A Modern Inquiry into the Hermetic Mystery

Part II: A More Esoteric Consideration of the Hermetic Art and Its Mysteries

Chapter 1: The True Subject of the Hermetic Art, Part 4

Introduction: The esoteric heart of alchemy unveils the soul’s divine intellect as the key to universal wisdom. Ancient philosophers like Aristotle and Plato reveal how self-knowledge transcends sensory limits, guiding seekers toward the divine source of all existence.

The Intellectual Law and Divine Wisdom

The evidence of reason, even in everyday life, is undeniable—intuition confirms existence, eternity in time, infinity in space. John Locke declares, “Intuitive faith is certain beyond doubt, needing no proof.” Victor Cousin used this to challenge sensory philosophies, proving the mind holds universal truths beyond physical evidence. If we know anything through intellectual necessity, independent of senses, there must be a higher truth, a “superstantial nature” latent in us, first in thought and manifest through nature’s circular progression.

Aristotle compares universal truths in the mind to colors needing sunlight to shine, requiring divine illumination to reveal their beauty. He calls human reason “intellect in capacity,” awaiting divine recreation to achieve its full perfection in truth, goodness, and beauty. This marks a divergence: modern metaphysics sees reason as an abstract limit, tied to sensory objects, while ancients saw it as the essence of nature’s creative force, proven in a purified conscience.

Aristotle asserts, “Wisdom is the highest science, possessing knowledge of all things through intellect, not senses.” In his Nicomachean Ethics, he describes intellect as the soul’s power to know truth, with wisdom as its true being, surpassing human nature in energy and delight. In his Metaphysics, he explains that through mystical practices, the human mind connects with its divine cause, becoming a vibrant, discerning life, inexpressibly blessed for the initiated.

Plato declares, “To know oneself is wisdom, the soul’s highest virtue. By entering herself, the soul beholds all things, including Deity, ascending to the highest watch-tower of existence.” Socrates adds, “Wisdom generates truth and intellect, perfecting the imperfect, awakening the soul’s latent knowledge.” For Pythagoreans like Archytas, wisdom excels all faculties, like sight among senses, enabling man to contemplate universal reason and discover the principles of all being. By analyzing and uniting these principles, the wise reach a sublime vision of Divinity, connecting beginnings and ends in justice and reason.

The Kabalistic Vision

The Hebrew Kabalists view the world as an emanation of divine mind, with the Zohar illuminating humanity’s celestial prototype. Creation falls from its primal source for individual manifestation, but a principle of reunion persists, leading to higher perfection. Rabbi Ben Jochai explains, “The human form contains all in heaven and earth; without it, no world could exist. The celestial prototype in man supports faith in all things, as God’s image.” Philo adds, “God dwells in man’s rational part as in a palace, the soul an impression of the divine Logos, framing the world.”

Hermes echoes, “Wisdom is the good, the fair, the eternal. Through it, the world is seen; in men, it is God, uniting humanity with divinity.” This wisdom, the ancients’ central theme, is not learned through history or observation but through self-knowledge, revealing the standard of truth in a rectified intellect.

Challenges of Modern Understanding

Modern minds, rooted in sensory observation, struggle to grasp this universal consciousness. Most accept external evidence, but a few, like ancient metaphysicians, seek a higher reality, lamenting reason’s limits. The Kabalists’ doctrine, though vast, is not mere fancy—its earnest conviction challenges common sense’s objections. Self-knowledge, as the foundation of alchemy, invites us to reflect on our shared existence, revealing all within the soul’s all-containing essence.

Closing: This section unveils the soul’s divine intellect as alchemy’s true subject, capable of universal wisdom through self-knowledge. The journey into this sacred art deepens, promising further revelations of the Hermetic mystery in our next post.