Hermetic symbols can be found in the places of worship of ancient peoples and cultures, such as the Egyptian, Persian and Indian civilizations. Also, in the spiritual works of Kabbalists, alchemists and mystics such as Jakob Böhme and Robert Fludd, to name but two.
Since the Renaissance and the advent of the printing press, the teachings of the timeless wisdom of Hermeticism, long thought to have been lost and often conveyed through symbols, have increasingly returned to human consciousness.
Even in today’s religions, symbols of Hermeticism can be found. Even if the followers are rarely aware of them. The term “symbol” comes from the Greek “symbolon” and means “thrown together”.
The point of symbols is to bring something together. Since the Fall, the fall from the Garden of Eden, man seems to have lived apart from God – in duality. He has lost access to his true home. Hermetic symbols have the function of bringing man back into contact with his spiritual home – into the original unity – back to God.
In essence, symbols are pictorial keys that can connect the lower with the higher. They are patterns and archetypes of the soul – the universal language of the collective subconscious.
Hermetic symbols can be found in the keys of the Tarot and Alchemy. They are often very simple geometric shapes, such as the circle. Everyone knows this shape when they think of the sun and the moon. In most cultures the circle symbolises the celestial sphere.
Another symbol would be a straight cross, for example, which is associated with the 4 points of the compass, but also with the arrangement of opposites around a central point.
Other examples of symbols would be the snake, the star, the crescent moon and many others found in most cultures and religions. The actual effect of such symbols is at a deep, subtle level. This means that symbols do not necessarily need to be fully understood intellectually in order to have an effect on people.
The knowledge of the true meaning and the power of the effect of Hermetic symbols has been one of the treasures of the Mystery Tradition since time immemorial.
The Hermetic Academy preserves this knowledge and teaches its practical application in its courses. By working with Hermetic symbols, people can get in touch with a higher power in order to return, step by step, to divine unity.
What is a symbol?
The term “symbol” comes from the Greek “symbolon” and means “thrown together”. Symbols are about putting something together. Symbols are a powerful tool in Western spirituality. They can help us to better understand the world we live in and ourselves.
What does the feminine symbol mean?
The female symbol is said to represent the hand mirror of the goddess Venus.
