Order of Hermes Paradigm

By Anders Sandberg

The Paradigm

The Tradition: Everything has once and for all been defined and codified into the Great Tradition by the ancient masters. Nothing can ever be added to this universal knowledge, the best a mage can hope for is to recapitulate and teach the ancient wisdom ever more subtly. However, much of the great Tradition is lost due to the ravages of time, human folly and incompetence. It is the duty of all hermetic mages to seek to restore it to its ancient glory by collecting the scattered fragments.

Magick

Control. The mage can control the whole of creation by applying the secrets of the Tradition. For every possible circumstance there is old wisdom to fall back on, safer and more powerful than any new magick. The whole of the universe is built on the secret links of control and rulership, and a knowledgeable mage knows how to deal with them.

Spheres

Correspondence: Sympathy. Everything in the universe is linked to everything else, through subtle relations. By following these links (using the wisdom of Tradition to guide himself), a mage can find connections between seemingly disparate things, sense events from afar and change the positions of objects.
Mind: Consciousness. The secret of Mind is the secret force of Consciousness. It is a force just like the elements or the Light, animating the sluggish life into higher thought.
Prime: The Light, Prima Materia. This is the greatest of all forces, the force the Highest used to create the entire universe. It is the light from the Fiat of the Great Architect of the Universe. To understand it is necessary for all works of higher magick.
Time: Destiny. Everything that happens are but a part in the great chains of destiny. By learning how these links work, a diligent mage can follow their paths backwards and divine their future ways.
Entropy: Imbalance. Not all forces of the universe are in perfect balance. Some forces have destructive consequences, while others impose randomness and chaos on the others.
Spirit: Other Planes. The physical world is not the only plane of creation. Other levels of existence spread out both above and below it, filled with denizens and powers beyond the ken of mankind. These powers and the links between the various planes can be controlled and understood by the wisdom of Tradition.
Pattern Magick: Lesser Works
- Forces: The Elements. Everything is built out of the interactions between the four elements. The dynamic nature of Fire and Air is controlled by Water and Earth, and the high elements Fire and Water is kept in balance by the low elements Earth and Air. By learning how to shift these equilibria, a wise mage can control the forces of the physical world.
- Matter: Material Magick. Matter is the heavy conglomeration of some of the lowest forces. It binds us in the physical world, yet it protects us and give us the tools to transform the universe. It is the floor of the Temple of Ascension.
- Life: Animation. Living beings are matter which has been animated by the animating principle, the life-force. The Tradition contains great wisdom regarding this force and how it is linked to other forces and can be controlled.

Arete

The Great Work. Each mage must pursue the Great Work for himself, supported by his peers and helped by his Masters. As he pursues his goals, he will learn more and more of the Tradition which will show him the true nature and ways of the universe. This will not only give him control over it, it will also give him control over himself.

Quintessence

Bounded Light can manifest in many ways. It can be imprisoned in matter, flow in the cosmic forces, charge certain objects or just exist. Originally it came from the Highest, and will one day return to infinity, but currently it is bounded by the lower planes.

Paradox

Unbalanced forces. If a mage breaks against the Tradition or fails to properly balance the forces of the universe, an imbalance will result. This will inevitably gravitate to him, and in due time destroy him unless he can restore the cosmic balance.

Awakening

Knowledge and Conversation with the Holy Guardian Angel Each human being has his own Holy Guardian Angel (HGA), his higher self, guiding him through existence towards Ascension. A mage is a person who has not only met his HGA, but experienced the reality of the higher worlds it represents and choosen to follow it.

Mage-specific Backgrounds

Arcane: Invisibility . To protect themselves from enemies and dangers many mages learn the art of secrecy and hiding.
Avatar: Holy Guardian Angel . Some mages are blessed with a HGA taking greater interest in their lives and magick, giving them strength in danger and succor in failure.
Destiny: Destiny . Some mages are destined by the forces of the universe for certain acts, to preserve the great equilibrium. These individuals have the momentum of the entire universe behind them.
Dream: Understanding . A few fortunate mages understand the Great Tradition intuitively, seeing the secret laws underlying everything. They are able to understand anything and handle anything using the precepts of the Tradition to support them.
Node: Fulcrum . The forces of the world are in constant flux, yet carefully balanced against each other. In some places this balance can be manipulated with less exertion than elsewhere.