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8 - Becoming Alive

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 June 2022

Wouter J. Hanegraaff
Wouter J. Hanegraaff
Affiliation:
University of Amsterdam
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Summary

Spiritual training in the Way of Hermes was supposed to culminate in an experience of radical transformation known as rebirth (palingenesis). This process involved a state of mania (divine madness) and an exorcism of daimonic entities, and is analyzed in detail with reference to Corpus Hermeticum XIII.

Keywords

DeathLifeDream of ScipioWay of HermesSpiritual TrainingHymnsPrayersGeneral DiscoursesDivine MadnessManiaRebirthPalingenesisExorcismCosmic Consciousness
Type
Chapter
Information
Hermetic Spirituality and the Historical Imagination
Altered States of Knowledge in Late Antiquity
 , pp. 220 - 263
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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  • Becoming Alive
  • Wouter J. Hanegraaff
  • Book: Hermetic Spirituality and the Historical Imagination
  • Online publication: 16 June 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009127936.009
Available formats
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Becoming Alive
  • Wouter J. Hanegraaff
  • Book: Hermetic Spirituality and the Historical Imagination
  • Online publication: 16 June 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009127936.009
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Becoming Alive
  • Wouter J. Hanegraaff
  • Book: Hermetic Spirituality and the Historical Imagination
  • Online publication: 16 June 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009127936.009
Available formats
×