Mystical Leanings

I am, by nature, a mystic. I require no intermediary to speak for me or interpret communication between me and the Source of my being. If further refinement of my beliefs is needed, then I would admit to being a mystic of the Gnostic variety, mostly in agreement with age-old Hermetic thinking. That, as such, would be a good way of distinguishing my beliefs from those of Christians or Jews or Muslims or Hindus or agnostics or atheists or whatever. Buddhism, apart from the rest, is a way a living that speaks loudly to me and is consistent with how I apply my mystical outlook.

So what is Hermeticism? The hermetic tradition represents a lineage of Gnosticism actually, which is the name for a variety of ancient religious ideas and systems dating back to the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D. The surviving writings of Hermeticism are known as the Corpus Hermetica, which is composed of a series of letters from a master Hermes Trismegistus wherein he tries to enlighten his disciple.

Hermes Trismegistus is the purported author of both the Emerald Tablet and the Corpus Hermeticum, and one of those characters in history that blend the mythical with the actual. Hermes Trismegistus is the author who represents a combination of the Egyptian God Thoth and the Greek God Hermes, who were both gods of writing and magic in their respective cultures. Hermes was credited with tens of thousands of highly esteemed writings, from both Egypt and Greece, suggesting a shared cultural tradition between the two in the man. And while the Italian Renaissance believed Hermes to be an Egyptian Priest, it is possible the Corpus Hermetica was actually written by a collective of unknown authors who were Platonistic and Stoic Greeks.

In ancient Greek mythology, Hermes is believed to move freely between the worlds of the mortal and divine. He was also viewed as the protector and patron of roads and travelers, as well as merchants, messengers, sailors, athletes, herdsmen, and thieves. There is little wonder about my affinity for this Greek god. Just look at his winged feet as he glides through the universe between worlds. Remind you of anyone? His consort was Aphrodite, the ancient Greek goddess associated with love, beauty, pleasure, passion, and procreation. Again, no surprise that I have surrounded myself with beautiful women my entire life. Hermes, or Mercury as he was also called, was the messenger of the gods and generally referred to as the “divine trickster”. Methinks it is very fitting that he is my patron.

One of my mentors for the past thirty years has been Drunvalo Melchizedek, whose mentor in turn until 1991 was Thoth, in the flesh. Thoth, or Hermes, has appeared again and again throughout many cultures from Lemuria to Atlantis to ancient Egypt to Greece and Rome to contemporary times. Setting all mythology aside, this was an incarnate entity of very high spiritual standing who lived among humans continuously for tens of thousands of years until humanity reached a certain threshold of consciousness before leaving our realm to steer the planet from a higher dimension.

I consider the teachings of Thoth/Hermes to be the closest to understanding Source of any other philosophical or religious ideology. The Corpus Hermetica and the Emerald Tablet have answers to not only every question we might imagine, but every question our imagination has not yet reached. Inherent in the teachings is that the universe runs on natural laws. When we take time to understand these laws, they serve us as we proceed along the path of awareness and ascension. Since the very beginning of civilization the wisest of us have been united by a pursuit of discovering what these natural laws are, so that we can learn from them and use them to experience more happiness, meaning, and control in our lives in the time we have here. For me, the words of Hermes Trismegistus, very simply, lead to an overall greater understanding of the universe and our place in it. These words are closer to Source than any I have ever encountered. At the risk of being labeled, this is as close as I come to minding an intermediary in my spiritual pursuits.