The Emerald Tablets of Thoth VS. Emerald Tablet – A Definitive Guide

Your Definitive Guide to the Emerald Tablets of Thoth vs. Emerald Tablet

Would you believe me if I told you the Emerald Tablets of Thoth were NOT written by the Atlantean Priest-King?

and…

The Emerald Tablets were NOT discovered inside the Pyramid…

They do NOT date back some 36,000 years B.C….

In fact, they do NOT even exist.

Everything you’ve been told about Emerald Tablets (plural) is deceptive.

It’s a problematic paradox because the very first line of text in the historical tablet (of alchemical tradition) is a declaration separating that which is true from that which is false.

The Emerald Tablets of Thoth (plural) cause confusion, where as the Emerald Tablet of alchemy (singular) causes creation.

Moreover, the tablet’s message is one of deep truth and discernment, but modern messengers are missing the mark.

Students on the mystic path need an authentic source they can trust…

However, modern researchers who misrepresent themselves as so-called “experts” are leading people to believe they are actually revealing secrets.

Unaware of the inadequacy of their own researches, they homogenize rather than do homage. Many are those who cite the text but do not understand it.

So I am here to set the record straight.

Who am I and why does my opinion matter?

First of all, it doesn’t.

Your level of development, experience and ability to discern for yourself is what REALLY matters.

In fact, I’m writing this article because I’m someone who is not only passionate about the subject, but I’m also someone who encourages others to practice discernment while conducting their own researches.

If you have ever researched the emerald tablets, you have probably come across my photos of the Emerald Tablet replica. See Below:

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Look familiar?

It is quite understandable why the photos, depicting the translucent base relief, would find such a favorable reception on the internet…

Previously, one of the only images of the Emerald Tablet available online was an illustration taken from Heinrich Khunrath’s Amphitheatrum Sapientiae Aeternae of 1602. See below:

I have not granted permission for researchers to use my original photos of the Emerald Tablet. However, since the initial upload my photos have been used across the web in blog articles and videos attempting to explain the Emerald Tablets.

In spite of the unauthorized use, I never complained because I feel the message is more important than the messenger.

But, the message is often missed and the tablets are conflated through careless research.

My intent is to not only promote the Emerald Tablet, but raise awareness around it’s purpose and meaning.

We have been known to give them away over the years as part of our monthly contest for readers who subscribe to our Adept Initiates e-mail list.

I believe the Emerald Tablet is a tool… 

As you’ll discover in this article, the Emerald Tablet can be used as a vehicle for discerning hidden truths about the nature of reality and the metaphysical makeup of man.

So stick with me, if you want to learn more about something that has the power to awaken the center of your psyche and directly touch the deepest portion of your inner being.

I took those photos nearly a 1/2 a decade ago, but my research into the Emerald tablet goes back even further, as you are about to discover…

In Search of the Emerald Tablets

About 10 years ago, I began researching the Emerald Tablet because of my pre-existing interest in alchemy. However, things became confusing when I came across The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean Priest-King. 

I had already developed an interest in the Emerald Tablet as a result of my Rosicrucian studies. For more than a decade I have researched the tradition extensively; gleaning from every book, monograph, and manuscript that I could get my hands on.

It helped that my wife shares a similiar penchant for the royal art of alchemy. We’ve traveled together across the country in search of esoteric libraries and museums. The Rosicrucian Egyptian museum our favorite, features an impressive alchemy exhibit.

Here’s the problem…

The author of the Emerald Tablets of Thoth claims to have discovered multiple tablets. However, the Rosicrucian tradition, which includes alchemy as part of its historical timeline, acknowledges a single Emerald Tablet.

So what is REALLY going on here? 

How many tablets are there?

Let’s get to the source and trace the powerful evolution of humankind’s most illuminating secret.

My Revealing Research

Reading the preface of the Emerald Tablets of Thoth I learned how the author allegedly has a connection to the Great White Lodge which also works through the Pyramid Priesthood. 

Doreal claims to have recovered, translated and then returned the Emerald Tablets to the Great Pyramid of Giza. He was allowed to publish his results but only with permission from the Great White Lodge. 

Is this for real?

Does this Brotherhood of the White Temple REALLY exist?

I was lead to believe they do. A simple Google search revealed the location of their headquarters, the “Shamballa Ashrama”, in Colorado.

Needless to say, my insatiable curiosity kicked-in and I felt called to explore…

According to the author’s version of the legend there are additional tablets.

My research was now taking my wife and I on a quest to Colorado in search of answers.

If only we could meet the brotherhood, surely they could provide more details.

For the next 1,000 miles we were together for better or for worse (and we weren’t even married yet). We went from California to Sedalia, Colorado, in search of the Brotherhood of the White Temple’s lodge to find out more, but found something else…

My Disappointment

I’ve always felt drawn to Thoth. It should go without saying that I was excited at the prospect of visiting the lodge, meeting the brotherhood, and learning more about the author and the additional tablets. But on our way all that changed when we discovered something more…

Something that changed the course of our adept expeditions…

Unfortunately, the organization does not accept unsolicited visitors. In fact, they have signs posted to keep people away.

We did NOT travel all this way to arrive and be turned away. My wife grabbed the wheel, while I grabbed the mobile. Being an impetuous researcher I dug deeper. 

What I discovered about the author and the Emerald Tablets of Thoth was as perplexing as it was disappointing.

Then I had a change of heart when the esotericist in me figured out what was REALLY going on with these Emerald Tablets. I came to realize the true meaning of the Emerald Tablets.

What do I mean by true meaning?

In this article I provide an explanation for one of the most misunderstood  yet enduring esoteric works on Earth – the Emerald Tablet.

We’ll take a look at the legend, discuss the artifact and review the available text. 

By the end of this article you will be clear on the difference between the Emerald Tablets of Thoth and the Emerald Tablet of Hermes. 

I provide a couple of key translations along with my own modern interpretation. We conclude with a session in symbolism.

Legends have been lost in time so I can’t give you everything. But, what I can give you is my own insight; derived from years of research, explorations and experience. 

My goal is not only to separate that which is true from that which is false, but also separate that which is true from that which is almost true.

You will receive my understanding but in return I challenge you – the reader – to use your own discernment. See if you can get a sense for whats REALLY going on with the Emerald Tablet. 

If we are to understand the difference between the “Emerald Tablets” (plural) and “Emerald Tablet’ (singular) we must first make some important distinctions. 

The journey starts by asking the right questions…

What is the difference between the Emerald Tablets of Thoth and the Emerald Tablet of Hermes? And what is the difference between the Emerald Tablets and Text?

These are the first and most vital questions to be answered before any study into this subject should be undertaken. 

The Emerald Tablet: An Ancient Artifact?

The magnificent emerald tablet replica is on display at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose, California. It is nice to go there and study in person.

People often ask me about the emerald tablet replica. You can Click here if you are interested in grabbing one.

Replica aside, the actual article is missing but it has a written history or HIS story…

Historically, there is only one Emerald tablet attributed to the tradition of alchemy. 

Not all scholars see eye to eye, however, none have disagreed that it was formed from a single piece of glossy green crystal, and its origin is unknown. 

Most scholars agree the tablet is no where to be found. 

Dennis William Hauck is a recognized leader in the emerging field of consciousness studies. He is also the author of The Emerald Tablet: Alchemy For Personal Transformation.

I had the opportunity to sit down and interview Dennis Hauck for the Alchemy episode of The Sacred History of the Rosicrucians, a nine part series that I produced and narrate for The Rosicrucian order, AMORC.

He believes the tablet was translated into Greek by Alexandrian scholars around 330 B.C. After that, it was reportedly buried by Alexander the Great, somewhere on the Giza Plateau. 

On the other hand, Dr. M. Doreal claims to have recovered multiple tablets and translated them in 1925. He claims they date back “…some 36,000 years B.C.”

In any case, the emerald tablet could be considered the uncredited source of our Hermetic tradition.

It played a role of considerable importance as the fundamental basis for the Corpus Hermeticum and it’s message parallels what Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) termed the “Perennial Philosophy.” 

It is only by making physical experiments that we can discover the intimate nature of matter and its potentialities. And it is only by making psychological and moral experiments that we can discover the intimate nature of mind and its potentialities. 

– Aldous Huxley, The Perennial Philosophy

What can we glean from renowned sixteenth-century alchemist, John Dee?

The Follies of Science at the Court of Rudolph II: 1576-1612, by author Henry Carrington Bolton, documents a dispute between John Dee and the Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolph II. 

Dee ventured to oppose the King, suggesting his interpretation of the Emerald Tablet was wrong. 

Dee asserted that Hermes Trismegistus was identified with Canaan, the biblical Noah’s grandson. Moreover, he was perfectly acquainted with the philosopher’s stone and possessed the secret for creating gold engraved on an emerald tablet which was placed in his sepulcher. Many years later, it was removed by Sarah, Abraham’s wife and she concealed it in a cave near Hebron, where it remained until discovered by Alexander the Great.

There may only be one Emerald Tablet, however, many are the legends are attributed to it. 

Further, there is no document to detail its date of origin.

Dee offered the King an esoteric understanding for the translation of the text, and explained how it reminded him of another enigma of unknown origin. 

Dee’s claims finds merit in the translation of Wilhelm Kriegsmann translation of the Emerald Tablet, as pointed by Dennis William Hauck below: 

Jewish mystics identify the tablet’s author with Seth, who was the second son of Adam. They credit him with writing the Emerald Tablet, which was taken aboard the ark by Noah. After the Flood, Noah supposedly hid the tablet in a cave near Hebron, where it was later discovered by Sarah, wife of Abraham.

– Dennis William Hauck

Evidence to support the case for an actual artifact is based only on reports in written records and allegations. 

Therefore, scholars can not be certain if the Emerald Tablet is either a legend or if it really existed. 

In terms of study, all we have today is this Emerald Tablet replica, the accepted version of what it looked like, based on the alleged Phoenician translation by Wihelm Kriegsmann.

The original Emerald Tablet and the first copy produced have been lost to time. However, from a single copy many versions, translations, redactions, commentaries and legends have spawned adding layers of complexity.

As a result of misinterpretations about the legend get conflated in some of the narratives.

Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean Priest-King or The Emerald Tablet?

It is in the interest of the reader to take advice from the first line in the historical Emerald Tablet. That is to say, one must learn how to discern that which is true from that which is false.

There is no shortage of ancient mysteries researchers. However, many of these so-called “experts” on the ancient mysteries don’t verify sources, limiting research only to new age authors and what is published on the internet.

For instance, many people are lead into believing that The Emerald Tablets (plural) were written by Thoth, an Atlantean Priest-King written some 36,000 years ago.

Certainly, this notion can be traced to a single source from the 1940s.

Dr. Maurice Doreal and the Brotherhood of the White Temple

The Emerald Tablets of Thoth is an apocryphal text self-published by a Dr. M. Doreal in 1939 after receiving permission to publish the translation from the The Great White Lodge. As a result, Today, it can be purchased directly from the Brotherhood of the White Temple. How convenient?

If this brotherhood was truly in connection with a “Pyramid Priesthood” in Egypt, why would an American science-fiction writer be tasked with the recovery and translation of the Emerald Tablets?

Why wouldn’t the so-called pyramid-priests in Egypt simply recover the tablets themselves? And What qualifies Doreal to translate them? 

Dr. Maurice Doreal, Dr. M. Doreal and sometimes just Doreal are the pen names that Calude D. Doggin hides behind when writing about UFOs, flying saucers, nuclear bomb threats, serpent people living under the Gobi desert, symbolism and most importantly, the Emerald Tablets of Thoth, which he claims to have translated.

His education did not exceed elementary school. Therefore, he was not a REAL doctor. Records indicate employment as a department store clerk, cab driver and a Kansas Brokerage Company salesman…

Watch out for those salesmen!

In his book, Personal Experiences Among the Masters and Great Adepts in Tibet, Doreal writes about being born with the ability to read and write. He allegedly understood math, physics, and chemistry all before the age of one.

These gifts did NOT serve the child prodigy well…

Doreal was textually dependent on the template of others. Examples of Doreal’s plagiarism is established here: “The Emerald Tablets of Thoth”: A Lovecraftian Plagiarism

Similarly, he usurped ideas from the shaver mysteries, a popular feature in the publication AMAZING STORIES. Doreal even wrote in to the fan forum. See pages 177-178 here.

Recovering Emerald Tablets from the Great Pyramid is not Doreal’s only outrageous claim…

Others include:

• Teleporting inside Mount Shasta where he made contact with a “Pre Adamite” non-human lost civilization
• Becoming appointed by a group of a mentally, physically and spiritually evolved, Ascended Masters as the “Supreme Voice” to guide humanity
• Insisted that a “Christ Kingdom” Avatar would appear May 2nd, 1956
• Proclaimed the “the center of occult wisdom in the West” was his “Shamballa Ashrama” in Colorado
• A Soviet Nuclear Attack would strike in either May, August or September of 1953. (He offered protection by joining his “Shamballa Ashrama” for only $500 because the lead in the canyon around his compound would stave off nuclear radiation

Doreal also claims to have served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps – which can not be verified.

Further, the so-called “Doctor” allegedly traveled to Egypt, India, and Tibet.

However, his passport proved otherwise. No stampes to Egypt, India or Tibet. When questioned about the missing stamps, his “world travels” became “astral travels”. 

His ex-wife called him out for cheating and denounced him in front of his disciples exposing “The Living Buddha” as a charlatan resulting in divorce. The “Cult-Leader Divorce” made headlines in Los Angeles.

Doreal’s assumed scholarly translation of the Emerald Tablets went from being an academic work to a “channeling” from Thoth. 

Thoth, meaning “the one who is like the ibis” is a name given by the Greeks to the Egyptian neter Dhwty (or Djehuty) Channeling Thoth for ancient information still continues to be a popular trend among new age authors today.

What about the Brotherhood of the White Temple? Who is behind this mysterious organization?

The Brotherhood of the White Temple

The Brotherhood of the White Temple is an organization Doreal officially incorporated in Denver, Colorado on April 11, 1942. 

He appointed himself President of the brotherhood. Thereupon, he worked to emulate the mail-order mysticism model first made popular by imperator of the Rosicrucian order, AMORC, Harvey Spencer Lewis. There is no doubt, Doreal knew how to benchmark the best.

Guided by “Ascended Masters”, Madame Helena Blavatsky found the Theosophical Society in 1875 to advance Theosophy. The “Great White Brotherhood” and “White Lodge” are terms used by the successors of Blavatsky.

Doreal was known for his expansive occult library. Therefore, he had a wellspring of sources to rip off, oops….I mean draw inspiration from.

Doreal’s Inspiration for finding Emerald Tablets In the Great Pyramid

Versions of the text detailing the legend of the Emerald Tablet were translated into Latin during the middle ages. 

Late translations by Wilhelm Kriegsmann claim a single emerald tablet was discovered in a cave, but earlier versions relate the discovery to a tomb found beneath a statue of Hermes in ancient Turkey.

Over time the story is rewritten to fit the agenda of the author. Doreal likely draws his inspiration from one of two sources – or perhaps both.

In History of Magic, the 19th century occultist, Eliphas Levy made the idea popular that the Emerald Tablet discovery took place inside the pyramid. 

As researcher and author, Jason Covalito has already shown us;

—–he copied it from scientist Louis Figuier—whom you will remember as (a) the guy that first identified the destruction of Atlantis with the eruption of the Thera volcano and (b) the guy who co-created the myth that a college of antediluvian priests built the Sphinx at the end of the last Ice Age. In his Alchemy and the Alchemists (1854), Figuier writes:

“Tradition reports that this piece was found by Alexander the Great in the tomb of Hermes, hidden by the care of Egyptian priests, in the depths of the Great Pyramid of Giza. The piece was called the Emerald Tablet, because it was said that it had been engraved by Hermes’ hand on an immense emerald slab with the point of a diamond.”

(translation by Jason Covalito)

When Louis Figuier’s Alchemy and the Alchemists was published in 1854, the function of the Great Pyramid as a tomb was the accepted scholarly view.

Therefore, it is reasonable to conjecture that Figuier had assumed the Great Pyramid was the tomb of Hermes. A misunderstanding like this created the ideal opportunity for Dr. Doreal. However, Doreal added tablet’s’ to his version.

In reality, Doreal neither translated a physical set of Emerald Tablets in Egypt, nor had he even been inside the Great Pyramid, literally. 

Above all, The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean take root in the true imagination of Claude D. Dodgin aka Dr. Doreal. 

Given the size of his occult library and understanding for esoteric patterning Doreal may have good reason for his method of operation.

However, self-appointed “experts” on the ancient mysteries make use of Doreal’s apocryphal work. 

On one hand, they are misleading those who lend an ear further perpetuating the false narrative. 

On the other hand, there is a transmission of timeless truths hidden in the narrative.

Despite being down with O.P.P., Doreal’s false narrative provides inestimable value for any serious student who reads his book. In my eyes, any effort in raising consciousness is a good one.

The Emerald Tablet

The Emerald Tablet remains a significant staple, not only to the pages of the Hermeticum, but also to the alchemist’s cookbook. 

From the alchemist point of view, the glossy green table provides a procedure for transforming “prima materia” (First matter) or “base metal” into “gold.”

John Dee, while initiating Rudolph in the greater mysteries of the Emerald Tablet, perceived alchemical gold as the unfolding of cosmic consciousness.

The way “gold” is defined, however, is up to you.

The True History (or His Stories) of the Emerald Tablet

We have traced the legend of the Emerald Tablet’s first written account down to the Kitab sirr al Khaliqa wa San’at at-Tabi’at (The Secret Book of Creation and the Cause of Nature). The 6th century Arab treatise purports to be letters from Aristotle to his student, Alexander the Great. 

Rhonda Byrne’s best selling 2006 self-help book, The Secret is based on this alchemical Arabic antecedent. 

The prototype for the Secret became known as the Secretum Secretorum (The Secret Book of Secrets). 

It not only covers astrology, magic and alchemy, but also offers invaluable advice for the receptive king. It didn’t make way into the western world until John of Seville made a Latin copy for the Portuguese Queen. 

Scholars agree Aristotle did not actually author the original. After-all, it was common for anonymous authors of the day to attribute Aristotle to their work. 

In this way the treatise is given more merit, making for a popular collection of pages in the middle ages that everyone wanted to own.

According to Jabir ibn Hayyan, known as the “Father of Alchemy”, the Kitab sirr al Haliqa is attributed to Balīnūs (the Arabic translation of the name Apollonius) of Tyana, a wise philosopher and mystic of the 1st century CE.

The Arabic version of this book would no doubt be based on an original, written in Syriac – the native tongue of Apollonius. However, like Aristotle, the name Apollonius is likely attributed to the text as a means to give it more credibility as some scholars have suggested.

Whatever the case may be, the erudite emerald tablet was included in a version of the Secretum Secretorum, making it one of the most omniscient magnum opuses to reach the occidental world.

“Whatever one chooses to believe about it, there is no getting away from the fact that the Emerald Tablet is one of the most profound and important documents to have come down to us. It has been said more than once that it contains the sum of all knowledge – for those able to understand it.” 

– John Matthews, esoteric scholar

History hands us the following chronology and attributions.

The Legendary History of the Emerald Tablet

Nobody seems to know who really wrote the Emerald Tablet, when it was produced or where it really came from. 

Frather Albertus Magnus (1200 – 1280), working with Plato of Trivolo’s 12th century Latin translation, declared that Egyptian pharaoh of Greek origin, Alexander the Great found the tablet:

“Alexander the Great discovered the sepulcher of Hermes, in one of his journeys, full of all treasures, not metallic, but golden, written on a table of zatadi, which others call emerald”

(translation by Thomas Thomson)

“When Alexander left Egypt in 331 B.C.E., he headed north to Cappadocia and Mesopotamia. According to some reports, he took the treasures from the Pillars of Hermes and stored them in an underground cavern in Cappadocia. Alexander went on to conquer all the remaining territory from Babylonia to India, but died on the return trip in 323 B.C.E. Alexander’s final wish was to be buried near the temple at Siwa in Egypt, but his tomb has never been found. The legend picks up again in Cappadocia in 32 C.E., when a young boy named Balinas was exploring caves outside the city of Tyana and discovered the ancient texts hidden by Alexander. The precocious lad took a five-year vow of silence as he absorbed the materials and then sought out teachers versed in Hermetic philosophy to complete his education. He became known as Apollonius of Tyana and was renowned for his magical skills and healing abilities. He is said to have returned the tablet to Alexandria around 70 C.E. and made the enlightened city his home. He wrote most of his books in Alexandria, though he continued to travel the world, inspiring everyone he met with his great wisdom. As for the Emerald Tablet, a few reports record it was buried for safe-keeping in a vault on the Giza plateau around 400 C.E., but no trace of it has ever been found. No one knows for sure if there is such an artifact as the Emerald Tablet, but several expeditions have been undertaken to search for it.”

– Dennis William Hauck

Some scholars believe Alexander came across the tomb of Hermes somewhere near the ancient temple in the Siwa Oasis.

The records document how Alexander brought the tablet back to Heliopolis where it went on display. A panel of priests worked to translated the text into Greek, while scribes made copies.

Construction of the city of Alexandria to house and study the Hermetic texts was begun immediately, and he assembled a panel of priests and scholars to prepare Greek translations.

– Dennis William Hauck

From the Greek translations in Egypt, the Hermetic science of alchemy spread throughout the Islamic world.

The Liber de compositione alchmiae of 1144, translated from Arabic into Latin bu English scholar Robert of Chester, relates the narrative of Morienus, a 7th century Christian alchemist of Alexandria. Morienus was initiated by Adfar, who in turn initiated the Ummayad prince Khalid ibn Yazid, the first known Arab alchemist. The arabs carried the torch with transmission of the royal art spreading to Europe.

Before long their texts penetrated Europe through Spain and profoundly affected the Latin West

– Christian Rebisse, Rosicrucian History and Mysteries

Did Alexander the Great Find the Emerald Tablet?

The legend of the Emerald Tablet first appears in the occidental world in the 13th-century edition of The Secretum Secretorium (Secret of Secrets), originally an Arabic work entitled purporting to be a collection of letters from Aristotle to his student, Alexander the Great. It was common at the time for anonymous authors to use Aristotle’s name as way to garner acclaim for their work.

The pseudo-Aristotelian treatise, a compendium of advice for Kings, was first translated from Arabic to Latin in the 12th century by John of Sevile for the Portuguese Queen.

The legendary connection between Alexander the Great and the Emerald Tablet could very well be a fabrication. After-all, It is reasonable to surmise that composers redacted, edited, deleted, and made new versions of the translation texts to fit their agenda.

Could there be more to this story?

Ancient Evidence or Natural Law?

There are some early pieces of evidence that are worthy to consider for our cause.

Herodotus, alledgely claims to have come in contact with the Pillars of Hermes in a secret Egyptian temple. We tend to accept his authority based on his experience in Egypt. However, as some scholars have argued, Herodotus may not have been to Egypt. A.H. Sayce doubts Herodotus ever went to Egypt at all. From Herodotus we are given the idea that the pyramids of Giza were built as tombs.

Other examples of compelling evidence include expressions compatible with the Emerald Tablet found in the Book of the Dead and the Berlin Papyrus. Further, the Papyrus of Ani describes alchemical principles. Some scholars have linked these fragments to the Emerald because they express The One Thing and the axoim “As Above, So Below”.

However, these are universal principles relating natural laws in which traditions around the world appear to have shared. While it is all within the realm of possiblity, this does not necessarily establish a firm connection between the papyrus and the Emerald Tablet.

These two Egyptologists maintain a different view

A collection of fragmentary texts discovered in Egypt have veen dubbed the “Book of Thoth” by Egyptologists, Richard Lewis Jasnow and Karl-Theodor Zauzich

Texts from the Ptolemaic period, written in Demotic and spread across forty plus fragments appear to be a conversation between “The-one-who-loves-knowledge” and another figure. The two Egyptologists, who wrote the book, believe the figure is Thoth.T

Clement of Alexandria wrote about forty-two books that he believes were used by Egyptian priests containing “the whole philosophy of the Egyptians”.

Follow along as we trace the powerful evolution of humankind’s most illuminating secrets.

It was not until 1921, when the inexhaustible research of an erudite professor lead to a groundbreaking discovery that changed everything we knew about the Emerald Tablet.

Julius Ruska found another version, appended to the Kitab Sirr al-Khaliqa wa San`at al-Tabi`a (Book of the Secret of Creation and the Art of Nature), aka the Kitab Balaniyus al-Hakim fi’l-`Ilal (book of Balinas the Wise on the Causes) buried in a University library.

Ruska’s discovery dates from the 6th century, making it the oldest known written account referencing the Legend of the Emerald Tablet. 

Moreover, the translation, in Arabic, is composed by Sagiyus, a Christian monk of Nablus who adds his illuminating commentaries to the original. Further, he relates an entirely different narrative from that which scholars have known. 

In this narrative Alexander is replaced by a Syrian youth named Balinas (Arabic for Appollonius).

The Discovery of the Emerald Tablet

In the original work, Apollonius, a 1st century mystic establishes how he found the tomb of Hermes.

He claims to have found an inscription, written in the primordial language, on the breast of a statue of Hermes in his home land, Tyana (Ancient Turkey).

The message relates how secrets can be found below the statue’s feet, yet, his investigation yields nothing. He begins to dig and discovers what appears to be an ancient catacomb. Curiosity was calling the Syrian youth.

However, the passage is too dark for him to enter. He meditates reflecting upon his discovery before falling asleep. In his somnambulistic state a familiar voice gives him instructions on how to shield a flame by using a translucent vessel. It felt as though he was speaking with himself. His inner self.

Upon shielding his light, Apollonius illuminates the pitch-dark passage and enters the sepulcher. Inside he finds an old man, seated on a golden throne, holding an Emerald Tablet upon which appeared the inscribed text. Before him was a book which Apollonius took with confidence before exiting the tomb.

By studying the text, Apollonius attained the secrets of creation and knowledge for the causes for all things.

“He who desires to attain the understanding of the Grand Word and the possession of the Great Secret, ought carefully to read the Hermetic philosophers, and will undoubtedly attain initiation, as others have done; but he must take, for the key of their allegories, the single dogma of Hermes, contained in his Table of Emerald.” 

How To Read The Emerald Tablet

Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma of Freemasonry

How To Read The Emerald Tablet

The Latin translations of the Emerald Tablet were organized into seven sections called rubrics (derived from the Latin rubeo, meaning “red”), because each letter of each paragraph was highlighted in red ink. This may have been suitable for middle age scholars reading from scrolls, however, blog posts have a disadvantage…

It’s harder to read from a screen than a sheet of paper…

While technology continues to improve screen legibility, reading things online still causes much more strain to your eyes. To create a more reader-friendly experience I have taken liberty to break the seven sections up line-by-line. Nonetheless, I will provide a cursory explanation for each of the seven rubrics in the commentary section below the translations.

Emerald Tablet Translations in English

Without further ado, I will now present you – the reader – with the magical messages from the legendary glossy green tablet. 

Many translations can be found online for further study. The following amalgamation has been carefully chosen and painstakingly prepared for you. I present the first two before presenting my own personal as the third.

May the magical formula found in each of the following provide wisdom, guidance and understanding, between mind and heart, and allow you to receive the type of transformation you need according to your own consciousness…

“Many are those who cite this text without really knowing it; therefore, we feel that it would be useful to present it in its entirety.”

– Rosicrucian Digest, Volume 85, Number 1 2017

Emerald Tablet Translation from the Latin Vulgate of the 14th century.

True, without falsehood, certain and most true, that which is below is like that which is above, and that which is above is like that which is below for accomplishing the wonder of the one thing.

As all things are created from one, by the will and command of the one United who created it, so all things are born from this one thing by dispensation and union.

Its father is the sun, its mother is the moon, the wind carries it in its belly, its nurse is the earth.

This is the father of all perfection in this whole world. Its power is perfect when it is changed into earth; so you should separate the earth from the fire, and the subtle from the thick or gross but lovingly with great understanding and discretion.

It ascends from earth to heaven and from heaven again to earth and receives again the power of the Above and the Below.

Thus you will have the splendor of the whole world.

All lack of understanding and lack of ability will leave you. This is of all power the most powerful power, for it can overcome all subtlety and can penetrate all that is solid. Thus was the world created.

Thus many rare combinations originated, and wonders are wrought, of which this is the way to work.

And thus I am called Trismegistus, having the three parts of the wisdom of the whole world. All that I have said concerning the work of the sun is fulfilled.

Emerald Tablet Translation from Sir Isaac Newton of the 17th Century

Tis true without error, certain & most true.

That which is below is like that which is above and that which is above is like that which is below to do the miracles of one only thing.

And as all things have been & arose from one by the mediation of one: so all things have their birth from this one thing by adaptation.

The Sun is its father, the moon its mother, the wind hath carried it in its belly, the earth is its nurse.

The father of all perfection in the whole world is here.

Its force or power is entire if it be converted into earth.

Separate thou the earth from the fire, the subtle from the gross sweetly with great industry.

It ascends from the earth to the heaven & again it descends to the earth & receives the force of things superior & inferior.

By this means you shall have the glory of the whole world & thereby all obscurity shall fly from you.

Its force is above all force. For it vanquishes every subtle thing & penetrates every solid thing.

So was the world created.

From this are & do come admirable adaptations whereof the means (or process) is here in this. Hence I am called Hermes Trismegist, having the three parts of the philosophy of the whole world.

That which I have said of the operation of the Sun is accomplished & ended.

Emerald Tablet Re-Interpretation of English Translation from Anyextee of the 21st Century

In truth, beyond the shadow of doubt this message can not be more genuine. 

Everything below parallels everything above, just as everything above corresponds to everything below and when unified in this way, it will express the procedure of the absolute.

Everything emanates from the absolute, undifferentiated consciousness; becomes conscious of itself, so everything manifested from undifferentiated consciousness is an exhalation connected to the source. 

It is given life from the father (sun, fire), and the mother (moon, water),

And the vital life force is nourished by the earth.This process gives birth to everything in the temporal world.

It maintains integrity because it is still linked to the absolute even in splinted form on earth, so you should discern earthly experience from the great initiator, and the esoteric from the exoteric in appreciation while using discretion. 

It ascends from the temporal world back to unity and again emanates to the temporal world and receives again the experience to comprehend this cyclical miracle of the one. 

Thus you will become conscious of the miracle of this experience. As a result you become illuminated with a conscious of the highest harmonic.

This is the highest power you could ever know, transcending beyond beyond the mental and penetrating through all that is concrete. Through this power the material world was created. 

With this understanding of creation, will come more manifestations, because this pattern is the principle procedure.

And thus I am called Trismegistus, having the three parts required to give manifestations form. All that I have said concerning the creation process of fathering is fulfilled.

Commentaries on the Emerald Tablet

Numerous commentaries on the Emerald Tablet exist. In fact, tomes have been written about the Emerald Tablet. 

Rather than share them all, I will offer my own. In doing so, I will aim to reduce the esoteric complexities making the work more accessible for the uninitiated reader.

To put it simply, the text engraved on the Emerald Tablet describes a hidden truth about the creator and the cause of creation. It provides a pattern, or “magical formula” by revealing the relationship that corresponds between creation and cause.

If understood and properly applied, the adept alchemist can achieve the operations of not only creation but transmutation. The text describes how to work with and transform the “One Thing”. This applies to all things external and internal. Physical and spiritual.

The Emerald Tablet holds potential for manifesting many wonderful things.

In lay terms, it is a blueprint from a man-god to a man-god on being a man-god.

The first section, or “rubric” of the Emerald Tablet serves to promulgate the doctrine as the highest truth.

The next text introduces the reader to the universal law of correspondences, relating realms of the invisible (above) to the visible (below). We live in the visible world – below, yet we are part of the invisible world, or “Divine Mind” – above. So if we are fashioned in the image of the creator, then through that image we also have the ability to create using the same formula. This is expressed symbolically when the familiar voice, or “inner self” encourages Apollonius to proceed through his own instruction. Thus hinting at the metaphysical makeup of man.

The third section describes a third presence existing between the above and the below to form the one thing. Alchemists have referred to this one thing as “prima materia” (or first matter). We may refer to it as the animating life force. The Rosicrucian tradition refers to it as vital life force. Other traditions know it by other names: Eastern philosophy (prana), Hawaiian culture (mana), and Chinese arts and sciences (chi or qi). 

This invisible life-giving force is the cohesive which emanates from our breath, mind, body and spirit. This text in this section gives the alchemist the first four operations of alchemy which correspond to the four elements; Calcination (Sun or Fire as father), Dissolution (water or moon as mother), Separation (earth as nurse) and Conjunction as vital life force (wind).

The fourth section is an instruction providing the initiate with a key for unlocking the portal in order to pass through densities.

In the fifth section the tablet is telling us what effect that will take place by putting the aforementioned operations into practice.

The sixth section declares that by applying the aforementioned method the practitioner can manifest things and combinations of things in the same way spirit has manifested into physical form.

The seventh and final section of table is the signature endorsed by Hermes Trismegistus, denoting the law of three, the relationship required to give form. The last line of text confirms the procedure.

The Alchemist’s Threefold Path of Initiation; Philosophicum, Theoreticum and the Praticum

The traditional path of initiation consists of three phases or degrees; The Philosophicum or historical philosophy, the Theoreticum where spiritual and pratical principles are revealed in a way to achieve personal gnosis, and the Praticum or pratical application by the alchemist in the temporal world.

The objective for an initiate is to develop the power of Alchemical Thinking, in order to access that which is inherit within you but lies dormant. You have to spark the “Secret Fire” of consciousness to receive personal gnosis. In a way combining logi with feeling so that the fire is percolating from deep within, otherwise you will face great difficulty accessing the deeper levels of the Work.

That is to say, by following the outlined formula you can achieve the desired result and become a Hermes Trismegistus, the perfected man.

Such was the purpose of the Emerald Tablet, to be a vehicle to deliver you to the summit of the cosmic mountain…

Known as “Mount Qaf” in Iranian symbology, it is the highest peak in the center of man’s psyche; the world one encounters in mystical experiences.

As the 20th century French occultist, Henry Corbin has already shown us, these myths are not myths in the common sense of the word; they refer to events sustained through cosmic order. They are not understood in the context of everday history, but of the Imaginal world or True Imagination.

Shihaboddin Yahya Sohravardi, the great philosopher and mystic, speaks of it as being an emerald stone that tints the celestial realm green. For the sufi, emerald is a symbol of the cosmic soul.

The Esoteric Symbolism of the Emerald Tablet

It is now time to depart from our historical sphere and find ourselves on another level, the NEXT level. The final terminal for every traveler hinges on the individual compass to rise to the Next (Anyextee) level where Sophia (Wisdom) dwells.

If the great rose is to bloom, the gardener must do the great work. As long as you consistently remove the faded blossoms, your rose will continue to bloom. We must come to understand the great work by means of true imagination.

The 14th century Rosarium declares that true imagination should be applied to accomplish the alchemical opus.

Paracelsus, a venerated alchemist of the German Renaissance and pioneer in the medical revolution, wrote about the faculty of true imagination, or what he called “imaginatio vera”. 

He encouraged the reader not to conflate this faculty with fantasy. We may now understand what Rosicrucian, Jacob Boehme was trying to say when he referred to the “Holy Element” or “Soul of the World.”

Dubbed the “Imaginal World” by Henry Corbin, it is the place where all adept initiates, or what 2nd century Alexandrian alchemist, Zosimus calls, “Men of Light” are given their prophetic mission to guide humanity.

In the legend of the Emerald Tablet, Appollonius of Tyana receives his instruction to protect the flame while sleeping in the shadow of his discovery.

Similarly, Thuthmose IV of Egypt receives his instruction to remove sand from the Sphinx while resting against the statue. The sleeping state denotes the same setting in both initiatic narratives symbolizing the Imaginary World, World of the Soul or Emerald Realm.

Alexander The Great allegedly hid the emerald tablet on the Giza plateau before leaving to conquer Babylonia and India. Perhaps is hidden in plain site, where it is still on display today, right between the paws of the sphinx. Could the dream stele be an early prototype for the Emerald tablet?

Symbolist author, Rene Guenon referred to two modalities of initiation, horitzanl and vertical. The horizontal manner meant from master to student or from one initiate to another. Vertical is what Adept Initiates refer to as Self Initiation. This is channel between the invisible (above) to humanity (below).

This vertical transmission of gnosis in these narratives are understood and experienced by discerning that which is subtle from that which is gross, as prescribed on the Emerald tablet.

The verdant tone of the tablet is not only a subtle symbol meant to evoke an unspoken understanding, but also, a reminder of where the tablet’s transformative formula can take you.

The Emerald Realm

Emerald encourages growth, reflection, peace, and balance. It also represents healing and fertility. Ancients considered the emerald to be the sacred symbol of fertility and immortality.

In the traditional zodiac, Scorpio, the 8th sign is attributed to sex, death and resurrection. As my mentor, John Anthony West has shown us in his work, The Serpent in the Sky, eight terms are required for self replication.

The procedure of self replication is described in the Emerald Tablet.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road…

A foreigner, traveling in a new land is considered green. The travler is naive to what lies beyond the threshold. However, the new land promises unlimited potential.

In author Frank Baum’s, The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy is instructed to follow the yellow brick road. The road leads her to the Wizard who lives in the land of the city of Emerald, OZ.

The end of the story reveals how her entire quest in the Emerald Land occurred only in her sleep. The land of Emerald is symbolic of her dream, the same recurring motif we find in the initiatic narratives of Apollonius and Thuthmoses IV.

In Theosophy, the term “Malakut” is appointed to the “Eight Region” (after the seven regions or keshvars of Zoroastrianism) and it describes the world of the soul and souls. It is interesting to note, Wizard of Oz author, Frank Baum was a member of the Theosophical Society.

Why is the Tablet Emerald?

The glossy green tablet suggests the concept of eternity, as it is a color that constantly renews itself in nature through generations. This is why Osiris, the Egyptian lord of the underworld and embodiment of living resurrection is green.

In the 16th century, Spanish historian Francisco Lopez de Gomara received accounts from Hernan Cortez, about the Aztecs “burning emeralds” before images of the Sun and Moon, their highest divinities.

Mercury is the symbol of Hermes.

Among the Hindus, one may receive “Knowledge of the Soul and the Eternal” offering emeralds to the god Krishna. Hindu teachings also associate emerald with the planet Mercury.

Ancient Romans, felt that the very soul of an individual was restored when they wore emerald jewelry. When Apollonius enters the tomb of Hermes, he finds the corpse of an old man holding an emerald colored tablet.

The tomb symbolizes the place of transition to the other world, while the emerald colored tablet is a symbol of that world, the world of the Soul.

The Initiatic Narrative.

If you have read all of the above, you deserve an initiation.

The text on the tablet reveals an ancient teaching about the metaphysical makeup of man (below) and the spiritual realm (above). If you are called to the Emerald Land, the text on tablet is your vehicle, whereas the legend is your map.

But pay attention to signs along the way as to avoid taking a wrong turn…

Visionary Narratives

Dr. Doreal’s Emerald Tablets of Thoth may be considered a false narrative in the literal exoteric sense. The story is conflated and we can trace his templates to the likes of H.P. Lovecraft, Madame Blavatsky, and Harvey Spencer Lewis to name a few.

However, when viewed through the eyes of a symbolist, Doreal’s esoteric work becomes a valid iniatiac narrative. After-all, the legend of Alexander the Great was based on the legend of Balinas which in turn is based on Socrates in book II of the Piccatrix. Remember how I pointed John Dee notified Rudoplh II about another version from antiquity?

Doreal’s biography is a common theme among leaders of spiritual movements. Receiving instruction, or “Gnosis” to overcome some ordeal that in effect leads to the evolution of humankind.

Doreal never denied astral travel. In his Imaginal World, the Emerald Realm, he received instruction from Ascended Masters before plunging into the depths of the Great Pyramid to retrieve his precious Emerald Tablets. After translating them he becomes the “Supreme Voice” of the Ascended Masters.

Appollonius receives a message before digging his way into the tomb of Hermes to discover the emerald tablet. What he reads enables him to become “The Wise” possessing the secret to creation and knowledge for the causes of all things. Thutmose IV receives a message to clear away the sand revealing the Sphinx. In doing he earns Kingship. It should be noted that the Egyptian kings were considered gods by their culture.

Doreal’s elusive brotherhood of “Ascended Masters is not a far departure from the “Invisible Masters” of the “Invisible College”, of which the Rosicrucian movement is a manifestation of on the visible plane.

An invisible college operating within the paradigm

We have all been indoctrinated into an educational system that promotes memorization over creation and competition over collaboration. We are rewarded for being reductionists rather than magical creators. While this academic model may favor the industrial industry, it promotes disharmony among students.

Students accumulate intelligence of the head, not intelligence of the heart. In this way, it becomes difficult for the uninitiated to comprehend imagination beyond fantasy. It becomes easy to miss the fundamental key required to understand Doreal’s esoteric work.

Initiatic narratives are esoteric allegories meant to be literary vehicles but they often misinterpreted as exoteric forgeries. The mission of the initiate in each narrative is to bring balance to creation. They are meant to touch you at a deeper level.

Therefore the legend of the Emerald Tablet is not about a lost artifact. It is not about the biography of Alexander the Great, Apollonius of Tyana, Socrates or even Dr. Doreal, but the history of the individual who returns to the Emerald Realm, the soul of the world.

By the way of the legend one may come to discern the tablet and come to understand the cross of matter upon which we are are pinned.

For Dr. Doreal, the Emerald Tablets of Thoth is not only HIS Story, it is hierohistory.

The great aim of the mystery schools of all ages has been to reveal the workings of the Law which connect man the material and man the spiritual…

…The aspirant of higher knowledge must develop the intellectual side of his nature and so strengthen his will that is able to concentrate all powers of his being on and in the plane he desires.

– M. Doreal, Emerald Tablets of Thoth

Should we be really be concerned with Claude Doggins guise as Dr. Maurice Doreal? Afterall, as we have learned all many of the greats have hidden behind pen names and produced forgeries.

Conclusion

In the previous sections we have discussed how Emerald Tablet is interpreted. We have also learned how the Emerald Tablet’s of Thoth, authored by Doreal is a false narrative adapted from the original legend…

Nevertheless, it has interesting aspects that parallel all the great initiatic narratives from the legend from the tomb of Christian Rosenkreuz to the dream stele of Thuthmose IV. Any effort in raising consciousness to awaken ones deep-stead understanding should be applauded.

Is it a forgery? Could the original concept for the Emerald Tablet merely be the imagination of Sagiyus, the Christian priest of Nablus?

Our first known written account could very well be our origin point for the legend of the Emerald Tablet. As we pointed out it was common of his day to to attribute works to pseudo-authors as a way to gain merit. However, its the message that really matters…

That said, the legend is only a means for getting you to the Emerald Tablet, to understand the recipe for producing the philosophers stone state of consciousness. Imagine a world where every individual understood the principles of the subconscious and conscious mind and worked together in harmony with natrual and cosmic law.

One may discover the tablet in the Emerald Realm. As the venerated alchemist, Paracelsus points out, this can be achieved not by fantasy, but by faculty of true imagiation.

The text describes the universal law of correspondance and instructs you on the law so in this way you may use your energy and true imagination (not be confused with fantasy) to conform with natural law to create amazing things to the level of your development.

Know that you already possess all you will ever need to achieve the philosophers stone, but the great work requires discernment.

Discernment is the ability to see things for what they REALLY are and not for what you WANT them to be. Discern that which is subtle from that which is gross. Then, discern that which is visible from that which is almost visibile.

In the words of Flava Flav, “Don’t believe the hype”.

In the word’s of Doreal, “Read and be wise”.

Thank you reading! Have your say in the comments section down below.

– Anyextee

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P.P.S. I’ll be taking a small handful of Adept Initiates with me to ESOTERIC EGYPT for a Symbolist tour of the Ancient Egypt Mystery Schools. And You are invited to join our group as we study the sacred science and reveal some of Kemet’s most illuminating serets. CLICK HERE for details and booking.

Featuring a Private Cruise on the 8-cabin luxury sail-yacht ‘Dahabiya Hadeel’, Private access INSIDE the Great Pyramid, between the Paws of the Sphinx, and the Giza Plateau..

We also have Adept Initiates 3rd annual Community adventure in Yucatan, Mexico coming up where we study the MYSTERIES of the MAYA…