The most important hermetic axioms are the ones written down in the Definitions of Hermes to Asclepius. They can be found in the book 'The Way of Hermes' by Clement Salaman. The first two are: God: an intelligible world; world: a sensible God; man: a destructible world; God: an immovable world; heaven: a movable world; man: a reasonable world. Then there are three worlds. Now the immovable world (is) God, and the reasonable world is man: for both of (these) units (are) one: God and man after the species. Consequently (there are) three worlds on the whole: two units (make up) the sensible and one (is) the intelligible; one (is) after the species, and the third one (is) after (its) fullness. All of the multiple (belongs to) the three worlds: two of them (are) visible: (namely) the sensible and man, (that) destructible world; and the intelligible is this God: he is not visible, but evident within the visible (things) Answer from sigismundo_celine on reddit.com
Lightparty
lightparty.com › Spirituality › ManKnowThyself › ManKnowThyself.html
Man Know Thyself: Hermetic Qabalistic Keys to the Bible
This book is dedicated to the Truth · Copyright 1980 Raphael Ornstein, M.D. Published by San Francisco Medical Research Foundation 20 Sunnyside Ave, Suite A-156, MIll Valley, California 94941 (415) 381-4061
Modernmysteryschoolint
modernmysteryschoolint.com › home › know thyself
KNOW THYSELF - The Modern Mystery School
April 27, 2025 - At its essence, the Hermetic axiom Know Thyself beckons us to embark on a journey — not across distant lands or through the depths of outer space, but rather into the uncharted territory of our own being.
Videos
Spotify
open.spotify.com › episode › 6NcFA8HDXfkXKhmCQOIK9a
E62 - Robert Edward Grant: Decoding The Hermetic Principles & NEW Pyramid DISCOVERY - Know Thyself | Podcast on Spotify
September 5, 2023 - Listen to this episode from Know Thyself on Spotify. Polymath Robert Edward Grant explains the journey of knowing thyself through the 7 Hermetic Principles AND shares several new discoveries that he has made in relation to the pyramids & the Declaration of Independence.
Ritmanlibrary
ritmanlibrary.com › 2012 › 09 › hermeticism-key-to-universal-knowledge
Hermeticism. Key to universal knowledge.
It has once more confirmed me in my view that Hermetica can be applied as the key to universal knowledge, as the Source leading to the obtaining of Gnosis: knowledge of the One Self and the All-self, and in this way to get to know God the Creator from his works.
Lightwarriorslegion
lightwarriorslegion.com › light warriors legion › occult › the seven hermetic principles
The 7 Hermetic Principles: Universal Laws Explained
January 7, 2026 - “Know thyself, and you will know the Universe and the gods.” This ancient Delphic maxim mirrors the Hermetic idea that everything is connected. But how can this be used practically?
Reddit
reddit.com › r/hermeticism › what are the basic axioms of the hermetic philosophy?
r/Hermeticism on Reddit: What are the basic axioms of the hermetic philosophy?
January 20, 2020 -
So I learned the Kybalion is not all that faithful to the original teaching of Hermes Trismegistus. This has left me wondering if Hermeticism is not what is taught in the Kybalion then what exactly is Hermetic Philosophy? I have tried looking everywhere for a summary of what hermetic philosophy is and its principles but can't find one anywhere. Could you give me a brief example of the core teachings? Or is asking for that proof I am undeserving to know what it is? I am going to order the corpus hermetic and the emerald tablets but I would like to hear what the philosophy means to the modern adept.
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The most important hermetic axioms are the ones written down in the Definitions of Hermes to Asclepius. They can be found in the book 'The Way of Hermes' by Clement Salaman. The first two are: God: an intelligible world; world: a sensible God; man: a destructible world; God: an immovable world; heaven: a movable world; man: a reasonable world. Then there are three worlds. Now the immovable world (is) God, and the reasonable world is man: for both of (these) units (are) one: God and man after the species. Consequently (there are) three worlds on the whole: two units (make up) the sensible and one (is) the intelligible; one (is) after the species, and the third one (is) after (its) fullness. All of the multiple (belongs to) the three worlds: two of them (are) visible: (namely) the sensible and man, (that) destructible world; and the intelligible is this God: he is not visible, but evident within the visible (things)
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The thing about trying to give a fixed set of "Hermetic principles" or "axioms" is that it's really super hard, because what we have as the "classical Hermetic canon/corpus" isn't a single, coherent set of texts, and presents a number of viewpoints that don't always agree amongst themselves (sometimes explicitly so). I recently put out two articles ( here and here ) about this very topic and why it's so difficult and what biases and problems it raises. In a way, you end up with a situation where if you ask five different Hermet(ic)ists what Hermet(ic)ism is about, you'll get seven different answers except eight on Wednesdays. Personally, I like looking at Book III of the Corpus Hermeticum as a very brief summary of both our cosmology and purpose from a Hermetic viewpoint; I put out my own translation, analysis, and summary of this text on my blog recently . However, that doesn't cover a lot of the philosophical or mystical aspects of the Way of Hermēs, either, which is elaborated on in other texts. I'm still in the process of trying to figure out what my own "summary" of the Hermetic texts are, but it's a hard process. But four "directives" stand out to me, and although these should not be taken as an exclusive or definitive list, I think it does bring up some of the biggest purposes of what's discussed in the Hermetic texts: To show devotion (SH IIb.2) To join reverence with knowledge (CH VI.5) To not be evil (CH XII.23) To enter into God so as to become God (CH I.26) All this is facilitated by means of (again, not an exclusive or definitive list): study of the natural world around us to understand the creation and creatures that were created by the Creator understanding the twisted, twisting happenings of fate by means of studying the motions of the planets and stars, i.e. astrology, along with other systems of omen understanding the proper roles, function, and place of matter in the created world and how we both fit and don't fit among them, and the means by which the cosmos changes and constantly regenerates without death or destruction but only dissolution introspection, meditation, and contemplation on the immortal soul of the human that inhabits a mortal body differentiating between the base desires of the body and the pure desires of the soul so that the soul can act more freely without being inhibited by the body attaining divine consciousness ("Nous") by means of reasoned speech ("Logos") to further us and our studies to better approach and behold the Divine participating in the activity of divinity (theurgy) by means of worship of divinity and calling the powers of divinity into this world elevation and ascent of the soul through spiritual rebirth to become more free from the powers of fate to better reclaim and recognize our divine status as holy entities made as children of the Divine But, of course, this is just my own take based on my own studies and approach. Others' will likely differ, especially depending on what other religious, spiritual, or occult influences they bring to bear on their Hermetic work; some people take in the Jewish or Jewish-derived practices of Qabbalah, some people take in more Iamblichean Neoplatonism, some focus more on alchemy, some focus more on astrology, some are more Christian, some are more Islamic, some are more polytheist, some focus more on this or that or the other. Hermet(ic)ism isn't really a "philosophy", per se, like how we might consider Stoicism or Platonism; if the term hadn't already been commandeered in modern times, a better term for this would be "theosophy", the coming-to-be-wise of God and the divine. It's more of a spiritual practice—perhaps even a religion, under some definitions—than a philosophy. Just like with starting a journey, the best way to start is to just get walking; the best way to get started with Hermetic stuff is to just dive right in. To that end, just get a copy of the Corpus Hermeticum and start reading and thinking on it, and see where it takes you. I wrote up a resource list with various translations of the Corpus Hermeticum, Asclepius, and Fragments about a month ago on this subreddit which should give you a few places to start; I recommend the Salaman translations of the Corpus Hermeticum, Definitions, and Asclepius, as well as the Copenhaver translation of the Corpus Hermeticum and Asclepius and absolutely definitely Litwa's translation of the Fragments (Hermetica II should absolutely be a part of everyone's library, and it's a shame it's relatively unused or unread outside of the Korē Kosmou).
Robert Edward Grant
robertedwardgrant.com › home › decoding the hermetic principles & new pyramid discovery – robert edward grant on know thyself podcast
Decoding The Hermetic Principles & NEW Pyramid DISCOVERY - Robert Edward Grant on Know Thyself Podcast
September 11, 2023 - The Hermetic Principles are seven foundational laws of our reality that can help us to understand and ascend in this lifetime. Grant takes us on a journey through those principles on this episode of Know Thyself, thoroughly explaining each one and how you can apply its wisdom to your life today.
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Know_thyself
Know thyself - Wikipedia
1 week ago - In the ensuing dialogue, the two men agree that the self is not the body, and neither is it some combination of soul and body; they therefore conclude that a man's self is "nothing other than his soul" (130a–c). Socrates then considers how one should obtain knowledge of the soul (132c–133c). He begins by asking how they would solve the puzzle if, instead of "know thyself", the inscription at Delphi had read "see thyself".
Hermetic
hermetic-academy.com › self-knowledge
Self-Knowledge - The Foundation of Wisdom and Spiritual Life
February 12, 2024 - It translates to, “Know thyself!” Often, this statement is extended with: “Then you will know God!” Along with MEDEN AGAN (Nothing in excess!) and EI (You are), this injunction represents one of the three Apollonian wisdoms of the Mysteries ...
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Superphysics
superphysics.org › research › hermes › kybalion › chapter-15
Hermetic Axioms | Superphysics
This makes the swing of the mental pendulum to manifest on the Lower Plane. Since he is on his Higher Plane, he escapes the consciousness of the swing backward. This is effected by polarizing on the Higher Self, and thus raising the mental vibrations of the Ego above those of the ordinary plane of consciousness. It is akin to rising above a thing and allowing it to pass beneath you. The advanced Hermetist polarizes himself at the Positive Pole of his Being-the “I Am” pole rather than the pole of personality and by “refusing” and “denying” the operation of Rhythm, raises himself above its plane of consciousness, and standing firm in his Statement of Being he allows the pendulum to swing back on the Lower Plane without changing his Polarity.
Sacred-texts
sacred-texts.com › home › esoteric & occult
The Kybalion: Chapter II. The Seven Hermetic Principles | Internet Sacred Text Archive
The old Hermetic axiom ran in these words: "As above, so below; as below, so above." And the grasping of this Principle gives one the means of solving many a dark paradox, and hidden secret of Nature.
Natura Sophia
naturasophia.org › articles › as-above-so-below
As Above, So Below – The Hermetic Axiom & Its Alchemical Wisdom | Natura Sophia — Natura Sophia
When my journey with Astrology began I deeply trusted in the practice, yet I had no way to understand how or why it worked beyond my faith that it did. When I read the Kybalion and began my studies into Hermeticism I realised “As Above, So Below” offered the correlation between the Cosmos and the Human Experience.
soipost
soipost.wordpress.com › 2017 › 01 › 27 › man-know-thyself
Man Know Thyself | soipost
January 27, 2017 - The occult interpretation of this ... and is associated with the Hermetic axiom: That which is above, is as that which is below, and that which is below, is as that which is above....
Mind Your Reality
mind-your-reality.com › seven_universal_laws.html
The Seven Universal Laws Explained - The Laws and Principles of the Universe
The New Thought author, James Allen, perfectly captured this Law when he said, "Circumstances do not make a man, they reveal him." This means that your outer world circumstances are revealing your inner world and so to change your circumstances, ...
Ritmanlibrary
ritmanlibrary.com › founder › hermetica-key-to-universal-knowledge
Hermetica, Key to Universal Knowledge by Joost R. Ritman
‘Nosce te ipsum – know thyself’ is also the motto over one of the entrance gates of a Greek temple at Delphi. As the founder of the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica, the international centre of research on the sources of the Hermetica, ‘The Ritman Institute’ and the publishing house ‘In de Pelikaan’, I can assure you that for me the motto ‘He who knows himself, knows the All...
Medium
medium.com › @ruslansharonov › hermeticism-for-the-modern-seeker-an-ancient-path-to-self-knowledge-f0d1ef822fa6
Hermeticism for the Modern Seeker: An Ancient Path to Self-Knowledge | by Ruslan Sharonov | Medium
May 26, 2025 - These principles act as keys, unlocking deeper layers of reality. ... This famous Hermetic axiom expresses the idea that the microcosm (human being) reflects the macrocosm (the universe), and vice versa.
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Hermeticism
Hermeticism - Wikipedia
1 month ago - Hermeticism, or Hermetism, is a philosophical and religious tradition rooted in the teachings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, a syncretic figure combining elements of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. This system encompasses a wide range of esoteric knowledge, including aspects ...
Apple Podcasts
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E62 - Robert Edward Grant: Decoding The Hermetic Principles & NEW Pyramid DISCOVERY
September 5, 2023 - Polymath Robert Edward Grant explains the journey of knowing thyself through the 7 Hermetic Principles AND shares several new discoveries that he has made in relation to the pyramids & the Declaration of Independence.
Gravity Inspires
gravity-inspires.com › home › blog › spirituality
The Hermetic Principles – 7 Ancient Axioms for Self-Empowerment
February 10, 2023 - The Principles of Truth are Seven; he who knows these, understandingly, possesses the Magic Key before whose touch all the Doors of the Temple fly open. ... In 1908 one or more anonymous authors, referring to themselves as “the Three Initiates,” published a book titled “The Kybalion.” The term “Kybalion” is also used for a specific collection of “axioms, maxims, and precepts” of Hermeticism, and these are the ones published in this book.
Redeemerbaltimore
redeemerbaltimore.org › know-thyself
Know Thyself – The Church of the Redeemer
Inscribed on a column of the Temple of Apollo in the ancient Greek city of Delphi was the philosophical axiom: know thyself. These words are attributed to Socrates when asked about the totality of ALL philosophical axioms. He supposedly replied, “The unexamined life is not worth living.