OriginTheurgy PDF

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The Origin and Nature of TheurgyBy Frater Ramose

If you have read the article A Letter of Introduction to the Hermetic Science,

then this essay will be your logical next step. You now have a very, very rudimentaryidea of what Theurgy is. In that letter we indicated that the Hermetic Science can be seen

as en entire corpus of teachings, a large body of philosophical and mystical wisdomwhich can be applied towards a multitude of ends. For our sake, we have defined theurgy

as the application of the Hermetic Science and its principles towards the noble end of selfrealization and inner illumination. In this essay we will consider with much more depth

precisely what Theurgy is, how it can be recognized from other practices, what itsintentions are, and from whence it came into the public world.

Theurgy is viewed by its followers as the Science of Divinity or the Magic of

Light, as many orders romanticize it. So many are its names, though, are so many arethose who fraudulently assign those titles to their own systems and whimsical ideologies,

that we must look further to see if what we are studying is actually Theurgy. The primaryfour characteristics shall be here provided, followed by an explanation and elaboration of

the initial paragraph:1.) Theurgy is always beneficent in nature. Be it the spiritual evolution of theindividual, the exaltation of the soul or Godhead, the transmutation of the gross into the

fine, or the protection of the quality of life throughout the human race, the work and aimof Theurgy is firstly beneficial to the magician, through whom others may come to be

benefited. The nature of the proposed selfishness of the hermetic magicians as issuedfrom the mouths of critics of the art shall be dealt with slightly later.2.) Theurgy shares characteristics with Egyptian theological sciences and practices.

Organizationally this includes a priesthood and a class system of sorts, seen throughoutmost hermetic orders. Ideologically this includes the belief in multiple layers of

existence and therein several bodies composing the human persona, faith in an afterlife,and a devout study of how the natural world and the actions of the supposed gods

interact.3.) Theurgy contains components of the ancient teachings of the Pythagorean

School of Mysteries, particularly the evolution of the universe and all componentstherein expressed via number, the geometrical fixation of stars and the proper

composition of key geometric figures. Further than these we draw upon the Neo-Platonic

philosophies of such scholars as Iamblichus, who resolved the Egyptian teachings withthe Greek teachings.4.) Theurgy is at once a polytheism and monotheism, believing in the existence ofevery supposed entity said to exist, giving each its due of respect and reverence, and yet

believing also in a monad.


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The Traits of Theurgy1.) Theurgy is always beneficent in nature.

Theurgy is, both in essence and expression, beneficent in nature. The abuses of

magic are entirely extinct within this noble tradition, and such things are curses, hexes,spells and other such low form of natural philosophy have nothing to do with the noblework of reaching God. Inevitably the Theurgist will learn all of those things; it is a

natural byproduct of personal advancement once one understands who magicalphenomenon work. But the true magician, with his mind steadfast on God and on thesublimation of his character, would never dream of applying such knowledge towards

questionable motives. Instead he will devote himself to practices which lift him uptowards heaven, which stir his soul towards Divinity, which rapture his mind with

ecstatic union, and which ennoble his character to sainthood. On occasion, when DivineProvidence indicates it is necessary for the faith of others, the Theurgist will also engage

in miracle working, the performance of magical phenomenon, for the glory of God and

to exalt the thoughts of those who witness it. This is only a byproduct of walking thisholy path, however, and the real magician would never let it become a distraction.

There are two stages of progression in Theurgy: Progression of the Self andProgression of the World, successively. The first of these must be obtained in order for

the second to begin. As has been stated, Theurgy is a principally beneficial science, andis first a service to the student for his own spiritual and mental advancement. Let us

consider how it is that the first form of progression leads to the second.Because the ideal of Theurgy is firstly the act of personal ascension in a complete

and harmonized manner, it is sometimes thought that the science is a selfish one, and that

the magician does not take an active enough role in his world. Nothing could be fartherfrom the truth, however. It is true that the theurgist seeks his own enlightenment first, but

he does so knowing that it is the most efficient position from which he may properly helphis fellow man. It is true even that the initiate, the Neophyte, can perhaps conjure a cool

breeze to aid outside laborers on a hot day, or that a slightly more advanced student mayaid his neighbors in times of sickness. These, however, are minimal in importance,

practically irrelevant in the greater scope of things. This is not to say that such acts areunimportant in the whole, however, as we must never forget that the greatest good is

often composed of many smaller good deeds, and so even the more temporal actions ofthe less advanced students are still great services to humanity. However, the Neophyte

can not tell the laborers by what means they may ascend in rank and no longer have to

work long days with low wages. He can lift a sickness, but not release the deeperpsychological and spiritual strains which caused it, and counsel the individual in amanner that shall prevent the strains reoccurrence. The reason, of course, is that only an

experienced, wise individual can operate from a seat of wisdom which truly allows himto guide others. It should also go without saying that anyone who gives spiritual counsel

without having been tried by some degree of the fire themselves is a hypocrite.For such reasons as these the magician must advance himself as efficiently as


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possible, ensuring some degree of his own spiritual evolution before pretending to becapable of helping others. He must not be satisfied by the simple accomplishments of the

jester, the fool, who lingers for years on such things as telekinesis or affecting themotions of fire while often never achieving either. Let the easily amused leave

themselves there behind, but may the dedicated magician see these as simple

manifestations of his own progression; may they be looked upon as mere symptoms ofevolution.Even when one has begun to instruct others in these arts, time must still be

allotted on occasion to step away from helping others in order to help ones self. Without

such time for personal development and attunement the faculties of even the mostsuccessful magicians shall fall into disrepair. Over time the teacher will find himself

instructing his students in the ways of things he himself is no longer able to accomplish,should he not be consistent in allowing an occasional span of time for his own

development. Ignorance of this responsibility dissolves the strength of the HermeticTeachings altogether, trickling down into new generations of aspirants who find

themselves unknowingly instructed by has-beens and frauds.

The magician should realize that in order to put himself in the best position tohelp others he must make it his personal duty to become as harmonized, pure and wise as

possible. You would not want your therapist to have merely read one book on therapy,your surgeon to be without practice, or a priest who has never read his holy book and

never known God. In an analogous manner these responsibilities relate to the theurgist,who must be a counselor, a healer and a spiritual guide to his neighbors. To be proficient

at either takes many years of study and practice, and so it becomes necessary that for thetheurgist to fulfill his second principle task of benefiting his fellow man he must first

evolve himself into a fitting conduit for the forces inherent in the universe over a greatspan of time.

Even should the magician advance to an agreeable point in his own evolution, by

what means can one truly change not just his own life, but the life of others? Tounderstand this, the purpose of the evolution must first be observed. The goal of

Hermetic Science is the union with God, called in Theurgy the attainment of Henosis. Inattaining this the magician places his conscious intelligence not in the animalistic soul

which is ruled by the ego and its lusts, but in that divine part of our soul which has comedirectly from God, and is still connected to Him quite directly. The inner Light of God

illuminates him, triggering what is called the True Knowledge or Gnosis, and theTheurgist realizes his unity with the consciousness of Divinity.

When one places his consciousness in this upper soul, he does two things

paradoxically: he decides never to be a servant of this worlds base lusts, its desires, andall other such lowly components, while also deciding to become an instrument for God,

i.e the intelligent universe. The Great Work prepares the mind, the body and the soul tobecome an instrument of the Divine Will by becoming a real part of the Mind of God.

Incidentally, a good religion with strong faith will do the same thing to a man should hedevote himself to it. Such people become the mystics and saints of their religions. From


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that position one may act as a luminary in the world of men, and spread his lighteffortlessly however God inspires him to.

Before moving on, we must emphasize that even such things as healing and

counseling, or the performance of miracles, which the adept may engage in, are

ultimately of a lower and impermanent aid to mankind. The real adept will devotehimself primarily to aiding the permanent sufferings of humanity, those of the soul,outside the scope of daily life. His mere presence in the world will do this effortlessly.

Should the Master Theurgist never even see another human being, locked away in somecave atop a mountain, he will still be shining his powerful light through the unconscious

mind of all souls on Earth. He will perform miracles and the likes as he is lead to do byGod, but his primary work will be on a deeper and more transformational level.

2.) Theurgy has its roots in the philosophies of the Egyptian priesthood and the Greekmystery schools.

Much of the Hermetic Science is attributed, somewhat truthfully and somewhat

apocryphally, to the ancient magical practices of Egypt. As many early writersunderstood it, this included the practices of the Chaldeans and Babylonians, and for the

sake of simplification, may also be expanded to include various other cultures from theMesopotamian era. Egyptian is then here used in the same sense that one may use

Roman to designate the Spartan, Greek, Scythian and Roman ways of life collectively.That miniscule semantic issue aside, these practices come to refer to the belief of

multiple layers of human existence reached through the plurality of bodies in the whole

self, the personification of those worlds and their powers as a pantheon of diverse gods,the assumption of god forms on the part of the priest (the magician, for our purposes) and

the interaction of said avatars with the rest of the spiritual world. Likewise we find fromthe Egyptian and Greek philosophies an invested interest in how the gods interact with

this world, how they may be interacted with, and in the sense of the occultist towardswhat ends that interaction may be directed and harmonized with. With all this, it hardly

goes without saying that a particular faith in the existence of a spiritual world and, if notan afterlife, at least a place of transition for souls, is a necessary trait of any system which

claims to be hermetic.

The subject of the contributions of Egypt to the development of the HermeticScience through its pioneers, such as Plotinus, Plato, Socrates, and Pythagoras, is an

immense subject which students of this system will be lead to gradually understand asthey advance through the classes. Instead of going into such things here, I would like to

consider for a little while the individual who actually coined the term Theurgy, andpostulated in the third century AD its importance, practice, and purpose: Iamblichus.

Through him I also believe it is desirable to investigate, if only shortly, the Pythagoreanphilosophies which have been carried into the system.

Iamblichus of Chalcis lived roughly 250-330 AD, and was born in Chalcis, Coele-


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Syria, from whence he would likely later derive some of his theological beliefs. He wasthe descendant of a long line of priest-kings, and was known throughout his life as an

incredibly wise yet saintly man. Contrary to the typical saint however, Iamblichus didnot live a life of poverty: in his 80 or so years of life, I doubt whether he ever tasted

poverty once, in spite of his traveling and schooling expenses. In a saint this would be

incorrectly perceived as a downfall; a man who desires to hold on to his materialpossessions or wealth would be frowned upon by Christian contemporaries. For our casehowever, namely the case of a student magician and philosopher, it was perfect. Why?

His wealth allowed him to study unbridled by the worries of the common folk orpeasants. Slaves (whom were always set free after only short intervals) kept his lodging

for him, tending to what needs he had, while he spent the days and nights studyingfervently the Neo-Platonic philosophies and most intensely the Pythagorean mysteries.

Apart from blessing him with the time to contemplate such complex philosophies, hiswealth also allowed him to study at the best academies and schools which the era could

offer.The first teacher of Iamblichus was a renowned philosopher by the name ofAnatolius. After hearing his lectures on Neo-Platonism Iamblichus was almost

completely won over to the Pythagorean and Neo-Platonic schools of thinking. Fromhere he traveled to the source of the present information itself: a remarkable and now

legendary scholar by the name of Porphyry. Porphyry of Tyre was a Hebrew, born withthe name of Malkos in 235 AD, meaning king, after his father. In spite of this, and the

fact that the Hebrews had an already complex system of theology and occultism which heperhaps never actually learned of, Malkos always identified himself with the Greek

method of thinking, finally moving to Rome in 263 AD where he acquired the nicknamePorphyry, which refers to the purple and gold colors which laced the emperors robes.

To understand Iamblichus a short consideration of Porphyry is a necessity. After

moving to Rome Porphyry became a devoted follower and friend of the famousphilosopher Plotinus. After the passing of Plotinus, who was most noted for his advances

in regards to The Ineffable or The One Thing, Porphyry painstakingly arranged all ofhis lectures into a series entitled The Enneads. Porphyry wrote several other

compilations of philosophy, but his most valuable contribution was likely thepreservation of the teachings of Plotinus, which we would not have otherwise had. We

also have Porphyry to thank for the only legitimate and reliable account of Plotinus, as healso wrote The Life of Plotinus shortly after the latters death. Plotinus attributed much of

his learning to his time in Egypt, and in his Enneads we are given what must have beena largely accurate account of the inner wisdom teachings of the Egyptian Theurgists.

The most profound of Porphyrys writings wereAgainst the Christians, a rather

aggravated treatise explaining certain logistic flaws in the philosophies and behaviors ofcontemporary Christians,Introduction to the Categories, a remarkable commentary to

Aristotles Categories, andAids to the Study of the Intelligibles, which acted as a sort ofhand book for understanding Neo-Platonic philosophy. In his own accomplishments

for the realm of philosophy, Porphyry advanced the existence of Platos One and GoodBeing as having a counter negative existence before the realm of Being or Intellect.


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That is to say, he proposed of his own reasoning and understanding of the PythagoreanMysteries the concept of a negative existence beyond all comprehension, parallel to the

Qaballistic negative veils. He was among the first philosophers to commonly use theterm The Ineffable in Greek Philosophy in order to refer to this version of The One.

Porphyry likely derived this from the Pythagorean concept of Aion before the conception

of Kronos and Rhea, or as some occultists may better understand it, the existence ofKether before the division into polarity as the male Chokmah and female Binah.

Due to the lectures of Porphyry, Iamblichus developed an interest also in theteachings of Plotinus, and came heavily under his influence through his analysis and

dissection of The Enneads. From this he drew more Pythagorean philosophies andshortly developed a very powerful interest in the spiritual practices of the Egyptians,

Chaldeans/Babylonians, Assyrians, and even the Hebrews to one extent or another.

Most instrumental to the development and advancement of his ownphilosophies and practices was his understanding of The Chaldean Oracles, a divinely

inspired text written down by Julianus the Chaldean and his son Julian the Theurgistsometime in the early 2nd century during the reign of Marcus Aurellius. The Chaldean

Oracles were a set of instructions laid down by both Julianus and Julian for the process ofinitiation into the Hermetic sciences. In essence, The Chaldean Oracles likely served as a

merging point for the Egyptian and early Greek hermetic sciences with the Babylonian,Assyrian and Chaldean Hermetic sciences. This may have something to do with the

initiation of Julian the Theurgist into the hermetic mystery schools, particularly theSchool of Orpheus, wherein we see an analysis of the four elements in the form of prose.

This was likely coupled by the influence of an early student of Pythagoras himself, aphilosopher and magus by the name of Empedocles, who would be the first to put the

Pythagorean understanding of the four elements into writing as governed by the Powersof Love and Strife, that is to say, duality.

Upon viewing the surviving fragments of this Chaldean poem, we see a

particular set of beliefs emerge which are rather complimentary to certain alchemisticbeliefs within hermetic science. The monastic God, The Supreme Principle, is

characterized simply as Father, Mind, Mind of the Father, and most interestingly toHermetic students and those who have read my treatise on the elements, this Principle is

categorized also as Fire. That Celestial Fire which by its light, the L.V.X, sent forth thefabric out of which the living universe would be woven. The Primordial Point at which

the Not of the Qaballists is transmuted into Kether. The Chaldean Oracles, then, dealtwith Platos One and Good according to the formula of Heraclitus; that is to say, they

dealt with God at the point of manifestation the alchemists Primum Mobile. Apartfrom movement however, this Being is presented also as Intelligent, as is the First Motive

as well as the First Motion. The Oracles do not pierce as deeply as the Qaballah,however, in that they seem to stop where being stops, and look not particularly further.

This may be wisdom, however, as anything past the highest point of quintessentialexistence can never be practical, and therefore can never become wisdom itself. As has

already been seen, this parallel of the theological Qaballah was later delved into byPorphyry and his writings. Cory would later define this Chaldean Father as such:


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He is the First, indestructible, eternal, ingenerable, impartible, entirely unlike

aught else, Disposer of all beauty, unbribable, of all the good the Best, of all the wisestthe Most Wise; the Father of good-rule and righteousness is He as well, self-taught, and

natural, perfect, and wise, the sole Discoverer of sacred nature-lore.Such remarks were rather unusual in regards to a deity of the time, and so

Eusebius, the biographer of Iamblichus and student of Aedesius, a direct disciple of the

latter, was correct in calling the remark Persian Zoroastrianism. This was not criticism,however: simply stating the obvious to the scholarly. It is a definition with which

Iamblichus himself likely agreed.A particularly important contribution of the Chaldean Oracles to the Greek

Philosophers was the wisdom which Zoroastrianism had to offer regarding the threefold

existence of a human being: what most are well acquainted with as the physical,intellectual and celestial bodies. As the most sensible division of bodies seemed to be the

one which the Egyptian priests offered to those who were ambitious enough to traveltheir and learn from their mystery schools, this was a relatively new idea of the time. The

Assyrians also provided copious lore regarding the trinity of the human being, for asHippolytus writes:

And first of all, in considering the triple division of Man, they fly for help to

the Initiations of the Assyrians; for the Assyrians were the first to consider the Soul tripleand yet one.

This knowledge was synthesized into the Chaldean Oracles by its writers.The Chaldean Oracles also offer an attainment which is called That which is

the end of understanding. It is the highest point of attainment within Theurgy; a state of

mind similar to the Samadhi of yogis. Here the Theurgist becomes illuminated inwardlyin the maximum state of understanding, total Gnosis. He can utilize his attainment of self

realization, Gnosis, by further pushing towards the achievement of Henosis. In Henosisthe consciousness of the Theurgist becomes identified with the consciousness of the

Universe itself.The last instrumental philosophy which Iamblichus would make his own was

the concept of inner divinity and the royalty of man as a representative of The Divine; a

belief which we see strongly expressed in his correspondences by letter with Porphyry letters which were eventually brought together to become the book The Egyptian

Mysteries, his most honored surviving work. For when Porphyry asks:How can superior beings be commanded as though they were inferiors?Iamblichus answers: Because (a) the entities which are invoked as superiors

but commanded as inferiors are forces that though they are more powerful than

human beings in specific fields are nevertheless inferior because they are limited tothose fields (183). (b) The practitioner invokes them as a human being, but commands


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them as inferiors because he is invested with Divine power.

So also do we find in The Oracles:The Father controls from within and not from without; controls by being, byliving within, and not by constraining.The latter is easily seen by a student of the hermetic sciences as being

identifiable with the principles of invocation and natural divinity; a subject which is

found even in the Christian theologies where the body is the temple within which residesGod.

There was a sort of clash between Porphyry and Iamblichus due to their different

approaches to God. Porphyry was what the Hindu sages would have called a Raja Yogi,someone who sought God through intense reflection and contemplation. In this way the

student would gradually wake up to the realization of the truth behind the veil ofexistence, and would achieve his Gnosis in that form. Amongst the Greeks this was a

popular form of spirituality. Iamblichus, on the other hand, believed in the more activeapproach of the Egyptians, involving more strenuous meditative exercises, the

development of the various spiritual bodies, and the use of magical energies. Therefore,with Porphyry being a leading authority of the time, it behooved Iamblichus to defend his

approach, the approach of the magician, as a result of which we have his EgyptianMysteries. His reasoning was principally that because the human specimen is a physical

one, it requires a physical arena in order for an event to seem real to it. In a ritual thereare three components: the physical, mental and spiritual. Likewise in man there are three

components: the physical, mental and spiritual. In a parallel manner, a ritual involves thehuman being as a complete unit in the process which he is undertaking. The tools,

geometric figures and stimulants(incense, fire, etc) provide for a setting which makes theoperation appear very real to the student. Afterall, who has not done a complete

authentic ritual and not felt in the process as if they were there and then part of somethingmythical, magical and altogether occult? When the incense is lit, the fires are burning,

the circle is drawn and the mantras and invocations begin, one feels, as Regardie says:..lifted upon his toes towards the skies, as if he could tread on the very

firmament of Nuit.

Iamblichus proposed that, while not entirely necessary, this was surely more

helpful to the aspiring magician than simply working with intangible feelings and abstractstates of mind. Even a more advanced magician could suddenly feel like a god when put

in that correct theatrical setting. With the tools appealing to the physical sheathe of theinvidivual, the magic words and barborous tongues often involved in a given ritual

stimulate the mental aspect of the magician. They create a state of mind which thephysical supplements have already set in work, and concrete the atmosphere of the ritual

to the mental aspect of the student. The final step, the spiritual stimulation, comesthrough the invocations and evocations, as well as interaction with the resultant energies,


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which is of course automatic.

Iamblichus referred to all the necessary components of a ritual as synthemata,which were symbolic presences which reminded the soul and higher mind of the

magician of his inner and true divinity. The ritual tools, then, were material synthemata,

with each of the tools representing a certain part of that higher being which the magicianwas aspiring to become. The wand, for example, was a synthema (singular of the pluralsynthemata) of the divine volition, that true willpower which had the divine authority

to command the forces of the lower world. Wielding it with an understanding of thismeaning subtly reminds the student of his own inner strength and volition, and through

the progressive self-hypnotism of the theatrical ritual the individual winds up forgettingentirely about the wand and directs this higher willpower solely of his own accord.

Higher than material synthemata were the more subtle and refined synthemata:

mental images and sounds. The next step from the heavy ritual practice is the morerefined use of visualization, concentration on mental images of desired effects, and the

use of simple sounds to produce a certain state of mind. For the latter, a common usewithin Theurgy are the names of Godhead. The most common of these in meditation are

El, Elohim, Yod He Vau He, Shaddai and Adonai. In addition to these Godnames arealso the magic formulae, such as IAO and LVX, which are often intoned for specific

purposes in particular rituals or to induce a state of mind alongside the invocation of aspecific energy. All of these mental synthemata activate a certain response from the soul,

and stimulating it, can send forth a degree of force which may otherwise have requiredmuch introspection to tap. This occurs due to a subtle, often unspoken realization of the

inner divinity which is reflected in the formula of these names, and which reverberatestruly within the focused magician.

The final synthemata would be the subtle shift of presence into a specific state of

being which engulfs the entire person. Namely, a true invocation in which the magicianfully brings forth and activates a part of his soul. For the invocations of the many spirits

do not bring the spirits themselves down into the being of the individual, but instead usethose spirits to draw out the analogous forces within themselves, until like faces like.

The invocations serve to remind the invoker of the many components of his own soul,and through practice, allow him to command all the aspects of his soul completely. The

nature of this relationship between the internal man and the external spirit world will bediscussed in a later chapter examining the microcosm and macrocosm.

In perfect awakening, there is no longer a need for synthemata of any sort, as

being the divine soul himself, the magician needs no more reminders.

When Porphyry died, Iamblichus seceded him as the head of the NeoplatonicSchool, much like how Porphyry had seceded his own teacher Plotinus. Unlike before,

however, Iamblichus took Neoplatonism into a major shift of practicality alongsideintellectuality, as opposed to simply the latter. He established his own school in Syria,

and there he spent his time fusing the ideas of Plato, Pythagoras and Theurgy. Using thetheurgy mentioned in the Chaldean Oracles, he took Julians teachings and crafted


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them into an actual system of beliefs and practices using pagan spiritual practices astemplates, particularly those of the Egyptians. The result was early Theurgy, and as the

milestone metaphysical concepts which Iamblichus introduced to philosophy have comerolling on down through the times, it became so closely associated with the practices of

hermetic science that now they exist only as one art.Iamblichus left us with the following (partially) surviving works:

The Life of PythagorasThe ProtrepticDe Communi Mathematica ScientiaIn Nicomachi Mathematicum IntroductionemTheologumena arithmeticaeOn the Mysteries, or, The Egyptian Mysteries

We can say that our tradition has various fountains and confluences. The

fountains are people such as Pythagoras, who come as divine messengers to bring thenext level of spiritual wisdom to the people, or are origins such as the Egyptian esoteric

practices. The confluences are places where various streams from various fountainscome together, and turn into a single river. Iamblichus is one of the most important

confluences of this tradition, since he took all that the Greek mystical practices had tooffer in one hand, grasped the ancient Egyptian practices with the other, and pulled them

together into a common center. In a way, he was simply reuniting two systems whichhad originally been one, but that over time had grown apart. He reunited them and

rectified them, and again taught them as one. If such confluences did not incarnatefrom time to time, then all traditions would splinter uncontrollably into thousands of

different lineages, and no reliable transmission of knowledge could continue. Amongstthe Fountains of our tradition are Hermes, Solomon, Zoroaster, Orpheus, Pythagoras,

Proclus, Akhenaten, and other such ancient personages. Amongst the Confluences of ourtradition are such people as (to name a few) Apollonius, Iamblichus, Trithemius,

Paracelsus, Agrippa, Francis Bacon, and Cagliostro.

3.) Theurgy is at once a monotheistic and polytheistic paradigmOne of the dominant reasons Hermetic Science has lasted as long as it has, and

why it has been advanced upon by so many philosophers of diverse eras, is its ability tostretch across many religious and cultural paradigms without either losing its own

potency or diluting that of other systems. Though it does hold certain beliefs that somemight relate to religion, it is essentially an amorphous form of spirituality which can fit

into almost any other template which one might hold. The degree to which it may bemerged with other sets of beliefs is limited only by the understanding, knowledge and

creativity of the scholar.

This malleability has allowed two things to happen throughout the systemshistory. First and foremost, it has kept Hermetic Science alive in the form of schools,


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lodges and orders which at one time spanned almost all of Europe, England, northernAfrica, much of India and parts of Asia. Hebrews, Muslims, Jews, Christians, Egyptians,

yogi spiritualists, pagan mystics, Greeks and even tribal sects all did, at multiple points intime, have their own scholars that not only maintained but expounded these

philosophies. This leads to the second benefit of Theurgy being so easily spread across

many cultures and paradigms: the ability to catch the attention of and be elaborated uponby scholars of different religious and spiritual sects. It has allowed the HermeticSciences to be studied without bias by Egyptian High Priests, Catholic Popes and

clergymen, Jewish Qaballists, the brighter minds of all lodges and orders associated withsuch paradigms, and even periodic geniuses which have appeared throughout western and

eastern history (Isaac Newton, to name one). Apart from these primary organizations arealso the many diverse ancient sects, such as the Chaldeans, Babylonians, Assyrians,

Sumerians, Romans and Greeks, all of which played an incredibly important role in thedevelopment and progression of Theurgy.

Almost any paradigm can fit the teachings of hermetic science into its own

template if just a little bit of study is devoted to the subject. I hope that this allows agateway for spiritual evolution that religious restrictions might have otherwise constricted

beyond recovery. No matter what religious beliefs you hold, so long as they are notblatantly atheistic or directly conflict with the first characteristic of Theurgy presented

earlier, Theurgy can be used, studied and practiced with no violation of religious law.I must here mention certain technicalities which have no doubt already arisen in

the minds of some readers. By my statement regarding religious restrictions, the

intention was not to convey the idea that religion cripples the souls advance. Being trulyinflamed with passion for ones religion and its teachings is indeed a powerful mode in

which to advance ones own progression in the sight of the universe. Such people are themystics of their religions, and the teachers to those who would listen. To such as these

the universe has revealed many of its least known secrets already in the forms ofinspirations and visions. However, it should go without saying that the ratio of true

fervent and practicing believers to undedicated believers that weakly support and practicetheir faith is drastically one-sided. One can go his entire life, for instance, without

meeting a truly inspired religious man, and when I look at the intentions of such religionsas it is painful to think that so many of its followers do not actually aspire to its lofty

ideals and goals of personal and spiritual development. This is all very unfortunate; thisis all very true.

It does not take a scholar in religious studies to understand that across the face of

the earth the most dominant difference between any two religions is its celestialhierarchy: the entity or entities whom are worshipped in that religion. This is a strange

thing, as it is only those teachings of a religion which may be applied into life andpracticed for the advancement of an ideal which, as far as the progression of the entire

race is concerned, is actually important. Yet true as this may be, we see that religiouswars are not fought over the difference between turn the other check and an eye for an

eye, nor over whether or not it is right to eat something which once had the life sparkin it. Instead the flame which starts fires in the hearts of men is that thought of the


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hierarchy, unique between religions, for it is to their gods that most men are devoted not to their ideals. For this reason people worship Jesus Christ, yet do not cast out

demons or heal the sick. For this reason people worship Allah, yet do not allow theirbrethren to live in peace. For this reason people could heal the sick and cast out demons,

yet find themselves burning at a stake by the end of the day. It is an unfortunate cycle of

misunderstanding, and one which seeking refuge in Theurgy can easily reconcile. Plainlyspeaking, it is the synthesis and common ground of all religion. It is spirituality strippedof the bells and whistles, of the unique clothing, of each religion. Religion comes from a

root meaning to bind. Theurgy, on the other hand, is liberation.There is a virtue of Theurgy, however, which strikes out this innate evil that

seems to spread like fire. In acknowledgement of the nature of religions dominant

problem, the solution which is offered is the resolution of all gods into a single set, whereeverything is accepted and one may pick and chose as he pleases. The Father, Son and

Holy Spirit are not seen as entirely different from Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, forexample. They are viewed simply as particular aspects of the same essential forces, as

one might look at one side of a box without looking at the other. You may find any god,goddess, daemon, demon, deva, angel, aeon and elemental within the cosmos, and the

existence of each is accepted by the philosophies of this science. For this reasonHermetic Science can serve as a cornerstone for finding a common ground between

nearly all existent religions. One may worship YHVH or worship Brahma, and yet ifthey are both students of the Hermetic Science they will greet each other on equal and

friendly grounds, knowing that they both acknowledge the same force as supreme anduniversal. In time such associations of names dissipate, but these are higher levels of

understanding, and can not be hoped to be attained by everyone. The understanding thatwe are all part of the same current in the universe, and that we are all interwoven with

and by the same forces, however, can indeed be understood with a little bit of study,meditation and reflection. This, I believe, is a key step towards the progression of

humanity, and the mark of a hermetic scholar.

Thus we say that our science is at once polytheistic and monotheistic. It is auniversal language with synthesizes the details of all religions into an understandable set

of core symbols that anyone can understand. The interrelation of all things becomesperceived by the student of Theurgy, and he can move however he pleases between

religions, or remain completely devoted to the religion of his preference, and still enjoyas much progress as he works for. Ultimately the mystic penetrates the veil of forms of

emerges into the unified field of pure consciousness, the essence of God, where alldifferentiation disappears. On this level there are no gods or devils, there is only total

peace, liberty, light, love, and truth. Therefore we say also that we are monotheistic, forwe seek a source behind all differentiations.

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