Hermetic Research FAQs (frequently-asked questions)

In short, Hermetics could be pigeon-holed as a Religion, and some do try to do so at the expense of its true meaning and origin.

In a "Religious" prespective, Hermetics:

* Considers humanity to be o­n a spiritual journey to return to a state of unity with the Divine; this is the Great Work of humankind.
* Holds that if we would attain to the Divine, we must aspire to the Divine; spiritual growth cannot be achieved without human effort
* Is eclectic and draws material from sources spanning the entire Western Esoteric Tradition
* Is polytheistic, yet ultimately monotheisitic (i.e., posits a multiplicity of Manifestations of the Divine Which emanate from an ultimate Divine Unity)
* Holds that the Divine is both immanent and transcendent
* Holds that the Universe is Divine and basically good (neutral)
* Teaches that when we seek the Divine, we may best begin with the Mysteries of Nature
* Encourages spiritual curiosity
* Understands that human beings can access the Subtle Realms through technique and aspiration; to this end, it embraces theurgy, meditation, ritual, and other spiritual and magical practices
* Urges those who seek the Divine to also seek balance in embracing all things
* Is a poetic rather than an ascetic worldview

The Truth is, Hermetics is not a Religion.

Quoting Franz Bardon:

The incipient magician will confess his faith to a universal religion. He will find out that every religion has good points as well as bad o­nes. He will therefore keep the best of it for himself and ignore the weak points, which does not necessarily mean that he must profess a religion, but he shall express awe to each for of worship, for each religion has its proper principle of God, whether the point in question be Christianity, Buddhism, Islam or any other kind of religion.

For the full-length article, please click here.

"A gardener has to have a knowledge of the unseen root of the tree before he can be expected to give his concentrated effort to watering its root so that the whole tree remains fresh and green."

- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi from the introduction of "Transcendental Meditation"

"Of the Means of Arriving at the Secret

The requirements necessary in order to arrive at this Secret, are: the knowledge of Nature and of one's self. One may not understand the first perfectly, or even the second, without the aid of Alchemy. The love of wisdom, the horror of crime, and of falsehood, … the association of the wise, the invocation of the Holy Spirit; not to add secret to secret, to attach one's self only to one thing (because God and Nature delight in unity and simplicity), such are the conditions necessary for obtaining the divine revelation.

Man being the epitome of all Nature, must learn to know himself as the summary, the miniature of Nature. By his spiritual part he is allied to all immortal creatures, and by his material part, to all that which is transient in the Universe."

- Antoine-Joseph Pernety, who was amongst other things a Benedictine Monk, and Librarian of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia.

This talk is a brief introduction to the subject of alchemy. The subject has many branches, beliefs, and whole set of terminology specific to it, which make it difficult to discuss with others who do not know the words and the associated meanings. I have attempted to keep this talk free of jargon as much as possible, and discuss and illustrate a few points associated with alchemy and its history.

Read the rest of the article here.

Instead of trying to give one prespective, we have decided to expose what several different thinkers believe Kundalini to be.

We first recommend reading the following articles from our portal:

• Robert Bruce answers Kundalini questions


• Rawn Clark answers Kundalini question and ABC.com 3rd Birthday


• Kundalini: Frequently Asked Questions And Selected References

Google is your friend, and a search for "define:Kundalini" reveals several definitions on the web:

Definitions of Kundalini on the Web:

Energy symbolized as a coiled sleeping serpent lying dormant at the base of the spine. This latent energy is aroused and made to ascend the spinal channel. When it reaches the top the yogi is in union with the supreme universal soul.

www.victoriayoga.com/dictionary/

The spiritual energy lying dormant in all individuals. This energy is manifested by the practice of Yoga discipline.

www.vedanta-newyork.org/glos.htm

A Sanskrit word meaning "coiled serpent." Also relevant is the Meso-American word Ku, which translates "the spirit force of God waits within each person." Both words refer to the "serpent power" said to be coiled in a ball at the base of a person's spine, that, once stimulated, uncoils, and rises up the spine to the brain, transforming the individual. Kundalini-like effects have been reported by a number of NDE survivors.

www.parapsychologyinstitute.org/lazarus/ndegloss.html

(Sanskrit) Blissful energy dormant within the physical body, aroused through tantric practice and used to generate penetrative insight into the true nature of reality.

www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/glossary_fk.htm

Divine spiritual energy that lies coiled at the base of the spine. Once awakened, it travels upward through the chakra system, until it reaches the crown chakra. Once stabilized in the crown, the individual self merges into the supreme self, (enlightenment) and the cycle of reincarnation comes to an end.

www.healingartistsofsac.com/Glossarytext.html

In Yogic belief, a source of tremendous vital energy that may be stimulated by various practices. Kundalini, or the "Serpent Power", is believed to provide energy for paranormal phenomena.

www.ghosttracker.com/glossary.html

(literally, coiled one): The primordial Shakti or cosmic energy that lies coiled at the base of the spine of every individual. Creator and destroyer of reality. Universal power of transformation.

www.hardlight.org/articles/glossary.html

(lit. coiled one): primordial Shakti, or cosmic energy, that lies coiled at the base of the spine of every individual.

www.symca.org/glossary.htm

Spiritual energy depicted as the serpent power coiled at the root of the spine which rises to the head by spiritual practices, leading one to liberation.

www.ammachi.org.uk/tools/glossary.htm

The "serpent power" of individualized cosmic energy that awakens and evolves into full awakening. See Shakti.

www.davidspero.org/glossary/

The power of consciousness pure and divine. Holy Spirit supreme energy that lays dormant in the base of the spine.

www.robcom2000.com/glossary.html

serpent power, power of subtle body

hinduism.about.com/library/weekly/extra/bl-glossary-k.htm

Energy related to the nerve of the soul; translates as “the curl of the lock of hair.”

www.counselingseattle.com/yoga/glossary.htm

Powerful energy that is brought on through meditation, associated with the Chakras.

www.lighthousetrails.com/glossary.htm

Instead of trying to give one prespective, we have decided to expose what several different thinkers believe a Chakra to be.

Google is your friend, and a search for "define:Chakra" reveals several definitions on the web:

Sanskrit term denoting one of seven major energy centers situated along the spine, plus scores of minor centers throughout the body. These correspond roughly to the nerve junctions ('little brains') where nerves from every part of the body join the spinal cord. Many Indian and Chinese modalities, especially acupuncture, focus on re-establishing the free flow of energy throughout the chakras.

www.artofwellbeing.com/glossary.html

Sometimes spelled cakra, chakra is a Sanskrit word meaning "wheel", and refers to (1) a circle or group of spiritual seekers, and (2) to the centers or points (usually considered to be seven in number) of spiritual power that reside in or compose the human astral body. These points, or centers of consciousness, are considered to have correspondences with the physical body that run along the spine from the very base to the very crown. Each point represents a different kind or quality of subtle energy which can be focused and activated by various practices. See kundalini. See also "A sounds practice" at our Letters page.

www.zoofence.com/define4.html

> Wheel or disk which is an attribute of the Hindu god Vishnu, as well as a symbol of the Buddha's teachings in Buddhism.

www.christies.com/glossary/auction_glossary.asp

Sanskrit - "wheel or disc". An energy centre within one of the subtle bodies, formed by the intersection of many "nadis" or strands of etheric substance, forming the seven main chakras of the human being and the 22 minor chakras. There are also 343 "points of light" which correspond to the acupuncture points. Chakras can be energy centres in the solar system or the cosmos, or a human being.

www.souledout.org/souledoutglossary.html

[Sanskrit- wheel, circle] Hindu term for centers of energy (prana) in the human astral body. Traditionally there are seven principle chakras along the vertical axis of the body. These are often symbolized by mandala or yantra-like circular diagrams.

www.abgoodwin.com/mandala/gloss.shtml

An energy center of the body.

www.worldtrans.org/TP/TP1/TP1-157.HTML

— n. From Hindu beliefs, one of seven centers of psychic energy located along the spine, which can be "opened" through certain physical movements and psychic/mental/spiritual techniques, so that the energy can be released and utilized.

www.reclaiming.org/about/glossary.html

'Wheel'. According to yogic practices, any of the nerve plexuses or centres of spiritual energy located within the inner body of every individual. Each one is thought to be a seat of instinctive consciousness.

www.swaminarayan.org/glossary/c.htm

A vortex of energy located in the physical body for the purpose of keeping a flow of energy throughout the body. There are seven major locations starting at the base of the spinal cord and traveling to the top of the head. The first is found at the coccyx (red-orange), the second at the spleen (pink), the third at the solar plexus (green), the fourth at the heart (gold), the fifth at the throat (sky blue), the sixth at the brow (indigo), and the seventh at the crown of the head (purple). The seven Chakras have a direct correspondence to the seven Realms of Immensity, the seven Rays of Light, and the seven universes.

www.agasha.org/dictionary.htm

[1] "wheel," a solar symbol. [2] Vishnu's discus, a weapon. [3] A supposed center of psychic energy in the human body.

www.art-and-archaeology.com/india/glossary1.html

(Sanskrit, lit. wheel) The seven chakras in the human body act as subtle energy centers. The root chakra lies in the area of the sacrum and is said to hold one's sleeping or dormant spiritual energy. Once awakened, this spiritual energy travels up through the other five chakras until it reaches the crown chakra at the top of the head.

www.tbsn.org/english/library/reference/glossary.htm

In Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism, they are considered energy points in the body. However, the word also has its roots in the word for cosmos.

www.siamese-dream.com/reference/buddhist_glossary.html

Wheels within the human bodies, subtle and gross, which distribute the flow of Shakti, the force of life/feeling/energy.

www.davidspero.org/glossary/

(literally, wheel): Refers to one of seven centers of consciousness suspended on the sushumna nerve through which the Kundalini rises. The seven main chakras are located at the root base region (Muladhara), genital region (Svadhisthana), belly region (Manipura), heart region (Ana Hata), throat region (Vishudda), forehead region (Ajna), and the top of head (Sahasrara). There are also many other chakras located elsewhere throughout the body.

www.hardlight.org/articles/glossary.html

a spiritual opening in your body; humans have 7 chakras that are named after the colors of the rainbow - the chakras must be kept closed in order to keep negative spirits out of your body

www.psychickids.com/glossary.html

(lit. wheel): any one of the seven centers of consciousness located in the sushumna nerve through which the kundalini rises.

www.symca.org/glossary.htm

The sacred disc (weapon of Lord Sri Maha Vishnu) Chakkera Pongal - Sweet dish made of sugar, milk and rice Chandanam - Sandalwood Chandra - Moon Chaulam - Ear lobe-piercing ceremony Cherupulu - Food offered to the Lord Chinna - Small Chitrannam - A rice preparation, rich in spices Choultry - Guesthouse where accommodation is free of charge. Also called Dharmasala.

www.tirumala.org/glossary.htm

Psychic and energetic plexuses located in the astral body.

www.yogaadvaita.org/text/glossary-a.shtml

Chakra (also spelled cakra) means wheel or vortex. The Chakras are invisible centers of spinning energy or psychic energy centers in the etheric body located in various points that range from the base of the spine to the crown of the head. The human Chakra are stations along the central axis of your being. Each one is a point at which energy can be expressed in a certain set of actions, attitudes and emotions. These point. Most mystics perceive 7 chakra, though some perceive 12 including chakra extending from the etheric body.

www.vietlogon.com/user=/zakimba/afhdictionary.html

Energy centres in the body - Crown, 3rd Eye, Throat, Heart, Solar Plexus, Navel, Base. Known as the Wheel of Light

www.mysticaltemple.com/content/glossary.htm

Sanskrit meaning "wheel", they are the body's seven major energy centers, of which the heart is the 4th center. These centers relate to the Chi/Qui/Ki, the life force of our being.

www.geocities.com/starsuriel/heartscode/glossary.htm

A "Sanskrit term" used for a Spinning Wheel or Disc. An energy center within one of the subtle bodies, formed by the intersection of many "nadis" or strands of etheric substance, forming 7 main Chakras in the Human Energy Body and 22 minor chakras.

www.spheresofessence.com/glossary.html

There are 7 energy centers called "Chakras" and they parallel the spine. Each chakra has certain qualities and associations. Refers to one of seven centers of consciousness suspended on the sushumna nerve through which the Kundalini rises. The seven main chakras are located at the root base region (Muladhara), genital region (Svadhisthana), belly region (Manipura), heart region (Ana Hata), throat region (Vishudda), forehead region (Ajna), and the top of head (Sahasrara). There are also many other chakras located elsewhere throughout the body. Chiti: Divine conscious energy. Chitshakti: The expressive power of universal Consciousness.

www.nikkistravel.com/yoga_glossary_of_terms.htm

Any of several points of physical or spiritual energy in the human body according to Yoga philosophy.Top of Page

www.handsforhealth.com/glos_base.html

A wheel in Yoga, one of the psychic centres of the body.

www.buddhistdoor.com/passissue/9606/sources/glossa-e.htm

Assuming we're talking about forum posts, there's a "quick reply" form you can use to reply when you're reading the post in question. Just hit "submit" to post it.
Alternatively you can click on the "post reply" button at the bottom, right next to the "new topic" button, and fill in the form there.