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:
4. The All
15.
Hermetic Axioms
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