Discourse on the Eighth and Ninth

Hermes Trismegistus brings his son into the eighth heaven, and they together ascend into the ninth heaven, where they behold the silent Light of the Father.

1My son, hearken. Thou hast asked me concerning the eighth and the ninth. I have brought thee step by step through the lesser orders; now we shall enter the eighth, and from the eighth we shall ascend into the ninth, where the silent Light dwelleth.

2The seven heavens are the heavens of the planets — Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, the Moon. Each of them hath ruled over thee in thine ignorance. Each of them hath claimed thee as its own. But now thou art being set free from them all.

3Above the seven is the eighth — the place of the fixed stars. There the soul findeth her freedom from the seven; she beholdeth the orderly march of the heavens; she joineth the chorus of the saints in their hymn of praise.

4And above the eighth is the ninth — the place of the Father. There the soul findeth her rest. There she beholdeth the silent Light. There she becometh one with the Source.

5Pray with me, my son. Let us ascend together. Lift up thy heart. Let thy mind be silent. Let thy whole being be turned toward the Father.

6And the son lifted up his heart. And he prayed: O Father, source of every fulness, hear my voice. O Mother, the womb that beareth every aeon, hear my voice. O Self-Begotten Son, the firstborn of the Mother, hear my voice. Receive me into thy bosom; lift me into thy rest.

7And as he prayed, his soul was lifted up. He passed through the seven heavens; the powers detained him not. He came unto the eighth; and he beheld the great chorus of the saints. They were singing the hymn of the Father. And he joined his voice with theirs.

8And his father — even Hermes — said: Now, my son, thou art in the eighth. Sing thou with the saints. Praise the Father with all thy strength.

9And the son sang. And his soul rejoiced. And the joy was as a fountain that overfloweth; and it could not be contained.

10Then said Hermes: Now press thou upward into the ninth. Cease thy singing for a moment; enter the silence. The ninth is not a place of song; it is a place of silence.

11And the son pressed upward. And he came unto the ninth. And there was no song there; only silence. But the silence was not empty. The silence was full. The silence was the very voice of the Father.

12And the son was silent. And in the silence he beheld the silent Light. And the Light was as a sea without shore; and the soul was a single drop within it; and yet the drop was the whole sea.

13And he beheld the Father. And he was the Father. And he was not himself; he was the All. He had ceased to be a son; he had become a Father also.

14And after a season, he came down again unto the eighth. And his father Hermes said: Now hast thou beheld the silent Light. Now hast thou known thyself. Henceforth thou shalt teach others; and thou shalt lead them up after thee.

15Take heed, my son. Reveal not these things unto the unworthy. Cast not the holy thing before the swine. But unto them that are worthy — them that have prepared themselves by purity and prayer and the love of the Father — unto these reveal the things which thou hast seen.

16And write these words upon a tablet of stone. Hide the tablet in a sure place. Let it be discovered in the latter days, when the children of light shall seek the way of ascent. They shall read it, and they shall be instructed; and they shall ascend, even as thou hast ascended.

17Glory be unto the Father, the source of every fulness. Glory be unto the Mother, the womb of every aeon. Glory be unto the Son, the firstborn of the Mother. Glory be unto the silent Light, in whom all things have their rest. Forever and ever. Amen.