A short biography of the last hermetic master Ibn Sabin

A short biography of the last hermetic master Ibn Sabin

His full name was Abu Muhammad ‘Abd Al-Haqq b. Ibrahim b. Muhammad b. Nasr Al-‘Akki Al-Mursi Al-Riquti Al-Ishbili Al-Qastallani Al-Sufi Qutb Al-Din. He used the name Ibn O (Son of the Circle), hence the name Ibn Sab‘in with which he is known in the history of Islamic thought. The earthly life of Abu Muhammad ‘Abd…

Zosimos, Dhul Nun al-Misri and the continuation of Hermetic wisdom

Zosimos, Dhul Nun al-Misri and the continuation of Hermetic wisdom

The Sufi Dhul Nun al-Misri is a very interesting figure. His full name was Abu’l Faiz Thauban ibn Ibrahim al-Misri (c.791/796-c.860 CE). He was born at Akhmim (Ikhmim) in Upper Egypt. He was also described as an Alchemist and a Hermetist. Akhmim came later to be known as Panopolis. The same city another famous hermetist…

The Sābians of Harrān

The Sābians of Harrān

Their is much debate, without clear evidence to any of the hypotheses, about who “the Sābians” of the Quran were. The word “Sābian” in Arabic (Sābi’a/ as-Sabi’ūn) translates to “pagan” in English. The Sābians of Harrān who existed from the seventh century up until the late-eleventh or the early-twelfth century were, essentially, a star-worshipping group…

Are there angels and demons on the Way of Hermes?

Are there angels and demons on the Way of Hermes?

Angels are never mentioned in the hermetic texts. The original Greek term just means “messenger”, and was a title of several gods. Contrary to the term “angel”, the term ‘demon” is often found in the hermetic texts. But what are these demons and are they similar to demons and devils in Christianity, Judaism or Islam?…

What is the Way of Hermes?

What is the Way of Hermes?

The Way of Hermes or “Hermeticism” can be understood as the religious, spiritual, philosophical, and magical movement or milieu (if not quite a tradition properly, and not exactly a centralized or standardized thing) initiated by Hellenistic (or Hellenically-conversant) Egyptian priests operating in a Hellenistic context and attributed to the mythological figure Hermēs Trismegistos, which produced…