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[[File:Table_Emeraude_Chrysogonus.jpg|thumb|Latin version of the ''Emerald Tablet'' text, from [[Johannes Petreius]]. ''[[De Alchemia|De alchemia]]''. Nuremberg, 1541.]]
{{Short description|Aphorism associated with sacred geometry, Hermeticism, and the Tarot}}
{{Other uses|As above, so below (disambiguation)}}


'''"As above, so below"''' is a popular modern [[paraphrase]] of the first part of the second verse of the ''[[Emerald Tablet]]'' (a compact and cryptic [[Hermetica|Hermetic]] text first attested in the late eight or early ninth century),<ref>[[Paul Kraus (Arabist)|Kraus, Paul]] 1942-1943. ''Jâbir ibn Hayyân: Contribution à l'histoire des idées scientifiques dans l'Islam. I. Le corpus des écrits jâbiriens. II. Jâbir et la science grecque''. Cairo: Institut français d'archéologie orientale, vol. II, pp. 274-275; Weisser, Ursula 1980. ''Das Buch über das Geheimnis der Schöpfung von Pseudo-Apollonios von Tyana''. Berlin: De Gruyter, p. 54.</ref> as it appears in its most widely divulged medieval [[Latin]] translation:<ref>[[Robert Steele (medievalist)|Steele, Robert]] and [[Dorothea Waley Singer|Singer, Dorothea Waley]] 1928. [https://doi.org/10.1177%2F003591572802100361 “The Emerald Table”] in: ''Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine'', 21, pp. 41–57/485–501, p. 42/486 (English), p. 48/492 (Latin). For other medieval translations, see [[Emerald Tablet]].</ref>
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[[File:Table_Emeraude_Chrysogonus.jpg|thumb|Chrysogonus Polydorus's Latin version of the ''Emerald Tablet'' text, containing the phrase.]]


<blockquote>
'''"As above, so below"''' is a motto associated with [[sacred geometry]], [[Hermeticism]], and the [[The Magician (Tarot card)|Tarot]].
Quod est superius est sicut quod inferius, et quod inferius est sicut quod est superius.
<br><br>
That which is above is like to that which is below, and that which is below is like to that which is above.
</blockquote>


== Interpretations ==
The phrase derives from a passage in the ''[[Emerald Tablet]]'' (variously attributed to [[Hermes Trismegistus]] or Pseudo-[[Apollonius of Tyana]]). The 16th-century scholar [[Chrysogonus Polydorus]] provides the following version translated from the original Arabic into Latin:


In this formulation, the verse is often understood as a reference to the effects of [[celestial mechanics]] upon terrestrial events. This would include the effects of the Sun upon the change of [[seasons]], or those of the Moon upon the [[tides]], but also more elaborate [[astrology|astrological]] effects.<ref>[[Lawrence M. Principe|Principe, Lawrence M.]] 2013. ''The Secrets of Alchemy''. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, p. 198; Van Gijsen, Annelies 2006. "Astrology I: Introduction" in: [[Wouter J. Hanegraaff|Hanegraaff, Wouter J.]] et al. (eds.). ''Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism''. Leiden/Boston: Brill, pp. 109-110.</ref>
{{quote|Quod est inferius est sicut quod est superius. Et quod est superius est sicut quod est inferius, ad perpetranda miracula rei unius.}}


According to another common interpretation, which also takes the second part of the original Latin verse into consideration, it refers to the structural similarities between the macrocosm (from [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] ''makros kosmos'', "the great world": the universe as a whole, understood as a great living being) and the microcosm (from Greek ''mikros kosmos'', "the small world": the human being, understood as a miniature universe).<ref>[[Robert Steele (medievalist)|Steele, Robert]] and [[Dorothea Waley Singer|Singer, Dorothea Waley]] 1928. [https://doi.org/10.1177%2F003591572802100361 “The Emerald Table”] in: ''Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine'', 21, p. 42/486; [[Lawrence M. Principe|Principe, Lawrence M.]] 2013. ''The Secrets of Alchemy''. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, p. 32. On the macrocosm and the microcosm, see, e.g., Conger, George Perrigo 1922. ''Theories of Macrocosms and Microcosms in the History of Philosophy''. New York: Columbia University Press; Allers, Rudolf 1944. “Microcosmus: From Anaximandros to Paracelsus” in: ''Traditio'', 2, pp. 319-407; Barkan, Leonard 1975. ''Nature’s Work of Art: The Human Body as Image of the World''. London/New Haven: Yale University Press.</ref>
In Hermeticism, the phrase can be taken to indicate that earthly matters reflect the operation of the [[astral plane]], particularly "by other means than mundane chains of cause and effect, such as [[Synchronicity|Jungian synchronicities]] or [[Correspondence (theology)|correspondences]]."<ref>Lydia Amir. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=6DI9DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA7 Rethinking Philosophers' Responsibility]''. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2017. Page 7.</ref>


== Difference from the original Arabic ==
In a secular context, the phrase can refer to the idea that [[macrocosm and microcosm|the microcosm reflects the macrocosm]] – for example, that individual or domestic ills can result from larger societal ills.


It may be noted that the original [[Arabic]] of the verse in the ''Emerald Tablet'' itself does not mention the similarity between what is above and what is below, but rather their reciprocal origin "from" each other:
''[[The Message (Bible)|The Message]]'', intended as a "version of the [[New Testament]] in a contemporary idiom",<ref name="bible-researcher">{{cite web |title=Introduction to the New Testament, from The Message |url=http://www.bible-researcher.com/themessage.html |accessdate = 2018-04-16}}</ref> uses the maxim in its translation of the [[Lord's Prayer]] from [[Matthew 6:10]]. (The prayer's phrase is traditionally rendered "on earth, as it is in heaven".)


<blockquote>
{{poemquote|Our Father in heaven,
Arabic:<ref>This verse is identical in the earliest version (from pseudo-Apollonius of Tyana's ''Sirr al-khalīqa'' or ''The Secret of Creation'') and in the slightly later version quoted by [[Jabir ibn Hayyan]]. See Weisser, Ursula 1979. ''Buch über das Geheimnis der Schöpfung und die Darstellung der Natur (Buch der Ursachen) von Pseudo-Apollonios von Tyana''. Aleppo: Institute for the History of Arabic Science, p. 524; Zirnis, Peter 1979. ''The Kitāb Usṭuqus al-uss of Jābir ibn Ḥayyān''. Unpublished PhD diss., New York University, p. 90.</ref> {{lang|ar|إن الأعلى من الأسفل والأسفل من الأعلى}}
Reveal who you are.
<br><br>
Set the world right;
Latin translation by [[Hugo of Santalla]]:<ref>Hudry, Françoise 1997-1999. “Le De secretis nature du Ps. Apollonius de Tyane, traduction latine par Hugues de Santalla du Kitæb sirr al-halîqa” in: ''Chrysopoeia'', 6, pp. 1-154, p. 152.</ref> ''Superiora de inferioribus, inferiora de superioribus''
Do what's best – '''as above, so below'''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A7-13&version=MSG;KJV |title=''The Message'', Matthew 6:7–13}}</ref>}}
<br><br>
English translation of the Arabic:<ref>Holmyard, Eric J. 1923. "The Emerald Table" in: ''Nature'', 122, pp. 525-526. (translation of the version quoted by Jabir ibn Hayyan)</ref> That which is above is from that which is below, and that which is below is from that which is above.
</blockquote>


== In popular culture ==
Additionally, a quote from the apocryphal book ''[[Ascension of Isaiah]]'' has similar phrasing:

The phrase is very popular in modern [[occultism|occultist]] and [[esotericism|esotericist]] circles. It has also been adopted as a title for various works of art:

*[[As Above, So Below (film)|''As Above, So Below'' (film)]], a 2014 found-footage horror film
*[[As Above, So Below (Forced Entry album)|''As Above, So Below'' (Forced Entry album)]], 1991
*[[As Above, So Below (Angel Witch album)|''As Above, So Below'' (Angel Witch album)]], 2012
*[[As Above So Below (Azure Ray EP)|''As Above So Below'' (Azure Ray EP)]], 2012
*[[As Above, So Below (Stonefield album)|''As Above, So Below'' (Stonefield album)]], 2016
*''As Above, So Below'', a 1998 studio album by [[Barry Adamson]]
*''As Above So Below'', a 2011 studio album by singer [[Anthony David (singer)|Anthony David]]
*''As Above So Below'', a 2020 studio album by rapper [[Vinnie Paz]]
*''As Above So Below'', a 2020 song from DJs Phoenix Lord & Saggian featuring Canadian singer [[Emjay]]
*"As Above, So Below", a song from the Klaxons' debut album ''[[Myths of the Near Future (album)|Myths of the Near Future]]''
*"As Above, So Below", a song from the Tom Tom Club's debut album ''[[Tom Tom Club (album)|Tom Tom Club]]''
*"As Above, So Below", a song from The Comsat Angels' album ''[[Land (The Comsat Angels album)|Land]]''
*"As Above, So Below", a song from Behemoth's album ''[[Zos Kia Cultus (Here and Beyond)|Zos Kia Cultus]]''
*"As Above, So Below", a song from Yngwie Malmsteen's debut album ''[[Rising Force]]''


“there I saw Sammael [sic] and his hosts, and there was great fighting therein. ...as above so on the earth [below] also“


==See also==
==See also==
*[[Emerald Tablet]]
*[[Family as a model for the state]]
*[[Image of God]]


==References==
==References==
<references/>
<references/>

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Hermeticism]]
[[Category:Proverbs]]
[[Category:Sacred geometry]]

Revision as of 20:50, 8 January 2021

Latin version of the Emerald Tablet text, from Johannes Petreius. De alchemia. Nuremberg, 1541.

"As above, so below" is a popular modern paraphrase of the first part of the second verse of the Emerald Tablet (a compact and cryptic Hermetic text first attested in the late eight or early ninth century),[1] as it appears in its most widely divulged medieval Latin translation:[2]

Quod est superius est sicut quod inferius, et quod inferius est sicut quod est superius.

That which is above is like to that which is below, and that which is below is like to that which is above.

Interpretations

In this formulation, the verse is often understood as a reference to the effects of celestial mechanics upon terrestrial events. This would include the effects of the Sun upon the change of seasons, or those of the Moon upon the tides, but also more elaborate astrological effects.[3]

According to another common interpretation, which also takes the second part of the original Latin verse into consideration, it refers to the structural similarities between the macrocosm (from Greek makros kosmos, "the great world": the universe as a whole, understood as a great living being) and the microcosm (from Greek mikros kosmos, "the small world": the human being, understood as a miniature universe).[4]

Difference from the original Arabic

It may be noted that the original Arabic of the verse in the Emerald Tablet itself does not mention the similarity between what is above and what is below, but rather their reciprocal origin "from" each other:

Arabic:[5] إن الأعلى من الأسفل والأسفل من الأعلى

Latin translation by Hugo of Santalla:[6] Superiora de inferioribus, inferiora de superioribus

English translation of the Arabic:[7] That which is above is from that which is below, and that which is below is from that which is above.

The phrase is very popular in modern occultist and esotericist circles. It has also been adopted as a title for various works of art:


See also

References

  1. ^ Kraus, Paul 1942-1943. Jâbir ibn Hayyân: Contribution à l'histoire des idées scientifiques dans l'Islam. I. Le corpus des écrits jâbiriens. II. Jâbir et la science grecque. Cairo: Institut français d'archéologie orientale, vol. II, pp. 274-275; Weisser, Ursula 1980. Das Buch über das Geheimnis der Schöpfung von Pseudo-Apollonios von Tyana. Berlin: De Gruyter, p. 54.
  2. ^ Steele, Robert and Singer, Dorothea Waley 1928. “The Emerald Table” in: Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, 21, pp. 41–57/485–501, p. 42/486 (English), p. 48/492 (Latin). For other medieval translations, see Emerald Tablet.
  3. ^ Principe, Lawrence M. 2013. The Secrets of Alchemy. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, p. 198; Van Gijsen, Annelies 2006. "Astrology I: Introduction" in: Hanegraaff, Wouter J. et al. (eds.). Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism. Leiden/Boston: Brill, pp. 109-110.
  4. ^ Steele, Robert and Singer, Dorothea Waley 1928. “The Emerald Table” in: Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, 21, p. 42/486; Principe, Lawrence M. 2013. The Secrets of Alchemy. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, p. 32. On the macrocosm and the microcosm, see, e.g., Conger, George Perrigo 1922. Theories of Macrocosms and Microcosms in the History of Philosophy. New York: Columbia University Press; Allers, Rudolf 1944. “Microcosmus: From Anaximandros to Paracelsus” in: Traditio, 2, pp. 319-407; Barkan, Leonard 1975. Nature’s Work of Art: The Human Body as Image of the World. London/New Haven: Yale University Press.
  5. ^ This verse is identical in the earliest version (from pseudo-Apollonius of Tyana's Sirr al-khalīqa or The Secret of Creation) and in the slightly later version quoted by Jabir ibn Hayyan. See Weisser, Ursula 1979. Buch über das Geheimnis der Schöpfung und die Darstellung der Natur (Buch der Ursachen) von Pseudo-Apollonios von Tyana. Aleppo: Institute for the History of Arabic Science, p. 524; Zirnis, Peter 1979. The Kitāb Usṭuqus al-uss of Jābir ibn Ḥayyān. Unpublished PhD diss., New York University, p. 90.
  6. ^ Hudry, Françoise 1997-1999. “Le De secretis nature du Ps. Apollonius de Tyane, traduction latine par Hugues de Santalla du Kitæb sirr al-halîqa” in: Chrysopoeia, 6, pp. 1-154, p. 152.
  7. ^ Holmyard, Eric J. 1923. "The Emerald Table" in: Nature, 122, pp. 525-526. (translation of the version quoted by Jabir ibn Hayyan)
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