Hermes Trismegistus "First Book" 4, 5 and 6

This is a continuing series of explanations of Hermes Trismegistus' "First Book". I am attempting to separate out the lessons listed in Hermes first book, explaining each statement made by Hermes to the best of my ability and offering it to those who want my own personal interpretation. Of course, it becomes obvious that my answers are perceptions based on my own reasoning power, but I hope that some of these answers will spread some enlightenment to those who seek the answers from themselves.

4. Be Pious and Religious, O my Son, for he that doth so, is the best and highest Philosopher; and without Philosophy, it is impossible ever to attain to the height and exactness of Piety or Religion.

Hermes seeks to instill the need to develop a system of beliefs that assists with bringing the Universal Soul of every human animal to enlightenment. Developing this system takes thought and study of all that one perceives. One must harness Wisdom, which is the contemplation of common sense. Often the human animal sees something that occurs on a constant basis through a recurring order and associates this with common sense, but does not contemplate why the recurring order happens as it does. The contemplation of what makes this ordered sequence what it is, is wisdom. This wisdom is associated with the constant of the physical body and not the Nothingness, which is filled through study of what brought all of existence into being, the Nothingness is associated with the spirit. Through wisdom one shall obtain a ordered sequence of events found within the Nothingness that one will call religion. The deities step from the Nothingness of the spirit and take form and name through the human animals faith. These deities then govern the manifestation of a sequential pattern that is the physical body. All deities are brought into existence in order to bring enlightenment to the human animal and, therefore, a religious system is designed to instill enlightenment and delight into the Universal Soul through a constant upholding of a workable pattern through belief in that pattern; this is called Religion by the human animal. Understanding what religion does for the individual is the most important tool in gaining a pious nature. One who possesses a pious nature will stick to a religious dogma with the understanding that the human animal shall eventually know bliss by following the sequential order dictated by a religion. Philosophy is a system with which mankind questions all things and seeks to perceive and explain the patterned system of belief to themselves. Through a constant questioning, pious nature and system of belief the human animal shall uncover the exactness of the Universal Soul and discover the grand creator.

5. But he that shall learn and study the things that are, and how they are ordered and governed, and by whom and for what cause, or to what end, will acknowledge thanks to the Workman as to a good Father, an excellent Nurse and a faithful Steward, and he that gives thanks shall be Pious or Religious, and he that is Religious shall know both where the truth is, and what it is, and learning that, he will be yet more and more Religious.

The three fates weave the tapestry of life. Those that seek out and understand the patterns that exist throughout the tapestry will have a greater understanding of what shall occur next along the pattern created by existence. This understanding will give one a power to control the moment. The moment is based upon the acceptance that all times happen simultaneously and one can always have complete control over the current moment that they live within. Giving thanks that is due is offering thanks to the countless philosophers that existed within the simultaneous moment, known as time, and recorded their thoughts for all to see and attempt to comprehend. This is the ultimate gift that Hermes blessed the world with. An ability for philosophers throughout the ages to offer their insight to anyone who takes the time to search for it. Each philosopher's gift led to the wonderment of the grand creator. This thanks, given to the grand creator, is acknowledgment of the struggle that all mankind goes through in order to achieve enlightenment through the ordained understanding of a system of belief.

6. For never, O Son, shall or can that Soul which while it is in the Body lightens and lifts up itself to know and comprehend that which is Good and True, slide back to the contrary; for it is infinitely enamoured thereof. and forgetteth all Evils; and when it hath learned and known its Father and progenitor it can no more Apostatize or depart from that Good.

Earth is the closest representation to the physical body that the human animal can witness in grandiose scale. This physical form is the example of all tribulation and suffering that the human animal endures. To put it plainly, existence is hell and if "the road to hell is paved with good intentions" then pave away, because once one finds true goodness in their life they do not want to deny the feeling associated with doing and being good. When one comprehends the nature of goodness there becomes an apparent understanding of where one has traveled from, if not a complete understanding of why, and that place was an existence of suffering, which the human animal associates with evil. The human animal will not reject the feeling associated with becoming a being of goodness and will continually strive to adhere to the philosophies that introduced it to goodness. In this sense, good will always overcome evil because of the innate nature of goodness and the wondrous feelings associated with being good. Good will always attempt to understand suffering in order to negate it, and once suffering is negated, one will not return to the awfulness of the tribulative embrace. One cannot rob mankind of their suffering and one cannot rob man of the understanding of suffering. Truly, understanding why we suffer is second to the understanding that suffering makes us more powerful and gives us the inner strength to overcome our fear of the unknown. If the human animal can survive the pathway to enlightenment, one can survive anything.