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  "work": {
    "slug": "hermetic-corpus",
    "name": "Corpus Hermeticum"
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  "chapter": {
    "num": 1,
    "slug": "01-the-first-book",
    "title": "The First Book",
    "of": 8,
    "words": 1055,
    "text": "## The First Book\n\nHermes:\n\n\"My son, write this first book for the sake of humanity and out of piety toward God.\n\nFor there is no religion more true or just than to know the things that exist and to offer thanks for all things to Him who made them— which I shall never cease to do.\n\nTat: \"What should a person do, Father, to lead a good life, seeing that nothing here seems true?\"\n\nHermes: \"Be pious and devout, my son, for the one who does so is the best and highest philosopher. Without philosophy, it is impossible to reach the height and precision of true piety or religion.\n\nBut whoever learns and studies the things that are—how they are ordered and governed, by whom, for what cause, or to what end—will give thanks to the Creator as to a good Father, an excellent Caretaker, and a faithful Steward. The one who gives thanks will be pious, and the pious will know both where the truth is and what it is. Learning that, he will become more and more devout.\n\nFor never, my son, can the soul that, while in the body, enlightens and lifts itself to know and comprehend what is Good and True, slide back to the opposite; for it is infinitely enamored of it and forgets all evils. When it has learned and known its Father and Creator, it can no longer turn away from that Good.\n\nLet this, my son, be the goal of religion and piety. Once you have arrived there, you will both live well and die blessedly, as your soul will not be ignorant of where it must return and fly back again.\n\nFor this alone, my son, is the way to the Truth, which our ancestors traveled. By making their journey, they ultimately attained the Good. It is a venerable way—straightforward yet hard and difficult for the soul that is in the body.\n\nFor first, it must war against itself, and after much strife and dissent, one part must overcome. The contention is one against two, as it tries to fly away while they strive to hold and detain it.\n\nBut the victory of both is not the same; for one hastens toward the Good, while the other clings to evil things. The Good desires to be set free, but the evil loves bondage and slavery.\n\nIf the two parts are overcome, they become quiet and accept it as their ruler. But if the one is overcome by the two, it is led and carried by them to be punished by continuing its existence here.\n\nThis, my son, is the guide on the path that leads there. You must first forsake the body before your end, gain victory in this contentious and strife-filled life, and when you have overcome, return.\n\nNow, my son, I will briefly outline the things that are. Understand what I say and remember what you hear:\n\nAll things that exist are in motion; only that which is not (i.e., non-being) is immovable. Every body is changeable.\n\nNot every body is dissolvable.\n\nSome bodies are dissolvable.\n\nNot every living thing is mortal.\n\nNot every living thing is immortal.\n\nThat which can be dissolved is also corruptible. That which always remains is unchangeable. That which is unchangeable is eternal.\n\nThat which is always being made is always being corrupted.\n\nThat which is made only once is never corrupted and does not become anything else.\n\nFirst, God; second, the World; third, Man. The World exists for Man; Man exists for God.\n\nIn the soul, the part that is sensory is mortal, but the part that is rational is immortal. Every essence is immortal.\n\nEvery essence is unchangeable.\n\nEverything that exists is dual in nature.\n\nNone of the things that are remain stationary.\n\nNot all things are moved by a soul, but everything that exists is moved by a soul.\n\nEverything that suffers is sensory; everything that is sensory suffers.\n\nEverything that feels sorrow also rejoices and is a mortal living creature.\n\nNot everything that rejoices also feels sorrow but is an eternal living being.\n\nNot every body is sick; every body that is sick is dissolvable.\n\nThe Mind is in God.\n\nReasoning or discourse is in Man.\n\nReason is in the Mind.\n\nThe Mind is free from suffering.\n\nNothing in a body is true.\n\nAll that is incorporeal is free from falsehood. Everything that is made is corruptible.\n\nThere is nothing good upon Earth; there is nothing evil in Heaven.\n\nGod is good; Man is evil.\n\nGood is voluntary or acts of its own accord. Evil is involuntary or acts against its will.\n\nThe gods choose good things because they are good.\n\nTime is a divine thing.\n\nLaw is human.\n\nMalice is the nourishment of the World. Time is the corruption of Man.\n\nWhatever is in Heaven is unalterable.\n\nAll things upon Earth are alterable.\n\nNothing in Heaven is enslaved; nothing upon Earth is free.\n\nNothing is unknown in Heaven; nothing is known upon Earth.\n\nThings on Earth do not communicate with those in Heaven.\n\nAll things in Heaven are blameless; all things upon Earth are subject to blame.\n\nThat which is immortal is not mortal; that which is mortal is not immortal.\n\nThat which is sown is not always begotten; but that which is always begotten is always sown.\n\nFor a dissolvable body, there are two times: one from sowing to birth, one from birth to death.\n\nFor an everlasting body, time exists only from the generation.\n\nDissolvable bodies grow and diminish.\n\nDissolvable matter is altered into opposites —namely, corruption and generation—but eternal matter into itself and its likeness.\n\nThe generation of Man is corruption; the corruption of Man is the beginning of generation. That which begets another is itself begotten by another. Of things that exist, some are in bodies, some in their ideas.\n\nWhatever things belong to action or operation are in a body. That which is immortal does not partake of that which is mortal.\n\nThat which is mortal does not enter into an immortal body, but that which is immortal enters into that which is mortal.\n\nActions or operations are not carried upward. but descend downward.\n\nThings upon Earth do nothing to benefit those in Heaven, but all things in Heaven profit and benefit the things upon Earth.\"\n\nThe “Poemander.\"",
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