The first, published as The Way of Hermes, was translated by Clement Salaman and is more poetic without dwelling on the academic aspects. There are two great English translations of the Corpus Hermeticum available today.

When you feel ready to really explore the meat of Hermeticism, it’s time to turn to the Corpus Hermeticum and other ancient writings, collectively known as the Hermetica. If you’re interested in learning more about occultism and esotericism in general, check out my list of getting started books. His historical approach to Hermeticism is lucid, easy to follow, and informative. The author was one of the founding members of Blondie, and has since gone on to write many books and articles about mysticism and the occult. If you’re more interested in history and how Hermeticism fits into modern philosophy and religion, check out The Quest for Hermes Trismegistus: From Ancient Egypt to the Modern World by Gary Lachman. In addition, the authors make it clear where their inspiration came from, so you’ll know where to look to learn more. While it glosses over some of the nuances of Hermetic philosophy, it hits all the major points quite well. Instead, it is easier to start with The Hermetica: The Lost Wisdom of the Pharaohs by Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy. The Corpus Hermeticum is the best collection of actual Hermetic writings, but it’s not an easy book to jump into. Let’s look at some books to get you started. If the Kybalion sparked your interest, there is a whole new world of wonder to be found in the philosophies and teachings of ancient Hermeticism. While there is some overlap between the teachings of the Kybalion and Hermeticism, 2 there is a great deal more to this tradition. This philosophical and magical tradition dates back to the first few centuries C.E., and probably has its roots in older Egyptian and Greek teachings. Hermetic philosophy, or Hermeticism, is based around the teachings of legendary super-mystic Hermes Trismegistus.

These principles should be very familiar to readers of the Kybalion, where they are presented as “mental transmutation.” In fact, if you look at the principles espoused by the Kybalion in the context of New Thought philosophy, it is clear that many of its ideas originated there. It is a popularized form of self-help psychology, relying on principles such as mind-over-matter and the law of attraction. The New Thought movement originated in 19th century America, and was originally known by many other names, such as Christian Science and Mental Science. It was published in the early 20th century and preaches a philosophy closer to that of the New Thought movement. However, after more study, it is clear that The Kybalion is not a book about Hermetic philosophy at all. The Kybalion serves as an introduction to so-called Hermetic philosophy to many.

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