The Hermetic Collection. Volume I. Books 1-3

We present to your attention the first volume of the series "The Hermetic Collection"!
The collection, known to enthusiasts of occultism as "Collectanea Hermetica", is a compilation of translations of ten important texts for understanding occultism and hermetics into English. The... author and editor of this ten-volume work is one of the founders of the Order of the Golden Dawn, William Wynn Westcott (W. W. W.). He was the one who gathered the manuscripts of "Pimander", "The Hermetic Art", "Aesch Mezareph", and many others to unite them for the adepts of the Order.

In the first volume, we have combined for you the first three books. Here is what they are about:
1. "The Hermetic Arcanum", or Arcanum Hermeticum. Year of writing – 1650, author – Jean d'Espagne. Original language – Latin. "The Hermetic Arcanum", first published in the 17th century, gained wide popularity as an alchemical treatise and was subsequently translated and reprinted several times. Like any alchemical treatise, "Arcanum" is dedicated to the Philosopher's Stone. Here is how Westcott writes about it: "Arcanum describes in great detail and with evident conscientiousness the procedure for seeking the secret of the Philosopher's Stone by one of the alchemical schools and formulates the stages of work in such a way that anyone who can read correctly can start their own experiments. And yet it must be recognized that it has succeeded well in proper concealment, as well as in revealing the mystery of what is known to us as Prima Materia and the true nature of Mercury, Salt, and Sulfur. A work like Arcanum, written by a knowledgeable person, was sent to print not to teach the masses a cheap and easy way to acquire wealth and luxury, nor to assist counterfeiters. It was printed to serve as a treasury, where anyone who has dedicated their life and passion to spiritual search could find preserved records and experiences of those who have already blazed this Path, suffered sorrows and persecutions, and nevertheless considered all their losses an achievement on the way to success and possessing this Stone of the Wise, which, once acquired, can indeed transmute all things of the material world".
2. "The Divine Pâmander", a famous text attributed to the no less famous Hermes Trismegistus (Thrice-Great). The time of the emergence of "Pâmander" is described as "centuries before the era of Moses", and its value is such: "more true knowledge of God and Nature than in all the books of the World combined". This is a philosophical and religious treatise, a sacred text that describes the origin of the World, Mind, and Logos. "In this book, it is said that true Philosophy, without which it is impossible to achieve any height, consists of a precisely calibrated proportion of Piety and Religion. According to this Philosophy, I call a Philosopher one who must know and understand the essence of things, and the principle of their organization, and management, and who governs them, and for what reasons, and for what purposes".
3. "A Brief Study of the Hermetic Art". Year of first publication – 1714, author unknown. This text became the basis and foundation upon which Madame Blavatsky and Dr. Anna Kingsford relied at the time. It represents an analysis and study of Alchemy as a science and as a worldview, explaining its symbolism and some secrets. "The proposed edition has a clear relationship to the science of alchemy, referring to the plan for improving human nature, although it is equally connected to the equally possible, though practically improbable, power of transmutation of the material plane".