Glossary - exWitch Australia (formerly 'Born Again Pagan')

FLUDD, Robert (1574-1637)

Man the Microcosm in his Utriusque Cosmi-Historia An English astrologer and philosopher with a strong mystical bent, he became acquainted with the writings of Paracelsus on his travels in Europe and was one of the most prominent authorities on the Hermetic system of his era.

He himself was the author of two famous books, The Mosaical Philosophy and Summum Bonum, in which he presents his own version of the cosmogonic theories of the Kabbalah. Most of his published work was compiled in Latin and was disseminated abroad.

According to Fludd all creation proceeded from God, who is the sum total of everything, and all will eventually return to Him. The act of creation he saw as a separation of two principles, the active (light) and the passive (darkness), within the union of God. Since then three 'worlds' have existed, the first being God or the divine Archetype, the second the universe or macrocosm, and the third man or the microcosm.

In addition to his interest in the Kabbalah, Fludd was an ardent Rosicrucian. He is also claimed by the Freemasons as one of their own.

Some modem occultists perform rituals dedicated to enlightenment on the anniversary of Fludd's death on September 8th. These involve meditating on the celebrated diagram of Man the Microcosm in his Utriusque Cosmi-Historia.

PLEASE NOTE:
One of the major problems with 'defining' Paganism and/or its beliefs and practices is that it is an 'organic' movement, in that it is undergoing constant change and re-evaluation from within, and as such any 'one-size-fits-all' approach to understanding Paganism will be found wanting.

Due to the very 'organic' nature of Paganism, and the many differing Paths and Traditions within it, in many cases no one definition may be universally accepted by all Pagans. Therefore, where such cases of possible conflicting and/or contradictory meanings of certain terms occur I have endevoured to give not only the generally accepted meaning, but also any major 'variations' in belief and/or practice.

Christians who believe this difference in meaning of certain key terms, beliefs and practices to be unique to Paganism need to remember that such conflicts also arise within the Body of Christ - the Church. Take for instance the differing practices amongst Christians concerning Baptism and the different attitudes towards women in the clergy.

- Jean-Luc