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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
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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