Whats the relationship between gnosticism,hermeticism, and alchemy...

FRIENDLY REMINDER MCKENNA IS A CIA ASSET USED TO MISLEAD PEOPLE.

OP don't be a nigger and read hermetica by copenhaver, and hermetica II (not like despacito 2, but a real book)
then read whatever you find interesting, you already have a decent foundation to build upon.

based ty always new he was a hack

Allow me to save this thread, user, from the new age bullshit which is plaguing these great traditions.

First of all, understand that all of them: hermeticism, alchemy, gnosticism, are the general terms under which we, from modernity see various sects, groups and religions/philosophical currents in time. They do NOT indicate religions / cohesive movements per say, which is why we have so much diversity in them.

Secondly, Alchemy is a more "archetypal" terms, indicating various forms of mystical practices mirrored in physical operations, such as proto-chemistry during the middle ages.

Hermeticism is probably the oldest, being a set of cults/philosophical currents from late Egypt, fusing Ancient Egyptian mystery schools with greek philosophy. Hermeticism was a very "scientific" pespective on the World and Divinity; and the adept was, in a way, "a scientist" (as they could have understood that back then). It implied knowledge of both heaven and earth (cosmogony, medicine, divination, arts, etc); and in time developed in cults under the guidance of "Hermes Trismegistus", a syncretic figure which was most probably also a ritual title, fusing the greek cult of Hermes with the Egyptian cult of Wisdom/Thoth and other mystery-school who-knows-what. In any case, we have some texts, mostly which are suspect of being fakes. I recommend you read Poimandres for a late proof on how such cults morphed quickly with the religious currents that passed them (in this case early Christianity/Orphism).

Gnosticism is somehow easier to understand because we have a lot more source material. On the other hand, it's not easy to grasp at all, as it Gnosticism (another umbrella term) was represented by dozens of heretical cults, most of whom deemed themselves to be Christian, but considered the Orthodox dogma as being corrupted (from that early time). They were all characterized/influenced by an extreme form of platonism (passed over through various mystery cults) which say the Material world and material existence as utterly evil. Some were also anti-judaic, in the sense they believed the Old Testament God to be a Demiurge, aka lesser God; and Jesus the Son of the utmost, Supreme, Ineffable God. They had very complex cosmogonical models of Creation and obscure rituals and practices.

Both the movements (Gnosticism and Hermeticism) were also in a tight relantionship with Neoplatonism in these first centuries AD; going so that Christianity had to tighten up it's dogma as to be able to counter them. In this quest for identity, Christianity ended up incorporating a ton of elements from them (especially Neoplatonism and Gnosticism), at least indirectly through an immune-based reaction (developed it's own responses/anti-bodies, which were ironically made from the same stuff they intended to counter).

Alchemy can be seen as a vehicle which took the most esoteric/symbolical of concepts underground, making them available past the Dark Ages and into modernity.

PS: listen to this, you won't regret it:

youtube.com/watch?v=qFXm9dY3W6c

Gnosticism uses hermeticism but not necessary the other way around. Otherwise so many European Christians and Arab Muslims wouldn't have regarded Hermeticism and its various derivatives like Alchemy so highly.

bookmarked ty! i'll have to check out that video later

Basado.

hermetica ii cambridge.org/core/books/hermetica-ii/F5187119F7B83D0E2B61A0DEBC56B59F

its on libgen btw

Read the gnostic text "Discourses on the Eighth and the Ninth", it reads exactly like a DMT trip. The transcendental/mystical experience is central here, not muh drugs. Anyway, all of that is besides the point: his lectures on hermeticism/alchemy are purely on that subject and I can't remember him talking about drugs in them.

It's simple user, if it comes from Egypt, you burn it.

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