Dark Hermeticism

In Hermeticism, all powers or forces in the universe are manifestation of divine nature and thus divine will. Dark Hermeticism involves those aspects of nature that people consider darker or more scary. Every force we revere has its dark mirror. Calling one holy and the other profane is seen as an act of ignorance. An insult to the divine as it requires a denial of the absolute nature of the divine. To have something which can stand outside of the divine or stand against the divine is to ascribe weakness and flaw to the divine itself.

In the Dark Hermetic practices, the seeker makes a point of tapping into what we might today call vices. Some hermetic seekers gave primary attention to the dark forces as a way to arm themselves against their behaviour or influence in life, or to harness what they may have believed to be more potent sources of energy.

“He who hates vice hates men.” John Morley