BOOK THE KYBALION

The Kybalion is a relatively small book that was first published in 1908 in Chicago (USA) and below I show you the cover and the first page of the first edition.

 

 

The subtitle is:

 

The Kybalion. A Study of the Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece

 

Written by Three Initiates

 

 

And below was the following sentence:

 

"The lips of wisdom are closed, except to the ears of understanding."

 

 

Published by The Yogi Publication Society, Masonic Temple, Chicago, Illinois.

 

 

 

On the next two pages appear the copyright and a dedication

 

 

« To Hermes Trismegistus, known by the ancient Egyptians as "the Great of Greats" and "Master of Masters" , this little volume of hermetic teaching is reverently dedicated . »

 

 

And since the authors did not reveal their identity, the book fell into the public domain beginning in 1979.

 

And on the next page is the table of contents

 

 

 

 

The introduction says the following:

 

We take great pleasure in presenting to the attention of students and investigators of the Secret Doctrines this little work based upon the world-old Hermetic Teachings. There has been so little written upon this subject, not withstanding the countless references to the Teachings in the many works upon occultism, that the many earnest searchers after the Arcane Truths will doubtless welcome the appearance of this present volume.

 

The purpose of this work is not the enunciation of any special philosophy or doctrine, but rather is to give to the students a statement of the Truth that will serve to reconcile the many bits of occult knowledge that they may have acquired, but which are apparently opposed to each other and which often serve to discourage and disgust the beginner in the study. Our intent is not to erect a new Temple of Knowledge, but rather to place in the hands of the student a Master-Key with which he may open the many inner doors in the Temple of Mystery through the main portals he has already entered.

 

There is no portion of the occult teachings possessed by the world which have been so closely guarded as the fragments of the Hermetic Teachings which have come down to us over the tens of centuries which have elapsed since the lifetime of its great founder, Hermes Trismegistus, the "scribe of the gods," who dwelt in old Egypt in the days when the present race of men was in its infancy. Contemporary with Abraham, and, if the legends be true, an instructor of that venerable sage, Hermes was, and is, the Great Central Sun of Occultism, whose rays have served to illumine the countless teachings which have been promulgated since his time. All the fundamental and basic teachings embedded in the esoteric teachings of every race may be traced back to Hermes. Even the most ancient teachings of India undoubtedly have their roots in the original Hermetic Teachings.

 

From the land of the Ganges many advanced occultists wandered to the land of Egypt, and sat at the feet of the Master. From him they obtained the Master-Key which explained and reconciled their divergent views, and thus the Secret Doctrine was firmly established. From other lands also came the learned ones, all of whom regarded Hermes as the Master of Masters, and his influence was so great that in spite of the many wanderings from the path on the part of the centuries of teachers in these different lands, there may still be found a certain basic resemblance and correspondence which underlies the many and often quite divergent theories entertained and taught by the occultists of these different lands today. The student of Comparative Religions will be able to perceive the influence of the Hermetic Teachings in every religion worthy of the name, now known to man, whether it be a dead religion or one in full vigor in our own times. There is always certain correspondence in spite of the contradictory features, and the Hermetic Teachings act as the Great Reconciler.

 

The lifework of Hermes seems to have been in the direction of planting the great Seed-Truth which has grown and blossomed in so many strange forms, rather than to establish a school of philosophy which would dominate, the world's thought. But, nevertheless, the original truths taught by him have been kept intact in their original purity by a few men each age, who, refusing great numbers of half-developed students and followers, followed the Hermetic custom and reserved their truth for the few who were ready to comprehend and master it. From lip to ear the truth has been handed down among the few. There have always been a few Initiates in each generation, in the various lands of the earth, who kept alive the sacred flame of the Hermetic Teachings, and such have always been willing to use their lamps to re-light the lesser lamps of the outside world, when the light of truth grew dim, and clouded by reason of neglect, and when the wicks became clogged with foreign matter. There were always a few to tend faithfully the altar of the Truth, upon which was kept alight the Perpetual Lamp of Wisdom. These men devoted their lives to the labor of love which the poet has so well stated in his lines:

 

"O, let not the flame die out! Cherished age after age in its dark cavern—in its holy temples cherished. Fed by pure ministers of love—let not the flame die out!"

 

These men have never sought popular approval, nor numbers of followers. They are indifferent to these things, for they know how few there are in each generation who are ready for the truth, or who would recognize it if it were presented to them. They reserve the "strong meat for men," while others furnish the "milk for babes." They reserve their pearls of wisdom for the few elect, who recognize their value and who wear them in their crowns, instead of casting them before the materialistic vulgar swine, who would trample them in the mud and mix them with their disgusting mental food. But still these men have never forgotten or overlooked the original teachings of Hermes, regarding the passing on of the words of truth to those ready to receive it, which teaching is stated in The Kybalion as follows:

 

"Where fall the footsteps of the Master, the ears of those ready for his Teaching open wide." And again: "When the ears of the student are ready to hear, then cometh the lips to fill them with wisdom." But their customary attitude has always been strictly in accordance with the other Hermetic aphorism, also in The Kybalion: "The lips of Wisdom are closed, except to the ears of Understanding."

 

There are those who have criticized this attitude of the Hermetists, and who have claimed that they did not manifest the proper spirit in their policy of seclusion and reticence. But a moment's glance back over the pages of history will show the wisdom of the Masters, who knew the folly of attempting to teach to the world that which it was neither ready or willing to receive. The Hermetists have never sought to be martyrs, and have, instead, sat silently aside with a pitying smile on their closed lips, while the "heathen raged noisily about them" in their customary amusement of putting to death and torture the honest but misguided enthusiasts who imagined that they could force upon a race of barbarians the truth capable of being understood only by the elect who had advanced along The Path.

 

And the spirit of persecution has not as yet died out in the land. There are certain Hermetic Teachings, which, if publicly promulgated, would bring down upon the teachers a great cry of scorn and revilement from the multitude, who would again raise the cry of "Crucify! Crucify."

 

In this little work we have endeavored to give you an idea of the fundamental teachings of The Kybalion, striving to give you the working Principles, leaving you to apply therm yourselves, rather than attempting to work out the teaching in detail. If you are a true student, you will be able to work out and apply these Principles—if not, then you must develop yourself into one, for otherwise the Hermetic Teachings will be as "words, words, words" to you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the fifteen chapters that make up the book can be read at the following links:

 

       1.  The Hermetic Philosophy

       2.  The Seven Hermetic Principles

       3.  The Principle of Mentalism

       4.  The All

       5.  The Mental Universe

       6.  The Divine Paradox

       7.  "The All" in All

       8.  The Principle of Correspondence

       9.  The Principle of Vibration

     10.  The Principle of Polarity

     11.  The Principle of Rhythm

     12.  The Principle of Cause and Effect

     13.  The Principle of Gender

     14.  Mental Transmutation

     15.  Hermetic Axioms

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE HERMETIC PHILOSOPHY TAUGHT BY THE KYBALION

The chapter 1 of the book The Kybalion summarizes the history of Hermetism.

 

"The lips of wisdom are closed, except to the ears of Understanding" — The Kybalion

 

From old Egypt have come the fundamental esoteric and occult teachings which have so strongly influenced the philosophies of all races, nations and peoples, for several thousand years. Egypt, the home of the Pyramids and the Sphinx, was the birthplace of the Hidden Wisdom and Mystic Teachings. From her Secret Doctrine all nations have borrowed. India, Persia, Chaldea, Medea, China, Japan, Assyria, ancient Greece and Rome, and other ancient countries partook liberally at the feast of knowledge which the Hierophants and Masters of the Land of Isis so freely provided for those who came prepared to partake of the great store of Mystic and Occult Lore which the masterminds of that ancient land had gathered together.

 

In ancient Egypt dwelt the great Adepts and Masters who have never been surpassed, and who seldom have been equaled, during the centuries that have taken their processional flight since the days of the Great Hermes. In Egypt was located the Great Lodge of Lodges of the Mystics. At the doors of her Temples entered the Neophytes who afterward, as Hierophants, Adepts, and Masters, traveled to the four corners of the earth, carrying with them the precious knowledge which they were ready, anxious, and willing to pass on to those who were ready to receive the same. All students of the Occult recognize the debt that they owe to these venerable Masters of that ancient land.

 

But among these great Masters of Ancient Egypt there once dwelt one of whom Masters hailed as "The Master of Masters." This man, if "man" indeed he was, dwelt in Egypt in the earliest days. He was known as Hermes Trismegistus. He was the father of the Occult Wisdom; the founder of Astrology; the discoverer of Alchemy. The details of his life story are lost to history, owing to the lapse of the years, though several of the ancient countries disputed with each other in their claims to the honor of having furnished his birthplace—and this thousands of years ago. The date of his sojourn in Egypt, in that his last incarnation on this planet, is not now known, but it has been fixed at the early days of the oldest dynasties of Egypt—long before the days of Moses. The best authorities regard him as a contemporary of Abraham, and some of the Jewish traditions go so far as to claim that Abraham acquired a portion of his mystic knowledge from Hermes himself.

 

As the years rolled by after his passing from this plane of life (tradition recording that he lived three hundred years in the flesh), the Egyptians deified Hermes, and made him one of their gods, under the name of Thoth. Years after, the people of Ancient Greece also made him one of their many gods—calling him "Hermes, the god of Wisdom." The Egyptians revered his memory for many centuries-yes, tens of centuries— calling him "the Scribe of the Gods," and bestowing upon him, distinctively, his ancient title, "Trismegistus," which means "the thrice-great"; "the great-great"; "the greatest-great"; etc. In all the ancient lands, the name of Hermes Trismegistus was revered, the name being synonymous with the "Fount of Wisdom."

 

Even to this day, we use the term "hermetic" in the sense of "secret"; "sealed so that nothing can escape"; etc., and this by reason of the fact that the followers of Hermes always observed the principle of secrecy in their teachings. They did not believe in "casting pearls before swine," but rather held to the teaching "milk for babes"; "meat for strong men," both of which maxims are familiar to readers of the Christian scriptures, but both of which had been used by the Egyptians for centuries before the Christian era.

 

And this policy of careful dissemination of the truth has always characterized the Hermetics, even unto the present day. The Hermetic Teachings are to be found in all lands, among all religions, but never identified with any particular country, nor with any particular religious sect. This because of the warning of the ancient teachers against allowing the Secret Doctrine to become crystallized into a creed. The wisdom of this caution is apparent to all students of history. The ancient occultism of India and Persia degenerated, and was largely lost, owing to the fact that the teachers became priests, and so mixed theology with the philosophy, the result being that the occultism of India and Persia has been gradually lost amidst the mass of religious superstition, cults, creeds and "gods." So it was with Ancient Greece and Rome. So it was with the Hermetic Teachings of the Gnostics and Early Christians, which were lost at the time of Constantine, whose iron hand smothered philosophy with the blanket of theology, losing to the Christian Church that which was its very essence and spirit, and causing it to grope throughout several centuries before it found the way back to its ancient faith, the indications apparent to all careful observers in this Twentieth Century being that the Church is now struggling to get back to its ancient mystic teachings.

 

But there were always a few faithful souls who kept alive the Flame, tending it carefully, and not allowing its light to become extinguished. And thanks to these staunch hearts, and fearless minds, we have the truth still with us. But it is not found in books, to any great extent. It has been passed along from Master to Student; from Initiate to Hierophant; from lip to ear. When it was written down at all, its meaning was veiled in terms of alchemy and astrology so that only those possessing the key could read it aright. This was made necessary in order to avoid the persecutions of the theologians of the Middle Ages, who fought the Secret Doctrine with fire and sword; stake, gibbet and cross. Even to this day there will be found but few reliable books on the Hermetic Philosophy, although there are countless references to it in many books written on various phases of Occultism. And yet, the Hermetic Philosophy is the only Master Key which will open all the doors of the Occult Teachings!

 

In the early days, there was a compilation of certain Basic Hermetic Doctrines, passed on from teacher to student, which was known as "THE KYBALION," the exact significance and meaning of the term having been lost for several centuries. This teaching, however, is known to many to whom it has descended, from mouth to ear, on and on throughout the centuries. Its precepts have never been written down, or printed, so far as we know. It was merely a collection of maxims, axioms, and precepts, which were non-understandable to outsiders, but which were readily understood by students, after the axioms, maxims, and precepts had been explained and exemplified by the Hermetic Initiates to their Neophytes. These teachings really constituted the basic principles of "The Art of Hermetic Alchemy," which, contrary to the general belief, dealt in the mastery of Mental Forces, rather than Material Elements-the Transmutation of one kind of Mental Vibrations into others, instead of the changing of one kind of metal into another. The legends of the "Philosopher's Stone" which would turn base metal into Gold, was an allegory relating to Hermetic Philosophy, readily understood by all students of true Hermeticism.

 

In this little book, of which this is the First Lesson, we invite our students to examine into the Hermetic Teachings, as set forth in THE KYBALION, and as explained by ourselves, humble students of the Teachings, who, while bearing the title of Initiates, are still students at the feet of HERMES, the Master. We herein give you many of the maxims, axioms and precepts of THE KYBALION, accompanied by explanations and illustrations which we deem likely to render the teachings more easily comprehended by the modern student, particularly as the original text is purposely veiled in obscure terms.

 

The original maxims, axioms, and precepts of THE KYBALION are printed herein, in italics, the proper credit being given. Our own work is printed in the regular way, in the body of the work. We trust that the many students to whom we now offer this little work will derive as much benefit from the study of its pages as have the many who have gone on before, treading the same Path to Mastery throughout the centuries that have passed since the times of HERMES TRISMEGISTUS—the Master of Masters—the Great-Great. In the words of "THE KYBALION":

 

"Where fall the footsteps of the Master, the ears of those ready for his Teaching open wide.” — The Kybalion

 

"When the ears of the student are ready to hear, then cometh the lips to fill them with Wisdom.” — The Kybalion

 

So that according to the Teachings, the passage of this book to those ready for the instruction will attract the attention of such as are prepared to receive the Teaching. And, likewise, when the pupil is ready to receive the truth, then will this little book come to him, or her. Such is The Law. The Hermetic Principle of Cause and Effect, in its aspect of The Law of Attraction, will bring lips and ear together—pupil and book in company. So mote it be!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OBSERVATIONS

 

Here the author of this book wants to make his readers believe that there was an ancient compilation of the hermetic teachings known as "The Kybalion" and from this compilation he elaborated this book.

 

But that is not true, firstly because no scholar had previously spoken of this compilation, and secondly, because as I showed you in the articles before, the author of this book makes big mistakes and tells huge falsehoods, which disqualifies him so that he would have really had access to a true hermetic teaching.

 

And therefore I conclude that it is most likely that he himself elaborated those axioms based on what he had studied and speculated. But to give his book more prestige, he concocted this story that he relied on a "genuine and ancient compilation of hermetic axioms known as The Kybalion."

 

As for what he says about Hermes Trismegistus, I couldn't tell you if it is true or false because we know practically nothing about that ancient character and a lot has been made up about it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE SEVEN HERMETIC PRINCIPLES TAUGHT BY THE KYBALION

The chapter 2 of the book The Kybalion lists "the seven hermetic principles."

 

"The Principles of Truth are Seven; he who knows these, understandingly, possesses the Magic Key before whose touch all the Doors of the Temple fly open.” — The Kybalion.

 

The Seven Hermetic Principles, upon which the entire Hermetic Philosophy is based, are as follows:

 

       1. The Principle of Mentalism

       2. The Principle of Correspondence

       3. The Principle of Vibration

       4. The Principle of Polarity

       5. The Principle of Rhythm

       6. The Principle of Cause and Effect

       7. The Principle of Gender

 

These Seven Principles will be discussed and explained as we proceed with these lessons. A short explanation of each, however, may as well be given at this point.

 

 

 

1. The Principle of Mentalism

 

"THE ALL IS MIND; The Universe is Mental.” — The Kybalion

 

This Principle embodies the truth that "All is Mind." It explains that THE ALL (which is the Substantial Reality underlying all the outward manifestations and appearances which we know under the terms of "The Material Universe"; the "Phenomena of Life"; "Matter"; "Energy"; and, in short, all that is apparent to our material senses) is SPIRIT which in itself is UNKNOWABLE and UNDEFINABLE, but which may be considered and thought of as AN UNIVERSAL, INFINITE, LIVING MIND.

 

(Here the author of the Kybalion confuses the Spirit of God, with the Mind of God, with the Totality of God.)

 

It also explains that all the phenomenal world or universe is simply a Mental Creation of THE ALL, subject to the Laws of Created Things, and that the universe, as a whole, and in its parts or units, has its existence in the Mind of THE ALL, in which Mind we "live and move and have our being."

 

(This is also false because although the Universe originated in "the mind of God", clearly the Universe is physical and not mental, since it is made up of physical matter and not mental substance, and therefore the Universe that we perceive has its existence in the "physical body of God" and not in the "mind of God".)

 

This Principle, by establishing the Mental Nature of the Universe, easily explains all of the varied mental and psychic phenomena that occupy such a large portion of the public attention, and which, without such explanation, are non-understandable and defy scientific treatment. An understanding of this great Hermetic Principle of Mentalism enables the individual to readily grasp the laws of the Mental Universe, and to apply the same to his well-being and advancement. The Hermetic Student is enabled to apply intelligently the great Mental Laws, instead of using them in a haphazard manner. With the Master-Key in his possession, the student may unlock the many doors of the mental and psychic temple of knowledge, and enter the same freely and intelligently.

 

This Principle explains the true nature of "Energy," "Power," and "Matter," and why and how all these are subordinate to the Mastery of Mind. One of the old Hermetic Masters wrote, long ages ago: "He who grasps the truth of the Mental Nature of the Universe is well advanced on The Path to Mastery." And these words are as true today as at the time they were first written. Without this Master-Key, Mastery is impossible, and the student knocks in vain at the many doors of The Temple.

 

 

Note

 

By enunciating this first principle, the author of the Kybalion seeks for his readers to transcend the materialistic vision that was held at the beginning of the 20th century, where the Universe was considered to be only something physical, but he does it incorrectly because the Universe is not either only mental, nor is it solely controlled by the mental, as he claims; since in reality the Universe is first and foremost energy, and energy takes different forms and characteristics as it densifies.

 

Therefore, the Universe is mind, but it is also emotion, and it is also life, and it is also matter, and it is many other states that humans do not yet know.

 

The mind is only a very small portion of the ALL, and the masters explained that the mind only has influence on the five densest planes of existence, but instead the mind does not intervene in the 338 higher planes that are also part of the ALL and where other types of expressions of existence are manifested that currently exceed our comprehension.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. The Principle of Correspondence

 

"As above, so below; as below, so above.” — The Kybalion

 

This Principle embodies the truth that there is always a Correspondence between the laws and phenomena of the various planes of Being and Life. The old Hermetic axiom ran in these words: "As above, so below; as below, so above." And the grasping of this Principle gives one the means of solving many a dark paradox, and hidden secret of Nature. There are planes beyond our knowing, but when we apply the Principle of Correspondence to them we are able to understand much that would otherwise be unknowable to us.

 

This Principle is of universal application and manifestation, on the various planes of the material, mental, and spiritual universe—it is an Universal Law. The ancient Hermetists considered this Principle as one of the most important mental instruments by which man was able to pry aside the obstacles which hid from view the Unknown. Its use even tore aside the Veil of Isis to the extent that a glimpse of the face of the goddess might be caught. Just as a knowledge of the Principles of Geometry enables man to measure distant suns and their movements, while seated in his observatory, so a knowledge of the Principle of Correspondence enables Man to reason intelligently from the Known to the Unknown. Studying the monad, he understands the archangel.

 

 

Note

 

I agree with this second principle, but the author of the Kybalion fell short in his explanation because he only pointed out the correspondence that exists between the different planes of existence, but in reality there is not only a correspondence between the planes, but also a correspondence between the different scales of the Universe, and there is also a correspondence between the different kingdoms, and in fact there is a correspondence between everything that exists in the Universe, for example, there is also a correspondence with the musical notes, with the colors, with the chakras, with the cycles, etc.

 

There is correspondence with everything, and this is due to the fact that the same septenary structure manifests itself in all aspects of Creation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. The Principle of Vibration

 

"Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates." — The Kybalion

 

This Principle embodies the truth that "everything is in motion"; "everything vibrates"; "nothing is at rest"; facts which Modern Science endorses, and which each new scientific discovery tends to verify. And yet this Hermetic Principle was enunciated thousands of years ago, by the Masters of Ancient Egypt. This Principle explains that the differences between different manifestations of Matter, Energy, Mind, and even Spirit, result largely from varying rates of Vibration. From THE ALL, which is Pure Spirit, down to the grossest form of Matter, all is in vibration—the higher the vibration, the higher the position in the scale.

 

The vibration of Spirit is at such an infinite rate of intensity and rapidity that it is practically at rest—just as a rapidly moving wheel seems to be motionless. And at the other end of the scale, there are gross forms of matter whose vibrations are so low as to seem at rest. Between these poles, there are millions upon millions of varying degrees of vibration. From corpuscle and electron, atom and molecule, to worlds and universes, everything is in vibratory motion. This is also true on the planes of energy and force (which are but varying degrees of vibration); and also on the mental planes (whose states depend upon vibrations); and even on to the spiritual planes.

 

An understanding of this Principle, with the appropriate formulas, enables Hermetic students to control their own mental vibrations as well as those of others. The Masters also apply this Principle to the conquering of Natural phenomena, in various ways. "He who understands the Principle of Vibration, has grasped the scepter of power," says one of the old writers.

 

 

Note

 

I agree with this third principle, but the author of the Kybalion confuses vibration with rotation, since a being can be very still but still be vibrating very highly (such as a master meditating); and conversely an object can be spinning very quickly but still be vibrating very slightly (such as a rotating asteroid).

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. The Principle of Polarity

 

"Everything is Dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; extremes meet; all truths are but half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled.” — The Kybalion

 

This Principle embodies the truth that "everything is dual"; "everything has two poles"; "everything has its pair of opposites," all of which were old Hermetic axioms. It explains the old paradoxes, that have perplexed so many, which have been stated as follows: "Thesis and antithesis are identical in nature, but different in degree"; "opposites are the same, differing only in degree"; "the pairs of opposites may be reconciled"; "extremes meet"; "everything is and isn't, at the same time"; "all truths are but half-truths"; "every truth is half-false"; "there are two sides to everything," etc., etc., etc. It explains that in everything there are two poles, or opposite aspects, and that "opposites" are really only the two extremes of the same thing, with many varying degrees between them. To illustrate: Heat and Cold, although "opposites," are really the same thing, the differences consisting merely of degrees of the same thing. Look at your thermometer and see if you can discover where "heat" terminates and "cold" begins!

 

There is no such thing as "absolute heat" or "absolute cold"—the two terms "heat" and "cold" simply indicate varying degrees of the same thing, and that "same thing" which manifests as "heat" and "cold" is merely a form, variety, and rate of Vibration. So "heat" and "cold" are simply the "two poles" of that which we call "Heat"—and the phenomena attendant thereupon are manifestations of the Principle of Polarity. The same Principle manifests in the case of "Light and Darkness," which are the same thing, the difference consisting of varying degrees between the two poles of the phenomena. Where does "darkness" leave off, and "light" begin? What is the difference between "Large and Small"? Between "Hard and Soft"? Between "Black and White"? Between "Sharp and Dull"? Between "Noise and Quiet"? Between "High and Low"? Between "Positive and Negative"?

 

The Principle of Polarity explains these paradoxes, and no other Principle can supersede it. The same Principle operates on the Mental Plane. Let us take a radical and extreme example—that of "Love and Hate," two mental states apparently totally different. And yet there are degrees of Hate and degrees of Love, and a middle point in which we use the terms "Like or Dislike," which shade into each other so gradually that sometimes we are at a loss to know whether we "like" or "dislike" or "neither." And all are simply degrees of the same thing, as you will see if you will but think a moment. And, more than this (and considered of more importance by the Hermetists), it is possible to change the vibrations of Hate to the vibrations of Love, in one's own mind, and in the minds of others.

 

Many of you, who read these lines, have had personal experiences of the involuntary rapid transition from Love to Hate, and the reverse, in your own case and that of others. And you will therefore realize the possibility of this being accomplished by the use of the Will, by means of the Hermetic formulas. "Good and Evil" are but the poles of the same thing, and the Hermetist understands the art of transmuting Evil into Good, by means of an application of the Principle of Polarity. In short, the "Art of Polarization" becomes a phase of "Mental Alchemy" known and practiced by the ancient and modern Hermetic Masters. An understanding of the Principle will enable one to change his own Polarity, as well as that of others, if he will devote the time and study necessary to master the art.

 

 

Note

 

Here the author of the Kybalion confuses polarity with the absence of energy, that are not the same since two opposite poles, for example: a positive charge and a negative charge, or the masculine and the feminine, etc., in where if there are two polarities that are opposed; but that it is something different from heat and cold, or light and darkness, etc., where there is an absence of energy.

 

What is the difference?

 

Well, when the heat appears, the cold disappears; and likewise when the light appears, darkness disappears. On the other hand, when a man appears, the woman does not disappear because we are talking about two entities that have their own existence.

 

And this difference between these two notions is important because when it comes to a true polarity, in those cases you have to find a balance between these two poles (and not cling to the positive pole as the author of the Kybalion claims). On the other hand, when it comes to an absence of energy, you have to learn to live more and more in greater degrees of this energy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. The Principle of Rhythm

 

"Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates.” — The Kybalion

 

This Principle embodies the truth that in everything there is manifested a measured motion, to and fro; a flow and inflow; a swing backward and forward; a pendulum-like movement; a tide-like ebb and flow; a high-tide and low-tide; between the two poles which exist in accordance with the Principle of Polarity described a moment ago. There is always an action and a reaction; an advance and a retreat; a rising and a sinking. This is in the affairs of the Universe, suns, worlds, men, animals, mind, energy, and matter. This law is manifest in the creation and destruction of worlds; in the rise and fall of nations; in the life of all things; and finally in the mental states of Man (and it is with this latter that the Hermetists find the understanding of the Principle most important).

 

The Hermetists have grasped this Principle, finding its universal application, and have also discovered certain means to overcome its effects in themselves by the use of the appropriate formulas and methods. They apply the Mental Law of Neutralization. They cannot annul the Principle, or cause it to cease its operation, but they have learned how to escape its effects upon themselves to a certain degree depending upon the Mastery of the Principle. They have learned how to USE it, instead of being USED BY it. In this and similar methods, consist the Art of the Hermetists. The Master of Hermetics polarizes himself at the point at which he desires to rest, and then neutralizes the Rhythmic swing of the pendulum which would tend to carry him to the other pole.

 

All individuals who have attained any degree of Self-Mastery do this to a certain degree, more or less unconsciously, but the Master does this consciously, and by the use of his Will, and attains a degree of Poise and Mental Firmness almost impossible of belief on the part of the masses who are swung backward and forward like a pendulum. This Principle and that of Polarity have been closely studied by the Hermetists, and the methods of counteracting, neutralizing, and USING them form an important part of the Hermetic Mental Alchemy.

 

 

Note

 

Here the author of the Kybalion made a lot of jumble with the concepts, because the rhythm is not necessarily an oscillatory movement as he pretends, since for example, if you tie a small piece of paper with a ribbon to the branch of a tree, you will to verify that the paper is going to be oscillating but without a certain rhythm because it is going to move randomly depending on the wind.

 

On the other hand, in the movement of a pendulum there is a rhythm, but it is not because the pendulum is oscillating, but because that oscillating movement has a repetitive cadence.

 

And neither is rhythm action and reaction (as the author of the Kybalion also states) because, for example, if you hit glass with a hammer, the glass will break. But where is the rhythm in that? There is no rhythm in this action because once the reaction is done, the glass is simply destroyed.

 

And neither does the alternation necessarily have to have a rhythm, because for example, if the tides move rhythmically, this is because the Moon orbits in a stable way around the Earth, but if the Moon orbits in an unstable way, then the tides would not have a set rhythm.

 

So what is rhythm?

 

The rhythm is simply a series of events that are repeated in a certain way and periodically during a certain interval of time. For example, when you listen to a song, you perceive that the melody has a certain cadence, and this repeated cadence is what gives the song its rhythm.

 

So the rhythm is a peculiarity that tends to manifest itself in a succession of events, but the rhythm is not a universal principle, since there are many series of events that are carried out in a variable, irregular, discontinuous, random and even chaotic way, and that therefore they have no rhythm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. The Principle of Cause and Effect

 

"Every Cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause; everything happens according to Law; Chance is but a name for Law not recognized; there are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes the Law.” — The Kybalion

 

This Principle embodies the fact that there is a Cause for every Effect; an Effect from every Cause. It explains that: "Everything Happens according to Law"; that nothing ever "merely happens"; that there is no such thing as Chance; that while there are various planes of Cause and Effect, the higher dominating the lower planes, still nothing ever entirely escapes the Law. The Hermetists understand the art and methods of rising above the ordinary plane of Cause and Effect, to a certain degree, and by mentally rising to a higher plane they become Causers instead of Effects.

 

The masses of people are carried along, obedient to environment; the wills and desires of others stronger than themselves; heredity; suggestion; and other outward causes moving them about like pawns on the Chessboard of Life. But the Masters, rising to the plane above, dominate their moods, characters, qualities, and powers, as well as the environment surrounding them, and become Movers instead of pawns. They help to PLAY THE GAME OF LIFE, instead of being played and moved about by other wills and environment. They USE the Principle instead of being its tools. The Masters obey the Causation of the higher planes, but they help to RULE on their own plane. In this statement there is condensed a wealth of Hermetic knowledge—let him read who can.

 

 

Note

 

I generally agree with what the author of the Kybalion said about this principle, but I do not agree when he says that chance does not exist, because the fact that a result is random does not mean that it does not have a cause, it have a cause that is not predetermined.

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. The Principle of Gender

 

"Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine Principles; Gender manifests on all planes.” — The Kybalion

 

This Principle embodies the truth that there is GENDER manifested in everything—the Masculine and Feminine Principles ever at work. This is true not only of the Physical Plane, but of the Mental and even the Spiritual Planes. On the Physical Plane, the Principle manifests as SEX, on the higher planes it takes higher forms, but the Principle is ever the same. No creation, physical, mental or spiritual, is possible without this Principle. An understanding of its laws will throw light on many a subject that has perplexed the minds of men.

 

The Principle of Gender works ever in the direction of generation, regeneration, and creation. Everything, and every person, contains the two Elements or Principles, or this great Principle, within it, him or her. Every Male thing has the Female Element also; every Female contains also the Male Principle. If you would understand the philosophy of Mental and Spiritual Creation, Generation, and Re-generation, you must understand and study this Hermetic Principle. It contains the solution of many mysteries of Life.

 

We caution you that this Principle has no reference to the many base, pernicious and degrading lustful theories, teachings and practices, which are taught under fanciful titles, and which are a prostitution of the great natural principle of Gender. Such base revivals of the ancient infamous forms of Phallicism tend to ruin mind, body and soul, and the Hermetic Philosophy has ever sounded the warning note against these degraded teachings which tend toward lust, licentiousness, and perversion of Nature's principles. If you seek such teachings, you must go elsewhere for them—Hermeticism contains nothing for you along these lines. To the pure, all things are pure; to the base, all things are base.

 

 

 

Note

 

Here the author of the Kybalion is very wrong because the masters explained that the beings that inhabit the subtle planes (and also humans when they disincarnate) are asexual. So there is no gender on the other planes of existence.

 

But neither does gender permeate the entire physical plane (as the author of the Kybalion claims) since, for example: there are no male atoms that unite with female atoms to procreate baby atoms. Nor are there male planets and female planets.

 

Therefore, gender is only one of the ways that organic beings have to procreate, and I precise "one" because there are also other ways of reproducing, such as: budding, fragmentation, bipartition, sporulation, parthenogenesis, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OBSERVATIONS

 

The author of the Kybalion put these seven principles in his book as if they were "The Seven Great Universal Laws revealed by Hermeticism", but that is not true, and it is actually noticeable that he himself made this list based on his own assumptions, but unfortunately he showed little knowledge in esoteric matters because several of those principles that he enunciated are not universal, and instead he failed to mention other principles that are universal and that are also very important.

 

 

1) The first principle that he mentions (the principle of mentalism) as I indicated above, is not a universal principle since the mind is only a very small portion of THE ALL, and therefore what in reality should have been put instead of mind, is consciousness, since everything that exists is endowed with consciousness, only that it is found in an infinity of degrees and forms.

 

 

2) The second principle that he mentions (the principle of correspondence), there I have nothing to say against it, but I would put this principle below because there are other principles that are more fundamental because they explain the very essence of Creation, while the principle of correspondence explains how Creation is interrelated in its different aspects.

 

 

3) The third principle that he mentions (the principle of vibration), I agree that everything vibrates, but since it is required to mention only the seven most important principles, I would unite this principle with a larger principle that is the principle of movement.

 

Because everything moves, from the smallest to the most immense, but it turns out that there are three main types of movements:

 

 A) There is an internal movement which is known as “vibration”.

 B) There is an external movement which is known as "displacement".

 C) And there is a third, more transcendental type of movement which is known as "involution and evolution", and this movement implies that everything that exists is either:

     -    in the ascending arc going towards the Supreme Spirit, or

     -    in the downward arc going towards matter.

So instead of only pointing out the principle of vibration, the author of the Kybalion should have gone further and therefore should have spoken of the principle of movement.

 

 

4) The fourth principle that he mentions (the principle of polarity) is not a universal principle since not everything that exists has a polarity (starting with God himself who is unity and not duality), and actually polarity is a characteristic which often takes energy to be able to create.

 

 

5) The fifth principle that he mentions (the principle of rhythm), as I indicated above, is not a universal principle, and the author of the Kybalion must have increased his perception and considered the principle of periodicity that says that everything in the Universe develops through cycles (and often those cycles acquire a rhythm, but not necessarily).

 

 

6) The sixth principle that he mentions (the principle of cause and effect), I have nothing against to say about it. But instead.

 

 

7) The seventh principle that he mentions (the principle of gender), there I strongly disagree because as I showed you above, gender is only a form of physical reproduction and the true universal principle is the principle of creation that says that everything is created by another entity.

 

 

8) And the author of the Kybalion forgot to state the most fundamental principle of esoteric teaching, which is the principle of unity and which says that everything is one, since everything is formed from the same divine energy.

 

As Blavatsky pointed out:

 

« The radical unity of the ultimate essence of each constituent part of compounds in Nature — from Star to mineral Atom, from the highest Dhyan Chohan to the smallest infusoria, in the fullest acceptation of the term, and whether applied to the spiritual, intellectual, or physical worlds — this is the one fundamental law in Occult Science. »

(Secret Doctrine I, p.120)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

So a more correct list of the Seven Universal Principles that govern the Cosmos would be the following:

 

              1. The principle of unity

              2. The principle of conscience

              3. The principle of movement

              4. The principle of creation

              5. The principle of cause and effect

              6. The principle of correspondence

              7. The principle of periodicity