hundreds of years after modern Freemasonry came about?
Well I must admit we never discuss Hermes Trismegistus or anything else at the Lodge so I tend to do that on my own but it is always great here MW
It must have something to do with my 18 years at Cern LHC since I always have to figure things out and I tend to work on my own most of my life.
Freemasonry is the purest inheritor of the Metaphysics and Symbology of the Hermetic Tradition
As it is related in the Torah which I have read cover to cover 8 times in the last 2 years in English and Hebrew.
And we have Pythagoreans such as: Socrates, Plato, Timaeus and Apollonius of Tyana,and the theorems from Euclid and the the 47th Problem Pythagoras fundamental relation in Euclidean geometry statement a2 + b2 = c2
Seems uncertain that anybody really knows what role Hermeticism played in the founding. Key early speculative Masons like Elias Ashmole were of the persuasion (https://hermetic.com/hermeneuticon/elias-ashmole), but basically what impact it had looks to me like a big fight between the authentic & romantic scholars of the history.
I look at Freemasonry at its core as ecumenical and tolerant of various traditions. So approaching the question of would freemasons benefit by studying it, we could substitute Hermeticism for any other faith or philosophical approach and the answer would generally be "yes, we'd benefit by studying it". It can't be accepted as capital-T Truth for the institution, but neither is any other religion or philosophical system. It's, let's call it, "a worthy input".
From an esoteric perspective, when younger brothers read the Kybalion, they often get their mind blown a little bit because the information is so differently organized than what people are used to. I think that's a good feeling for men to have. It's the feeling of a broadening perspective of what can exist, and what is possible. If we would make an attempt to better understand or be closer to the ineffable, you want to have that feeling as regularly as possible. Abandon the notion that you're reading The Truth, that you're receiving The Key that unlocks everything (you aren't) and look at it more as seeing the elephant from a different angle. That's why these different systems are all valuable; fresh but incomplete perspectives essentially on the same underlying ineffable.
While I have not yet had the pleasure of diving into the Corpus Hermeticum, reading various texts show that Freemasonry was certainly heavily influenced by the philosophy and symbolism of Hermeticism, as well as other esoteric systems. Works like "Isis Unveiled" by Blavatsky, "the Secret Teachings of All Ages" by Bro Hall, and (of course) "Morals and Dogma" by Pike clearly illustrate how much overlap there is. I personally believe that we, as men who deeply consider esoteric mysteries in our everyday craft would absolutely benefit from individual and group study of Hermeticism and it's works. Even familiarizing ourselves with more modern works inspired by the same teachings, such as "the Kybalion" and "the Book of the Law" by Crowley could help to fill in gaps in our understanding. Such works are chances for us to converse with learned and curious thinkers of the past, and perhaps we can benefit from trying our learning from many angles of thought and influence: the better able to fill in our own understandings of our craft.
This is an interesting topic which I need to explore further. But I just wanted to mention how coincidental your topic is today. Tonight I will go back to my mother lodge in Portland to take part in a special MM degree. The man I have coached through the degrees, who had been stuck at FC when the shutdown happened and has since moved to Nashville, will finally be completing this part of his journey. His chosen sacred text for his degrees has been a replica of the Emerald Tablet. So in some ways, Hermeticism does play a role in modern Freemasonry!
Hermetic Masonry was a book published in 1916, by Frank Higgins. This consists of a collection of several esoteric writings in two parts: “The Beginning of Masonry” and “A.U.M. the Lost Word”. The papers are all about connecting Freemasonry to the “gnosis of the past’ or the ancient mysteries.
HERMES, the messenger of the gods, was said by the Greeks to typify and preside over the powers of the mind and to be the patron of gymnastic games. As illustrated on a 350 BC, Greek coin, from Pheneus in Arcadia (currently housed in the British Museum), Hermes is represented as bearing a caduceus or staff, gift of Apollo the Sun God, and emblem of the God’s message to mankind. This staff represents the spine containing the cerebro-spinal nervous system which is the wand of the magician, while the two intertwining serpents which ascend symbolize the positive and negative currents of Solar Force directed upward for the stimulation and evolution of the Solar Principle in man. Upon his left arm Hermes bears the Infant Bacchus, the Redeemer.
From the confusion of tongues, it has been forgotten by many that the Greek god named Hermes is also known as Enoch in the Hebrew Old Testament, Idris in Arabic (Quran) and in Egypt he is known as the god Thoth. According to The Constitution of Freemasons, Bacchus, in Freemasonry was said to have given the first charges of Freemasonry. He is known also as the Biblical Nimrod (the Rebel), who also became known as Belus (Lord), and bestowed the title Bel or Baal (Grand Master).
In like manner Aristo, who wrote a treatise of the Athenian Colonies, tells us, he somewhere met with an epistle of Alewarchus, wherein Bacchus was expressly said to have been the son of Isis, and to have been named by the Egyptians not Osiris, but Asiris, with an A; a word, in the language of that country, signifying strong and mighty.
From the Halliwell poem (Constitutions of the Art of Geometry According to Euclid) and the Cooke Manuscript states: "At the makinge of the Tower of Babylon, there was Masonrye first made much of. And the Kinge of Babylon that height Nemrothe was a mason himselfe, and loved well the science as it is said with masters of histories. And when the City of Ninyve and other citties of the East should be made, Nemrothe the Kinge of Babylon sent thither three score masons at the rogation of the Kinge of Nyneve, his cosen. And when he sent them forth he gave them a charge in this manner. . . . And this was the first tyme that ever Masons had any charge of his science."
Albert Pike on Hermes: “From the bosom of Egypt sprang a man of consummate wisdom, initiated in the secret knowledge of India, of Persia, and of Ethiopia, named Thoth or Phtha by his compatriots, Taaut by the Phoenicians and Hermes Trismegistus (Thrice Great Hermes) by the Greeks. In Egypt he instituted hieroglyphics; he selected a certain number of persons, whom he judged fitted to be the depositaries of his secrets, of only such as were capable of attaining the throne and the first offices in the mysteries, he united them in a body, created them priests of the living God, instructed them in the sciences and arts, especially astronomy, music (which he is said to have invented), arithmetic, and work in metals, etc. Under him, Egypt paid homage to seven principal deities" (the seven planets).”
Hermes is represented as Mercury; the Latin translation of the Greek Hermes. On average, Mercury is the closest planet to Earth and to every other planet in the solar system. As a Deity, Mercury was known as the messenger of the gods. Mercury completes three orbits in just under 50 weeks, so that there are six conjunctions three inferior and three superior in each year. If all six are marked on the circle of the zodiac and the three inferior joined by lines drawn, it forms a perfect hexagon, also symbol of the Tribe of David and Seal of Solomon. Hermes was also known Thoth, the chief scribe of the gods and author of 20,000 volumes of books/tablets. Among the tablets enumerated is found the world famous “Hermetica” and the Legendary “Emerald Tablet”. Thoth is the Phoenician rendition of the sound that an Ibis makes. Usually describes as a silent bird which makes the sound “Thoth” during its regurgitate digestion. As a scribe he was overtly associated with the ibis because this bird was found along the Nile amongst papyrus plants; the wetlands sedge once used to make paper.
Aphrodite, who is represented by the planet Venus is the companion of Hermes. In the diagram on the zodiac, Venus makes the “pentagram pattern every 2,920 years. The word pentagram, or Blazing Star is used because, over the eight years each relative position of Earth, Venus, and the sun occurs five times. Then, over the next eight years, they repeat five times almost identically. This geometric pattern forms the “pentagram of Venus”. The oldest known record is the Venus Tablet of Ammisaduqa, which dating may not be accurate it has been attributed to the mid seventeenth century BC!
The two sexed child of Hermes and Aphrodite (Mercury and Venus) was called Hermaphroditus. He was numbered among the winged love-gods known as Erotes. His name is where we get the word hermaphrodite. Reflectively in alchemy, the three (Hermes, Aphrodite and Hermaphroditus) can be derived also as Sulfur, Mercury, and Salt; or Soul, Spirit, and Body.
The Rosicrucians continue its teachings through alchemical and astrological themes. Such as the lost word being recovered by Hiram via Tubal-Cain in the interiors of the Earth. The story continues where he was raised by a certain grip, as illustrated by the raising of Lazarus (El-Asar-us). These chemical and transmutations / ascensions can be found in the Kybalion. The authorship of this book can be linked to speculative Freemasonry, Rosicrucians, and the Knights Templar. I have many notes on this subject, however I’ve probably gone on enough for now.
My answers will be uncustomary short. Was Hermeticism involved in the founding of (Speculative) Freemasonry? Answering this question definitively would require precise knowledge of the founding of Freemasonry. I do not possess that. Does it still play a role? It may play a role but I cannot tell if that was intentionally caused by our founders, or from the influence of early Freemasons. Would we benefit from the study of the Corpus Hermeticum? Yes, as the Corpus was so influential during time of the founding of the Craft, its study would at LEAST help us better understanding the thinking of early Freemasons.
I believe that many prominent early Masons studied the Corpus, and those men influenced the development of the Craft. Elements of that influence could and probably do intentionally exist in our rituals, symbols, and traditions. As part of a larger dive into the esoteric elements of the Craft serious study of the Corpus Hermeticum would be a good idea, and most likely productive.
Well I must admit we never discuss Hermes Trismegistus or anything else at the Lodge so I tend to do that on my own but it is always great here MW
It must have something to do with my 18 years at Cern LHC since I always have to figure things out and I tend to work on my own most of my life.
Freemasonry is the purest inheritor of the Metaphysics and Symbology of the Hermetic Tradition
As it is related in the Torah which I have read cover to cover 8 times in the last 2 years in English and Hebrew.
And we have Pythagoreans such as: Socrates, Plato, Timaeus and Apollonius of Tyana,and the theorems from Euclid and the the 47th Problem Pythagoras fundamental relation in Euclidean geometry statement a2 + b2 = c2
And that 3:40am I should actually be asleep >:-D
Seems uncertain that anybody really knows what role Hermeticism played in the founding. Key early speculative Masons like Elias Ashmole were of the persuasion (https://hermetic.com/hermeneuticon/elias-ashmole), but basically what impact it had looks to me like a big fight between the authentic & romantic scholars of the history.
I look at Freemasonry at its core as ecumenical and tolerant of various traditions. So approaching the question of would freemasons benefit by studying it, we could substitute Hermeticism for any other faith or philosophical approach and the answer would generally be "yes, we'd benefit by studying it". It can't be accepted as capital-T Truth for the institution, but neither is any other religion or philosophical system. It's, let's call it, "a worthy input".
From an esoteric perspective, when younger brothers read the Kybalion, they often get their mind blown a little bit because the information is so differently organized than what people are used to. I think that's a good feeling for men to have. It's the feeling of a broadening perspective of what can exist, and what is possible. If we would make an attempt to better understand or be closer to the ineffable, you want to have that feeling as regularly as possible. Abandon the notion that you're reading The Truth, that you're receiving The Key that unlocks everything (you aren't) and look at it more as seeing the elephant from a different angle. That's why these different systems are all valuable; fresh but incomplete perspectives essentially on the same underlying ineffable.
While I have not yet had the pleasure of diving into the Corpus Hermeticum, reading various texts show that Freemasonry was certainly heavily influenced by the philosophy and symbolism of Hermeticism, as well as other esoteric systems. Works like "Isis Unveiled" by Blavatsky, "the Secret Teachings of All Ages" by Bro Hall, and (of course) "Morals and Dogma" by Pike clearly illustrate how much overlap there is. I personally believe that we, as men who deeply consider esoteric mysteries in our everyday craft would absolutely benefit from individual and group study of Hermeticism and it's works. Even familiarizing ourselves with more modern works inspired by the same teachings, such as "the Kybalion" and "the Book of the Law" by Crowley could help to fill in gaps in our understanding. Such works are chances for us to converse with learned and curious thinkers of the past, and perhaps we can benefit from trying our learning from many angles of thought and influence: the better able to fill in our own understandings of our craft.
This is an interesting topic which I need to explore further. But I just wanted to mention how coincidental your topic is today. Tonight I will go back to my mother lodge in Portland to take part in a special MM degree. The man I have coached through the degrees, who had been stuck at FC when the shutdown happened and has since moved to Nashville, will finally be completing this part of his journey. His chosen sacred text for his degrees has been a replica of the Emerald Tablet. So in some ways, Hermeticism does play a role in modern Freemasonry!
Hermetic Masonry was a book published in 1916, by Frank Higgins. This consists of a collection of several esoteric writings in two parts: “The Beginning of Masonry” and “A.U.M. the Lost Word”. The papers are all about connecting Freemasonry to the “gnosis of the past’ or the ancient mysteries.
HERMES, the messenger of the gods, was said by the Greeks to typify and preside over the powers of the mind and to be the patron of gymnastic games. As illustrated on a 350 BC, Greek coin, from Pheneus in Arcadia (currently housed in the British Museum), Hermes is represented as bearing a caduceus or staff, gift of Apollo the Sun God, and emblem of the God’s message to mankind. This staff represents the spine containing the cerebro-spinal nervous system which is the wand of the magician, while the two intertwining serpents which ascend symbolize the positive and negative currents of Solar Force directed upward for the stimulation and evolution of the Solar Principle in man. Upon his left arm Hermes bears the Infant Bacchus, the Redeemer.
From the confusion of tongues, it has been forgotten by many that the Greek god named Hermes is also known as Enoch in the Hebrew Old Testament, Idris in Arabic (Quran) and in Egypt he is known as the god Thoth. According to The Constitution of Freemasons, Bacchus, in Freemasonry was said to have given the first charges of Freemasonry. He is known also as the Biblical Nimrod (the Rebel), who also became known as Belus (Lord), and bestowed the title Bel or Baal (Grand Master).
In like manner Aristo, who wrote a treatise of the Athenian Colonies, tells us, he somewhere met with an epistle of Alewarchus, wherein Bacchus was expressly said to have been the son of Isis, and to have been named by the Egyptians not Osiris, but Asiris, with an A; a word, in the language of that country, signifying strong and mighty.
From the Halliwell poem (Constitutions of the Art of Geometry According to Euclid) and the Cooke Manuscript states: "At the makinge of the Tower of Babylon, there was Masonrye first made much of. And the Kinge of Babylon that height Nemrothe was a mason himselfe, and loved well the science as it is said with masters of histories. And when the City of Ninyve and other citties of the East should be made, Nemrothe the Kinge of Babylon sent thither three score masons at the rogation of the Kinge of Nyneve, his cosen. And when he sent them forth he gave them a charge in this manner. . . . And this was the first tyme that ever Masons had any charge of his science."
Albert Pike on Hermes: “From the bosom of Egypt sprang a man of consummate wisdom, initiated in the secret knowledge of India, of Persia, and of Ethiopia, named Thoth or Phtha by his compatriots, Taaut by the Phoenicians and Hermes Trismegistus (Thrice Great Hermes) by the Greeks. In Egypt he instituted hieroglyphics; he selected a certain number of persons, whom he judged fitted to be the depositaries of his secrets, of only such as were capable of attaining the throne and the first offices in the mysteries, he united them in a body, created them priests of the living God, instructed them in the sciences and arts, especially astronomy, music (which he is said to have invented), arithmetic, and work in metals, etc. Under him, Egypt paid homage to seven principal deities" (the seven planets).”
Hermes is represented as Mercury; the Latin translation of the Greek Hermes. On average, Mercury is the closest planet to Earth and to every other planet in the solar system. As a Deity, Mercury was known as the messenger of the gods. Mercury completes three orbits in just under 50 weeks, so that there are six conjunctions three inferior and three superior in each year. If all six are marked on the circle of the zodiac and the three inferior joined by lines drawn, it forms a perfect hexagon, also symbol of the Tribe of David and Seal of Solomon. Hermes was also known Thoth, the chief scribe of the gods and author of 20,000 volumes of books/tablets. Among the tablets enumerated is found the world famous “Hermetica” and the Legendary “Emerald Tablet”. Thoth is the Phoenician rendition of the sound that an Ibis makes. Usually describes as a silent bird which makes the sound “Thoth” during its regurgitate digestion. As a scribe he was overtly associated with the ibis because this bird was found along the Nile amongst papyrus plants; the wetlands sedge once used to make paper.
Aphrodite, who is represented by the planet Venus is the companion of Hermes. In the diagram on the zodiac, Venus makes the “pentagram pattern every 2,920 years. The word pentagram, or Blazing Star is used because, over the eight years each relative position of Earth, Venus, and the sun occurs five times. Then, over the next eight years, they repeat five times almost identically. This geometric pattern forms the “pentagram of Venus”. The oldest known record is the Venus Tablet of Ammisaduqa, which dating may not be accurate it has been attributed to the mid seventeenth century BC!
The two sexed child of Hermes and Aphrodite (Mercury and Venus) was called Hermaphroditus. He was numbered among the winged love-gods known as Erotes. His name is where we get the word hermaphrodite. Reflectively in alchemy, the three (Hermes, Aphrodite and Hermaphroditus) can be derived also as Sulfur, Mercury, and Salt; or Soul, Spirit, and Body.
The Rosicrucians continue its teachings through alchemical and astrological themes. Such as the lost word being recovered by Hiram via Tubal-Cain in the interiors of the Earth. The story continues where he was raised by a certain grip, as illustrated by the raising of Lazarus (El-Asar-us). These chemical and transmutations / ascensions can be found in the Kybalion. The authorship of this book can be linked to speculative Freemasonry, Rosicrucians, and the Knights Templar. I have many notes on this subject, however I’ve probably gone on enough for now.
WOW, those are huge questions!
My answers will be uncustomary short. Was Hermeticism involved in the founding of (Speculative) Freemasonry? Answering this question definitively would require precise knowledge of the founding of Freemasonry. I do not possess that. Does it still play a role? It may play a role but I cannot tell if that was intentionally caused by our founders, or from the influence of early Freemasons. Would we benefit from the study of the Corpus Hermeticum? Yes, as the Corpus was so influential during time of the founding of the Craft, its study would at LEAST help us better understanding the thinking of early Freemasons.
I believe that many prominent early Masons studied the Corpus, and those men influenced the development of the Craft. Elements of that influence could and probably do intentionally exist in our rituals, symbols, and traditions. As part of a larger dive into the esoteric elements of the Craft serious study of the Corpus Hermeticum would be a good idea, and most likely productive.