M. David Litwa, PhD. Hermetica I: The Corpus Hermeticum, Asclepius, and Nag Hammadi Hermetica Ordered as a Path of Initiation. Pont Rouge, QC: Fount Ultd., 2026. Premium hardcover edition. 248 pages. Limited to approx. 600 copies. Illustrations by José Gabriel Alegría Sabogal, MA.

Condition: New

Description from the publisher: 

6 x 9 in. | illustrated | b&w | 248 pp.

The Hermetic corpus is a spiritual and intellectual treasure stemming from ancient Egyptian sages who could write and think in Greek. Since the Renaissance, this corpus has appeared in an order that doesn’t fit the path of spiritual initiation suggested by the corpus itself. This edition reorders the corpus—including the Latin Asclepius and the Nag Hammadi Hermetica—into four progressing parts: introductory tractates, general discourses, detailed discourses, and revelatory discourses. A focused commentary follows each tractate. The book is written for all lovers of the Hermetica, but in particular for those who are willing, in some sense, to join the way of immortality.

Hermetica I is presented as a finely crafted hardback volume (6" × 9" or 229 × 153 mm), quarter-bound in Ratchford Windsor (Warwick) book cloth & Elefantenhaut High White paper, section-sewn and finished with a rounded hollow spine for durability and elegance. The pages are printed in black ink on 140 gsm Arena Rough Natural paper and complemented by colour endpapers featuring distinct designs at the front and back. Finishing details include gold foil blocking on the spine and front cover, a blind debossed line on the front, gold head and tail bands, and a matching gold bookmark ribbon. The book is housed in a 160 gsm Golden Star K Extra White dust jacket with french-flaps, UV printed in black, and all materials used are FSC MIX certified.

Limited to approx. 600 copies | ISBN: 978-1-989339-27-5

CONTENTS 

About the Author
Preface
Abbreviations

¶ PART I: Introduction to the Way of Immortality
1. ch 1: The Poimandres of Hermes Thrice Great
2. ch 7: The Greatest Vice among Humans is Ignorance about God
3. ch 6: In God Alone is Goodness, and Nowhere Else
4. ch 4: Hermes to Tat: The Mixing Bowl

¶ PART II: General Discourses
5. ch 3: A Sacred Discourse of Hermes (On Creation)
6. ch 14: (On God as Creator)
7. ch 16: Definitions of Asclepius to King Ammon (On the Sun as Creator and On Daimones)
8. ch 2: General Discourse of Hermes to <Asclepius> (On Space)
9. ch 8: No Being is Destroyed, though Deceived People Call Changes “Losses” and “Deaths”
10. ch 17: (On Divine Images)
11. (The Asclepius or Complete Discourse) A Sacred Volume of Hermes Thrice Great Spoken to Asclepius
12. ch 9: On Thought and Sensation

¶ PART III: Detailed Discourses
13. ch 12: On Common Consciousness
14. ch 11: Higher Consciousness to Hermes
15. ch 5: Hermes to his Son Tat: God Invisible is Most Visible
16. ch 10: The Key of Hermes Thrice Great

¶ PART IV: Revelatory Discourses
17. ch 13: Discourse of Hermes Thrice Great to His Son Tat on a Mountain, a Hidden Discourse on Rebirth and the Pledge of Silence
18. <The Eighth Reveals the Ninth>
19. The Prayer of Thanksgiving

¶ Appendix
20. ch 18: (On Music and the Praise of Kings)

¶ PART V: Essays
Hermetic Spirituality: The Sixteen Principles
Hermetic Deification

Bibliography
Index