# Corpus Hermeticum And Asclepius

Since I received an email about Hermetica, I write this.




Corpus Hermeticum is the original Egyption philosophy. If I summarise
it with just one phrase, "Immortality good Material bad". Humans
are twofold. Immortal soul and mortal body. It is somewhat similar
to Gnosticism because of that.

Though the cosmos is eternal. And god is the ultimate maker. God
created everything. So creation is goodness.


> When they heard, they gathered round with one accord. And I said,
> "Why have you surrendered yourselves to death, earthborn men,
> since you have the right to share in immortality? You who have
> journeyed with error, who have partnered with ignorance, think
> again: escape the shadowy light; leave corruption behind and take
> a share in immortality."
>
> Corpus Hermeticum, <Discourse> of Hermes Trismegistus: Poimandres




Asclepius is the Greek understanding of it. It is similar to New
Testament in that sense. It suddenly talks about things like
arithmetic, music, geometry and harmony. Which do not exist in
Corpus. It is quite positive on sexuality compared to Corpus.

Though it still continues things like immortality, twofoldness,
making, &c. of Corpus.


> "Grasp this in your mind as truer and plainer than anything else:
> that god, this master of the whole of nature, devised and granted
> to all things into mystery of procreation unto eternity, in which
> arose the greatest affection, pleasure, gaiety, desire and love
> divine. One should explain how great is the force and compulsion
> of this mystery, were it not that each individual already knows
> from contemplation and inward consciousness. For if you take note
> of that final moment to which we come after constant rubbing when
> each of the two natures pours its issue into the other and one
> hungrily snatches <love> from the other and buries it deeper,
> finally at that moment from the common coupling females gain the
> potency of males and males are exhausted with the lethargy of
> females. Therefore, the act of this mystery, so sweet and vital,
> is done in secret so that the divinity that arises in both natures
> from the sexual coupling should not be forced to feel the shame
> that would come from the laughter of the ignorant if it happened
> in public or, much worse, if it were open to the sight of irreverent
> people."
>
> Asclepius