The Kybalion

The Kybalion
A Study of
The Hermetic Philosophy of
Ancient Egypt and Greece
by
Three Initiates
"The lips of wisdom are closed,
ecept to the ears of !nderstanding"
The "ogi Publication Society# $asonic Temple# %hicago, &ll'
%opyright ()(*
"ogi Publication Society# %opyright ()+,
To Hermes Trismegistus
Known by the Ancient Egyptians as
"The Great Great" and "$aster of $asters"
This little -olume of Hermetic Teachings is .e-erently dedicated
Introduction
/e ta0e great pleasure in presenting to the attention of students and in-estigator of the Secret 1octrines
this little wor0 based upon the world2old Hermetic Teachings' There has been so little written upon this
sub3ect, not withstanding the countless references to the Teachings in the many wor0s upon occultism,
that the many earnest searchers after the Arcane Truths will doubtless welcome the appearance of this
present -olume' The purpose of this wor0 is not the enunciation of any special philosophy or doctrine, but
rather is to gi-e to the students a statement of the Truth that will ser-e to reconcile the many bits of
occult 0nowledge that they may ha-e ac4uired, but which are apparently opposed to each other and which
often ser-e to discourage and disgust the beginner in the study' ,ur intent is not to erect a new Temple of
Knowledge, but rather to place in the hands of the student a $aster2Key with which he may open the
many inner doors in the Temple of $ystery through the main portals he has already entered'
There is no portion of the occult teachings possessed by the world which ha-e been so closely guarded as
the fragments of the Hermetic Teachings which ha-e come down to us o-er the tens of centuries which
ha-e 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' %ontemporary with
Abraham, and, if the legends be true, an instructor of that -enerable sage, Hermes was, and is, the Great
%entral Sun of ,ccultism, whose rays ha-e ser-ed to illumine the countless teachings which ha-e been
promulgated since his time' All the fundamental and basic teachings embedded in the esoteric teachings
of e-ery race may be traced bac0 to Hermes' E-en the most ancient teachings of &ndia undoubtedly ha-e
their roots in the original Hermetic Teachings'
5rom the land of the Ganges many ad-anced occultists wandered to the land of Egypt, and sat at the feet
of the $aster' 5rom him they obtained the $aster2Key which eplained and reconciled their di-ergent
-iews, and thus the Secret 1octrine was firmly established' 5rom other lands also came the learned ones,
all of whom regarded Hermes as the $aster of $asters, 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
4uite di-ergent theories entertained and taught by the occultists of these different lands today' The
MIND into MATTER http677www'beingyoga'com7 1
student of %omparati-e .eligions will be able to percei-e the influence of the Hermetic Teachings in e-ery
religion worthy of the name, now 0nown to man, whether it be a dead religion or one in full -igor in our
own times' There is always certain correspondence in spite of the contradictory features, and the Hermetic
Teachings act as the Great .econciler'
The lifewor0 of Hermes seems to ha-e been in the direction of planting the great Seed2Truth which has
grown and blossomed in so many strange forms, rather than to establish a school of philosophy which
would dominate, the world8s thought' 9ut, ne-ertheless, the original truths taught by him ha-e been 0ept
intact in their original purity by a few men each age, who, refusing great numbers of half2de-eloped
students and followers, followed the Hermetic custom and reser-ed their truth for the few who were ready
to comprehend and master it' 5rom lip to ear the truth has been handed down among the few' There ha-e
always been a few &nitiates in each generation, in the -arious lands of the earth, who 0ept ali-e the sacred
flame of the Hermetic Teachings, and such ha-e always been willing to use their lamps to re2light the
lesser lamps of the outside world, when the light of truth grew dim, and clouded by reason of neglect, and
when the wic0s became clogged with foreign matter' There were always a few to tend faithfully the altar
of the Truth, upon which was 0ept alight the Perpetual :amp of /isdom' These men de-oted their li-es to
the labor of lo-e which the poet has so well stated in his lines6
",, let not the flame die out; %herished age after age in its dar0 ca-ern22in its holy temples cherished' 5ed
by pure ministers of lo-e22let not the flame die out;"
These men ha-e ne-er sought popular appro-al, nor numbers of followers' They are indifferent to these
things, for they 0now how few there are in each generation who are ready for the truth, or who would
recogni<e it if it were presented to them' They reser-e the "strong meat for men," while others furnish the
"mil0 for babes'" They reser-e their pearls of wisdom for the few elect, who recogni<e their -alue and who
wear them in their crowns, instead of casting them before the materialistic -ulgar swine, who would
trample them in the mud and mi them with their disgusting mental food' 9ut still these men ha-e ne-er
forgotten or o-erloo0ed the original teachings of Hermes, regarding the passing on of the words of truth to
those ready to recei-e it, which teaching is stated in The Kybalion as follows6 "/here fall the footsteps of
the $aster, the ears of those ready for his Teaching open wide'" And again6 "/hen the ears of the student
are ready to hear, then cometh the lips to fill them with wisdom'" 9ut their customary attitude has always
been strictly in accordance with the other Hermetic aphorism, also in The Kybalion6 "The lips of /isdom
are closed, ecept to the ears of !nderstanding'"
There are those who ha-e critici<ed this attitude of the Hermetists, and who ha-e claimed that they did
not manifest the proper spirit in their policy of seclusion and reticence' 9ut a moment8s glance bac06 o-er
the pages of history will show the wisdom of the $asters, who 0new the folly of attempting to teach to the
world that which it was neither ready or willing to recei-e' The Hermetists ha-e ne-er sought to be
martyrs, and ha-e, 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 ad-anced 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 re-ilement from the multitude, who would
again raise the cry of "%rucify; %rucify'" &n this little wor0 we ha-e endea-ored to gi-e you an idea of the
fundamental teachings of The Kybalion, stri-ing to gi-e you the wor0ing Principles, lea-ing you to apply
them yoursel-es, rather than attempting to wor0 out the teaching in detail' &f you are a true student, you
will be able to wor0 out and apply these Principles22if not, then you must de-elop yourself into one, for
otherwise the Hermetic Teachings will be as "words, words, words" to you'
THE TH.EE &=&T&ATES'
I - The Hermetic Philosophy
"The lips of wisdom are closed, ecept to the ears of !nderstanding" 22 The Kybalion'
5rom old Egypt ha-e come the fundamental esoteric and occult teachings which ha-e so strongly
influenced the philosophies of all races, nations and peoples, for se-eral thousand years' Egypt, the home
of the Pyramids and the Sphin, was the birthplace of the Hidden /isdom and $ystic Teachings' 5rom her
Secret 1octrine all nations ha-e borrowed' &ndia, Persia, %haldea, $edea, %hina, >apan, Assyria, ancient
Greece and .ome, and other ancient countries partoo0 liberally at the feast of 0nowledge which the
Hierophants and $asters of the :and of &sis so freely pro-ided for those who came prepared to parta0e of
the great store of $ystic and ,ccult :ore which the masterminds of that ancient land had gathered
together'
&n ancient Egypt dwelt the great Adepts and $asters who ha-e ne-er been surpassed, and who seldom
ha-e been e4ualed, during the centuries that ha-e ta0en their processional flight since the days of the
Great Hermes' &n Egypt was located the Great :odge of :odges of the $ystics' At the doors of her Temples
entered the =eophytes who afterward, as Hierophants, Adepts, and $asters, tra-eled to the four corners
of the earth, carrying with them the precious 0nowledge which they were ready, anious, and willing to
pass on to those who were ready to recei-e the same' All students of the ,ccult recogni<e the debt that
they owe to these -enerable $asters of that ancient land'
9ut among these great $asters of Ancient Egypt there once dwelt one of whom $asters hailed as "The
$aster of $asters'" This man, if "man" indeed he was, dwelt in Egypt in the earliest days' He was 0nown
as Hermes Trismegistus' He was the father of the ,ccult /isdom# the founder of Astrology# the disco-erer
of Alchemy' The details of his life story are lost to history, owing to the lapse of the years, though se-eral
of the ancient countries disputed with each other in their claims to the honor of ha-ing furnished his
birthplace22 and this thousands of years ago' The date of his so3ourn in Egypt, in that his last incarnation
on this planet, is not now 0nown, but it has been fied at the early days of the oldest dynasties of Egypt22
long before the days of $oses' The best authorities regard him as a contemporary of Abraham, and some
of the >ewish traditions go so far as to claim that Abraham ac4uired a portion of his mystic 0nowledge
from Hermes himself'
As the years rolled by after his passing from this plane of life ?tradition recording that he li-ed three
hundred years in the flesh@, the Egyptians deified Hermes, and made him one of their gods, under the
name of Thoth' "ears after, the people of Ancient Greece also made him one of their many gods22calling
him "Hermes, the god of /isdom'" The Egyptians re-ered his memory for many centuries2yes, tens of
centuries22calling him "the Scribe of the Gods,8 and bestowing upon him, distincti-ely, his ancient title,
"Trismegistus," which means "the thrice2great"# "the great2great"# "the greatest2great"# etc' &n all the
ancient lands, the name of Hermes Trismegistus was re-ered, the name being synonymous with the
"5ount of /isdom"'
E-en 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 obser-ed the principle of
secrecy in their teachings' They did not belie-e in "casting pearls before swine," but rather held to the
teaching "mil0 for babes"# "meat for strong men," both of which maims are familiar to readers of the
%hristian scriptures, but both of which had been used by the Egyptians for centuries before the %hristian
era'
And this policy of careful dissemination of the truth has always characteri<ed the Hermetics, e-en unto the
present day' The Hermetic Teachings are to be found in all lands, among all religions, but ne-er identified
with any particular country, nor with any particular religious sect' This because of the warning of the
ancient teachers against allowing the Secret 1octrine to become crystalli<ed into a creed' The wisdom of
this caution is apparent to all students of history' The ancient occultism of &ndia and Persia degenerated,
and was largely lost, owing to the fact that the teachers became priests, and so mied theology with the
philosophy, the result being that the occultism of &ndia and Persia has been gradually lost amidst the mass
of religious superstition, cults, creeds and "gods'" So it was with Ancient Greece and .ome' So it was with
the Hermetic Teachings of the Gnostics and Early %hristians, which were lost at the time of %onstantine,
whose iron hand smothered philosophy with the blan0et of theology, losing to the %hristian %hurch that
which was its -ery essence and spirit, and causing it to grope throughout se-eral centuries before it found
the way bac0 to its ancient faith, the indications apparent to all careful obser-ers in this Twentieth %entury
being that the %hurch is now struggling to get bac0 to its ancient mystic teachings' 9ut there were always
a few faithful souls who 0ept ali-e the 5lame, tending it carefully, and not allowing its light to become
etinguished' And than0s to these staunch hearts, and fearless minds, we ha-e the truth still with us'
9ut it is not found in boo0s, to any great etent' &t has been passed along from $aster to Student# from
&nitiate to Hierophant# from lip to ear' /hen it was written down at all, its meaning was -eiled in terms of
alchemy and astrology so that only those possessing the 0ey could read it aright' This was made
necessary in order to a-oid the persecutions of the theologians of the $iddle Ages, who fought the Secret
1octrine with fire and sword# sta0e, gibbet and cross' E-en to this day there will be found but few reliable
boo0s on the Hermetic Philosophy, although there are countless references to it in many boo0s written on
-arious phases of ,ccultism' And yet, the Hermetic Philosophy is the only $aster Key which will open all
the doors of the ,ccult Teachings;
&n the early days, there was a compilation of certain 9asic Hermetic 1octrines, passed on from teacher to
student, which was 0nown as "THE K"9A:&,=," the eact significance and meaning of the term ha-ing
been lost for se-eral centuries' This teaching, howe-er, is 0nown to many to whom it has descended, from
mouth to ear, on and on throughout the centuries' &ts precepts ha-e ne-er been written down, or printed,
so far as we 0now' &t was merely a collection of maims, aioms, and precepts, which were non2
understandable to outsiders, but which were readily understood by students, after the aioms, maims,
and precepts had been eplained and eemplified by the Hermetic &nitiates to their =eophytes' These
teachings really constituted the basic principles of "The Art of Hermetic Alchemy," which, contrary to the
general belief, dealt in the mastery of $ental 5orces, rather than $aterial Elements2the Transmutation of
one 0ind of $ental Aibrations into others, instead of the changing of one 0ind of metal into another' The
legends of the "Philosopher8s Stone" which would turn base metal into Gold, was an allegory relating to
Hermetic Philosophy, readily understood by all students of true Hermeticism'
&n this little boo0, of which this is the 5irst :esson, we in-ite our students to eamine into the Hermetic
Teachings, as set forth in THE K"9A:&,=, and as eplained by oursel-es, humble students of the
Teachings, who, while bearing the title of &nitiates, are still students at the feet of HE.$ES, the $aster'
/e herein gi-e you many of the maims, aioms and precepts of THE K"9A:&,= accompanied by
eplanations and illustrations which we deem li0ely to render the teachings more easily comprehended by
the modern student, particularly as the original tet is purposely -eiled in obscure terms'
The original maims, aioms, and precepts of THE K"9A:&,= are printed herein, in italics, the proper
credit being gi-en' ,ur own wor0 is printed in the regular way, in the body of the wor0' /e trust that the
many students to whom we now offer this little wor0 will deri-e as much benefit from the study of its
pages as ha-e the many who ha-e gone on before, treading the same Path to $astery throughout the
centuries that ha-e passed since the times of HE.$ES T.&S$EG&ST!S2the $aster of $asters2the Great2
Great' &n the words of "THE K"9A:&,="6
"/here fall the footsteps of the $aster, the ears of those ready for his Teaching open wide'"
22 THE K"9A:&,=
"/hen the ears of the student are ready to hear, then cometh the lips to fill them with
/isdom'" 22 THE K"9A:&,=
So that according to the Teachings, the passage of this boo0 to those ready for the instruction will attract
the attention of such as are prepared to recei-e the Teaching' And, li0ewise, when the pupil is ready to
recei-e the truth, then will this little boo0 come to him, or her' Such is The :aw' The Hermetic Principle of
%ause and Effect, in its aspect of The :aw of Attraction, will bring lips and ear together2pupil and boo0 in
company' So mote it be;
II - The Seven Hermetic Principles
"The Principles of Truth are Se-en# he who 0nows these, understandingly, possesses the
$agic Key before whose touch all the 1oors of the Temple fly open'" 22 THE K"9A:&,=
The Se-en Hermetic Principles, upon which the entire Hermetic Philosophy is based, are as follows6
THE P.&=%&P:E ,5 $E=TA:&S$'
THE P.&=%&P:E ,5 %,..ESP,=1E=%E'
THE P.&=%&P:E ,5 A&9.AT&,='
THE P.&=%&P:E ,5 P,:A.&T"'
THE P.&=%&P:E ,5 .H"TH$'
THE P.&=%&P:E ,5 %A!SE A=1 E55E%T'
THE P.&=%&P:E ,5 GE=1E.'
These Se-en Principles will be discussed and eplained as we proceed with these lessons' A short
eplanation of each, howe-er, may as well be gi-en at this point'
&' THE P.&=%&P:E ,5 $E=TA:&S$
"THE A:: &S $&=1# The !ni-erse is $ental'" 22 The Kybalion'
This Principle embodies the truth that "All is $ind'" &t eplains that THE A:: ?which is the Substantial
.eality underlying all the outward manifestations and appearances which we 0now under the terms of
"The $aterial !ni-erse"# the "Phenomena of :ife"# "$atter"# "Energy"# and, in short, all that is apparent to
our material senses@ is SP&.&T which in itself is !=K=,/A9:E and !=1E5&=A9:E, but which may be
considered and thought of as A= !=&AE.SA:, &=5&=&TE, :&A&=G $&=1' &t also eplains that all the
phenomenal world or uni-erse is simply a $ental %reation of THE A::, sub3ect to the :aws of %reated
Things, and that the uni-erse, as a whole, and in its parts or units, has its eistence in the $ind of THE
A::, in which $ind we "li-e and mo-e and ha-e our being'" This Principle, by establishing the $ental
=ature of the !ni-erse, easily eplains all of the -aried mental and psychic phenomena that occupy such a
large portion of the public attention, and which, without such eplanation, are non2understandable and
defy scientific treatment' An understanding of this great Hermetic Principle of $entalism enables the
indi-idual to readily grasp the laws of the $ental !ni-erse, and to apply the same to his well2being and
ad-ancement' The Hermetic Student is enabled to apply intelligently the great $ental :aws, instead of
using them in a hapha<ard manner' /ith the $aster2Key in his possession, the student may unloc0 the
many doors of the mental and psychic temple of 0nowledge, and enter the same freely and intelligently'
This Principle eplains the true nature of "Energy," "Power," and "$atter," and why and how all these are
subordinate to the $astery of $ind' ,ne of the old Hermetic $asters wrote, long ages ago6 "He who
grasps the truth of the $ental =ature of the !ni-erse is well ad-anced on The Path to $astery'" And these
words are as true today as at the time they were first written' /ithout this $aster2Key, $astery is
impossible, and the student 0noc0s in -ain at the many doors of The Temple'
&&' THE P.&=%&P:E ,5 %,..ESP,=1E=%E
"As abo-e, so below# as below, so abo-e'" 22 The Kybalion'
This Principle embodies the truth that there is always a %orrespondence between the laws and phenomena
of the -arious planes of 9eing and :ife' The old Hermetic aiom ran in these words6 "As abo-e, so below#
as below, so abo-e'" and the grasping of this Principle gi-es one the means of sol-ing many a dar0
parado, and hidden secret of =ature' There are planes beyond our 0nowing, but when we apply the
Principle of %orrespondence to them we are able to understand much that would otherwise be un0nowable
to us' This Principle is of uni-ersal application and manifestation, on the -arious planes of the material,
mental, and spiritual uni-erse22it is an !ni-ersal :aw' 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 -iew the !n0nown' &ts use e-en tore aside the Aeil of &sis to the etent that a glimpse of the face of
the goddess might be caught' >ust as a 0nowledge of the Principles of Geometry enables man to measure
distant suns and their mo-ements, while seated in his obser-atory, so a 0nowledge of the Principle of
%orrespondence enables $an to reason intelligently from the Known to the !n0nown' Studying the
monad, he understands the archangel'
&&&' THE P.&=%&P:E ,5 A&9.AT&,=
"=othing rests# e-erything mo-es# e-erything -ibrates'" 22 The Kybalion'
This Principle embodies the truth that "e-erything is in motion"# "e-erything -ibrates"# "nothing is at
rest"# facts which $odern Science endorses, and which each new scientific disco-ery tends to -erify' And
yet this Hermetic Principle was enunciated thousands of years ago, by the $asters of Ancient Egypt' This
Principle eplains that the differences between different manifestations of $atter, Energy, $ind, and e-en
Spirit, result largely from -arying rates of Aibration' 5rom THE A::, which is Pure Spirit, down to the
grossest form of $atter, all is in -ibration22the higher the -ibration, the higher the position in the scale'
The -ibration of Spirit is at such an infinite rate of intensity and rapidity that it is practically at rest23ust as
a rapidly mo-ing wheel seems to be motionless' And at the other end of the scale, there are gross forms
of matter whose -ibrations are so low as to seem at rest' 9etween these poles, there are millions upon
millions of -arying degrees of -ibration' 5rom corpuscle and electron, atom and molecule, to worlds and
uni-erses, e-erything is in -ibratory motion' This is also true on the planes of energy and force ?which are
but -arying degrees of -ibration@# and also on the mental planes ?whose states depend upon -ibrations@#
and e-en on to the spiritual planes' An understanding of this Principle, with the appropriate formulas,
enables Hermetic students to control their own mental -ibrations as well as those of others' The $asters
also apply this Principle to the con4uering of =atural phenomena, in -arious ways' "He who understands
the Principle of Aibration, has grasped the sceptre of power," says one of the old writers'
&A' THE P.&=%&P:E ,5 P,:A.&T"
"E-erything is 1ual# e-erything has poles# e-erything has its pair of opposites# li0e and
unli0e are the same# opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree# etremes
meet# all truths are but half2truths# all paradoes may be reconciled'" 22 The Kybalion'
This Principle embodies the truth that "e-erything is dual"# "e-erything has two poles"# "e-erything has its
pair of opposites," all of which were old Hermetic aioms' &t eplains the old paradoes, that ha-e
perpleed so many, which ha-e been stated as follows6 "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"# "etremes meet"# "e-erything is and isn8t, at the same time"# "all truths are but half truths"#
"e-ery truth is half2false"# "there are two sides to e-erything," etc', etc', etc' &t eplains that in e-erything
there are two poles, or opposite aspects, and that "opposites" are really only the two etremes of the
same thing, with many -arying degrees between them' To illustrate6 Heat and %old, although "opposites,"
are really the same thing, the differences consisting merely of degrees of the same thing' :oo0 at your
thermometer and see if you can disco-er where "heat" terminates and "cold" begins; There is no such
thing as "absolute heat" or "absolute cold"22the two terms "heat" and "cold" simply indicate -arying
degrees of the same thing, and that 8same thing" which manifests as "heat8 and 8cold" is merely a form,
-ariety, and rate of Aibration' So "heat" and "cold" are simply the "two poles8 of that which we call
"Heat"22and the phenomena attendant thereupon are manifestations of the Principle of Polarity' The same
Principle manifests in the case of ":ight and 1ar0ness," which are the same thing, the difference
consisting of -arying degrees between the two poles of the phenomena' /here does "dar0ness" lea-e off,
and "light" beginB /hat is the difference between ":arge and Small"B 9etween "Hard and Soft"B 9etween
"9lac0 and /hite"B 9etween "Sharp and 1ull"B 9etween "=oise and Cuiet"B 9etween "High and :ow"B
9etween "Positi-e and =egati-e"B The Principle of Polarity eplains these paradoes, and no other
Principle can supersede it' The same Principle operates on the $ental Plane' :et us ta0e a radical and
etreme eample2that of ":o-e and Hate," two mental states apparently totally different' And yet there
are degrees of Hate and degrees of :o-e, and a middle point in which we use the terms ":i0e or 1isli0e,"
which shade into each other so gradually that sometimes we are at a loss to 0now whether we "li0e" or
"disli0e" or "neither'" And all are simply degrees of the same thing, as you will see if you will but thin0 a
moment' And, more than this ?and considered of more importance by the Hermetists@, it is possible to
change the -ibrations of Hate to the -ibrations of :o-e, in one8s own mind, and in the minds of others'
$any of you, who read these lines, ha-e had personal eperiences of the in-oluntary rapid transition from
:o-e to Hate, and the re-erse, in your own case and that of others' And you will therefore reali<e the
possibility of this being accomplished by the use of the /ill, by means of the Hermetic formulas' "Good
and E-il" are but the poles of the same thing, and the Hermetist understands the art of transmuting E-il
into Good, by means of an application of the Principle of Polarity' &n short, the "Art of Polari<ation
becomes a phase of "$ental Alchemy" 0nown and practiced by the ancient and modern Hermetic $asters'
An understanding of the Principle will enable one to change his own Polarity, as well as that of others, if he
will de-ote the time and study necessary to master the art'
A' THE P.&=%&P:E ,5 .H"TH$
"E-erything flows, out and in# e-erything has its tides# all things rise and fall# the
pendulum2swing manifests in e-erything# the measure of the swing to the right is the
measure of the swing to the left# rhythm compensates'" 22 The Kybalion
This Principle embodies the truth that in e-erything there is manifested a measured motion, to and fro# a
flow and inflow# a swing bac0ward and forward# a pendulum2li0e mo-ement# a tide2li0e ebb and flow# a
high2tide and low2tide# between the two poles which eist in accordance with the Principle of Polarity
described a moment ago' There is always an action and a reaction# an ad-ance and a retreat# a rising and
a sin0ing' This is in the affairs of the !ni-erse, 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 $an ?and it is with this latter that the Hermetists find the
understanding of the Principle most important@' The Hermetists ha-e grasped this Principle, finding its
uni-ersal application, and ha-e also disco-ered certain means to o-ercome its effects in themsel-es by the
use of the appropriate formulas and methods' They apply the $ental :aw of =eutrali<ation' They cannot
annul the Principle, or cause it to cease its operation, but they ha-e learned how to escape its effects upon
themsel-es to a certain degree depending upon the $astery of the Principle' They ha-e learned how to
!SE it, instead of being !SE1 9" it' &n this and similar methods, consist the Art of the Hermetists' The
$aster of Hermetics polari<es himself at the point at which he desires to rest, and then neutrali<es the
.hythmic swing of the pendulum which would tend to carry him to the other pole' All indi-iduals who ha-e
attained any degree of Self2$astery do this to a certain degree, more or less unconsciously, but the
$aster does this consciously, and by the use of his /ill, and attains a degree of Poise and $ental 5irmness
almost impossible of belief on the part of the masses who are swung bac0ward and forward li0e a
pendulum' This Principle and that of Polarity ha-e been closely studied by the Hermetists, and the
methods of counteracting, neutrali<ing, and !S&=G them form an important part of the Hermetic $ental
Alchemy'
A&' THE P.&=%&P:E ,5 %A!SE A=1 E55E%T
"E-ery %ause has its Effect# e-ery Effect has its %ause# e-erything happens according to
:aw# %hance is but a name for :aw not recogni<ed# there are many planes of causation, but
nothing escapes the :aw'" 22 The Kybalion
This Principle embodies the fact that there is a %ause for e-ery Effect# an Effect from e-ery %ause' &t
eplains that6 "E-erything Happens according to :aw"# that nothing e-er "merely happens"# that there is
no such thing as %hance# that while there are -arious planes of %ause and Effect, the higher dominating2
the lower planes, still nothing e-er entirely escapes the :aw' The Hermetists understand the art and
methods of rising abo-e the ordinary plane of %ause and Effect, to a certain degree, and by mentally
rising to a higher plane they become %ausers instead of Effects' The masses of people are carried along,
obedient to en-ironment# the wills and desires of others stronger than themsel-es# heredity# suggestion#
and other outward causes mo-ing them about li0e pawns on the %hessboard of :ife' 9ut the $asters,
rising to the plane abo-e, dominate their moods, characters, 4ualities, and powers, as well as the
en-ironment surrounding them, and become $o-ers instead of pawns' They help to P:A" THE GA$E ,5
:&5E, instead of being played and mo-ed about by other wills and en-ironment' They !SE the Principle
instead of being its tools' The $asters obey the %ausation of the higher planes, but they help to .!:E on
their own plane' &n this statement there is condensed a wealth of Hermetic 0nowledge2let him read who
can'
A&&' THE P.&=%&P:E ,5 GE=1E.
"Gender is in e-erything# e-erything has its $asculine and 5eminine Principles# Gender
manifests on all planes'" 22 The Kybalion
This Principle embodies the truth that there is GE=1E. manifested in e-erything22the $asculine and
5eminine Principles e-er at wor0' This is true not only of the Physical Plane, but of the $ental and e-en
the Spiritual Planes' ,n the Physical Plane, the Principle manifests as SED, on the higher planes it ta0es
higher forms, but the Principle is e-er the same' =o creation, physical, mental or spiritual, is possible
without this Principle' An understanding of its laws will throw light on many a sub3ect that has perpleed
the minds of men' The Principle of Gender wor0s e-er in the direction of generation, regeneration, and
creation' E-erything, and e-ery person, contains the two Elements or Principles, or this great Principle,
within it, him or her' E-ery $ale thing has the 5emale Element also# e-ery 5emale contains also the $ale
Principle' &f you would understand the philosophy of $ental and Spiritual %reation, Generation, and .e2
generation, you must understand and study this Hermetic Principle' &t contains the solution of many
mysteries of :ife' /e caution you that this Principle has no reference to the many base, pernicious and
degrading lustful theories, teachings and practices, which are taught under fanciful titles, and which are a
prostitution of the great natural principle of Gender' Such base re-i-als of the ancient infamous forms of
Phallicism tend to ruin mind, body and soul, and the Hermetic Philosophy has e-er sounded the warning
note against these degraded teachings which tend toward lust, licentiousness, and per-ersion of =ature8s
principles' &f you see0 such teachings, you must go elsewhere for them22Hermeticism contains nothing for
you along these lines' To the pure, all things are pure# to the base, all things are base'
III - Mental Transmutation
"$ind ?as well as metals and elements@ may be transmuted, from state to state# degree to
degree# condition to condition# pole to pole# -ibration to -ibration' True Hermetic
Transmutation is a $ental Art'" 22 The Kybalion
As we ha-e stated, the Hermetists were the original alchemists, astrologers, and psychologists, Hermes
ha-ing been the founder of these schools of thought' 5rom astrology has grown modern astronomy# from
alchemy has grown modern chemistry# from the mystic psychology has grown the modern psychology of
the schools' 9ut it must not be supposed that the ancients were ignorant of that which the modern schools
suppose to be their eclusi-e and special property' The records engra-ed on the stones of Ancient Egypt
show conclusi-ely that the ancients had a full comprehensi-e 0nowledge of astronomy, the -ery building
of the Pyramids showing the connection between their design and the study of astronomical science' =or
were they ignorant of %hemistry, for the fragments of the ancient writings show that they were ac4uainted
with the chemical properties of things# in fact, the ancient theories regarding physics are being slowly
-erified by the latest disco-eries of modern science, notably those relating to the constitution of matter'
=or must it be supposed that they were ignorant of the so2called modern disco-eries in psychology22on
the contrary, the Egyptians were especially s0illed in the science of Psychology, particularly in the
branches that the modern schools ignore, but which, ne-ertheless, are being unco-ered under the name
of "psychic science" which is perpleing the psychologists of to2day, and ma0ing them reluctantly admit
that "there may be something in it after all'"
The truth is, that beneath the material chemistry, astronomy and psychology ?that is, the psychology in
its phase of "brain action"@ the ancients possessed a 0nowledge of transcendental astronomy, called
astrology# of transcendental chemistry, called alchemy# of transcendental psychology, called mystic
psychology' They possessed the &nner Knowledge as well as the ,uter Knowledge, the latter alone being
possessed by modern scientists' Among the many secret branches of 0nowledge possessed by the
Hermetists, was that Transmutation, which 0nown as $ental forms the sub3ect matter of this lesson'
"Transmutation" is a term usually employed to designate the ancient art of the transmutation of metals22
particularly of the base metals into gold' The word "Transmute" means "to change from one nature, form,
or substance, into another to transform" ?/ebster@' And accordingly, "$ental Transmutation" means the
art of changing and transforming mental states, forms, and conditions, into others' So you may see that
$ental Transmutation is the "Art of $ental %hemistry," if you li0e the term22a form of practical $ystic
Psychology'
9ut this means far more than appears on the surface' Transmutation, Alchemy, or %hemistry on the
$ental Plane is important enough in its effects, to be sure, and if the art stopped there it would still be
one of the most important branches of study 0nown to man' 9ut this is only the beginning' :et us see
why;
The first of the Se-en Hermetic Principles is the Principle of $entalism, the aiom of which is "THE A:: is
$ind# the !ni-erse is $ental," which means that the !nderlying .eality of the !ni-erse is $ind# and the
!ni-erse itself is $ental22that is, "eisting in the $ind of THE A::'" /e shall consider this Principle in
succeeding lessons, but let us see the effect of the principle if it be assumed to be true'
&f the !ni-ersal is $ental in its nature, then $ental Transmutation must be the art of %HA=G&=G THE
%,=1&T&,=S ,5 THE !=&AE.SE, along the lines of $atter, 5orce and mind' So you see, therefore, that
$ental Transmutation is really the "$agic" of which the ancient# writers had so much to say in their
mystical wor0s, and about which they ga-e so few practical instructions' &f All be $ental, then the art
which enables one to transmute mental conditions must render the $aster the controller of material
conditions as well as those ordinarily called "mental'"
As a matter of fact, none but ad-anced $ental Alchemists ha-e been able to attain the degree of power
necessary to control the grosser physical conditions, such as the control of the elements of =ature# the
production or cessation of tempests# the production and cessation of earth4ua0es and other great physical
phenomena' 9ut that such men ha-e eisted, and do eist today, is a matter of earnest belief to all
ad-anced occultists of all schools' That the $asters eist, and ha-e these powers, the best teachers
assure their students, ha-ing had eperiences which 3ustify them in such belief and statements' These
$asters do not ma0e public ehibitions of their powers, but see0 seclusion from the crowds of men, in
order to better wor0 their may along the Path of Attainment' /e mention their eistence, at this point,
merely to call your attention to the fact that their power is entirely $ental, and operates along the lines of
the higher $ental Transmutation, under the Hermetic Principle of $entalism' "The !ni-erse is $ental" 22
The Kybalion'
9ut students and Hermetists of lesser degree than $asters22the &nitiates and Teachers22are able to freely
wor0 along the $ental Plane, in $ental Transmutation' &n fact all that we call "psychic phenomena,"#
"mental influence"# "mental science"# "new2thought phenomena," etc', operates along the same general
lines, for there is but one principle in-ol-ed, no matter by what name the phenomena be called'
The student and practitioner of $ental Transmutation wor0s among the $ental Plane, transmuting mental
conditions, states, etc', into others, according to -arious formulas, more or less efficacious' The -arious
"treatments," "affirmations," "denials" etc', of the schools of mental science are but formulas, often 4uite
imperfect and unscientific, of The Hermetic Art' The ma3ority of modern practitioners are 4uite ignorant
compared to the ancient masters, for they lac0 the fundamental 0nowledge upon which the wor0 is based'
=ot only may the mental states, etc', of one8s self be changed or transmuted by Hermetic $ethods# but
also the states of others may be, and are, constantly transmuted in the same way, usually unconsciously,
but often consciously by some understanding the laws and principles, in cases where the people affected
are not informed of the principles of self2protection' And more than this, as many students and
practitioners of modern mental science 0now, e-ery material condition depending upon the minds of other
people may be changed or transmuted in accordance with the earnest desire, will, and "treatments" of
person desiring changed conditions of life' The public are so generally informed regarding these things at
present, that we do not deem it necessary to mention the same at length, our purpose at this point being
merely to show the Hermetic Principle and Art underlying all of these -arious forms of practice, good and
e-il, for the force can be used in opposite directions according to the Hermetic Principles of Polarity'
&n this little boo0 we shall state the basic principles of $ental Transmutation, that all who read may grasp
the !nderlying Principles, and thus possess the $aster2Key that will unloc0 the many doors of the Principle
of Polarity'
/e shall now proceed to a consideration of the first of the Hermetic Se-en Principles22the Principle of
$entalism, in which is eplained the truth that "THE A:: is $ind# the !ni-erse is $ental," in the words of
The Kybalion' /e as0 the close attention, and careful study of this great Principle, on the part of our
students, for it is really the 9asic Principle of the whole Hermetic Philosophy, and of the Hermetic Art of
$ental Transmutation'
I - The All
"!nder, and bac0 of, the !ni-erse of Time, Space and %hange, is e-er to be found The
Substantial .eality 22the 5undamental Truth'" 22 The Kybalion
"Substance" means6 "that which underlies all outward manifestations# the essence# the essential reality#
the thing in itself," etc' "Substantial" means6 "actually eisting# being the essential element# being real,"
etc' ".eality" means6" the state of being real# true, enduring# -alid# fied# permanent# actual," etc'
!nder and behind all outward appearances or manifestations, there must always be a Substantial .eality'
This is the :aw' $an considering the !ni-erse, of which he is a unit, sees nothing but change in matter,
forces, and mental states' He sees that nothing really &S, but that e-erything is 9E%,$&=G and
%HA=G&=G' =othing stands still2e-erything is being born, growing, dying2the -ery instant a thing reaches
its height, it begins to decline2the law of rhythm is in constant operation 2there is no reality, enduring
4uality, fiity, or substantiality in anything2 nothing is permanent but %hange' He sees all things e-ol-ing
from other things, and resol-ing into other things2a constant action and reaction# inflow and outflow#
building up and tearing down# creation and destruction# birth, growth and death' =othing endures but
%hange' And if he be a thin0ing man, he reali<es that all of these changing things must be but outward
appearances or manifestations of some !nderlying Power2some Substantial .eality'
All thin0ers, in all lands and in all times, ha-e assumed the necessity for postulating the eistence of this
Substantial .eality' All philosophies worthy of the name ha-e been based upon this thought' $en ha-e
gi-en to this Substantial .eality many names2some ha-e called it by the term of 1eity ?under many
titles@' ,thers ha-e called it "The &nfinite and Eternal Energy" others ha-e tried to call it "$atter"2but all
ha-e ac0nowledged its eistence' &t is self2e-ident it needs no argument'
&n these lessons we ha-e followed the eample of some of the world8s greatest thin0ers, both ancient and
modern22the Hermetic' $asters22and ha-e called this !nderlying Power22this Substantial .eality2 'by the
Hermetic name of "THE A::," which term we consider the most comprehensi-e of the many terms applied
by $an to THAT which transcends names and terms'
/e accept and teach the -iew of the great Hermetic thin0ers of all times, as well as of those illumined
souls who ha-e reached higher planes of being, both of whom assert that the inner nature of THE A:: is
!=K=,/A9:E' This must be so, for naught by THE A:: itself can comprehend its own nature and being'
The Hermetists belie-e and teach that THE A::, "in itself," is and must e-er be !=K=,/A9:E' They
regard all the theories, guesses and speculations of the theologians and metaphysicians regarding the
inner nature of THE A::, as but the childish efforts of mortal minds to grasp the secret of the &nfinite'
Such efforts ha-e always failed and will always fail, from the -ery nature of the tas0' ,ne pursuing such
in4uiries tra-els around and around in the labyrinth of thought, until he is lost to all sane reasoning, action
or conduct, and is utterly unfitted for the wor0 of life' He is li0e the s4uirrel which frantically runs around
and around the circling treadmill wheel of his cage, tra-eling e-er and yet reaching nowhere22at the end a
prisoner still, and standing 3ust where he started'
And still more presumptuous are those who attempt to ascribe to THE A:: the personality, 4ualities,
properties, characteristics and attributes of themsel-es, ascribing to THE A:: the human emotions,
feelings, and characteristics, e-en down to the pettiest 4ualities of man0ind, such as 3ealousy,
susceptibility to flattery and praise, desire for offerings and worship, and all the other sur-i-als from the
days of the childhood of the race' Such ideas are not worthy of grown men and women, and are rapidly
being discarded'
?At this point, it may be proper for me to state that we ma0e a distinction between .eligion and
Theology22between Philosophy and $etaphysics' .eligion, to us, means that intuitional reali<ation of the
eistence of THE A::, and one8s relationship to it# while Theology means the attempts of men to ascribe
personality, 4ualities, and characteristics to it# their theories regarding its affairs, will, desires, plans, and
designs, and their assumption of the office of 88middle2men88 between THE A:: and the people' Philosophy,
to us, means the in4uiry after 0nowledge of things 0nowable and thin0able# while $etaphysical means the
attempt to carry the in4uiry o-er and beyond the boundaries and into regions un0nowable and
unthin0able, and with the same tendency as that of Theology' And conse4uently, both .eligion and
Philosophy mean to us things ha-ing roots in .eality, while Theology and $etaphysics seem li0e bro0en
reeds, rooted in the 4uic0sands of ignorance, and affording naught but the most insecure support for the
mind or soul of $an' we do not insist upon our students accepting these definitions22we mention them
merely to show our position' At any rate, you shall hear -ery little about Theology and $etaphysics in
these lessons'@
9ut while the essential nature of THE A:: is !n0nowable, there are certain truths connected with its
eistence which the human mind finds itself compelled to accept' And an eamination of these reports
form a proper sub3ect of in4uiry, particularly as they agree with the reports of the &llumined on higher
planes' And to this in4uiry we now in-ite you' "THAT which is the 5undamental Truth2the Substantial
.eality22is beyond true naming, but the /ise $en call it THE A::'"22The Kybalion' "&n its Essence, THE A::
is !=K=,/A9:E'"22 The Kybalion' "9ut, the report of .eason must be hospitably recei-ed, and treated
with respect'" 22 The Kybalion'
The human reason, whose reports we must accept so long as we thin0 at all, informs us as follows
regarding THE A::, and that without attempting to remo-e the -eil of the !n0nowable6
?(@ THE A:: must be A:: that .EA::" &S' There can be nothing eisting outside of THE A::, else THE A::
would not be THE A::'
?*@ THE A:: must be &=5&=&TE, for there is nothing else to define, confine, bound, limit# or restrict THE
A::' &t must be &nfinite in Time, or ETE.=A:,22it must ha-e always continuously eisted, for there is
nothing else to ha-e e-er created it, and something can ne-er e-ol-e from nothing, and if it had e-er "not
been," e-en for a moment, it would not "be" now,22it must continuously eist fore-er, for there is nothing
to destroy it, and it can ne-er "not2be," e-en for a moment, because something can ne-er become
nothing' &t must be &nfinite in Space22it must be E-erywhere, for there is no place outside of THE A::22it
cannot be otherwise than continuous in Space, without brea0, cessation, separation, or interruption, for
there is nothing to brea0, separate, or interrupt its continuity, and nothing with which to "fill in the gaps'"
&t must be &nfinite in Power, or Absolute, for there is nothing to limit, restrict, restrain, confine, disturb or
condition it22it is sub3ect to no other Power, for there is no other Power'
?E@ THE A:: must be &$$!TA9:E, or not sub3ect to change in its real nature, for there is nothing to wor0
changes upon it nothing into which it could change, nor from which it could ha-e changed' &t cannot be
added to nor subtracted from# increased nor diminished# nor become greater or lesser in any respect
whatsoe-er' &t must ha-e always been, and must always remain, 3ust what it is now22THE A::22there has
ne-er been, is not now, and ne-er will be, anything else into which it can change'
THE A:: being &nfinite, Absolute, Eternal and !nchangeable it must follow that anything finite,
changeable, fleeting, and conditioned cannot be THE A::' And as there is =othing outside of THE A::, in
.eality, then any and all such finite things must be as =othing in .eality' =ow do not become befogged,
nor frightened22we are not trying to lead you into the %hristian Science field under co-er of Hermetic
Philosophy' There is a .econciliation of this apparently contradictory state of affairs' 9e patient, we will
reach it in time'
/e see around us that which is called " $atter," which forms the physical foundation for all forms' &s THE
A:: merely $atterB =ot at all; $atter cannot manifest :ife or $ind, and as :ife and $ind are manifested in
the !ni-erse, THE A:: cannot be $atter, for nothing rises higher than its own source22nothing is e-er
manifested in an effect that is not in the cause22nothing is e-ol-ed as a conse4uent that is not in-ol-ed as
an antecedent' And then $odern Science informs us that there is really no such thing as $atter2that what
we call $atter is merely "interrupted energy or force," that is, energy or force at a low rate of -ibration' As
a recent writer has said "$atter has melted into $ystery'" E-en $aterial Science has abandoned the
theory of $atter, and now rests on the basis of "Energy'"
Then is THE A:: mere Energy or 5orceB =ot Energy or 5orce as the materialists use the terms, for their
energy and force are blind, mechanical things, de-oid of :ife or $ind' :ife and $ind can ne-er e-ol-e from
blind Energy or 5orce, for the reason gi-en a moment ago6 8=othing can rise higher than its source22
nothing is e-ol-ed unless it is in-ol-ed22nothing manifests in the effect, unless it is in the cause'" And so
THE A:: cannot be mere Energy or 5orce, for, if it were, then there would be no such things as :ife and
$ind in eistence, and we 0now better than that, for we are Ali-e and using $ind to consider this -ery
4uestion, and so are those who claim that Energy or 5orce is E-erything'
/hat is there then higher than $atter or Energy that we 0now to be eistent in the !ni-erseB :&5E A=1
$&=1; :ife and $ind in all their -arying degrees of unfoldment; "Then," you as0, "do you mean to tell us
that THE A:: is :&5E and $&=1B" "es; and =o; is our answer' &f you mean :ife and $ind as we poor petty
mortals 0now them, we say =o; THE A:: is not that; "9ut what 0ind of :ife and $ind do you meanB" you
as0' The answer is ":&A&=G $&=1," as far abo-e that which mortals 0now by those words, as :ife and $ind
are higher than mechanical forces, or matter22&=5&=&TE :&A&=G $&=1 as compared to finite :ife and
$ind'" /e mean that which the illumined souls mean when they re-erently pronounce the word6 "SP&.&T;"
"THE A::" is &nfinite :i-ing $ind the &llumined call it SP&.&T;
- The Mental !niverse
"The !ni-erse is $ental22held in the $ind of THE A::'" 22 The Kybalion
THE A:: is SP&.&T; 9ut what is SpiritB This 4uestion cannot be answered, for the reason that its definition
is practically that of THE A::, which cannot be eplained or defined' Spirit is simply a name that men gi-e
to the highest conception of &nfinite :i-ing $ind22it means "the .eal Essence"22it means :i-ing $ind, as
much superior to :ife and $ind as we 0now them, as the latter are superior to mechanical Energy and
$atter' Spirit transcends our understanding, and we use the term merely that we may thin0 or spea0 of
THE A::' 5or the purposes of thought and understanding, we are 3ustified in thin0ing of Spirit as &nfinite
:i-ing $ind, at the same time ac0nowledging that we cannot fully understand it' /e must either do this or
stop thin0ing of the matter at all'
:et us now proceed to a consideration of the nature of the !ni-erse, as a whole and in its parts' /hat is
the !ni-erseB /e ha-e seen that there can be nothing outside of THE A::' Then is the !ni-erse THE A:: B
=o, this cannot be, because the !ni-erse seems to be made up of $A=" and is constantly changing, and
in other ways it does not measure up to the ideas that we are compelled to accept regarding THE A::, as
stated in our last lesson' Then if the !ni-erse be not THE A::, then it must be =othing22 such is the
ine-itable conclusion of the mind at first thought' 9ut this will not satisfy the 4uestion, for we are sensible
of the eistence of the !ni-erse' Then if the !ni-erse is neither THE A::, nor =othing, what %an it beB :et
us eamine this 4uestion'
&f the !ni-erse eists at all, or seems to eist, it must proceed in some way from THE A::22it must be a
creation of THE A::' 9ut as something can ne-er come from nothing, from what could THE A:: ha-e
created it Some philosophers ha-e answered this 4uestion by saying that THE A:: created the !ni-erse
from &TSE:5 22that is, from the being and substance of THE A::' 9ut this will not do, for THE A:: cannot
be subtracted from, nor di-ided, as we ha-e seen, and then again if this be so, would not each particle in
the !ni-erse be aware of its being THE A:: 22THE A:: could not lose its 0nowledge of itself, nor actually
9E%,$E an atom, or blind force, or lowly li-ing thing' Some men, indeed, reali<ing that THE A:: is indeed
A::, and also recogni<ing that they, the men, eisted, ha-e 3umped to the conclusion that they and THE
A:: were identical, and they ha-e filled the air with shouts of "& A$ G,1,8 to the amusement of the
multitude and the sorrow of sages' The claim of the corpuscle that6 "& am $an;" would be modest in
comparison' 9ut, what indeed is the !ni-erse, if it be not THE A::, not yet created by THE A:: ha-ing
separated itself into fragmentsB /hat else can it be of what else can it be made B This is the great
4uestion' :et us eamine it carefully' /e find here that the "Principle of %orrespondence" ?see :esson &'@
comes to our aid here' The old Hermetic aiom, "As abo-e so below," may be pressed into ser-ice at this
point' :et us endea-or to get a glimpse of the wor0ings on higher planes by eamining those on our own'
The Principle of %orrespondence must apply to this as well as to other problems'
:et us see; ,n his own plane of being, how does $an createB /ell, first, he may create by ma0ing
something out of outside materials' 9ut this will not do, for there are no materials outside of THE A:: with
which it may create' /ell, then, secondly, $an pro2creates or reproduces his 0ind by the process of
begetting, which is self2multiplication accomplished by transferring a portion of his substance to his
offspring' 9ut this will not do, because THE A:: cannot transfer or subtract a portion of itself, nor can it
reproduce or multiply itself22in the first place there would be a ta0ing away, and in the second case a
multiplication or addition to THE A::, both thoughts being an absurdity' &s there no third way in which
$A= createsB "es, there is22he %.EATES $E=TA::"; And in so doing he uses no outside materials, nor
does he reproduce himself, and yet his Spirit per-ades the $ental %reation' 5ollowing the Principle of
%orrespondence, we are 3ustified in considering that THE A:: creates the !ni-erse $E=TA::", in a manner
a0in to the process whereby $an creates $ental &mages' And, here is where the report of .eason tallies
precisely with the report of the &llumined, as shown by their teachings and writings' Such are the
teachings of the /ise $en' Such was the Teaching of Hermes' THE A:: can create in no other way ecept
mentally, without either using material ?and there is none to use@, or else reproducing itself ?which is also
impossible@' There is no escape from this conclusion of the .eason, which, as we ha-e said, agrees with
the highest teachings of the &llumined' >ust as you, student, may create a !ni-erse of your own in your
mentality, so does THE A:: create !ni-erses in its own $entality' 9ut your !ni-erse is the mental creation
of a 5inite $ind, whereas that of THE A:: is the creation of an &nfinite' The two are similar in 0ind, but
infinitely different in degree' /e shall eamine more closely into the process of creation and manifestation
as we proceed' 9ut this is the point to fi in your minds at this stage6 THE !=&AE.SE, A=1 A:: &T
%,=TA&=S, &S A $E=TA: %.EAT&,= ,5 THE A::' Aerily indeed, A:: &S $&=1;
"THE A:: creates in its &nfinite $ind countless !ni-erses, which eist for aeons of Time22and yet, to THE
A::, the creation, de-elopment, decline and death of a million !ni-erses is as the time of the twin0ling of
an eye'"22The Kybalion
"The &nfinite $ind of THE A:: is the womb of !ni-erses'"22The Kybalion
The Principle of Gender ?see :esson &' and other lessons to follow@ is manifested on all planes of life,
material mental and spiritual' 9ut, as we ha-e said before, "Gender" does not mean "Se" se is merely a
material manifestation of gender' "Gender" means "relating to generation or creation'" And whene-er
anything is generated or created, on any plane, the Principle of Gender must be manifested' And this is
true e-en in the creation of !ni-erses'
=ow do not 3ump to the conclusion that we are teaching that there is a male and female God, or %reator'
That idea is merely a distortion of the ancient teachings on the sub3ect' The true teaching is that THE A::,
in itself, is abo-e Gender, as it is abo-e e-ery other :aw, including those of Time and Space' &t is the :aw,
from which the :aws proceed, and it is not sub3ect to them' 9ut when THE A:: manifests on the plane of
generation or creation, then it acts according to :aw and Principle, for it is mo-ing on a lower plane of
9eing' And conse4uently it manifests the Principle of Gender, in its $asculine and 5eminine aspects, on
the $ental Plane, of course'
This idea may seem startling to some of you who hear it for the first time, but you ha-e all really passi-ely
accepted it in your e-eryday conceptions' "ou spea0 of the 5atherhood of God, and the $otherhood of
=ature22of God, the 1i-ine 5ather, and =ature the !ni-ersal $other 22and ha-e thus instincti-ely
ac0nowledged the Principle of Gender in the !ni-erse' &s this not soB
9ut, the Hermetic teaching does not imply a real duality2 'THE A:: is ,=E the Two Aspects are merely
aspects of manifestation' The teaching is that The $asculine Principle manifested by THE A:: stands, in a
way, apart from the actual mental creation of the !ni-erse' &t pro3ects its /ill toward the 5eminine
Principle ?which may be called "=ature"@ whereupon the latter begins the actual wor0 of the e-olution of
the !ni-erse, from simple "centers of acti-ity" on to man, and then on and on still higher, all according to
well2established and firmly enforced :aws of =ature' &f you prefer the old figures of thought, you may
thin0 of the $asculine Principle as G,1, the 5ather, and of the 5eminine Principle as =AT!.E, the
!ni-ersal $other, from whose womb all things ha-e been born' This is more than a mere poetic figure of
speech 22it is an idea of the actual process of the creation of the !ni-erse' 9ut always remember, that THE
A:: is but ,ne, and that in its &nfinite $ind the !ni-erse is generated, created and eists'
&t may help you to get the proper idea, if you will apply the :aw of %orrespondence to yourself, and your
own mind' "ou 0now that the part of "ou which you call "&," in a sense, stands apart and witnesses the
creation of mental &mages in your own mind' The part of your mind in which the mental generation is
accomplished may be called the "$e" in distinction from the "&" which stands apart and witnesses and
eamines the thoughts, ideas and images of the "$e'"
"As abo-e, so below," remember, and the phenomena of one plane may be employed to sol-e the riddles
of higher or lower planes'
&s it any wonder that "ou, the child, feel that instincti-e re-erence for THE A::, which feeling we call
"religion"22that respect, and re-erence for THE 5ATHE. $&=1B &s it any wonder that, when you consider
the wor0s and wonders of =ature, you are o-ercome with a mighty feeling which has its roots away down
in your inmost beingB &t is the $,THE. $&=1 that you are pressing close up to, li0e a babe to the breast'
1o not ma0e the mista0e of supposing that the little world you see around you2the Earth, which is a mere
grain of dust in the !ni-erse22is the !ni-erse itself' There are millions upon millions of such worlds, and
greater' And there are millions of millions of such !ni-erses in eistence within the &nfinite $ind of THE
A::' And e-en in our own little solar system there are regions and planes of life far higher than ours, and
beings compared to which we earth2bound mortals are as the slimy life2forms that dwell on the ocean8s
bed when compared to $an' There are beings with powers and attributes higher than $an has e-er
dreamed of the gods8 possessing' And yet these beings were once as you, and still lower22and you will be
e-en as they, and still higher, in time, for such is the 1estiny of $an as reported by the &llumined'
And 1eath is not real, e-en in the .elati-e sense22it is but 9irth to a new life2and "ou shall go on, and on,
and on, to higher and still higher planes of life, for aeons upon aeons of time' The !ni-erse is your home,
and you shall eplore its farthest recesses before the end of Time' "ou are dwelling in the &nfinite $ind of
THE A::, and your possibilities and opportunities are infinite, both in time and space' And at the end of
the Grand %ycle of Aeons, when THE A:: shall draw bac0 into itself all of its creations22you will go gladly
for you will then be able to 0now the /hole Truth of being At ,ne with THE A::' Such is the report of the
&llumined22those who ha-e ad-anced well along The Path'
And, in the meantime, rest calm and serene22you are safe and protected by the &nfinite Power of the
5ATHE.2$,THE. $&=1'
"/ithin the 5ather2$other $ind, mortal children are at home'" 22 The Kybalion
"There is not one who is 5atherless, nor $otherless in the !ni-erse'" 22 The Kybalion
I - The Divine Parado"
"The half2wise, recogni<ing the comparati-e unreality of the !ni-erse, imagine that they
may defy its :aws22such are -ain and presumptuous fools, and they are bro0en against the
roc0s and torn asunder by the elements by reason of their folly' The truly wise, 0nowing the
nature of the !ni-erse, use :aw 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'
$astery consists not in abnormal dreams, -isions and fantastic imaginings or li-ing, but in
using the higher forces against the lower22escaping the pains of the lower planes by
-ibrating on the higher' Transmutation, not presumptuous denial, is the weapon of the
$aster'" 22 The Kybalion
This is the Parado of the !ni-erse, resulting from the Principle of Polarity which manifests when THE A::
begins to %reate22hear0en to it for it points the difference between half2wisdom and wisdom' /hile to THE
&=5&=&TE A::, the !ni-erse, its :aws, its Powers, its life, its Phenomena, are as things witnessed in the
state of $editation or 1ream# yet to all that is 5inite, the !ni-erse must be treated as .eal, and life, and
action, and thought, must be based thereupon, accordingly, although with an e-er understanding of the
Higher Truth' Each according to its own Plane and :aws' /ere THE A:: to imagine that the !ni-erse were
indeed .eality, then woe to the !ni-erse, for there would be then no escape from lower to higher,
di-ineward22then would the !ni-erse become a fiity and progress would become impossible' And if $an,
owing to half2wisdom, acts and li-es and thin0s of the !ni-erse as merely a dream ?a0in to his own finite
dreams@ then indeed does it so become for him, and li0e a sleep2wal0er he stumbles e-er around and
around in a circle, ma0ing no progress, and being forced into an awa0ening at last by his falling bruised
and bleeding o-er the =atural :aws which he ignored' Keep your mind e-er on the Star, but let your eyes
watch o-er your footsteps, lest you fall into the mire by reason of your upward ga<e' .emember the
1i-ine Parado, that while the !ni-erse &S =,T, still &T &S' .emember e-er the Two Poles of Truth the
Absolute and the .elati-e' 9eware of Half2Truths'
/hat Hermetists 0now as "the :aw of Parado" is an aspect of the Principle of Polarity' The Hermetic
writings are filled with references to the appearance of the Parado in the consideration of the problems of
:ife and 9eing' The Teachers are constantly warning their students against the error of omitting the "other
side" of any 4uestion' And their warnings are particularly directed to the problems of the Absolute and the
.elati-e, which perple all students of philosophy, and which cause so many to thin0 and act contrary to
what is generally 0nown as "common sense'" And we caution all students to be sure to grasp the 1i-ine
Parado of the Absolute and .elati-e, lest they become entangled in the mire of the Half2Truth' /ith this
in -iew this particular lesson has been written' .ead it carefully;
The first thought that comes to the thin0ing man after he reali<es the truth that the !ni-erse is a $ental
%reation of THE A::, is that the !ni-erse and all that it contains is a mere illusion# an unreality# against
which idea his instincts re-olt' 9ut this, li0e all other great truths, must be considered both from the
Absolute and the .elati-e points of -iew' 5rom the Absolute -iewpoint, of course, the !ni-erse is in the
nature of an illusion, a dream, a phantasmagoria, as compared to THE A:: in itself' /e recogni<e this
e-en in our ordinary -iew, for we spea0 of the world as "a fleeting show" that comes and goes, is born and
dies22for the element of impermanence and change, finiteness and unsubstantiality, must e-er be
connected with the idea of a created !ni-erse when it is contrasted with the idea of THE A::, 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 respecti-e schools of metaphysics and theology' So,
the Hermetic Teachings do not preach the unsubstantiality of the !ni-erse in any stronger terms than
those more familiar to you, although their presentation of the sub3ect may seem somewhat more startling'
Anything that has a beginning and an ending must be, in a sense, unreal and untrue, and the !ni-erse
comes under the rule, in all schools of thought' 5rom the Absolute point of -iew, there is nothing .eal
ecept THE A::, no matter what terms we may use in thin0ing of, or discussing the sub3ect' /hether the
!ni-erse be created of $atter, or whether it be a $ental %reation in the $ind of THE A::22it is
unsubstantial, non2enduring, a thing of time, space and change' /e want you to reali<e this fact
thoroughly, before you pass 3udgment on the Hermetic conception of the $ental nature of the !ni-erse'
Thin0 o-er any and all of the other conceptions, and see whether this be not true of them'
9ut the Absolute point of -iew shows merely one side of the picture22the other side is the .elati-e one'
Absolute Truth has been defined as "Things as the mind of God 0nows them," while .elati-e Truth is
"Things as the highest reason of $an understands them'" And so while to THE A:: the !ni-erse must be
unreal and illusionary, a mere dream or result of meditation,22ne-ertheless, to the finite minds forming a
part of that !ni-erse, and -iewing it through mortal faculties, the !ni-erse is -ery real indeed, and must
be so considered' &n recogni<ing the Absolute -iew, we must not ma0e the mista0e of ignoring or denying
the facts and phenomena of the !ni-erse as they present themsel-es to our mortal faculties22we are not
THE A::, remember'
To ta0e familiar illustrations, we all recogni<e the fact that matter "eists" to our senses22we will fare
badly if we do not' And yet, e-en our finite minds understand the scientific dictum that there is no such
thing as $atter from a scientific point of -iew22that which we call $atter is held to be merely an
aggregation of atoms, which atoms themsel-es are merely a grouping of units of force, called electrons or
"ions," -ibrating and in constant circular motion' /e 0ic0 a stone and we feel the impact22it seems to be
real, notwithstanding that we 0now it to be merely what we ha-e stated abo-e' 9ut remember that our
foot, which feels the impact by means of our brains, is li0ewise $atter, so constituted of electrons, and for
that matter so are our brains' And, at the best, if it were not by reason of our $ind, we would not 0now
the foot or stone at all'
Then again, the ideal of the artist or sculptor, which he is endea-oring to reproduce in stone or on can-as,
seems -ery real to him' So do the characters in the mind of the author# or dramatist, which he see0s to
epress so that others may recogni<e them' And if this be true in the case of our finite minds, what must
be the degree of .eality in the $ental &mages created in the $ind of the &nfiniteB ,h, friends, to mortals
this !ni-erse of $entality is -ery real indeed22it is the only one we can e-er 0now, though we rise from
plane to plane, higher and higher in it' To 0now it otherwise, but actual eperience, we must be THE A::
itself' &t is true that the higher we rise in the nearer to "the mind of the 5ather" we reach22the more
apparent becomes the illusory nature of finite things, but not until THE A:: finally withdraws us into itself
does the -ision actually -anish'
So, we need not dwell upon the feature of illusion' .ather let us, recogni<ing the real nature of the
!ni-erse, see0 to understand its mental laws, and endea-or to use them to the best effect in our upward
progress through life, as we tra-el from plane to plane of being' The :aws of the !ni-erse are none the
less "&ron :aws" because of the mental nature' All, ecept THE A::, are bound by them' /hat is &= THE
&=5&=&TE $&=1 ,5 THE all# is .EA: in a degree second only to that .eality itself which is -ested in the
nature of THE A::'
So, do not feel insecure or afraid 22we are all HE:1 5&.$:" &= THE &=5&=&TE $&=1 ,5 THE A::, and there
is naught to hurt us or for us to fear' There is no Power outside of THE A:: to affect us' So we may rest
calm and secure' There is a world of comfort and security in this reali<ation when once attained' Then
"calm and peaceful do we sleep, roc0ed in the %radle of the 1eep"22resting safely on the bosom of the
,cean of &nfinite $ind, which is THE A::' &n THE A::, indeed, do "we li-e and mo-e and ha-e our being'"
$atter is none the less $atter to us, while we dwell on the plane of $atter, although we 0now it to be
merely an aggregation of "electrons," or particles of 5orce, -ibrating rapidly and gyrating around each
other in the formations of atoms# the atoms in turn -ibrating and gyrating, forming molecules, which
latter in turn form larger masses of $atter' =or does $atter become less $atter, when we follow the
in4uiry still further, and learn from the Hermetic Teachings, that the "5orce" of which the electrons are but
units is merely a manifestation of the $ind of THE A::, and li0e all else in the !ni-erse is purely $ental in
its nature' /hile on the Plane of matter, we must recogni<e its phenomena22we may control $atter ?as all
$asters of higher or lesser degree do@, but we do so by applying the higher forces' /e commit a folly
when we attempt to deny the eistence of $atter in the relati-e aspect' /e may deny its mastery o-er
us22and rightly so22but we should not attempt to ignore it in its relati-e aspect, at least so long as we
dwell upon its plane'
=or do the :aws of =ature become less constant or effecti-e, when we 0now them, li0ewise, to be merely
mental creations' They are in full effect on the -arious planes' /e o-ercome the lower laws, by applying
still higher ones22and in this way only' 9ut we cannot escape :aw or rise abo-e it entirely' =othing but
THE A:: can escape :aw22and that because THE A:: is :A/ itself, from which all :aws emerge' The most
ad-anced $asters may ac4uire the powers usually attributed to the gods of men# and there are countless
ran0s of being, in the great hierarchy of life, whose being and power transcends e-en that of the highest
$asters among men to a degree unthin0able by mortals, but e-en the highest $aster, and the highest
9eing, must bow to the :aw, and be as =othing in the eye of THE A::' So that if e-en these highest
9eings, whose powers eceed e-en those attributed by men to their gods 22if e-en these are bound by
and are subser-ient to :aw, then imagine the presumption of mortal man, of our race and grade, when he
dares to consider the :aws of =ature as "unreal;" -isionary and illusory, because he happens to be able to
grasp the truth that the :aws are $ental in nature, and simply $ental %reations of THE A::' Those :aws
which THE A:: intends to be go-erning :aws are not to be defied or argued away' So long as the !ni-erse
endures, will they endure22for the !ni-erse eists by -irtue of these :aws which form its framewor0 and
which hold it together'
The Hermetic Principle of $entalism, while eplaining the true nature of the !ni-erse upon the principle
that all is $ental, does not change the scientific conceptions of the !ni-erse, :ife, or E-olution' &n fact,
science merely corroborates the Hermetic Teachings' The latter merely teaches that the nature of the
!ni-erse is "$ental," while modern science has taught that it is "$aterial8# or ?of late@ that it is "Energy" at
the last analysis' The Hermetic Teachings ha-e no fault to find with Herbert Spencer8s basic principle
which postulates the eistence of an "&nfinite and Eternal Energy, from which all things proceed'" &n fact,
the Hermetics recogni<e in Spencer8s philosophy the highest outside statement of the wor0ings of the
=atural :aws that ha-e e-er been promulgated, and they belie-e Spencer to ha-e 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 li-ed 9' %' FGG' And they regard his statement of the "&nfinite 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 $ind of THE A::' /ith the $aster2Key of the Hermetic
Philosophy, the student of Spencer will be able to unloc0 many doors of the inner philosophical
conceptions of the great English philosopher, whose wor0 shows the results of the preparation of his
pre-ious incarnations' His teachings regarding E-olution and .hythm are in almost perfect agreement with
the Hermetic Teachings regarding the Principle of .hythm'
So, the student of Hermetics need not lay aside any of his cherished scientific -iews regarding the
!ni-erse' All he is as0ed to do is to grasp the underlying principle of "THE A:: is $ind# the !ni-erse is
$ental22held in the mind of THE A::'" He will find that the other si of the Se-en Principles will "fit into"
his scientific 0nowledge, and will ser-e to bring out obscure points and to throw light in dar0 corners' This
is not to be wondered at, when we reali<e the influence of the Hermetic thought of the early philosophers
of Greece, upon whose foundations of thought the theories of modern science largely rest' The acceptance
of the 5irst Hermetic Principle ?$entalism is the only great point of difference between $odern Science
and Hermetic students, and Science is gradually mo-ing toward the Hermetic position in its groping in the
dar0 for a way out of the :abyrinth into which it has wandered in its search for .eality'
The purpose of this lesson is to impress upon the minds of our students the fact that, to all intents and
purposes, the !ni-erse and its laws, and its phenomena, are 3ust as .EA:, so far as $an is concerned as
they would be under the hypotheses of $aterialism or Energism' !nder any hypothesis the !ni-erse in its
outer aspect is changing, e-er2flowing, and transitory22and therefore de-oid of substantiality and reality'
9ut ?note the other pole of the truth@ under the same hypotheses, we are compelled to A%T A=1 :&AE as if
the fleeting things were real and substantial' /ith this difference, always, between the -arious
hypotheses22that under the old -iews $ental Power was ignored as a =atural 5orce, while under $entalism
it becomes the Greatest =atural 5orce' and this one difference re-olutioni<es :ife, to those who
understand the Principle and its resulting laws and practice'
So, finally, students all, grasp the ad-antage of $entalism, and learn to 0now, use and apply the laws
resulting therefrom' 9ut do not yield to the temptation which, as The Kybalion states, o-ercomes the half2
wise and which causes them to be hypnoti<ed by the apparent unreality of things, the conse4uence being
that they wander about li0e dream2people dwelling in a world of dreams, ignoring the practical wor0 and
life of man, the end being that "they are bro0en against the roc0s and torn asunder by the elements, by
reason of their folly'" .ather follow the eample of the wise, which the same authority states, "use :aw
against :aws# the higher against the lower# and by the Art of Alchemy transmute that which is undesirable
into that which is worthy, and thus triumph'" 5ollowing the authority, let us a-oid the half2wisdom ?which
is folly@ which ignores the truth that6 "$astery consists not in abnormal dreams, -isions, and fantastic
imaginings or li-ing, but in using the higher forces against the lower2escaping the pains of the lower
planes by -ibrating on the higher'" .emember always, student, that "Transmutation, not presumptuous
denial, is the weapon of the $aster'" The abo-e 4uotations are from The Kybalion, and are worthy of
being committed to memory by the student'
/e do not li-e in a world of dreams, but in an !ni-erse which while relati-e, is real so far as our li-es and
actions are concerned' ,ur business in the !ni-erse is not to deny its eistence, but to :&AE, using the
:aws to rise from lower to higher 2li-ing on, doing the best that we can under the circumstances arising
each day, and li-ing, so far as is possible, to our biggest ideas and ideals' The true $eaning of :ife is not
0nown to men on this plane 'if, indeed, to any22but the highest authorities, and our own intuitions, teach
us that we will ma0e no mista0e in li-ing up to the best that is in us, so far as is possible, and realising the
!ni-ersal tendency in the same direction in spite of apparent e-idence to the contrary' /e are all on The
Path22and the road leads upward e-er, with fre4uent resting places'
.ead the message of The Kybalion2 2and follow the eample of "the wise"22a-oiding the mista0e of "the
half2wise" who perish by reason of their folly'
II - #The All# in All
"/hile All is in THE A::, it is e4ually true that THE A:: is in A::' To him who truly
understands this truth hath come great 0nowledge'" 22 The Kybalion
How often ha-e the ma3ority of people heard repeated the statement that their 1eity ?called by many
names@ was "All in All" and how little ha-e they suspected the inner occult truth concealed by these
carelessly uttered wordsB The commonly used epression is a sur-i-al of the ancient' Hermetic $aim
4uoted abo-e' as the Kybalion says6 "To him who truly understands this truth, hath come great
0nowledge'" And, this being so, let us see0 this truth, the understanding of which means so much' &n this
statement of truth22this Hermetic $aim22is concealed one of the greatest philosophical, scientific and
religious truths'
/e ha-e gi-en you the Hermetic Teaching regarding the $ental =ature of the !ni-erse22the truth that
"the !ni-erse is $ental22held in the $ind of THE A::" As the Kybalion says, in the passage 4uoted abo-e6
"All is in THE A::'" 9ut note also the co2related statement, that6 "&t is e4ually true that THE A:: is in A::'"
This apparently contradictory statement is reconcilable under the :aw of Parado' &t is, moreo-er, an
eact Hermetic statement of the relations eisting between THE A:: and its mental !ni-erse' /e ha-e
seen how "All is in THE A::"22now let us eamine the other aspect of the sub3ect'
The Hermetic Teachings are to the effect that THE A:: is &mminent in ?"remaining within# inherent#
abiding within"@ its !ni-erse, and in e-ery part, particle, unit, or combination, within the !ni-erse' This
statement is usually illustrated by the Teachers by a reference to the Principle of %orrespondence' The
Teacher instructs the student to form a $ental &mage of something, a person, an idea, something ha-ing
a mental form, the fa-orite eample being that of the author or dramatist forming an idea of his
characters# or a painter or sculptor forming an image of an ideal that he wishes to epress by his art' &n
each case, the student will find that while the image has its eistence, and being, solely within his own
mind, yet he, the student, author, dramatist, painter, or sculptor, is, in a sense, immanent in# remaining
within# or abiding within, the mental image also' &n other words, the entire -irtue, life, spirit, of reality in
the mental image is deri-ed from the 8immanent mind" of the thin0er' %onsider this for a moment, until
the idea is grasped'
To ta0e a modern eample, let us say that ,thello, &ago, Hamlet, :ear, .ichard &&&, eisted merely in the
mind of Sha0espeare, at the time of their conception or creation' And yet, Sha0espeare also eisted within
each of these characters, gi-ing them their -itality, spirit, and action' /hose is the "spirit" of the
characters that we 0now as $icawber, ,li-er Twist, !riah Heep22 is it 1ic0ens, or ha-e each of these
characters a personal spirit, independent of their creatorB Ha-e the Aenus of $edici, the Sistine $adonna,
the Appollo 9el-idere, spirits and reality of their own, or do they represent the spiritual and mental power
of their creatorsB The :aw of Parado eplains that both propositions are true, -iewed from the proper
-iewpoints' $icawber is both $icawber, and yet 1ic0ens' And, again, while $icawber may be said to be
1ic0ens, yet 1ic0ens is not identical with $icawber' $an, li0e $icawber, may eclaim6 8The Spirit of my
%reator is inherent within me 22and yet &6 am not HE;" How different this from the shoc0ing half2truth so
-ociferously announced by certain of the half wise, who fill the air with their raucous cries of6 "& am God;"
&magine poor $icawber, or the snea0y !riah Heep, crying6 "& Am 1ic0ens"# or some of the lowly clods in
one of Sha0espeare8s plays, elo4uently announcing that6 & Am Sha0espeare ;" THE A:: is in the
earthworm, and yet the earthworm is far from being THE A::' And still the wonder remains, that though
the earthworm eists merely as a lowly thing, created and ha-ing its being solely within the $ind of THE
A::22yet THE A:: is immanent in the earthworm, and in the particles that go to ma0e up the earthworm'
%an there be any greater mystery than this of "All in THE A::# and THE A:: in AllB"
The student will, of course, reali<e that the illustrations gi-en abo-e are necessarily imperfect and
inade4uate, for they represent the creation of mental images in finite minds, while the !ni-erse is a
creation of &nfinite $ind22and the difference between the two poles separates them' And yet it is merely a
matter of degree22the same Principle is in operation22the Principle of %orrespondence manifests in each22
"As abo-e, so 9elow# as 9elow, so abo-e'"
And, in the degree that $an reali<es the eistence of the &ndwelling Spirit immanent within his being, so
will he rise in the spiritual scale of life' This is what spiritual de-elopment means22the recognition,
reali<ation, and manifestation of the Spirit within us' Try to remember this last definition22that of spiritual
de-elopment' &t contains the Truth of True .eligion'
There are many planes of 9eing22many sub2planes of :ife22many degrees of eistence in the !ni-erse'
And all depend upon the ad-ancement of beings in the scale, of which scale the lowest point is the
grossest matter, the highest being separated only by the thinnest di-ision from the SP&.&T of THE A::'
And, upward and onward along this Scale of :ife, e-erything is mo-ing' All are on the Path, whose end is
THE A::' All progress is a .eturning Home' All is !pward and ,nward, in spite of all seemingly
contradictory appearances' Such is the message of the llumined'
The Hermetic Teachings concerning the process of the $ental %reation of the !ni-erse, are that at the
beginning of the %reati-e %ycle, THE A::, in its aspect of 9eing, pro3ects its /ill toward its aspect of
"9ecoming" and the process of creation begins' &t is taught that the process consists of the lowering of
Aibration until a -ery low degree of -ibratory energy is reached, at which point the grossest possible form
of $atter is manifested' This process is called the stage of &n-olution, in which THE A:: becomes
"in-ol-ed," or "wrapped up," in its creation' This process is belie-ed by the Hermetists to ha-e a
%orrespondence to the mental process of an artist, writer, or in-entor, who becomes so wrapped up in his
mental creation as to almost forget his own eistence and who, for the time being, almost "li-es in his
creation," &f instead of "wrapped" we use the word "rapt," perhaps we will gi-e a better idea of what is
meant'
This &n-oluntary stage of %reation is sometimes called the ",utpouring" of the 1i-ine Energy, 3ust as the
E-olutionary state is called the "&ndrawing'" The etreme pole of the %reati-e process is considered to be
the furthest remo-ed from THE A::, while the beginning of the E-olutionary stage is regarded as the
beginning of the return swing of the pendulum of .hythm22 a "coming home" idea being held in all of the
Hermetic Teachings'
The Teachings are that during the ",utpouring," the -ibrations become lower and lower until finally the
urge ceases, and the return swing begins' 9ut there is this difference, that while in the ",utpouring" the
creati-e forces manifest compactly and as a whole, yet from the beginning of the E-olutionary or
"&ndrawing" stage, there is manifested the :aw of &ndi-iduali<ation 22that is, the tendency to separate into
!nits of 5orce, so that finally that which left THE A:: as unindi-iduali<ed energy returns to its source as
countless highly de-eloped !nits of :ife, ha-ing risen higher and higher in the scale by means of Physical,
$ental and Spiritual E-olution'
The ancient Hermetists use the word "$editation" in describing the process of the mental creation of the
!ni-erse in the $ind of THE A::, the word "%ontemplation" also being fre4uently employed' 9ut the idea
intended seems to be that of the employment of the 1i-ine Attention' "Attention" is a word deri-ed from
the :atin root, meaning "to reach out# to stretch out," and so the act of Attention is really a mental
"reaching out# etension" of mental energy, so that the underlying idea is readily understood when we
eamine into the real meaning of "Attention'"
The Hermetic Teachings regarding the process of E-olution are that, THE A::, ha-ing meditated upon the
beginning of the %reation22ha-ing thus established the material foundations of the !ni-erse ha-ing
thought it into eistence22then gradually awa0ens or rouses from its $editation and in so doing starts into
manifestation the process of E-olution, on the material mental and spiritual planes, successi-ely and in
order' Thus the upward mo-ement begins22and all begins to mo-e Spiritward' $atter becomes less gross#
the !nits spring into being# the combinations begin to form# :ife appears and manifests in higher and
higher forms' and $ind becomes more and more in e-idence22the -ibrations constantly becoming higher'
&n short, the entire process of E-olution, in all of its phases, begins, and proceeds according to the
established :aws of the &ndrawing" process' All of this occupies aeons upon aeons of $an8s time, each
aeon containing countless millions of years, but yet the &llumined inform us that the entire creation,
including &n-olution and E-olution, of an !ni-erse, is but "as the twin0le of the eye" to THE A:: At the end
of countless cycles of aeons of time, THE A:: withdraws its Attention22its %ontemplation and $editation22
of the !ni-erse, for the Great /or0 is finished2and All is withdrawn into THE A:: from which it emerged'
9ut $ystery of $ysteries22the Spirit of each soul is not annihilated, but is infinitely epanded22the %reated
and the %reator are merged' Such is the report of the &llumined'
The abo-e illustration of the "meditation," and subse4uent "awa0ening from meditation," of THE A::, is of
course but an attempt of the teachers to describe the &nfinite process by a finite eample' And, yet6 "As
9elow, so Abo-e'" The difference is merely in degree' And 3ust' as THE A:: arouses itself from the
meditation upon the !ni-erse, so does $an ?in time@ cease from manifesting upon the $aterial Plane, and
withdraws himself more and more into the &ndwelling Spirit, which is indeed "The 1i-ine Ego'"
There is one more matter of which we desire to spea0 in this lesson, and that comes -ery near to an
in-asion of the $etaphysical field of speculation, although our purpose is merely to show the futility of
such speculation' /e allude to the 4uestion which ine-itably comes to the mind of all thin0ers who ha-e
-entured to see0 the Truth' The 4uestion is6 "/H" does THE A:: create !ni-erses" The 4uestion may be
as0ed in different forms, but the abo-e is the gist of the in4uiry'
$en ha-e stri-en hard to answer this 4uestion, but still there is no answer worthy of the name' Some
ha-e imagined that THE A:: had something to gain by it, but this is absurd, for what could THE A:: gain
that it did not already possessB ,thers ha-e sought the answer in the idea that THE A:: "wished
something to lo-e " and others that it created for pleasure, or amusement# or because it "was lonely" or
to manifest its power#22all puerile eplanations and ideas, belonging to the childish period of thought'
,thers ha-e sought to eplain the mystery by assuming that THE A:: found itself "compelled" to create,
by reason of its own "internal nature" its "creati-e instinct'" This idea is in ad-ance of the others, but its
wea0 point lies in the idea of THE A:: being "compelled" by anything, internal or eternal' &f its "internal
nature," or "creati-e instinct," compelled it to do anything, then the "internal nature" or "creati-e instinct"
would be the Absolute, instead of THE A::, and so accordingly that part of the proposition falls' And, yet,
THE A:: does create and manifest, and seems to find some 0ind of satisfaction in so doing' And it is
difficult to escape the conclusion that in some infinite degree it must ha-e what would correspond to an
"inner nature," or "creati-e instinct," in man, with correspondingly infinite 1esire and /ill' &t could not act
unless it /illed to Act# and it would not /ill to Act, unless it 1esired to Act and it would not 1esire to Act
unless it obtained some Satisfaction thereby' And all of these things would belong to an "&nner =ature,"
and might be postulated as eisting according to the :aw of %orrespondence' 9ut, still, we prefer to thin0
of THE A:: as acting entirely 5.EE from any influence, internal as well as eternal' That is the problem
which lies at the root of difficulty 22and the difficulty that lies at the root of the problem'
Strictly spea0ing, there cannot be said to be any ".eason" whatsoe-er for THE A:: to act, for a "reason"
implies a "cause," and THE A:: is abo-e %ause and Effect, ecept when it /ills to become a %ause, at
which time the Principle is set into motion' So, you see, the matter is !nthin0able, 3ust as THE A:: is
!n0nowable' >ust as we say THE A:: merely "&S"22so we are compelled to say that "THE A:: A%TS
9E%A!SE &T A%TS'" At the last, THE A:: is All .eason in &tself# All :aw in &tself# All Action in &tself22and it
may be said, truthfully, that THE A:: is &ts ,wn .eason# its own :aw# its own Act22or still further, that
THE A::# &ts .eason# &ts Act# is :aw# are ,=E, all being names for the same thing' &n the opinion of those
who are gi-ing you these present lessons, the answer is loc0ed up in the &==E. SE:5 of THE A::, along
with its Secret of 9eing' The :aw of %orrespondence, in our opinion, reaches only to that aspect of THE
A::, which may be spo0en of as "The Aspect of 9E%,$&=G'" 9ac0 of that Aspect is "The Aspect of 9E&=G "
in which all :aws are lost in :A/# all Principles merge into P.&=%&P:E22and THE A:: # P.&=%&P:E # and
9E&=G # are &1E=T&%A:, ,=E A=1 THE SA$E' Therefore, $etaphysical speculation on this point is futile'
/e go into the matter here, merely to show that we recogni<e the 4uestion, and also the absurdity of the
ordinary answers of metaphysics and theology'
&n conclusion, it may be of interest to our students to learn that while some of the ancient, and modern,
Hermetic Teachers ha-e rather inclined in the direction of applying the Principle of %orrespondence to the
4uestion, with the result of the "&nner =ature" conclusion,22still the legends ha-e it that HE.$ES, the
Great, when as0ed this 4uestion by his ad-anced students, answered them by P.ESS&=G H&S :&PS
T&GHT:" T,GETHE. and saying not a word, indicating that there /AS =, A=S/E.' 9ut, then, he may
ha-e intended to apply the aiom of his philosophy, that6 "The lips of /isdom are closed, ecept to the
ears of !nderstanding," belie-ing that e-en his ad-anced students did not possess the !nderstanding
which entitled them to the Teaching' At any rate, if Hermes possessed the Secret, he failed to impart it,
and so far as the world is concerned THE :&PS ,5 HE.$ES A.E %:,SE1 regarding it' And where the Great
Hermes hesitated to spea0, what mortal may dare to teachB
9ut, remember, that whate-er be the answer to this problem, if indeed there be an answer the truth
remains that "/hile All is in THE A::, it is e4ually true that THE A:: is in All'" The Teaching on this point is
emphatic' And, we may add the concluding words of the 4uotation6 "To him who truly understands this
truth, hath come great 0nowledge'"
III - The Planes o$ %orrespondence
"As abo-e, so below# as below, so abo-e'" 22 The Kybalion'
The great Second Hermetic Principle embodies the truth that there is a harmony, agreement, and
correspondence between the se-eral planes of $anifestation, :ife and 9eing' This truth is a truth because
all that is included in the !ni-erse emanates from the same source, and the same laws, principles, and
characteristics apply to each unit, or combination of unit, of acti-ity, as each manifests its own
phenomena upon its own plane'
5or the purpose of con-enience of thought and study, the Hermetic Philosophy considers that the !ni-erse
may be di-ided into three great classes of phenomena, 0nown as the Three Great Planes, namely6
&' The Great Physical Plane'
&&' The Great $ental Plane'
&&&' The Great Spiritual Plane'
These di-isions are more or less artificial and arbitrary, for the truth is that all of the three di-isions are
but ascending degrees of the great scale of :ife, the lowest point of which is undifferentiated $atter, and
the highest point that of Spirit' And, moreo-er, the different Planes shade into each other, so that no hard
and fast di-ision may be made between the higher phenomena of the Physical and the lower of the
$ental# or between the higher of the $ental and the lower of the Physical'
&n short, the Three Great Planes may be regarded as three great groups of degrees of :ife $anifestation'
/hile the purposes of this little boo0 do not allow us to enter into an etended discussion of, or
eplanation of, the sub3ect of these different planes, still we thin0 it well to gi-e a general description of
the same at this point'
At the beginning we may as well consider the 4uestion so often as0ed by the neophyte, who desires to be
informed regarding the meaning of the word Plane, which term has been -ery freely used, and -ery poorly
eplained, in many recent wor0s upon the sub3ect of occultism' The 4uestion is generally about as follows6
&s a Plane a place ha-ing dimensions, or is it merely a condition or stateB" /e answer6 "=o, not a place,
nor ordinary dimension of space# and yet more than a state or condition' &t may be considered as a state
or condition, and yet the state or condition is a degree of dimension, in a scale sub3ect to measurement'
"Somewhat paradoical, is it notB 9ut let us eamine the matter' A "dimension," you 0now, is "a measure
in a straight line, relating to measure," etc' The ordinary dimensions of space are length, breadth, and
height, or perhaps length, breadth, height, thic0ness or circumference' 9ut there is another dimension of
"created things" or "measure," 0nown to occultists, and to scientists as well, although the latter ha-e not
as yet applied the term "dimension" to it and this new dimension, which, by the way, is the much
speculated2about "5ourth 1imension," is the standard used in determining the degrees or "planes'"
This 5ourth 1imension may be called "The 1imension of Aibration" &t is a fact well 0nown to modern
science, as well as to the Hermetists who ha-e embodied the truth in their "Third Hermetic Principle," that
e-erything is in motion# e-erything -ibrates# nothing is at rest' 5rom the highest manifestation, to the
lowest, e-erything and all things Aibrate' =ot only do they -ibrate at different rates of motion, but as in
different directions and in a different manner' The degrees of the rate of -ibrations constitute the degrees
of measurement on the Scale of Aibrations22in other words the degrees of the 5ourth 1imension' And
these degrees form what occultists call "Planes" The higher the degree of rate of -ibration, the higher the
plane, and the higher the manifestation of :ife occupying that plane' So that while a plane is not "a place,"
nor yet "a state or condition," yet it possesses 4ualities common to both' /e shall ha-e more to say
regarding the sub3ect of the scale of Aibrations in our net lessons, in which we shall consider the
Hermetic Principle of Aibration'
"ou will 0indly remember, howe-er, that the Three Great Planes are not actual di-isions of the phenomena
of the !ni-erse, but merely arbitrary terms used by the Hermetists in order to aid in the thought and
study of the -arious degrees and 5orms of uni-ersal acti-ity and life' The atom of matter, the unit of force,
the mind of man, and the being of the arch2angel are all but degrees in one scale, and all fundamentally
the same, the difference between solely a matter of degree, and rate of -ibration22all are creations of THE
A::, and ha-e their eistence solely within the &nfinite $ind of THE A::'
The Hermetists sub2di-ide each of the Three Great Planes into Se-en $inor Planes, and each of these
latter are also sub2di-ided into se-en sub2planes, all di-isions being more or less arbitrary, shading into
each other, and adopted merely for con-enience of scientific study and thought' The Great Physical Plane,
and its Se-en $inor Planes, is that di-ision of the phenomena of the !ni-erse which includes all that
relates to physics, or material things, forces, and manifestations' &t includes all forms of that which we call
$atter, and all forms of that which we call Energy or 5orce' 9ut you must remember that the Hermetic
Philosophy does not recogni<e $atter as a thing in itself, or as ha-ing a separate eistence e-en in the
$ind of THE A::' The Teachings are that $atter is but a form of Energy22'that is, Energy at a low rate of
-ibrations of a certain 0ind' And accordingly the Hermetists classify $atter under the head of Energy, and
gi-e to it three of the Se-en $inor Planes of the Great Physical Plane'
These Se-en $inor Physical Planes are as follows6
&' The Plane of $atter ?A@
&&' The Plane of $atter ?9@
&&&' The Plane of $atter ?%@
&A' The Plane of Ethereal Substance'
A' The Plane of Energy ?A@
A&' The Plane of Energy ?9@
A&&' The Plane of Energy ?%@
The Plane of $atter ?A@ comprises forms of $atter in its form of solids, li4uids, and gases, as generally
recogni<ed by the tet2boo0s on physics' The Plane of $atter ?9@ comprises certain higher and more
subtle forms of $atter of the eistence of which modern science is but now recogni<ing, the phenomena of
.adiant $atter, in its phases of radium, etc', belonging to the lower sub2di-ision of this $inor Plane' The
Plane of $atter ?%@ comprises forms of the most subtle and tenuous $atter, the eistence of which is not
suspected by ordinary scientists' The Plane of Ethereal Substance comprises that which science spea0s of
as The Ether, a substance of etreme tenuity and elasticity, per-ading all !ni-ersal Space, and acting as a
medium for the transmission of wa-es of energy, such as light, heat, electricity, etc' This Ethereal
Substance forms a connecting lin0 between $atter ?so2called@ and Energy, and parta0es of the nature of
each' The Hermetic Teachings, howe-er, instruct that this plane has se-en sub2di-isions ?as ha-e all of
the $inor Planes@, and that in fact there are se-en ethers, instead of but one'
=et abo-e the Plane of Ethereal Substance comes the Plane of Energy ?A@, which comprises the ordinary
forms of Energy 0nown to science, its se-en sub planes being, respecti-ely, Heat# :ight# $agnetism#
Electricity, and Attraction ?including Gra-itation, %ohesion, %hemical Affinity, etc'@ and se-eral other forms
of energy indicated by scientific eperiments but not as yet named or classified' The Plane of Energy ?9@
comprises se-en sub2planes of higher forms of energy not as yet disco-ered by science, but which ha-e
been called "=ature8s 5iner 5orces" and which are called into operation in manifestations of certain forms
of mental phenomena, and by which such phenomena becomes possible' The Plane of Energy ?%@
comprises se-en sub2planes of energy so highly organi<ed that it bears many of the characteristics of
"life," but which is not recogni<ed by the minds of men on the ordinary plane of de-elopment, being
a-ailable for the use on beings of the Spiritual Plane alone22such energy is unthin0able to ordinary man,
and may be considered almost as "the di-ine power'" The beings employing the same are as "gods"
compared e-en to the highest human types 0nown to us'
The Great $ental Plane comprises those forms of "li-ing things" 0nown to us in ordinary life, as well as
certain other forms not so well 0nown ecept to the occultist' The classification of the Se-en $inor $ental
Planes is more or less satisfactory and arbitrary ?unless accompanied by elaborate eplanations which are
foreign to the purpose of this particular wor0@, but we may as well mention them' They are as follows6
&' The Plane of $ineral $ind'
&&' The Plane of Elemental $ind ?A@'
&&&' The Plane of Plant $ind'
&A' The Plane of Elemental $ind ?9@'
A' The Plane of Animal $ind'
A&' The Plane of Elemental $ind ?%@'
A&&' The Plane of Human $ind'
The Plane of $ineral $ind comprises the "states or conditions" of the units or entities, or groups and
combinations of the same, which animate the forms 0nown to us as "minerals, chemicals, etc'" These
entities must not be confounded with the molecules, atoms and corpuscles themsel-es, the latter being
merely the material bodies or forms of these entities, 3ust as a man8s body is but his material form and
not "himself'" These entities may be called "souls" in one sense, and are li-ing beings of a low degree of
de-elopment, life, and mind223ust a little more than the units of "li-ing energy" which comprise the higher
sub2di-isions of the highest Physical Plane' The a-erage mind does not generally attribute the possession
of mind, soul, or life, to the mineral 0ingdom, but all occultists recogni<e the eistence of the same, and
modern science is rapidly mo-ing forward to the point2of2-iew of the Hermetic, in this respect' The
molecules, atoms and corpuscles ha-e their "lo-es and hates"# "li0es and disli0es"# "attractions and
repulsions"' "affinities and non2affinities," etc', and some of the more daring of modern scientific minds
ha-e epressed the opinion that the desire and will, emotions and feelings, of the atoms differ only in
degree from those of men' /e ha-e no time or space to argue this matter here' All occultists 0now it to be
a fact, and others are referred to some of the more recent scientific wor0s for outside corroboration' There
are the usual se-en sub2di-isions to this plane'
The Plane of Elemental $ind ?A@ comprises the state or condition, and degree of mental and -ital
de-elopment of a class of entities un0nown to the a-erage man, but recogni<ed to occultists' They are
in-isible to the ordinary senses of man, but, ne-ertheless, eist and play their part of the 1rama of the
!ni-erse' Their degree of intelligence is between that of the mineral and chemical entities on the one
hand, and of the entities of the plant 0ingdom on the other' There are se-en sub2di-isions to this plane,
also'
The Plane of Plant $ind, in its se-en sub2di-isions, comprises the states or conditions of the entities
comprising the 0ingdoms of the Plant /orld, the -ital and mental phenomena of which is fairly well
understood by the a-erage intelligent person, many new and interesting scientific wor0s regarding "$ind
and :ife in Plants" ha-ing been published during the last decade' Plants ha-e life, mind and "souls," as
well as ha-e the animals, man, and super2man'
The Plane of Elemental $ind ?9@, in its se-en sub2di-isions, comprises the states and conditions of a
higher form of "elemental" or unseen entities, playing their part in the general wor0 of the !ni-erse, the
mind and life of which form a part of the scale between the Plane of Plant $ind and the Plane of Animal
$ind, the entities parta0ing of the nature of both'
The Plane of Animal $ind, in its se-en sub2di-isions, comprises the states and conditions of the entities,
beings, or souls, animating the animal forms of life, familiar to us all' &t is not necessary to go into details
regarding this 0ingdom or plane of life, for the animal world is as familiar to us as is our own'
The Plane of Elemental $ind ?%@, in its se-en sub2di-isions, comprises those entities or beings, in-isible as
are all such elemental forms, which parta0e of the nature of both animal and human life in a degree and in
certain combinations' The highest forms are semi2human in intelligence'
The Plane of Human $ind, in its se-en sub2di-isions, comprises those manifestations of life and mentality
which are common to $an, in his -arious grades, degrees, and di-isions' &n this connection, we wish to
point out the fact that the a-erage man of today occupies but the fourth sub2di-ision of the Plane of
Human $ind, and only the most intelligent ha-e crossed the borders of the 5ifth Sub21i-ision' &t has ta0en
the race millions of years to reach this stage, and it will ta0e many more years for the race to mo-e on to
the sith and se-enth sub2di-isions, and beyond' 9ut, remember, that there ha-e been races before us
which ha-e passed through these degrees, and then on to higher planes' ,ur own race is the fifth ?with
stragglers from the fourth@ which has set foot upon The Path' And, then there are a few ad-anced souls of
our own race who ha-e outstripped the masses, and who ha-e passed on to the sith and se-enth sub2
di-ision, and some few being still further on' The man of the Sith Sub21i-ision will be "The Super $an"#
he of the Se-enth will be "The ,-er2$an'"
&n our consideration of the Se-en $inor $ental Planes, we ha-e merely referred to the Three Elementary
Planes in a general way' /e do not wish to go into this sub3ect in detail in this wor0, for it does not belong
to this part of the general philosophy and teachings' 9ut we may say this much, in order to gi-e you a
little clearer idea' of the relations of these planes to the more familiar ones 22 the Elementary Planes bear
the same relation to the Planes of $ineral, Plant, Animal and Human $entality and :ife, that the blac0
0eys on the piano do to the white 0eys' The white 0eys are sufficient to produce music, but there are
certain scales, melodies, and harmonies, in which the blac0 0eys play their part, and in which their
presence is necessary' They are also necessary as "connecting lin0s" of soul2condition# entity states, etc'
between the se-eral other planes, certain forms of de-elopment being attained therein22this last fact
gi-ing to the reader who can "read between the lines" a new light upon the processes of E-olution, and a
new 0ey to the secret door of the "leaps of life" between 0ingdom and 0ingdom' The great 0ingdoms of
Elementals are fully recogni<ed by all occultists, and the esoteric writings are full of mention of them' The
readers of 9ulwer8s "Hanoni" and similar tales will recogni<e the entities inhabiting these planes of life'
Passing on from the Great $ental Plane to the Great Spiritual Plane, what shall we sayB How can we
eplain these higher states of 9eing, :ife and $ind, to minds as yet unable to grasp and understand the
higher sub2di-isions of the Plane of Human $indB The tas0 is impossible' /e can spea0 only in the most
general terms' How may :ight be described to a man born blind22how sugar, to a man who has ne-er
tasted anything sweet22how harmony, to one born deafB
All that we can say is that the Se-en $inor Planes of the Great Spiritual Plane ?each $inor Plane ha-ing its
se-en subdi-isions@ comprise 9eings possessing :ife, $ind and 5orm as far abo-e that of man of to2day as
the latter is abo-e the earthworm, mineral or e-en certain forms of Energy or $atter' The :ife of these
9eings so far transcends ours, that we cannot e-en thin0 of the details of the same# their minds so far
transcend ours, that to them we scarcely seem to "thin0," and our mental processes seem almost a0in to
material processes# the $atter of which their forms are composed is of the highest Planes of $atter, nay,
some are e-en said to be "clothed in Pure Energy'" /hat may be said of such 9eingsB
,n the Se-en $inor Planes of the Great Spiritual Plane eist 9eings of whom we may spea0 as Angels#
Archangels# 1emi Gods' ,n the lower $inor Planes dwell those great souls whom we call $asters and
Adepts' Abo-e them come the Great Hierarchies of the Angelic Hosts, unthin0able to man# and abo-e
those come those who may without irre-erence be called "The Gods," so high in the scale of 9eing are
they, their being, intelligence and power being a0in to those attributed by the races of men to their
conceptions of 1eity' These 9eings are beyond e-en the highest flights of the human imagination, the
word "1i-ine" being the only one applicable to them' $any of these 9eings, as well as the Angelic Host,
ta0e the greatest interest in the affairs of the !ni-erse and play an important part in its affairs' These
!nseen 1i-inities and Angelic Helpers etend their influence freely and powerfully, in the process of
E-olution, and %osmic Progress' Their occasional inter-ention and assistance in human affairs ha-e led to
the many legends, beliefs, religions and traditions of the race, past and present' They ha-e super2imposed
their 0nowledge and power upon the world, again and again, all under the :aw of THE A::, of course'
9ut, yet, e-en the highest of these ad-anced 9eings eist merely as creations of, and in, the $ind of THE
A::, and are sub3ect to the %osmic Processes and !ni-ersal :aws' They are still $ortal' /e may call them
"gods" if we li0e, but still' they are but the Elder 9rethren of the .ace,22the ad-anced souls who ha-e
outstripped their brethren, and who ha-e foregone the ecstasy of Absorption by THE A::, in order to help
the race on its upward 3ourney along The Path' 9ut, they belong to the !ni-erse, and are sub3ect to its
conditions22they are mortal22and their plane is below that of Absolute Spirit'
,nly the most ad-anced Hermetists are able to grasp the &nner Teachings regarding the state of
eistence, and the powers manifested on the Spiritual Planes' The phenomena is so much higher than that
of the $ental Planes that a confusion of ideas would surely result from an attempt to describe the same'
,nly those whose minds ha-e been carefully trained along the lines of the Hermetic Philosophy for years22
yes, those who ha-e brought with them from other incarnations the 0nowledge ac4uired pre-iously22can
comprehend 3ust what is meant by the Teaching regarding these Spiritual Planes' And much of these &nner
Teachings is held by the Hermetists as being too sacred, important and e-en dangerous for general public
dissemination' The intelligent student may recogni<e what we mean by this when we state that the
meaning of "Spirit" as used by the Hermetists is a0in to ":i-ing Power"# "Animated 5orce#" "&nner
Essence#" "Essence of :ife," etc', which meaning must not be confounded with that usually and commonly
employed in connection with the term, i'e', "religious# ecclesiastical# spiritual# ethereal# holy," etc', etc' To
occultists the word "Spirit" is used in the sense of "The Animating Principle," carrying with it the idea of
Power, :i-ing Energy, $ystic 5orce, etc' And occultists 0now that that which is 0nown to them as "Spiritual
Power" may be employed for e-il as well as good ends ?in accordance with the Principle of Polarity@, a fact
which has been recogni<ed by the ma3ority of religions in their conceptions of Satan, 9eel<ebub, the 1e-il,
:ucifer, 5allen Angels, etc' And so the 0nowledge regarding these Planes has been 0ept in the Holy of
Holies in all Esoteric 5raternities and ,ccult ,rders,22in the Secret %hamber of the Temple' 9ut this may
be said here, that those who ha-e attained high spiritual powers and ha-e misused them, ha-e a terrible
fate in store for them, and the swing of the pendulum of .hythm will ine-itably swing them bac0 to the
furthest etreme of $aterial eistence, from which point they must retrace their steps Spiritward, along
the weary rounds of The Path, but always with the added torture of ha-ing always with them a lingering
memory of the heights from which they fell owing to their e-il actions' The legends of the 5allen Angels
ha-e a basis in actual facts, as all ad-anced occultists 0now' The stri-ing for selfish power on the Spiritual
Planes ine-itably results in the selfish soul losing its spiritual balance and falling bac0 as far as it had
pre-iously risen' 9ut to e-en such a soul, the opportunity of a return is gi-en 22and such souls ma0e the
return 3ourney, paying the terrible penalty according to the in-ariable :aw'
&n conclusion we would again remind you that according to the Principle of %orrespondence, which
embodies the truth6 "As Abo-e so 9elow# as 9elow, so Abo-e," all of the Se-en Hermetic Principles are in
full operation on all of the many planes, Physical $ental and Spiritual' The Principle of $ental Substance of
course applies to all the planes, for all are held in the $ind of THE A::' The Principle of %orrespondence
manifests in all, for there is a correspondence, harmony and agreement between the se-eral planes' The
Principle of Aibration manifests on all planes, in fact the -ery differences that go to ma0e the "planes"
arise from Aibration, as we ha-e eplained' The Principle of Polarity manifests on each plane, the
etremes of the Poles being apparently opposite and contradictory' The Principle of .hythm manifests on
each Plane, the mo-ement of the phenomena ha-ing its ebb and flow, rise and flow, incoming and
outgoing' The Principle of %ause and Effect manifests on each Plane, e-ery Effect ha-ing its %ause and
e-ery %ause ha-ing its effect' The Principle of Gender manifests on each Plane, the %reati-e Energy being
always manifest, and operating along the lines of its $asculine and 5eminine Aspects'
"As Abo-e so 9elow# as 9elow, so Abo-e'" This centuries old Hermetic aiom embodies one of the great
Principles of !ni-ersal Phenomena' As we proceed with our consideration of the remaining Principles, we
will see e-en more clearly the truth of the uni-ersal nature of third great Principle of %orrespondence'
I& - i'ration
"=othing rests# e-erything mo-es# e-erything -ibrates'" 22 The Kybalion'
The great Third Hermetic Principle22the Principle of Aibration22embodies the truth that $otion is manifest
in e-erything in the !ni-erse22that nothing is at rest22that e-erything mo-es, -ibrates, and circles' This
Hermetic Principle was recogni<ed by some of the early Gree0 philosophers who embodied it in their
systems' 9ut, then, for centuries it was lost sight of by the thin0ers outside of the Hermetic ran0s' 9ut in
the =ineteenth %entury physical science re2disco-ered the truth and the Twentieth %entury scientific
disco-eries ha-e added additional proof of the correctness and truth of this centuries2old Hermetic
doctrine' The Hermetic Teachings are that not only is e-erything in constant mo-ement and -ibration, but
that the "differences" between the -arious manifestations of the uni-ersal power are due entirely to the
-arying rate and mode of -ibrations' =ot only this, but that e-en THE A::, in itself, manifests a constant
-ibration of such an infinite degree of intensity and rapid motion that it may be practically considered as
at rest, the teachers directing the attention of the students to the fact that e-en on the physical plane a
rapidly mo-ing ob3ect ?such as a re-ol-ing wheel@ seems to be at rest' The Teachings are to the effect
that Spirit is at one end of the Pole of Aibration, the other Pole being certain etremely gross forms of
$atter' 9etween these two poles are millions upon millions of different rates and modes of -ibration'
$odern Science has pro-en that all that we call $atter and Energy are but "modes of -ibratory motion,"
and some of the more ad-anced scientists are rapidly mo-ing toward the positions of the occultists who
hold that the phenomena of $ind are li0ewise modes of -ibration or motion' :et us see what science has
to say regarding the 4uestion of -ibrations in matter and energy'
&n the first place, science teaches that all matter manifests, in some degree, the -ibrations arising from
temperature or heat' 9e an ob3ect cold or hot22both being but degrees of the same things22it manifests
certain heat -ibrations, and in that sense is' in motion and -ibration' Then all particles of $atter are in
circular mo-ement, from corpuscle to suns' The planets re-ol-e around suns, and many of them turn on
their aes' The suns mo-e around greater central points, and these are belie-ed to mo-e around still
greater, and so on, ad infinitum' The molecules of which the particular 0inds of $atter are composed are
in a state of constant -ibration and mo-ement around each other and against each other' The molecules
are composed of Atoms, which, li0ewise, are in a state of constant mo-ement and -ibration' The atoms
are composed of %orpuscles, sometimes called "electrons," "ions," etc', which also are in a state of rapid
motion, re-ol-ing around each other, and which manifest a -ery rapid state and mode of -ibration' And,
so we see that all forms of $atter manifest Aibration, in accordance with the Hermetic Principle of
Aibration'
And so it is with the -arious forms of Energy' Science teaches that :ight, Heat, $agnetism and Electricity
are but forms of -ibratory motion connected in some way with, and probably emanating from the Ether'
Science does not as yet attempt to eplain the nature of the phenomena 0nown as %ohesion, which is the
principle of $olecular Attraction# nor %hemical Affinity, which is the principle of Atomic Attraction# nor
Gra-itation ?the greatest mystery of the three@, which is the principle of attraction by which e-ery particle
or mass of $atter is bound to e-ery other particle or mass' These three forms of Energy are not as yet
understood by science, yet the writers incline to the opinion that these too are manifestations of some
form of -ibratory energy, a fact which the Hermetists ha-e held and taught for ages past'
The !ni-ersal Ether, which is postulated by science without its nature being understood clearly, is held by
the Hermetists to be but a higher manifestation of that which is erroneously called matter22that is to say,
$atter at a higher degree of -ibration2and is called by them "The Ethereal Substance'" The Hermetists
teach that this Ethereal Substance is of etreme tenuity and elasticity, and per-ades uni-ersal space,
ser-ing as a medium of transmission of wa-es of -ibratory energy, such as heat, light, electricity,
magnetism, etc' The Teachings are that The Ethereal Substance is a connecting lin0 between the forms of
-ibratory energy 0nown as "$atter" on the one hand, and "Energy or 5orce" on the other# and also that it
manifests a degree of -ibration, in rate and mode, entirely its own'
Scientists ha-e offered the illustration of a rapidly mo-ing wheel, top, or cylinder, to show the effects of
increasing rates of -ibration' The illustration supposes a wheel, top, or re-ol-ing cylinder, running at a low
rate of speed22we will call this re-ol-ing thing "the ob3ect" in following out the illustration' :et us suppose
the ob3ect mo-ing slowly' &t may be seen readily, but no sound of its mo-ement reaches the ear' The
speed is gradually increased' &n a few moments its mo-ement becomes so rapid that a deep growl or low
note may be heard' Then as the rate is increased the note rises one in the musical scale' Then, the motion
being still further increased, the net highest note is distinguished' Then, one after another, all the notes
of the musical scale appear, rising higher and higher as the motion is increased' 5inally when the motions
ha-e reached a certain rate the final note perceptible to human ears is reached and the shrill, piercing
shrie0 dies away, and silence follows' =o sound is heard from the re-ol-ing ob3ect, the rate of motion
being so high that the human ear cannot register the -ibrations' Then comes the perception of rising
degrees of Heat' Then after 4uite a time the eye catches a glimpse of the ob3ect becoming a dull dar0
reddish color' As the rate increases, the red becomes brighter' Then as the speed is increased, the red
melts into an orange' Then the orange melts into a yellow' Then follow, successi-ely, the shades of green,
blue, indigo, and finally -iolet, as the rate of sped increases' Then the -iolet shades away, and all color
disappears, the human eye not being able to register them' 9ut there are in-isible rays emanating from
the re-ol-ing ob3ect, the rays that are used in photographing, and other subtle rays of light' Then begin to
manifest the peculiar rays 0nown as the "D .ays," etc', as the constitution of the ob3ect changes'
Electricity and $agnetism are emitted when the appropriate rate of -ibration is attained'
/hen the ob3ect reaches a certain rate of -ibration its molecules disintegrate, and resol-e themsel-es into
the original elements or atoms' Then the atoms, following the Principle of Aibration, are separated into the
countless corpuscles of which they are composed' And finally, e-en the corpuscles disappear and the
ob3ect may be said to 9e composed of The Ethereal Substance' Science does not dare to follow the
illustration further, but the Hermetists teach that if the -ibrations be continually increased the ob3ect
would mount up the successi-e states of manifestation and would in turn manifest the -arious mental
stages, and then on Spiritward, until it would finally re2enter THE A::, which is Absolute Spirit' The
"ob3ect," howe-er, would ha-e ceased to be an "ob3ect" long before the stage of Ethereal Substance was
reached, but otherwise the illustration is correct inasmuch as it shows the effect of constantly increased
rates and modes of -ibration' &t must be remembered, in the abo-e illustration, that at the stages at
which the "ob3ect" throws off -ibrations of light, heat, etc', it is not actually "resol-ed" into those forms of
energy ?which are much higher in the scale@, but simply that it reaches a degree of -ibration in which
those forms of energy are liberated, in a degree, from the confining influences of its molecules, atoms and
corpuscles, as the case may be' These forms of energy, although much higher in the scale than matter,
are imprisoned and confined in the material combinations, by reason of the energies manifesting through,
and using material forms, but thus becoming entangled and confined in their creations of material forms,
which, to an etent, is true of all creations, the creating force becoming in-ol-ed in its creation'
9ut the Hermetic Teachings go much further than do those of modern science' They teach that all
manifestation of thought, emotion, reason, will or desire, or any mental state or condition, are
accompanied by -ibrations, a portion of which are thrown off and which tend to affect the minds of other
persons by "induction'" This is the principle which produces the phenomena of "telepathy"# mental
influence, and other forms of the action and power of mind o-er mind, with which the general public is
rapidly becoming ac4uainted, owing to the wide dissemination of occult 0nowledge by the -arious schools,
cults and teachers along these lines at this time'
E-ery thought, emotion or mental state has its corresponding rate and mode of -ibration' And by an effort
of the will of the person, or of other persons, these mental states may be reproduced, 3ust as a musical
tone may be reproduced by causing an instrument to -ibrate at a certain rate 23ust as color may be
reproduced in the same may' 9y a 0nowledge of the Principle of Aibration, as applied to $ental
Phenomena, one may polari<e his mind at any degree he wishes, thus gaining a perfect control o-er his
mental states, moods, etc' &n the same way he may affect the minds of others, producing the desired
mental states in them' &n short, he may be able to produce on the $ental Plane that which science
produces on the Physical Plane2namely, "Aibrations at /ill'" This power of course may be ac4uired only by
the proper instruction, eercises, practice, etc', the science being that of $ental Transmutation, one of the
branches of the Hermetic Art'
A little reflection on what we ha-e said will show the student that the Principle of Aibration underlies the
wonderful phenomena of the power manifested by the $asters and Adepts, who are able to apparently set
aside the :aws of =ature, but who, in reality, are simply using one law against another# one principle
against others# and who accomplish their results by changing the -ibrations of material ob3ects, or forms
of energy, and thus perform what are commonly called "miracles'" As one of the old Hermetic writers has
truly said6 "He who understands the Principle of Aibration, has grasped the sceptre of Power'"
& - Polarity
"E-erything is dual# e-erything has poles# e-erything has its pair of opposites# li0e and
unli0e are the same# opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree# etremes
meet# all truths are but half2truths# all paradoes may be reconciled'" 22 The Kybalion'
The great 5ourth Hermetic Principle22the Principle of Polarity embodies the truth that all manifested things
ha-e "two sides"# "two aspects"# "two poles"# a "pair of opposites," with manifold degrees between the
two etremes' The old paradoes, which ha-e e-er perpleed the mind of men, are eplained by an
understanding of this Principle' $an has always recogni<ed something a0in to this Principle, and has
endea-ored to epress it by such sayings, maims and aphorisms as the following6 "E-erything is and
isn8t, at the same time"# "all truths are but half2truths"# "e-ery truth is half2false"# "there are two sides to
e-erything"2 "there is a re-erse side to e-ery shield," etc', etc' The Hermetic Teachings are to the effect
that the difference between things seemingly diametrically opposed to each other is merely a matter of
degree' &t teaches that "the pairs of opposites may be reconciled, "and that "thesis and anti2thesis are
identical in nature, but different in degree"# and that the "uni-ersal reconciliation of opposites" is effected
by a recognition of this Principle of Polarity' The teachers claim that illustrations of this Principle may be
had on e-ery hand, and from an eamination into the real nature of anything' They begin by showing that
Spirit and $atter are but the two poles of the same thing, the intermediate planes being merely degrees
of -ibration' They show that THE A:: and The $any are the same, the difference being merely a matter of
degree of $ental $anifestation' Thus the :A/ and :aws are the two opposite poles of one thing' :i0ewise,
P.&=%&P:E and Principles' &nfinite $ind and finite minds'
Then passing on to the Physical Plane, they illustrate the Principle by showing that Heat and %old are
identical in nature, the differences being merely a matter of degrees' The thermometer shows many
degrees of temperature, the lowest pole being called "cold," and the highest "heat'" 9etween these two
poles are many degrees of "heat" or "cold," call them either and you are e4ually correct' The higher of two
degrees is always "warmer," while the lower is always "colder'" There is no absolute standard2all is a
matter of degree' There is no place on the thermometer where heat ceases and cold begins' &t is all a
matter of higher or lower -ibrations' The -ery terms "high" and "low," which we are compelled to use, are
but poles of the same thing2the terms are relati-e' So with "East and /est"2 tra-el around the world in an
eastward direction, and you reach a point which is called west at your starting point, and you return from
that westward point' Tra-el far enough =orth, and you will find yourself tra-eling South, or -ice -ersa'
:ight and 1ar0ness are poles of the same thing, with many degrees between them' The musical scale is
the same2starting with "%" you mo-e upward until you reach another "%" and so on, the differences
between the two ends of the board being the same, with many degrees between the two etremes' The
scale of color is the same2higher and lower -ibrations being the only difference between high -iolet and
low red' :arge and Small are relati-e' So are =oise and Cuiet# Hard and Soft follow the rule' :i0ewise
Sharp and 1ull' Positi-e and =egati-e are two poles of the same thing, with countless degrees between
them'
Good and 9ad are not absolute we call one end of the scale Good and the other 9ad, or one end Good and
the other E-il, according to the use of the terms' A thing is "less good" than the thing higher in the scale#
but that "less good" thing, in turn, is "more good" than the thing net below it2and so on, the "more or
less" being regulated by the position on the scale'
And so it is on the $ental Plane' ":o-e and' Hate" are generally regarded as being things diametrically
opposed to each other# entirely different# unreconcilable' 9ut we apply the Principle of Polarity# we find
that there is no such thing as Absolute :o-e or Absolute Hate, as distinguished from each other' The two
are merely terms applied to the two poles of the same thing' 9eginning at any point of the scale we find
"more lo-e," or "less hate," as we ascend the scale# and "more hate" or "less lo-e" as we descend this
being true no matter from what point, high or low, we may start' There are degrees of :o-e and Hate, and
there is a middle point where ":i0e and 1isli0e" become so faint that it is difficult to distinguish between
them' %ourage and 5ear come under the same rule' The Pairs of ,pposites eist e-erywhere' /here you
find one thing you find its opposite2the two poles'
And it is this fact that enables the Hermetist to transmute one mental state into another, along the lines of
Polari<ation' Things belonging to different classes cannot be transmuted into each other, but things of the
same class may be changed, that is, may ha-e their polarity changed' Thus :o-e ne-er becomes East or
/est, or .ed or Aiolet2but it may and often does turn into Hate and li0ewise Hate may be transformed
into :o-e, by changing its polarity' %ourage may be transmuted into 5ear, and the re-erse' Hard things
may be rendered Soft' 1ull things become Sharp' Hot things become %old' And so on, the transmutation
always being between things of the same 0ind of different degrees' Ta0e the case of a 5earful man' 9y
raising his mental -ibrations along the line of 5ear2%ourage, he can be filled with the highest degree of
%ourage and 5earlessness' And, li0ewise, the Slothful man may change himself into an Acti-e, Energetic
indi-idual simply by polari<ing along the lines of the desired 4uality'
The student who is familiar with the processes by which the -arious schools of $ental Science, etc',
produce changes in the mental states of those following their teachings, may not readily understand the
principle underlying2 many of these changes' /hen, howe-er, the Principle of Polarity is once grasped,
and it is seen that the mental changes are occasioned by a change of polarity2a sliding along the same
scale2the hatter is readily understood' The change is not in the nature of a transmutation of one thing into
another thing entirely different2but is merely a change of degree in the same things, a -astly important
difference' 5or instance, borrowing an analogy from the Physical Plane, it is impossible to change Heat into
Sharpness, :oudness, Highness, etc', but Heat may readily be transmuted into %old, simply by lowering
the -ibrations' &n the same way Hate and :o-e are mutually transmutable# so are 5ear and %ourage' 9ut
5ear cannot be transformed into :o-e, nor can %ourage be transmuted into Hate' The mental states
belong to innumerable classes, each class of which has its opposite poles, along which transmutation is
possible'
The student will readily recogni<e that in the mental states, as well as in the phenomena of the Physical
Plane, the two poles may be classified as Positi-e and =egati-e, respecti-ely' Thus :o-e is Positi-e to
Hate# %ourage to 5ear# Acti-ity to =on2Acti-ity, etc', etc' And it will also be noticed that e-en to those
unfamiliar with the Principle of Aibration, the Positi-e pole seems to be of a higher degree than the
=egati-e, and readily dominates it' The tendency of =ature is in the direction of the dominant acti-ity of
the Positi-e pole'
&n addition to the changing of the poles of one8s own mental states by the operation of the art of
Polari<ation, the phenomena of $ental &nfluence, in its manifold phases, shows us that the principle may
be etended so as to embrace the phenomena of the influence of one mind o-er that of another, of which
so much has been written and taught of late years' /hen it is understood that $ental &nduction is
possible, that is that mental states may be produced by "induction" from others, then we can readily see
how a certain rate of -ibration, or polari<ation of a certain mental state, may be communicated to another
person, and his polarity in that class of mental states thus changed' &t is along this principle that the
results of many of the "mental treatments" are obtained' 5or instance, a person is "blue," melancholy and
full of fear' A mental scientist bringing his own mind up to the desired -ibration by his trained will, and
thus obtaining the desired polari<ation in his own case, then produces a similar mental state in the other
by induction, the result being that the -ibrations are raised and the person polari<es toward the Positi-e
end of the scale instead toward the =egati-e, and his 5ear and other negati-e emotions are transmuted to
%ourage and similar positi-e mental states' A little study will show you that these mental changes are
nearly all along the line of Polari<ation, the change being one of degree rather than of 0ind'
A 0nowledge of the eistence of this great Hermetic Principle will enable the student to better understand
his own mental states, and those of other people' He will see that these states are all matters of degree,
and seeing thus, he will be able to raise or lower the -ibration at will2to change his mental poles, and thus
be $aster of his mental states, instead of being their ser-ant and sla-e' And by his 0nowledge he will be
able to aid his fellows intelligently and by the appropriate methods change the polarity when the same is
desirable' /e ad-ise all students to familiari<e themsel-es with this Principle of Polarity, for a correct
understanding of the same will throw light on many difficult sub3ects'
I& - Rhythm
"E-erything flows out and in# e-erything has its tides# all things rise and fall# the pendulum2
swing manifests in e-erything# the measure of the swing to the right, is the measure of the
swing to the left# rhythm compensates" 22 The Kybalion'
The great 5ifth Hermetic Principle2the Principle of .hythm2embodies the truth that in e-erything there is
manifested a measured motion# a to2and2from mo-ement# a flow and inflow# a swing forward and
bac0ward# a pendulum2li0e mo-ement# a tide2li0e ebb and flow# a high2tide and a low2tide# between the
two2poles manifest on the physical, mental or spiritual planes' The Principle of rhythm is closely connected
with the Principle of Polarity described in the preceding chapter' .hythm manifests between the two poles
established by the Principle of Polarity' This does not mean, howe-er, that the pendulum of .hythm
swings to the etreme poles, for this rarely happens# in fact, it is difficult to establish the etreme polar
opposites in the ma3ority of cases' 9ut the swing is e-er "toward" first one pole and then the other'
There is always an action and reaction# an ad-ance and a retreat# a rising and sin0ing# manifested in all of
the airs and phenomena of the !ni-erse' Suns, worlds, men, animals, plants, minerals, forces, energy,
mind and matter, yes, e-en Spirit, manifests this Principle' The Principle manifests in the creation and
destruction of worlds# in the rise and fall of nations in the life history of all things# and finally in the mental
states of $an'
9eginning with the manifestations of Spirit2of THE A::2it will be noticed that there is e-er the ,utpouring
and the &ndrawing# the ",utbreathing and &nbreathing of 9rahma," as the 9rahmans word it' !ni-erses
are created# reach their etreme low point of materiality# and then begin in their upward swing' Suns
spring into being, and then their height of power being reached, the process of retrogression begins, and
after aeons they become dead masses of matter, awaiting another impulse which starts again their inner
energies into acti-ity and a new solar life cycle is begun' And thus it is with all the worlds# they are born,
grow and die# only to be reborn' And thus it is with all the things of shape and form# they swing from
action to reaction# from birth to death# from acti-ity to inacti-ity2 and then bac0 again' Thus it is with all
li-ing things they are born, grow, and die2and then are reborn' So it is with all great mo-ements,
philosophies, creeds, fashions, go-ernments, nations, and all else2birth, growth, maturity, decadence,
death2and then new birth' The swing of the pendulum is e-er in e-idence'
=ight follows day# and day night' The pendulum swings from Summer to /inter, and then bac0 again' The
corpuscles, atoms, molecules, and all masses of matter, swing around the circle of their nature' There is
no such thing as absolute rest, or cessation from mo-ement, and all mo-ement parta0es of rhythm' The
Principle is of uni-ersal application' &t may be applied to any 4uestion, or phenomena of any of the many
planes of life' &t may be applied to all phases of human acti-ity'
There is always the .hythmic swing from one pole to the other' The !ni-ersal Pendulum is e-er in motion'
The Tides of :ife flow in and out, according to :aw'
The Principle of rhythm is well understood by modern science, and is considered a uni-ersal law as applied
to material things' 9ut the Hermetists carry the principle much further, and 0now that its manifestations
and influence etend to the mental acti-ities of $an, and that it accounts for the bewildering succession of
moods, feelings and other annoying and perpleing changes that we notice in oursel-es' 9ut the
Hermetists by studying the operations of this Principle ha-e learned to escape some of its acti-ities by
Transmutation'
The Hermetic $asters long since disco-ered that while the Principle of .hythm was in-ariable, and e-er in
e-idence in mental phenomena, still there were two planes of its manifestation so far as mental
phenomena are concerned' They disco-ered that there were two general planes of %onsciousness, the
:ower and the Higher, the understanding of which fact enabled them to rise to the higher plane and thus
escape the swing of the .hythmic pendulum which manifested on the lower plane' &n other words, the
swing of the pendulum occurred on the !nconscious Plane, and the %onsciousness was not affected' This
they call the :aw of =eutrali<ation' &ts operations consist in the raising of the Ego abo-e the -ibrations of
the !nconscious Plane of mental acti-ity, so that the negati-e2swing of the pendulum is not manifested in
consciousness, and therefore they are not affected' &t is a0in to rising abo-e a thing and letting it pass
beneath you' The Hermetic $aster, or ad-anced student, polari<es himself at the desired pole, and by a
process a0in to "refusing" to participate in the bac0ward swing or, if you prefer, a "denial" of its influence
o-er him, he stands firm in his polari<ed position, and allows the mental pendulum to swing bac0 along
the unconscious plane' All indi-iduals who ha-e attained any degree of self2mastery, accomplish this,
more or less un0nowingly, and by refusing to allow their moods and negati-e mental states to affect them,
they apply the :aw of =eutrali<ation' The $aster, howe-er, carries this to a much higher degree of
proficiency, and by the use of his /ill he attains a degree of Poise and $ental 5irmness almost impossible
of belief on the part of those who allow themsel-es to be swung bac0ward and forward by the mental
pendulum of moods and feelings'
The importance of this will be appreciated by any thin0ing person who reali<es what creatures of moods,
feelings and emotion the ma3ority of people are, and how little mastery of themsel-es they manifest' &f
you will stop and consider a moment, you will reali<e how much these swings of .hythm ha-e affected
you in your life2how a period of Enthusiasm has been in-ariably followed by an opposite feeling and mood
of 1epression' :i0ewise, your moods and periods of %ourage ha-e been succeeded by e4ual moods of
5ear' And so it has e-er been with the ma3ority of persons2tides of feeling ha-e e-er risen and fallen with
them, but they ha-e ne-er suspected the cause or reason of the mental phenomena' An understanding of
the wor0ings of this Principle will gi-e one the 0ey to the $astery of these rhythmic swings of feeling, and
will enable him to 0now himself better and to a-oid being carried away by these inflows and outflows' The
/ill is superior to the conscious manifestation of this Principle, although the Principle itself can ne-er be
destroyed' /e may escape its effects, but the Principle operates, ne-ertheless' The pendulum e-er
swings, although we may escape being carried along with it'
There are other features of the operation of this Principle of .hythm of which we wish to spea0 at this
point' There comes into its operations that which is 0nown as the :aw of %ompensation' ,ne of the
definitions or meanings of the word "%ompensate" is, "to counterbalance" which is the sense in which the
Hermetists use the term' &t is this :aw of %ompensation to which the Kybalion refers when it says6 " The
measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left# rhythm, compensates'"
The :aw of %ompensation is that the swing in one direction determines the swing in the opposite direction,
or to the opposite pole2the one balances, or counterbalances, the other' ,n the Physical Plane we see
many eamples of this :aw' The pendulum of the cloc0 swings a certain distance to the right, and then an
e4ual distance to the left' The seasons balance each other in the same way' The tides follow the same
:aw' And the same :aw is manifested in all the phenomena of .hythm' The pendulum, with a short swing
in one direction, has but a short swing2 in the other# while the long swing to the right in-ariably means
the long swing to the left'
An ob3ect hurled upward to a certain height has an e4ual distance to tra-erse on its return' The force with
which a pro3ectile is sent upward a mile is reproduced when the pro3ectile returns to the earth on its
return 3ourney' This :aw is constant on the Physical Plane, as reference to the standard authorities will
show you'
9ut the Hermetists carry it still further' They teach that a man8s mental states are sub3ect to the same
:aw' The man who en3oys 0eenly, is sub3ect to 0een suffering# while he who feels but little pain is capable
of feeling but little 3oy' The pig suffers but little mentally, and en3oys but little2he is compensated' And on
the other hand, there are other animals who en3oy 0eenly, but whose ner-ous organism and temperament
cause them to suffer e4uisite degrees of pain and so it is with $an' There are temperaments which
permit of but low degrees of en3oyment, and e4ually low degrees of suffering# while there are others
which permit the most intense en3oyment, but also the most intense suffering' The rule is that the
capacity for pain and pleasure, in each indi-idual, are balanced' The :aw of %ompensation is in full
operation here' 9ut the Hermetists go still further in this matter' They teach that before one is able to
en3oy a certain degree of pleasure, he must ha-e swung as far, proportionately, toward the other pole of
feeling' They hold, howe-er, that the =egati-e is precedent to the Positi-e in this matter, that is to say
that in eperiencing a certain degree of pleasure it does not follow that he will ha-e to "pay up for it" with
a corresponding degree of pain# on the contrary, the pleasure is the .hythmic swing, according to the :aw
of %ompensation, for a degree of pain pre-iously eperienced either in the present life, or in a pre-ious
incarnation' This throws a new light on the Problem of Pain'
The Hermetists regard the chain of li-es as continuous, and as forming a part of one life of the indi-idual,
so that in conse4uence the rhythmic swing is understood in this way, while it would be without meaning
unless the truth of reincarnation is admitted'
9ut the Hermetists claim that the $aster or ad-anced student is able, to a great degree, to escape the
swing toward Pain, by the process of =eutrali<ation before mentioned' 9y rising on to the higher plane of
the Ego, much of the eperience that comes to those dwelling on the lower plane is a-oided and escaped'
The :aw of %ompensation plays an important part in the li-es of men and women' &t will be noticed that
one generally "pays the price" of anything he possesses or lac0s' &f he has one thing, he lac0s another2the
balance is struc0' =o one can "0eep his penny and ha-e the bit of ca0e" at the same time E-erything has
its pleasant and unpleasant sides' The things that one gains are always paid for by the things that one
loses' The rich possess much that the poor lac0, while the poor often possess things that are beyond the
reach of the rich' The millionaire may ha-e the inclination toward feasting, and the wealth wherewith to
secure all the dainties and luuries of the table, while he lac0s the appetite to en3oy the same# he en-ies
the appetite and digestion of the laborer who lac0s the wealth and inclinations of the millionaire, and who
gets more pleasure from his plain food than the millionaire could obtain e-en if his appetite were not
3aded, nor his digestion ruined, for the wants, habits and inclinations differ' And so it is through life' The
:aw of %ompensation is e-er in operation, stri-ing to balance and counter2balance, and always succeeding
in time, e-en though se-eral li-es may be re4uired for the return swing of the Pendulum of .hythm'
&II - %ausation
"E-ery %ause has its Effect# e-ery Effect has its %ause# e-erything happens according to
:aw# %hance is but a name for :aw not recogni<ed# there are many planes of causation, but
nothing escapes the :aw'" 22 The Kybalion'
The great Sith Hermetic Principle2 2the Principle of %ause and Effect2embodies the truth that :aw
per-ades the !ni-erse# that nothing happens by %hance that %hance is merely a term indicating cause
eisting but not recogni<ed or percei-ed that phenomena is continuous, without brea0 or eception'
The Principle of %ause and Effect underlies all scientific thought, ancient and modern, and was enunciated
by the Hermetic Teachers in the earliest days' /hile many and -aried disputes between the many schools
of thought ha-e since arisen, these disputes ha-e been principally upon the details of the operations of the
Principle, and still more often upon the meaning of certain words' The underlying Principle of %ause and
Effect has been accepted as correct by practically all the thin0ers of the world worthy of the name' To
thin0 otherwise would be to ta0e the phenomena of the uni-erse from the domain of :aw and ,rder, and
to relegate it# to the control of the imaginary something which men ha-e called "%hance'"
A little consideration will show anyone that there is in reality no such thing as pure chance' /ebster
defines the word "%hance" as follows6 "A supposed agent or mode of acti-ity other than a force, law or
purpose# the operation or acti-ity of such agent# the supposed effect of such an agent# a happening#
fortuity# casualty, etc'" 9ut a little consideration will show you that there can be no such agent as
"%hance," in the sense of something outside of :aw2something outside of %ause and Effect' How could
there be a something acting in the phenomenal uni-erse, independent of the laws, order, and continuity of
the latterB Such a something would be entirely independent of the orderly trend of the uni-erse, and
therefore superior to it' /e can imagine nothing outside of THE A:: being outside of the :aw, and that
only because THE A:: is the :A/ in itself' There is no room in the uni-erse for a something outside of and
independent of :aw' The eistence of such a Something would render all =atural :aws ineffecti-e, and
would plunge the uni-erse into chaotic disorder and lawlessness' A careful eamination will show that
what we call "%hance" is merely an epression relating to obscure causes# causes that we cannot
percei-e# causes that we cannot understand' The word %hance is deri-ed from a word $eaning "to fall"
?as the falling of dice@, the idea being that the fall of the dice ?and many other happenings@ are merely a
"happening" unrelated to any cause' And this is the sense in which the term is generally employed' 9ut
when the matter is closely eamined, it is seen that there is no chance whatsoe-er about the fall of the
dice' Each time a die falls, and displays a certain number, it obeys a law as infallible as that which go-erns
the re-olution of the planets around the sun' 9ac0 of the fall of the die are causes, or chains of causes,
running bac0 further than the mind can follow' The position of the die in the bo# the amount of muscular
energy epended in the throw# the condition of the table, etc', etc', all are causes, the effect of which may
be seen' 9ut bac0 of these seen causes there are chains of unseen preceding causes, all of which had a
bearing upon the number of the die which fell uppermost'
&f a die be cast a great number of times, it will be found that the numbers shown will be about e4ual, that
is, there will be an e4ual number of one2spot, two2spot, etc', coming uppermost' Toss a penny in the air,
and it may come down either "heads" or "tails"# but ma0e a sufficient number of tosses, and the heads
and tails will about e-en up' This is the operation of the law of a-erage' 9ut both the a-erage and the
single toss come under the :aw of %ause and Effect, and if we were able to eamine into the preceding
causes, it would be clearly seen that it was simply impossible for the die to fall other than it did, under the
same circumstances and at the same time' Gi-en the same causes, the same results will follow' There is
always a "cause" and a "because" to e-ery e-ent' =othing e-er "happens" without a cause, or rather a
chain of causes'
Some confusion has arisen in the minds of persons considering this Principle, from the fact that they were
unable to eplain how one thing could cause another thing2that is, be the "creator" of the second thing' As
a matter of fact, no "thing" e-er causes or "creates" another "thing'" %ause and Effect deals merely with
"e-ents'" An "e-ent" is that which comes, arri-es or happens, as a result or conse4uent of some preceding
e-ent' =o e-ent "creates" another e-ent, but is merely a preceding lin0 in the great orderly chain of
e-ents flowing from the creati-e energy of THE A::' There is a continuity between all e-ents precedent,
conse4uent and subse4uent' There is a relation eisting between e-erything that has gone before, and
e-erything that follows' A stone is dislodged from a mountain side and crashes through a roof of a cottage
in the -alley below' At first sight we regard this as a chance effect, but when we eamine the matter we
find a great chain of causes behind it' &n the first place there was the rain which softened the earth
supporting the stone and which allowed it to fall# then bac0 of that was the influence of the sun, other
rains, etc', which gradually disintegrated the piece of roc0 from a larger piece# then there were the causes
which led to the formation of the mountain, and its uphea-al by con-ulsions of nature, and so on ad
infinitum' Then we might follow up the causes behind the rain, etc' Then we might consider the eistence
of the roof &n short, we would soon find oursel-es in-ol-ed in a mesh of cause and effect, from which we
would soon stri-e to etricate oursel-es'
>ust as a man has two parents, and four grandparents, and eight great2grandparents, and siteen great2
great2grandparents, and so on until when, say, forty generations are calculated the numbers of ancestors
run into many millions22so it is with the number of causes behind e-en the most trifling e-ent or
phenomena, such as the passage of a tiny spec0 of soot before your eye' &t is not an easy matter to trace
the bit of soot hac0 to the early period of the world8s history when it formed a part of a massi-e tree2
trun0, which was afterward con-erted into coal, and so on, until as the spec0 of soot it now passes before
your -ision on its way to other ad-entures' And a mighty chain of e-ents, causes and effects, brought it to
its present condition, and the later is but one of the chain of e-ents which will go to produce other e-ents
hundreds of years from now' ,ne of the series of e-ents arising from the tiny bit of soot was the writing of
these lines, which caused the typesetter to perform certain wor0# the proofreader to do li0ewise# and
which will arouse certain thoughts in your mind, and that of others, which in turn will affect others, and so
on, and on, and on, beyond the ability of man to thin0 further2and all from the passage of a tiny bit of
soot, all of which shows the relati-ity and association of things, and the further fact that "there is no
great# there is no small, in the mind that causeth all'"
Stop to thin0 a moment' &f a certain man had not met a certain maid, away bac0 in the dim period of the
Stone Age you who are now reading these lines would not now be here' And if, perhaps, the same couple
had failed to meet, we who now write these lines would not now be here' And the -ery act of writing, on
our part, and the act of reading, on yours, will affect not only the respecti-e li-es of yourself and
oursel-es, but will also ha-e a direct, or indirect, affect upon many other people now li-ing and who will
li-e in the ages to come' E-ery thought we thin0, e-ery act we perform, has its direct and indirect results
which fit into the great chain of %ause and Effect'
/e do not wish to enter into a consideration of 5ree /ill, or 1eterminism, in this wor0, for -arious
reasons' Among the many reasons, is the principal one that neither side of the contro-ersy is entirely
right2in fact, both sides are partially right, according to the Hermetic Teachings' The Principle of Polarity
shows that both are but Half2Truths the opposing poles of Truth' The Teachings are that a man may be
both 5ree and yet bound by =ecessity, depending upon the meaning of the terms, and the height of Truth
from which the matter is eamined' The ancient writers epress the matter thus6 "The further the creation
is from the %entre, the more it is bound# the nearer the %entre it reaches, the nearer 5ree is it'"
The ma3ority of people are more or less the sla-es of heredity, en-ironment, etc', and manifest -ery little
5reedom' They are swayed by the opinions, customs and thoughts of the outside world, and also by their
emotions, feelings, moods, etc' They manifest no $astery, worthy of the name' They indignantly
repudiate this assertion, saying, "/hy, & certainly am free to act and do as & please22& do 3ust what & want
to do," but they fail to eplain whence arise the "want to" and "as & please'" /hat ma0es them "want to"
do one thing in preference to another# what ma0es them "please" to do this, and not do thatB &s there no
"because" to their "pleasing" and "/anting"B The $aster can change these "pleases" and "wants" into
others at the opposite end of the mental pole' He is able to "/ill to will," instead of to will because some
feeling, mood, emotion, or en-ironmental suggestion arouses a tendency or desire within him so to do'
The ma3ority of people are carried along li0e the falling stone, obedient to en-ironment, outside influences
and internal moods, desires, etc', not to spea0 of the desires and wills of others stronger than themsel-es,
heredity, en-ironment, and suggestion, carrying them along without resistance on their part, or the
eercise of the /ill' $o-ed li0e the pawns on the chec0erboard of life, they play their parts and are laid
aside after the game is o-er' 9ut the $asters, 0nowing the rules of the game, rise abo-e the plane of
material life, and placing themsel-es in touch with the higher powers of their nature, dominate their own
moods, characters, 4ualities, and polarity, as well as the en-ironment surrounding them and thus become
$o-ers in the game, instead of Pawns2%auses instead of Effects' The $asters do not escape the %ausation
of the higher planes, but fall in with the higher laws, and thus master circumstances on the lower plane'
They thus form a conscious part of the :aw, instead of being mere blind instruments' /hile they Ser-e on
the Higher Planes, they .ule on the $aterial Plane'
9ut, on higher and on lower, the :aw is always in operation' There is no such thing as %hance' The blind
goddess has been abolished by .eason' /e are able to see now, with eyes made clear by 0nowledge, that
e-erything is go-erned by !ni-ersal :aw2that the infinite number of laws are but manifestations of the
,ne Great :aw2the :A/ which is THE A::' &t is true indeed that not a sparrow drops unnoticed by the
$ind of THE A:: that e-en the hairs on our head are numbered2as the scriptures ha-e said There is
nothing outside of :aw# nothing that happens contrary to it' And yet, do not ma0e the mista0e of
supposing that $an is but a blind automaton2far from that' The Hermetic Teachings are that $an may use
:aw to o-ercome laws, and that the higher will always pre-ail against the lower, until at last he has
reached the stage in which he see0s refuge in the :A/ itself, and laughs the phenomenal laws to scorn'
Are you able to grasp the inner meaning of thisB
&III - (ender
"Gender is in e-erything# e-erything has its $asculine and 5eminine Principles# Gender
manifests on all planes'" 22 The Kybalion
The great Se-enth Hermetic Principle2the Principle of Gender2embodies the truth that there is Gender
manifested in e-erything2that the $asculine and 5eminine principles are e-er present and acti-e in all
phases of phenomena, on each and e-ery plane of life' At this point we thin0 it well to call your attention
to the fact that Gender, in its Hermetic sense, and Se in the ordinarily accepted use of the term, are not
the same'
The word "Gender" is deri-ed from the :atin root meaning "to beget# to procreate# to generate# to create#
to produce'" A moment8s consideration will show you that the word has a much broader and more general
meaning than the term "Se," the latter referring to the physical distinctions between male and female
li-ing things' Se is merely a manifestation of Gender on a certain plane of the Great Physical Plane2the
plane of organic life' /e wish to impress this distinction upon your minds, for the reason that certain
writers, who ha-e ac4uired a smattering of the Hermetic Philosophy, ha-e sought to identify this Se-enth
Hermetic Principle with wild and fanciful, and often reprehensible, theories and teachings regarding Se'
The office of Gender is solely that of creating, producing, generating, etc', and its manifestations are
-isible on e-ery plane of phenomena' &t is somewhat difficult to produce proofs of this along scientific
lines, for the reason that science has not as yet recogni<ed this Principle as of uni-ersal application' 9ut
still some proofs are forthcoming from scientific sources' &n the first place, we find a distinct manifestation
of the Principle of Gender among the corpuscles, ions, or electrons, which constitute the basis of $atter as
science now 0nows the latter, and which by forming certain combinations form the Atom, which until lately
was regarded as final and indi-isible'
The latest word of science is that the atom is composed of a multitude of corpuscles, electrons, or ions
?the -arious names being applied by different authorities@ re-ol-ing around each other and -ibrating at a
high degree and intensity' 9ut the accompanying statement is made that the formation of the atom is
really due to the clustering of negati-e corpuscles around a positi-e one222the positi-e corpuscles seeming
to eert a certain influence upon the negati-e corpuscles, causing the latter to assume certain
combinations and thus "create" or "generate" an atom' This is in line with the most ancient Hermetic
Teachings, which ha-e always identified the $asculine principle of Gender with the "Positi-e," and the
5eminine with the "=egati-e8" Poles of Electricity ?so called@'
=ow a word at this point regarding this identification' The public mind has formed an entirely erroneous
impression regarding the 4ualities of the so2called "=egati-e" pole of electrified or magneti<ed $atter' The
terms Positi-e and =egati-e are -ery wrongly applied to this phenomenon by science' The word Positi-e
means something real and strong, as compared with a =egati-e unreality or wea0ness' =othing is further
from the real facts of electrical phenomenon' The so2called =egati-e pole of the battery is really the pole
in and by which the generation or production of new forms and energies is manifested' There is nothing
"negati-e" about it' The best scientific authorities now use the word "%athode" in place of "=egati-e," the
word %athode coming from the Gree0 root meaning "descent# the path of generation, etc," 5rom the
%athode pole emerge the swarm of electrons or corpuscles# from the same pole emerge those wonderful
"rays" which ha-e re-olutioni<ed scientific conceptions during the past decade' The %athode pole is the
$other of all of the strange phenomena which ha-e rendered useless the old tet2boo0s, and which ha-e
caused many long accepted theories to be relegated to the scrap2pile of scientific speculation' The
%athode, or =egati-e Pole, is the $other Principle of Electrical Phenomena, and of the finest forms of
matter as yet 0nown to science' So you see we are 3ustified in refusing to use the term "=egati-e" in our
consideration of the sub3ect, and in insisting upon substituting the word "5eminine" for the old term' The
facts of the case bear us out in this, without ta0ing the Hermetic Teachings into consideration' And so we
shall use the word "5eminine" in the place of "=egati-e" in spea0ing of that pole of acti-ity'
The latest scientific teachings are that the creati-e corpuscles or electrons are 5eminine ?science says
"they are composed of negati-e electricity"2we say they are composed of 5eminine energy@' A 5eminine
corpuscle becomes detached from, or rather lea-es, a $asculine corpuscle, and starts on a new career' &t
acti-ely see0s a union with a $asculine corpuscle, being urged thereto by the natural impulse to create
new forms of $atter or Energy' ,ne writer goes so far as to use the term "it at once see0s, of its own
-olition, a union, " etc' This detachment and uniting form the basis of the greater part of the acti-ities of
the chemical world' /hen the 5eminine corpuscle unites with a $asculine corpuscle, a certain process is
begun' The 5eminine particles -ibrate rapidly under the influence of the $asculine energy, and circle
rapidly around the latter' The result is the birth of a new atom' This new atom is really composed of a
union of the $asculine and 5eminine electrons, or corpuscles, but when the union is formed the atom is a
separate thing, ha-ing certain properties, but no longer manifesting the property of free electricity' The
process of detachment or separation of the 5eminine electrons is called "ioni<ation'" These electrons, or
corpuscles, are the most acti-e wor0ers in =ature8s field' Arising from their unions, or combinations,
manifest the -aried phenomena of light, heat, electricity, magnetism, attraction, repulsion, chemical
affinity and the re-erse, and similar phenomena' And all this arises from the operation of the Principle of
Gender on the plane of Energy'
The part of the $asculine principle seems to be that of directing a certain inherent energy toward the
5eminine principle, and thus starting into acti-ity the creati-e processes' 9ut the 5eminine principle is the
one always doing the acti-e creati-e wor02and this is so on all planes' And yet, each principle is incapable
of operati-e energy without the assistance of the other' &n some of the forms of life, the two principles are
combined in one organism' 5or that matter, e-erything in the organic world manifests both genders2there
is always the $asculine present in the 5eminine form, and the 5eminine present in the $asculine form'
The Hermetic Teachings include much regarding the operation of the two principles of Gender in the
production and manifestation of -arious forms of energy, etc', but we do not deem it epedient to go into
detail regarding the same at this point, because we are unable to bac0 up the same with scientific proof,
for the reason that science has not as yet progressed thus far' 9ut the eample we ha-e gi-en you of the
phenomena of the electrons or corpuscles will show you that science is on the right path, and will also gi-e
you a general idea of the underlying principles'
Some leading scientific in-estigators ha-e announced their belief that in the formation of crystals there
was to be found something that corresponded to " se acti-ity" which is another straw showing the
direction the scientific winds are blowing' And each year will bring other facts to corroborate the
correctness of the Hermetic Principle of Gender' &t will be found that Gender is in constant operation and
manifestation in the field of inorganic matter, and in the field of Energy or 5orce' Electricity is now
generally regarded as the "Something" into which all other forms of energy seem to melt or dissol-e' The
"Electrical Theory of the !ni-erse" is the latest scientific doctrine, and is growing rapidly in popularity and
general acceptance' And it thus follows that if we are able to disco-er in the phenomena of electricity2e-en
at the -ery root and source of its manifestations a clear and unmista0able e-idence of the presence of
Gender and its acti-ities, we are 3ustified in as0ing you to belie-e that science at last has offered proofs of
the eistence in all uni-ersal phenomena of that great Hermetic Principle2the Principle of Gender'
&t is not necessary to ta0e up your time with the well 0nown phenomena of the " "attraction and repulsion"
of the atoms# chemical affinity# the "lo-es and hates" of the atomic particles# the attraction or cohesion
between the molecules of matter' These facts are too well 0nown to need etended comment from us'
9ut, ha-e you e-er considered that all of these things are manifestations of the Gender PrincipleB %an you
not see that the phenomena is "on all fours" with that of the corpuscles or electronsB And more than this,
can you not see the reasonableness of the Hermetic Teachings which assert that the -ery :aw of
Gra-itation2that strange attraction by reason of which all particles and bodies of matter in the uni-erse
tend toward each other is but another manifestation of the Principle of Gender, which operates in the
direction of attracting the $asculine to the 5eminine energies, and -ice -ersaB /e cannot offer you
scientific proof of this at this time2but eamine the phenomena in the light of the Hermetic Teachings on
the sub3ect, and see if you ha-e not a better wor0ing hypothesis than any offered by physical science'
Submit all physical phenomena to the test, and you will discern the Principle of Gender e-er in e-idence'
:et us now pass on to a consideration of the operation of the Principle on the $ental Plane' $any
interesting features are there awaiting eamination'
&I - Mental (ender
Students of psychology who ha-e followed the modern trend of thought along the lines of mental
phenomena are struc0 by the persistence of the dual2mind idea which has manifested itself so strongly
during the past ten or fifteen years, and which has gi-en rise to a number of plausible theories regarding
the nature and constitution of these "two minds'" The late Thomson >' Hudson attained great popularity in
(I)E by ad-ancing his well20nown theory of the "ob3ecti-e and sub3ecti-e minds" which he held eisted in
e-ery indi-idual' ,ther writers ha-e attracted almost e4ual attention by the theories regarding the
"conscious and sub2conscious minds"# the "-oluntary and in-oluntary minds"# "the acti-e and passi-e
minds," etc', etc' The theories of the -arious writers differ from each other, but there remains the
underlying principle of "the duality of mind'"
The student of the Hermetic Philosophy is tempted to smile when he reads and hears of these many "new
theories" regarding the duality of mind, each school adhering tenaciously to its own pet theories, and each
claiming to ha-e "disco-ered the truth'" The student turns bac0 the pages of occult history, and away
bac0 in the dim beginnings of occult teachings he finds references to the ancient Hermetic doctrine of the
Principle of Gender on the $ental Plane2the manifestation of $ental Gender' And eamining further he
finds that the ancient philosophy too0 cogni<ance of the phenomenon of the "dual mind," and accounted
for it by the theory of $ental Gender' This idea of $ental Gender may be eplained in a few words to
students who are familiar with the modern theories 3ust alluded to' The $asculine Principle of $ind
corresponds to the so2called ,b3ecti-e $ind# %onscious $ind# Aoluntary $ind# Acti-e $ind, etc' And the
5eminine Principle of $ind corresponds to the so2called Sub3ecti-e $ind# Sub2conscious $ind# &n-oluntary
$ind# Passi-e $ind, etc' ,f course the Hermetic Teachings do not agree with the many modern theories
regarding the nature of the two phases of mind, nor does it admit many of the facts claimed for the two
respecti-e aspects2some of the said theories and claims being -ery far2fetched and incapable of standing
the test of eperiment and demonstration'
/e point to the phases of agreement merely for the purpose of helping the student to assimilate his
pre-iously ac4uired 0nowledge with the teachings of the Hermetic Philosophy' Students of Hudson will
notice the statement at the beginning of his second chapter of6 The :aw of Psychic Phenomena," that6
"The mystic 3argon of the Hermetic philosophers discloses the same general idea"2i'e', the duality of mind'
&f 1r' Hudson had ta0en the time and trouble to decipher a little of 8the mystic 3argon of the Hermetic
Philosophy," he might ha-e recei-ed much light upon the sub3ect of "the dual mind"2but then, perhaps, his
most interesting wor0 might not ha-e been written' :et us now consider the Hermetic Teachings regarding
$ental Gender'
The Hermetic Teachers impart their instruction regarding this sub3ect by bidding their students eamine
the report of their consciousness regarding their Self' The students are bidden to turn their attention
inward upon the Self dwelling within each' Each student is led to see that his consciousness gi-es him first
a report of the eistence of his Self2the report is "& Am'" This at first seems to be the final words from the
consciousness, but a little further eamination discloses the fact that this "& Am" may be separated or split
into two distinct parts, or aspects, which while wor0ing in unison and in con3unction, yet, ne-ertheless,
may be separated in consciousness'
/hile at first there seems to be only an "&" eisting, a more careful and closer eamination re-eals the
fact that there eists an "&" and a "$e'" These mental twins differ in their characteristics and nature, and
an eamination of their nature and the phenomena arising from the same will throw much light upon
many of the problems of mental influence'
:et us begin with a consideration of the $e, which is usually mista0en for the & by the student, until he
presses the in4uiry a little further bac0 into the recesses of consciousness' A man thin0s of his Self ?in its
aspect of $e@ as being composed of certain feelings, tastes li0es, disli0es, habits, peculiar ties,
characteristics, etc', all of which go to ma0e up his personality, or the "Self" 0nown to himself and others'
He 0nows that these emotions and feelings change# are born and die away# are sub3ect to the Principle of
.hythm, and the Principle of Polarity, which ta0e him from one etreme of feeling to another' He also
thin0s of the "$e" as being certain 0nowledge gathered together in his mind, and thus forming a part of
himself' This is the "$e" of a man'
9ut we ha-e proceeded too hastily' The "$e" of many men may be said to consist largely of their
consciousness of the body and their physical appetites, etc' Their consciousness being largely bound up
with their bodily nature, they practically "li-e there'" Some men e-en go so far as to regard their personal
apparel as a part of their "$e" and actually seem to consider it a part of themsel-es' A writer has
humorously said that "men consist of three parts2soul, body and clothes'" These "clothes conscious"
people would lose their personality if di-ested of their clothing by sa-ages upon the occasion of a
shipwrec0' 9ut e-en many who are not so closely bound up with the idea of personal raiment stic0 closely
to the consciousness of their bodies being their "$e" They cannot concei-e of a Self independent of the
body' Their mind seems to them to be practically "a something belonging to" their body2which in many
cases it is indeed'
9ut as man rises in the scale of consciousness he is able to disentangle his "$e" from his idea of body,
and is able to thin0 of his body as "belonging to" the mental part of him' 9ut e-en then he is -ery apt to
identify the "$e" entirely with the mental states, feelings, etc', /hich he feels to eist within him' He is
-ery apt to consider these internal states as identical with himself, instead of their being simply "things"
produced by some part of his mentality, and eisting within him2of him, and in him, but still not "himself'"
He sees that he may change these internal states of feelings by all effort of will, and that he may produce
a feeling or state of an eactly opposite nature, in the same way, and yet the same "$e" eists' And so
after a while he is able to set aside these -arious mental states, emotions, feelings, habits, 4ualities,
characteristics, and other personal mental belongings2he is able to set them aside in the "not2me"
collection of curiosities and encumbrances, as well as -aluable possessions' This re4uires much mental
concentration and power of mental analysis on the part of the student' 9ut still the tas0 is possible for the
ad-anced student, and e-en those not so far ad-anced are able to see, in the imagination, how the
process may be performed'
After this laying2aside process has been performed, the student will find himself in conscious possession of
a "Self" which may be considered in its "&" and "$e" dual aspects' The "$e" will be felt to be a Something
mental in which thoughts, ideas, emotions, feelings, and other mental states may be produced' &t may be
considered as the "mental womb," as the ancients styled it2capable of generating mental offspring' &t
reports to the consciousness as a "$e" with latent powers of creation and generation of mental progeny of
all sorts and 0inds' &ts powers of creati-e energy are felt to be enormous' 9ut still it seems to be
conscious that it must recei-e some form of energy from either its "&" companion, or else from some other
"&" ere it is able to bring into being its mental creations' This consciousness brings with it a reali<ation of
an enormous capacity for mental wor0 and creati-e ability'
9ut the student soon finds that this is not all that he finds within his inner consciousness' He finds that
there eists a mental Something which is able to /ill that the "$e" act along certain creati-e lines, and
which is also able to stand aside and witness the mental creation' This part of himself he is taught to call
his "&'" He is able to rest in its consciousness at will' He finds there not a consciousness of an ability to
generate and acti-ely create, in the sense of the gradual process attendant upon mental operations, but
rather a sense and consciousness of an ability to pro3ect an energy from the "&" to the "$e"2a process of
"willing" that the mental creation begin and proceed' He also finds that the "&" is able to stand aside and
witness the operations of the "$e8s" mental creation and generation' There is this dual aspect in the mind
of e-ery person' The "&" represents the $asculine Principle of $ental Gender2the "$e" represents the
5emale Principle' The "&" represents the Aspect of 9eing# the "$e" the Aspect of 9ecoming' "ou will notice
that the Principle of %orrespondence operates on this plane 3ust as it does upon the great plane upon
which the creation of !ni-erses is performed' The two are similar in 0ind, although -astly different in
degree' "As abo-e, so below# as below, so abo-e'"
These aspects of mind2the $asculine and 5eminine Principles2the "&" and the "$e"2considered in
connection with the well20nown mental and psychic phenomena, gi-e the master20ey to these dimly
0nown regions of mental operation and manifestation' The principle of $ental Gender gi-es the truth
underlying the whole field of the phenomena of mental influence, etc'
The tendency of the 5eminine Principle is always in the direction of recei-ing impressions, while the
tendency of the $asculine Principle is always in the direction of gi-ing, out or epressing' The 5eminine
Principle has much more -aried field of operation than has the $asculine Principle' The 5eminine Principle
conducts the wor0 of generating new thoughts, concepts, ideas, including the wor0 of the imagination' The
$asculine Principle contents itself with the wor0 of the "/ill" in its -aried phases' And yet, without the
acti-e aid of the /ill of the $asculine Principle, the 5eminine Principle is apt to rest content with
generating mental images which are the result of impressions recei-ed from outside, &nstead of producing
original mental creations'
Persons who can gi-e continued attention and thought to a sub3ect acti-ely employ both of the $ental
Principles2the 5eminine in the wor0 of the mental generation, and the $asculine /ill in stimulating and
energi<ing the creati-e portion of the mind' The ma3ority of persons really employ the $asculine Principle
but little, and are content to li-e according to the thoughts and ideas instilled into the "$e" from the "&" of
other minds' 9ut it is not our purpose to dwell upon this phase of the sub3ect, which may be studied from
any good tet2boo0 upon psychology, with the 0ey that we ha-e gi-en you regarding $ental Gender'
The student of Psychic Phenomena is aware of the wonderful phenomena classified under the head of
Telepathy# Thought Transference# $ental &nfluence# Suggestion# Hypnotism, etc' $any ha-e sought for an
eplanation of these -aried phases of phenomena under the theories of the -arious "dual mind" teachers'
And in a measure they are right, for there is clearly a manifestation of two distinct phases of mental
acti-ity' 9ut if such students will consider these "dual minds" in the light of the Hermetic Teachings
regarding Aibrations and $ental Gender, they will see that the long sought for 0ey is at hand' &n the
phenomena of Telepathy it is seen how the Aibratory Energy of the $asculine Principle is pro3ected toward
the 5eminine Principle of another person, and the latter ta0es the seed2thought and allows it to de-elop
into maturity' &n the same way Suggestion and Hypnotism operates' The $asculine Principle of the person
gi-ing the suggestions directs a stream of Aibratory Energy or /ill2Power toward the 5eminine Principle of
the other person, and the latter accepting it ma0es it its own and acts and thin0s accordingly' An idea thus
lodged in the mind of another person grows and de-elops, and in time is regarded as the rightful mental
offspring of the indi-idual, whereas it is in reality li0e the cuc0oo egg placed in the sparrows nest, where it
destroys the rightful offspring and ma0es itself at home' The normal method is for the $asculine and
5eminine Principles in a person8s mind to co2ordinate and act harmoniously in con3unction with each other,
but, unfortunately, the $asculine Principle in the a-erage person is too la<y to act2the display of /ill2
Power is too slight2and the conse4uence is that such persons are ruled almost entirely by the minds and
wills of other persons, whom they allow to do their thin0ing and willing for them' How few original
thoughts or original actions are performed by the a-erage personB Are not the ma3ority of persons mere
shadows and echoes of others ha-ing stronger wills or minds than themsel-esB The trouble is that the
a-erage person dwells almost altogether in his "$e" consciousness and does not reali<e that he has such a
thing as an "&'" He is polari<ed in his 5eminine Principle of $ind, and the $asculine Principle, in which is
lodged the /ill, is allowed to remain inacti-e and not employed'
The strong men and women of the world in-ariably manifest the $asculine Principle of /ill, and their
strength depends materially upon this fact' &nstead of li-ing upon the impressions made upon their minds
by others, they dominate their own minds by their /ill, obtaining the 0ind of mental images desired, and
moreo-er dominate the minds of others li0ewise, in the same manner' :oo0 at the strong people, how
they manage to implant their seed2thoughts in the minds of the masses of the people, thus causing the
latter to thin0 thoughts in accordance with the desires and wills of the strong indi-iduals' This is why the
masses of people are such sheepli0e creatures, ne-er originating an idea of their own, nor using their own
powers of mental acti-ity'
The manifestation of $ental Gender may be noticed all around us in e-eryday life' The magnetic persons
are those who are able to use the $asculine Principle in the way of impressing their ideas upon others'
The actor who ma0es people weep or cry as he wills, is employing this principle' and so is the successful
orator, statesman, preacher, writer or other people who are before the public attention' The peculiar
influence eerted by some people o-er others is due to the manifestation of $ental Gender, along the
Aibrational lines abo-e indicated' &n this principle lies the secret of personal magnetism, personal
influence, fascination, etc', as well as the phenomena generally grouped under the name of Hypnotism'
The student who has familiari<ed himself with the phenomena generally spo0en of as "psychic" will ha-e
disco-ered the important part played in the said phenomena by that force which science has styled
"Suggestion," by which term is meant the process or method whereby an idea is transferred to, or
"impressed upon" the mind of another, causing the second mind to act in accordance therewith' A correct
understanding of Suggestion is necessary in order to intelligently comprehend the -aried psychical
phenomena which Suggestion underlies' 9ut, still more is a 0nowledge of Aibration and $ental Gender
necessary for the student of Suggestion' 5or the whole principle of Suggestion depends upon the principle
of $ental Gender and Aibration'
&t is customary for the writers and teachers of Suggestion to eplain that it is the "ob3ecti-e or -oluntary"
mind which ma0e the mental impression, or suggestion, upon the "sub3ecti-e or in-oluntary" mind' 9ut
they do not describe the process or gi-e us any analogy in nature whereby we may more readily
comprehend the idea' 9ut if you will thin0 of the matter in the light of the Hermetic Teachings you will be
able to see that the energi<ing of the 5eminine Principle by the Aibratory Energy of the $asculine Principle
&s in accordance to the uni-ersal laws of nature, and that the natural world affords countless analogies
whereby the principle may be understood' &n fact, the Hermetic Teachings show that the -ery creation of
the !ni-erse follows the same law, and that in all creati-e manifestations, upon the planes of the spiritual,
the mental, and the physical, there 8s always in operation this principle of Gender2this manifestation of the
$asculine and the 5eminine Principles' "As abo-e, so below# as below, so abo-e'" And more than this,
when the principle of $ental Gender is once grasped and understood, the -aried phenomena of psychology
at once becomes capable of intelligent classification and study, instead of being -ery much in the dar0'
The principle "wor0s out" in practice, because it is based upon the immutable uni-ersal laws of life'
/e shall not enter into an etended discussion of, or description of, the -aried phenomena of mental
influence or psychic acti-ity' There are many boo0s, many of them 4uite good, which ha-e been written
and published on this sub3ect of late years' The main facts stated in these -arious boo0s are correct,
although the se-eral writers ha-e attempted to eplain the phenomena by -arious pet theories of their
own' The student may ac4uaint himself with these matters, and by using the theory of $ental Gender he
will be able to bring order out of the chaos of conflicting theory and teachings, and may, moreo-er, readily
ma0e himself a master of the sub3ect if he be so inclined' The purpose of this wor0 is not to gi-e an
etended account of psychic phenomena but rather to gi-e to the student a master20ey whereby He may
unloc0 the many doors leading into the parts of the Temple of Knowledge which he may wish to eplore'
/e feel that in this consideration of the teachings of The Kybalion, one may find an eplanation which will
ser-e to clear away many perpleing difficulties2a 0ey that will unloc0 many doors' /hat is the use of
going into detail regarding all of the many features of psychic phenomena and mental science, pro-ided
we place in the hands of the student the means whereby he may ac4uaint himself fully regarding any
phase of the sub3ect which may interest him' /ith the aid of The Kybalion one may go through any occult
library anew, the old :ight from Egypt illuminating many dar0 pages, and obscure sub3ects' That is the
purpose of this boo0' /e do not come epounding a new philosophy, but rather furnishing the outlines of
a great world2old teaching which will ma0e clear the teachings of others2which will ser-e as a Great
.econciler of differing6 theories, and opposing doctrines'
& - Hermetic A"ioms
"The possession of Knowledge, unless accompanied by a manifestation and epression in
Action, is li0e the hoarding of precious metals2a -ain and foolish thing' Knowledge, li0e
wealth, is intended for !se' The :aw of !se is !ni-ersal, and he who -iolates it suffers by
reason of his conflict with natural forces'" 22 The Kybalion
The Hermetic Teachings, while always ha-ing been 0ept securely loc0ed up in the minds of the fortunate
possessors thereof, for reasons which we ha-e already stated, were ne-er intended to be merely stored
away and secreted' The :aw of !se is dwelt upon in the Teachings, as you may see by reference to the
abo-e 4uotation from The Kybalion, which states it forcibly' Knowledge without !se and Epression is a
-ain thing, bringing no good to its possessor, or to the race' 9eware of $ental $iserliness, and epress
into Action that which you ha-e learned' Study the Aioms and Aphorisms, but practice them also'
/e gi-e below some of the more important Hermetic Aioms, from The Kybalion, with a few comments
added to each' $a0e these your own, and practice and use them, for they are not really your own until
you ha-e !sed them'
"To change your mood or mental state2change your -ibration'" 22 The Kybalion
,ne may change his mental -ibrations by an effort of /ill, in the direction of deliberately fiing the
Attention upon a more desirable state' /ill directs the Attention, and Attention changes the Aibration'
%ulti-ate the Art of Attention, by means of the /ill, and you ha-e sol-ed the secret of the $astery of
$oods and $ental States'
"To destroy an undesirable rate of mental -ibration, put into operation the principle of
Polarity and concentrate upon the opposite pole to that which you desire to suppress' Kill
out the undesirable by changing its polarity'" 22 The Kybalion
This is one of the most important of the Hermetic 5ormulas' &t is based upon true scientific principles' /e
ha-e shown you that a mental state and its opposite were merely the two poles of one thing, and that by
$ental Transmutation the polarity might be re-ersed' This Principle is 0nown to modern psychologists,
who apply it to the brea0ing up of undesirable habits by bidding their students concentrate upon the
opposite 4uality' &f you are possessed of 5ear, do not waste time trying to "0ill out" 5ear, but instead
culti-ate the 4uality of %ourage, and the 5ear will disappear' Some writers ha-e epressed this idea most
forcibly by using the illustration of the dar0 room' "ou do not ha-e to sho-el out or sweep out the
1ar0ness, but by merely opening the shutters and letting in the :ight the 1ar0ness has disappeared' To
0ill out a =egati-e 4uality, concentrate upon the Positi-e Pole of that same 4uality, and the -ibrations will
gradually change from =egati-e to Positi-e, until finally you will become polari<ed on the Positi-e pole
instead of the =egati-e' The re-erse is also true, as many ha-e found out to their sorrow, when they ha-e
allowed themsel-es to -ibrate too constantly on the =egati-e pole of things' 9y changing your polarity you
may master your moods, change your mental states, rema0e your disposition, and build up character'
$uch of the $ental $astery of the ad-anced Hermetics is due to this application of Polarity, which is one
of the important aspects of $ental Transmutation' .emember the Hermetic Aiom ?4uoted pre-iously@,
which says6
"$ind ?as well as metals and elements@ may be transmuted from state to state degree to
degree' condition to condition pole to pole# -ibration to -ibration'" 22 The Kybalion
The mastery of Polari<ation is the mastery of the fundamental principles of $ental Transmutation or
$ental Alchemy, for unless one ac4uires the art of changing his own polarity, he will be unable to affect
his en-ironment' An understanding of this principle will enable one to change his own Polarity, as well as
that of others, if he will but de-ote the time, care, study and practice necessary to master the art' The
principle is true, but the results obtained depend upon the persistent patience and practice of the student'
".hythm may be neutrali<ed by an application of the Art of Polari<ation'" 22 The Kybalion
As we ha-e eplained in pre-ious chapters, the Hermetists hold that the Principle of .hythm manifests on
the $ental Plane as well as on the Physical Plane, and that the bewildering succession of moods, feelings,
emotions, and other mental states, are due to the bac0ward and forward swing of the mental pendulum,
which carries us from one etreme of feeling to the other' The Hermetists also teach that the :aw of
=eutrali<ation enables one, to a great etent, to o-ercome the operation of .hythm in consciousness' As
we ha-e eplained, there is a Higher Plane of %onsciousness, as well as the ordinary :ower Plane, and the
$aster by rising mentally to the Higher Plane causes the swing of the mental pendulum to manifest on the
:ower Plane, and he, dwelling on his Higher Plane, escapes the consciousness of the swing bac0ward' This
is effected by polari<ing on the Higher Self, and thus raising the mental -ibrations of the Ego abo-e those
of the ordinary plane of consciousness' &t is a0in to rising abo-e a thing and allowing it to pass beneath
you' The ad-anced Hermetist polari<es himself at the Positi-e Pole of his 9eing2the "& Am" pole rather
than the pole of personality and by "refusing" and "denying" the operation of .hythm, raises himself
abo-e its plane of consciousness, and standing firm in his Statement of 9eing he allows the pendulum to
swing bac0 on the :ower Plane without changing his Polarity' This is accomplished by all indi-iduals who
ha-e attained any degree of self2mastery, whether they understand the law or not' Such persons simply
"refuse" to allow themsel-es to be swung bac0 by the pendulum of mood and emotion, and by steadfastly
affirming the superiority they remain polari<ed on the Positi-e pole' The $aster, of course, attains a far
greater degree of proficiency, because he understands the law which he is o-ercoming by a higher law,
and by the use of his /ill he attains a degree of Poise and $ental Steadfastness almost impossible of
belief on the part of those who allow themsel-es to be swung bac0ward and forward by the mental
pendulum of moods and feelings'
.emember always, howe-er, that you do not really destroy the Principle of .hythm, for that is
indestructible' "ou simply o-ercome one law by counter2balancing it with another and thus maintain an
e4uilibrium' The laws of balance and counter2balance are in operation on the mental as well as on the
physical planes, and an understanding of these laws enables one to seem to o-erthrow laws, whereas he
is merely eerting a counterbalance'
"=othing escapes the Principle of %ause and Effect, but there are many Planes of %ausation,
and one may use the laws of the higher to o-ercome the laws of the lower'" 22 The Kybalion
9y an understanding of the practice of Polari<ation, the Hermetists rise to a higher plane of %ausation and
thus counter2balance the laws of the lower planes of %ausation' 9y rising abo-e the plane of ordinary
%auses they become themsel-es, in a degree, %auses instead of being merely %aused' 9y being able to
master their own moods and feelings, and by being able to neutrali<e .hythm, as we ha-e already
eplained, they are able to escape a great part of the operations of %ause and Effect on the ordinary
plane' The masses of people are carried along, obedient to their en-ironment# the wills and desires of
others stronger than themsel-es# the effects of inherited tendencies# the suggestions of those about
them# and other outward causes# which tend to mo-e them about on the chess2board of life li0e mere
pawns' 9y rising abo-e these influencing causes, the ad-anced Hermetists see0 a higher plane of mental
action, and by dominating their moods, emotions, impulses and feelings, they create for themsel-es new
characters, 4ualities and powers, by which they o-ercome their ordinary en-ironment, and thus become
practically players instead of mere Pawns' Such people help to play the game of life understandingly,
instead of being mo-ed about this way and that way by stronger influences and powers and wills' They
use the Principle of %ause and Effect, instead of being used by it' ,f course, e-en the highest are sub3ect
to the Principle as it manifests on the higher planes, but on the lower planes of acti-ity, they are $asters
instead of Sla-es' As The Kybalion says6
"The wise ones ser-e on the higher, but rule on the lower' They obey the laws coming from
abo-e them, 9ut on their own plane, and those below them they rule and gi-e orders' And,
yet, in so doing, they form a part of the Principle, instead of opposing it' The wise man falls
in with the :aw, and by understanding its mo-ements he operates it instead of being its
blind sla-e' >ust as does the s0illed swimmer turn this way and that way, going and coming
as he will, instead of being as the log which is carried here and there2so is the wise man as
compared to the ordinary man2and yet both swimmer and log# wise man and fool, are
sub3ect to :aw' He who understands this is well on the road to $astery'" 22 The Kybalion'
&n conclusion let us again call your attention to the Hermetic Aiom6
"True Hermetic Transmutation is a $ental Art'" 22 The Kybalion'
&n the abo-e aiom, the Hermetists teach that the great wor0 of influencing one8s en-ironment is
accomplished by $ental Power' The !ni-erse being wholly mental, it follows that it may be ruled only by
$entality' And in this truth is to be found an eplanation of all the phenomena and manifestations of the
-arious mental powers which are attracting so much attention and study in these earlier years of the
Twentieth %entury' 9ac0 of and under the teachings of the -arious cults and schools, remains e-er
constant the Principle of the $ental Substance of the !ni-erse' &f the !ni-erse be $ental in its substantial
nature, then it follows that $ental Transmutation must change the conditions and phenomena of the
!ni-erse' &f the !ni-erse is $ental, then $ind must be the highest power affecting its phenomena' &f this
be understood then all the so2called "miracles" and "wonder2wor0ings" are seen plainly for what they are'
"THE A:: is $&=1# The !ni-erse is $ental'" 22 The Kybalion'

The Kybalion

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