. . . But to the foolish, and evil, and wicked, and envious, and covetous, and murderous, and profane, I am far off. giving place to the revenging daemon, which applying unto him the sharpness of fire, torment such a mans senses, and arm him the more to all wickedness, that he may obtain the greater punishment. And such a man never ceases, having unfulfilled desires, and unsatisfied concupiscence, and always fighting in darkness; for the daemon always afflicts and torments him continually, and increases the fire upon him more and more . . .

I asked, You have, Oh mind, most excellently taught me all things, as I desired; but tell me, moreover, after the return is made, what then?

. . .He replied, First of all, in the resolution of the material, body, the body itself is given up to alteration, and the form which is had becomes invisible; and the idle manners are permitted, and left to the daemon, and the senses of the body return into their origins, being parts, and again made up into operations.

And anger, and concupiscence, go into the brutish or unreasonable nature; and the rest strive upward by harmony.

And to the first zone it gives the power it had of increasing and diminishing.

And to the second, machinations or plotting of evils, and one effectual deceit or craft.

to the third, the idle deceit of concupiscence.

To the fourth, the desire of rule, and insatiable ambition.

To the sixth, evil and ineffectual gluttony.

To the seventh, subtle falsehood, always lying in wait.

And then being made naked of all the operations of harmony, it comes to the eighth nature, having its proper power, and sings praise to the father with the things that are, and all they that are present rejoice, and congratulate the coming of it; and being made like to them with whom it converses, it hears also the powers that are above the eighth nature, singing praise to God in a certain voice that is strange to them.

And then in order they return unto the father, and themselves deliver themselves to the powers, and becoming powers they are part of God.

This is the good, and to them that know, to be desired.

Furthermore, why do you say, what rests, but that understanding all men thou become a guide, and leader to them that are worthy; that the kind of humanity, or mankind, may be saved by God?

When Poèmandres had thus said this to me, he was mingled among the powers.

But I, giving thanks, and blessing the father of all things, rose up, being enabled by him, and taught the nature of the nature of the whole, and having seen the greatest sight or spectacle.

And I began to preach unto men, the beauty and fairness of piety and knowledge:

Oh people, men, born and made of the earth, which have given yourselves over to drunkenness and sleep, and to the ignorance of God, be sober and cease your surfeit, by which you are allured and visited by brutish and unreasonable sleep.

And they that heard me come willingly can with one accord; and then I said father:

Why, Oh men of the offspring of Earth, Why have you delivered yourselves over unto death, having power to partake of immortality? repent and change your minds, you that have together walked in error, and have been darkened in ignorance.

Depart from that dark light, be partakers of immortality, and forsake corruption.

And some of them that heard me, mocking and scorning went away, and delivered themselves up to the way of Death.

But others casting themselves down before my feet, besought me that they might be taught; but I, causing them to rise up, became a guide of mankind, teaching them the reasons how, and by what means they may be saved. And I sowed in them the words of Wisdom, and nourished them with ambrosia of immortality.

And when it was evening and the brightness of the same began wholly to go down, I commanded them to go down, I commanded them to give thanks to God; and when they had finished their thanksgiving, everyone returned to their own lodging.

But I wrote in myself the bounty and benevolence of Poèmandres; and being filled with what I most desired, I was exceedingly glad.

For the sleep of the body was the sober watchfulness of the mind; and the shutting of my eyes the true sight, and my silence great with child and full of good; and the pronouncing of my words the blossoms and fruits of good things.

And thus it came to pass, which I received from my mind, that is Poèmandres, the lord of the word; whereby I became inspired by God with the truth.

For which cause, with my soul and whole strenth, I give praise and blessing unto God the father.

Holy is God, the father of all things.
Holy is God, whose will is performed and accomplished by his own powers.
Holy is God, that determines to be known, and is known by his own.
Holy art thou, that by your word has established All things.
Holy art Thou, of whom all nature is the image.
Holy art Thou, whom nature did not form.
Holy art Thou, that are stronger than all power.
Holy art Thou, that are stronger than all excellency.
Holy art Thou, that are better than all praise.

Accept these reasonable sacrifices from a. pure soul, and a heart that stretched out to you.

Oh unspeakable, unutterable, to be praised with Silence.

I beseech you, that I may never err from the knowledge of you, Lord. Look mercifully upon me, and enable me, and enlighten with this grace those that are in ignorance, the brothers of my kind, but your sons.

Therefore I believe in you, and bear witness, and go into the life and light.

Blessed art thou, Oh Father; thy man would be sanctified with you, as you have given him all power.

But the workman, seeing and understanding the creation of himself in the whole, would need as well also himself to fall to work, and so, was separated from the father, being in the sphere of generation or operation…(Read More)

POÈMANDRÈS IV

. . . When he had said these things, he was changed in his idea or form, and straightaway, in the twinkling of an eye, ALL things were opened unto me. And I saw an infinite sight, all things were becoming light, both sweet and exceedingly pleasant; and I was wonderfully delighted in seeing it.

But after a little while, there was a darkness made in part, coming down obliquely, fearful and hideous, which seemed to me to be changed into a certain moist nature, unspeakably troubled, which yielded a smoke as from fire; and from which proceeded a voice unutterable, and very mournful, but inarticulate, inasmuch as it seemed to have come from the light.

Then from the light, a certain holy word joined itself into nature, and then came the pure and unmixed fire from the moist nature upwards on high; it was exceeding light, and sharp, and dynamic as well. And the air, which was also light, followed the spirit and mourned up to fire insomuch that it seemed to hang and depend upon it.

And the Earth and the water stayed by themselves so mingled together, that the Earth could not be seen for the water, but they were moved because of the spiritual word that was carried upon them.

Then said Poèmander to me, Do you understand this vision, and what it means? I shall know, said I. Then said he, I am that light, the mind, thy God, who am before the moist nature that appeared out of the darkness; and that bright and shining word from the mind is the Son of God.

How is that, I asked?
Thus, he replied, by understanding it:

That which in you that sees and hears the word of the Lord and the mind of the Father. God, differs not one from the other; and the union of these is Life.

I said, I thank thee.
He said, but first conceive well the light in your mind, and know it.

When he had said thus, for a long time we looked steadfastly one upon the other, insomuch that I trembled in his Idea or form.

But when he nodded to me, I beheld in my mind the light that is innumberable, and the truly indefinite ornament or world; and that fire is comprehended or contained in by a great moist power, and constrained to keep its place and form.

These things I understood, seeing the word, or Poèmander; and when I was mightily amazed.

he said again unto me, Have you seen in your mind that archetypal form which was before the indeterminate and infinite beginning?
Thus said Poèmander to me.

But how, I said, or from what substance are the elements of nature made?

He said, Of the Will and Counsel of God; which taking the word and beholding the beautiful world imitated it, and so made this world, by the principles and vtial seeds or soul-like productions of itself.

– The Hermetist

“Avoid all conversation with the multitude or common people; for I would not have you subject to envy, much less to be ridiculous unto the multitude.

For the like always takes to itself that which is like, but the unlike never agrees with the unlike. Such discourses as these have very few auditors, and peradventure very few will have, but they have something peculiar unto themselves.

They do rather sharpen and whet evil men to their maliciousness; therefore it behooves to avoid the multitude, and take heed of them as not understanding the virtue and power of the things that are said.”

– Hermès Trismegistus

What do you mean, Oh Father?

This, Oh son: the whole of nature and composition of those living things called men, is very prone to maliciousness, and is very familiar, and as it were nourished with it., and therefore is delighted with it; now this wight, if it shall come to learn or know that the world was once made, and all things are done according to Providence or necessity, destiny or fate, bearing rule over all, will he not be much worse than himself, despising the whole because it was made? And if he may lay the cause of evil upon fate or destiny, he will never abstain from any evil work.

Wherefore we must look warily to such kind of people, that being in ignorance, they may be less evil for fear of that which is hidden and kept secret.

– Hermès Trismegistus

My thoughts being once seriously busied about things that are, and my understanding lifted up, all my bodily senses being exceedingly held back, as it is with them that are very tired, by reason either of fullness of meat, or of exhaustion: I thought I saw one of an exceeding great stature, and of an infinite greatness, call me by my name, and say to me, What do you wish to see and Hear? Or what would you understand to learn and know?

Then said I, Who are you?

– The Hermetist

I am, he said, Poemander, the mind of the great Lord, the most mighty and absolute emperor: I know what you wish, and I am always present with you.

– Hermès Trismegistus

Then I said, “I would learn the things that are, and understand the nature of them, and know God.

How? said he.

I answered that I would gladly hear and be open to the voice of the dweller.

Then said he, Have me again in thy mind, and whatsoever you wish to learn, I will teach you.