THE ESSENCE AND THE EFFECT OF THE MOTION OF THE ALL
the general dialogue between hermes and aesclepius J. van Rijckenborgh In antiquity, Aesclepius or Aesculapius was the god of medicine. In a broader sense, Aesulapius is therefore also the helper, the healer. In the following dialogue, Hermes teaches a pupil who, witness his name, is aware of having been called to walk the path of service to the Gnosis, to be able to cooperate in the healing of diseased humanity, to raise what has fallen, and to restore what was broken. In the sixth hermetic book, Aesclepius is given a thorough introduction into the nature of motion, into the cause and effect of the movement of the All.
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ermetic philosophy always develops its reasoning on the basis of a very elementary beginning and then proceeds to what is highly abstract. All who use this key and do not deviate from it, will always be able gradually to think it through and finally understand what should be understood. Many people usually begin their thinking processes with what is abstract, with what is unknowable and then descend to what is concrete. Such a method of thinking can never be satisfactory and will always lead to speculation and mystification. For instance, a mystical person often says that this or that should or should not be done. The reason for it usually remains vague and thus often results in either denial or acceptance on the basis of authority. Then it is claimed: ‘The Bible is the word of God. Not the smallest part of it may be denied.’ However, no one knows why the Bible in particular is God’s word. The result is that one person accepts on authority what another denies, while a third one does neither, but is 6 pentagram 1/2011
wholly indifferent to it. This way of thinking does not in any way serve the truth. It is replaced by vagueness, lies and serious conflict. The hermetic method of thinking is the only safe and correct one, because it guides our thinking from what is knowable and concrete to what is abstract. This is why the Arch-Gnosis always used this method. All people who yearn for and seek liberation receive this method, because it yields the purest results. You will therefore always be able to judge from a person’s way of thinking whether or not someone is a true seeker for the truth. A clear example of this was Baruch de Spinoza, who undoubtedly used the hermetic method of thinking. In The General Dialogue between Hermes and Aesclepius, we once again see that there is an all-encompassing source of power that surrounds and pervades everything and contains all cosmic realms. The aim of the sixth book of Hermes Trismegistus is to convince us of this. It is not intended to provide a profound
