Hermeticism

Hermeticism is the current of thought derived from the writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, a mythical figure blending the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. These texts, written in Greek in Roman Egypt during the first centuries of the Common Era, were translated into Latin by Marsilio Ficino in the fifteenth century and captivated the Renaissance. Hermeticism teaches the correspondence between humankind and the universe, and nourished alchemy, astrology and occultism. The everyday sense of “hermetic” as obscure or sealed derives from it.