Hermetica: The Greek Corpus Hermeticum and the Latin Asclepius
If you want to know what Hermeticism is about, this is the text to start with – it is the foundational text.
— Xavier Black, iOccult
Book Details
Author:
Year Published:
-300
Core Themes:
Reading Time:
8-12 hours
Original Language:
Greek, Latin
About The Book…
Discover why this book is held in such high regard—not just by me, but by the entire esoteric community.
Summary & General Overview
Its vision is both cosmic and intensely personal, offering a roadmap for spiritual awakening through reason, reverence, and ritual.
Reading it is a form of initiation—each dialogue, each mystical meditation, each invocation opens a doorway into a deeper reality.
What You’ll Take Away
- A grounded yet mystical framework for understanding the universe and your place in it
- The Hermetic method of self-knowledge and spiritual rebirth
- Deep insights into the fusion of Egyptian, Greek, and early Christian thought
- A call to personal transformation, ethical living, and divine alignment
Legacy & Influence
This is one of the key, foundation texts of Hermeticism and it deeply influenced Renaissance magic and philosophy.
Recommended For…
Anyone looking to get a grounding in the basic principles of hermeticism
Practical Use
At the core of the Hermetica is a radical vision of the divine as a single, transcendent source—often called the Monad or the One—that emanates all existence through the Nous, or Divine Mind. This idea underpins a cosmology where all beings are reflections of divine order, and where true knowledge leads one upward, back to the source.
2. The Human Being as a Microcosm
Man, in Hermetic thought, is both divine and fallen. We are capable of spiritual ascent because we are born of the stars, but we are trapped in the illusion of materiality. The Hermetica teaches that through introspection, purification, and divine knowledge (gnosis), one may awaken from the world of appearances and realize unity with God.
3. Theurgic Practice and Sacred Duty
The Asclepius places a strong emphasis on sacred ritual and the practice of theurgy—the invocation of the divine through ritual. It speaks of the soul’s journey, the degradation of spiritual values in the material age, and the critical role of the practitioner as a bridge between humanity and the gods.
4. Dual Realities: Material and Spiritual
Throughout both texts, there is a clear delineation between the physical world (subject to decay and illusion) and the spiritual world (immutable, true, divine). This metaphysical dualism is not one of opposition, but of hierarchy—an invitation to ascend from illusion to truth.
Related Texts & Resources
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The Gnostic Gospels
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Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism
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Hermetica: The Greek Corpus Hermeticum and the Latin Asclepius
If you want to know what Hermeticism is about, this is the text to start with – it is the foundational text.
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Kybalion: A Study of the Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece
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