this post was submitted on 19 May 2025
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Hermeticism is a gnostic esoteric system and like all gnostic forms, it implies that there's an "unknown" reality that can be disveiled through revelation. You have a perceived reality that is fake and a "real" reality that is hidden from you. This already sets the ground for conspiratorial thinking.
The second element is that hermeticists in the 18th century were relatively rich and powerful men who met in secret societies, which was something everybody did, but they also had the money to build monuments and hide their symbols in plain sight. This created the trope of a secret congregation of powerful men into esoteric shit who plot to take over society.