Hermetic Philosophy
by Franz Bardon, author of
Initiation into Hermetics
The Practice of Magical Evocation
The Key to the True Kabbalah
Taken as a whole, Franz Bardon’s magical writings on Hermeticism form an introduction and road map to the Holy Mysteries through meditation techniques, controlling the elements inside and outside ourselves, and ultimately creating within ourselves through Kabbalah. Earth is the only planet in the universe where every human being is given the opportunity to become a child of God, and as such can become an enlightened human being. This should be the actual destiny of every human being. Most of us, however, never open the door behind which all this knowledge can be found. In our formative years, we all too readily accept whatever we were taught, and in later years this becomes our greatest obstacle, preventing us from learning the truth. Second, we have in many instances a false understanding of the true meaning of words, since we accept a false meaning without question.
Christ speaks of parables and mysteries. He said to His disciples, “Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables.” He has also given us to understand that we have to walk the Path of the Mysteries if we wish to be counted among the chosen ones. These mysteries are The Holy Mysteries, as recorded by Franz Bardon.
Let us assume that you are seriously searching for this path — the path whose final destination would mean becoming “one with God.” What would you think if you heard the words: magic, Tarot card, occult, mystic, evocation, Tetragrammaton, JOD-HE-VAU-HE, initiation, etc.? Would you not, if you had a so-called religious upbringing, distance yourself from these things, reasoning that “magic” is sorcery and thus a pact with the dark forces? Charlatans and stage magicians misuse these terms, as do many religious sects, past and present. However, you may ask: “What did Christ mean when He said to His disciples: ‘The mysteries are given to you, and the parables are given to those on the outside.’”
There is only one Holy Bible, but there are many different religions. The reason for this is a total lack of knowledge about the Mysteries.
In reality, “magic” is a holy science. In the truest sense of the word, it is the knowledge of all knowledge. Magic (or Hermetics) as described by Franz Bardon, teaches the knowledge and how to use the universal laws. In other words, there is no higher knowledge on planet earth, because it teaches you to know the metaphysical as well as the metaphysical laws on all levels. Since time immemorial, this knowledge has been called “magic.” The Magi have been considered the highest of initiates (disciples) since ancient times.
Many readers are aware that, in reality, the Tarot is not a deck of cards that serves mantic purposes, but books of initiation, meditation, contact with our spirit guides, and creation, which symbolically contains the greatest secrets. The first Tarot card is revealed by Franz Bardon in Initiation into Hermetics.
Magic is the knowledge which teaches the practical use of the lowest laws of nature and the highest laws of the spirit. After reading the works described below, the reader will come to the realization that there are no miracles, and nothing supernatural. Only those who do not have this knowledge and understanding of such occurrences are representatives of such concepts. It does not matter what the subject matter is; in order to properly understand it, you have to start with lowest of laws — in other words, with the foundation. And that applies to magic as well. As such, you have to start with the elementary laws, and graduate to the highest magic. But to properly mature, you require some pre-schooling. The writings of Franz Bardon contain all the mysteries and reveal what the Bible does not. The word “minister” is derived from the word “mystery,” and it means, “initiated into the mysteries.” Therefore, a “minister” should have the abilities of an initiate. Once the reader has the true understanding of the attributes of an initiate, he or she will never again be blinded by someone who carries that name without the proper qualifications.
— Merkur Publishing, Inc.
Franz Bardon’s point of view on Hermeticism.
Our teachers are:
1. Fate, and 2. Oneself (either knowingly or unknowingly).
A teacher or Guru or even the highest initiate can only point the way and explain universal principles and enlighten the student.
Hermetic Science has Two Paths: (Fundamental Groups)
1. The path itself (unknowingly or knowingly through instructions or through guidance).
2. The original religion.
The path teaches the quantitative side of the Hermeticism, as described by Franz Bardon, whereas the original religion teaches the qualitative side of the Hermeticism.
It can also be explained as follows:
1. Quantitative = magically = the path.
2. Qualitative = mystically = the original religion.
Establishing magic (quantitative) equilibrium brings about the establishment of harmony on a large scale as well as on a small scale.
The macrocosm and microcosm = the All (the universe) and the human being.
The Human Being:
A human being has a spirit, a soul and a physical body.
The Spirit:
The spirit has the following fundamental attributes (in Initiation into Hermetics by Franz Bardon):
The Fire Element = the will
The Air Element = the intellect or mind
The Water Element = feelings (life)
The Earth Element = the consciousness
Without imagining the above four elements (in the mental sphere) it is not possible to imagine the spirit.
The Fifth Element = The Akasha. The Akasha is the divine principle in a human being which holds everything together.
The spirit form is the mental body.
The mental body consists of the mental element substances.
Every human being has a disharmony in his four mental-element substances (fire, air, water and earth) = will, intellect, feeling and consciousness.
When these four elements are harmonized in quantitative and qualitative form (i.e. magical and mystical form) it brings about the Hermetic Science.
The Soul:
The soul is the form-determining body of the spirit. The body of the soul, the astral body, is composed of the denser astral substances of the elements.
The Physical Body:
The physical body of a human being is the coarsest of all three and as such it is the last and the densest element-substance shell. The bonding of all the aforementioned bodies takes place in the following manner:
The spirit is bound to his mental body through the mental matrix. Therefore, you could also make the statement that the mental matrix is the connecting substance or the bonding agent between the mental body and the spirit.
The connecting substance or bonding agent between the spirit inclusive of the mental body with the astral body is called the astral matrix.
The mental and astral bodies are bound to the physical body by the material or physical matrix. This matrix holds these three bodies together.
Nourishment of the Three Bodies:
The nourishment of the three bodies consists of the following:
The Mental Body is nourished through the impression of the senses.
The Astral Body is nourished through breathing.
The Physical Body is kept alive through any kind of nourishment.
Nourishment of the Spirit (Mental Body):
External nourishment: Through the five senses.
Internal Nourishment: Through thoughts, wishes, imagination and ideas.
The quantitative form is the amount, the qualitative form are their attributes.
Effects:
The quantitative form has its effects through its intensity in the mental sphere.
The qualitative form has its effects through its purity (clarity) in the mental sphere.
Examples:
The Will
The will is free when he is in equilibrium, quantitatively and qualitatively.
The will is not free when he is not in equilibrium (quantitatively and qualitatively).
In the case whereby there is a quantitative preponderance, a will that is not free expresses itself through impulsiveness.
In the case where there is a qualitative preponderance, a will that is not free expresses itself through a know-it-all attitude.
The Intellect (The Mind)
The quantitative form of the intellect has its effects in the mental sphere and expresses itself through perseverance or endurance of the spirit.
The qualitative form of the intellect (mind) has its effects in the mental sphere and expresses itself through the receptiveness of the spirit.
The Spirit’s Feeling
The quantitative form of feelings expresses itself through its vitality.
The qualitative form of feelings expresses itself through self-preservation.
The Consciousness
The summary of all three fundamental attributes of the spirit (will, intellect and feelings) constitutes the consciousness. Therefore, the quantitative form of the consciousness is impulsiveness, perseverance (endurance) and vitality.
Therefore, the qualitative form of the consciousness is being right in the positive sense, having the proper understanding of what is right, receptiveness and self-preservation. In the negative sense it is a know-it-all attitude.
The “I” Consciousness or The Normal Consciousness
The quantitative form of the consciousness is the strength of the electromagnetic fluid.
The qualitative form of the consciousness has its effects in the mental sphere and it expresses itself in the Spirit’s maturity.
Nourishment for the Soul (Astral Body):
The astral body receives her external nourishment through breathing.
The astral body receives her internal nourishment through substances of the elements of her physical nourishment.
The astral body consists of astral matter = astral-element-substances.
The quantitative form of the astral matter is the astral-element-substance, which draws its nourishment and preservation from the element-substances of the physical nourishment (internal nourishment).
The astral body is preserved, invigorated and nourished through breathing, but at the same time the electromagnetic fluid is also inhaled (external nourishment).
The qualitative form of the astral body is the ability to accumulate all thoughts and ideas, which through constant repetition express themselves through character traits. Therefore, the astral body is a fluid condenser in the form of quality.
The quantitative form of the astral body and the mental body represents itself in the astral sphere and mental sphere by expressing itself externally through the intensity of his character.
The qualitative form of the astral body and the mental body expresses itself externally through his astral and mental aura.
Nourishment of the Physical Body:
The physical body stays alive through nourishment and through physical breathing. Through the breath you inhale at the same time the physical form of the electromagnetic fluid.
The quantitative form of the physical electromagnetic fluid expresses itself through total health, perfect vital energy and a surplus of vital energy.
The main influence of the electromagnetic fluid is divided into two groups:
1. Right side of the body is electric fluid.
2. Left side of the body is magnetic fluid.
The Elements:
The individual elements with their compact attributes are a state of density (in Initiation into Hermetics by Franz Bardon):
Fire • Water • Air • Earth
However, the elements differ through the following:
1. Fire = electric fluid
2. Water = magnetic fluid
3. Air = equilibrating, harmonizing (electric – magnetic – neutral)
4. Earth = electromagnetic fluid
Initiation:
Should the budding initiate wish to succeed and reach the highest level of perfection, he must begin with the key to Hermeticism which consists of harmonizing the elements in all three spheres (mental, astral and physical spheres = spirit, soul and body).
The effect of the astral body’s aura expresses itself in the intensity of her character and since the astral body is at the same time the central point between the spirit and the physical body, the budding initiate must begin by harmonizing his astral body (i.e. harmonizing or equilibrating his character). By beginning to ennoble his character (harmonizing the astral elements) he trains or equilibrates the mental elements in his spiritual body (mental body) at the same time as well as the physical elements in his physical body.
The consequences of these exercises are:
When you have harmonized or equilibrated your character, this equates to a good character.
When you have harmonized or equilibrated the physical elements, this results in a healthy physical body.
When you have harmonized and equilibrated the mental elements, this results in a healthy and mature spirit.
Only when the budding initiate has brought all the elements in all three spheres into equilibrium, can he continue his study of the Hermetic Sciences.
It is absolutely necessary and of great importance that the quantity key and the quality key are strictly observed at all times. It does not matter if you are dealing with the comprehension of the harmony of fate or with the kind of method you should employ on the path to perfection.
While on the path of methodology in respect to true introspection (i.e. the ennoblement of one’s character) the quantity key and the quality key are the basic conditions.
Excessive quality, no matter on which plane or sphere, is always at the expense of that particular plane and the corresponding element.
Excessive quantity (electric fluid, magnetic fluid or electromagnetic fluid) raises the analogies (qualities), whether in the positive or in the negative sense.
It is rewarding to draw up a quality key for the astral body with all her attributes and passions (positive and negative, a magic character mirror). This then has to be divided again into the corresponding elements.
You must make a list or table of your virtues and attributes, divide them into the four elements and then list them in accordance with their intensity into three groups, those that influence you in a most negative way, those which occur less frequently and those which occur once in a while.
The corresponding intensity is identical with the quantitative proportions of the corresponding element of the astral body.
Methodology:
When dealing with the introspection it is of absolute necessity to make use of the quality key of your character traits. You must bring all your negative characteristics, which of course correspond with the four elements, to a level, where all your negative characteristics are equal in numbers. [1]
Attributes which are present the least must be turned into positive attributes. There are various way in order to accomplish this feat:
1. by fighting it (by controlling it),
2. through autosuggestion,
3. through transmutation, and
4. through isolation.
The Quantity Key:
1. By combating the negative passions the intensification of the individual fluids (electric, magnetic and the electromagnetic) is achieved and the dynamides (synamically) are strengthened. (This applies to all the elements.)
2. By practicing autosuggestion the negative passions are eliminated through the withdrawal of time and space. However, this does not become a reality until the desired positive attribute has become a habit; up to that point the negative attribute can still attack that person. Only when the positive or good attribute has become a habit in its entirety has the negative passion been eliminated. Hence it can never attack that person again.
3. The capacity of the quantitative power is always raised through transmutation. If the positive attributes that belong to particular elements are too weak, you must increase the strength of the positive attributes by transmuting the existing negative passions.
4. Isolation. Should you not want employ any of the above-mentioned methods or if you are incapable of so doing, you can always revert to isolating your negative passions. This is accomplished by withdrawing all your attention from your negative passions. Through this you do not accomplish anything quantitative i.e. you surrender yourself to destiny.
The quantity key is a gauge by which you measure all your concentration exercises.
The duration of your powers of concentration depends on the quantity of the particular element (fluid).
The larger the quantity of a fluid, the longer will your powers of concentration last.
If you possess a good quantity of a fluid, the longer your ability of concentration. For example, the greater the quantity of electric fluid the easier it is for you concentrate visually.
You achieve good results with your acoustic concentration when you possess a sufficient quantity of electric and magnetic fluids. When you do your sentience or feeling concentration exercises you require the pure magnetic fluid. Before you can achieve any kind of success you must possess a sufficient amount of the pure magnetic fluid.
The concentration whereby you employ three senses (clairvoyance, clairaudience and clairsentience) requires quantitatively the electromagnetic fluid, because during these exercises both fluids (the electric and magnetic fluids) are needed and consumed.
The Eucharist (Conscious Eating):
The Eucharist is the teaching of how to impregnate, qualitatively and quantitatively, your food and drink mentally, astrally and physically.
We differentiate between qualitative and quantitative impregnation. Qualitatively impregnate only those foods and drinks where you use only one single thought, one wish, one single imagination, one idea etc.
When charging something and you connect a particular wish with vital energy (Prana), then you impregnate qualitatively and quantitatively.
The impregnation method is threefold as follows:
(1) By the visual form (fire = electric fluid).
(2) By the intellectual acoustic form (air), (by using reason) i.e. by speaking your wish into the liquid or into the food.
(3) By the intuitive or sensitive method (water = magnetic fluid.)
The most effective method is when you carry out any impregnation quantitatively and qualitatively with the concentration of the three senses. If you work with the concentration of the three senses, which is actually the strongest form of impregnation, then the effect does not originate from the individual regions of the spirit (will, intellect, feelings), but it originates directly from the consciousness.
Each time you impregnate you must add the time of the realization for the mental plane or the mental body and must always pay attention to this rule.
The procedure for astral impregnation is as follows:
The nourishment which you charge or load for the purpose of eating must be changed into a astral condenser, which absorbs the electromagnetic fluid from the universe like a sponge, similar to the respiration of the lungs.
When you concentrate you must be certain that the power from the universe passes over into the nourishment automatically and accumulates dynamically therein.
During this procedure the quality must be incorporated at the same time i.e. the desired attribute.
When you eat this food or drink the liquid, which has become a fluid condenser, you must be completely certain and convinced that the accumulated energy passes directly over into the astral body, qualitatively and quantitatively.
You must repeat the charging or loading, no matter if you charge it mentally or astrally, until you achieve satisfactory results and until you have become accustomed to it.
You should never switch to another ability, until you have accomplished the first one.
The Magic of Water:
The magic of water is subject to exactly the same procedures, to the same laws and to the same methodology, as described in the chapter of the Eucharist.
In any case the magic of water is to be handled quantitatively and qualitatively.
You could rightfully refer to the magic of water as the external Eucharist. The possibilities of influencing can be arranged in the same manner as they are with the Eucharist namely mentally, astrally and physically.
[1] Dr. M.K. (a student of Franz Bardon) recalls a conversation he had with Franz Bardon, wherein Franz Bardon stated that the total number of negative attributes is not a determining factor, but that these negative attributes are within certain proportions to the four elements. For example, 21 negative attributes of the fire element, 20 of the air element, 19 of the water element and 18 of the earth element. It would be ideal, however, if one had an equal amount of positive and negative attributes. – ED.