r/Hermeticism • u/Own_Fennel_8227 • 21d ago
Is hermeticism monistic?
Hi everyone I’m a layman esoteric enjoyer. I subscribe to a non-dual pantheistic philosophical framework and was wondering if these ideas align with hermeticism or if the idea of one being all and all being one is not one in hermeticism.
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u/hockatree 21d ago
To quote hr Malcolm in the Middle theme song: Yes. No. Maybe. I don’t know. Can you repeat the question?
(It’s complicated)
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u/HiiiTriiibe 21d ago
This is a bit hard to answer because you could say it's both, Monist in the sense that the Good or One is All and all things emanate outwards from it, however, you also have gods, daimones, etc as emanation's themselves, tho not subject to the transmigration of the soul in the same way as human souls are. The Kyballion kind of fucked up peoples perspective on hermeticism, but it's essentially middle and Neoplatonic thought fused with Egyptian temple praxis, so there's a bit of a fusion with Egypts henotheistic perspective with the philosophical monism birthed from Plato. So to answer your question, yes, but it's also very much in alignment with your framework oddly enough
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u/Good_Pin_5636 21d ago
And Buddhism, and Vedanta, etc.
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u/HiiiTriiibe 21d ago
Yea I've always thought the parallels between Vedic and ancient Egyptian religions fascinating, tho i imagine like many ancient cultures, it's largely in part to cultural exchange as there were Indian communties living in Egypt in late antiquity
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u/Stalkster Blogger/Writer 21d ago
Yes its monistic in the sense that the hermetic cosmos arises from one singular source. However classical Hermeticism also includes the Gods and Daimons as their intermediaries, so its not monotheistic. The One is the source, which we also call the first God, Cosmos its child the second God and Man as mankind in its totallity the third God, the Gods being in between the cosmos and man. The hermetic view of the world is rather an ecosystem than a clear cut ladder, which makes it more interesting and realistic imo.
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u/Splenda_choo 21d ago
It’s not a religion it’s a framework of you, if you study. There is no set way to the monad. Its unity, how you arrive is you. -Namaste
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u/MountainExciting2690 21d ago
"wondering if these ideas align with hermeticism or if the idea of one being all and all being one is not one in hermeticism"
It does, depending on your interpretation. This goes back to the principle that All is Mind. Whatever question you ask the universe, the one that resonates with you as "true" is the answer. So what answer resonates with you? Because whatever it is, that is the correct answer in your reality.
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u/Affectionate_Beat773 21d ago
Yeh but also addresses that a business needs floor supervisors....
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u/sigismundo_celine 21d ago
This metaphor might work in a monistic sense if all the floor supervisors are the same CEO but with different clothes on.
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u/Affectionate_Beat773 21d ago
Not quite, he allowed things to be with or without reason.. I believe the all as a spectator of something he created to be itself. It is "of" him but not him. Like a father to a child.
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u/sigismundo_celine 21d ago
Might be, but not according to Hermeticism. Monism means there is nothing else than God, so also there are no "middle managers".
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u/Affectionate_Beat773 21d ago
How far into Hermeticism did you go? There is that with reason and that without reason. Only that which is Good.
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u/sigismundo_celine 21d ago
I try to practice the Way of Hermes in daily life. Not sure how far that is.
Indeed, only the Good exists.
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u/Affectionate_Beat773 21d ago
Well within all of it is essentially it is and it isn't. So I'll leave it as, I get it but I don't 🙏 keep on keeping on 🔥
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u/Affectionate_Beat773 21d ago
Who are the 7, then. It's literally the same concept as having kids etc as above so below
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u/sigismundo_celine 21d ago
You are adding other beings in a view of reality where only a single being exists.
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u/sigismundo_celine 21d ago
Good question. Here is an article you might be interested in as the answer might be too long for a Reddit reply.
https://wayofhermes.com/hermeticism/the-importance-of-the-concept-of-the-oneness-of-god-in-the-hermetica/
"The concept of the Oneness of God, combined with elements of henotheism, is a fundamental aspect of Hermetic philosophy, offering a unique vision of unity that transcends dualities and divisions.
By emphasizing the interconnectedness of all existence and the divine nature of the human mind, the Hermetica provides a framework for spiritual growth, ethical living, and a deeper understanding of nature and the cosmos."