Hermeticism

Guest editorial by GingerWitch

If you are a Pagan intrigued by the ancient arts and familiar with some of the history behind them, but want to become truly enlightened, then you will find the study of Hermeticism crucial to your development. This is one of the reasons Schola is a specifically Hermetic Academy. 

The Importance of Hermeticism
Codified in Egypt in the 3rd century CE, Hermeticism has had an enormous influence on both the Western Magical Tradition and the Enlightenment, which led to modern science. One of the world’s most influential scientists, Isaac Newton, was greatly immersed in Hermeticism during his life. Newton studied this ancient knowledge to aid his understanding of the physical world. In fact, many of his manuscripts point to Hermeticism as the manner through which he came to the scientific conclusions he did. This profound revelation highlights the importance of the ancient study of Hermeticism.

Another reason that our Schola focuses on Hermeticism is in direct relation to our Wiccan instructors who are oath bound to not reveal their Craft’s secrets. The Hermetic study allows them to share a great deal of their ancient wisdom without breaking that oath. Obviously, this is important in order to pass along knowledge of Pagan magic and ritual skills while retaining our highly educated Wiccan instructors.

The Three Parts of Hermetic Wisdom and Why We Teach Them
Hermeticism is divided into the Three Parts of Wisdom: Alchemy, the exploration of the spiritual constitution of matter and material existence through an application of the mysteries of birth, death, and resurrection, Astrology, to discover hidden influences upon the Earth and how to deal with them, and Theurgy, which relies upon alliance with divine spirits. Our course work reflects this threefold division through the use of three broad departments — Thaumaturgy, which explains the principles of material and mental magical processes; Divination, including the basics of Astrology; and the theory and practice of working Ritual to connect individuals with Deity.

The Ottawa Pagan Schola is focused on teaching Hermetic principles to Pagans to help bridge the gap between ancient teachings and modern magical and religious practices. Much of what you see and hear regarding Paganism today is far removed from the core ancient teachings. Our mission is to provide in-depth knowledge that is well researched and presented in a manner that is both easily understood and easily applied.

If you want to learn more about Hermeticism and how it is represented within modern day Paganism, please consider taking a few of our courses. We are eager to help you shed light on some of the world’s most well kept secrets.