Course Six: Spectrum, Part 2 281
Their purpose is to convey an understanding of
the relationships between the Gods, Humanity, and
the Universe. The Hermetica teaches that because man
combines a Divine and a mortal nature, he is superior
to the lesser gods who are only immortal, and to other
creatures who are only mortal. For the same reason,
humans can create gods—those who live in statues
and temples and derive their power from the worship
of their devotees.
Written in Alexandria, Egypt, between the 3rd cen-
tury BCE and the 1st century CE, these books have had
an enormous influence on the development of West-
ern magick. Sadly, most of the original Hermetic books
were lost in the burning of the Alexandrian Library in
415 CE. Surviving fragments were translated by Arab
scholars from Greek and Coptic manuscripts, and were
introduced into Europe by the Spanish Moors in the
12 th century.
The main body of Hermetic writings, however,
was not translated into Latin until 1471, when Cosimo
de Medici, the great patron of the Italian Renaissance
in Florence, instructed Marsilio Ficino to translate
Greek Hermetic manuscripts he had obtained from
Byzantium. The newly invented printing press then
made it possible for the Latin Hermetica to be spread
quickly throughout Europe. The most important of
these books are The Divine Pymander and The Emer-
ald Tablet.The impact of the Hermetica on Renaissance
philosophy was enormous. Here was an ancient
body of theological, magickal and medical writ-
ings of extraordinary beauty, intellectual power and
spiritual authority, in which Jew, Christian and
Muslim could find confirmations, amplifications
and refinements of their own sacred teachings.
In the Hermetica, the creation myth becomes
a much richer, more detailed and expressive al-
legory, an awesome Alchemical process. Hermes
describes man as “the great miracle,” capable
of achieving Godhood as an individual by tran-
scending the stages of being that separate him
from the Divine. Man is dignified as being truly
made “in the image of God,” being the micro-
cosm that reflects the macrocosm. This is empha-
sized by Hermes’ great dictum “as above, so be-
low,” with its correlate “as within, so without.”
Everything in creation finds its reflection in man.
He therefore has at his disposal all the tools he
needs to achieve his Divine Destiny, should he
choose to accept it. —Francis Melville,
The Secrets of High MagicThe Emerald Tablet
Legend has it that the following words (in Greek) were
originally carved in raised bas-relief on a single largeemerald-green tablet (one ancient witness believed it
had been cast in a mold, as molten glass). Hence this
text is called The Emerald Tablet.I. Truly, without deceit, certainly and
absolutely—
II. That which is Below corresponds to that
which is Above, and that which is Above
corresponds to that which is Below, to
accomplish the Miracle of One Thing.
III. And just as all things have come from
One, through the Mediation of One, so all
things proceed from this One Thing in the
same way.
IV. The Sun is its Father. Its Mother is the
Moon.
V. The Wind has carried it in his Belly. It is
nourished by the Earth.
VI. It is the father of every Perfected Thing in
the whole World. Its Power is complete if
it is converted into Earth.
VII. Separate the Earth from the Fire, the
subtle from the gross, gently and with
great care.
VIII. It rises from the Earth to Heaven, and
descends again to the Earth,
IX. And thereby receives Power from Above
and from Below.
X. By this means, you shall obtain the Glory
of the whole World. All Obscurity will be
clear to you. This is the strong Power of
all Power. It overcomes everything subtle
and penetrates everything solid.
XI.In this way was the World created. From
this there will be amazing Applications, of
which these are the means.
XII. Therefore am I called Thrice Greatest
Hermes, holding three parts of the
Wisdom of the whole World.
XIII. Herein have I completely explained the
Operation of the Sun.Lesson 5: Angels and Demons
Angels and Demons are common to the mythologies
of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In Qabalistic
magick, Angels (“messengers”) are considered to be
Spirits or intelligences of the “higher” planes, whereas
Demons (“evil spirits”) inhabit the “lower” realms.
(Humans, of course, are in the middle). Most of the
rituals of “High Magick” are concerned with summon-
ing (calling) or conjuring these Entities into visible
presence, and commanding them to reveal certain in-
formation or perform assigned tasks. This is uncan-
nily similar to the way we now use the Internet and the
World Wide Web!- Spectrum 2.p65 281 1/15/2004, 9:31 AM