It is fair to say that Sumer was the birth of all civilization, where the invention of writing took place, as well as maybe one of the first elaborate forms of religion. Some of the most important esoteric principles and practices were passed into Egypt, where they became associated with the Magical knowledge of the early Egyptians. It became in this process an integral part of the Mediterranean heritage.

 From the beginning of Egypt, religion and magic have been deeply linked to the most ancient divinities. The god Thot and the Goddesses Isis were viewed as the founders of the divine Magic transmitted into Egypt. Their presence and the power of their cults became one of the most important and ancient tradition in the world. A clear difference must be made between the religious beliefs of the common Egyptians and the profane magical practices, with this esoteric birth of the Theurgic tradition. Clear evidence of that appears in books such as the "Poimandres" (author unknown) and "The mysteries of Egypt" by Iamblicus.

 In Ancient Greece, the schools of Mysteries developed into different branches, which are the first we can really call “Initiations”. These include the Mysteries of Eleusis, of Bacchus, of Samothrace...
The term "Mystery" derives from the Latin “mysterium”, itself coming from the Greek “musterion”, meaning in this context a "secret rite or doctrine." An individual who followed such a "Mystery" was a “Mystes” that is, "one who had been initiated".

Some of these Initiatic Mysteries were strongly connected to philosophical schools, such as the Platonist Academia in Athens, later evolving into the Neoplatonist tradition.

These mysteries were always inspired from and in harmony with the traditional cults to the many Pagan Gods and Goddesses. They were the esoteric aspect of these popular rites and beliefs.

The formulation of these secret rites is one of the most important esoteric heritage from this period.

The Greek initiatic traditions effectively combined the sacred Mysteries with the rationalism of Philosophy, which constituted the real genius of this esoteric tradition. For the ancient Greeks, Egypt was always considered as the mother country for the most ancient secrets and magic.

The Greek initiates were strongly present in Alexandria, in the latest period of the Egyptian history know as Ptolemaic period. They brought with them the Greek initiatic system of the mysteries, which were then incorporated by the egyptian priests, giving a new, coherent structure to the ancient Egyptian traditions. This was the real birth of the Hermetist Theurgic tradition, later to be known as the Ogdoadic Tradition or Ordo Aurum Solis. As Sumerian and Egyptian magic also found their place in the clear system of the ancient Greek mysteries, the Western initiatic tradition was born.

After 3000 years, this Hermetist tradition is still there and active!