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Corpus Hermeticum

I just recently finished reading a very abridged summary/paraphrase of the Corpus Hermeticum by Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy and it sparked my interest. I was wondering if anyone here has read either their book or the Corpus Hermeticum itself. Especially if you have read any of the more academic translations, I would appreciate your comments.
 
I have only read the book by Freke and Gandy, not the Corpus itself, but if their book is true to the meaning of the Corpus it is a very mystical work, along the lines of what you posted in "What Do Mystics Have in Common". Their introduction explains a little about Thoth/Hermes/Mercury/Enoch and the influence it seems this work had on the Western world and its religions. It also struck me as very similar to what little I know of the mysticism of Eastern religions. Their paraphrase is very concise and easy to understand which makes me wonder about its accuracy, as I know that mystical teachings are typically obscure, but in their defense they acknowledge this, stating that the academic translations of the Corpus are indeed very dense. This is why I was asking if anyone had read such translations specifically. Anyway, to comment on the specifics of their book, it covers things like the being of Atum, which I believe is an Egyptian name for God meaning "complete" or "whole", the creation of the cosmos and mankind, the lesser gods or what some may call angels, the effect of the Zodiac on our physical selves, reincarnation, the ignorance of the soul, being reborn and a few other topics. The entire thing was fascinating. One of the most interesting points to me was what they referred to as "pure philosophy", which in my opinion boiled down to connecting with God by contemplating the cosmos and especially our own minds. Even if it didn't turn out to be an accurate paraphrase, I would probably still recommend it because it is a short, simple read and its ideas are profoundly beautiful, in my opinion.
 

doppelganger

Through the Looking Glass
I've read a couple of their other books (Jesus Mysteries and The Laughing Jesus) and find them to be easy to read. I think their overall points are valid in those books, though they don't always take a very careful path to get to them and support them (at least in the two books I've read). I haven't read their version of the Corpus Hermeticum though.
 
I've not yet finished "The Jesus Mysteries", but I'd have to say I tend to agree with your assessment, and I'd apply it to "The Hermetica" as well. They are good as far as introducing a topic, but I wouldn't consider their approach to be academic. By the way, what's "The Laughing Jesus" about?
 

doppelganger

Through the Looking Glass
messianicmystic said:
By the way, what's "The Laughing Jesus" about?
Rejecting literalism in favor of mysticism. The subtitle pretty well says it all. It's a condensed version of the basic point of Jesus Mysteries, though with much less emphasis on the details of Gnostic cosmology and myth, and much more on the method of using myth in any tradition as a path to gnosis. It delves into the mystic path in Islam a little, too.
 

MysticSang'ha

Big Squishy Hugger
Premium Member
messianicmystic said:
I just recently finished reading a very abridged summary/paraphrase of the Corpus Hermeticum by Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy and it sparked my interest. I was wondering if anyone here has read either their book or the Corpus Hermeticum itself. Especially if you have read any of the more academic translations, I would appreciate your comments.



Interested in studying alchemy at all? ;)


The entire Corpus Hermeticum is available for free online through sacred-texts or through here:

http://www.gnosis.org/library/hermet.htm



I need to be in the right contemplative mood to read it. Lately, my readings have been much more prose than poetic, and the hermeticum demands the reader to let go of pre-suppositions and concepts since it truly is a mystical piece of work. If I start reading it with my "rational" brain, my head explodes.



The link above shows the translation by G.R.S. Mead which is the most widely accepted translation from the Hellenic texts.




Peace,
Mystic
 
Thanks for the link to the Corpus, and I am interested in alchemy. I've been reading "Alchemy and Kabbalah" by Gershom Scholem and have read some of Henry Cornelius Agrippa's "Three Books of Occult Philosophy", however that's the extent of my experience with alchemical ideas, unless you count "Fullmetal Alchemist The Movie". Why do you ask? Do you have some sources to suggest?
 

MysticSang'ha

Big Squishy Hugger
Premium Member
messianicmystic said:
Thanks for the link to the Corpus, and I am interested in alchemy. I've been reading "Alchemy and Kabbalah" by Gershom Scholem and have read some of Henry Cornelius Agrippa's "Three Books of Occult Philosophy", however that's the extent of my experience with alchemical ideas, unless you count "Fullmetal Alchemist The Movie". Why do you ask? Do you have some sources to suggest?



Oh, it was rather obvious with your interest in alchemy. I occasionally find myself drawn back to some of the texts because of the insight I believe hermeticism offers.


Agrippa is very good. Here is a good link to perhaps the most definitive collection of hermetic material to study:


http://www.phanes.com/magnum-opus.html



The Mutus Liber is outstanding and a beautiful collection. Because it is a book that consists of only illustrations, there obviously have been varying conclusions of how the book is enlightening. I've heard anecdotes of one of the plates in the book actually taken literally..........some curious soul decided to collect the dew from a sheet laid out in a field during the time of Aries, squeezed it and made a tincture out of it, and apparently processed an elixir that cured most if not all illnesses.



This was merely hearsay from my vantage point, however, so take from it what you want. There are other illustrations that look to point out the physical transformations with varying processes during different periods of time according to the astrological calendar as well, if one decides to go that route.



I mainly see it from the internal transformation of the spirit more so than the physical, although I'm open to the latter.



Peace,
Mystic
 
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