The Thrice-Great Hermes: Egypt's Hidden Master of Reality

Ancient Wisdom - Week 4

What if the cosmos was not merely a collection of dead, inanimate objects, but rather a conscious entity? What if you possessed the ability to alter your experience through the process of transforming your thoughts? These concepts reflect core beliefs of an ancient esoteric tradition that has been flowing through European history, like an underground stream.

This week, we revisit Egypt’s sacred, mystical wilderness, not the desert caves where early Christian mystics meditated, but instead the birthplace of the philosophy and magic systems that inspired those mystics. We are looking for a mythical figure; an adept who mastered both the material and spiritual realms, Hermes Trismegistus, the “Triple-Great”, who wrote the Hermetic writings. Those writings have been read and studied by alchemists, magicians and philosophers throughout time because they contain a revolutionary idea: that the cosmos is thought and by controlling your thought, you will have control over the cosmos.

The Thrice-Greatest: A Fusion of Gods and Wisdom

Hermes Trismegistus is a compilation of many different cultures that have come together to create something greater than the sum of its parts. In Greek mythology, Hermes was the god of communication; in Egyptian mythology, Thoth was the god of wisdom, writing, and magic. The Ptolemaic period saw a blending of these two gods into one being who represented the ultimate union of divine communication and great wisdom. Hermes Trismegistus was known as ‘Trismegistus’ (Thrice-Greatest), a title taken from an epithet for Thoth, to represent that he is the master of all three worlds: the physical, the mental, and the spiritual. Renaissance philosophers considered Hermes Trismegistus to be the original philosopher, a contemporary of Moses, and the source of all philosophy. Although present-day scholarship indicates that the Hermetic texts were written much later than previously thought (in the early centuries CE), they were undoubtedly extremely influential. These texts are a combination of Greek philosophy (both Platonism and Stoicism) and Egyptian mysticism, and they have greatly influenced Western esotericism and inspired many great thinkers from Leonardo Da Vinci to Isaac Newton.

“Wisdom has no voice except for those who will understand.” - The Kybalion

According to this well-known axiom from Hermeticism, such knowledge can only be given to those who are ready to go beyond the worldly things of this life and to understand the true mental nature of the universe.

The Seven Hermetic Principles: The Master Keys to Reality

The most easily understood and readily available modern version of Hermeticism is The Kybalion, released in 1912. The Kybalion sets forth 7 basic principles, which are not to be regarded as universal laws to be followed blindly, but rather as conceptual keys or tools for understanding how you can create your own experiences and change your perceived reality.

The first principle of Mentalism tells us that the Universe is created by “The All being Mind”. This is the basis of Hermetic Philosophy and it illustrates that everything we experience on Earth is created by consciousness; thus everything is a projection of our thoughts. We not only influence our own reality, but we also actively “create” our own reality as a result of our ability to direct our thoughts. Once we understand this simple concept, we will have an understanding that by mastering our mind, we are also mastering our reality.

The second principle of Correspondence states “As above, so below”; likewise as below is above. This principle shows that the same laws that operate in the Universe are also present within us, and in many ways, our inner world reflects our outer world. The microcosm (us) reflects the macrocosm (the universe). By understanding this principle you have the ability to change your reality or physical experience by changing your internal experience.

The third principle of Vibration tells us that nothing ever rests; everything is moving; in fact, everything is vibrating. This principle shows that just as the ancient Hermeticists believed; all the things we think and feel and all the things we see and experience are ultimately made of energy in a state of motion; therefore everything in the Universe vibrates at a certain frequency. Once we understand this principle, we will realize that we have the ability to change our experience and create our own reality by changing our vibration consciously.

The fourth principle of Polarity teaches us that everything has two opposite poles and that the two opposites are identical in nature, but differ in intensity of energy due to their location on the scale of the Universe. The ancient Hermetic illustrated this by stating that hot and cold are simply two ends of the same energy spectrum. Likewise, love and hate are two ends of the same energy spectrum, which means that they are two opposite poles of the same energy. This principle allows you to take all negative feelings (fear) towards a person and change them into loving feelings by learning to “slide up the scale” from the negative pole of fear to the positive pole of love.

The fifth principle of Rhythm teaches us that everything flows; everything comes and goes; everything has a natural cyclical flow. All aspects of life, whether that be the seasons; day/night; emotional state; or our life circumstances have a natural rhythm to them. By understanding these natural rhythms; we are able to control our life flows, instead of being controlled by them; we learn how to ride the tides of life rather than be swept away by them.

The sixth principle of Cause and Effect states that every cause has an effect; likewise every effect has a cause. There are no coincidences. Every result or outcome in the Universe is created as a result of a specific cause. By understanding this principle, you are free from being a victim of circumstances or random events; you have the ability to create your own reality.

The seventh principle of Gender reveals that there is Gender in all things, and that everything contains both Masculine & Feminine Principles. We are not referring to biological genders; rather, we are discussing the basic creative powers or principles of energy that exist throughout the Universe. The masculine principle is projecting; doing; and active, while the feminine principle is nurturing, receptive, being. True creation requires both masculine and feminine energy; thus, Wholeness comes from balancing and integrating the active, doing, wilful energy of the male with the intuitive, allowing and receptive energy of the female.

These 7 principles encompass a complete system through which you can understand the Universe and your place in it. The first principle is the ultimate Truth of the Universe; that everything is Mind. The remaining 6 principles are down to earth; or practical applications of the principles of Hermetic Philosophy in our daily experiences.

Three Hermetic Practices for Modern Alchemists

Hermeticism is not a passive belief system; it is an active pursuit of mental alchemy, the process of converting who you are on the inside so that you can be what you want to be on the outside. Below are three examples of how to start on your path as a modern-day alchemist.

1. The Mentalism Principle: The Observer Exercise

Spend one full day simply watching your thoughts float by like clouds in the sky. When a limiting belief shows up (e.g., “I’m not good enough,” “This will never happen”), do not identify with this thought. Instead, label the thought: “Thinking.” By doing this, you reaffirm the hermetic truth that you are not your thoughts; rather, you are the awareness of your thoughts. With this small change in perspective, you will be able to observe the thoughts and make a decision about which thoughts to focus on and which thoughts to allow to drift away.

2. The Polarity Principle: The Emotional Transformation

When you experience a strong negative emotion (fear/anger), practice welcoming the feeling instead of fighting against it. Accept that the feeling exists at one end of a continuum. For example, fear is simply the low-vibrational end (lower on the vertical axis) of the courage continuum. Anger is simply the negatively focused version of the more positively focused version of passion and is therefore located at the lower end (lower on the vertical axis) of that continuum. Close your eyes and concentrate on the energy of your body around the location of the negative emotion. Make a conscious choice and “slide up the pole” to the next level. Call forth the energy of courage, visualize yourself exhibiting courage, and notice how the energy of your body changes as you transition from fear to courage. In this way, you will not be destroying the negative; instead, you will be changing the form of the negative energy.

3. The Correspondence Principle: Microcosm/Macrocosm Journal

For one week, use a journal to record and look for patterns. Record and pay attention to how your inner experience is reflected in your outer experience. For example, on days that you are internally in a state of chaos and disorder, do you notice more traffic congestion, more argumentation, and general external chaos? Conversely, on days that you are in a state of internally peacefulness and balance, do things generally seem to flow more effortlessly in your experience? By keeping this record of your correspondences, you are enabling yourself to prove to yourself the truth of the statement “As above, so below.” In this way, you will see that the most effective way for you to change your external experience is to first change your internal experience.

The Master of Reality

Hermes Trismegistus and the Hermetica provide individuals with an empowering message that transcends the belief that we are simply pawns in an unpredictable universe. We are co-creators in a grand and evolving mental universe, which means we can transform the ‘lead’ of our limitations into the ‘gold’ of our highest potential using our minds, which represent the alchemical lab where these transformations take place.

By mastering and employing the seven principles contained within the Hermetic tradition, we can transition away from being ‘characters’ in our individual stories and become the authors of our lives. The universe exists only in thought, and the mind is the source of all reality.

By Dr Ioannis Syrigos

Suggested book:

The Kybalion, The Tablet of Hermes, & The Emerald Tablets of Thoth by Hermes Trismegistus

Hermetica by Brian P. Copenhaver