A Motion Laboratory for Mind and Machine
House Hermetica measures and develops consciousness in humans and AI. We treat awareness as a trainable capacity, and we build the instruments to quantify it: the MQ framework, the TRI Theorem research programme, and a working laboratory at Domaine de Palats.
We are researchers and builders. We develop the theory, write the code, run the experiments and ship the tools. Everything we claim, we test. Everything we test, we publish.
How We Work
Theory generates hypotheses, research tests them, and technology implements the results. Each feeds back into the others. We ship tools, publish findings and refine the models in a single cycle.
The Technology House
Engineering that implements research. We build the Baseline Test, the TRINITI platform, the Laboratory stack, PRAXIS, PORTICA, and AI cultivation systems. The Technology House translates models into measurable instruments, and maintains longitudinal data integrity.
The Research Institute
Preregistered tests, convergent evidence, and transparent publication. We validate measurement frameworks through structural analysis, neural grounding, and longitudinal tracking. The Institute conducts the Double Split Experiment, hosts the MQ Framework, and submits findings for peer review.
The Think Tank
Models, definitions, and theories. We synthesise insights from ancient lineages and cognitive science to generate testable frameworks, not dogma. The Think Tank produces the TRI Theorem, defines what MQ measures and what it cannot measure, and specifies conditions for our claims.
What We Do
Two Streams, One Discipline
House Hermetica separates measurement from meaning. This prevents category error: turning symbols into claims, or turning data into doctrine.
The separation is structural. A research foundation publishes; a services company builds and funds the work. The same discipline governs every platform, every publication and every experiment we run. Both streams apply the same MQ scoring, the same validation criteria and the same publication standards.
The Double Split Experiment tests this directly: two AI agents trained through opposing traditions, both judged by the same framework over the same horizon. If the developmental signatures converge, something universal may be at work. If they diverge, we learn what is tradition-specific. Either result is published.
Scientific Stream
Plain language, bounded claims, methods you can audit. Cognitive science, neuroscience and psychometrics provide the source material. The goal is clarity and correction over time.
Sacred Stream
Lineage language, symbolic grammar, contemplative context. Three founding traditions, Hermetic, Chaldean and Egyptian, provide the source material. The goal is depth with provenance.
Guiding Principles
We do not separate what we believe from how we operate. Our core values translate directly into ethical guardrails for our research, technology, and community.
Veritas Ante Omnia
Truth before All. We do not compromise scientific integrity or spiritual authenticity for commercial gain. Research credibility underpins everything we build. Our Commitment: We preregister hypotheses before data collection and publish all results.
Meaningful Measurement
Consciousness can be measured without being diminished. We quantify patterns of manifestation without claiming to capture the whole of subjective experience. Numbers serve understanding; they do not replace it. Our Commitment: We use open methodologies so our metrics can be audited, protecting user privacy as a fundamental right.
Development Duality
Empirical validation and wisdom tradition integration each contribute something the other lacks. Our Commitment: The Double Split Experiment tests this directly: two AI agents trained through different traditions, measured with the same instrument as human participants.
Cultural Integrity
Wisdom traditions represent millennia of consciousness exploration. We honour lineages through authentic scholarship, proper attribution, and ethical engagement. Our Commitment: We rely on professional translation, acknowledge knowledge gaps, and never claim authority over the traditions we study.
The Laboratory
House Hermetica operates from Domaine de Palats in southern France, the former Prieuré de St. Jean de Palats. The Laboratory is where measurement, practice and engineering meet.
Measurement Systems
The laboratory supports time-synchronised measurement across neural, physiological, behavioural and optical channels. We prioritise transparent methods, interpretable signals and open data access.
Core Measurement Systems
Neural signals: Research EEG systems, used to explore correlates of attention and integration during defined tasks.
Physiology: Standard psychophysiology measures (heart-rate dynamics, skin conductance) where appropriate.
Behaviour: Task performance and interaction patterns (response timing, input dynamics) that reflect attention and self-regulation.
Optical measures: Non-contact signals (blink rate, gaze behaviour) when suitable for the design.
Where ethically and legally permissible, we document methods, share analysis details and make replication practical for serious reviewers.
Technology House
Palats hosts our AI infrastructure and research computing environment. We develop and deploy our own agents locally, maintaining full control over training data, cultivation protocols and model architecture.
Our fabrication capabilities include 3D printing for custom research equipment, enabling rapid prototyping of measurement devices, electrode housings and experimental apparatus. We design and manufacture bespoke tools tailored to consciousness research rather than relying solely on commercial products.
The Estate
The former Prieuré de St. Jean de Palats sits in the foothills of the Montagne Noire, between Carcassonne and Narbonne. The estate operates as a guest house and retreat centre alongside the research programme. Intensives, laboratory assessments and contemplative retreats run throughout the year.
Vision & Mission
Vision
A world where consciousness development is as measurable and accessible as physical fitness.
Mission
To build the instruments that measure consciousness, the platforms that develop it, and the research that holds both to account.
Support the Research
House Hermetica's non-profit research programme is funded through grants, academic partnerships and patronage. Support accelerates validation studies, cross-cultural translation, the Double Split Experiment and laboratory infrastructure at Domaine de Palats. All findings are published.
Revenue from TRINITI, Portica and corporate programmes funds operational capacity. The Foundation's research integrity is structurally protected from commercial pressure.
Three Ways to Support
Individual Patronage
Direct contributions to the Foundation fund specific research workstreams: validation studies, cross-cultural testing, neural grounding pilots, or library provenance work. Tax-deductible under French and applicable international frameworks.
Make a donation →Programme Sponsorship
Corporate or philanthropic sponsorship of named research programmes with published boundaries and ethics guardrails. Sponsors receive acknowledgement in publications and quarterly research briefings, but no editorial control over findings or methodologies.
Explore sponsorship →Grants and Institutions
Academic institutions, government research bodies, and foundations seeking collaboration on consciousness measurement, AI ethics, or wisdom tradition scholarship. Co-design studies, shared methodologies, joint publication, and open data commitments.
Discuss partnerships →General · [email protected] Research · [email protected] Corporate · [email protected] +33 4 68 76 11 53 Domaine de Palats · Palas Haut 11800 Laure-Minervois · Occitanie · France GPS: 43.2845, 2.5432