"As above, so below" is one of the most enduring philosophical statements in human history. At its simplest, it means that the patterns of the cosmos are mirrored in the patterns of the earth — and vice versa. What exists in the heavens is reflected in the physical world. What happens within the human body echoes the movements of the stars.
The phrase is a condensed expression of a much larger idea: that the universe operates according to a single, unified set of laws, and that by understanding one level of reality, you can understand all others. The macrocosm and the microcosm are not separate — they are reflections of each other.
This idea has shaped philosophy, mysticism, alchemy, astrology, and sacred art for thousands of years. It appears in ancient Egyptian texts, Greek philosophy, medieval alchemy, Renaissance art, and modern spiritual practice. Few phrases have travelled so far across time and culture while retaining their original meaning so completely.
The Origins of the Hermetic Principle
The phrase "as above, so below" comes from the Hermetic tradition — a body of philosophical and spiritual teachings attributed to a legendary figure known as Hermes Trismegistus, meaning "Hermes the Thrice-Greatest." This figure is believed to be a synthesis of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth, both associated with wisdom, writing, and the transmission of divine knowledge.
The Hermetic tradition emerged in the early centuries CE, primarily in Alexandria, Egypt — a city that was at the time a melting pot of Greek, Egyptian, Jewish, and early Christian thought. The texts attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, collectively known as the Corpus Hermeticum, cover topics ranging from cosmology and theology to alchemy and astrology.
At the heart of Hermetic philosophy are seven core principles, sometimes called the Seven Hermetic Laws or the Seven Principles of the Kybalion. These include:
- The Principle of Mentalism — "The All is Mind; the Universe is Mental."
- The Principle of Correspondence — "As above, so below; as below, so above."
- The Principle of Vibration — Everything moves; nothing rests.
- The Principle of Polarity — Everything has its opposite.
- The Principle of Rhythm — Everything flows in and out.
- The Principle of Cause and Effect — Every cause has its effect.
- The Principle of Gender — Gender is in everything.
Of these, the Principle of Correspondence — "as above, so below" — is arguably the most widely known and the most visually represented in art, architecture, and symbolism throughout history.
The Emerald Tablet: Where It All Began
The most direct source of the phrase is the Emerald Tablet (Tabula Smaragdina), a short but extraordinarily influential text attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. The full relevant passage reads:
"That which is above is like to that which is below, and that which is below is like to that which is above, to accomplish the miracles of the one thing."
The Emerald Tablet is believed to have originated in the Arabic world around the 6th to 8th centuries CE, though its ideas are far older. It was translated into Latin in the 12th century and became one of the foundational texts of European alchemy. Isaac Newton himself made a translation of the Emerald Tablet, and it influenced his thinking on the nature of matter and force.
The tablet's core message is that the universe is not divided into separate, unrelated layers. The spiritual and the physical, the celestial and the terrestrial, the inner and the outer — all are expressions of the same underlying reality. To understand one is to understand the other.
This is why alchemists believed that transforming base metals into gold was not merely a physical process — it was a spiritual one. The transformation of matter mirrored the transformation of the soul. As above, so below.
As Above So Below in Sacred Geometry
Sacred geometry is the study of geometric patterns and forms that are believed to carry spiritual or cosmological significance. It is one of the most direct visual expressions of the "as above, so below" principle, because it demonstrates how the same mathematical patterns appear at every scale of existence — from the spiral of a galaxy to the spiral of a nautilus shell, from the branching of a river delta to the branching of a human lung.
Key sacred geometry symbols associated with the Hermetic principle include:
- The Vesica Piscis — the intersection of two circles, representing the meeting point of heaven and earth, spirit and matter.
- The Merkaba — a three-dimensional Star of David, representing the integration of opposing forces (above and below, masculine and feminine).
- The Sri Yantra — a Hindu geometric diagram of interlocking triangles pointing upward (masculine, fire, heaven) and downward (feminine, water, earth) — a direct visual representation of "as above, so below."
- The Seed of Life and Flower of Life — geometric patterns built from overlapping circles that encode the mathematical structure of the universe.
These patterns are not arbitrary. They appear in nature, in the proportions of the human body, in the orbits of planets, and in the structure of crystals. Sacred geometry is the visual language of the Hermetic principle.
The Flower of Life Connection
The Flower of Life is one of the most recognisable symbols in sacred geometry and one of the most directly connected to the "as above, so below" principle. It consists of multiple evenly-spaced, overlapping circles arranged in a flower-like pattern, forming a perfectly symmetrical grid.
The Flower of Life has been found carved into stone at the Temple of Osiris at Abydos, Egypt, estimated to be over 6,000 years old. It also appears in ancient sites in Turkey, Israel, China, India, and across Europe. Its near-universal presence across unconnected ancient cultures suggests it represents something fundamental about the structure of reality itself.
Within the Flower of Life, mathematicians and mystics have identified:
- The Seed of Life (the inner seven circles)
- The Tree of Life (the Kabbalistic diagram of divine emanation)
- The Metatron's Cube (containing all five Platonic solids — the building blocks of matter)
- The Golden Ratio (the mathematical proportion found throughout nature and art)
The Flower of Life encodes the idea that all of creation — from the smallest atom to the largest galaxy — emerges from the same geometric template. It is, in essence, a visual map of "as above, so below."
The Tree of Life and Hermetic Philosophy
The Tree of Life is another symbol deeply intertwined with the Hermetic principle. In the Kabbalistic tradition — which shares significant overlap with Hermetic philosophy — the Tree of Life is a diagram of ten interconnected spheres (Sefirot) representing the ten attributes through which the infinite divine (Ein Sof) manifests in the finite world.
The Tree of Life literally maps the relationship between the divine (above) and the material (below). Its roots reach into the earth; its branches reach into the heavens. It is a living symbol of the bridge between worlds.
In Hermetic thought, the Tree of Life represents the same idea as the Emerald Tablet: that the divine and the earthly are not separate but connected through a continuous chain of correspondence. Each sphere on the tree corresponds to a planet, a colour, a number, a Hebrew letter, and a level of consciousness — a perfect example of the "as above, so below" principle in action.
The phrase "as above, so below" is sometimes paired with its full extension: "as above, so below; as within, so without; as the universe, so the soul." This extended version makes explicit what the Tree of Life illustrates — that the correspondence runs not just between heaven and earth, but between the cosmos and the individual human being.
As Above So Below in Modern Spirituality
The Hermetic principle never disappeared — it simply changed form. In the 19th and 20th centuries, it was absorbed into the Western esoteric tradition through movements such as Theosophy, the Golden Dawn, Rosicrucianism, and later New Age spirituality.
Today, "as above, so below" appears in:
- Mindfulness and meditation practices — the idea that inner peace creates outer harmony
- Astrology — the belief that planetary movements correspond to events and energies on earth
- Crystal healing — the idea that the geometric structure of crystals mirrors and interacts with the energy structure of the human body
- Chakra systems — the mapping of cosmic energy centres onto the human body
- Manifestation practices — the belief that thoughts (above, in the mind) create reality (below, in the physical world)
The phrase has also entered popular culture through music, film, and tattoo art, often stripped of its philosophical context but retaining its intuitive resonance. People are drawn to it because it speaks to something deeply felt: that we are not separate from the universe, but part of it.
As Above So Below in Astrology
Astrology is perhaps the most widely practised application of the "as above, so below" principle. The entire premise of astrology rests on the Hermetic idea that the movements of celestial bodies (above) correspond to events, energies, and personality traits in human life (below).
This is not a modern invention. The Babylonians were practising astrology as early as the 2nd millennium BCE. The Greeks systematised it. The Arabs preserved and expanded it during the medieval period. And it was the Hermetic tradition that provided the philosophical framework that made astrology intellectually coherent: if the macrocosm and the microcosm are reflections of each other, then of course the stars speak to human experience.
Key astrological concepts that embody the Hermetic principle include:
- Planetary rulerships — each planet governs a corresponding sign, body part, metal, plant, and day of the week
- The natal chart — a map of the sky at the moment of birth, believed to mirror the soul's blueprint
- Transits and progressions — the ongoing movement of planets above corresponding to unfolding events below
- The four elements — fire, earth, air, and water appear both in the cosmos and in human temperament
Whether or not one believes in astrology's predictive power, its structure is a perfect illustration of Hermetic correspondence: every layer of reality mapped onto every other.
Why Collectors Are Drawn to Hermetic Symbolism
Hermetic and sacred geometry symbols have become some of the most sought-after designs in the collectible coin world — and it's not hard to understand why.
These symbols carry centuries of meaning. They are visually striking, mathematically precise, and philosophically rich. Owning a coin engraved with the Flower of Life, the Tree of Life, or the "as above, so below" inscription is not simply owning a decorative object — it is owning a physical representation of an idea that has shaped human thought for millennia.
For collectors, this depth of meaning transforms a coin from a novelty into a keepsake with genuine intellectual and spiritual weight. Many collectors display these pieces as focal points for meditation, as conversation starters, or as part of themed collections exploring sacred geometry, ancient philosophy, or world mythology.
The intersection of art, history, philosophy, and craftsmanship is exactly what makes spiritually-themed collectibles so enduring. Unlike trend-driven designs, Hermetic symbolism has proven its staying power across thousands of years — and shows no sign of fading.
An example of a modern collectible that brings this symbolism to life can be seen in the Chakra & Tree of Life Coin — combining the Tree of Life, the Flower of Life, and chakra symbolism in a single piece.
If you're drawn to the philosophy of correspondence and the beauty of sacred geometry, you may also enjoy our piece on Memento Mori — the ancient reminder that death is certain and life is not, another tradition that uses symbolic objects to carry philosophical meaning.
FAQ
What is the full "as above so below" quote?
The full passage from the Emerald Tablet reads: "That which is above is like to that which is below, and that which is below is like to that which is above, to accomplish the miracles of the one thing." The shortened form "as above, so below" is the most widely used version today.
Where does "as above so below" come from?
It originates from the Emerald Tablet, a foundational text of the Hermetic tradition attributed to the legendary figure Hermes Trismegistus. The tablet is believed to have been written between the 6th and 8th centuries CE, though the ideas it contains are far older.
What religion is "as above so below" from?
It is not from a single religion. It comes from the Hermetic philosophical tradition, which blends elements of ancient Egyptian, Greek, and early Christian thought. It has since been adopted by Kabbalistic, alchemical, astrological, and New Age traditions.
What does "as above so below" mean in astrology?
In astrology, it means that the movements of celestial bodies (above) correspond to events and energies in human life (below). It is the philosophical foundation that makes astrological interpretation coherent.
What is the Flower of Life and how does it relate to "as above so below"?
The Flower of Life is a sacred geometry pattern of overlapping circles found in ancient sites worldwide. It encodes the mathematical structure of the universe and represents the idea that the same geometric template underlies all of creation — a direct expression of the Hermetic principle of correspondence.
Is "as above so below" connected to the Tree of Life?
Yes. In Kabbalistic tradition, the Tree of Life maps the relationship between the divine (above) and the material world (below), making it one of the most direct visual representations of the Hermetic principle.
What does the moon symbolise in "as above so below" imagery?
The moon represents the cyclical nature of time and the correspondence between celestial rhythms and earthly cycles — tides, seasons, and human experience. In Hermetic art, crescent moons often flank central figures to represent this duality of above and below.
Collectors often enjoy owning a physical piece of the symbols they study. Browse our full range of sacred geometry and spiritually-themed designs in the Spiritual & Religious Coins Collection.
Because every collection deserves One more coin.
