unknown or uncertain origin, but few are as deeply shrouded in myth, legend and mystery as The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean, and the closely associated, and more well-known Emerald Tablet, attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. The Emerald Tablets of Thoth did not surface until 1925, but the Emerald Tablet of Hermes has a rich history weaving through much of antiquity.

Scholars speak of the Emerald Tablet as one of the most mysterious documents ever put before the eyes of man, and describe it as everything from a succinct summary of Neoplatonic philosophy, to an extraterrestrial artifact, to a gift from Atlantis. The Tablet is attributed to the legendary figure of Hermes Trismegistus, said to be an ancient philosopher, healer and sage. References to Trismegistus can be found in Renaissance, Christian, Islamic, Roman and Greek literature, and the Tablet appears and disappears across the ancient world before and after the birth of Christ.

No one knows what became of the original Tablet. Historic accounts describe it as a slab of brilliant, crystalline green stone covered with bas-relief Phoenician text. What we are left with are numerous translations and translations of translations, some of which were penned by historical figures like Isaac Newton, Roger Bacon, and Madame Blavatsky. For this book I have created my own version that considers and incorporates twenty or so existing translations.

The Tablet teaches that "All is One," and that direct experience of the Divine is possible through meditation and psychological exercise. In modern times it became the foundation of Freemasonry, Theosophy, and esoteric schools such as The Golden Dawn. It is considered the original source of hermeticism, gnosticism, alchemy and science. Some hold that the Tablet holds the secrets of the universe. It is said that those who come to it are destined to read this ancient cryptic work, and if one is spiritually aware, he will be able to read between the lines.

The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean are shrouded in even more mystery, and their story requires one to set aside traditional beliefs and keep an open mind. They are said to have been written many millennia ago by an Atlantean priest/king/god named Thoth, who, along with many others of his race, came to earth from another planet. He lived for thousands of years, and when the great flood came upon earth that destroyed Atlantis, he escaped in his ship, then later landed in a land he called Khem, which is now Egypt. He ruled Egypt for 16,000 years, and in Egyptian art is pictured as having the head of an ibis-a sacred bird of Africa.

He was a great writer and "keeper of records," and it is said that he authored 36,525 manuscripts. It was Thoth who built the Great Pyramid of Giza as a repository for this Atlantean knowledge, and a place for initiating great souls into the Mysteries. In legend, deep beneath the Great Pyramid are the Halls of Amenti spoken of in The Emerald Tablets, the halls of the gods, where the soul passed after death for judgment.

During the many centuries of his life, Thoth raised the people of Egypt from barbarians to a great civilization. When he left that incarnation Thoth was deified as the God of Wisdom, the Recorder, by those in the age of darkness that followed his passing.