Hermetic Philosophy: Core Concepts from the Emerald Tablet

BY NICOLE LAU

Introduction to Hermeticism

Hermeticism is the philosophical and spiritual tradition attributed to Hermes Trismegistus ('Thrice-Great Hermes'), a legendary figure who synthesizes the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. This tradition forms the foundation of Western esotericism, influencing alchemy, astrology, magic, and mysticism for over two thousand years.

At the heart of Hermetic philosophy lies the Emerald Tablet (Tabula Smaragdina), a cryptic text that encodes the fundamental principles of the universe in just thirteen lines. This guide explores the core concepts of Hermeticism, the Seven Hermetic Principles, and how these ancient teachings remain profoundly relevant to modern spiritual practice.

The Emerald Tablet: The Foundation Text

The Text

The Emerald Tablet's most famous translation (by Isaac Newton) reads:

'Tis true without lying, certain and most true.
That which is below is like that which is above
and that which is above is like that which is below
to do the miracle of one only thing.
And as all things have been and arose from one by the mediation of one:
so all things have their birth from this one thing by adaptation.
The Sun is its father, the Moon its mother,
the wind hath carried it in its belly, the earth is its nurse.
The father of all perfection in the whole world is here.
Its force or power is entire if it be converted into earth.
Separate thou the earth from the fire,
the subtle from the gross
sweetly with great industry.
It ascends from the earth to the heaven
and again it descends to the earth
and receives the force of things superior and inferior.
By this means you shall have the glory of the whole world
and thereby all obscurity shall fly from you.
Its force is above all force,
for it vanquishes every subtle thing and penetrates every solid thing.
So was the world created.
From this are and do come admirable adaptations
whereof the means is here in this.
Hence I am called Hermes Trismegistus,
having the three parts of the philosophy of the whole world.
That which I have said of the operation of the Sun is accomplished and ended.

The Core Teaching: As Above, So Below

The most famous line—'That which is below is like that which is above, and that which is above is like that which is below'—encodes the fundamental Hermetic principle: the macrocosm (universe) mirrors the microcosm (individual), and vice versa. Understanding one reveals the other.

The Seven Hermetic Principles

The Kybalion (1908) systematized Hermetic philosophy into Seven Principles. While not ancient, these principles accurately distill core Hermetic teachings.

1. The Principle of Mentalism

Statement: 'THE ALL is MIND; The Universe is Mental.'

Meaning: Reality is fundamentally mental or consciousness-based. The universe exists within the infinite mind of THE ALL (God, Source, the Absolute). Everything we experience is a mental creation, a thought in the divine mind.

Implications:

• Consciousness is primary; matter is secondary
• Thoughts create reality
• We are thoughts within the mind of God
• By changing our minds, we change our reality
• Magic works through mental/spiritual laws, not physical ones

Practical Application: Your thoughts shape your experience. By mastering your mind, you master your reality. Meditation, visualization, and mental discipline are fundamental spiritual practices.

2. The Principle of Correspondence

Statement: 'As above, so below; as below, so above. As within, so without; as without, so within.'

Meaning: There is harmony, agreement, and correspondence between the different planes of existence (physical, mental, spiritual). The patterns repeat at every level—what is true in the macrocosm is true in the microcosm.

Implications:

• The universe is a hologram—each part contains the whole
• By studying one level, we understand all levels
• The human being is a miniature universe
• Astrology works because celestial patterns correspond to earthly patterns
• Inner work changes outer reality

Practical Application: To change your outer world, change your inner world. To understand the cosmos, study yourself. The patterns in your life reflect patterns in your psyche.

3. The Principle of Vibration

Statement: 'Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates.'

Meaning: Everything in the universe is in constant motion, vibrating at different frequencies. The difference between matter, energy, mind, and spirit is merely a difference in vibration rate.

Implications:

• Matter is energy vibrating slowly
• Thoughts are vibrations in the mental plane
• Emotions are vibrations in the astral plane
• Higher vibrations = higher consciousness
• We can change our state by changing our vibration

Practical Application: Raise your vibration through meditation, positive thoughts, high-vibration foods, music, and environments. Like attracts like—your vibration attracts matching experiences.

4. The Principle of Polarity

Statement: 'Everything is Dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites.'

Meaning: All manifested things have two sides, two aspects, two poles. Opposites are identical in nature but different in degree. Hot and cold are the same thing (temperature) at different points on the scale.

Implications:

• Opposites are extremes of the same thing
• Everything contains its opposite
• We can transmute one pole to another
• Good and evil are degrees of the same thing
• Love and hate are the same energy at different vibrations

Practical Application: You can transmute negative emotions into positive ones by recognizing they're the same energy. Shift your mental pole from fear to courage, from hate to love, from lack to abundance.

5. The Principle of Rhythm

Statement: 'Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall.'

Meaning: Everything has a rhythm, a measured motion between two poles. The pendulum swing manifests in everything—day and night, seasons, civilizations, moods, life and death.

Implications:

• What goes up must come down
• After every high comes a low, and vice versa
• Cycles are natural and inevitable
• We can neutralize unwanted rhythms through mental mastery
• Understanding rhythm allows us to work with it, not against it

Practical Application: Accept the natural rhythms of life. When in a low period, know it will pass. When high, prepare for the inevitable swing. Use the Law of Neutralization to rise above the swing of the pendulum.

6. The Principle of Cause and Effect

Statement: 'Every Cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause.'

Meaning: Nothing happens by chance—everything happens according to law. Every effect has a cause, and every cause produces an effect. Chance is merely a name for law not recognized.

Implications:

• There is no such thing as luck or chance
• We are either causes or effects
• Masters become causes; masses are effects
• Karma is the law of cause and effect
• We can rise above the plane of effects by becoming conscious causes

Practical Application: Take responsibility for your life. Recognize that your current circumstances are effects of past causes (thoughts, actions, choices). Become a conscious creator rather than a victim of circumstance.

7. The Principle of Gender

Statement: 'Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine Principles.'

Meaning: Gender manifests on all planes—not just physical sex, but the masculine (active, projective, yang) and feminine (receptive, creative, yin) principles that exist in everything and everyone.

Implications:

• Creation requires both masculine and feminine
• Every person contains both principles
• Mental creation requires masculine will and feminine imagination
• Balance of masculine and feminine is necessary for wholeness
• The alchemical marriage is the union of these principles within

Practical Application: Cultivate both masculine (action, logic, will) and feminine (receptivity, intuition, creativity) qualities within yourself. True power comes from their integration.

The Hermetic Cosmos

The Three Initiates

Hermetic philosophy recognizes three fundamental aspects of reality:

THE ALL: The infinite, eternal, unchanging source—God, the Absolute, pure consciousness
The Universe: The mental creation of THE ALL, the manifestation
The Individual: A thought within the mind of THE ALL, a microcosm of the macrocosm

The Seven Planes of Existence

Hermetic cosmology describes seven interpenetrating planes:

1. The Great Physical Plane: Matter, energy, the physical universe
2. The Great Mental Plane: Mind, thought, consciousness (three sub-planes: A, B, C)
3. The Great Spiritual Plane: Spirit, the divine (seven sub-planes)

Each plane vibrates at a different frequency, with the spiritual planes vibrating highest.

Hermetic Practice: The Great Work

Alchemy: Spiritual and Physical

Hermetic alchemy operates on two levels:

Physical Alchemy: Transmutation of base metals into gold, creation of the Philosopher's Stone
Spiritual Alchemy: Transmutation of the base self into the spiritual gold of enlightenment

The true Great Work is internal—transforming lead (the unenlightened ego) into gold (the realized Self).

The Alchemical Process

1. Calcination: Burning away the ego, facing the shadow
2. Dissolution: Dissolving rigid structures, emotional release
3. Separation: Discerning true from false, essential from non-essential
4. Conjunction: Reuniting purified elements, integration
5. Fermentation: Inspiration, the descent of spirit
6. Distillation: Purification, raising vibration
7. Coagulation: Embodiment, the Philosopher's Stone, enlightenment

Hermetic Magic

Hermetic magic works through understanding and applying the Seven Principles:

• Mentalism: All magic is mental—changing consciousness changes reality
• Correspondence: As above, so below—working on one plane affects all planes
• Vibration: Raising vibration to match desired outcome
• Polarity: Transmuting negative to positive
• Rhythm: Working with natural cycles
• Cause and Effect: Becoming a conscious cause
• Gender: Balancing will and imagination in manifestation

The Hermetic Tradition Through History

Ancient Origins

• Egypt: Thoth, god of wisdom and magic
• Greece: Hermes, messenger of the gods
• Hellenistic Period: Fusion creating Hermes Trismegistus
• Corpus Hermeticum: Collection of Hermetic texts (1st-3rd century CE)

Medieval and Renaissance

• Islamic Golden Age: Preservation and development of Hermetic texts
• Renaissance: Rediscovery in Europe, influence on alchemy and magic
• Rosicrucians: Hermetic Christian mysticism

Modern Era

• Golden Dawn: Hermetic Order incorporating Kabbalah, tarot, and ceremonial magic
• New Thought: Mental science based on Hermetic principles
• New Age: Law of Attraction and manifestation teachings

Practical Hermetic Exercises

Mental Transmutation

Practice changing your mental state through will:

1. Identify a negative emotion or thought
2. Recognize it as a vibration/polarity
3. Consciously shift to the opposite pole
4. Hold the new vibration through will and attention

Correspondence Meditation

Meditate on the connections between levels:

• Your body corresponds to the Earth
• Your emotions correspond to Water
• Your thoughts correspond to Air
• Your spirit corresponds to Fire
• See how changes in one affect all others

Further Study

Primary Texts:

• The Corpus Hermeticum (translated by G.R.S. Mead or Brian Copenhaver)
• The Kybalion by Three Initiates
• The Emerald Tablet (various translations)

Modern Interpretations:

• The Hermetica by Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy
• Hermetic Philosophy and Creative Alchemy by Paul Foster Case

Conclusion

Hermetic philosophy provides a complete framework for understanding reality and our place within it. The Seven Principles offer practical tools for spiritual development, mental mastery, and conscious creation. By understanding that the universe is mental, that as above so below, and that we are microcosms of the macrocosm, we reclaim our power as co-creators of reality.

May you know THE ALL. May you master the Seven Principles. May you complete the Great Work.