Occultism also known as mysticism or transcendentalism is an age-long vocation which probably ushered the beginning of enlightenment and human civilization. Occultism is a field of knowledge that aims to demystify, understand and explain mysteries or things that are inherently esoteric.

Since the Renaissance period, Occultism as a field of study or a system of practice has diminished in relevance among men and today it merely represents an endangered part of the ancient wisdom with some of its treasures lost to modernism and postmodernism. The sentiment and indignation often shared by some of the few surviving occultists and the modern initiates of the system is that enlightenment and civilization which is now generally associated to science is actually a corollary to demystification which is the traditional focus of occultism.

The divide between science and occultism arguably centres on the methodologies of both vocation rather than on their philosophies. Occultism centers on psychical method and science on systematic method. However, both vocations share a common purpose, and that is to advance the frontiers of knowledge and develop the state of humanity.

Unlike science whose evolution has been traced to the Renaissance or the Cartesian era, the dissection of the root and etymology of occultism is invariably accompanied by controversies. Several accounts that have traced the origin of Occultism reference different eras lived by the founding fathers of the different schools of occultism. However, the common belief is that occultism derived its essence from when man became conscious of his environment and identified his place in the cosmos.

But exactly when man became conscious of his environment is another focus of discussion entirely — it is as a matter of fact a question that curiously evades most attempts that have been put forward to answer it.

Many scholars have been disgusted by how berated and relegated to the background occultism has become today despite the beauty and contribution of the system to humanity. Mohammed Abdelbaki, a scholar from north Africa remonstrated:

“it’s unfortunate that occultism has come to be cast in such dark shadows, because it truly is a place of wonder and offers opportunities to enrich and embrace life in many ways.

“The key to understanding the realm of the occult is to approach it without fear, bias or desire to use it for unscrupulous reasons. It is a world of multifaceted possibilities, like a beautiful gemstone that reveals a different view of the world at every angle” he said.

Hermetism is a brand of occultism whose name derived from the name of its founder, Hermes Trismegistus — a highly regarded sage of a much ancient Egypt who was immortalized as the “scribe of the gods”. According to oral tradition, Hermes lived in the same era as the biblical Abraham and it is believed that Abraham derived some of his mystic knowledge from the teachings of Hermes.

It was recorded that Hermes lived three hundred years in flesh, and after his demise, the Egyptians defied him and made him one of their gods, under the name of Toth. The people of the ancient Greece also made Hermes one of their many gods, addressing him as “Hermes, the god of wisdom”.

Trismegistus literally means thrice-great or the greatest-great. In the ancient lands, the name of Hermes Trismegistus was revered and often interpreted as the “fount of wisdom”. In modern dispensation, the term ” hermetic” is often used in a sense to mean “secret” or “sealed” so that nothing can escape.

Thus, the followers of Hermeticism are trained to observe the principle of secrecy. They strongly operate with a belief of not casting ‘pearls before swine’ or giving meat for babes. In other words, the hermetic followers do not believe in giving or preaching the truth to a people or a world that is not ready to accept or receive the truth. Hence, the following hermetic aphorisms:

“the lips of wisdom are closed except to the ears of understanding”.

“milk for babes and meat for strong men”

The All

The philosophical foundation of Hermeticism is the overaching influence of “the all” in the cosmic intelligence. The all is the ever-working mind and the universe represents the mental activities in the mind (of the all). The all is described as the substantial reality underlying all outward manifestations or appearances of things — it is the spirit which in itself is unknowable and indefinable. It can only be thought of or considered as a universal infinite living mind.

The Seven Principles

Underpinning the Hermetic philosophy are seven principles and universal laws, namely; mentalism, correspondence, vibration, polarity, rhythm, cause and effect, and gender.

Mentalism. The principle of mentalism presupposes that all aspects of the material universe, including the socio-economic state of man and the basest things, such as, matter, energy and ions, are manifestations of a mental process and therefore are of mental nature. This principle is the basic of Hermeticism and it guides the practices of both the teachers and the students of the vocation.

“He who grasps the truth of the mental nature of the universe is well advanced on the path to mastery. Without this master key, mastery is impossible, and the student knock in vain at the many doors of the temple” Kyballion.

Correspondence. The principle of correspondence holds that all the levels of existence share a set of identical laws even though each level has its unique law(s). Thus, a mastery of one level of existence, with respect to its law(s), could aid the mastery of another level of existence. This principle presupposes the aphorism,

“as it is above, so it is below”.

The law of correspondence is what is being used by the great masters to move from the known to the unknown. The magical effect of this principle is said to be used to uncover the veil of Isis, the river goddess of the ancient Egypt.

Vibration. The principle of vibration explains the evolution and involution of things to and fro the material and the spiritual spheres of existence. The principle holds that nothing is at rest or constant except that everything is ever on the move. A thing or being that apparently lies dormant has a lot of activities or processes going within it. These activities or processes, mental, spiritual or neurological, influence the state of the being.

Polarity and Rhythm. The principles of Polarity and Rhythm go hand-in-hand. Polarity entails two opposing extremes of the same nature, and Rhythm simply means an episodic movement between these opposing extremes, such as movement between happiness and sadness, optimism and pessimism, coldness and hotness, loudness and quietness, high and low etc..

Cause and effect. The principle of cause and effect explains the order in what may seem a mumble-jumbled world. Every event or occurrence has a cause. Thus, chance or luck is but a name for a cause not yet recognized. The ultimate cause of things is the all which is the cause of its ownself. Hence, it is pointless inquiring beyond it.

Gender. The principle of gender presupposes that all things worthy of knowing exist in complementary pairs, comprising the masculine and the feminine substances which are pivotal to procreation, regeneration and recreation of the same substance. This principle implies that for every ying there is a yang.

Together the seven Hermetic principles summarize Hermeticism as a system based on the mastery of the material universe through subjugation or manipulation of laws by conscious application of higher laws. The highest law is “the all”. Mastery of laws and proximity to the all depends on one’s level of mental transmutation.

Hence, according to the three initiates and veiled interpreters of the Kyballion, a compilation of Hermetic maxims, axioms and precepts, “the transmutation of mental vibration to another, rather than changing one kind of metal to another constitute the art of Hermetic alchemy”.

“From old Egypt have come the fundamental esoteric and occult teachings which have so strongly influenced the philosophies of all races, nations and peoples for several thousand years…. From her secret doctrines all nations have borrowed”. — the three iniates and veiled interpreters of the Kyballion.

Resource:

The Three Iniates. 1908. The Kyballion: A Study of the Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece. YOGEBOOKS, HOLLISTER MO.

Occultism: the Endangered and the Lost Treasures of the Ancient Wisdom