A Modern Inquiry into the Hermetic Mystery

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

Chapter 2: Of the Mysteries, Part 2

Introduction: The ancient mysteries reveal a path to divine wisdom through the purification of the soul’s spirit. This section explores how Theurgic rites, unlike modern mesmerism, liberate the mind from sensory illusions, guiding seekers toward universal truth.

Purifying the Phantastic Spirit

True wisdom requires transcending the soul’s sensory limitations. Reason, weakened by dependence on senses, is clouded by a “phantastic spirit”—a mix of imagination and illusion that obscures divine truth. Even in trance, when senses are quiet, these illusions persist, requiring purification to awaken the soul’s divine intellect.

Pythagoras instituted rigorous preparations to purify his disciples’ minds before revealing deeper mysteries. Iamblichus explains, “Dense thickets of doubt surround unpurified minds, obscuring their tranquil reason. Pythagoras cleansed souls, like dyers preparing garments, to hold divine wisdom permanently.” Olympiodorus adds, “The phantasy hinders intellectual conception. When divine inspiration is interrupted by imagination, enthusiasm ceases. Only the perception of universals proves the soul can transcend this.”

The ancients saw the soul’s impurity as the root of human ignorance, a “two-fold ignorance” Plato decried—being unaware of one’s own flaws and lacking desire for improvement. Synesius emphasizes, “Desire is essential for purification. Without it, art labors in vain. Disciplines willingly endured banish base pleasures, strengthening the soul.” Through effort, the soul can purify its phantastic spirit, even in animals, to induce a higher state. For humans, neglecting this restoration is base, as the soul belongs to divine heights, not earthly shadows.

Theurgic Rites and Divine Union

Theurgic rites, unlike modern mesmerism’s limited effects, aimed to purify the soul entirely, liberating it from sensory delusions to commune with divinity. Synesius describes this spirit as a bridge between rational and instinctual life, conjoining divine and earthly realms. In animals, it acts as instinct, but in humans, it can become divine reason if purified. Most human actions, however, stem from this phantastic spirit, clouding true intellect unless transcended through art.

Iamblichus warns, “This mundane spirit shapes the soul’s powers, reflecting sensory impressions and dulling divine intellect.” Proclus adds, “It envelops the soul’s true intellect, conforming to formless illusions, becoming everything the mind imagines.” A turbid mind cannot grasp abstract truths, just as a practical soul struggles with self-inspection. The alchemists’ “Mercury of Philosophers”—pure, agile, intelligent—emerges only after cleansing this impure spirit through dissolution and purification, as Albertus Magnus urges: “Take our brass, the occult arcanum, and wash it clean. The first rule is perfect solution.”

The Alchemical Laboratory of the Soul

This universal spirit, the alchemists’ Mercury, is the same “Imponderable” seen in mesmerism, present in all life yet despised in its raw, impure state. It moves unconsciously, like breath in blood, sustaining existence but needing refinement to reveal its divine potential. Alchemists sought not to exploit this spirit but to purify it, transforming the soul into a vessel for wisdom, unlike the superficial pursuits of modern arts.

The soul, Aristotle’s “passive intellect,” can receive all—truth or delusion—making purification critical. This spirit, the microcosm’s life, mirrors the macrocosm’s vitality, pulsing like wind and waves. Its imperfections demand amelioration, a labor akin to Hercules cleansing the Augean Stables, redirecting life’s current to its pure source.

Closing: This section reveals the mysteries’ aim to purify the soul’s phantastic spirit, liberating it for divine wisdom through Theurgic rites. The alchemical journey into this transformative art deepens, promising further insights in our next post.