33. The Discourse on the Eighth and Ninth
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I he hermetic Discourse on the Eighth and Ninth is a dialogue be-
I tween a teacher, Hermes Trismegistos, and an unnamed student
JL. about the ascent to the higher stages of spiritual enlightenment,
the eighth and the ninth. Such an ascent is also described in the preceding text,
Poimandres. The present text assumes the astronomical system of late antiq-
uity that describes the heavens as consisting of seven spheres surrounding the
earth and housing the sun, moon, and planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter,
Saturn). Beyond these spheres lies the divine. The eighth realm, astronomers
thought, is the realm of the fixed stars, and the ninth realm is exalted beyond
that. These realms are also depicted in the Secret Book of John, with the seven
cosmic kings stationed in seven spheres of heaven, through the power of Yald-
abaoth, and Sophia stationed in the ninth realm, above Yaldabaoth. According
to the Discourse on the Eighth and Ninth, the student of knowledge has al-
ready advanced through the lower stages of spiritual enlightenment. The stu-
dent prays, perhaps with the teacher, "Lord, grant us wisdom from your power
that reaches us, that we may relate to ourselves the vision of the eighth and the
ninth. Already we have advanced to the seventh, since we are pious and abide