To understand Good and Evil (positive and negative, being and nonbeing) through a Christian Hermetic lens, we must begin with the name itself: Christian Hermeticism.
This compound word consists of a theology (Christian) and a philosophy (Hermeticism). Both disciplines claim to be sciences—in the older sense of scientia, meaning forms of real knowledge. Like all sciences, they make claims about the world and seek evidence that their hypotheses are correct.
A question naturally arises: why maintain a separation if both are simply sciences concerned with metaphysical realities? The answer appears when we recognize that theology is the study which goes beyond nature itself, both physically and metaphysically. In the theological realm, our knowledge is ultimately limited. Unlike God, we are not necessary or unlimited beings. Our finite cognition prevents us from fully grasping what it means to be necessary or unlimited. Therefore, theology is the more limited of the two sciences from the human perspective. Much of the time it will be more speculative when originating from human intellect.
However, the central point is that all forms of Christianity share one thing in common: belief in revealed truth.
Revealed Truth
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Revealed truth is that knowledge which has been given to humanity by the Divine itself. In a way, it resembles knowledge distillation in the field of machine learning: a greater intelligence imparts knowledge about itself and, by extension, about the nature of being in the universe.
Christians, including Christian Hermeticists, accept revealed truths as facts. The reasons why fall under apologetics, which is beyond the scope of this essay. Suffice it to say that because theological propositions contained in revelation are taken as undeniable, they become axiomatic—fundamental statements informing all subsequent study.
These axioms include, but are not limited to:
- God is not the invention of man; rather, man is the invention of God.
- God is a single objective reality consisting of will, intellect, and perception (even if that perception is perfectly inward).
- God’s true essence is equal with being.
- God is wholly good.
- And so on.
Hermetic Philosophy
The philosophy (Hermeticism) in the “Christian Hermetic” equation is the discipline used to interpret and understand these axiomatic statements.
When we read that “God is wholly good,” we must ask: what is the good? The answer requires caution. If we consider this axiom in light of the others, we see that God is “equivalent with being” at His deepest level. This means there is not some independent metaphysical principle—like a Platonic Form of “Goodness”—to which God must conform. Rather, God is the Good.
Thus, Good must be equated with Being. Going further, to understand what Being itself is becomes an enormously detailed task, one that many spend their lives pursuing. Personally, I specialize in ontology in my philosophical work. To glimpse how blurred the lines can become, you can read this paper on Divine Idealism.
Being and Non-Being
It is this idea—that Being, existence, is synonymous with the Good—that underpins all subsequent study of Good and Evil. By extension, non-being is synonymous with Evil.
To be is good. To cease to be is evil.
Since as creatures we exist first and know second, our most fundamental nature is to be, and therefore to align with the Good. God’s will cannot contradict His most basic nature (to be, to be Good). Thus, Good and Evil may be understood in terms of creation and destruction.
If I marry and bear a child, I add to the sum of Being: this is good.
If I write a book and contribute to the world of ideas, this too is good.
By contrast, to take a life or burn books is to diminish Being: this is evil.
Sin and the Shadow
Being can be harmed directly through physical destruction, or indirectly through the wounding of hearts and minds. The net result is the same: the destruction of something that once existed, and was therefore good.
Sin is this destructive tendency. This is why sin is understood as acting “against the will of God.” The distinction can be subtle, for sometimes we destroy knowingly, other times unknowingly.
In Christian Hermeticism, embracing the Shadow means bringing more of our unconscious destruction into conscious awareness. This practice is not meant to induce paralyzing shame. Rather, it allows us to atone for mistakes, recognizing that God gives us the strength to begin again. By doing so, we illuminate the darkness, transforming pain and destruction into growth and wisdom.
