We are absolutely thrilled to reach this incredible milestone of 800 members in our community!

Your presence here is a testament to the growing interest in the timeless wisdom of Hermeticism, and we are deeply grateful for your curiosity, engagement, and support.

Whether you’ve joined us for our articles, explored our website, or embarked on one of our online courses, your journey into the mysteries of the Hermetic tradition is what keeps the flame of this knowledge alive.

As we celebrate this milestone, we’d love to hear from you! Your feedback is invaluable to us. Please feel free to share your thoughts, suggestions, or experiences.

Here’s to the next 800 members and beyond! Thank you for being part of this growing community.

Let’s continue to learn, grow, and inspire one another as we walk the Way of Hermes together.

Hi everyone, I am currently enrolled in the course and have a few questions about the spheres.

1. Is the sphere of Air, the sphere of prana or qi? Is this also the "pneuma"?
2. What is within the sphere of Souls? Is it the planetary spirits and zodiacal daimones? Is this the sphere of the Demiorgos?
3. Is the sphere of Matter made out of the elements of Earth and Water only? According to the Salaman et al., translation it appears that the negative elements of Earth and Water were below and the positive elements of Fire and Air were above.

Thanks in advance for your input. I am enjoying the course so far!

In recent centuries, the Hermetic arts have often been misunderstood. Modern interpretations have stripped these disciplines of their spiritual essence, reducing them to psychological metaphors or materialistic theories. Alchemy becomes mere symbolism; astrology, archetypes; and magic, a metaphor for inner transformation.

Our new online course The Hermetic Art, is designed to reintroduce Hermeticism as a living, practical discipline. Unlike purely philosophical studies, this course focuses on providing you with a streamlined, accessible system of Hermetic magic. You’ll learn how to apply these teachings in your daily life, whether you are working independently or with like-minded individuals.

For those seeking a deeper understanding of Hermetic philosophy, our flagship course The Way of Hermes explores the spiritual foundations of this mystical tradition. However, we created The Hermetic Art to meet the growing interest in Hermeticism’s technical aspects—specifically, its magical practices. This course bridges the gap, offering a complete introduction to Hermetic magic while remaining rooted in its timeless principles.

More information: https://wayofhermes.com/hermeticism/the-hermetic-art-an-introduction-to-practical-occultism/

After much reflection, we’ve decided to conclude The Hermetic Dialogues Podcast. Today’s 13th episode will be the final installment of this experiment.

When we started this experiment, our goal was to create a space to explore Hermeticism and related esoteric subjects in a way that felt new, accessible, and meaningful. However, we’ve concluded that this format isn’t the right fit at this time.

One of the main reasons behind this decision is the feedback we’ve received about our use of AI in the podcast creation process. While we saw AI as a tool to assist in crafting a unique and engaging experience, many listeners felt it created a disconnect, and we understand and respect those concerns.

Additionally, while we’ve been fortunate to have a small and dedicated audience, the reach of the podcast hasn’t grown enough to justify continuing in its current form. The effort and resources required to produce episodes outweigh the impact we hoped to achieve.

We want to express our deepest gratitude to all of you who have supported us, offered feedback, and engaged with this project. Your encouragement has meant so much, and your critiques have helped us see where we can improve.

Though the podcast is ending, our journey into Hermeticism and esotericism is far from over. We’ll continue to explore these topics in other ways, and we hope to find new avenues to share that exploration with you in the future.

Thank you for walking this path with us.

Only 5 weeks left this year and then a new year starts.

Over the past years, we’ve focused on sharing insights, texts, and interpretations to help readers deepen their understanding of Hermetic philosophy. Now, as 2025 approaches, we want to take the site to the next level and make it more interactive and engaging.

Some of the plans we are thinking about:

• In-person gatherings: Offline events where participants can dive into Hermetic texts, meet other people interested in Hermeticism, engage in group discussions, and collaborate on creative projects.
• Expanding content: More in-depth articles, resources for beginners, and more interviews with modern-day practitioners and scholars.
• A new course: New online course more focused on hermetic magic and less on hermetic philosophy.

But we would love to hear YOUR ideas.

We are open to any and all suggestions! Whether you’re new to Hermeticism or have been immersed in it for years, your input could help shape The Way of Hermes.

Let us know your thoughts!

We use our own articles as the source for our Hermetic Dialogues Podcast, but we use AI voices to create the podcast. Here is some more info about why we do this: https://wayofhermes.com/hermetic-dialogues-podcast/. Some people feel very strongly about AI and we are wondering what the opinion is of this community. Should we continue with the podcast or stop it? What is your opinion?

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There is a strong relationship between spirituality and vegetarian food, both from a historical point of view and from spiritual practice.

If we read the Hermetic text the Asclepius, we see the mention of a bloodless meal after praying. So this would probably have been a meal prepared without killing an animal or fish.

Vegetarian food was an important dietary tradition, not only for Hermeticists but also for Pythagoreans, Stoics, Gnostic Christians, and Neoplatonists.

In this article, we will take a closer look at the vegetarian tradition in the age-old Way of Hermes:

https://wayofhermes.com/hermeticism/what-is-the-importance-of-vegetarian-food-for-spiritual-development/

World Vegetarian Day is observed annually around the planet on October 1. It is a day of celebration "to promote the joy, compassion and life-enhancing possibilities of vegetarianism." It brings awareness to the ethical, environmental, health, and humanitarian benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle.

Already renowned as the best online course on Hermeticism, the Way of Hermes has just become even better!

We’ve expanded our curriculum with an exclusive new module — completely free for all students. This module offers a deep dive into the essential Hermetic text The Discourse on the Eighth and Ninth Spheres, enriching your spiritual journey and deepening your understanding of the ancient hermetic teachings.

The best part? The online course is still available at the unbeatable price of just $59.95 for a lifetime subscription. This is your moment to start your transformative journey with possibly the most comprehensive Hermeticism course available.

For those who have started the course but have paused along the way — now is the perfect time to renew your efforts and dive back in.

With our new content and ongoing updates, there's never been a better moment to continue and complete your journey toward deeper hermetic wisdom.

Don’t miss out — start today and rekindle your passion for timeless wisdom!

To the online course: https://wayofhermes.com/courses/way-of-hermes

I just found it and its very good, both the subject matter and the way it is presented. :)

Two new religious-philosophical movements emerged in late antiquity: Gnosticism and Hermeticism. And while they have many similarities in their beliefs, they are also quite different.

https://wayofhermes.com/hermeticism/11-differences-between-gnosticism-and-hermeticism/

The book The Secret Wisdom of Thoth explores the mysteries that were hidden within the House of Life, the most exclusive area within the Egyptian temples, and were only taught to select students.

This book offers a unique semiotic approach to The Ancient Egyptian Book of Thoth. The revised edition of the book is now available as an ebook or in a hardcover or paperback edition.

The text was originally written in Demotic and dates to the Graeco-Roman Period. In the dialogue, the master teaches the student secret sacred knowledge using the metaphors and symbols associated with writing.

“These are the words which instruct a pupil to take counsel with a son of Thoth. We begin by asking for the protection of the pure and great goddess of Creation, Nebet-hetepet, in every form. May this room be sanctified by her, where we offer to the goddess of Fate, Shai, in all her names, before the goddess of Wisdom, Seshat, the protector and mother of the Sea of Non-duality.” - The intro of the Book of Thoth

In Ancient Egypt, the sacred art of writing was kept hidden in the House of Life, a sanctum sanctorum within the temple scriptorium where the priests wrote their books.

The Book of Thoth is maybe the most mystical text of Late Period Egyptian thought. It is therefore of importance to all those interested in Graeco-Roman Period intellectual history and the history of Western esotericism.

This semiotic approach to the Book of Thoth is especially interesting for students of the Hermetica, the texts written by the Egyptian sage Hermes Trismegistus. The goal of this book is to unlock the wisdom encrypted with metaphors and allegories that are hidden within this Ancient Egyptian composition.

The revised edition has been updated with more research and insights, making it a must-read for anyone interested in ancient Egyptian wisdom and spirituality.

Review
“The Book of Thoth is a visionary text that puts us in touch with the tradition of Thoth, Sheshat and Imhotep. It is an initiatory dialogue which leads the reader into speculation on the mysteries of the art of writing. Presented here as complete for the first time, the gaps have been filled by insights from a practitioner in the Sufi tradition. This is a fulfilling synthesis that creates a spiritually provocative work. The combination of these streams is as if the god Hermes were speaking to us directly. I have found this work far easier to read than other translations published and would encourage seekers to read it as a devotional text for contemplation. It is a truly Hermetic text, which takes something ancient, and reimagines it for our times.” - Jack Kausch, author of Aretalogy: Lineage of a God

More info: wayofhermes.com/wisdom-of-thoth/the-secret-wisdom-of-thoth