Alchemy & philosophy · 18 June 2026 · Charlotte Himsworth
The Emerald Tablet
A short, mysterious text that gave the world “as above, so below”.
The Emerald Tablet is a brief text attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. Its earliest known versions are in Arabic, from around the eighth to tenth centuries, and it was later translated into Latin and treasured by medieval and Renaissance alchemists.
As above, so below
Its most famous line is usually translated as “that which is above is like that which is below, and that which is below is like that which is above.” This is the root of the Principle of Correspondence.
The alchemists’ key
Alchemists read the Tablet as a compressed summary of their Great Work: the transformation of base matter, and of the self, into something golden. Isaac Newton made his own translation of it.
Why it endures
Its language is poetic and open, which is part of its power. Each generation finds something new in it.
A practice
Choose one small pattern in your day, perhaps how you begin your morning, and ask how it reflects the larger pattern of your life.