The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean

Product Information

In legend, deep beneath the Great Pyramid are the Halls of Amenti spoken of in The Emerald Tablets, the halls of the gods, where the soul passed after death for judgment. The Emerald Tablets of Thoth did not surface until 1925, but the Emerald Tablet of Hermes has a rich history weaving through much of antiquity.

In modern times it became the foundation of Freemasonry, Theosophy, and esoteric schools such as The Golden Dawn.What we are left with are numerous translations and translations of translations, some of which were penned by historical figures like Isaac Newton, Roger Bacon, and Madame Blavatsky. Ortolanus, like Albertus Magnus before him saw the tablet as a cryptic recipe that described laboratory processes using deck names (or code words). However, as one who considers myself a spiritual seeker I did my best to keep an open mind in reading. The Tradition of Hermes Trismegistus: The Egyptian Priestly Figure as a Teacher of Hellenized Wisdom.

It differs significantly both from the translation by Hugo of Santalla (see above) and the Vulgate translation (see below).

This story is repeated by Michael Maier, physician and counselor to the "alchemical emperor" Rudolf II, in his symbola aureae mensae (Frankfurt, 1617), referring to a Liber de Secretis chymicis attributed to Albertus Magnus. Many manuscripts of this copy of the Emerald Tablet and the commentary of Ortolanus survive, dating at least as far back as the fifteenth century. When the time came for him to leave Egypt, he built the Great Pyramid over the entrance to the Great Halls of Amenti, placed his records inside, and appointed guards from among the highest of his people to guard his secrets. During the Renaissance, the idea that Hermes Trismegistus was the founder of alchemy gained prominence, and at the same time, the legend of the discovery evolved and intertwined with biblical accounts. Alchemical traditions, whether European, Middle Eastern, or Asian, pursue the same prize—the creation of the Philosopher’s Stone.