Hermetic Medicine – Ancient Wisdom As The Origin For Modern Wellness

 

Hermetic Medicine – Ancient Wisdom As The Origin For Modern Wellness

Get sick. Go to the doctor. Take a pill or get surgery. Hopefully you’ll get better. 

How did we arrive at this paradigm of modern medicine? Some people believe that the ancient spiritual philosophy of Hermetic medicine and its seven universal truths or principles form the basis of modern medicine. 

What Is The Legend Of Hermetic Medicine? 

No, it’s not living in a hermetically-sealed environment so you don’t catch germs from others and get sick. Although in a pandemic era, nobody would blame you for thinking that.  

To reveal the origin story of the term “hermetically-sealed” and modern medicine itself, we have to journey back in time to ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, Renaissance Europe, and a final pit stop to 1908. 

Ready to go back in time? It’s a complicated but fascinating story so hold on tight…

The Greek god Hermes was the go-to deity for wisdom and learning. As a side hustle, Hermes also guided souls into the afterlife. The ancient Greeks turned to another legendary kingdom of deities for universal knowledge, Egypt, which had a god of wisdom and learning of its own, Thoth. 

The ancient Greeks co-opted Thoth and created the deity, Hermes Trismegistus. So nice was Hermes that the Greeks named him thrice: Hermes Trismegistus, which means Hermes “three-times greatest.” This is a reference to his incarnations as a Greek and Egyptian God plus a stint as a legendary copywriter. 

Legend has it, Hermes Trismegistus is the source of ancient Egyptian culture, not to mention the god of writing, philosophy, art and hermetic medicine.  

Hermes Trismegistus and Medicine

Hermes Trismegistus is the namesake of hermetic medicine. He—or whatever pronoun should be attributed to deities—was a scribe who penned manuscripts that revealed the secrets of mastering the physical and spiritual world. 

Like the Jack Canfield of pre-Christian thought—Hermes Trismegistus, if he truly existed, (nobody knows for sure) was the most prolific pre-printing-press-era of self-help publishing manuscripts. The scribe may have also penned numerous tomes on the occult, astrology and alchemy, and virtually every other section that would have existed in an ancient Barnes & Noble. 

An overarching theme in all Hermetic works was the quest for spiritual perfection, or what ancient Chinese philosophers described as living in harmony with the universe, aka the ultimate Yin/Yang balance: achieve spiritual perfection and perfect health is yours. 

Ancient Alchemy

Now let’s skip ahead roughly 1500 years. During medieval times, alchemy was the Big Pharma of the day. A forerunner of chemistry, alchemy was the pursuit of transforming, also called “transmutation,” of base metals into gold. 

Unlike the gold rush ‘49ers of the American West or today’s cryptocurrency capitalists, ancient alchemists weren’t concerned with transmutation for riches. Well, not for financial wealth necessarily. Rather, the goal of the alchemist was spiritual and physical perfection. Gold was a health elixir, a way to cure dystopia and disease. To a hermetic alchemist, gold was never merely a financial commodity to live high off the hog. 

Through works believed to be scribed by Hermes Trismegistus such as the Emerald Tablet, alchemists revered Hermes Tri like a deity. And in order to transform matter, alchemists turned to one important tool of their trade: an airtight glass container—hence “hermetically sealed.” 

What Was The Emerald Tablet?

The Emerald Tablet of Thoth was The Secret of the ancient world. Like 2006’s mega-success New Age self-help book, The Emerald Tablet reveals all the secrets of the universe, including how to live disease-free with plenty of vim and vigor. Hermetic medicine, it could be argued, forms one of the world’s first medical philosophies on how to live your best life. 

But a Google search for Hermetic medicine may not be possible were it not for the “three initiates.” 

Disciples of the philosophies of Hermes Trismegistus, the three initiates, which really may be the work of a single author, a New Age guru of the late 18th century named William Walker Atkinson, resurrected Hermetic teachings with the 1908 publication of “The Kybalion.” 

Steeped in esoteric philosophy, The Kybalion contains seven Hermetic principles that hermetic medicine has as its healing roots. 

What Are The 7 Hermetic Principles?

Sure, you can read “The Secret” to attract abundance in your life. But if you want to go to the original source, master these 7 hermetic philosophies:

1. Mentalism 

Your thoughts are your reality. So think positive thoughts!

2. Law of correspondence 

Also poetically stated, “As above, so below, as within, so without.” This core tenet of hermeticism means that if something is happening on a physical level, it’s also happening on a higher spiritual plane. In self-help terms, it means that the outer world is a mirror of the inner world. 

3. Law of vibration

Nothing rests. Even mountains and couch potatoes that appear motionless move at a molecular and atomic level. This tenet represents the core of The Kybalion as it relates to spiritual alchemy. To change your mental state and be happier, you need to change your vibration. Practice unconditional love, even with an in-law who you can’t stand. This is the key to self-mastery and living with a higher vibration.

4. Law of polarity

This is the equivalent of Chinese medicine’s Yin/Yang theory. Everything has an identical opposite. One cannot exist without the other. Isaac Newton, a Hermetic disciple himself, was inspired by the law of polarity when he penned his first law of motion, everything has an equal and opposite action and reaction. Which side do you think best suits your physical and mental state of being: love or hate?

5. Law of rhythm

Life is a roller coaster. If you’re in a funk, it will pass. (Hermes Trismegistus didn’t exactly phrase it like that).

6. Causation

There are no coincidences. Everything has a cause and effect. 

7. The Law of Gender 

You have both feminine and masculine qualities but don’t confuse the two with sexual gender. On a spiritual level, masculine energy is associated with being assertive while feminine energy is all the great qualities you’d like in a partner: receptive, protective, and nourishing. 

Try to achieve a perfect state of Yin and Yang gender balance. Psychologically, you are neither male or female, you are androgynous. David Bowie understood this philosophy of ancient hermetic medicine. 

Summing Up The 7 Hermetic Principles

These 7 principles are basically life lessons in living life with good “vibes.” These tenets have been taught in virtually every pre-Christian religion from ancient Greece, China, and India to the Kabbalah of Jewish mysticism that pop star Madonna and millions of others embraced, to the most recent New Age movements. 

The reason why hermetic medicine has such universal appeal is that most people desire to be better versions of themselves. These secrets to personal ascension are what Hermes Trismegistus revealed in the Emerald Tablet thousands of years ago. 

Living in harmony with nature and achieving perfect health still resonates today. If you have negative thoughts and chronic health problems, use alchemy to change your thoughts, actions and vibrations into gold. How do you accomplish spiritual alchemy? Meditation, yoga, positive affirmations, Tai Chi, mindful breathing, and anything else that raises your vibration.

Innovative Medicine: The Latest Iteration Of Hermetic Medicine

How effective is conventional modern medicine? Considering six in 10 Americans have one chronic disease, one can argue that the system is broken. In order to move forward and provide better patient outcomes, perhaps it’s time to combine the wisdom of the ancients with the latest advances in modern medicine. 

This is precisely what innovative medicine is. Integrating approaches to healing body, mind and spirit, innovative medicine combines the principles of hermetic medicine with cutting-edge technology. 

If you feel unfulfilled by standard, conventional modern medicine, explore what Innovative Medicine can do for your wellness goals.