Hermetic cosmology arises from observations by Hermetic Adepts carried out over generations and ages concerning Nature and how its various conditions form our physical reality. No matter which of Nature's three kingdoms (plant, animal, or mineral), the subject followed an indisputable cycle of emanation, growth, dissolution (death).
It was because of what they observed of all Nature following this same path, no matter the traveler or species, that Ancient Hermeticists discerned a 'ubiquitous sentience' seemingly hidden behind the vale of variety in their studied forms.
Hermeticists noticed that the dissolution Nature's subjects underwent was not so much a subduction but more subsumption. The information contained in the form was reintegrated into the whole and later re-emitted into physical reality. No different than when you notice the eccentricities of a former relative showing themselves in a young family member that never met the deceased member; whether it be through looks or mannerisms, something of the former lives on in the present.
It was as if the non-physical side of life of Nature had a memory, and it led them to their first philosophical tenant, 'All is Mind, All Comes from One.' For Hermeticists, life emanates from a source rather than being an external manifestation of that source. Hermeticists seek to understand the will of the One by performing alchemical works in their laboratory that mimic the natural processes they observed in Nature. That is, how substances are emanated, maintained, decomposed, and finally absorbed into the One.
Hermeticists saw this ubiquitous sentient mind as being no-thing and yet everything, a ‘pregnant emptiness.’ For them, all arises from One through the adaptation of this One thing. Just as the One thing has many forms it can take, so too does it have many names; Hermeticists use the terms Unity, Chaos, or Astral Light (Mercury). For the average person, Chaos is disorder and confusion. For the Hermeticists, the word means something completely different, as it references a state of pure potential for the various conditions expressed throughout the universe.
They conceived of a fractal cosmology that found its lawful expression no matter how simple or complex the emanations from the One appeared to be. They also realized that even though all things come from One, each emanation of one of Natures kingdom's has its own seed. Each seed, indeed, contains within itself the perfect expression of Unity. Each seed carries the potential to emanate any of the possibilities that lay within its archetypal blueprint.
To do this, the One had to project itself, or a seeming extension of itself, as a space and fills that space with forms of energy whose combinations constitute the body of the universe. In essence, the introduction of polarity thus enabling physical reality. With polarity comes discernment. We can choose to focus our attention on a specific aperture of perception. And because life is immediately responsive, specific associations and expectations are built up, forming a person's existential reality. Giving rise to what is called good and evil by the vast majority of humanity. For the Hermeticists, the tension created from the seemingly opposing forces of light and shadow is necessary for growth and self-expression. For Hermeticists, it's not that the One sees everything; it's that the One is everything, and the friction created between the interplay of ‘seeming choice’ is the voice of the One speaking.
Imagine that you want to go to see a movie. Undoubtedly there is more than one route from your starting point to the movie theater. Unity contains every chance of everything you experience consciously and unconsciously for every route to the show. It also includes the branching of every possible effect caused by your actions with every other person and creature in your presence. Imagine those branching associations for every physical and non-physical thing in the universe, and you will soon become lost in what seems like a chaotic maze. Yet, in truth, it is a profoundly complex and ordered system.
In an alchemical text titled "The Golden Chain of Homer," we read that the secret fire (ubiquitous sentience) that is the field of emanation of all things contains the desire or, as the text states 'an unerring instinct and a Capacity' to emanate itself. Its first form is the chaotic, perfectly still, and omnipresent substance I've mentioned. Though Unity is a state of perfection, the paradox is that it seeks to evolve in its expression of self, to experience itself in every manner possible, with the primary goal that through that experience, it will ultimately recognize and return to itself.
That seeming Chaos is accessible and usable if you know how. Joseph Campbell said, "The water in which the mystic swims is the same water a madman drowns in." That statement hints at how to access that place, which is one of total passivity. For Hermeticists, Unity is a place of supreme equanimity, a place of potential where every possibility of every occurrence exists. Because it is formless, it is compared to water. Just like water contains the precursors for the emergence of physical life, this Astral Light or memory of Nature also includes the precursors for the emergence of physical reality. Crucially the Astral substance must maintain its amorphous quality (Unity) on the non-physical side of life. If this were not so, then it would not be able to meet the fundamental mandate of the One, which is to experience every aspect of itself.
Hermeticist will tell you every daily occurrence is an interaction of the divine with your soul. The One is the issuer of all your life experiences, irrespective of them being sublime or horrific. It uses those experiences to get your attention after many incarnations to have you realize that it has guided your every moment. It has placed you into every situation to gain an understanding of yourself.
