Hermeticism

Hermeticism, also called Hermetism, comprises beliefs and practices whose purpose is the influencing of the world by means of contact with the heavenly forces. The Hermetic tradition is based primarily upon pseudepigraphical writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus ("Thrice Great"). It is included in the likes of Enoch, Kabbalah, Vision of Mercury, and Modern Astrology.

Etymology
The term Hermetic is from the medieval Latin hermeticus, which is derived from the name of the Greek god, Hermes. In English, it has been attested since the 17th century, as in "Hermetic writers" (e.g., Franz Bardon).

In Greek, the use of words beginning with herm dates from at least 600 B.C. Hermetic referred to a pillar or post of a kind that was used in pre-classical Greece: "of square shape, surmounted by a head with a beard. The square, limbless Hermes was a step in advance of the unwrought stone." The stone pillar was used to communicate with the deities. The name of the god Hermes was used by pre-classical Greeks as a generic term for any deity and was only later associated with the god of knowledge in Athens in the 2nd century C.E.

Grimoire
In Volume 5, the Book of Hermes (Hermetica) (ヘルメス文書) is mentioned in a small list of Grimoires among the 103,000 which Index holds.

An account of how Hermes Trismegistus received the name "Thrice Great" is derived from the The Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus, wherein it is stated that he knew the three parts of the wisdom of the whole universe. The three parts of the wisdom are alchemy, astrology, and theurgy. Hermes Trismegistus may be a representation of the syncretic combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. In Hellenistic Egypt, the Greeks recognised the congruence of their god Hermes with Thoth. These writings have greatly influenced the Western esoteric tradition and were considered to be of great importance during both the Renaissance and the Reformation. The tradition claims descent from a prisca theologia, a doctrine which affirms that a single, true theology exists which is present in all religions and was given by God to man in antiquity.

Many Christian writers, including Lactantius, Thomas of Aquinas, Augustine, Giordano Bruno, Marsilio Ficino, Campanella and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola considered Hermes Trismegistus to be a wise pagan prophet who foresaw the coming of Christianity.

The Hermetica are Egyptian-Greek wisdom texts from the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE, mostly presented as dialogues in which a teacher, generally identified with Hermes Trismegistus or "thrice-greatest Hermes", enlightens a disciple. The texts discuss the nature of the divine, mind, nature and the cosmos: some touch upon alchemy, astrology and related concepts.