God Beyond Religion: The Importance of Myths, Allegories, and Narratives

From the “age of reason” or the “enlightenment” forward, myths especially, but allegories and narratives as well, took a hit in respectability. As the scientific revolution came into being and physics developed a materialist, physicalist paradigm, they became even less important. It is my belief that myths, allegories, and narratives in general are very important in understanding humanities place in the cosmos, and the material, corporeal world. This is especially true if indeed consciousness is foundational, because then, there is really no difference between consciousness and spirituality and it would be just as correct to say the spirituality is foundational to reality.

It is also true that the last 250 years have emboldened historians to claim that ancient characters such as Pythagoras, Buddha, Hermes, and Jesus did not really exist. First, that is unimportant, and second where there is a plethora of sources claiming something or someone to be true or real, there is generally a reason behind it. Could the role of such individuals be to help us understand this basically spiritual world?

My purpose in addressing this is the Thoth/Hermes narrative. Was Thoth and Hermes a god in the sense that we currently view the term god? Very likely not. But it seems clear that they were also more than a myth. Is Hermetics ancient wisdom? I believe beyond doubt that it is. It resonates with me more than any other spiritual tradition. Even if it cannot be conclusive proven that it precedes Neoplatonism in the middle third to seventh centuries, it is likely foundational to Greek philosophy in general and definitely to the idealism of Plato. Here is an article from the Stanford Encyclopedia that substantiates the fact in my view. “The second assumption, which the Neoplatonists shared with the Stoics and the Hermetists (an influential group of Egyptian religious thinkers that predate the rise of Neoplatonism), was that reality, in all its cognitive and physical manifestations, depended on a highest principle which is unitary and singular.” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Online. Neoplatonism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Notice it mentions the Hemetists along with the Stoics and states that they were an influential group of Egyptian religious thinkers that predate Neoplatonism.

I am sympathetic with the idea that Pythagoras went to Egypt and studied their esoteric, metaphysical teachings and brought them back to Greece. While it cannot be proven that Pythagoras was the mathematician he is credited with being, it is much more certain that he was a proponent of mental alchemy, the occult, and the metaphysical. Pythagoras was claimed to have gone to Egypt to study by Plato, and was credited with inspiring Platonic thought. This again resonates deeply with me. This, I think, makes the idea that consciousness, the Logos, was ontologically the first principle in the cosmos an original idea with the Egyptians, and was likely given to them by advanced civilizations that preceded them.

None of these understandings would be possible without myths, allegories, and narratives. They are what has preserved and handed down so rich a story that is now being given new credence by cognitive scientists, physicists, and philosophers. I refer to these well know academics often. Donald Hoffman cognitive scientist, Rupert Sheldrake biologist, Bernard Kastrup philosopher, Max Tegmark, physicist. They all claim in one way or another that consciousness is foundational to physical reality.

While all religious philosophies have superstitions and aspects that are likely the ideas of humans, they all contain fundamental existential truths. For me, the one that resonates best is Hermetics. This is especially true with the addition of the Kybalion, the Arcane Teachings and Formulas which all point toward mentalism or as some call it mentation.

God Beyond Religion: Poemandres, Father, Word, and Spirit

1.  “And I do say: Who art thou?”

“He saith: I am Man-Shepherd (Poemandres), Mind of all-masterhood; I know what thou desirest and I'm with thee everywhere.” ~The Corpus Hermeticum, Translated by G.R.S. Mead, Section, Poemandres, The Shepherd of Men

It is my intention to examine the Corpus Hermeticum because I think it is a foundational explanation of reality.  One of the problems that is encountered in giving credence to the Hermetica is that Christian orthodoxy has relegated Hermeticism to a recent invention and a rehashing of neo platonic thought. This is largely due to King James and Isaac Casaubon. King James wanted to rid the kingdom of Hermetics and Casaubon gave him the ammunition. However, the ability to read hieroglyphics proved that Casaubon was not entirely correct and while it is true that the Hermetica is a product of Middle Platonism, the first to third century CE, it is highly likely that Platonism was built upon the foundation of Hermetic teaching.

Also, while Hermeticism was accompanied by the superstitions of the age it was introduced, it gives by far the best explanation of the nature of reality and creation than any other western idea. It tells the story of the source God and the word/logos God’s only begotten son. Here is where orthodoxy misunderstood and led people astray from Jesus real mission and message. The Word, Logos, was the mind of God and it was given to humanity as a gift. This word, logos, reason is consciousness. It is why we can say that we conscious human agents are in the image of God “Imago Dei.”

Here is how Hermes expressed it in Poemandres: “But All-Father Mind, being Life and Light, did bring forth Man co-equal to Himself, with whom He fell in love, as being His own child; for he was beautiful beyond compare, the Image of his Sire. In very truth, God fell in love with his own Form; and on him did bestow all of His own formations.” ~Hermeticum G.R.S. Mead pp 6

It is clear here that humanity/mankind are the offspring of deity. That is why John wrote in the first chapter of his gospel that “The Word,” not Jesus, but the word was always in the world. It was because reason was always in the world. The world was created of and by consciousness. Itis important to recognize that this hermetic principle was present in philosophical thought long before John’s gospel was written. It was known to Plato and the Stoics. It was written about by Philo of Alexandria prior to the writing of John’s gospel. This does not in any way diminish the mission and message of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus did not claim to be God in the flesh any more than anyone else. He just introduced the sure knowledge that he was, as we all are, the incarnation of the Logos. It was this understanding and message that allowed Paul to say that Jesus was the firstborn of many siblings. Awakening to this realization is what created a “new humanity.” It brought into reality through metaphor the new heaven and the new earth. This is why Eckhart Tolle’s understanding of a new heaven and earth is far more correct than orthodoxy’s.

This is an integral and strategic part of the upward spiral of spiral dynamics. The expanded awareness of this happens from age to age. Paul explained that Jesus understood what Hermes wrote. He realized that while he was equal with God, it was not a reason to exploit it, but instead in entering the earth plane he emptied or forgot the concept with the purpose of awakening to the reality. Am I putting Hermes above Jesus? Absolutely not. Both became aware of the same thing. Both taught essentially the same thing. Many did not understand Hermes, and likewise many, probably most, did not understand Jesus. Orthodox dogma is proof of that. However, we at the beginning of a new age are beginning to awaken to this reality. We are beginning to realize who we really are and what Power we possess. Next, we will look at what Jesus actually meant in what is written in John chapter three.