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Origin of ‘As above, so below’
A phrase like ‘As above, so below’ is used by writers and
astrologers alike to explain why and how the world works. It seems a
great concept that the visible stars in the sky are linked to life on
earth. The microcosm and the macrocosm are connected. On the internet
using Google I find 108 million hits for ‘As above, so below’. Together
with astrology I get 858.000 hits. This interests me and I am curious.
Who used these words and where do they come from?
Who is Hermes Trismegistus?
Hermes Trismegistus 
is
good for almost 35.000 hits and seems a perfect name to investigate.
But that is easier said than done. There are few sources that really
tell about him or his origins. It is not sure who he really was and
where he lived, much speculation also.The name of Hermes Trismegistus
(Greek for ‘Hermes the thrice-greatest’) is a blending of the Greek god
Hermes and the Egyptian Thoth.
In Hellenistic Egypt, the name of the god Hermes was given as a
substitute for the Greek name of Thoth. He was the Egyptian god of the
moon and of wisdom and learning, usually represented as having the head
and neck of an ibis. In the Greek mythology Hermes was the messenger of
the Gods. Both these gods were associated with writing and magic and
after time they became more and more the same and took each others
symbolism as well.
In the Greek papyri
an Egyptian Hermes Trismegistus
is found. He is ‘a cosmic deity with whom the magician (in Egyptian
style – cf. the ritual assumption of god-forms) could identify. In the
Corpus Hermeticum Trismegistus is usually envisaged as a sage who lived
in a remote period, conversing with the deities, though they also speak
of him as a divine being … Apparently, Hermes Trismegistus was conceived
as hovering between the divine and human world, which, being a
mediator, was an advantage’.
Hermetica
Many hits on the internet connect Hermes Trismegistus with occult
sciences, such as alchemy and astrology. This association partly
originates in the technical hermetic literature circulating in the Roman
empire from as early as the second century. The expression
“hermetically sealed” derives from the name Hermes. Appollonius of
Tyana, the Pythagorian philosopher of the first century C.E. is less
well known. Greek and Latin sources do not connect these two figures
doctrinally, but in the Arabic Hermetic literature Apollonius (in
Arabic: Balinus) is often associated with Hermes. There he is depicted
as the discoverer and representative of Hermes’ teachings on the secrets
of creation that had been lost to the generations before him.
Apollonius has even been identified as Hermes himself.
Hermetica or hermetic books are ‘ancient metaphysical works dealing
essentially with the idea of the complete community of all beings and
objects. Authorship of the books was attributed to the Egyptian god of
wisdom, Thoth, whose name was sometimes translated into Greek as Hermes
Trismegistus and was therefore equated with the Greek god Hermes. The
books treat of a variety of subjects, including magic, astrology, and
alchemy, and were particularly influential in the 3rd century with the
Neoplatonists and in France and England in the 17th century."
The
Hermetic writings
can be divided into two main sections: writings on sciences, especially
those of occult significance, and writings on philosophy, presenting
the Hermetic doctrine and view of the world. In the scientific section a
broad range of topics is covered: astrology, astronomy, alchemy, magic,
geography, topography, education, worship, laws, priestly conduct,
anatomy, disease, organs of the body, medicine, ophthalmology, and even
gynaecology. The philosophical section is most interesting when studying
Hermeticism. [6] In 1911 a text called Kybalion appeared. It is written
by ‘three initiates’ and is called the essence of the teachings of
Hermes Trismegistus. It explains the 6 principles in the universe. [7]
Beside the wide range of Hermetic writings there are also hits on the
Tabula Smargadina
or Emerald Tablet. Sources as early as 500 AD report on this tablet and
what it says. Legend has it that the tabula was found in a cave by
Apollonius in Egypt (near Alexandria ?) in the first century AD,
inscribed on a plate of emerald, held by the corpse of Hermes
Trismegistus.
In other legends (told by Albertus Magnus), Alexander the Great found it (in the third century BC).[2]
This green tablet, sometimes called the tablet of Hermes, could even be
one of the earliest works in alchemy in the world. I don’t think it is
still around, but apparently on the tablet there were thirteen lines.
The second line holds the ‘As above so below’-axioma that everyone
refers to. [8,9]
The words “As above so below”
Quoted here is the version by Isaac Newton from circa 1680.
1. Tis true without lying, certain & most true.
2. That which is below is like that which is above & that which is
above is like that which is below to do the miracles of one only thing.
3. And as all things have been & arose from one by the meditation of
one: so all things have their birth from this one thing by adaptation.
4. The Sun is its father, the moon its mother,
5. The wind hath carried it in its belly, the earth its nurse.
6. The father of all perfection in the whole world is here.
7. Its force or power is entire if it be converted into earth.
7a. Separate thou the earth from the fire, the subtle from the gross sweetly with great industry.
8. It ascends from the earth to the heaven & again it descends to
the earth and receives the force of things superior & inferior.
9. By this means you shall have the glory of the whole world & thereby all obscurity shall fly from you.
10. Its force is above all force, for it vanquishes every subtle thing & penetrates every solid thing.
11a. So was the world created.
12. From this are & do come admirable adaptations where of the means (or process) is here in this.
13. Hence I am called Hermes Trismegist, having the three parts of the philosophy of the whole world.
14. That which I have said of the operation of the Sun is accomplished & ended.
Radiant Woman's Sources and links:
[1] Explanation on the origins of Hermes Trismegistus was found on http://www.answers.com/topic/hermes-trismegistus#after_ad1
[2] In Tabula Smaragdina, the Emerald Table by Wim van Dungen, 2002-2006
is spoken about the legend & history of Hermes Trismegistus. This
can be found at http://www.sofiatopia.org/equiaeon/emerald.htm#1a
[3] Hermes Trismegistus and Apollonius of Tyana in the writings of
Baha’u’llah by Kevin Brown.
http://www.mountainman.com.au/Hermes_Apollonius_Keven_Brown.htm]
[4] Hermes Trismegistus, the Archaic underground Tradition with quotes
from the Ancient Egypt tradition and Greek accounts, as found in modern
books and texts.
http://www.mystae.com/restricted/streams/scripts/hermes.html
[5] A definition of hermetica or hermetic books can be found at http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Hermetic.html
[6] Explanation on the hermetic writings by http://students.roanoke.edu/groups/relg211/bennett/writings.html]
[7] Kybalion can be downloaded from www.gutenberg.com.
[8] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald_Tablet
[9] http://www.sacred-texts.com/alc/emerald.htm
December 25, 2006 by radiantwoman
