The chapter 6 of the book The Kybalion seeks to delve into the reality and unreality that is conceived of the Universe.
"The
half-wise, recognizing the comparative unreality of the Universe, imagine that
they may defy its Laws—such are vain and presumptuous fools, and they are
broken against the rocks and torn asunder by the elements by reason of their
folly. The truly wise, knowing the nature of the Universe, use Law against
laws; the higher against the lower; and by the Art of Alchemy transmute that
which is undesirable into that which is worthy, and thus triumph. Mastery
consists not in abnormal dreams, visions and fantastic imaginings or living,
but in using the higher forces against the lower—escaping the pains of the
lower planes by vibrating on the higher. Transmutation, not presumptuous
denial, is the weapon of the Master.” — The Kybalion.
This is
the Paradox of the Universe, resulting from the Principle of Polarity which
manifests when THE ALL begins to Create—hearken to it for it points the
difference between half-wisdom and wisdom. While to THE INFINITE ALL, the
Universe, its Laws, its Powers, its life, its Phenomena, are as things
witnessed in the state of Meditation or Dream; yet to all that is Finite, the
Universe must be treated as Real, and life, and action, and thought, must be
based thereupon, accordingly, although with an ever understanding of the Higher
Truth. Each according to its own Plane and Laws. Were THE ALL to imagine that
the Universe were indeed Reality, then woe to the Universe, for there would be
then no escape from lower to higher, divineward—then would the Universe become
a fixity and progress would become impossible.
(Here
the author of the Kybalion is digressing because if the Universe were
considered unreal to God, then beings could not ascend through Creation to
unite with their Creator, since there would be no connection to that higher
reality that is God.
So
the Universe does have to have some reality for its Creator, but it is a
temporary reality, and that is why it is said that the Universe is an
"illusion", but that does not mean that it is unreal.
And
the masters explained that if there were no movement, there would be no
manifestation either, so that supposed "real fixed universe"
mentioned by the author of the Kybalion does not exist; and also there he is
contradicting himself with what he himself affirmed in the third hermetic
principle where he assures that everything is in movement.)
And if
Man, owing to half-wisdom, acts and lives and thinks of the Universe as merely
a dream (akin to his own finite dreams) then indeed does it so become for him,
and like a sleep-walker he stumbles ever around and around in a circle, making
no progress, and being forced into an awakening at last by his falling bruised
and bleeding over the Natural Laws which he ignored. Keep your mind ever on the
Star, but let your eyes watch over your footsteps, lest you fall into the mire
by reason of your upward gaze. Remember the Divine Paradox, that while the
Universe IS NOT, still IT IS. Remember ever the Two Poles of Truth the Absolute
and the Relative. Beware of Half-Truths.
The Absolute and the Relative
What Hermetists
know as "the Law of Paradox" is an aspect of the Principle of
Polarity. The Hermetic writings are filled with references to the appearance of
the Paradox in the consideration of the problems of Life and Being. The
Teachers are constantly warning their students against the error of omitting
the "other side" of any question. And their warnings are particularly
directed to the problems of the Absolute and the Relative, which perplex all
students of philosophy, and which cause so many to think and act contrary to
what is generally known as "common sense." And we caution all
students to be sure to grasp the Divine Paradox of the Absolute and Relative,
lest they become entangled in the mire of the Half-Truth. With this in view
this particular lesson has been written. Read it carefully!
The
first thought that comes to the thinking man after he realizes the truth that
the Universe is a Mental Creation of THE ALL, is that the Universe and all that
it contains is a mere illusion; an unreality; against which idea his instincts
revolt. But this, like all other great truths, must be considered both from the
Absolute and the Relative points of view. From the Absolute viewpoint, of
course, the Universe is in the nature of an illusion, a dream, a
phantasmagoria, as compared to THE ALL in itself. We recognize this even in our
ordinary view, for we speak of the world as "a fleeting show" that
comes and goes, is born and dies—for the element of impermanence and change,
finiteness and unsubstantiality, must ever be connected with the idea of a
created Universe when it is contrasted with the idea of THE ALL, no matter what
may be our beliefs concerning the nature of both. Philosopher, metaphysician,
scientist and theologian all agree upon this idea, and the thought is found in
all forms of philosophical thought and religious conceptions, as well as in the
theories of the respective schools of metaphysics and theology.
So, the
Hermetic Teachings do not preach the unsubstantiality of the Universe in any
stronger terms than those more familiar to you, although their presentation of
the subject may seem somewhat more startling. Anything that has a beginning and
an ending must be, in a sense, unreal and untrue, and the Universe comes under
the rule, in all schools of thought. From the Absolute point of view, there is
nothing Real except THE ALL, no matter what terms we may use in thinking of, or
discussing the subject. Whether the Universe be created of Matter, or whether
it be a Mental Creation in the Mind of THE ALL—it is unsubstantial,
non-enduring, a thing of time, space and change.
(Here the author of the Kybalion is confusing the
"ALL" that is the manifested God, with the "NOTHING" that
is the unmanifested God, because in reality it is the unmanifested God who is
truly real since HE is Eternal, while the God manifested is subject to
extinction at the end of its existence.)
We want
you to realize this fact thoroughly, before you pass judgment on the Hermetic
conception of the Mental nature of the Universe. Think over any and all of the
other conceptions, and see whether this be not true of them.
Relative vision
But the
Absolute point of view shows merely one side of the picture—the other side is
the Relative one. Absolute Truth has been defined as "Things as the mind
of God knows them," while Relative Truth is "Things as the highest reason
of Man understands them." And so while to THE ALL the Universe must be
unreal and illusionary, a mere dream or result of meditation,—nevertheless, to
the finite minds forming a part of that Universe, and viewing it through mortal
faculties, the Universe is very real indeed, and must be so considered. In
recognizing the Absolute view, we must not make the mistake of ignoring or
denying the facts and phenomena of the Universe as they present themselves to
our mortal faculties—we are not THE ALL, remember.
To take
familiar illustrations, we all recognize the fact that matter
"exists" to our senses—we will fare badly if we do not. And yet, even
our finite minds understand the scientific dictum that there is no such thing
as Matter from a scientific point of view—that which we call Matter is held to
be merely an aggregation of atoms, which atoms themselves are merely a grouping
of units of force, called electrons or "ions," vibrating and in
constant circular motion. We kick a stone and we feel the impact—it seems to be
real, notwithstanding that we know it to be merely what we have stated above.
But remember that our foot, which feels the impact by means of our brains, is
likewise Matter, so constituted of electrons, and for that matter so are our
brains. And, at the best, if it were not by reason of our Mind, we would not
know the foot or stone at all.
Then
again, the ideal of the artist or sculptor, which he is endeavoring to
reproduce in stone or on canvas, seems very real to him. So do the characters
in the mind of the author; or dramatist, which he seeks to express so that
others may recognize them. And if this be true in the case of our finite minds,
what must be the degree of Reality in the Mental Images created in the Mind of
the Infinite?
(Here the author of the Kybalion is contradicting
himself because just above he declared that for God, his creation was something
unreal, and now he is saying the opposite: that for God, his creation is
something very real.)
Oh,
friends, to mortals this Universe of Mentality is very real indeed—it is the
only one we can ever know, though we rise from plane to plane, higher and
higher in it. To know it otherwise, but actual experience, we must be THE ALL
itself. It is true that the higher we rise in the scale—the nearer to "the
mind of the Father" we reach—the more apparent becomes the illusory nature
of finite things, but not until THE ALL finally withdraws us into itself does
the vision actually vanish.
(Here the author of the Kybalion says again that for
God, his creation is unreal.)
So, we
need not dwell upon the feature of illusion. Rather let us, recognizing the
real nature of the Universe, seek to understand its mental laws, and endeavor
to use them to the best effect in our upward progress through life, as we
travel from plane to plane of being. The Laws of the Universe are none the less
"Iron Laws" because of the mental nature. All, except THE ALL, are
bound by them. What is IN THE INFINITE MIND OF THE ALL is REAL in a degree
second only to that Reality itself which is vested in the nature of THE ALL.
(And here the author of the Kybalion contradicts
himself again because above he said that the Universe is unreal and illusory,
and now he says that the Universe has a reality only surpassed by God. And this
continuous contradiction that I perceive in his text is not a paradox but it is
a lack of rigor in the reasoning that this writer has.)
So, do
not feel insecure or afraid—we are all HELD FIRMLY IN THE INFINITE MIND OF THE
ALL, and there is naught to hurt us or for us to fear. There is no Power
outside of THE ALL to affect us. So we may rest calm and secure. There is a
world of comfort and security in this realization when once attained. Then
"calm and peaceful do we sleep, rocked in the Cradle of the
Deep"—resting safely on the bosom of the Ocean of Infinite Mind, which is
THE ALL. In THE ALL, indeed, do "we live and move and have our being."
The matter
Matter
is none the less Matter to us, while we dwell on the plane of Matter, although
we know it to be merely an aggregation of "electrons," or particles
of Force, vibrating rapidly and gyrating around each other in the formations of
atoms; the atoms in turn vibrating and gyrating, forming molecules, which
latter in turn form larger masses of Matter. Nor does Matter become less
Matter, when we follow the inquiry still further, and learn from the Hermetic
Teachings, that the "Force" of which the electrons are but units is
merely a manifestation of the Mind of THE ALL, and like all else in the
Universe is purely Mental in its nature.
(The author of the Kybalion confuses force with
energy, which are not the same in physic science.)
While
on the Plane of matter, we must recognize its phenomena— we may control Matter
(as all Masters of higher or lesser degree do), but we do so by applying the
higher forces. We commit a folly when we attempt to deny the existence of
Matter in the relative aspect. We may deny its mastery over us—and rightly
so—but we should not attempt to ignore it in its relative aspect, at least so
long as we dwell upon its plane.
Laws
Nor do
the Laws of Nature become less constant or effective, when we know them,
likewise, to be merely mental creations. They are in full effect on the various
planes. We overcome the lower laws, by applying still higher ones—and in this
way only. But we cannot escape Law or rise above it entirely. Nothing but THE
ALL can escape Law—and that because THE ALL is LAW itself, from which all Laws
emerge.
(I don't know if God can escape his laws but I am
inclined to think that he cannot, since they are part of his own being.)
The
most advanced Masters may acquire the powers usually attributed to the gods of men;
and there are countless ranks of being, in the great hierarchy of life, whose
being and power transcends even that of the highest Masters among men to a
degree unthinkable by mortals, but even the highest Master, and the highest
Being, must bow to the Law, and be as Nothing in the eye of THE ALL.
So that
if even these highest Beings, whose powers exceed even those attributed by men
to their gods—if even these are bound by and are subservient to Law, then
imagine the presumption of mortal man, of our race and grade, when he dares to
consider the Laws of Nature as "unreal!" visionary and illusory,
because he happens to be able to grasp the truth that the Laws are Mental in
nature, and simply Mental Creations of THE ALL. Those Laws which THE ALL
intends to be governing Laws are not to be defied or argued away. So long as
the Universe endures, will they endure—for the Universe exists by virtue of
these Laws which form its framework and which hold it together.
Herbert Spencer
In
fact, the Hermetics recognize in Spencer's philosophy the highest outside
statement of the workings of the Natural Laws that have ever been promulgated,
and they believe Spencer to have been a reincarnation of an ancient philosopher
who dwelt in ancient Egypt thousands of years ago, and who later incarnated as
Heraclitus, the Grecian philosopher who lived B. C. 500. And they regard his
statement of the "Infinite and Eternal Energy" as directly in the
line of the Hermetic Teachings, always with the addition of their own doctrine
that his "Energy" is the Energy of the Mind of THE ALL.
(The
masters explained that in the end the ALL is going to be reabsorbed by the NOTHING,
which implies that energy is not eternal and therefore it is not infinite
either.
And
this implies that the true Hermeticists were not those who accepted Herbert
Spencer's theory, but it was the author of the Kybalion who liked that theory,
despite the fact that it is false.
And
surely it was also he who attributed those previous lives to Spencer, which
shows a certain predisposition towards charlatanism because it is noticeable
that the author of the Kybalion does not have the ability to perceive past
lives, since if he had then he would not have written so many falsehoods in his
book.)
With
the Master-Key of the Hermetic Philosophy, the student of Spencer will be able
to unlock many doors of the inner philosophical conceptions of the great
English philosopher, whose work shows the results of the preparation of his
previous incarnations. His teachings regarding Evolution and Rhythm are in
almost perfect agreement with the Hermetic Teachings regarding the Principle of
Rhythm.
(Which contains big
errors as I demonstrated in this other chapter link.)
So, the
student of Hermetics need not lay aside any of his cherished scientific views
regarding the Universe. All he is asked to do is to grasp the underlying
principle of "THE ALL is Mind; the Universe is Mental—held in the mind of
THE ALL." He will find that the other six of the Seven Principles will
"fit into" his scientific knowledge, and will serve to bring out
obscure points and to throw light in dark corners. This is not to be wondered
at, when we realize the influence of the Hermetic thought of the early
philosophers of Greece, upon whose foundations of thought the theories of
modern science largely rest.
The
acceptance of the First Hermetic Principle (Mentalism) is the only great point
of difference between Modern Science and Hermetic students, and Science is
gradually moving toward the Hermetic position in its groping in the dark for a
way out of the Labyrinth into which it has wandered in its search for Reality.
Conclusion
The
purpose of this lesson is to impress upon the minds of our students the fact
that, to all intents and purposes, the Universe and its laws, and its
phenomena, are just as REAL, so far as Man is concerned, as they would be under
the hypotheses of Materialism or Energism. Under any hypothesis the Universe in
its outer aspect is changing, ever-flowing, and transitory—and therefore devoid
of substantiality and reality. But (note the other pole of the truth) under the
same hypotheses, we are compelled to ACT AND LIVE as if the fleeting things
were real and substantial. With this difference, always, between the various
hypotheses—that under the old views Mental Power was ignored as a Natural
Force, while under Mentalism it becomes the Greatest Natural Force. And this
one difference revolutionizes Life, to those who understand the Principle and
its resulting laws and practice.
So,
finally, students all, grasp the advantage of Mentalism, and learn to know, use
and apply the laws resulting therefrom. But do not yield to the temptation
which, as The Kybalion states, overcomes the half-wise and which causes them to
be hypnotized by the apparent unreality of things, the consequence being that
they wander about like dream-people dwelling in a world of dreams, ignoring the
practical work and life of man, the end being that "they are broken
against the rocks and torn asunder by the elements, by reason of their
folly." Rather follow the example of the wise, which the same authority
states, "use Law against Laws; the higher against the lower; and by the
Art of Alchemy transmute that which is undesirable into that which is worthy,
and thus triumph."
Following
the authority, let us avoid the half-wisdom (which is folly) which ignores the
truth that: "Mastery consists not in abnormal dreams, visions, and
fantastic imaginings or living, but in using the higher forces against the
lower—escaping the pains of the lower planes by vibrating on the higher."
Remember always, student, that "Transmutation, not presumptuous denial, is
the weapon of the Master." The above quotations are from The Kybalion, and
are worthy of being committed to memory by the student.
_ _ _
We do
not live in a world of dreams, but in an Universe which while relative, is real
so far as our lives and actions are concerned. Our business in the Universe is
not to deny its existence, but to LIVE, using the Laws to rise from lower to
higher—living on, doing the best that we can under the circumstances arising
each day, and living, so far as is possible, to our biggest ideas and ideals.
The true Meaning of Life is not known to men on this plane .if, indeed, to
any—but the highest authorities, and our own intuitions, teach us that we will
make no mistake in living up to the best that is in us, so far as is possible,
and realising the Universal tendency in the same direction in spite of apparent
evidence to the contrary. We are all on The Path—and the road leads upward
ever, with frequent resting places.
Read
the message of The Kybalion—and follow the example of "the
wise"—avoiding the mistake of "the half-wise" who perish by
reason of their folly.
OBSERVATIONS
In
this chapter, the author of the Kybalion tries to motivate his readers
to lead a pragmatic and elevated life, but he does it
in a very convoluted way, which ends up messing up the concepts
tremendously, as I'm going to show you below.
He
begins by stating that for God, the Universe is only an illusion while
for men, the Universe is a reality, but as I showed you above, he does
it in a clumsy way since he contradicts himself on several occasions.
And
this opposition that exists between the vision that men have about the Universe and the
vision that God has about the Universe, the author of the Kybalion calls
it “the divine paradox”. But this is not a paradox, rather they are in reality two different points of view of perception.
To give you an analogy, imagine two people who are at the two sides of a bay and they see a ship leave that bay. Well,
one person is going to say that the boat is moving to the right, while
the other person is going to say that the boat is moving to
the left.
And
in both cases, both people are right, only they are seeing
the same ship from two opposite sides, that is why they see it moving in
different directions. But this is not a paradox, rather they are the observations of the same event from two different points of perception.
And
the same thing happens here with the example given by the author of the
Kybalion, since if God perceives the Universe as an illusion, it is
because the existence of God is at an even more transcendental level
than the existence of the Universe. And
instead if humans perceive the Universe as a reality, it is because the
existence of humans is currently at a less transcendental level than
the existence of the Universe.
But this is not a paradox, it is simply the perception of the Universe from two different points of existence.
On
the other hand, a true paradox is when an event is completely contrary
to what logic dictates, such as the Creation paradox, where we do not
understand how it is possible that the Universe with its immense and innumerable galaxies could have arisen from the nothing.
And regardless of whether we see this from a scientific, philosophical or esoteric point of view, it remains a deep mystery.
That is a real paradox!
So the author of the Kybalion starts his reflection wrong by putting a paradox where there is none.
And
then he says that this paradox about the Universe is part of "the law
of paradox", but I would not call paradoxes a law because they are not
something that manifests itself continuously throughout the Universe. For
example, the law of gravitation, that can be called a universal law
because it is constantly manifested throughout the Universe, but
paradoxes are not.
Paradoxes
are particular events that go beyond our reasoning, but they are not a
constant that you find continuously throughout the Universe, and that is
why it would be more appropriate to call them "the peculiarities of
Creation."
Then the author of the Kybalion says that the truth has two poles that are: the absolute and the relative. But
that is not correct, because the poles are the opposite aspects, and
what is opposite to the absolute truth? Answer: the absolute falsehood. While the relative truth would be an intermediate degree between these two poles, that is, a "half truth".
And later the author
of the Kybalion affirms that not only must the absolute point of view
be taken into consideration, but also the relative point of view (that
is, the half truth) must be taken into account.
But in another part of his text he also assures that half-truths are disastrous and must be avoided at all costs. Which contradicts what he stated earlier.
And this new contradiction is due to the fact that he is confusing a relative truth with a distorted vision.
The
relative truth in this matter is that the Universe is an illusion, and
it is an illusion not because it is unreal, but because objects do not
have an absolute reality since they are made of energy that can be
manipulated.
And
this is how the masters explained that by knowing and mastering an
occult technique, you can separate the atoms that make up an object and
then put them back together, and in this way you can literally
disintegrate and reshape this object with the power of our will
(although obviously a lot of development is required to be able
to perform this feat, and it is not something that an ordinary human can
achieve).
While
the distorted vision is to believe that because the Universe does not
have an absolute reality, then it is unreal, since as I indicated above, the Universe has a reality, it is only a relative reality. But that does not mean that this relative reality do not to have an effect on us.
For example, if you decide to jump from a building thinking that the
Universe is not real and therefore nothing is going to happen to you,
the result will be that you are going to crash into the ground, because
even though the gravitational law is a relative reality, it continues to
control your body.
On
the other hand, a great initiate like Jesus could walk on the water and
not sink, but not because he had considered that the law of gravitation
is unreal (because it is real), but because he, having tuned in with
the divine plane, everything his being also begins to be governed by the laws that govern this superior plane of existence; and therefore Jesus, no longer being solely subject to the laws that govern the physical plane, he could transcend them.
And
the masters also explained that life on Earth must not be experienced
as if it were the only reality, but rather must be lived while being
aware that it is only a stage that will allow us to access a much more
transcendental life and reality. .
So,
as you can see for yourself, what the author of the Kybalion wanted to
say corresponds to a certain extent with what the masters taught,
nothing more than he did it in such a distorted way that it ends up
entangling his reasoning a lot, and this is because he did not structure
his reflection well.
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