Free Downloads The Hermetica: The Lost Wisdom Of The Pharaohs
The first easily accessible translation of the esoteric writings that inspired some of the world?s greatest artists, scientists, and philosophers. Here is an essential digest of the Greco-Egyptian writings attributed to the legendary sage-god Hermes Trismegistus (Greek for thrice-greatest Hermes)?a combination of the Egyptian Thoth and the Greek Hermes. The figure of Hermes was venerated as a great and mythical teacher in the ancient world and was rediscovered by the finest minds of the Renaissance. The writings attributed to his hand are a time capsule of Egyptian and Greek esoteric philosophy and have influenced figures including Blake, Newton, Milton, Shelley, Shakespeare, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, and Jung. Providing a fascinating introduction to the intersection of the Egyptian and Hellenic cultures and the magico-religious ideas of the antique world, The Hermetica is a marvelous volume for anyone interested in understanding the West?s roots in mystical thought.
Paperback: 145 pages
Publisher: TarcherPerigee; Original edition (December 26, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 158542692X
ISBN-13: 978-1585426928
Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.5 x 7.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (82 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #39,082 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #7 in Books > History > Africa > Egypt #17 in Books > History > Ancient Civilizations > Egypt #73 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Greek & Roman
This book is basically a chop shop version of the Corpus Hermeticum and Asclepius, with translated excerpts taken from various sources including other authors who have been inspired by Hermeticism instead of the original source material itself. If that's what you're interested in, so much the better, but the title is really misleading. It would be more appropriate to say this book is a composite of Hermetic and Hermetically-inspired teachings.A number of the reviewers on here say they're newcomers to the Hermetica and that they really appreciated this approach, finding it simple and easier to digest. In fairness, I've been studying the Hermetica for years, so perhaps your needs and views will be different from mine. I do have to say, however, that I found this book very deficient. I suppose if you want to study this subject, you could compare this book to fast food.Pros:1) The intros are written in clear English that anyone with a high school level education should be able to understand. If you don't give a toss for footnotes, you'll like that.2) There's a list of sources in the back for further reading, should you wish to take your Hermetic studies further.3) There's also a list of where this book was excerpted from, which I appreciated. This book is so drastically different from the actual Hermetica that when I first opened it, I did a double-take.Cons:1) The most obvious: this is an assortment of excerpts *from* the Hermetica as well as *about* the Hermetica.
I found this book interesting for getting the basic idea of what the Hermetica is.I guess some reviewers think it's too watered down and doesn't match the voluminous original texts. However I read one such book years ago which was overloaded with footnotes and sections written in the original language which unfortunately for me I am not fluent in. There's something to be said for creating an approachable introduction to such a metaphysical subject.The statements attributed to Thoth / Hermes in this book are very eloquent and poetic at times. He describes the universe as a goddess named Destiny who governs the stars and the constellations of the Zodiac. The Zodiac in turn governs the affairs of us mortals. On the day we are born the position of the constellations will foretell our destiny during this incarnation.I would like to find a good book about astrology that shows the connections between the Zodiac and Egyptian mysticism if anyone can think of one. I'm interested in what the 12 signs mean in relation to the effects of the constellations on the affairs of mortals.Some people see a connection between the Egyptian god Thoth and Christ like Thoth was Christ in another incarnation. Edgar Cayce stated that Thoth was the living embodiment of 'The Word' or something to that effect. The Gospel Of John describes Christ in that same way.Another possible connection with Christ is the way Thoth explained what the term 'born again' means. Christians use that term often but do they know what it really means ? Perhaps they do know but they usually won't explain it in terms of Egyptian mysticism.
The Hermetica: The Lost Wisdom of the Pharaohs Mountains of the Pharaohs: The Untold Story of the Pyramid Builders Pharaohs and Foot Soldiers: One Hundred Ancient Egyptian Jobs You Might Have Desired or Dreaded (Jobs in History) Ancient Egypt: Tales of Gods and Pharaohs Mummies, Pyramids, and Pharaohs: A Book About Ancient Egypt Jesus in the House of the Pharaohs: The Essene Revelations on the Historical Jesus Pharaohs and Pyramids (Time Traveler Series) The Curse of The Pharaohs: The Amelia Peabody Series, Book 2 The Hiram Key: Pharaohs, Freemasons and the Discovery of the Secret Scrolls of Jesus The Curse of the Pharaohs (An Amelia Peabody Mystery - Book 2)(Library Edition) A Storytellers Version of Pharaohs and Queens of Ancient Egypt The Wisdom of God (A 10-week Bible Study): Seeing Jesus in the Psalms and Wisdom Books Food Drying Techniques: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-197 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin) Grow the Best Strawberries: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-190 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin, a-190) Growing and Using Garlic: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-183 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin) Grow 15 Herbs for the Kitchen: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-61 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin) Making Cheese, Butter & Yogurt: (Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-283) (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin) Making & Using Flavored Vinegars: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-112 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin) Teaching Your Cat Simple Tricks: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-272 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin, a-272) Building Homebrew Equipment: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-186 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin)
