A S A B O V E
S O B E L O W
O N E A R T H A S I T
I S I N H E A V E N
As above, so below can mean that whatever a person does on Earth
will be reflected in the spiritual plane, or that whatever happens in nature
or the stars is reflected within the human body.
This phrase finds its roots in Hermeticism and the Emerald Tablet.
Hermeticism, or Hermetism, is a label used to designate
a philosophical system that is primarily based on the
purported teachings of Hermes Trismegistus
(a legendary Hellenistic combination of the Greek god Hermes
and the Egyptian god Thoth).
The aim of Hermetism, like that of Gnosticism
(a contemporary religious-philosophical movement), was the deification or rebirth of mortals through the knowledge (gnosis) of the one transcendent God, the world, and humankind.
The Emerald Tablet is a legendary object that contains
cryptic inscriptions. Deep within the hidden meaning of the text lies
a method of creating transmutation, the change of one substance into another.
Scholars suggest that the tablet may hint at a way to make gold,
create spiritual change, or make an elixir of life.