Pax Mercurius is the working name of Gwydion, a professional astrologer, artist and aspiring nomad in Melbourne, Australia.
Gwydion writes about Astrology from a practical spiritual perspective, dealing with the esoteric themes of the Art and linking Astrology in with myth, magic, alchemy and culture.
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1) This is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth:-
2) As below, so above; and as above so below. With this knowledge alone you may work miracles.
3) And since all things exist in and emanate from the ONE Who is the ultimate Cause, so all things are born after their kind from this ONE.
4) The Sun is the father, the Moon the mother;
5) The wind carried it in his belly. Earth is its nurse and its guardian.
6) It is the Father of all things,
6a) The eternal Will is contained in it.
7) Here, on earth, its strength, its power remain one and undivided.
7a) Earth must be separated from fire, the subtle from the dense, gently with unremitting care.
8) It arises from the earth and descends from heaven; it gathers to itself the strength of things above and things below.
9) By means of this one thing all the glory of the world shall be yours and all obscurity flee from you.
10) It is power, strong with the strength of all power, for it will penetrate all mysteries and dispel all ignorance.
11a) By it the world was created.
12) From it are born manifold wonders, the means to achieving which are here given
13) It is for this reason that I am called Hermes Trismegistus; for I possess the three essentials of the philosophy of the universe.
14) This is is the sum total of the work of the Sun.
[Sadoul 1972: 25-6., Fulcanelli (Trans.) and Sieveking (Trans.)]
The basis of the Occult, and Hermeticism specifically, is the Emerald Tablet - the text quoted above. Effectively, everything that the occultist must know, aspires to, and can learn is already written down, in plain sight, for anyone to read. Explaining it is effectively saying what Hermeticism is not, rather than what it is, because what it is is primarily an experience – and that is indescribable.
This is why the Occult is not dangerous, as mentioned in the FAQ. There is only one secret (despite the word 'occult' meaning 'secret'), and it is set out in the Emerald Tablet. Everything else that is associated with Hermeticism, the occult, magic...is people's attempts to experience what was written down, and taught, from so long ago, after it has been blended with superstition and personal means of discovering this 'one thing'.
What they (Hermes Trismegistus was a number of writers and mystics, not only one) were trying to convey is essentially a-religious. There is no single religion that is bound up in Hermeticism, or a particular spiritual faith. All things exist and emanate from the One, which is the universe in which we stand, and what lies beyond it – you can apply any religious framework to that that you like, or no religious framework. Some of the most spiritually profound people have been Atheists – Carl Sagan, for instance.
The One is not God – God is a part of the One. It is called a number of things by different cultures: Ain Soph and the Monad (from which the English 'One' is derived), in the Western Mystical Tradition. It does not control us and it is not judgmental or personified. It does not seek worship, because through living an aware life, life itself is a testimony of its wonder.
Hermeticism is neither unscientific or superstitious, though some Hermetics may also hold religious or superstitious beliefs. Magic is a part of Hermetic practise, and it works – insofar as any act of human will can 'work' when directed down the right avenues of activity. It isn't exactly Harry Potter and the Magical Stylus, but it isn't stage magic, either. It is as intricate or as simple as you need it to be, and I have found, as effective as you need it to be.
Much of the substance of the Occult – the rituals and the invocations, the symbols and so on, are merely human creations. The computer programmer creating interfaces accessible by other people – something paradoxically both real and unreal – through the use of specialised language is as likely to experience Gnosis as the Magician, using his own specialised language to create a thoughtform. Whatever tradition or religion (or lack thereof) the occultist wishes to incorporate into their personal practise is only the means to the end.
And what is the end? There is no end. And that is the secret.
If you want to read books on the occult, there are some that are better than others, and each one offers a view that is coloured by the time and place it was written, and the individual(s) that wrote them. Here is the list I would recommend:
The original and the best source for all Hermetic learning.
A strongly Christian book written in the 1920s. It has some outdated ideas, but excellent practical advice.
Technically a New Age book, it transcends the often very narrow limits of New Ageism and reaches into something endless.
A really excellent book on Hermeticism, its history and magic. The author has a bit of an agenda at times, but the information is good.
A brilliant and wise de-mystification of Rosicrucian allegory and public documents: the Manifestos, especially.
