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This Hermetica series is a deep dive into major hermetic texts.

The Corpus Hermeticum is theological and philosophical treatise. It is not concerned with the magical or alchemical Hermetica.
“[these books] reveal to man knowledge of the origins, nature and moral properties of divine, human and material being so that man can use this knowledge
to save himself.” Brian Copenhaver in introduction to Hermetica.
Our aim is to seriously consider religious and philosophical ideas of Hermetica to help us find the North Star in an ever changing landscape of 21st century.

Let's see what we discover.

My friends,

Here we stand over the abyss at the midpoint of this text, between our entrance as animal and our exodus as superman along rainbow and stairway. Will you continue along, brushing elbows with those equally embodying both exemplary enemy and finest friend, toward being a bridge to those fertile ruins left solely as a bestowing upon distant creators for their own strangling and melding into new values?
Or will you fail to RSVP (or worse, RSVP falsely!) languishing in your Last Manosphere, the spine of your book uncracked, your "discovered happiness" found in long-form interviews with the Stranger Things cast and ordering meal-prep containers that will never be used! You pseudo-Solitary, devouring delivery dumplings, unable even to digest yourself! You afterworksman, questioning a going-out on a Thursday to abide by the requisites of the Rabble!

In summary - it's Nietzsche @ Night 6 and we will be coming down from the mountain (again) and seeing what all the hubbub is about (again) with Nietzsche's only fiction-adjacent work, the 1883, 1884, 1885 text Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None.

After reading Sartre's first novel, Nausea, we will now take a closer look at an overview of Sartre's philosophy expressed in the essay The Humanism of Existentialism. In this essay, Sartre offers a remedy to the deep feeling of anxiety which comes from the realization that we are alone in this universe, with no ultimate guide to tell us what to do, by calling us to be empowered by the overwhelming freedom present in this reality. Often nicknamed the freedom philosopher, Sartre has a way of inspiring us to take seriously our existence, reject nihilism, and embrace the responsibility of the individual freedom we have accidentally fallen into. In order to get a better understanding of some of the influences on Sartre, we will also read for this week the essay Phenomenology and Anthropology by Edmund Husserl, the founder of the philosophical movement called Phenomenology.

Thus Spoke Zarathustra is a masterpiece of philosophy, literature, and poetic expression, offering one of the most radical critiques of morality, religion, and human existence. Written between 1883 and 1885, this work follows the fictional prophet Zarathustra as he descends from his solitude in the mountains to share his revolutionary teachings with humanity. Through allegorical storytelling, Nietzsche explores profound philosophical concepts such as the Übermensch (Overman), the eternal recurrence, the will to power, and the death of God.

Join us to discuss this classic book over the course of 5-weeks!
Week 1 Sat 1/24 12:30pm-2:30pm The Seahorse Room @ Pier 57
Week 2 Sat 1/30 12:30pm-2:30pm The Seahorse Room @ Pier 57
Week 3 Sat 2/7 12:30pm-2:30pm The Seahorse Room @ Pier 57
Week 4 Sat 2/14 12:30pm-2:30pm The Oyster Room @ Pier 57
Week 5 Sat 2/21 12:30pm-2:30pm The Seahorse @ Pier 57

Reading for Week 2
Part 2 ( 69 pages)