Christian HermeticismThe basics of Christian Hermeticism which cannot be find in Thomberg’ work on Arcana Taro

Hermeticism

It is generally known that Hermeticism is the name of the doctrine of Hermes-Toth and teaches the way to the highest, or to God. The practical application of this teaching is called alchemy. The name ‘alchemy’ is derived from the Egyptian word ‘al-Kemy’, which means ‘from Egypt’, because Kemy is the ancient name of Egypt. All the pre-Christian spiritual traditions are, according to the Russian Hermeticism, in a certain sense ‘Hermetic’: they all have been influenced by Hermes in one or another mysterious way. Alchemy is a compendium of practical instructions, described in a symbolic language. It explains how man, with the indispensable help of ‘secret fire’, which is the principal power in Hermeticism,

can purify man’s soul, spirit and body and elevate his soul and spirit to contemplation, union and co-creation with the Highest, the God-Father. ‘Secret fire’ is the purest spiritual fire which only a master alchemist can receive from God.

The Christian Way

The Christian way is based on the following words of Jesus Christ, the God-Son: ‘Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’ (John 3:5); ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6); ‘Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.’ (Matthew 23:26) The principal practice of Christians, according to the holy fathers, the founders of this way, is ‘the remembrance of God’, the God-Son in particular, Jesus Christ.

This practice purifies the heart of the person seeking God and the God-Trinity can thereafter gradually make His abode there.

However, the practitioner of this exercise can expect many dangers and obstacles, and in general it is not recommended to carry out the exercise without an experienced spiritual mentor, and without first obtaining humility and obedience; studying the Holy Script and the works of the saints, who practised the exercise, such as Saint Gregory of the Sinai Mountain, Saint Gregory Palama, Niciforus the Faster, Saint Paissios of Moladvia, Saint Seraphim of Sarov and others.

Attempts of Synthesis

The Hermetic Way stresses the ‘I’ principle, personal freedom, responsibility and initiative. The Christian Way stresses surrendering oneself to Christ’s will and realizing it. In the course of time many have attempted to find a synthesis of the Hermetic and the Christian Ways in order to enjoy the advantages of both.

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Saint Seraphim of Sarov

Christ the All Ruler

Hermes

Some Western and Russian Christian Hermetisists of the past centuries

In the West those were, amongst others, Saint Albertus Magnus, Jacob Böhme, Nicolas Flamel and some orders of knights such as the Templars.

In Russia, probably because of its geographic position , Christian Hermeticism has manifested itself through the attempts of some seeking God, to unite the Christian way with the spiritual traditions from Asia and the Middle East. One of them, George Gurdjieff, was a well-known writer in the West, a ballet-master and leader of the spiritual school. He was born in the area of the Caucasus in 1873 to a Greek father, a rich herdsman and story teller, ‘ashok’ and an Armenian mother. After having received a solid Christian upbringing from his parents, and being destined for the priestly office, young Gurdjieff, however, set out on his search for

the hidden knowledge of the East, mainly in the Sufi tradition. The founder of the Sufi tradition is considered to be the elder Hidr or Hizr, ‘the green elder’, who is associated with Hermes. After long journeys through the Middle-East and Asia he arrived in Russia, teaching an unusual doctrine , which he called ‘the Fourth Way’ or ‘esoteric [inward] Christianity’. The central practice of his teaching was however eccentric: ‘self-remembrance’, which is a distortion of the principal practice of the Christian way, that is called ‘God-remembrance’. This is the reason why his interesting and versatile system of ‘working on oneself’, as he used to call the spiritual way, bears the mark of Prometheus. Gurdjieff was in possession of the ‘secret fire’, which his works and his disciples testify to, but probably he achieved this in a way which is comparable with that of Prometheus.

Some contemporary Russian and Western Christian Hermetisists

A modern Christian Hermeticus, Konstantin Serebrov, was born, like Gurdjieff, in the Caucasus region in the nineteen fifties of the last century, though in the northern section. His father, an accountant by

profession, belonged to the gentry of one of the southern Russian provinces, and his mother was a Cossack. Contrary to Gurdjieff, Serebrov began his spiritual development with the teachings of the East, from the tender age of twelve and he already had a spiritual mentor who belonged to one of the Theosophical groups in Leningrad (former and present St. Petersburg), Alexey Zhoukovsky. In the Caucasus Zhoekovski lead an unobtrusive life in a resort town, where he meditated and practised Kriya yoga. Serebrov grew up in the Soviet ‘mystical Underground’ and studied the different spiritual traditions of the East like Kriya, several meditation techniques and yoga’s of

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Saint Albertus Magnus

George Gurdjieff

Konstantin Serebrov

the Hindu tradition, Tao alchemie, Tibetan teachings, Castaneda, and he also practised them. However, he dreamt of meeting a spiritual Master, because, as he put it, despite experiencing deep inner states such as regularly leaving his physical body, cosmic consciousness and such spiritual activities, he still fell back into the everyday routine without a trace of the higher states. His life changed when he met a mysterious person, who preached the dawn of an epoch of spiritual freedom for humankind in the entire Universe, due to the growing influence of the Holy Spirit. As a result of his following this man, Serebrov converted to this faith and he allowed himself to be baptised into the Russian Orthodoxy. He also studied and exercised the teaching and the practices of the holy desert Fathers. Serebrov made an attempt, however, to use the power and effectiveness of some breathing techniques which he has already mastered, in order to find depth in the Christian way. He succeeded by combining these techniques with prayer and meditation to cleanse his soul and to restore his lost contact with God. Serebrov has described his way in the form of novels and in his recent treaty ‘The 22 Mysteries of the Christian Way’. His books are divided into the following series: ‘Lessons of Master G’, ‘Alchemical Teachings’, ‘The inner Light’ and ‘Inner Christianity’. See: www.serebrovboeken.nl

Another example of the Christian Hermeticism is the book ‘My spiritual Journey’ by the Dutch mystic and author Maria Toonen, born in the former Netherlands-Indië (Indonesie) of a Dutch father, an accountant by profession, and a Frisian mother, a descendant of a peer and also an accountant.

She relates in a detached manner, in an easily understandable, almost spoken language, her spiritual path through several traditional esoteric schools in the West, she tells the story of her meeting with a Russian Master of Hermeticism and alchemy, her challenging trek through the Nigredo Valley, and the healing revelations which she received from the holy fathers of the Russian Orthodox Tradition. In one of the chapters of her book, entitled ‘Faust in the 21st century’ she elaborates on the depth of the doctrine of the Christian Hermeticism: ‘A Magician who seeks God’.

Both authors wish to remain anonymous.

Guram Kochi, Publisher at Serebrov Boeken

The Hague, 21st July 2011

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Maria Toonen