The Divine Pymander of Hermes Mercurius Trismegistus (2023 Modernized Edition): A carefully composed plain language rendition for modern readers of Hermetic philosophy

by Hermes Trismegistus

Grow yourself into an immeasurable greatness, leaping beyond every Body, and transcending all Time. Become Eternity, and you shall understand God – if you believe in yourself that nothing is impossible and account yourself immortal, and that you can understand all things; every Art, every Science, and the way and custom of every living thing. 129. Become higher than all height and lower than all depths. Comprehend in yourself the qualities of all the Creatures; of the Fire, the Water, the Dry, and Moist. In the same way, imagine that you can be everywhere simultaneously; in the Sea and in the Earth. 130. Instantly you’ll understand yourself; not yet begotten in the Womb; young; old; to be dead; the things after death; and all these together, as also times; places; deeds; qualities; and quantities. Or else you cannot yet understand God. 131. But if you lock away your Soul in the Body and abuse it, saying, I understand nothing, I can do nothing, I am afraid of the Sea, I cannot climb up to Heaven, I do not know who I am, I cannot tell what I shall be – what have you to do with God? For you can understand none of those Fair and Good things while being a lover of the body and Evil. 132. For the greatest Evil is not knowing God. 133. But to be able to know, will, and hope is the straight and Divine way, proper to the Good. It will meet you everywhere and be seen in you everywhere, plain and easy when you do not expect or look for it. It will meet you waking, sleeping, sailing, ...