Creation Story

This is a paraphrase of the creation story of the Hermetic tradition from the Corpus Hermeticum. It was written down in the second century.

Once I was meditating on the nature of things. My mind reached a high state of transcendence and my bodily senses seemed to be in deep sleep. I then became aware of a limitless being that called to me and asked “What would you like to see and hear? What do you wish to know?”

I said “Who are you?”.

The being said “I am Creator, the Nous, or Universal Consciousness of the Absolute. I know your desires and I am always with you.”

I said “I wish to learn about everything. I want to understand the nature of Spirit and Matter.”

He answered “Hold these things in your mind and I will teach you.”

With these words, he changed form and suddenly everything opened to me in a flash. I saw a boundless vision of all things surrounded by a sweet and joyous light. I was moved to a state of ecstasy. After a while, a darkness, terrible and oppressive, settled down upon the scene, coiling like a serpent. Then the darkness became fluid. It was fiercely agitated, giving off steam as if heated by a flame and making an indescribable moaning sound. Then a disturbing roar came forth like an explosion.

Out of the light of Creator a Sacred Thought descended upon Nature and began to shape things. From the Watery element a pure fire leaped up to the heights. The light was swift and active. And Air too, being buoyant, followed the breath of fire, rising up to it from Earth and Water, seeming to be suspended there. The Earth and Water remained mixed so that they were indistinguishable from each other and they were stirred up by the breath of the Sacred Thought which blew over the ooze.

Then Creator said to me: “Did you understand the meaning of this vision?”

“No”, I said. “But I wish to know.”

He said “I am the light, I am Nous, the Consciousness who proceeded the Water Element that came out of the Darkness. The Sacred Thought is a modulation of the light and it is called the Logos. It issues from Consciousness as the offspring of Creator.

By this understand: That part of you that sees and hears is called Logos. But it is Universal Consciousness that is the source of the pattern that you think of as Self. Your mind and Nous are not separate from each other, they are the same. Life comes from this union.”

“Thanks be to you” I said.

“So,” he answered, “Understand the light behind being, become familiar with it. Learn to place your awareness within the Consciousness that proceeds thought. Find out how it feels to perceive directly in the primal Consciousness of which you are a part.”

Having said this, He gazed long into my eyes till I trembled at the sight. When he looked up I saw in my mind the Light. The infinite powers had become a boundless Cosmos. The fire was contained by a mighty force and kept in its place. When I saw this I understood Creator’s design.

He spoke again, “You have seen within the Nous, the archetypal form preceding the eternal beginning.”

And I said “Where do the elements of nature come from?”

“From divine will” he replied. “When Nature perceived the design within the Logos, she beheld the beautiful Cosmos and copied it, fashioning herself into a cosmos by means of her own elements and her offspring of souls. The Divine Intelligence, being both male and female, existing as both life and light, brought forth by the creative word (Logos) another Intelligence to give things form. Then Star-maker, the helper, demiurge of fire and spirit-breath, formed Seven Rulers who circle the sensible world. Their government is called the Laws of Nature, also called the Laws of Harmony.”

At this point I saw the Sacred Thought pattern of Creator leap up from the lower elements into Nature’s pure creative formation where they united as Star-maker for they were of the same substance. And so Creator’s design was left in Nature’s charge.

Then Star-maker surrounded the spheres and set them whirling with great speed, set them circling in endless revolution, to begin again where it ends, according to the design. And from the lower elements the Air brought forth the winged creatures; the Water brought forth those that swim; the Earth and Water elements separated; and Earth produced four-footed things, and reptiles and beasts, wild and tame.

Now, Creator of all, having the polarities of both Life and Light, is androgynously creative. And so Creator brought forth the First Human as an image of himself, and he became enamored of him as his own child, because he was beautiful. In truth, Creator fell in love with his own form and he bestowed on him all of his own powers of creation.

Man began to explore his situation and his potential. He soon came upon the creation which Star-maker had formed out of celestial fire. When man saw that wonder he wished to create something himself. Creator agreed to this. But then Man entered Star-maker’s sphere where he could have had full authority. He gazed on his Brother’s creatures and they fell in love with each other. All of the created beings gave the First Human a share of their own nature. After coming to know their essences and sharing in their nature, he wished to break through the boundary of the spheres and to experience the power of the one that ruled there.

And Man, forgetting his own power, bent his face down through the Harmony, broke through the vault and showed himself to Nature. When she saw his form of inexhaustible beauty, when she saw this one who possessed in himself the forces of the seven rulers combined with Creator’s own form, she smiled with love; for she had seen his likeness reflected in her Waters and his shadow upon the Earth. He in turn beheld his likeness reflected in her, reflected in her Water, and loved what he saw and wished to dwell in it. At once the wish became reality. He fell into the reflection and into the mortal world of elements and the reflection became a living body. And likewise, Nature took the object of her love and entwined around and through him for they were lovers.

This is why Man alone is a paradox, being mortal because of the body and immortal by essence. For although he has immortal essence and the powers of Creator he is subject to the Laws of the Harmony of Nature. Though he was originally beyond the rule of the elements, he entered their sphere and became subject to life and death. Though he was self-sufficiently creative on his own, coming from the androgynous Creator; and though he was un-sleeping, coming from an un-sleeping father, he came to be overcome by love and sleep.