TH E K Y B A L I O N

A STUDY OF

T H E H ERM ETI C PH I LOSOPHY OF ANCI ENT EGYPT AND G REECE

TH REE INITIATES

- ” un 07 m unm ule

THE YOGI PUBLI CATI ON SOCI ETY MASONI C TEMPLE HI C CAGO, ILL C o p r x 1 1 t 1 9 , ; 3 6

COPYRI G H T 1 908

TH E YOG I PUB L I CATI ON SOC I E Y T .

’ Ent ered at St at ioner s H all

All rights r eser ved H ERMES TRI S MEG I STUS

K NOWN BY THE ANClENT EGYPTIANS TH E GREAT GREAT!

AND MASTE R OF MASTE RS THIS LITTLE VOLUME OF HERMETIC TEACHINGS IS REVERENTLY DEDICATED

CONTENTS

0m m . Paar .

Introduction

II . Seven H ermetic Principles

Mental Transmutation

The Divine Paradox “ ” VI I . The All in All

I V I I . Planes of Corr espondence

Vibration

X. Polarity Rhythm

Causation

Gender

H ermetic Ax ioms

I NTRODUCTI ON.

We take great pleasure in presenting to the attentionof students and investigators of the Secret Doctrines this little work based uponthe world- old Hermetic Teach ha so ings. There s been little written hi upon t s subject, notwithstanding the countless references to the Teachings in ul the many works upon occ tism, that the many earnest searchers after the Arcane Truths will doubtless welcome the appear ance of the present volume . The purpose of this work is not the enunciation of any special philosophy or i i doctr ne, but rather s to give to the stu dents a statement of the Truth that will serve to reconcile the many bits of occult n k owledge that they may have acquired , but which are apparently opposed to each other and which often serve to discourage 7 8 I ntr oduc tion

and disgust the beginner in the study. Our intent is not to erect a new Temple of K to c nowledge, but rather pla e in the hands of the student a Master-K ey with which he may open the many inner doors in the Temple of Mystery through the m ain portals he has already entered . There is no portion of the occult teach ings possessed by the world which have been so closely guarded as the fragments of the Hermetic Teachings which have come down to us over the tens of centuries which have elapsed since the lifetime of its u r T great fo nder, He mes rismegistus , the ” scribe of the gods , who dwelt in old Egypt in the days when the present race of n men was in its i fancy. Contemporary A with braham, and, if the legends be true, an instructor of that venerable sage,

Hermes was , and is , the Great Central Sun of r v t Occultism, whose rays have se ed o illumine the countless teachings which h All ave been promulgated since his time . the fundamental and basic teachings em bedded inthe esoteric teachings of every I ntr oduc tion 9

be c race may traced ba k to Hermes . Even the most ancient teachings of India un doubtedly have their roots in the original T i Hermetic each ngs. From the land of the Ganges many ad ve nced occultists wandered to the land of f Egypt, and sat at the feet o the Master . From him they obtained the Master-K ey which explained and reconciled their diver i he gent v ews , and thus t Secret Doctrine l was firmly estab ished . From other lands s n f al o came the lear ed ones , all o whom regarded Hermes as the Master of Mas hi nfl w ters , and s i uence as so great that in spite of the many wanderings from the path onthe part of the centuries of teach er fi r n m a s in these di e e t lands, there y still be found a certain basic resemblance and correspondence which underlies the many and often quite divergent theories enter tained and taught by the occultists of these ifi r nt Th d e e lands today. e student of Comparative Religions will be able to per ceive the influence of the Hermetic Teach i r ngs in eve y religion worthy of the name, 1 0 I ntr oduction now w man kno n to , whether it be a dead religion or one infull vigor inour own times . There is always a certaincorre spondence in spite of the contradictory features, and the Hermetic Teachings act as the Great Reconciler. The lifework of Hermes seems to have been inthe direction of planting the great Seed-Truth which has grown and blos somed in so r r many strange fo ms, ather than to establish a school of philos! ’ ophy which would dominate the world s B t v r ss r thought. u, ne e thele , the o igi nal truths taught by him have been kept intact in their original purity by in who re a few men each age, , fusing great numbers of half- developed students and followers, followed the Her metic custom and reserved their truth for the few who were ready to comprehend

and master it . From lip to ear the truth

has been handed down among the few . There have always beena few Initiates in inth of each generation, e various lands h h ed fl t e earth, w o kept alive the sacr ame I ntr oduction 1 1 of r T the He metic eachings , and such have always been willing to use their lamps to r e-light the lesser lamps of the outside world, when the light of truth grew dim, n and clouded by reaso of neglect, and when the wicks became clogged with foreign matter. There were always a few to tend f T faithfully the altar o the ruth, upon which was kept alight the Perpetual Lamp T of Wisdom . hese men devoted their lives to the labor of love which the poet has so well stated in his lines

0, let not the flame die out ! Cherished age after age inits dark cavern—inits holy temples cherished. Fed by pure min — ” isters of love let not the flame die out 1 These men have never sought popular T approval, nor numbers of followers . hey for are indifferent to these things , they know how few there are in each generation u who l who are ready for the tr th, or wou d recognize it if it were presented to them . “ ” They reserve the strong meat for men, “ while others furnish the milk for babes . They reserv e their pearls of wisdom for 1 2 I ntr oduction

who the few elect, recognize their value h in in and w o wear them their crowns, stead of casting them before the material is i who t c vulgar swine, would trample them inthe mud and mix them with their disgust ing mental food . But still these menhave never forgottenor overlooked the original hi r in teac ngs of He mes, regard g the pass ing onof the words of truth to those ready to receive it, which teaching is stated in The K yb alion as follows Where fall s of the footsteps of the Master, the ear ” those ready for his Teaching openwide . “ And again: When the ears of the stu t n dent are ready o hear, the cometh the ’ lips to fill them with wisdom. But their customary attitude has always beenstrictly in accordance with the other Hermetic in Th K ali n The aphorism, also e yb o : t lips of Wisdom are closed, except o the ears of Understanding. There are those who have criticised this who e attitude of the Hermetists , and hav claimed that they did not manifest the proper spirit in their policy of seclusion I ntroduction 1 3

’ and reticence. But a moment s glance back over the pages of history will show s n the wi dom of the Masters, who k ew the folly of attempting to teach to the world that which it w as neither ready or willing to r receive. The He metists have never s u to s n o ght be martyr , and have, i stead, sat silently aside with a pitying smile on s s ‘ their clo ed lip , 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 upona race of barbarians the truth capable of being understood only by the elect w ho had ad vanced along The Path . And the spirit of persecution has not as di yet ed out inthe land. There are cer n r hi tai He metic Teachings, w ch, if pub licl y promulgated, would bring down upon the teachers a great cry of scorn and h revilement from the multitude, w o would again raise the cry of Crucify l Crucify. In this little work we have endeavored to give you anidea of the fundamental 1 4 The Kybalion

s The K balion to teaching of y , striving uthe give yo working Principles , leaving you to apply them yourselves , rather than attempting to work out the teaching in de

. I f u tail you are a true student, yo will be able to work out and apply these Prin ci les—if p not, thenyou must develop your r self into one, for otherwise the He metic “ T s l eaching wi l be as words, words , ” s word to you.

TH E. TH REE I nm r ns . AP CH TER I.

TH E Hnnunr' l H S H Y c P ILO OP .

The i s is are cl se ex ce the ears l p of w dom o d, pt to of U e st a i —T nd r nd ng. he K ybalion.

From old Egypt have come the funda mental esoteric and occult teachings which have so strongly influenced the philosophies for of all races , nations and peoples, sev

s. eral thousand year Egypt, the home of n the Pyramids and the Sphi x, was the birthplace of the Hidden Wisdom and

Mystic Teachings . From her Secret Doc n tri e all nations have borrowed . India , n J Persia, Chaldea, Medea, Chi a, apan, As syria, ancient Greece and Rome, and other ancient countries partook liberally at the feast of knowledge which the Hiero phants and Masters of the Land of Isis so freely provided for those who came pre 1 5 1 6 The K ybalion pared to partake of the great store of Mystic and Occult Lore which the master minds of that ancient land had gathered together . In ancient Egypt dwelt the great Adepts and Masters who have never been sur passed, and who seldom have been equaled, during the centuries that have taken their processional flight since the days of the

Great Hermes . In Egypt was located the At Great Lodge of Lodges of the Mystics . the doors of her Temples entered the Neo h es a p yt who afterw rd, as Hierophants, A depts, and Masters , traveled to the four in corners of the earth, carry g with them the precious knowledge which they were ready, anxious, and willing to pass onto s to tho e who were ready receive the same . All students of the Occult recognize the debt that they owe to these venerable Mas of ters that ancient land . But among these great Masters of An cient Egypt there once dwelt one of whom “ Masters hailed as The Master of Mas ‘ ” s. T s e s ter hi man, if man inde d he wa ,

1 8 The Kybalion

T name of hoth . Years after, the people of Ancient Greece also made him one of their s— many god calling him Hermes, the god ” of Th Wisdom. e Egyptians revered his for n t — es memory ma y cen uries y , tens of — ‘ centuries calling him the Scribe of the ” Gods , and bestowing upon him, dis tinctiv l his n Trisme is e y, a cient title, g ‘ tus hi - , w ch means the thrice great ’ ‘ the great- great the greatest-great n e c . n t I all the ancie t lands , the name of h Hermes Trismegistus was revered, t e name being synonymous with the Fount of Wisdom. “ r Evento this day, we use the te m her ” “ “ metic inthe sense of secret sealed ’ hi ca sc hi so that not ng ne ape etc ., and t s by reasonof the fact that the followers of Hermes always observed the principle of h secrecy intheir teachings . T ey did not “ ” s n believe in ca ti g pearls before swine, but rather held to the teaching milk for ” s f of babe ; meat or strong men, both which maxims are familiar to readers of th h i t e C r stian scrip ures , but both of which The H erm etic Philosophy 1 9 had been used by the Egyptians for cen turi s e before the Christian era . And this policy of careful dissemination of the tr uth has always characterized the r s The He metic , even unto the present day. Hermetic Teachings are to be found inall lands, among all religions, but never iden tified with any particular country, nor with T be any particular religious sect . his cause of the warning of the ancient teach ers against allowing the Secret Doctrine to The become crystallized into a creed . wis dom of this cautionis apparent t o all stu of Th dents history. e ancient occultism of

India and Persia degenerated, and was s largely lo t, owing to the fact that the s an so teacher became priests, d mixed l theology with the philosophy, the resu t being that the occultism of India and Per sia has beengradually lost amidst the mass of religious superstition, cults, creeds and A G gods . So it was with ncient reece r and Rome . So it was with the He metic Teachings of the Gnostics and Early Chris of Con tians, which were lost at the time 20 The Kybalion

stantine e , whose iron hand smother d phi l o h os p y with the blanket of theology, losing to the Christian Church that which was its to very essence and spirit, and causing it grope throughout several centuries before n it found the way back to its ancie t faith, the indications apparent to all careful oh servers in this Twentieth Century being that the Church is now struggling to get to n s back its a cient mystic teaching . But there were always a few faithful who souls kept alive the Flame, tending it b e carefully, and not allowing its light to And come extinguished. thanks to these s staunch hearts, and fearless mind , we u have the tr th still with us . But it is not u t o fo nd in books, any great extent . It has been passed along from Master to Student ; from Initiate to Hierophant ; from lip to

. w as w ear When it written do n at all, its meaning was veiled in terms of alchemy n and astrology, so that o ly those possess

ing the key could read it aright . This was made necessary inorder to avoid the perse cutions of the theologians of the Middle The H er m etic Philosophy 21

A ges , who fought the Secret Doctrine with s fire and sword ; stake, gibbet and cros . Even to this day there will be found but few r eliable books on the Hermetic s Philosophy, although there are countle s references to it in many books written on n . A d various phases of Occultism yet, the Hermetic Philosophy is the only Master K ey which will openall the doors of the Occult Teachings !

In the early days , there was a compila n r s tio of certainBasic He metic Doctrine , s pas ed on from teacher to student, which “ K YB ALI N ” h was known as THE O , t e exact significance and meaning of the term v T s ha ing been lost for several centuries . hi k to teaching, however, is nown to many has whom it descended, from mouth to ear, o I ts nand on throughout the centuries . precepts have never been written down, or n so . pri ted, far as we know It was merely n a collectio of maxims , axioms , and pre c ts non- to ep , which were understandable ea er outsiders , but which were r dily und e the x m s stood by students , aft r a io , 22 The K ybalion

s had maxim , and precepts been explained and exemplifi ed by the Hermetic I nitiates h T a hi to their NeOp ytes. hese te c ngs really constituted the basic principles of The A h Art of Hermetic lchemy, whic , con in trary to the general belief, dealt the n mastery of Mental Forces, rather tha Ma — teris l Elements the Transmutation of one

kind of Mental Vibrations into others, in stead of the changing of one kind of metal “ Th Philoso into another . e legends of the ’ ’ pher s Stone which would turn base metal

into Gold, was an allegory relating to Her il metic Philosophy, read y understood by

all students of true Hermeticism. In hi i the t s little book, of which this s F to irst Lesson, we invite our students ex T amine into the Hermetic eachings , as set THE K YB ALI N forth in O , and as ex

plained by ourselves , humble students of the T e eachings, who, while bearing the titl s of Initiates, are still student at the feet of M HER ES , the Master. We herein give ou a y m ny of the maxims , axioms and pre c e t s of THE K YB A I ON acc m p L . o panied The H erm etic Philosophy 23 by explanations and illustrations which we deem likely to render the teachings more easily comprehended by the modern stu i dent, particularly as the orig nal text is purposely veiled inobscure terms . m The original maxi s , axioms , and pre “ cepts of THE K YB ALI ON are printed n in herei , quotation marks , the proper i credit be ng given . Our own work is printed inthe regular way, in the body of h t e work. We trust that the many stu dents to whom we now offer this little work will derive as much benefit from the study of its pages as have the many who have on gone before, treading the same Path to Mastery throughout the centuries that have passed since the times of HERMES TRI S MEGI STUS—the Master of Masters—the

- THE K Y Great Great . In the words of BALION

Wh re all the footst e the Maste the ea s e f of r, r of h se i —The t o ready for his caching open w de. l K yba ion.

Whe the ars the s en are ead hea he n e of tud t r to r, t n ' ’ c o m e t Wi h m —The h the lips t o itll them t isdo .

goa lion. 24 The K ybalion

S o t that according o the Teachings, the passage of this book to those ready for the instruction will attract the attention of such as are prepared to receive the Teach d . An s ing , likewi e, when the pupil is ready to l s receive the truth, then wi l thi little Th to or . e book come him, her Such is h Law . T e Hermetic Principle of Cause and ff Law At E ect, in its aspect of The of

traction, will bring lips and ear together pupil and book in company. So mote it be !

26 The Kybalion

THE VI . PRINCIPLE OF CAUSE ND F F A E ECT . VI I THE D . PRINCIPLE OF GEN ER .

These Seven Principles will be discussed and explained as we proceed with these les

. A of how sons short explanation each,

e . ev r, may as well be given at this point

TH E N E F M ENTA PRI CIPL O LISM .

“ ” T ALL is M ND Th ni i M HE I ; e U verse s ental . l The K yba ion.

This Principle embodies the truth that ” THE All is Mind . It explains that ALL (which is the Substantial Reality underlying all the outward manifestations and appearances which we know under the ’ terms of The Material Universe the “ ” ” Phenomena of Life ; Matter ; Eu ” is ergy ; and, in short, all that apparent T to our material senses) is SPIRI , which in itself is UNK NOWABLE and UNDE A FIN BLE , but which may be considered and h of AN V A thoug t as UNI ERS L , IN S evenH er m etic Principles 27

FINITE, LIVING MIND . It also explains that all the phenomenal world or universe HE AL L is simply a Mental Creationof T , u to f s bject the Laws o Created Things, and the uni a its that verse, s a whole, and in s r un part o its, has its existence inthe Mind THE ALL “ of , in which Mind we live and an move d have our being. This Princi f ple, by establishing the Mental Nature o ni v the U verse, easily explains all of the a ried mental and psychic phenomena that occupy such a large portionof the public

attention, and which, without such explana

n - tio , are non understandable and defy c fi s ienti c treatment . Anunderstanding of this great Hermetic Principle of Mental ism enables the individual to readily grasp s f ni to the law o the Mental U verse, and apply the same to his well- being and ad en vancement . The Hermetic Student is abled to apply intelligently the great Men f tal Laws, instead o using them in a hap

-K e hazard manner . With the Master y in hi s possession, the student may unlock the many doors of the mental and psychic tem 28 The Kybalion

of ple knowledge, and enter the same freely Th and intelligently. is Principle explains “ ” “ ” the true nature of Energy, Power, “ ” al and Matter, and why and how l these to f are subordinate the Mastery o Mind. of r One the old Hermetic Masters w ote, “ long ages ago : He who grasps the truth of the Mental Nature of the Universe is onThe o r well advanced Path t Maste y. And these words are as true tod ay as at fi the time they were rst written. Without

hi -K e r t s Master y, Maste y is impossible, and the student knocks in vainat the many of Th T doors e emple.

H E N E F C RR S ND NC . II. T PRI CIPL O O E PO E E

“ — As a o e so e as elo s a e. The b v , b low ; b w, o bov l K yba ion.

This Principle embodies the truth that

there is always a Correspondence between, the laws and phenomena of the various Th ol planes of Being and Life . e d Her metic axiom ran in these words As so An above, below ; as below, so above d S euenH erm etic Principles 29 the grasping of this Principle gives one n f the mea s o solving many a dark paradox, s o T and hidden ecret f Nature . here are s our plane beyond knowing, but when we apply the Principle of Correspondence to them we are able to understand much that ul T wo d otherwise be unknowable to us . his Principle is of universal application and i of man festation, onthe various planes the s un material, mental, and piritual iverse it is n Th an U iversal Law. e ancient Her metiste considered this Principle as one of the most important mental instruments by which manwas able to pry aside the obsta cles which hid from view the Unknown . I ts use even tore aside the Veil of Isis to the extent that a glimpse of the face of the goddess might be caught . Just as a knowl edge of the Principles of Geometry enables man to measure distant suns and their hi movements, w le seated in his observa r so n of to y, a k owledge of the Principle Correspondence enables Man to reason in telligently from the K nown to the Un The K ybalion k n w . no Studying the monad, he under s tands the archangel .

TH E N F B A PRI CIPLE O VI R TION .

Nothing rests ; everything moves ; everything vi ”— a es. The K balion br t y .

This Principle embodies the truth that ” “ everything is in motion ; everything ” “ ” vibrates ; nothing is at rest ; facts which Modern Science endorses, and which each new scientific discovery tends to ver if n y. A d yet this Hermetic Principle w as of a o enunciated thousands years g , by the s e f T s r Ma t rs o Ancient Egypt . hi P inci ’ ple explains that the difl er ences between ff Ma Eu di erent manifestations of tter, er gy, Mind, and even Spirit, result largely from varying rates of Vibration . From THE ALL to , which is Pure Spirit, down of the grossest form Matter, all is in vibra t — he i ion t higher the v bration, the higher h Th of t e position in the scale . e vibration Spirit is at such an infinite rate of inten city and rapidity that it is practic ally at S even H er metic Pr inciples 3 1 — rest just as a rapidly moving wheel seems An to be motionless . d at the other end of of the scale, there are gross forms matter whose vibrations are so low as to seem at

e rest . Between these poles, there are mil lions upon millions of varying degrees of vibration. From corpuscle and electron, uni atom and molecule, to worlds and

in . verses, everything is vibratory motion This is also true on the planes of energy and force (which are but varying degrees of vibration) ; and also on the mental planes (whose states depend upon vibra tions) and even onto the spiritual planes . An understanding of this Principle, with the appropriate formulas, enables Her metic students to control their own mental The vibrations as well as those of others . Masters also apply this Principle to the conquering of Natural phenomena, in vari ous ways . He who understands the Prin ci le of has e p Vibration, grasped the sceptr ” n o o f . of power, says e the old writers 32 The K ybalion

' ‘ TH E N E or P LARI I Y . Iv. PRI CIPL O

Everything is Dual ; everything has poles ; every thing has its pair of opposites ; like and unlike are the sa e si es are i e tica inna e difl erent in m ; oppo t d n l tur , but degree ; ex tremes meet ; all truths are but half-truths ; all — n ara x es ma ec i The balio . p do y be r onc led. K y

This Principle embodies the truth that ” “ everything is dual ; everything has ” “ tw o poles ; everything has its pair of ’ l opposites, all of which were o d Hermetic n ol axioms . It explai s the d paradoxes, so a that have perplexed m ny, which have been stated as follows Thesis and anti but ff thesis are identical in nature, di erent ” “ in degree ; opposites are the same, dif ” “ fering only in degree ; the pairs of op ’ ‘ posites may be reconciled extremes ” “ ’ meet ; everything is and isn t, at the same time all truths are but half ” “ truths ; every truth is half- false “ h ” tw o t o t tc . there are sides every ing, e ,

etc . . , etc It explains that in everything t tw o or here are poles , opposite aspects , and that ‘ opposites ” are really only the w o t extremes of the same thing, with many

34 The K ybalion

Hard and Soft ” ! Between “ Black and White ” ! Between “ Sharp and Dull ” ! Between “ Noise and ! uiet ” ! Between ” “ High and Low ! Between Positive and Negative The Principle of Polar no ity explains these paradoxes, and other

Principle can supersede it . The same Prin i c ple operates on the Mental Plane . Let us take a radical and extreme example “ ” f w l that o Love and Hate, t o menta s And tates apparently totally differ ent . yet there are degrees of Hate and degrees se of Love, and a middle point in which we u “ ” r the terms Like o Dislike, which shade into each other so gradually that some times we are at a loss to know whether we “ ” “ ” “ ” like or dislike or neither. And s all are simply degree of the same thing, as ou ou y will see if y will but think a moment . And f , more than this ( and considered o n more importa ce by the Hermetists) , it is possible to change the vibrations of Hate to ’ n the vibrations of Love, in one s ow mi mind, and in the nds of others . Many of ouwho y , read these lines , have had per S evenH e r ricetic P r inc iples 35

sonal experiences of the involuntary rapid r n to t a sition from Love Hate, and the re

own . verse, in your case and that of others And you will therefore realize the possi bility of this being accomplished by the use of of the Will , by means the Hermetic ” formulas . Good and Evil are but the of poles the same thing, and the Hermetist understands the art of transmuting Evil

into Good, by means of an application of

the Principle of Polarity . In short, the ” Art of Polarization becomes a phase of Mental Alchemy ’ known and practiced by the ancient and modern Hermetic Mas n ters . A understanding of the Principle n to his will e able one change own Polarity, of as well as that others , if he will devote the time and study necessary to master

the art .

V TH E N E OF RH YTH M . PRI CIPL .

E e hi fl s and in eve hi has it s v ryt ng ow , out ; ryt ng tides ; all things rise and fall ; the pendulum-swing manifests ineverything ; the measure of t he swing to the right is the measure of the swing to t he left ; rhythm ” nsa es —The K balion c ompe t . y . 36 The K ybalion

This Principle embodies the truth that in everything there is manifested a meas ured flow in motion, to and fro ; a and flow ; a swing backward and forward ; a pendulum-e movement ; a tide-like ebb and flow ; a high-tide and low -tide ; be tween the tw o poles which exist in accord ance with the Principle of Polarity de T is scribed a moment ago . here always an action and a reaction ; an advance and a retreat ; a rising and a sinking. This is ff ni u in the a airs of the U verse, s ns , worlds , m men, animals , mind, energy, and atter . This law is manifest in the creation and destruction of worlds ; in the rise and fall of nations ; in the life of all things ; and finally in the mental states of Man ( and it is with this latter that the Hermetists find the understanding of the Principle most Th important) . e Hermetists have grasped fi ve this Principle, nding its uni rsal applica n tio , and have also discovered certain means to overcome its effects in themselves by the use of the appropriate formulas and h T f met ods . hey apply the Mental Law o S evenH er m etic Pr inciples 37

z T the Neutrali ation . hey cannot annul u Principle, or ca se it to cease its operation, but they have learned how to escape it s efi ects upon themselves to a certain degree depending upon the Mastery of the Prin

ci le . T how p hey have learned to USE it, of instea d being USED BY it . In this and im l Ar of s i ar methods, consist the t the o Hermetists. The Master of Hermetics p larizes himself at the point at which he

' s z desire to rest, and then neutrali es the Rhythmic swing of the pendulum which would tend to carry him to the other pole . All individuals who have attained any de gree of Self-Mastery do this to a certain degree, more or less unconsciously, but the hi Master does t s consciously, and by the of use of his Will, and attains a degree Poise and Mental Firmness almost impos sible of belief onthe part of the masses who are swung backward and forward like a pendulum. This Principle and that of Polarity have been closely studied by the Hermetists; and ' the methods of counter n acting, neutralizi g, and USING them form 38 The K ybalion

an important part of the Hermetic Mental

Alchemy.

TH E PRINCIPLE OF CAUSE AND EF F ECT.

Every Cause has its B fl ect ; every Efl ect has it s Cause ; everything happens according to Law Chance is a ame Law ec ized her ar a but n for not r ogn , t e e m ny ” a es ca sa i hi esca es the Law . pl n of u t on, but not ng p

The K ybalion.

This Principle embodies the fact that there is a Cause for every Efi ect ; an

Efi ect from every Cause . It explains that ” Everything Happens according to Law ; “ ” that nothing ever merely happens ; that there is no such thing as Chance ; that while there are various planes of Cause

and Effect, the higher dominating the n lower planes, still nothi g ever entirely Th escapes the Law. e Hermetists under stand the art and methods of rising above f ff the ordinary plane o Cause and E ect ,

to a certain degree, and by mentally rising to a higher plane they become Causers m Th e of stead of Effects . e mass s people d en o are carried along, obe i t to envir n S evenH ermetic Principles 39 ment ; the wills and desires of others stronger thanthemselves ; heredity ; sug gestion ; and other outward causes moving them about like pawns onthe Chessboard of i But s to L fe . the Ma ters, rising the in plane above, dom ate their moods, char acters u as the , q alities, and powers, as well be environment surrounding them, and T come Movers instead of pawns . hey help T I to PLAY HE GAME OF L FE, instead of being played and moved about by other

i Princ ple instead of being its tools . The Masters obey the Causation of the higher an ont pl es, but they help to RULE heir ownplane . I nthis statement there is con densed a wealth of Hermetic knowledge let him read who can .

r RN E or G NDER. vn. H E P I CIPL E

Gender is in everyt everything has it s Masen line and Feminine Princip es ; Gender manifests on all - l n planes . Thc K yba io .

ND VI I . THE PRINCIPLE OF GE ER . This Principle embodies the truth that 40 The Kybalion there is GENDER manifested in every thing— the Masculine and Feminine Prin i T l c ples ever at work. his is true not on y of the Physical Plane, but of the Mental and even the Spiritual Planes . On the

Physical Plane, the Principle manifests as EX i hi S , on the h gher planes it takes gher forms, but the Principle is ever the same. No creation, physical, mental or spiritual, is possible without this Principle . Annu der standing of its laws will throw light on many a subjec t that has perplexed the Th minds of men . e Principle of Gender in works ever the direction of generation, regeneration, and creation. Everything, and every person, contains the two Ele ments or Principles , or this great Prin

ci le . p , within it, him or her Every Male thing has the Female Element also ; every

Female contains also the Male Principle . If you would understand the philosophy of u Mental and Spirit al Creation, Generation ,

Re - and generation, you must understand on and study this Hermetic Principle . It c tains the solution of many mysteries of

CHAPTER III .

N TR NSM ME TAL A UTATI ON.

Mind ( as well as metals and elements) may be s a e to s at e d tun-muted, from t t t ; o to degree ; con dit o to co i i e to le vi ratio to vi rati i n nd t on ; pol po ; n b —on. rm Tra s a i i 9. M a True He etic n mut t on s ent l Art . Thc K ybalion.

s As we have stated, the Hermeti ts were th o e riginal alchemists, astrologers, and h i h psyc ologists , Hermes hav ng been t e founder of these schools of thought . From astrology has grown modern astronomy ; from alchemy has grown modern chem. istry ; from the mystic psychology has grown the modern psychology of the schools. But it must not be supposed that the ancients were ignorant of that which the modern schools suppose to be their s exclu ive and special property. The rec ords engraved on the stones of Ancient Egypt show conclusively that the ancients 43 44 The Kybalion had a full comprehensive knowledge of u astronomy, the very b ilding of the Pyra mids showing the connection between their design and the study of astronomical science . Nor were they ignorant of Chem istr h y, for the fragments of t e ancient writings show that they were acquainted with the chemical properties of things ; in fact, the ancient theories regarding phys ics are being slowly verified by the latest t discoveries of modernscience, no ably n those relati g to the constitution of matter . Nor must it be supposed that they were ignorant of the so-called modern discov —on eries in psychology the contrary, the Egyptians were especially skilled in the ul science of Psychology, partic arly in the s rn branche that the mode schools ignore, hi ov but w ch, nevertheless, are being unc ered under the name of ‘ psychic science ’ which is perplexing the psychologists of

- n to day, and maki g them reluctantly admit “ that there may be something in it after all . r is The t uth , that beneath the material Mental Tr ansmutation 45

s s chemi try, astronomy and p ychology (that “ is, the psychology in its phase of brain the ancients possessed a knowl ns edge of tra cendental astronomy, called astrology ; of transcendental chemistry, called alchemy ; of transcendental psychol ogy, called mystic psychology. They pos sessed the Inner K nowledge as well as the K Outer nowledge, the latter alone being A possessed by modernscientists . mong the many secret branches of knowledge s po sessed by the Hermetists, was that n n k ow as Mental Transmutation, which rms the s l fo subject matter of thi esson. Transmutation is a term usually em ployed to designate the ancient art of the — transmutation of metals particularly of s the base metal into gold. The word ’ ‘ Transmute means to change from one ntu a re, form, or substance, into another ; ” to r s n t an form (Webster) . A d accord in l g y, Mental Transmutation means the art of changing and transforming mental s s tate , forms, and conditions, into others . So you may see that Mental Transmuta 46 The Kghalian

“ ” is Art tion the of Mental Chemistry, if — you like the term a form of practical

Mystic Psychology. But this means far more than appears

. T s on the surface ran mutation, Alchemy, i or Chemistry, on the Mental Plane is m ff portant enough in its e ects, to be sure, and if the art stopped there it would still be one of the most important branches of s i tudy known to man . But this s only the beginning. Let us see why ! The first of the Seven Hermetic Prin ci les th e p is the Principle of Mentalism, “ axiom of which is THE ALL is Mind ; ’ e the Universe is Mental, which m ans that the Underlying Reality of the Universe is Mind ; and the Universe itself is Mental “ THE that is, existing in the Mind of ALL hi . We shall consider t s Principle

in succeeding lessons, but let us see the eff ect of the principle if it be assumed to

be true .

If the Universal is Mental inits nature, then Mental Transmutation must be the art of CHANGING THE CONDITIONS OF Mental Tr ansmutation 47

THE i UNIVERSE , along the l nes of Mat in o ter, Force and M d. S you see, there re T s is fo , that Mental ran mutation really the Magic of which the ancient writers had so much to say in their mystical works , and about which they gave so few practical All s ns. in tructio If be Mental , then the art which enables one to transmute mental conditions must render the Master the controller of material conditions as well as ‘ ’ r l l those ordina i y ca led mental . As a matter of fact, none but advanced Mental Alchemists have been able to at tain the degree of power necessary to con the s trol grosser physical condition , such as the control of the elements of Nature ; the production or cessation of tempests ; the production and cessation of earth quakes and other great physical phenom B t me is e ena . u that such nhave ex t d, and

- r be do exist to day, is a matte of earnest lief to all advanced occultists of all s s s schools . That the Ma ter exi t, and have r these powers , the best teache s assure their s ud r t ents , having had expe iences which 48 The K ybalion

nd s justify them insuch belief a statement . These Masters do not make public ex hibi c tions of their powers, but seek se lusion in from the crowds of men, order to better work their way along the Path of Attain s is ment . We mention their exi tence, at th to the point, merely to call your attention l fact that their power is entire y Mental, and operates along the lines of the higher un Mental Transmutation, der the Her n metic Pri ciple of Mentalism . The Uni ’ i — a i verse s Mental The K yb l on. But students and Hermetists of lesser — degree than Masters the Initiates and Teachers—are able to freely work along i T the Mental Plane, nMental ransmuta s tion. In fact all that we call p ychic phenomena mental influence men ’ s n - tal cience ew thought phenomena, etc. , operates along the same general lines, i d for there s but one principle involve , no matter by what name the phenomena be d calle . The student and practitioner of Mental Transmutationworks among the Mental

50 The K ghalian may be changed or transmuted in accord s ance with the earne t desire, will , and ‘ ” treatments of person desiring changed Th conditions of life. e public are so gen erally informed regarding these things at present, that we do not deem it necessary t to mention the same at leng h, our purpose at this point being merely to show the Hermetic Principle and Art underlying all of these various forms of practice, good and evil , for the force can be used in oppo site directions according to the Hermetic of t Principles Polari y. In this little book we shall state the b s M T a ic principles of ental ransmutation, that all who read may grasp the Under n s ss s lying Pri ciple , and thus po e s the Master-K ey that will unlock the many doors of the Principle of Polarity . We shall now proceed to a consideration of the first of the Hermetic Seven Prin ci les—the n in p Pri ciple of Mentalism, which is explained the truth that THE ALL is Mind ; the Universe is Mental, li h in the words of The K yb a on. We ask t e Mental Tr ansmutation 51

close attention, and careful study of this n stu great Pri ciple, onthe part of our for is s r dents , it really the Ba ic P inciple e of the whole Herm tic Philosophy, and of the Hermetic Art of Mental Transmuta n tio .

A T CH P ER I V.

TH E ALL .

“ U er and ac the U i erse Ti e ace nd , b k of, n v of m , Sp and ha e is e e b e The s a ia Rea i C ng , v r to found Sub t nt l l ty a T —The K alion the Fundament l rut yb . ’ Substance means : that which under lies all outward manifestations ; the os sence ; the essential reality ; the thing in ’ itself, etc. Substantial means : actu ally existing ; being the essential element ; n ” “ ” “ bei g real, etc. Reality means : the u state of being real ; tr e, enduring ; valid ;

r . fixed ; pe manent ; actual, etc Under and behind all outward appear ances s s or manife tations, there mu t always T L be a Substantial Reality. his is the aw . o n th Man c nsideri g e Universe, of which he un s hi is a it, see not ng but change in matter,

s . force , and mental states He sees that i i nothing really IS , but that everyth ng s 53 54 The K ybalion n BECOMING and CHANGING . Nothi g — stands still everything is being born, — i growing, dying the very instant a th ng lin reaches its height, it begins to dec e the law of rhythm is in constant operation — t fix there is no reali y, enduring quality, t — hin ity, or substantiali y in anything not g

is permanent but Change . He sees all s re things evolving from other thing , and — solving into other things a constant ao tion and reaction ; inflow and outflow ; building up and tearing down ; creation and destruction ; birth, growth and death . C h Nothing endures but hange . And if e f be a thinking man, he realizes that all o these changing things must be but outward appearances or manifestations of some — Underlymg Power some Substantial Re ality. All n all in thi kers, in lands and all times, have assumed the necessity for postulating hi the existence of t s Substantial Reality . All philosophies worthy of the name have been based upon this thought . Men have given to this Substantial Reality many The All 55 — names some have ca lled it by the term of Deity (under many titles) ; others have “ called it The Infinite and Eternal Eu ’ ergy others have tried to call it Mat — ter but all have acknowledged its exist

- — ence . It is self evident it needs no

I n these lessons we have followed the example of some of the world ’s greatest r m — thinke s, both ancient and mode the — Hermetic Masters and have called this Underlying Power—this Substantial Real — ity by the Hermetic name of THE ALL ” , which term we consider the most comprehensive of the many terms applied by Man to THAT which transcends names and terms . We accept and teach the view of the i im great Hermetic th nkers of all t es, as well as of those illumined souls who have of reached higher planes of being, both whom assert that the inner nature of THE

AL L is UNKNOWABLE . This must be so T ALL se can , for naught by HE it lf n comprehend its ownnature and bei g. 56 The K ybalion

TH E ALL ini s lf ver , t e , is and nmst e K W h r a rd all the b e UN NO AB LE. T ey eg theories nes nla i n f the , g ses and spec t o s O

the im e r m tm e Of TH E ALL as but the childish efi or ts of morta l minds to grasp the cr h I nfin effo ts se et of t e ite. Such r

n ur fr om the very natur e of the task. O e p suing such inquir ies tr avels ar ound and l t f th uh unti around inthe abyrin h o o g t, l all sa reaso in acti or he is lost to ne n g, on c an l unfitted for the onduct , d is utter y work

frantically r uns around and around the hi ra el circling treadmill wheel of s cage, t v — ing ever and yet reaching nowhere at the s i d s di ust end a prisoner t ll , an tan ng j

where he started . And still more presumptuous are those who attempt to ascribe to THE ALL the a u r r i ac person lity, q alities, p ope t es, char te sti ri cs and attributes of themselves, ascribing to THE ALL t he human emo

58 The K ybalion

r e ns un n and gio k owable and unthinkable, w ith the sam e tendency as that of Theol o And c ns gy . o equently, both Religion and Philosophy mean to us things having roots in a T and Re lity, while heology Meta s cs s e s phy i eem like broken re d , rooted in the uc a of e and aff n q i ks nds ignoranc , ordi g naught but the most insecure support for f Man d ot the mind or soul o . We o n insist upon our students accepting these defini — tions w e mention them merely to show At ou our position . any rate, y shall hear very little about Theology and Meta i physics nthese lessons . ) But while the essential nature of THE ALL i s Unknowable, there are certain truths connected with its existence which the human mind finds itself compelled to An t e accept . d an examination of these of ports form a proper subject inquiry, particularly as they agree w ith the reports

of the Illumined onhigher planes . And to esr o this inquiry we no invite y u. — THAT which is the Fundamental Truth the Sub atantisl Reali —is e d ue na i the Wise ty b yon tr m ng, but ”— al i T The K balion. Men c l t HE ALL . y The All 59

I i s Ess ce THE ALL is UNK NOWAB L n t en , l The K yb a ion. “ B ut the e Reaso st be h s ita re , r port of n mu o p bly ’ — al n d nd a e i h es e . Thc K b io . ceive , a tre t d w t r p ct y

The s human reason, who e reports we h nk in must accept so long as we t i at all, us HE L forms as follows regarding T AL , and that w ithout attempting to remove the veil of the Unknowable : ( 1 ) THE ALL must be ALL that RE

ALLY IS . There can be nothing existing s T THE L out ide of HE ALL, else AL ul E L wo d not be TH AL . 2 T ( ) THE ALL must be INFINI E, for is n t fin fi there nothi g else o de e, con ne, u mi AL L bo nd, li t or restrict THE . It s fini T e r T AL mu t be In te in im , o E ERN s it mu t have always continuously existed, for there is nothing else to have ever cre can ated it, and something never evolve hi e from not ng, and if it had ver not or been, even f a moment, it would not ‘ now —it nu s be , must conti ously exi t for n ever, for there is nothi g to destroy it, and

- be e . it can never not , venfor a moment because something cannever become noth 60 The K ybalion in — g . It must be Infinite inSpace it must be Everywhere, for there is no place out — side of THE ALL it cannot be otherwise in than continuous Space, without break, in cessation, separation, or terruption, for to there is nothing break, separate, or in terr u t n h n p its conti uity, and not i g w ith “ fill which to in the gaps . It must be fi or A In nite in Power, bsolute, for there to i n is nothing limit, restrict, restra n, co fine s or it—it i , di turb condition s subject to no other Power, for there is no other

Power. 3 THE LL TA ( ) A must be IMMU BLE, r to i it o not subject change n s real nature, for there is nothing to work changes upon n l a nor it ; nothi g into which it cou d ch nge,

from which it could have changed . It can not be added to nor subtracted from ; in creased nor diminished ; nor become greater or lesser in any respect whatso I t s and s ever . mu t have always been, mu t —TH always remain, just what it is now E — h not nw ALL there as never been, is o , The All 61

n it cancha ge. n nfini A s THE ALL bei g I te, b olute, Eternal and Unchangeable it must follow n ni fl that anythi g fi te, changeable, eeting, nd and conditioned cannot be THE ALL . A THE ALL as there is Nothing outside of , n an su fini in Reality, the y and all ch te things must be as Nothing in Reality. Now o not d bec ome befogged, nor frightened w e are not trying to lead you into the Christian Science field under cover of Her il T i metic Ph osophy. here s a Reconcilia tionof this apparently contradictory state ff of a airs. Be patient, we w ill reach it in

We see around us that which is called hi s Matter, w ch forms the phy ical I LL foundationfor all forms. s THE A merely Matter ! Not at all ! Matter can L not manifest Life or Mind, and as ife and in THE Mind are manifested the Universe, L n AL cannot be Matter, for nothi g rises — higher than its own source nothing is ever manifested in an efi ect that is not in 62 The K ybalion — the cause nothing is evolved as a couse no quent that is t involved as an antecedent . And then Modern Science informs us that there is really no such thing as Matter that what we call Matter is merely “ inter ” ru ted p energy or force, that is , energy A or force at a low rate of vibration . s a recent writer has said Matter has melted into Mystery. Even Material Science has an t ab doned the heory of Matter, and now “ ” rests on the basis of Ene rgy. Then is THE ALL mere Energy or Force ! Not Energy or Force as the mate i lis s s m r a t ue the ter s, for their energy and rc i fo e are bl nd, mechanical things, devoid i of Life or M nd. Life and Mind can never En the evolve from blind ergy or Force, for “ reason given a moment ago : Nothing — canrise higher than its source nothing — is evolved unless it is involved nothing fi ect un is manifests in the e , less it in the n ALL a n cause. A d so THE c n ot be mere rce for t Energy or Fo , , if it were, then here would be no such things as Life and Mind n th a n d w e k e t an t. inexiste ce, an ow b t er th The All for w e are Alive and using Mind to con s es an sider thi very qu tion, d so are those who claim that Energy or Force is Every

What is there then higher than Matter or Energy that we know to be existent in the Universe ! LIFE AND MIND ! Life and Mind inall their varying degrees of n “ T ” “ u foldment ! hen, you ask, do you mean to tell us that THE ALL is LIFE ” and MIND ! Yes ! and No ! is our an ou a swer . If y mean Life and Mind s we s n 0 ! poor petty mortal k ow them, we say N THE ALL is not that ! ‘B ut what kind of ” Life and Mind do you mean ! youask. “ The i a answer s LIVING MIND , s far above that which mortals know by these words, as Life and Mind are higher than — T mechanical forces , or matter INFINI E LIVING MIND as compared to finite Life n and Mi d . We mean that which the illumined souls mean when they reverently “ ” pronounce the word : SPIRITl THE ALL is Infinite Living Mind the Illumined call it SPIRIT!

The K yba lion

i m a kn w l d n M nd, at the same ti e c o e gi g that

we cannot fully understand it . We must either do this or stop thinking of the mat

ter at all . Let us now proceed to a consideration of s as the nature of the Univer e, a whole and n in its parts . What is the U iverse ! We have seen that there can be nothing outside L T THE of THE AL . hen is the Universe ALL 0 Uni ! N , this cannot be, because the s o A nd ver e seems t be made up of M NY, a

is constantly changing, and in other ways it does not measure up to the ideas that we are compelled to accept regarding THE

ALL a . T , as st ted in our last lesson hen if not HE ALL the Universe be T , then it must be Nothing— such is the inevitable s conclusion of the mind at fir t thought . not for But this will satisfy the question, we are sensible of the existence of the Uni T verse . hen if the Universe is neither THE ALL nor ! , Nothing, what can it be

Let us examine this question. or e t o If the Universe exists at all, s ems ex s m s e m w a i t, it u t proc ed inso e y from The Mental Univer se 67

THE ALL—it must be a creation of THE ALL . But as something can never come c THE ALL from nothing, from what ould have created it ! Some philosophers have answered this question by saying that THE ' ALL created the Universe from ITSELF — that is , from the being and substance of E L o HE TH AL . f r T But this will not do , ALL cannot be subtracted from, nor di vided , as we have seen, and then again if t l his be so , wou d not each particle in the Universe b e aware of its being THE ALL THE ALL could not lose its knowledge nor B OM m of itself, actually EC E an ato , e or blind force, or lowly living thing. Som THE ALL men, indeed , realizing that is ALL h indeed , and also recognizing t at

they, the men, existed, have jumped to the conclusion that they and THE ALL were fi identical, and they have lled the air with “ ” of AM GOD to shouts I , the amusement s of the multitude and the sorrow of sage . ‘ The claim of the corpuscle that I am ! ” Man would be modest in comparison .

But , what indeed is the Universe, if it 68 The K ybalion

not THE AL TH be L, not yet created by E ALL having separated itself into frag — ments ! What else can it be of what else t can it be made ! This is the great ques ion . L fin et us examine it carefully. We d ‘ here that the Principle of Correspond

ence ( see Lesson I . ) comes to our aid As here . The Old Hermetic axiom, above ” so e b low, may be pressed into service at to this point . Let us endeavor get a glimpse of the workings onhigher planes n The by examining those on our ow . Principle Of Correspondence must apply

to this as well as to other problems . his Let us see ! On own plane of being, h ! fi ow does Man create Well, rst, he may create by making something out of outside not do materials . But this will , for there are no materials outside of THE ALL with

ma . which it y create Well , then, secondly, Man pro-c reates or reproduces his kind by the process of begetting, which is self multiplication accomplished by transfer ring a portion of his substance to his do e Offspring. But this will not , becaus The Mental Universe 69

THE ALL cannot transfer or subtract a r nor po tion of itself, can it reproduce or multiply itself—in the first place there in s would be a taking away, and the econd ca se a multiplication or addition to THE

ALL u . , both thoughts being an abs rdity Is there no third way in which MAN —h A S creates ! Yes, there is e CRE TE MENTALLY ! And in so doing he uses r no outside mate ials, nor does he repro s n hi duce him elf, a d yet s Spirit pervades the Mental Creation . Following the Principle of Correspond fi ence, we are justi ed inconsidering that THE ALL creates the Universe MEN TALL i nn k Y, na ma er a into the process Man s And whereby create Mental Images . , here is where the report of Reason tallies o precisely with the report f the Illumined, a s shown by their teachings and writings .

Such are the teachings of the Wise Men . n Such was the Teachi g of Hermes . THE ALL can create in no other way s except mentally, without either u ing mate

rial (and there is none to use) , or else 70 The K ybalion reproducing itself (which is also impos s ible) . There is no escape from this con clusion h i of t e Reason, wh ch, as we have hi s of said, agrees with the highest teac ng u u the Illumined . Just as yo , st dent, may create a Universe of your own in your THE ALL mentality, so does create Uni in verses its own Mentality. But your Universe is the mental creation of a Finite f E LL Mind, whereas that o TH A is the f n Th S creation o an I finite . e tw o are imi lar in kind, but infinitely different in de in gree . We shall exam e more closely into s the process of creation and manife tation, as we proceed . But this is the point to fix in your minds at this stage : THE UNI AND ALL I T TA VERSE, CON INS , IS A HE ALL MENTAL CREATION OF T . V L erily, indeed, AL IS MIND !

THE ALL creates in its Infinite Mind countless U i e ses w hich ex is ae s Ti e—and n v r , t for on of m t, to THE the ea i e e e t decli e an ea h ALL, cr t on, d v lopm n , n d t of a million Universes is a s the time of the twinkling ” — an Th K alion. of eye. e yb “ The Infinite Mind of THE ALL is the womb of U i e ses —Th a i n n v r . e K yb l o . The Mental Universe 71

The n Pri ciple of Gender ( see Lesson I . and other lessons to follow ) is manifested s on all plane of life, material, mental and

. s spiritual But, as we have aid before, “ ” “ ” — Gender does not mean Sex sex is merely a material manifestation of gender . ’ Gender means relating to generation n or creation. A d wherever anything is generated or created, on any plane, the

Principle of Gender must be manifested . And this is true even in the creation of

Universes. Now do not jump to the conclusion that w e are teaching that there is a male and

d . T female Go , or Creator hat idea is merely a distortion of the ancient teach s n u Th hi ing o the s bject . e true teac ng is HE ALL G that T , in itself, is above ender, a s it is above every other Law, including those of Time and Space . It is the Law,

from which the Laws proceed, and it is , not THE LL subject to them . But when A manifests on the plane of generation or c n creation, then it acts ac ordi g to Law and

Principle , for it is moving on a lower plane 72 The Kybalion

d of Being. An consequently it manifests in ul the Principle of Gender, its Masc ine ts l a and Feminine aspec , on the Menta Pl ne, of course . This idea may seem startling to some of i ou you who hear it for the first t m e, but y have all really passively accepted it in your everyday conceptions . You speak d of the Fatherhood of Go , and the Mother — n hood of Nature of God, the Divi e a Father, and Nature the Univers l Mother — and have thus instinctively acknowledged the Principle of Gender in the Universe. Is this not so ! im But, the Hermetic teaching does not — ply a real duality THE ALL is ONE the Two Aspects are merely aspects of T a The manifestation. he teaching is th t Masculine Principle manifested by THE ALL s om the tands , in a way, apart fr actual mental creation of the Universe . It projects its Will toward the Feminine Principle (which may be called Nature ’ whereupon the latter begins the actual w of ork the evolution of the Universe, from

74 The K ghalian

min f exa es the thoughts, ideas and images o “ “ ” . As e the Me above, so below, rem m ber, and the phenomena of one plane may be employed to solve the riddles of higher or lower planes . i Is it any wonder that You, the ch ld, feel s in HE L that in t ctive reverence for T AL , ’ which feeling we call religion - that re F spect, and reverence for THE ATHER ! MIND Is it any wonder that, when you s consider the work and wonders of Nature, you are overcome with a mighty feel ing which has its roots away down in your inmost being ! It is the MOTHER MIND u that yo are pressing close up to , like a babe to the breast . Do not make the mistake of supposing that the little world you see around you hi i s the Earth, w ch s a mere grain of du t in — T the Universe is the Universe itself. here are millions upon millions of such worlds , n nd s a d greater . A there are million of millions of such Universes in existence within the Infinite Mind of THE ALL . And even in our ownlittle solar system The Mental Universe 75

there are regions and planes of life far u higher than o rs, and beings compared to which we earth-bound mortals are as the ’ slimy life-forms that dwell on the ocean s bed when compared to Man. There are b e ings with powers and attributes higher than Man has ever dreamed of the gods ’ d possessing. An yet these beings were o l — once as y u, and sti l lower and you will as be even they, and still higher, in time, for such is the Destiny of Man as reported

d is in An Death not real , even the Rela — tive sense it is but Birth to a new life on and You shall go on, and , and on, to s ll of for higher and ti higher planes life, Th aeons upon aeons of time . e Universe is your home, and you shall explore its farthest recesses before the end of Time . You are dwelling in the Infinite Mind of E ALL s o TH , and your po sibilities and p iti s fint in por tun e are in i e, both time and An space . d at the end of the Grand Cycle A THE ALL of eons , when shall draw back — into itself all of its creations youwill go 76 The K ybalion

l o i n glad y, for y uw ll the be able to know the Whole Truth of being At One with T u i h HE ALL . S ch s t e report of the — Illumined those who have advanced well along The Path. And t , in the meanime, rest calm and — serene youare safe and protected by the Infinite Power of the FATHER-MOTHER

Withi the Father-M ther Mi m rta childre are n o nd, o l n at —h lion home. T s K yba . n w There is not o e ho is Fatherless, nor Motherless —' n v 1 he K balion. i the Uni erse. y A R CH PTE VI .

T V NE Pasanx H E DI I o .

The ha - ise ec izi the ara i e ali lf w , r ogn ng comp t v unre ty the U i erse ima i e ha he ma e it s a s of n v , g n t t t y y d fy L w s ch are vai and es s s and he are u n pr umptuou fool , t y broken against the rocks and torn asunder by the ele

e s reaso their . The u ise o m nt by n of folly tr ly w , kn w in the a ure the U i e se use Law a ains a s g n t of n v r , g t l w ; the higher against the lower ; and by the Art of Alchemy transmute that which is undesirable into that which is h and h s riu h Mas e c sis s in ab wort y, t u t mp . t ry on t not a dreams Visi s and a as ic i a ini s liv norm l , on f nt t m g ng or in in si the hi he ces a ai s the low s g, but u ng g r for g n t escapin the sins of the lower planes by vibrating on t he hi er ansmut ation es s e ia is g . , not pr umptuou d n l, — n the ea th Mas e The K balio . w pon of e t r. y

This is the Paradox of the Universe, r esulting from the Principle of Polarity which manifests when THE ALL begins to Create—hearken to it for it points the difi erence between half-wisdom and wis N ALL dom. While to THE I FINITE , its the Universe, its Laws, Powers, its L as s ife, its Phenomena, are thing wit 1 7 78 The Kybalion neesed in the state of Meditation or to is n ni Dream ; yet all that Fi ite, the U u a verse m st be treated s Real, and life, and action, and thought, must be based u c a there pon, ac ordingly, lthough with an u i f T ever nderstand ng o the Higher ruth . i Each accord ng to its ownPlane and Laws . Were THE ALL to imagine that the Uni verse were indeed Reality, then woe to the es Universe, for there would be then no divinw ard cape from lower to higher, e then would the Universe become a fix ity and progress would become impossible . And wi - if Man, o ng to half wisdom, acts and lives and thinks of the Universe as merely a dream (akin to his own finite dreams) then indeed does it so become for

- s u him , and like a Sleep walker he t mbles ever around and around in a circle, making no progress, and being forced into an awakening at last by his falling bruised and bleeding over the Natural Laws which K he ignored . eep your mind ever on the

Star, but let your eyes watch over your footsteps, lest you fall into the mire by The Divine Par adox 79

as u u r re on of yo r pward gaze. Remembe i the D vine Paradox, that while the Uni I T r verse IS NOT, still IS . Remember eve — the Tw o Poles of Truth the Absolute and

- e T . the R lative . Beware of Half ruths What Hermetists know as “ the Law of Paradox is an aspect of the Principle of Th fi Polarity . e Hermetic writings are lled with references to the appearance of the Paradox inthe consideration of the prob Th T lems of Life and Being. e eachers are constantly warning their students against the error of omitting the “ other side ” of And rn any question . their wa ings are particularly directed to the problems of A the bsolute and the Relative, which per all hi plex students of p losophy, and which cause so many to think and act contrary to what is generally known as ‘ common ” And sense . we caution all students to be sure to grasp the Divine Paradox of the

A s u n. b ol te and Relative , lest they bec ome e

n - ta gled in the mire of the Half Truth . With this in View this particular lesson has b een written . Read it carefully ! 80 The K ybalion

The first thought that comes to the think ing man after he realizes the truth that the Universe is a Mental Creation of THE ALL the n , is that U iverse and all that it contains is a mere illusion ; anunreality ; in hi n aga st which idea s i stincts revolt. h u But this, like all other great trut s, m st be considered both from the Absolute and the the Relative points of View. From A bsolute Viewpoint, of course, the Uni u s verse is in the nat re of an illu ion, a a e dream, a phantasmagoria, as comp r d to THE ALL ni h s initself. We recog ze t i our e even in ordinary View, for we Sp ak “ ” of the world as a fleeting show that —f r comes and goes, is born and dies o the

element of impermanence and change, fi e niteness and unsubstantiality, must ev r be connected with the idea of a created Uni verse when it is contrasted with the idea THE ALL be of , no matter what may our beliefs concerning the nature of both .

Philosopher, metaphysician, scientist and hi and theologian all agree upon t s idea, the thought is found inall forms of philo

82 The K ybalion

s conceptions, and ee whether this be not true of them. B ut the Absolute point of View shows — merely one side of the picture the other A e h side is the Relative one . bsolut Trut “ has been defined as Things as the mind God of knows them, while Relative Truth is “ Things as the highest reason of Man ’ hi THE understands them . And so w le to ALL the Universe must be unreal and u of ill sionary, a mere dream or result d — fi e me itation nevertheless, to the nit

minds forming a part of that Universe,

and Viewing it through mortal faculties , is the Universe very real indeed , and must nz Ah be so considered . In recog i ing the n solute view, we must ot make the mistake of ignoring or denying the facts and phe nom ena of the Universe as they present — themselves to our mortal faculties w e are THE L not AL , remember .

To take familiar illustrations, we all “ ” recognize the fact that Matter exists to our senses—w e will fare badly if we do n n fi u ot . A d yet, even our nite minds nder The Divine Par adox 83 stand the scientific dictum that there is no such thing as Matter from a scientific point — of View that which we call Matter is held l to be mere y an aggregation of atoms, which atoms themselves are merely a of s grouping of units force, called electron “ ” or ions , Vibrating and in constant cir ul r c a motion . We kick a stone and we feel —it notw ith the impact seems to be real, standing that we know it to be merely what we have stated above . But remember that our foot, which feels the impact by means so of our brains , is likewise Matter, con of for stituted electrons , and that matter d . An so are our brains , at the best, if it our were not by reason of Mind, we would not know the foot or stone at all . T of s hen again, the ideal the arti t or to re sculptor, which he is endeavoring or produce in stone on canvas , seems very hi h real to m . So do the characters in t e in u m d of the a thor, or dramatist, which he seeks to express so that others may rec nize h And og t em . if this be true in the fi mi case of our nite nds , what must be the 84 The Kybalion degree of Reality in the Mental Images created in the Mind of the Infinite ! Oh, s his s Men friends , to mortal t Univer e of — tality is very real indeed it is the only u one we can ever know, tho gh we rise from plane to plane, higher and higher in it . To wi know it other se, by actual experience, E u we must be TH ALL itself. It is tr e — that the higher we rise in the scale the nearer to “ the mind of the Father ” we — reach the more apparent becomes the il fi lusory nature of nite things, but not until THE ALL finally withdraws us into itself does the vision actually vanish .

So, we need not dwell upon the feature

us . of ill ion Rather let us, recognizing the un real nature of the Universe, seek to der

stand its mental laws, and endeavor to use them to the best effect in our upward prog s u a res thro gh life, s we travel from plane Th of to plane of being. e Laws the Uni “ ” verse are none the less Iron Laws be c of ause the mental nature . All, except THE ALL , are bound by them. What is IN THE INFINITE MIND OF THE AL L The Divine Paradox 85 is REAL in a degree second only to that Reality itself which is vested in the nature

of THE AL L.

not n or —w e So , do feel i secure afraid are all HELD FIRMLY IN THE INFIN I TE M THE ALL IND OF , and there is or u T naught to hurt us for s to fear. here is no Power outside of THE ALL to affect us . So we may rest calm and secure . There is a world of comfort and security in. this realization when once attained . T hen calm and peaceful do we sleep , rocked in the Cradle of the Deep ”—rest ing safely onthe bosom of the Ocean of fi i THE LL . In nite Mind, which s A In THE ALL ‘ , indeed, do we live and move and have our being.

Matter is none the less Matter to us, hi al w le we dwell on the plane of Matter, though we know it to be merely an aggre “ ” ation c g of ele trons , or particles of dl Force , vibrating rapi y and gyrating around each other in the formations of atoms ; the atoms in turn vibrating and u l gyrating, forming molec les , which atter 86 The K ybalion

in turn form larger masses of Matter .

Nor does Matter become less Matter, when cf ill we follow the inquiry t further, and T learn from the Hermetic eachings , that the Force of which the electrons are but units is merely a manifestation of the THE ALL all Mind of , and like else in the

Universe is purely Mental in its nature .

While on the Plane of Matter, we must — recognize its phenomena w e may control Matter (as all Masters of higher or lesser

degree do ) , but we do so by applying the

higher forces . We commit a folly when we attempt to deny the existence of Matter

in the relative aspect . We may deny its — — mastery over us and rightly so but we should not attempt to ignore it in its rela

tive aspect, at least so long as we dwell

upon its plane . Nor do the Laws of Nature become less ff m constant or e ective, when we know the ,

t o . likewise, be merely mental creations Th r ff n s ey a e in full e ect o the variou planes . W v er c m w s e o o e the lo er law , by applying i — n w a st ll highe r ones a d in this y only. The Divine Paradox 87

But we cannot escape Law or rise above it entirely. Nothing but THE AL L can es cape Law—and that because THE ALL is LAW hi itself, from w ch all Laws emerge . The most advanced Masters may acquire the powers usually attributed to the gods of men ; and there are countless ranks of being, in the great hierarchy of life, whose being and power transcends even that of the highest Masters among men to a de un nka gree thi ble by mortals, but even the highest Master, and the highest Being, must bow to the Law, and be as Nothing in H LL the eye of T E A . So that if even these highest Beings, whose powers exceed even those attributed by men to their gods —if even these are bound by and are sub r se vient to Law, then imagine the pre a sumption of mortal man, of our r ce and grade , when he dares to consider the Laws “ ” of a s Nature s unreal, vi ionary and i to to llusory, bec ause he happens be able grasp the truth that the Laws are Mental in nature, and simply Mental Creations of THE T THE ALL . hose Laws which 88 The K ybalion

ALL intends to be governing Laws are not to be defied or argued away. So long as e the Universe endures, will they endur for the Universe exists by virtue of these Laws which form its framework and which hold it together. Th i e Hermetic Principle of Mental sm, while explaining the true nature of the Universe upon the principle that all is fi Mental , does not change the scienti c con ce tions of Evolu p the Universe, Life, or tion . In fact, science merely corroborates m T h the Her etic eachings . T e latter merely teaches that the nature of the Universe is

Mental, while modern science has taught “ ” that it is Material ; or (of late) that it “ ” The is Energy at the last analysis . Hermetic Teachings have no fault to find with Herbert Spencer ’s basic principle which postulates the existence of an “ In all finite and Eternal Energy, from which ” s things proceed . In fact, the Hermetic ’ recognize in Spencer s philosophy the high est outside statement of the workings of the Natural Law s that have ever been pro

90 The K ybalion

ciple of THE ALL is Mind ; the Universe is Mental—held in the Mind of THE ” LL find six of A . He will that the other “ ” the Seven Principles will fit into his fi n il r v scienti c k owledge, and w l se e to bring out obscure points and to throw light in Thi dark corners . s is not to be wondered n at, when we realize the i fluence of the Hermetic thought on the early philoso hers p of Greece, upon whose foundations of thought the theories of modern science

largely rest . The acceptance of the First Hermetic Principle ( Mentalism) is the ’ only great point of difl erence between s Modern Science and Hermetic student , and Science is gradually moving toward the Hermetic position in its groping in the dark for a way out of the Labyrinth into which it has wandered in its search for

Reality. The purpose of this lesson is to impress upon the minds of our students the fact Uni that, to all intents and purposes , the verse and its laws, and its phenomena, are A n just as RE L, so far as Man is concer ed , The Divine Paradox 91 as they would be under the hypotheses of

Mater ialism or Energism . Under any hypothesis the Universe inits outer aspect -fl win and r is changing, ever o g, transito y and therefore devoid of substantiality and B reality. ut (note the other pole of the truth) under any of the same hypotheses, we are compelled to ACT AND LIVE as if the fleeting things were real and sub st n difi r nce be a tial. With this e e , always, — tween the various hypotheses that under the old views Mental Power w as ignored a a ua r em as N t r l Fo ce, while under Mentali it becomes the Greatest Natural Force . ’ z And this one difi erence revolutioni es Life, to those who understand the Principle and esul its r ting laws and practice . fin ad So , ally, students all , grasp the e of t vantag Mentalism, and learn o know, use and apply the laws resulting there B from. ut do not yield to the temptation ch as K b ali c s whi , The y onstates , over ome the half-wise and which causes them to be hypnotized by the apparent unreality of s s thing , the con equence being that they 92 The K ybalion

wander about like dream-people dwelling

in a world of dreams , ignoring the prac i man tical work and l fe of , the end being ‘ that they are broken against the rocks b and torn asunder y the elements, by reason of their folly. Rather follow the example of i the w se, which the same authority us states, e Law against Laws ; the higher against the lower ; and by the Art of Alchemy transmute that which is unde h sirable into that which is wort y, and thus

m . triu ph Following the authority, let us avoid the half-wisdom (which is folly) which ignores the truth that “ Mastery

consists not in abnormal dreams, visions , in or and fantastic imagin gs living, but in using the higher forces against the lower escaping the pains of the lower planes by ” al vibrating onthe higher . Remember T ways , student, that ransmutation, not

presumptuous denial, is the weapon of the Th Master . e above quotations are from alion The K yb , and are worthy of being

committed to memory by the student . do not We live in a world of dreams, but The Divine Pa radox 93 in an Universe which, while relative, is real so far as our lives and actions are con ce n r ed . Our business in the Universe is not to deny its existence, but to LIVE . using the Laws to rise from lower to higher — on living , doing the best that we can un r der the ci cumstances arising each day, n and livi g, so far as is possible, to our i s Th u h ghe t ideas and ideals . e tr e Mean ing of Life is not known to men onthis —if t — plane , indeed, o any but the highest u a thorities, and our own intuitions , teach us that we w ill make no mistake in living up to the best that is in us, so far as is n possible, and realizi g the Universal ten dency in the same direction in spite of apparent evidences to the contrary . We — are all on The Path and the road leads upward ever with frequent resting places . , — Read the Message of The K yb alion and follow the example of “ the wise ” avoid ‘ ” ing the mistake of the half-wise who perish by reason of their folly.

A T V CH P ER II .

” TH E ALL I N ALL .

While is in TH E it is e a e hat All ALL, qu lly tru t THE n T im wh u e sta s his ALL is i All. o h o truly nd r nd t — n h ha ea e The K balio . trut th come gr t knowledg . y

How often have the majority of people heard repeated the statement that their Deity (called by many names) was “ All in All u c e , and how little have they s spe t d the inner occult truth concealed by these carelessly uttered words ! The commonly used expression is a survival of the ancient As the Hermetic Maxim quoted above . K yb alionsays To him who tr uly under uh n stands this tr t , hath come great k owl ’ nd . A e edge , this being so, let us se k this truth, the understanding of which means so — much . In this statement of truth this Hermetic Maxim—is concealed one of the 95 96 The Kybalion

atest hi oso hi l i n gre p l p ca , sc e tific and t e us ru ligio t ths . We have given youthe Hermetic Teach re a n the enal Na ur f ing g —rdi g M t t e o the Universe the truth that the Universe is — ind Mental held in the M of THE ALL . As K bali n a s in th the y o s y , e passage “ ” d : All is in THE ALL quote above .

e so th co- d s But not al e relate tatement, “ that : It is equally true that THE ALL is inALL i c a . Th s apparently ontr dict ory statement is reconcilable under the Law of H r Paradox . It is, moreover, an exact e metic statement of the relations ex isting betw een THE ALL and its Mental Uni “ All THE verse. We have seen how is in — ALL now let us examine the other

aspect of the subject . ’ The Hermetic Teachings are to the efl ec t that THE ALL is I mminent in remain ’ ing within; inherent ; abiding within its r un Universe, and in eve y part, particle, it,

n i . T or combinatio , w thin the Universe his statement is usually illustrated by the Teachers by a reference to the Principle

98 The K ybalion

i s giv ng them their vitality , pirit, and i “ ” action . Whose s the spirit of the char n a actors that we k ow as Mic wber, Oliver i — Twist, Ur ah Heep is it Dickens , or have each of these characters a personal spirit, independent of their creator ! Have the i Venus of Med ci, the Sistine Madonna, the A ollo pp Belvidere, spirits and reality of se their own, or do they repre nt the spir itual and mental power of their creators ! The Law of Paradox explains that both i propositions are true, v ewed from the i proper viewpoints . Micawber s both And Micawber, and yet Dickens . , again, while Micawber may be said to be Dickens, i yet Dickens s not identical with Micawber. The Man, like Micawber, may exclaim : Spirit of my Creator is inherent within me — ’ ’ and yet I am not HE ! H ow difl erent this from the shocking half- truth so vocif erously announced by certain of the half s fill wi e, who the air with their raucous ” cries of : I Am God ! Imagine poor

Micawber, or the sneaky Uriah Heep , cry “ ” ing I Am Dickens ; or some of the “ ” The All inAll 99

’ s one of s lowly clod in Shakespeare s play , “ grandiloquently announcing that I Am Shakespeare ! ” THE ALL is in the

- - earth worm, and yet the earth worm is far THE n from being ALL . A d still the wonder remains , that though the earth x worm e ists merely as a lowly thing, created and having its being solely within the Mind of THE AL L—yet THE ALL is

a - imm nent in the earth w orm, and in the particles that go to make up the earth w an orm . C there be any greater mystery “ than this of All in THE AL L ; and THE ALL in All! The s w of tudent ill, course, realize that the illustrations given above are neces ril sa y imperfect and inadequate, for they represent the creation of mental images in fi in nite m ds , while the Universe is a crea — tion of Infinite Mind and the difference between the two poles separates them. And yet it is merely a matter of degree the same Principle is in Operation—the Principle of Correspondence manifests 1 00 The K ybalion

“ — As each above, so Below ; as Below, so above . And th Man , in e degree that realizes the existence of the Indwelling Spirit imma hi i nent within s being, so will he rise nthe spiritual scale of life . This is what spir i al s— e n tu development mean the r cog ition, z n f reali ation, and ma ifestation o the Spirit Tr hi within us . y to remember t s last ion— h of definit t at spiritual development . s T T It contain the ruth of rue Religion. There are many planes of Being—many — sub-planes of Life many degrees of exist And ence in the Universe. all depend upon s in s the advancement of being the cale, of which scale the lowest point is the grossest matter, the highest being separated only by the thinnest division from the SPIRIT THE ALL And an of . , upward d onw ard is along this Scale of Life, everything All moving. are on the Path, whose end THE ALL All i is . progress s a Returning ll i in . A s Home Upward and Onward, spite of all seemingly contradictory ap

1 02 The K yb alion

perhap s we will give a better idea of what

is meant . This Involuntary stage of Creation is “ ” sometimes called the Outpouring of the as the Divine Energy, just Evolutionary “ ” h state is called the Indrawing. T e extreme pole of the Creative process is c onsidered to be the furthest removed from THE ALL , while the beginning of the Evolutionary stage is regarded as the beginning of the return swing of the pen — “ ’ dulum of Rhythm a coming home idea being held in all of the Hermetic Teach ings . The Teachings are that during the Out pouring, the vibrations become lower and fi he lower until nally the urge ceases , and t return swing begins . But there is this dif “ ” e f rence, that while in the Outpouring the creative forces manifest compactly and as a whole, yet from the beginning of the “ ” Evolutionary or Indrawing stage, there is manifested the Law of Individualization —h is to t at , the tendency separate into ni s o so h fi a w U t f Force, t at nally th t hich “ ” The All inAll 1 03 left THE AL L as unindividualized energy returns to its source as countless highly ni developed U ts of Life, having risen higher and higher in the scale by means a and Ev l of Physical , Ment l Spiritual o u tion. The ancient Hermetists use the word a r th Medit tion, in desc ibing e process of the mental creation of the Universe in THE ALL n the Mind of , the word Co templation ’ also being frequently em to ployed. But the idea intended seems be that of the employment of the Divine i Attention . Attention s a word derived ‘ from the Latin root, meaning to reach so of out ; to stretch out, and the act Attention is really a mental reaching ” of so out ; extension mental energy, that the underlying idea is readily understood when we examine into the real meaning of

Attention . The Hermetic Teachings regarding the THE AL L process of Evolution are that, , having meditated upon the beginning of — the Creation having thus established the 1 04 The K ybalion material foundations of the Universe — having thought it into existe nce then gradually awakens or rouses from its Meditation and in so doing starts into o ui n manifestation the pr cess of Evol t o , on and s t a the material, mental piri ul planes, h u successively and in order. Thus t e p — ward movement begins and all begins to S iritw ar e es move p d. Matter b comes l s gross ; the Units Spring into being ; the combinations begin to form ; Life appears and manifests in higher and higher forms ; and Mind becomes more and more inevi dence—the vibrations constantly becoming th n f . e s o higher In short, e tire proces its a s Evolution, in all of ph ses , begin , and proceeds according to the established Law s “ c h s of the Indrawing pro ess . All of t i ’ ae n occupies aeons upon ons of Ma s time, each aeon containing countless millions of a e us ye rs , but yet the Illumin d inform that din ui n the entire creation, inclu g Invol t o “ ni se is as and Evolution , of an U ver , but ” the twinkle of the eye to THE ALL. At e d of t i the n of countless cycles of none the ,

1 06 The Kybalion

a c fi of a Met physi al eld specul tion, although our purpose is merely to show the futility o h of such speculati n . We allude to t e question which inevitably comes to the mind of all thinke rs w ho have ventured to T Th “ HY seek the ruth . e question Is W ” does THE AL L create Universes ! The ff question may be asked in di erent forms, h but the above is t e gist of the inquiry. Men have striven hard to answer this

question, but still there is no answer

worthy of the name . Some have imagined that THE AL L had something to gain by THE it, but this is absurd, for what could ALL gain that it did not already possess ! Others have sought the answer in the idea “ that THE ALL wished something to love ; and others that it created for pleas “ or ure, or amusement ; because it was ” — lonely ; or to manife st its power all

puerile explanations and ideas , belonging

to the childish period of thought . Others have sought to explain the mystery by assuming that THE ALL “ ” to e found itself compelled creat , by “ ” The All inAll 1 07 reason of its own internal nature —its s Th a creative in tinct . is idea is in d n va ce of the others, but its weak point lies “ in ; the idea of THE AL L being com elled hi p by anyt ng, internal or external . “ ” “ it or in If s internal nature, creative stinct d e , compelled it to o anything, th n “ ” “ the internal nature or creative in ” stinct u A of wo ld be the bsolute, instead THE ALL , and so accordingly that part And H of the proposition falls. , yet, T E AL L ni does create and ma fest, and seems to find some kind of satisfaction in so doing. And it is difficult to escape the conclusion that in some infinite degree it must have what would correspond to an “ ” “ ” inner nature, or creative instinct, in man, with correspondingly infinite Desire not nl and Will . It could act u ess it Willed Act and ul not to Act nl to ; it wo d Will , u ess it Desired to Act ; and it would not Desire to Act unless it obtained some Satisfaction ’ And thereby. all of these things would “ to belong an Inner Nature, and might be postulated as existing according to the KB The K ybalion

Law of r n n w Co respo de ce . But, still, e prefer to think of THE ALL as acting

w ll h t is ternal as e as external. T a the problem w hich lies at the root of difficulty — and the difi culty that lies at the root of

r tl s e the e cannt sa St ic y p aking, r o be id “ ” to be any Reason whatsoever for THE “ ” a n i l s ALL to ct , for a reaso mp ie a “ ” au THE ALL is C us c se , and above a e t w h il to and Efi ec , except enit W ls become r n set a Cause, at which time the P i ciple is ou see into motion. So, y , the matter is L is Un Unthinkable, just as THE AL n THE AL L k owable . Just as we say — merely IS so we are compelled to say that “ THE AL L ACTS BECAUSE I T A T THE L All C S . At the last, AL is Reason in Itself ; All Law in Itself ; All A — ction in Itself and it may be said, truth THE L fully, that A L is Its Own Reason ; i — ts ownLaw ; its ownAct or still further, that THE AL L ; Its Reason; Its Act ; is for th Law ; are ONE , all being names

1 1 0 The K ybalion

e — Inn r Nature conclusion, still the h legends ave it that HERMES , the Great, when asked this question by his advanced

students, answered them by PRESSING HIS LIPS TIGHTLY TOGETHER and i not a say ng a word, indic ting that there

WAS A E . NO NSW R But, then, he may have intended to apply the axiom of his Th of philosophy, that e lips Wisdom the are closed, except to ears of Under ad standing, believing that even his vanced students did not possess the Under standing which entitled them to the Teach A . t ing any rate, if Hermes possessed the so as Secret, he failed to impart it, and far the world is concerned THE LIPS OF

HERMES ARE CLOSED regarding it . And where the Great Hermes hesitated to t o ! speak, what mortal may dare teach

But , remember, that whatever be the

answer to this problem, if indeed there be an answer the truth remains that “ Al THE ALL While l is in , it is equally ” The true that THE ALL is in All. And Teaching onthis point is emphatic . , “ ” The All inAll 1 1 1 we may add the concluding words of the quotation To him who truly under hi stands t s truth, hath come great knowl 7 edge .

1 1 4 The K ybalion

nomena, knownas the Three Great Planes,

i . I . The Great Phys cal Plane

III . The Great Spiritual Plane .

These divisions are more or less arti ficial and r r ut is tha arbitrary, fo the t h t all of the three divisions are but ascend in e ees f th a f g d gr o e great sc le o Life, the lowest point of which is undifi erentiated n Matter, a d the highest point that of n r . An difl ere t Spi it d, moreover, the nes h n Pla s ade i to each other, so that no hard and fast division may be made be ! tweenthe higher phenomena of the Physi cal and the lower of the Mental ; or b e tweenthe higher of the Mental and the f s lower o the Phy ical .

be. I nshort, the Three Great Planes may regarded as three great gr oups of degrees f L f nf s l u o i e Ma i e tation . Whi e the p rposes of this little book do not allow us to enter ino ane en of or a a t xt ded discussion , expl n Planes of Cor r esp ondence 1 1 5

of f ff tion , the subject o these di erent planes, still we think it well to give a gen eral description of the same at this point . At the beginning we may as well con sider the question so often asked by the neophyte, who desires to be informed re n “ ” gardi g the meaning of the word Plane, which term has been very freely used, and very poorly explained, In many recent The works upon the subject of occultism. question is generally about as follows “ Is a Plane a place having dimensions, or is it merely a condition or state ! ” We “ answer No , not a place, nor ordinary dimension of space ; and yet more than a state or condition . It may be considered as a state or condition, and yet the state or i condition s a degree of dimension, in u a scale subject to meas rement . Some is what paradoxical, it not ! But let us “ ” ou n . A exami e the matter dimension, y n ‘ u in re k ow, is a meas re a straight line,

su . lating to mea re, etc The ordinary dimensions of space are length, breadth, and height, or perhaps length , breadth, 1 1 6 The K ybalion

n B height, thick ess or circumference . ut there is another dimension of created h ” “ u in ” t ings, or meas re a straight line, known to occultists, and to scientists as well, although the latter have not as yet “ — applied the term dimension to it and i this new dimension, which, by the way, s the much speculated-about Fourth Di mension in , is the standard used deter “ ” r mining the degrees o planes . This Fourth Dimension may be called

the Dimension of Vibration . It is a n fact well k own to modern science, as well as to the Hermetists who have embodied the truth intheir Third Hermetic Prin ” “ i le c p , that everything is in motion ; everything vibrates ; nothing is at rest . i From the highest man festation, to the lowest, everything and all things Vibrate . Not only do they vibrate at different rates a ff of motion, but s in di erent directions in ff Th and a di erent manner. e degrees of the rate ’ of vibrations constitute the degrees of measurement on the Scale of — Vibrations inother words the degrees of

1 1 8 The K ybalion and have their existence solely withinthe

Infinite Mind of THE ALL . The Hermetists sub- divide each of the Three Great Planes into Seven Minor of Planes, and each these latter are also

- u - sub divided into seven s b planes, all di s visions being more or less arbitrary, had ing into each other, and adopted merely for convenience of scientific study and thought . Th it e Great Physical Plane, and s Seven in M or Planes, is that division of the phe nom ena of the Universe which includes all to or that relates physics, material things ,

. s forces , and manifestations It include all of and forms that which we call Matter, all forms of that which we call Energy or

Force . But youmus t remember that the Hermetic Philosophy does not recognize “ ” Matter as a thing in itself, or as having a separate existence even inthe Mind of THE ALL Th T . e eachings are that Mat — En ter is but a form of Energy that is, er gy at a low rate of vibrations of a cer And s s tain kind . accordingly the Hermeti t Planes of Cor r esp ondence 1 1 9

M u classify atter nder the head of Energy, and give to it three of the Seven Minor of Planes the Great Physical Plane . These Seven Minor Physical Planes are as follows

Th e Plane of Matter (A) .

The Plane of Matter (B) .

The Plane of Matter ( C) .

The Plane of Ethereal Substance .

The Plane of Energy ( A) .

The Plane of Energy (B) .

The Plane of Energy ( C) .

The Plane of Matter (A) comprises the it s forms of Matter in s form of olids, s e niz liquids, and gase , as g nerally recog ed

- by the text books on physics. The Plane of Matter (B) comprises certain higher and more subtle forms of Matter of the existence of which modern science is but n n of now recognizi g, the phenome a Radi

init s . ant Matter, s phase of radium, etc , belonging to the lower sub-division of this Pl The of Minor ans . Plane Matter ( C) 1 20 The K ybalion comprises forms of the most subtle and u s tenuo s Matter, the exi tence of which is u di s Th not s spected by or nary cientists. e Plane of Ethereal Substance comprises that “ ” w hich science speaks of as The Ether, s substance of extreme tenuity and elastic n rs d ity, pervading all U ive al Space, an acting as a medium for the transmission of of h as waves energy, suc light, heat, n . us e electricity, etc This Ethereal S b ta c forms a connecting link between Matter

so- f ( called) and Energy , and partakes o h the nature of each . T e Hermetic Teach an ings, however, instruct that this pl e has seven sub-divisions ( as have all of the and in a e Minor Planes ) , that fact there r

s a ne. evenethers , inste d of but o Next above the Plane of Ethereal Sub of stance comes the Plane Energy (A) , which comprises the ordinary forms of it Energy known to science, s seven sub L planes being, respectively, Heat ; ight ; d Magnetism ; Electricity, an Attraction s a ( including Gravitation, Cohe ion, Chemic l A s f fi nity, etc . ) and several other form o

1 22 The K ybalion

The classification of the Seven Minor Mental Planes is more or less satisfactory and arbitrary (unless accompanied by elab C r ate explanations which are foreignto the r s of ul pu po e this partic ar work) , but we may as well mention them. They are as follows

The Plane of Mineral Mind . The Plane of Elemental Mind

The Plane of Plant Mind . The Plane of Elemental Mind

The Plane of Animal Mind . The Plane of Elemental Mind

The Plane of Human Mind .

The Plane of Mineral Mind comprises “ ’ the states or conditions of the units or r s entities , o groups and combination of the to same, which animate the forms known “ i . T us as minerals, chem cals, etc hese entities must not be confounded with the molecules, atoms and corpuscles them s s a elve , the latter being merely the materi l r of u bodies o forms these entities, j st as a Planes of Cor r esp ondence 1 2 3

’ man s body is but his material form and n “ ot himself. These entities may be “ ” c u one alled so ls in sense, and are living of low e of e beings a degr e d velopment, life. — and mind just a little more than the units “ of living energy which comprise the higher sub- divisions of the highest Phys Th not ical Plane . e average mind does generally attribute the possession of mind or soul, life, to the Mineral kingdom, but all occultists recognize the existence of the mov same, and modern science is rapidly — ing forward to the point of-View of the The cu Hermetic, in this respect . mole les , atoms and corpuscles have their ‘ loves ” “ and hates ; likes and dislikes ; attrae ” ‘ tions and repulsions ; aflinities and non ” i the afi nit es, etc . , and some of more dar ing of modern scientific minds have ex pressed the opinion that the desire and w l il , emotions and feelings , of the atoms

differ only indegree from those of men . We have no time or space to argue this s n to be matter here . All occultist k ow it h e e to s a fact . and ot ers are r ferr d ome of 1 24 The K ybalion

the more recent scientific w orks for outside c o r r Th r are the usual seve oboration. e e n sub - la divisions to this p ne. The Plane of Elementa l Mind ( A) com s i and e ree of pri es the sta te or condit on, d g mental and vita l dev elopment of a class of n r man entities unk own to the ave age , but invis rec ognized to occultists . They are f n ible to the ordinary senses o ma , but, an a nevertheless , exist d pl y their part of r Th e the Drama of the Unive se . eir degre of intelligence is betw een that of the min n eral and chemica l entities on the one ha d, and of the entities of the plant kingdom on —di the other . There are seven sub visions

to this plane, also . The f Plane o Plant Mind, in its seven

- or con sub divisions, comprises the states ditions of the entities comprising the king of doms the Plant World, the vital and mental phenomena of which is fairly well understood by the average intelligent per son, many new and interesting scientific works regarding “ Mind and Life in Plants ” having been published during the

1 26 The Kybalion

a Th and in cert in combinations . e highest

- forms are semi human in intelligence . The of i Plane Human Mind, in ts seven

- s sub divisions, comprises those manife ta tions of life and mentality which are com m ont o Man, in his various grades, degrees , s and divisions . In this connection, we wi h to point out the fact that the average m an

- — of to day occupies but the fourth sub divi of sion the Plane of Human Mind, and only the most intelligent have crossed the bor

- ders of the Fifth Sub Division . It has taken the race millions of years to reach this stage, and it will take many more years for the race to move on to the sixth and — seventh sub divisions , and beyond . But, b e remember, that there have been races fore us which have passed through these

nt o h . degrees, and then o igher planes Our own race is the fifth (with stragglers from the fourth) which has set foot upon The n . A d Path , then there are a few advanced souls of our ownrace who have outstripped on the masses , and who have passed to the

- sixth and seventh sub division, and some Planes of Cor r espondence 1 27

Th few being still further on. e man of the Sixth Sub-Division will be The Super ” “ Man ; he of the Seventh will be The

- Over Man . In our consideration of the Seven Minor

Mental Planes , we have merely referred to the Three Elementary Planes in a general way. We do not wish to go into this sub ce 1 1 1 for n j t detail in this work, it does ot belong to this part of the general philos O h hi p y and teachings. But we may say t s o much, in order t give youa little clearer idea of the relations of these planes to the more familiar ones the Elementary Planes bear the same relation to the Planes of u Mineral , Plant, Animal and H man on Mentality and Life, that the black keys h Th t e piano do to the white keys. e white uflici nt s keys are s e to produce mu ic, but r there are ce tain scales, melodies , and har monies , in which the black keys play their t neces par , and in which their presence is “ sary. They are also necessary as con necting links of soul -condition ; entity states , etc . , between the several other 1 28 The K ybalion

ms ein planes, certain for of development b g — attained therein this last fact giving to “ the reader who can read betw een the ” lines a new light upon the processes of E c o volution, and a new key to the se ret do r “ ” of the leaps of life between kingdom n Th in and ki gdom. e great k gdoms of Ele mentals are fully recognized by all occult a u ist , and the esoteric writings are f ll of ’ Th ul s mention of them . e readers of B wer ‘ ’ ! anoni and similar tales will recognize the entities inhabiting these planes of life . Passing on from the Great Mental Plane to the Great Spiritual Plane, what shall we say ! How can we explain these higher states of Being, Life and Mind, to minds as yet unable to grasp and understand the higher sub-divisions of the Plane of Human

Mind ! The task is impossible . We can w speak only in the most general terms . Ho may Light be described to a man born blind - t who a how sugar, o a man has never t sted — o anything sweet how harmony, t one born deaf ! All that we can say is that the Seven

1 30 The Kybalion w ho may without irreverence be called “ Th ” f in e Gods , so high in the scale o Be g are they, their being, intelligence and power being akin to those attributed by the races of men to their conceptions of T Deity. hese Beings are beyond even the fl highest ights of the human imagination, “ ” the word Divine being the only one ap of s plicable to them. Many these Being , as A l es well as the nge ic Host, take the great t ’ interest in the afi airs of the Universe and ’ irs T s play an important part inits afi a . he e Unseen Divinities and Angelic Helpers ex fl ll tend their in uence freely and powerfu y, s in the process of Evolution, and Co mic T Progress . heir occasional intervention and assistance in human afi air s have led s to the many legends, belief , religions and

of . traditions the race, past and present They have super-imposed their knowledge a and power upon the world, again and gain,

THE ALL . all under the Law of , of course ad But, yet, even the highest of these e s v nced Beings exist merely as creation of, of THE ALL and in, the Mind , and are Planes of Cor r esp ondence 1 3 1

subject to the Cosmic Processes and Uni T s. versal Law hey are still Mortal . We a l may c ll them gods if we like, but stil they are but the Elder Brethren of the — Race, the advanced souls who have out wh stripped their brethren, and o have fore gone the ecstacy of Absorption by THE AL L , in order to help the race onits up h a T e . w rd journey along Path But, they belong to the Universe, and are subject to its conditions—they are mortal—and their of A plane is below that bsolute Spirit . Only the most advanced Hermetists are able to grasp the Inner Teachings regard ing the state of existence, and the powers Th manifested on the Spiritual Planes . e phenomena is so much higher than that of the Mental Planes that a confusion of ideas would surely result from an attempt to de m scribe the same . Only those whose inds have been carefully trained along the lines for — of the Hermetic Philosophy years yes , those who have brought with them from other incarnations the knowledge acquired — previously c ancomprehend just what is 1 32 The K ybalion meant by the Teaching regarding these r s d u of e nn Spi itual Plane . An m ch thes I er Teachings is held by the Hermetists as n sa r d a dan bei g too c e , import nt and even gerous for general public dissemination . The intelligent st udent may recognize what we mean by this when we state that the “ ” meaning of Spirit as used by the Her “ ” “ m tis n ni e ts is aki to Living Power , A ” “ “ mated Force Inner Essence Es

s n f . a i us e ce o Life, etc , which me n ng m t not be confounded with that usually and commonly employed in connection with the

rm . . u s s te , i e , religio s ; ecclesia tical ; pirit T uelle . . o ; ethereal ; holy, etc , etc occult “ ” ists the word Spirit is used in the sense f Th i n o e Animat ng Principle, carryi g of with it the idea Power, Living Energy, And i . c Myst c Force, etc oc ultists know that that which is known to them as Spir itual Power may be employed for evil as well as good ends ( in accordance with the of hi Principle Polarity) , a fact w ch has been recognized by the majority of reli f R lz gions in their conceptions o Satan, es e

1 34 The K ybalion

— s h s u and uc ouls make the ret rn journey, paying the terrible penalty according to the invariable Law. In conclusion we would againremind you that according to the Principle of Corre s o d nce p n e , which embodies the truth : As A so A bove Below ; as Below, so bove, all of the Seven Hermetic Principles are in onall of full operation the many planes, ta u Th Physical, Men l and Spirit al . e Prin ciple of Mental Substance of course applies th fo to all e planes , r all are held in the of T E LL Th Mind H A . e Principle of Cor all for respondence manifests in , there is a r correspondence, ha mony and agreement The between the several planes . Principle s in of Vibration manifests on all plane , fact the very differences that go to make the ‘ l n ’ s V p a eS ari e from ibration, as we have n explained . The Pri ciple of Polarity man if of ests on each plane, the extremes the Poles being apparently opposite and con Th i of tradictory. e Pr nciple Rhythm man if s e ts oneach Plane, the movement of the its flow phenomena having ebb and , rise Pla nes of Co r r esp ondence 1 35

flow min The and , inco g and outgoing. Principle of Cause and Efi ect manifests on r Efi i each Plane, eve y ect having ts Cause r s and eve y Cau e having its c fi ect . The Principle of Gender ma nifests on each th i e n Plane , e Creat ve Energy b i g always ma in of nifest, and ope rating along the l es i A ts Masculine and Feminine spects . “ A so s Above so Below ; as Below, t old r Above . This cenuries He metic axiom embodies one of the gr eat Principles As of Universal Phenomena . we proceed with our consideration of the remaining

Principles, we will see even more clearly the truth of the universal nature of this great Principle of Corr espondence .

1 38 The Kybalion

The Hermetic Teachings are that not only is everything in constant movement ’ and h fi er n s vibration, but t at the di e ce be tween the various manifestations of the universal power are due entirely to the Not varying rate and mode of vibrations . this THE ALL s only , but that even , in it elf, manifests a constant Vibration of such an infinite degree of intensity and rapid mo tion that it may be practically considered c as at rest, the tea hers directing the atten tion of the students to the fact that even on the physical plane a rapidly moving object ( such as a revolving wheel) seems to be ’ Th T hi fi ect at rest . e eac ngs are to the e that Spirit is at one end of the Pole of V ibration, the other Pole being certain ex trem ely gross forms of Matter . Between these tw o poles are millions upon millions ’ of difi erent rates and modes of vibration . Modern Science has proven that all that we call Matter and Energy are but modes ” of vibratory motion, and some of the more advanced scientists are rapidly mov ing toward the positions of the occultists Vibr ation 1 39 who hold that the phenomena of Mind are of r likewise modes vibration o motion . Let us see what science has to say regarding the question of vibrations in matter and energy . fi In the rst place, science teaches that all matter manifests, in some degree, the vibrations arising from temperature or hot — heat . Be an object cold or both being — but degrees of the same things it mani fests certain heat Vibrations, and in that i sense is nmotion and vibration. Then all particles of Matter are in circular move t The s ment, from corpuscle o suns . planet revolve around suns , and many of them The u turn on their axes . suns move aro nd b e greater central points , and these are i l eved to move around still greater, and n i ni Th u of nfi tum . e so o , ad molec les which the particular kinds of Matter are com posed are in a state of constant vibration and movement around each other and Th com against each other. e molecules are of A in posed toms , which , likewise, are a state of constant movement and vibration . 1 40 The K ybalion

ms c The ato are omposed of Corpuscles, “ ” “ ” s l ometimes called e ectr ons, ions, etc., ls re in state i m which a o a a of rap d otion, manifest a very rapid state and mode of rati An all f vib on. d, so we see that orms of a te V M t r manifest ibration, in accord

tion. And so it is with the various forms of n Energy. Scie ce teaches that Light, Heat, Magnetism and Electricity are but forms of vibratory motion connected insome way i with, and probably emanat ng from the

Ether . Science does not as yet attempt to explainthe nature of the phenomena known as Cohesion, which is the principle of Mo l a Aflinit lecuar Attraction; nor Chemic l y, which is the principle of Atomic Attrac tion; nor Gravitation ( the greatest mys i n e tory of the three ) , which s the pri cipl of attractionby which every particle or mass of Matter is bound to every other e s of particle or mass. These thre form Energy are not as yet understood by sci

1 42 The K ybalion

Scientists have ofi e red the illustra tionof a ra idl mov n wheel to or lin p y i g , p , cy der , t o show the efi ects of increasing rates of Th ill vib ration. e ustration supposes a ee to or rev v c lind r r unnin wh l , p , ol ing y e , g — at a low rate of speed w e w ill call this “ ” rev olving thing the object infollow ing s L out the illutration. e t us suppose the in ma nr object mov g slowly. I t y be see ead no soun its e t eaches ily, but d of movem n r r ull n r The d is e sed. the ear. spee g ad a y i c a In a few moments its movement becomes so rapid tha t a deep growl or low note may b e ased the heard . Then as the rate is incre

ne ca . T n note rises o in the musical s le he , il u rease the the motion being st l f rther inc d, h s d . next highest note is distingui he T en, e the one after another, all the not s of i r and musical scale appear, r sing highe higher as the motion is increased . Finally when the motions have reached a certain rate the final note perceptible to human ears is reached and the shrill, piercing shriek dies away, and silence follows . No sound is heard from the revolving object , Vibr ation 1 43 the rate of motion being so high that the human ear cannot register the vibrations . Then comes the perception of rising de of T grees Heat . hen after quite a time the eye catches a glimpse of the object becom A ing a dull dark reddish color . s the rate T increases , the red becomes brighter . hen as the speed is increased, the red melts into an T orange . hen the orange melts into a T yellow . hen follow, successively, the of fi shades green, blue, indigo , and nally T f . violet, as the rate o speed increases hen disa the violet shades away, and all color p t to pears, the human eye no being able register them. But there are invisible rays emanating from the revolving object, the rays that are used in photographing, and of T to other subtle rays light . hen begin manifest the peculiar rays known as the “ of X Rays, etc . , as the constitution the i object changes . Electr city and Magnetism are emitted when the appropriate rate of is vibration attained . When the object reaches a certain rate of a its vibr tion molecules disintegrate, and 1 44 The K ybalion resolve themselves into the original ele ns r s T th s f me t o atom . hen e atom , ollow in a g the Principle of Vibr tion, are sepa rated into the countless corpuscles of which s And fin l e th they are compo ed . al y, ven e corpuscles disappear and the object may be said to be composed of The Ethereal n r Substance . Scie ce does not da e to follow us th e s the ill tration further, but e H rmeti ts teach that if the vibrations be continually increased the object would mount up the successive states of manifestation and would inturn manifest the various menta l ta iri uni s ges, and then on Sp tward, t l it

u fin r - LL ch i wo ld ally e enter THE A , whi s T A s . h ct we b olute Spirit e obje , ho ver, ‘ ’ would have ceased to be an object long before the stage of Ethereal Substance was h but wis lus ionis reac ed, other e the il trat correct inasmuch as it shows the efi ect of constantly increased rates and modes of u e e e inthe vibration. It m st be r memb r d, ra s a es at above illust tion, that at the t g which the object throws ofi vibrations “ u l re of light, heat, etc ., it is not act al y

1 46 The Kybalion phenomena of telepathy mental influ f ence, and other forms o the actionand f power o mind over mind, with which the general public is rapidly becoming ac uainted ss in q , owing to the wide di em ation of u s s occ lt knowledge by the various chool , cults and teachers along these lines at this time . r or e Eve y thought, emotion mental stat has its corresponding rate and mode of And ff of of Vibration . by an e ort the will s or s h the per on, of other person , t ese u as mental states may be reproduced, j st a musical tone may be reproduced by causing aninstrument to Vibrate at a certainrate —just as color may be reproduced in the n of same way . By a k owledge the Princi of V a to ple ibration, s applied Mental Phe s n nomen , o e may polarize his mind at any c degree he wishes, thus gaining a perfe t control over his mental states , moods, etc . In the same way he may affect the minds of others , producing the desired mental states in them . In short, he may be able to produce on the Mental Plane that which Vibration 1 47 science produces on the Physical Plane “ ” V s . T s namely, ibration at Will hi power of course may be acquired only by the proper instruction, exercises, practice, etc . , the science being that of Mental Tr ansmu tation of , one of the branches the Hermetic

Art . A little reflection on what we have said will show the student that the Principle of Vibration underlies the wonderful phenom ena of the power manifested by the Mas A ters and depts , who are able to appar of ently set aside the Laws Nature, but u law who, in reality, are simply sing one against another ; one principle against others ; and who accomplish their results by changing the vibrations of material oh e a m m je t , or for s of energy, and thus perfor “ ” what are commonly called miracles . As one of the old Hermetic writers ha s “ truly said : He who understands the Prin cible of Vibration, has grasped the sceptre of Power .

1 50 The K ybalion

all truths are but half-truths ” “ every truth is half- false ; there are tw o ” “ sides to everything ; there is a reverse ” h . . side to every s ield, etc , etc The Hermetic Teachings are to the effect that the difference between things seem ingly diametrically opposed to each other c is merely a matter of degree . It tea hes “ that the pairs of opposites may be recon ’ “ - s s ar ciled, and that thesis and anti the i e c ff identi al in nature, but di erent in de ” “ gree ; and that the universal reconcilia tion of opposites is effected by a recogni of tion this Principle of Polarity . The teachers claim that illustrations of this Pr nc e m a on d i ipl y be had every hand, an from an ex amination into the real nature n n T of a ythi g . hey begin by showing that S r and a e ar e oles of pi it M tt r but the two p , sa e the m thing, the intermediate planes be m e T ing rely degrees of vibration . hey they Show that THE ALL and The Many a re sam ffe e the e, the di r nce being merely a m a tter of degr ee of Mental Manifesta i Thu h L I t on. s t e A V and Law s ar e the P olarity 1 51

tw of on . o opposite poles e thing Likewise, fi n PRINCIPLE and Principles . In nite Mi d and finite minds. T on o hen passing t the Physical Plane, they illustrate the Principle by showing that Heat and Cold are identical in nature , the differences being merely a matter of The degrees . thermometer shows many f degrees o temperature, the lowest pole ‘ being called cold, and the highest ‘ tw o heat . Between these poles are many “ ” “ ” of or degrees heat cold, call them Th either and youare equally correct . e “ f t s higher o w o degrees is alway warmer, “ while the lower is always colder There — is no absolute standard all is a matter of T n h rm om degree . here is no place o the t e eter where heat ceases and cold begins . It is all a matter of higher or lower vibra Th “ ’ ‘ ” tions . e very terms high and low, which we are compelled to use, are but poles of the same thing- the terms are rel “ ” — ative . So with East and West travel a u w a ro nd the world in an east rd direction, and youreach a point which is called w es 1 52 The K ybalios a t s in n oureturnfrom your ta rting po t, a d y T vel far eno tha t w estw ard point . ra ugh N r and uw ill find ourself tr av in o th, yo y el g i o or ersa . S uth, V ce v Light and Darkness are poles of the

us cal scale is the same them. The m i “ ” starting w ith C youmove upward until “ ” n on dif youreac h another C, a d so , the fcrenees betweenthe tw o ends of the board in w man de rees etween be g the same, ith y g b Th l of colo is the tw o extremes. e sca e r — the same higher and lower Vib rations being the only difference betw eenhigh Vio ar a let and low red . Large and Small e rel an rd and tive . So are Noise d ! uiet ; Ha r s ar and Soft follow the ule . Likewi e Sh p a are tw o o es Dull . Positive and Neg tive p l n d ree of the same thing, with coutless eg s between them . — Good and Bad are not absolute we call one end of the scale Good and the other one v Bad, or end Good and the other E il, c a cording to the use of the terms . A thing “ ” is less good than the thing higher in the

1 54 The K ybalion

ufind n hin ou nd where. Wh—ere yo o e t g y fi its opposite the tw o poles. And it is this fact that enables the Her metist to transmute one mental state into

of z . another, along the lines Polari ation Things belonging to difi erent classes can a h th r ut not be transmuted into e c o e , b n d things of the same class may b e cha ge , n cha e . that is , may have their polarity g d T t r es hus Love never becomes Eas o W t, — or Red or Violet but it may and Often does turn into Hate and likewise Hate a m d i may be tr nsfor e into Love, by chang ng its polarity . Courage may be transmuted and hi into Fear, the reverse . Hard t ngs may be rendered Soft . Dull things become

. An Sharp Hot things become Cold . d so on s b be , the transmutation alway eing tween things of the same kind of different

T f . degrees . ake the case o a Fearful man By raising his mental vibrations along the

of - line Fear Courage, he can be filled with the highest degree of Courage and Fea r And lessness . , likewise, the Slothful man m a chan e h A r y g imself into an ctive, Ene P olarity 1 55

z n getic individual, simply by polari i g along the lines of the desired quality . The student who is familiar with the processes by which the various schools of u in . o e Mental Science, etc , pr d ce chang s the mental states of those following their n t un teachings , may o readily derstand the principle underlying many of these n changes . When, however, the Pri ciple of is is e h Polarity once grasped, and it se n t at the mental changes are occasioned by a change of polarity a sliding along the — same scale the matter is more readily nu o Th i n dersto d. e change s not in the ature of a transmutationof one thing into an other thing entirely different but is merely a change of degree in the same s ff or thing , a vastly important di erence . F e instanc , borrowing an analogy from the

Physical Plane, it is impossible to change

Heat into Sharpness , Loudness , Highness ,

etc . s , but Heat may readily be tran muted in C to old, simply by lowering the vibra

tions . In the same way Hate and Love are mutually transmutable ; so are Fear and 1 56 The K ybalion

n be ns Courage . But Fear ca not tra formed n u be ns u into Love, or can Co rage tra m ted Th s s e to in into Hate . e mental tate b long s s f has numerable classe , each cla s o which s u its opposite pole , along which transm ta tionis possible . The student will readily recognize that as a in the mental states , well s inthe phe nom na s e of the Phy ical Plane, the tw o poles may be classified as Positive and i . T s Pos Negative, respectively hus Love itive to Hate ; Courage to Fear ; Activity t -A nd o on . . A N ctivity, etc , etc it will also be noticed that even to those unfamiliar with the Principle of Vibration, the Posi tive pole seems to be of a higher degree than the Negative, and readily dominates T it . he tendency of Nature is in the dir ec tion of the dominant activity of the Posi tive pole. In addition to the changing of the poles ’ of one s ownmental states by the operation of z the art of Polari ation, the phenomena of fl m Mental In uence, in its anifold phases, shows us that the principle may be ex

1 58 The K ybalion transmuted to Courage and similar posi l tive mental states . A little study wi l Show you that these mental changes are nearly all along the line of Polarization, the change being one of degree rather than of kind . A knowledge of the existence 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 mat be ters of degree, and seeing thus , he will able to raise or lower the vibration at will

- s b to change his mental poles , and thu e of Master his mental states , instead of And his being their servant and slave . by knowledge he will be able to aid his fellows intelligently, and by the appropriate meth ods change the polarity when the same is desirable . We advise all students to famil iarize themselves with this Principle of P0 larit u of y, for a correct nderstanding the same will throw light onmany difficult sub jects . A T CH P ER XI.

H YTH R M .

Everything flows out and in; eve has its tides ; all things rise and fall ; the pendulum 5g mani fest s in everything ; the measure of the swing to the ri h is the eas re the s i the le h g t, m u of w ng to ft ; rhyt m - c e sa es. The K balion omp n t y . — The great Fifth Hermetic Principle the — Principle of Rhythm embodies the truth that in everything there is manifested a measured motion ; a to-and-from move ment ; a flow and inflow ; a swing forward and backward ; a pendulum-like movement ; a tide-like ebb and flow ; a high-tide and a low -tide ; between the tw o-poles manifest

on s or s . the phy ical , mental piritual planes The Principle of Rhythm is closely con nected with the Principle of Polarity de scribed in the preceding chapter . Rhythm manifests between the tw o poles established 1 59 1 60 The Kybalion

n of o s by the Pri ciple Polarity. This d e n h u f not mea , however, t at the pend lum o hm n s to the f r Rhyt swi g extreme poles, o s ffi this rarely happen ; in fact, it is di cult

‘ to establish the extreme polar opposites in the majority of ca ses. But the swing is ever toward first one pole and then the other. There is always an action and reaction; an advance and a retreat ; a rising and a sinking ; manifested in all of the airs and n phenome a of the Universe . Suns, worlds, an s men, imal , plants, minerals, forces, energy, mind and matter, yes , even Spirit, Th manifests this Principle . e 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 a in the mental st tes of Man. Beginning with the manifestations of — — Spirit of THE ALL it w ill be noticed that there is ever the Outpouring and the Indrawing ; the Outbreathing and I n ” a hm breathing of Brahm, s the Bra ans word it . Universes are created ; reach their

1 62 The Kybalion a c of toms, mole ules, and all masses matter, swing around the circle of their nature . T hh or here is no such t g as absolute rest, cessation from movement, and all move h Th ment partakes of Rhyt m. e principle o a is f universal application. It may be p plied to any question, or phenomena of any of a the many planes of life . It may be p m t plied to all phases of hu an activi y. There is always the Rhythmic swing from one Th pole to the other . e Universal Pen The T dulum is ever in motion . ides of flo w . Life in and out, according to Law The Principle of Rhythm is well under n stood by modern science, and is co sidered a universal law as applied to material things . But the Herm etists carry the prin c i le p much further, and know that its man ifestations and influence extend to the m ao ental activities of Man, and that it counts for the bewildering succession of in moods , feelings and other annoy g and perplexing changes that we notice in our B m selves . ut the Her etists by studying the Operations of this Principle have Rhythm 1 63 learned to escape some of its activities by T ransmutation . The Hermetic Masters long since dis covered that while the Principle of Rhythm was invariable, and ever in evidence in m tw o ental phenomena, still there were planes of its manifestation so far as mental T discov phenomena are concerned. hey ered that there were tw o general planes f o Consciousness, the Lower and the u c Higher, the nderstanding of which fa t enabled them to rise to the higher plane and thus escape the swing of the Rhythmic pendulum which manifested on the lower plane. In other words, the swing of the pendulum occurred on the Unconscious s not af Plane, and the Con ciousness was f T c ected. his they all the Law of Neutrali za io t n. Its operations consist in the rais ing of the Ego above the vibrations of the t so Unconscious Plane of mental activi y, that the negative-swing of the pendulum is not manifested in consciousness, and there ff c d fore they are not a e te . It is akin to rising above a thing and letting it pass b e ' 1 64 The Kybahon

Th r e c ste ad neath you. e He m ti Ma r, or van izes h se the ced student, polar im lf at d cess a in desired pole, an by a pro k to refusing to participate inthe backw ard “ ” w n u r eni of its s i g, or, if yo p efer, a d al fl im a fir inhis in uence over h , he st nds m d l ws the e a polarized position, an al o m nt l pendulum to swing back along the uncon n u h a at scious plane . All i divid als w o h ve tain - aec ed any degree of self mastery, om lish r r s unnwi and p this, mo e o le s k o ngly, by refusing to allow their moods and nega a afi t m t tive mental st tes to ect he , hey a z n Th pply the Law of Neutrali atio . e M s i to a u aster, however, carrie th s m ch d the higher degree of proficiency, an by use of his Will he attains a degree of Poise and Mental Firmness almost impossible of belief on the part of those who allow them selves to be swung backward and forward by the mental pendulum of moods and fe elings. The importance of this will be appro c iated by any thinking person who realizes n what creatures of moods, feeli gs and emo

1 66 The Kybalion s be wings, although we may escape ing car ried along with it . There are other features of the operation of this Principle of Rhythm of which we s wish to speak at this point . There come into its operations that which is knownas defi the Law of Compensation . One of the nitions or meanings of the word Compen ” ‘ ” u an sate is, to co nterbal ce, which is the s h sense in which the Hermetists ue t e term . It is this Law of Compensation to which “ the K ybalionrefers when it says The measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left ; rhythm compensates . The Law of Compensation is that the swing in one direc tion determines the swing or in the opposite direction, to the opposite — counterb l pole the one balances, or a n a ces . , the other On the Physical Plane of h The we see many examples t is Law. pendulum of the clock swings a certain dis tance to the right, and then an equal dis Th tance to the left . e seasons balance each Th e othe r in the same way . e tid s follow Rhythm 1 67

w And man the same La . the same Law is ifested in all the phenomena of Rhythm . h T e pendulum, with a short swing in one in direction, has but a short sw g in the other ; while the long swing to the right n invariably means the long swi g to the left . An object hurled upward to a certain height has an equal distance to traverse on ro its return . The force with which a p jectile is sent upward a mile is reproduced when the projectile returns to the earth on T its return journey. his Law is constant on the Physical Plane, as reference to the ll standard authorities wi show you . the But Hermetists carry it still further . They teach that a man ’ s mental states are Th h subject to the same Law. e man w o ff enjoys keenly, is subject to keen su ering ; while he w ho feels but little pain is capable of The ff feeling but little joy. pig su ers a but little ment lly, and enjoys but little he d o d . An is c mpensate on the other hand , a w ho there are other nimals enjoy keenly, but whose nervous organism and tempera ment cause them to suffer exquisite degrees 1 68 The Kybalion

f . o pain And so it is with Man. There ar e temperaments which permit of but low de e u lo gr es of enjoyment, and eq ally w de grees of suffering ; while there are others w hich permit the most intense enjoyment, ufl Th but also the most intense s ering . e rule is that the capacity for painand pleas ure, in each individual, are balanced . The Law of Compensation is in full operation here . But the Hermetists go still further in this matter . They teach that before one is to in of able enjoy a certa degree pleasure, he must have swung as far, proportion ately, toward the other pole of feeling. T v hey hold, howe er, that the Negative is c to pre edent the Positive in this matter, that is to say that in experiencing a cer tain degree of pleasure it does not follow that he will have to “ pay up for it ” with a corresponding degree of pain ; on the c on tr ar y, the pleasure is the Rhythmic swing, for according to the Law of Compensation, a degree of pain previously experienced i either in the present life, or in a prev ous

1 70 The Kybalion its pleasant and unpleasant sides: The things that one gains are always paid for Th by the things that one loses . e rich pos l sess much that the poor ack, while the poor oftenpossess things that are beyond Th mi l the reach of the rich . e l ionaire may h c n n have t e in li ation toward feasti g, and the wealth wherewith to secure all the dain ti n f a es a d luxuries o the t ble, while he lacks the appetite to enjoy the same ; he envies th i o e appet te and digestion of the lab rer, who lacks the wealth and inclinations of the mi l and l ionaire, who gets more pleas ure from his plain food thanthe millionaire could obtain even if his appetite were not d nor d jade , his digestion ruine , for the

ts in i . And wan , habits and cl nations differ so it is through life . The Law of Compen t i to sation is ever in operation, s r ving bal u - ance and co nter balance, and always suc ceedin g in time, even though several lives may be required for the return swing of the Pendulum of Rhythm . CHAPTER XII

Every Cause has its every Efl sct has its to Law ; Chance is b ut a t are many

a es causati but esca es the Law. pl n of on, p The K ybalion.

The great Sixth Hermetic Principle—the — Principle of Cause and Effect embodies the tr uth that Law pervades the Universe ; that nothing happens by Chance ; that Chance is merely a term indicating cause existing but not recognized or perceived ; a inuu u that phenomen is cont o s , witho t break or exception. The Principle of Cause and Efi ect nu derlies s fi h n nd all cienti c thoug t, ancie t a d and w n mo ern, as enuciated by the Her T a h s in metic e c er the earliest days. While many and var ied disputes betw een the 1 71 ’ 1 72 The K ybah on

s of sin many school thought have ce arisen, these disputes have been principally upon the details of the operations of the Prin i le il c p , and st l more often upon the mean n f in u i g o certa words. The nderlying Prin ciple of Cause and Effect has beenaccept ed as correct by practically all the thinkers of the world worthy of the name . To think ' otherwise would be to take the phenomena of the universe from the domainof Law and and Order, to relegate it to the control of the imaginary something which men have called Chance . A little consideration will show anyone that there is in reality no such thing as pure Chance . Webster defines the word “ ” “ Chance as follows : A supposed agent or t a mode of activity o her than force, law or purpose ; the operation or activity of such agent ; the supposed efi ect of such t an agent ; a happening ; fortuity ; casual y, etc . But a little considerationwill show you that there canbe no such agent as C n o t ha ce, inthe sense f some hing out — side of Law something outside of Cause

1 74 The Kybalion r And is elated to any cause. this the sense in which the term is generally employed . is But when the matter closely examined, it is seen that there is no chance what soever about the fall of the dice . Each time a die falls , and displays a certain s number, it obey a law as infallible as that which governs the revolution of the planets around the sun. Back of the fall of the die are causes, or chains of causes, running The back further than the mind can follow. position of the die in the b ox ; the amount of muscular energy expended in the throw ; the condition of the table, etc . , etc . , all are ff causes , the e ect of which may be seen . But back of these seen causes there are of u chains nseen preceding causes , all of which had a bearing upon the number of the die which fell uppermost .

If a die be cast a great number of times, it will be found that the numbers shown i a be w ll be about equ l, that is , there will

- - an equal number of one spot, two spot, etc . , coming uppermost . Toss a penny in the “ ” air, and it may come down either heads Causation 1 75

“ ” or tails ; but make a sufficient numbe r of tosses, and the heads and tails will about Thi of even up . s is the operation the law f o average . But both the average and the single toss come under the Law of Cause ff to mi and E ect, and if we were able exa ne into the preceding causes , it would be clearly seen that it was simply impossible u for the die to fall other than it did, nder the same circumstances and at the same re time . Given the same causes , the same s l T uts will follow . here is always a “ ” “ ” cause and a because to every event . ‘ Nothing ever happens without a cause, or rather a chain of causes. Some confusion has arisen in the minds hi of persons considering t s Principle, from the fact that they were unable to explain how one thing could cause another thing “ ” that is , be the creator of the second “ ” . As of in thing a matter fact, no th g ‘ “ or ever causes creates another thing. Cause and Eff ect deals merely with ” “ ” “ events . An event is that which c o mes , arrives or happens , as a result or 1 76 The Kybalion n ” consequent of some preceding eve t. N0 n event creates another eve t, but is merely a preceding link inthe great orderly chain of events flow ing from the creative T E energy of H ALL . There is a contin i n n uty between all eve ts precede t, conse n quent and subseque t. There is a relation existing between everything that has gone A in s. before, and everyth g that follow stone is dislodged from a mountain side and crashes through a roof of a cottage in a the valley below. At first sight we reg rd n ff nw this as a cha ce e ect, but whe e exam ine the matter we find a great chain of causes behind it. I nthe first place there was the rain which softened the earth sup porting the stone and which allowed it to fall ; then back of that was the influence of

s e . u the sun, other rain , tc , which grad ally disintegrated the piece of rock from a larger piece ; then there were the causes to r n n which led the fo mation of the moutai , and its upheaval by convulsions of nature, so on i i T and ad nfintum . hen we might fol u s low p the cause behind the rain, etc .

1 78 The Kybalion

u e s events h ndr d of years from now. One of the series of events arising from the tiny s was the es n bit of oot writing of th e li es, which caused the typesetter to perform certainwork ; the proofreader to do like wise ; and which will arouse certain u s in u n an a of tho ght yo r mi d, d th t others , fi on which in turn will a ect others, and so , on and n man and , on, beyo d the ability of — to think further and all from the passage s s of a tiny bit of oot, all of which show t a the relativi y nd association of things , and the further fact that there is no great ; there is no small ; in the mind that ” causeth all . h Stop to t ink a moment . If a certain man not had met a certain maid, away back — inthe dim period of the Stone Age you who are now reading these lines would not now And s be here. if, perhaps, the ame u co ple had failed to meet, we who now u no write these lines wo ld t now be here . And n on the very act of writi g, our part , ffe and the act of reading, on yours, will a ct not only the respective lives of yourself and Causation 1 79

es b wi l als a ect or ourselv , ut l o h ve a dir , afi ect m n t r e e indirect, upon a y o he p opl now living and who will live in the ages to v n o . act c me E ery thought we thi k, every r has its and r t e we perfo m, direct indi ect sults which fit into the great chainof Cause and Efi ect . We do not wish to enter into a consider of - or rminis his ation Free Will , Dete m, in t for us s s A the work, vario rea on . mong s s is l on h many rea on , the principa e t at neither side of the controversy is entirely t—in a t o ar a righ f c , b th sides e parti lly c to e T ac right, a cording th Hermetic e h Th ings. e Principle of Polarity s hows that both are but Half-Truths—the oppos f i ing poles o Truth. The Teach ngs are that a manmay be both Free and yet bound ss n n by Nece ity, depe di g upon the meaning s and h o T u of the term , t e height f r th from th r s Th an which e matte i examined . e cient writers express the matter thus The further the creation is from the th Centre, e more it is bound ; the nearer the Centre it reaches , the nearer Free is it . 1 80 The K ybalion

The majority of people are more or less e en n en r . the slaves of he dity, viro m t, et c , m and manifest very little Freedo . They d th in n an are swaye by e op io s, customs d th s and s thoughts of e out ide world, al o by n h ns i s . their emotio , feel g , moods, etc T ey a s f m m nifest no Ma tery, worthy o the na e . T n hey indigna tly repudiate this assertion, “ n e nl e to act sayi g, Why, I c rtai y am fr e — and do as I please I do just what I want to do t l n n , but they fail o exp ai whe ce “ ” “ ” r s a i e the want to and as I please . “ ” What makes them want to do one thing in preference to another ; what makes them “ ” d s a I please to o thi , and not do th t ! s “ ’ “ ” there no because to their pleasing ’ ’ and wanting i The Master can change “ “ ” these pleases and wants into others at the opposite end of the mental pole . He i “ ” f t wi s able to Will to will, instead o o ll ec se e o o or b au som feeling, mood, em ti n, environmental suggestionarouses a tend

ency or desire withinhim so to do. The majority of people are carried along o like the falling stone, obedient t environ

1 82 The Kybalion

B t onhi and th Law u, gher on lower, e T is alw ays inoperation . here is no such things as Chance. The blind goddess has beenabolished by Reason . We are able to nw ad a n see o , with eyes m e cle r by k owl r h r ni edge, that eve yt ing is gove ned by U — versal Law that the infinite number of laws are but manifestations of the One — Great Law the LAW which is THE AL L . It is true indeed that not a sparrow drops — unnoticed by the Mind of THE ALL that even the hairs on our head are numbered as T the scriptures have said . here is noth ing outside of Law ; nothing that happens n . A d h contrary to it yet, do not make t e mistake of supposing that Man is but a — blind automaton far from that . The Her metic Teachings are that Man may use

Law to overcome laws, and that the higher will always prevail against the lower, until at last he has reached the stage in which s s LA he eek refuge in the W itself, and u s th a r la gh e phenomen l laws to scorn . A e youable to grasp the inner meaning of this ! CHAPTER XIII.

Ge er is inever thin ever hi has it s Mascu nd y , yt ng line and F eminine Princip es Gender manifest s on all - The K b alion. planes. y

The great Seventh Hermetic Principle the Principle of Gender—embodies the truth that there is Gender manifested in — everything that the Masculine and Femi nine principles are ever present and active s in all phase of phenomena, on each and At t n every plane of life . this point we hi k it well to call your attention to the fact G its that ender, in Hermetic sense, and Sex m in the ordinarily acc epted use of the ter , th are not e same . x “ The word Gender is derived from the “ Latin root meaning to beget ; to pro c reate ; to generate ; to create ; to produce. 1 88 1 84 The K ybalion

’ A moment s consideration w ill show you that the word has a much broader and more “ ” ral a in th nth term x th gene me n g a e Se , e latter referring to the physica l distinctions is merely a manifestationof Gender ona certain plane of the Great Physical Plane t he plane of organic life . We wish to im s s i r pre s thi d stinctionuponyour minds, fo s e w the rea on that c rtain riters, who have acquired a smattering of the Hermetic Phi loso h v p y, have sought to identify this Se enth Hermetic Principle with wild and fan ciful , and often reprehensible, theories and teachings regarding Sex . The oflice of Gender is solely that of ore e i ating, producing, g nerating, etc., and ts manifestations are visible on every plane of phenomena . It is somewhat difi cult to produce proofs of this along scientific lines, for the reason that science has not as yet recognized this Principle as of universal application. But still some proofs are forthcoming from scientific sources. Inthe fi s e w o r t plac , e find a distinct manifestati n

1 86 The Kybalion

Negative Poles of Electricity ( ao l ca led) . Now a word at this point regarding this Th n ha identification . e public mi d s formed an entirely erroneous impression regard ‘ ing the qualities of the so-called Nega tive pole of electrified or magnetized Th Matter . e terms Positive and Negative are very wrongly applied to this phenom nnn The e o by science . word Positive means

something real and strong, as compared

with a Negative unreality or weakness . Nothing is further from the real facts of Th o-c electrical phenomena . e s alled Nega tive pole of the battery is really the pole in and by which the generation or production

of new forms and energies is manifested . “ ’ The There is nothing negative about it . best scientific authorities now use the word “ ” “ ” Cathode in place of Negative, the word Cathode coming from the Greek root “ meaning descent ; the path of generation, ” etc . From the Cathode pole emerge the swarm of electrons or corpuscles ; from the same pole emerge those wonderful rays ” Gender 1 87 which have revolutionized scientific concep The tions during the past decade . Cathode pole is the Mother of all of the strange phenomena which have rendered useless the

- hi us old text books, and w ch have ca ed many long accepted theories to be relegated to

- the scrap pile of scientific speculation. The or h Cathode, Negative Pole, is the Mot er a anJ Principle of Electric l Phenomena, of the finest forms of matter as yet known to science . So you see we are justified in “ ” refusing to use the term Negative h our consideration of t e subject, and in insisting upon substituting the word “ ” Th Feminine for the old term . e facts s of the case bear u out in this, without tak ing the Hermetic Teachings into consid i he erat on. And so w e shall use t word

“ ” ' “ ” F emmine inthe place of Negative in speaking of that pole of activity. The latest scientific teachings are that the creative corpuscles or electrons are Feminine ( science says they are com ” posed of negative electricity - w e say they are composed of Feminine energy) . ' 1 88 The Kybalson

A Feminine corpuscle becomes detached m or a s as fro , r ther leave , a M culine corpus cle r n and s a s on w c r . I a v l , t t a e a eer t cti e y se s un nw h l ek a io it a Masculine corpusc e, being urged thereto by the natural impulse c to reate new forms of Matt er or Energy. One w riter goes so far as to use the term ‘ at nc k f its wn i n a it o e see s, o o vol tio , T n n i union, etc. his detachm e t a d unit ng form the basis of the greater part of the activities of the chemical world . Whenthe Feminine corpuscle unites w ith a Masen e r s a e is lin co pu cle, c rtain process begun. The Feminine pa rticles vibrate rapidly under the influence of the Masculine en e a a un h orgy, and circl r pidly ro d t e latter. The s is th nw re ult e birth of a e atom. This new atom is really composed of a unionof the Masculine and Feminine elec s b um trons, or corpuscle , ut whenthe on1 8 d the is s forme atom a eparate thing, hav n r e n ing certai prope ti s, but o longer mani festing the property of free electricity. The process of detachment or separation of the Feminine electrons is called ‘ ioniza

1 90 The Kybalion garding the operationof the tw o principles of Gender in the production and manifesta n but s . tionof various form of e ergy, etc , we do not deem it expedient to go into l h o detai regarding t e same at this p int, because we are unable to back up the same n with scie tific proof, for the reason that n scie ce has not as yet progressed thus far. But the example w e have given you of the phenomena of the electrons or corpuscles will show youthat science is on the right s a a a path, and will al o give you gener l ide o f the underlying principles. Some leading scientific investigators have announced their belief that in the formation of crystals there was to be found something that corresponded to sex i s i activity, which s another straw how ng the direction the scientific winds are blow And ing. each year will bring other facts to corroborate the correctness of the Her w metic Principle of Gender. It ill be found that Gender is in constant operation and manifestation inthe field of inorganic mat inthe fi ter, and eld of Energy or Force . Electricity is now generally regarded as Gender 1 91

“ the Something into which all other forms of energy seem to melt or dissolve . ’ The Electrical Theory of the Universe th i ne and is is e latest scient fic doctri , grow ing rapidly inpopularity and general ao ce tan d s s we p ce. An it thu follow that if are able to discover in the phenomena of — electricity even at the very root and — source of its manifestations a clear and unmistakable evidence of the presence of s s fie Gender and its activitie , we are ju ti d in asking youto believe that science at last has offered proofs of the existence inall universal pheno—mena of that great Her metic Principle the Principle of Gender . It is not necessary to take up your time with the well known phenomena of the ’ attraction and repulsion of the atoms ; ‘ chemical affinity ; the loves and hates of the atomic particles ; the attractionor cohesion between the molecules of matter . These facts are too well known to need e extended comment from us. But , hav you ever considered that all of these things are manifestations of the Gender Principle ! 1 92 The Kybalion

Can you not see that the phenomena is ” onall fours with that of the corpuscles h ou or electrons ! And more than t is, can y not see the reasonableness of the Hermetic Teachings which assert that the very Law — of Gravitation that strange attraction by reason of which all particles and bodies of matter in the universe tend toward each — other is but another manifestation of the n c Principle of Ge der, whi h operates in the direction of attracting the Masculine to the n n d s l We Femi ine e ergies, an vice ver a ofi er ousc n fi o of cannot — y ie ti c pro f this at this time but examine the phenomena in the light of the Hermetic Teachings onthe su an o no bject, d see if y uhave t a better working hypothesis than any ofi ered by s a physical science . Submit all phy ic l phe ns to s w s nome the te t, and you ill di cern the Principle of Gender ever in evidence . Let us now pass on to a consideration of the operation of the Principle onthe Men tal Plane . Many interesting features are e th re awaiting examination .

1 94 The Kybalion

i s minds the active and passive m nd , The i u etc . , etc . theories of the var o s ff w riters di er 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 of m i the duality ind, each school adher ng o own tenaciously t its pet theories, and each claiming to have “ discovered the ” The truth . student turns back the pages of l r occu t histo y, and away back in the dim beginnings of occult teachings he finds ref erences to the ancient Hermetic doctrine of the Principle of Gender on the Mental — Plane the manifestation of Mental Gen An fi t der . d examining further he nds hat the ancient philosophy took cognizance of “ l m ” the phenomenon of the dua ind, and accounted for it by the theory of Mental T Gender. his idea of Mental Gender may be explained in a few words to students w ho are familiar with the modern theories The just alluded to . Masculine Principle Mental Gender 1 95 of Mind corresponds to the so-called Oh j ective Mind ; Conscious Mind ; Voluntary in A mi M d ; ctive Mind, etc. And the Fe nine Principle of Mind corresponds to the so- called Subjective Mind ; Sub- conscious u Mind ; Invol ntary Mind ; Passive Mind, etc . Of 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 respective aspects some of the said theories and claims being very far-fetched and incapable of standing x the test of e periment and demonstration. We point to the phases of agreement merely for the purpose of helping the stu dent to assimilate his previously acquired knowledge with the teachings of the Her h metic P ilosophy. Students of Hudson will notice the statement at the beginning of his “ second chapter of The Law of Psychic n Th s n Phenome a, that e my tic jargo of the Hermetic philosophers discloses the ’ —i s . ame general idea e . , the duality of m t e ind . If Dr. Hudson had aken the tim 1 96 The Kybalion and trouble to decipher a little of the mystic jargon of the Hermetic Philoso mi phy, he ght have received much light upon the subject of the dual mind —but e his then, p rhaps, most interesting work mi ght not have been written. Let us now consider the Hermetic Teachings regard ing Mental Gender . The Hermetic Teachers impart their in struction regarding this subject by bidding their students examine the report of their s T consciou ness regarding their Self. he students are hiddento turn their attention li inward upon the Self dwel ng within each . Each student is led to see that his con sciousness gives him first a report of the — existence of his Self the report is I ” T fin Am . his at first seems to be the al words from the consciousness, but a little further examination discloses the fact that “ ” this I Am may be separated or split n di s i h i to two stinct parts, or aspect , wh c i n un wh le working in u ison and in conj ction, in n yet, nevertheless, may be separated co i un sc o s ess .

1 98 The Kybalion

as being certain knowledge gathered to in in n gether his m d, and thus formi g a part Thi “ ” o hi . f mself s is the Me of a man.

But we have proceeded too hastily. The ” Me of many men may be said to consist largely of their consciousness of the body and e th ir physical appetites, etc . Their consciousness being largely bound up with e ‘ th ir bodily nature, they practically live ” there. Some meneven go so far as to regard their personal apparel as a part of e th ir Me, and actually seem to consider f it a part o themselves . A writer has hu ‘ morously said that men consist of three — s s . part oul, body and clothes These ” clothes conscious people would lose their personality if divested of their cloth ing by savages upon the occasion of a ship no wreck. But even many who are t so closely bound up with the idea of personal raiment stick closely to the consciousness “ ” of their bodies being their Me . They cannot conceive of a Self independent of T to the body. heir mind seems them to be practically a something belonging to Mental Gender 1 99

their body—which in many cases it is in

deed . But as man rises in the scale of con sciousness he is able to disentangle his “ ” Me from his idea of body, and is able to think of his body as “ belonging to ” the

mental part of him . But even then he is very apt to identify the Me entirely w ith the mental states , feelings, etc. , which hi r he feels to exist wit n him . He is ve y apt to consider these internal states as iden of tical with himself, instead their being ‘ ” simply things produced by some part of hi his mentality, and existing wit n him “ of him s . him, and in , but till not himself He sees that he may change these internal fi rt f ill states of feelings by an e o o w , and that he may produce a feeling or state of e an exactly opposite nature, in the sam “ ” And s. way, and yet the same Me exist so after a while he is able to set aside these various mental states, emotions , c feelings , habits , qualities, characteristi s , — and other personal mental belongings he “ ” is able to set them aside in the not-me 200 The K ybalion

i nof ur s s u n s collect o c io itie and enc mbra ce , l s Thi as wel as valuable posse sions. s re quires much mental concentration and power of mental analysis onthe part of B h is ss the student . ut still t e task po ible u nt s for the advanced st dent, and eve ho e o ar e t inth not s far advanced e abl o see, e how ss be r imagination, the proce may pe formed . After this laying-aside process has been wi find f performed , the student ll himsel in “ ” conscious possession of a Self which “ ” “ ” may be considered in its I and Me Th “ ” dual aspects . e Me will be felt to be hi a Something mental in w ch thoughts, s s en l ideas, emotion , feeling , and other m ta id states may be produced . It may be cons “ ered as the mental wom as the an — cients styled it capable of generating men tal ofi spring . It reports to the conscious ‘ ’ ness as a Me with latent powers of crea tion and generation of mental progeny of I t all sorts and kinds. s powers of creative energy are felt to be enormous. But still it seems to be conscious that it must r e

202 The K ybalion

i n d n ti T r i h t o an ge era on. he e s t is dual as inth mind f v pect e o e ery person. The “ ” I re presents the Masculine Principle of — ’ Menta l Gender the Me re presents the Th Female Pr inc iple. e I represents the “ ” Aspect of Being ; the Me the Aspect of

mi Y . Beco ng. ouw ill notice that the Prin ciple of Cor re spondence operate s on this plane just as it does upon the grea t plane upon which the crea tion of Universes is r r Th o ed . tw ar pe f m e o e similar in kind, a t u l difi As l ho gh vast y erent indegree .

a o so so . b ve, below ; as below, above — These aspects of mind the Masculine n i — and Fe—mi ine Pr nciples the I and the Me considered in connec tion with the - n n an well k own me tal d psychic phenomena, give the master-key to these dimly known regions of mental operation and manifesta Th tion . e principle of Mental Gender gives the truth underlying the whole field of the

of a fl c . phenomena ment l in uen e, etc The tendency of the Feminine Principle is always in the direction of receiving im pressions , while the tendency of the Mas Mental Gender 203 culine Principle is always in the direction i The mi of g ving out, or expressing. Fe nine Principle has a much more varied field of operation than has the Masculine Prin l h cip e . T e Feminine Principle conducts of in the work generat g new thoughts , con im capts, ideas, including the work of the Th agination. e Masculine Principle con ‘ s of tents it elf with the work the Will , An i inits varied phases . d yet w thout the active aid of the Will of the Masculine n to Pri ciple, the Feminine Principle is apt rest content with generating mental images which are the result of impressions re ceived from outside, instead of producing original mental creations . Persons who can give continued attention and thought to a subject actively employ both of the Mental Principles—the Femi nine inthe work of active mental genera s tion, and the Ma culine Will instimulating and energizing the creative portion of the Th mind. e majority of persons really em ut l ploy the Masculine Principle b ittle, and a re content to live according to the 204 The K ybalion thoughts and ideas instilled into the Me “ ” f B from the I o other minds . ut it is not our purpose to dwell upon this phase h u of the subject, w ich may be st died from

- u s l any good text book pon p ycho ogy, with the key that we have givenyouregarding

Mental Gender. The student of Psychic Phenomena is aware of the wonderful phenomena classi fied under the head of Telepathy ; Thought Transference ; Mental Influence ; Sugges h tion ; Hypnotism, etc . Many ave sought for an explanation of these varied phases of phenomena under the theories of the “ ” d various dual mind teachers. An in a t is e measure they are right, for here cl arly a manifestation of tw o distinct phases of mental activity. But if such students will “ ” consider these dual minds inthe light of the Hermetic Teachings regarding Vi bra i ns t o and Mental Gender, they will see is that the long sought for key at hand . In the phenomena of Telepathy it is seen how the Vibratory Energy of the Masculine Principle is projected toward the Feminine

206 The K ybalion

n of n w m minds a d wills other perso s, ho they allow to do their thinking and willing w s r for them . Ho few original thought o original actions are performed by the aver age person ! Are not the majority of per sons mere shadows and echoes of others having stronger w ills or minds thanthem selves ! The tr ouble is that the average person dwells almost altogether in his ns us d not e Me co cio ness, an does r alize that he has such a thing as an He is polarized in his Feminine Principle of and in Mind, the Mascul e Principle, in d the i to re which is lodge Will, s allowed n n mai i active and not employed . The strong men and women of the world invariably manifest the Masculine Princi e ple of Will, and their str ngth depends l materia ly upon this fact . Instead of liv ing upon the impressions made upon their ow n minds by others, they dominate their minds by their Will, obtaining the kind of dom mental images desired, and moreover s of in te the minds others likewise, in the e same manner . Look at the strong peopl , Menta l Gender 207 how they manage to implant their seed thoughts in the minds of the masses of the to people, thus causing the latter think thoughts in accordance with the desires l T and wills of the strong individua s . his is why the masses of people are such sheep of like creatures , never originating an idea own wn of their , nor using their o powers mental activity . The manifestation of Mental Gender may be noticed all around us in everyday life . The magnetic persons are those who are able to use the Masculine Principle in the way of impressing their ideas upon others . The actor who makes people weep or cry

s . as he will , is employing this principle And so is the successful orator, statesman.

preacher, writer or other people who are h before the public attention . T e peculiar influence exerted by some people over oth ers is due to the manifestation of Mental G Vib rator ial ender, along the lines above c l indi ated . In this princip e lies the secret of fl personal magnetism, personal in uence, as h n fascination, etc . , well as the p e omena m The K ybalion generally grouped under the name of Hyp

” of as psychic will have discovered the

u s wh rm is eant the S gge tion, by ich te m pr ocess or method whereby an idea is “ ” nsf or essed the tra erred to, impr upon n f caus n he seco mind mi d o another, i g t nd n r A r e t to act inaccorda ce the ewith. cor c in order to intelligently comprehend the varied psychical phenomena which Sugges l . s tion underlies But, til more is a knowl edge of Vibration and Mental Gender nec r F o essa y for the student of Suggestion. r the whole principle of Suggestion depends upon the principle of Mental Gender and V ibration . It is customary for the writers and teachers of Suggestion to explain that it is ‘ ’ the objective or voluntary mind which or n make the mental impression, suggestio ,

2 1 0 The Kybalion capable of intelligent classification and s of inthe study, in tead being very much “ ” Th n rac dark. e pri ciple works out in p is s u m u tice, because it ba ed pon the i m ta ble universal laws of life. We shall not enter into an extended dis cussion of or , description of, the varied phenomena of mental influence or psychic T of activity . here are many books , many them quite good, which have been written and published onthis subject of late years . The main facts stated in these various books are correct, although the several writers have attempted to explain the phe nomena by various pet theories of their h own. T e student may acquaint himself i w th these matters , and by using the theory of Mental Gender he will be able to bring order out of the chaos of conflicting theory s and teaching , and may, moreover, readily make himself a master of the subject if he h of b e so inclined . T e purpose this work is not to give an extended account of psy to to chic phenomena , but rather give the student a master-key whereby he may nu Menta l Gender 21 1 lock the many doors leading into the parts Of the Temple Of K nowledge which he may con wish to explore . We feel that in this sideration Of the teachings Of The K yb al one fin w ion, may d anexplanation which ill serve to clear away many perplexing difli i — cult es a key that will unlock many doors . What is the use Of going into detail re garding all of the many features of psychic phenomena and mental science, provided we place in the hands of the student the means whereby he m ay acquaint himself fully regarding any phase Of the subject which may interest him . With the aid Of The K yb alion one may go through any old L occult library anew, the ight from

Egypt illuminating many dark pages , and T f obscure subjects . hat is the purpose O this book . We do not come expounding a n new philosophy, but rather fur ishing the outlines Of a gr eat world-Old teaching which will make clear the teachings Of others—which will serve as a Great Recon c difi rin s iler Of e g theorie , and Opposing d octrines.

21 4 The K ybalion

The K balion hi from y , w ch sta tes it forci bly. K nowledge without Use and Expres r n n sion is a vain thing, b i ging o good t o or c its possessor, to the ra e . Beware Of a Ment l Miserliness, and express into Ao hi tion that w ch youhave lea rned. Study A s A ms the xiom and phoris , but practice

them also . We give below some Of the more impor A s The K li tant Hermetic xiom , from yba on, with a few comments added to each. Make own these your , and practice and use them, for they are not really your ownuntil you have Used them. TO change your mood or mental sta te i —Th K li n change your vibrat on . e yba o . One may change his mental vibrations fi ort i by an e Of Will, in the direct on Of deliberately fixing the Attention upon a A more desirable state . Will directs the t A V tention, and ttention changes the ibra

. A tion Cultivate the rt Of Attention, by f ou means O the Will, and y have solved the secret Of the Mastery Of Moods and n Me tal States . H er me tic Ax ioms 21 5

To destr oy an undesir able rate of m a i n tion the ent l v bration, put i to opera Principle of Polarity and concentrate upon the opposite pole to that which youdesire o K t suppress . ill out the undesirable by c i — l n K io . hanging ts polarity. The yba This is one Of the most important Of the H u ermetic Formulas . It is based upontr e fi ou scienti c principles . We have shown y that a mental state and its opposite were one n merely the tw o poles Of thi g, and that by Menta l Transmuta tion the polarity i Thi n m ght be reversed . s principle is k own to w ho to modern psychologists, apply it the breaking up Of undesirable habits by bidding their students concentrate upon the ou opposite quality. If y are possessed Of “ do not im r i l Fear, waste t e t ying to k l out s l u Fear, but in tead cutivate the q al wi disa ity Of Courage, and the Fear ll p pear . Some writers have expressed this idea most forcibly by using the illustration Y u o o Of the dark room. o do n t have t s out or e out n hovel swe p the Dark ess, but b y merely opening the shutters and l 2 1 6 The K yb alion

ting inthe Light the Darkness has disap T ou ee d . O p re kill t a Negative quality, c oncentrate upon the Positive Pole Of that the i s same quality, and v bration will grad ull to a y change from Negative Positive, until finally youwill become polarized on n f the Positive pole i stead o the Negative . The s is rever e also true, as many have out t found o their sorrow, when they have allowed themselves to vibrate too con ta tl s n y on the Negative pole Of things. By changing your polarity youmay master re your moods , change your mental states,

make your disposition, and build up char f f acter . Much O the Mental Mastery O the advanced Hermetics is due to this applica n tion Of Polarity, which is o e Of the impor f T tant aspects o Mental ransmutation . Remember the Hermetic Axiom (quoted hi previously) , w ch says Mind ( as well as metals and elements) may be transmuted from state to state ; degree to degree ; condition to condition ; ” pole to pole ; vibration to vibration. The K b li n y a o .

21 8 The K ybalion

The Hermetists also teach that the Law Of ne to Neutralization enables o , a great ex to Of thm tent, overcome the operation Rhy s x in consciousness . A we have e plained, h t ere is a Higher Plane Of Consciousness ,

as well as the ordinary Lower Plane, and the Master by rising mentally to the Higher Plane causes the sw ing Of the mental pend to o ulum manifest on the L wer Plane, and n he, dwelling o his Higher Plane, escapes f the consciousness o the swing backw ard . This is efi ected by polarizing onthe Higher

Self, and thus raising the mental vibra tions Of the Ego above those Of the ordi f i to nary plane O consciousness . It is ak n n o risi g above a thing, and allowing it t u Th pass beneath yo . e advanced Hermet ist polarizes himself at the Positive Pole — “ ” Of his Being the I Am pole rather Of t r e than the pole personali y, and by ” “ ” fusing and denying the operation Of

Rhythm, raises himself above its plane Of fir m consciousness , and standing in his Statement Of Being he allows the pendulum to swing back onthe Lower Plane without H er metic Ax ioms 21 9

T changing his Polarity . his is accom plished by all individuals w ho have at tai an - te ned y degree Of self mas ry, whether no they understand the law or t . Such persons simply refuse to allow them selves to be swung back by the pendulum

Of mood and emotion, and by steadfastly rmin l afi g the superiority, they remain po n arized o . The the Positive pole Master, s f Of course, attain a far greater degree O fi u pro ciency, because he nderstands the law which he is overcoming by a higher th ll a law, and by e use Of his Wi he att ins a degree Of Poise and Mental Steadfast ness almost impossible Of belief on the part Of those who allow themselves to be swung backw ard and forward by the men tal pendulum Of moods and feelings. ou Remember, always , however, that y do not really destroy the Principle Of u for i in s u . Yo Rhythm, that s de tr ctible simply overcome one law by counter-bal a and u ncing it with another, th s maintain T an equilibrium . he laws Of balance and counter-balance are in operation on the 220 The K ybalion

a onth s mental as well s e physical plane , and an understa nding Of these laws on s ables one to seem to overthrow law , whereas he is merely exerting a counter balance . Nothing escapes the Principle of Cause Efi t Of and ec , but there are many Planes th Of Causation, and one may use e laws the higher to overcome the laws of the —Th l n . K lower e yba io . By an understanding Of the practice Of z Polari ation, the Hermetists rise to a higher plane Of Causation and thus coun ter-balance the laws Of the lower planes Of

Causation . By rising above the plane Of d n C s or i ary auses they become them elves , e s n e Of n in a degre , Cause i st ad bei g merely

Caused . By being able to master their wn s o moods and feeling , and by being able thm to neutralize Rhy , as we have already x e plained, they are able to escape a great part Of the operations Of Cause and Effect on the ordinary plane . The masses Of peo en ple are carried along, obedient to their v ir onment ; the wills and desires Of others

222 The K ybalion

r h ule ont e lower. They Obey the laws c m n n n o i g from above them, but o their ow s plane, and tho e below them, they rule and And give orders . , yet, in so doing, they of s of form a part the Principle, in tead

Opposing it . The wise man falls in with w the La , and by understanding its move ments he Operates it instead Of being its ki blind slave . Just as does the s lled swim

mer turn this way and that way, going i a i Of and com ng s he w ll, instead being as the log which is carried here and there so is the wise man as compared to the or — dinary man and yet both swimm er and m s to log ; wise an and fool , are ubject a is on L w . He who understands this well ” — lion s Th K ba . the road to Ma tery. e y In conclusion let us againcall your at tention to the Hermetic Axiom True Hermetic Transmutation is a — n r T K lio . Mental A t . he yba i In the above axiom, the Hermet sts teach ’ that the great work Of influencing one s en vironment is accomplished by Mental h n . T Power e Universe being wholly me tal, H erm etic Ax ioms 223 it follows that it may be ruled only by n Mentality . A d in this truth is to be found an explanation of all the phenomena and manifestations of the various mental powers which are attracting so much at tention and study in these earlier years of T the wentieth Century. Back of and under the teachings of the various cults and schools, remains ever constant the principle of the Mental Substance Of the

Universe . If the Universe be Mental in l h its substantial nature, then it fol ows t at Mental Transmutation must change the conditions and phenomena Of the Universe .

If the Universe is Mental , then Mind must be the highest power affecting its phenom ena . If this be understood then all the ‘ so-called miracles and wonder-work ” ings are seen plainly for what they are . “ THE ALL is MIND ; The Universe is — li n Menta The K yba o .

FI N! !