“It seems to me that the sages of old who wanted to attract to themselves the presence of the gods, and built temples and statues to that end, looking to the nature of the universe, had in mind that the nature of the soul is a thing that is in general easy to attract, but the easiest way of all to receive it would be if one were to craft something sympathetic which was able to receive some share of it. And that is sympathetic which is in any way imitative of it, like a mirror able to capture some image of it.”

Τα πιο υπέροχα μας χρόνια μη ζητάς

For this week’s Reading the Hermetica discussion, we’re continuing our reading and discussion of the Corpus Hermeticum (CH), specifically Book 17 (CH XVII).  This text is untitled; whatever title it may have once had is lost, along with most of the rest of the text.  As ever, if you don’t have a copy of Copenhaver’s Hermetica, Salaman’s Way of Hermes, or Festugière/Nock’s Hermès Trismégiste (and…