2008年02月22日
Hermes: The Tablet
One of the most profound works Hermes allegedly left for us was the Emerald Tablet, which later became a part of the foundation upon which alchemy was based. It is made up of a series of alchemical maxims, thought to encode a deeper wisdom and a recipe for the preparation of the Philosophers' Stone. Alchemy is a vast and immense subject on it's own, but in short is an ancient, practiced philosophy searching for the means to:
* Turn base metals into gold
* Discover the panacea - the cure for all disease
* Create the elixir of longevity - a means of eternal life.
Together, these goals can be achieved through the application of the legendary substance, the Philosophers' Stone.
Though this is a glimpse of the physical, tangible side of it, there is a much deeper arcane, occult, spiritual, metaphysical and meaningful drive behind alchemy which is not well understood by those who do not devote their life to it.
Here is a modern translation of the Emerald Tablet, for those interested:
Truly, without deceit, certainly and absolutely.
That which is Below corresponds to that which is Above, and that which is Above corresponds to that which is Below, in the accomplishment of the Miracle of the One Thing. And just as all things have come from the One, through the Mediation of the One, so all things follow from this One Thing in the same way.
Its Father is the Sun; its Mother is the Moon. The Wind has carried it in his Belly. Its Nourishment is the Earth. It is the Father of every completed Thing in the whole World. Its Strength is intact if it is turned towards the Earth. Separate the Earth by Fire: the fine from the gross, gently and with great skill.
It rises from Earth to Heaven, and then it descends again to the Earth, and receives Power from Above and from Below. Thus you will have the Glory of the whole World. All Obscurity will be clear to you. This is the strong Power of all Power because it overcomes everything fine and penetrates everything solid.
In this way was the World created. From this there will be amazing Applications, because this is the Pattern. Therefore am I called Thrice Greatest Hermes, having the three parts of the Wisdom of the whole World.
Herein have I completely explained the Operation of the Sun.
*-*-*
More tomorrow
* Turn base metals into gold
* Discover the panacea - the cure for all disease
* Create the elixir of longevity - a means of eternal life.
Together, these goals can be achieved through the application of the legendary substance, the Philosophers' Stone.
Though this is a glimpse of the physical, tangible side of it, there is a much deeper arcane, occult, spiritual, metaphysical and meaningful drive behind alchemy which is not well understood by those who do not devote their life to it.
Here is a modern translation of the Emerald Tablet, for those interested:
Truly, without deceit, certainly and absolutely.
That which is Below corresponds to that which is Above, and that which is Above corresponds to that which is Below, in the accomplishment of the Miracle of the One Thing. And just as all things have come from the One, through the Mediation of the One, so all things follow from this One Thing in the same way.
Its Father is the Sun; its Mother is the Moon. The Wind has carried it in his Belly. Its Nourishment is the Earth. It is the Father of every completed Thing in the whole World. Its Strength is intact if it is turned towards the Earth. Separate the Earth by Fire: the fine from the gross, gently and with great skill.
It rises from Earth to Heaven, and then it descends again to the Earth, and receives Power from Above and from Below. Thus you will have the Glory of the whole World. All Obscurity will be clear to you. This is the strong Power of all Power because it overcomes everything fine and penetrates everything solid.
In this way was the World created. From this there will be amazing Applications, because this is the Pattern. Therefore am I called Thrice Greatest Hermes, having the three parts of the Wisdom of the whole World.
Herein have I completely explained the Operation of the Sun.
*-*-*
More tomorrow
Posted by グラハム・ハンコック at 23:06
│History
