The Quest for Hermes Trismegistus: From Ancient Egypt to the Modern World

by Gary Lachman

Overview

From the sands of Alexandria via the Renaissance palaces of the Medicis, to our own times, this spiritual adventure story traces the profound influence of Hermes Trismegistus — the 'thrice-great one', as he was often called — on the western mind. For centuries his name ranked among the most illustrious of the ancient world.

Considered by some a contemporary of Moses and a forerunner of Christ, this almost mythical figure arose in fourth century BC Alexandria, from a fusion of the Egyptian god Thoth and the Greek god Hermes. Master of magic, writing, science, and philosophy, Hermes was thought to have walked with gods and be the source of the divine wisdom granted to man at the dawn of time.

Gary Lachman has written many books exploring ancient traditions for the modern mind. In The Quest for Hermes Trismegistus, he brings to life the mysterious character of this great spiritual guide, exposing the many theories and stories surrounding him, and revitalizing his teachings for the modern world.

Through centuries of wars, conquests and religious persecutions, the fragile pages of the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus have still survived. This is a book for all thinkers and enquirers who want to recover that lost knowledge and awaken a shift in human consciousness.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780863157981
Publisher:	Floris Books
Publication date:	05/15/2011
Pages:	247
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Gary Lachman is the author of several books about the links between consciousness, culture, and the western esoteric tradition, including Rudolf Steiner: An Introduction to His Life and Work; Jung the Mystic: The Esoteric Dimensions of Carl Jung s Life and Teachings: In Search of P.D Ouspensky; and A Secret History of Consciousness. He is a regular contributor to newspaper columns and radio programmes. A founder member of the rock group Blondie, in 2006 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He lives in London.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 9

Introduction: The Hermetic Quest 11

Hermetic traces 12

Hermes Trismegistus and the Corpus Hermeticum 14

In search of ancient wisdom 18

Hermes revisited 19

1 The Religion of the Mind 23

Neither faith nor belief 25

When Trismegistus speaks 26

The world according to Hermes 28

Hermetic Man 31

The ascent through the spheres 32

Hermes' mission 33

Cosmic consciousness 34

The nitrous oxide experiments 38

Talking with angels 41

Mind at large 42

Too much information? 45

Life failure and the Goldilocks effect 47

Reptile brains 48

2 Out of Egypt 50

The writing on the wall 51

The last Renaissance Man 52

The language of Adam and Eve 54

The shamans of Egypt 57

Body and soul 60

Practise dying 63

The Duat 64

The intelligence of the heart 67

Simultaneity of opposite states 70

3 When Thoth Met Hermes 74

City of sects and gospels 76

A match made in heaven 79

The caduceus 82

Enter Trismegistus 83

Hermetic prejudices 84

Egypt's dark days 86

Gnosis in the desert 87

The Hermetic work 91

Journey beyond the planets 92

The eighth sphere 94

Language and silence 95

Becoming Aion 97

4 Emerald Tablets 98

All that glitters 102

The fifth essence 105

The Hermetic connection 106

Love of fate 107

Alchemy's decline 108

Hermetic Harran 109

The pagans of Baghdad 112

Jabirish 114

Holy stones and philosophers' Grails 117

Paracelsus: Hermes of the north 119

5 The Dignity of Man 122

Perspectival consciousness 126

Jean Gebser and structures of consciousness 127

Ficino: born under a bad sign 129

Plato returns 131

Escape from the stars 135

The dignity of Man 137

What a great miracle is Man 141

Giordano Bruno - the Nolan 144

Martyr to the stars 148

Egyptian memories 150

6 Hermes in the Underworld 153

Oh Oh Oh, it's magic! 156

Humanist, all too humanist 157

Mechanical marvels 160

Dr Dee 163

Here comes the sun 164

Monsieur Casaubon 166

After Casaubon 170

The great Fludd 174

The Rosy Cross 177

Mechanical monsters 180

Gebser again 182

7 Hermes Rising 188

Masonic trials 190

Hermetic Romanticism 194

Bees of the invisible 197

Arts of memory 200

Becoming Aion, again 203

The caduceus of the brain 205

The Hermesian spirit 210

Endnotes 217

References and Further Reading 237

Index 242

Editorial Reviews

'The Quest for Hermes Trismegistus is an excellent addition to any history collection, highly recommended.'
– Midwest Book Review

'This book provides a very readable introduction to the history of Western Esotericism.'
– De Numine

'It is a bewildering tale which has many twists and turns which Lachman considers not only in its historical but also cultural and philosophical connections across time. He also helps us unravel the development of hermecticism, Gnosticism, and connections across the ages to such seminal and initiatory characters as Rudolf Steiner, G.I. Gurdjeff, Giordano Bruno, Marcilio Ficino, Pico Mirandolla, Cornelius Agrippa, Robert Fludd, Dr John Dee, and Athansius Kircher.'
– Stephen Cox Trust

'Gary Lachman offers us a fascinating history of the myth of Hermes Trismegistus and the translation of the Corpus Hermeticum... This is a comprehensive book covering all aspects of the tradition of Hermes... Lachman is an easy to read author yet has a near encyclopaedic knowledge of esotericism and is hence able to offer many different perspectives on the subject at hand... this is a truly informative journey through all aspects of Hermes Trismegistus.'
– Living Traditions Magazine

'Immensely erudite... the book traces the influence of hermetic thinking through different areas of the Western tradition drawing on a wide range of scholarship. It gives the reader quite a different flavour of the development of Western philosophy than would be found in any standard textbook.'
– Scientific and Medical Network Review

'Here is an entertaining, mostly historical introduction to a body of religious knowledge that has a deep influence on the course of Western philosophy – Hermeticism... This is a concise and interesting introduction.'
– Northern Earth

'Lachman's [book] at times is quite a deep study of the philosophy and psychology of esoteric sprituality.'
– Fortean Times.

From the Publisher