The Hermetic Principles

"The Principles of Truth are Seven; he who knows these, understandingly, possesses the Magic Key before whose touch all the Doors of the Temple fly open." - The Kybalion

The Kybalion is controversial, as it claims to be sharing ancient Hermetic knowledge. It was ghost written by "Three Initiates," which is thought to be a pen name of William Walker Atkinson, the publisher of the book, who was known to write under various pen names and pseudonyms.

Some people feel it isn't true to pure ancient Hermeticism, and they are right. Most things considered to be of the Hermetic tradition claim to be authored by Hermes Trismegistus. The Kybalion doesn't make this claim; rather, it is dedicated to Hermes Trimegistus. Researchers such as author Mary K. Greer point out that many of the Kybalion's principles seem to be based on the introduction to a translation of Kore Kosmou, also known as The Virgin of The World of Hermes Mercurius Trimegistus, translated by Theosophist Anna Kingsford and Edward Maitland. This paired with concepts from Theosophy and New Thought create the framework of ideas which Kybalion presents.

Regardless of how ancient or pure to Hermeticism the Kybalion is or isn't, it is definitely not a perfect book, and at times is deeply problematic. As such, like any occult text, it shouldn't be taken as gospel. Like many Victorian and post-Victorian occult books, we can gain value from them while also understanding and discussing which ideas, comments, and statements are problematic with transparency and honesty. Despite some if its deep flaws, the Kybalion is also rich with insight, particularly for those who are new to occultism and magick. In fact, the Kybalion itself defines itself as Hermetic in the usage of the word as sealed (like the expression "hermetically sealed"), which was a common term of the time of its authorship; today we would use the term "occult," meaning hidden knowledge. So I feel it is a moot point whether the book is from an ancient tradition or modern tradition. What it is, is sharing a view of occult philosophy regarding how the universe works and how humanity can understand it to co-create reality. Some of the most powerful and wise witches that I have had the honor to study under embraced and taught the Kybalion's Hermetic Principles as an important foundation for the magical path.

The Principle of Mentalism

"The All is Mind; the Universe is Mental." - The Kybalion

The first Hermetic Principle in the Kybalion is the Principle of Mentalism. This principle states that the universe is mental - held in the mind of the all. The elemental forces, the building blocks that compose all of reality in occultism, are within the mind of all. This principle tells us that everything in existence is a mental construct of the Great Divine. It implies that everything on its most fundamental level is unified. Consciousness is the basis of everything: matter, energy and spirit. It implies that we exist within the Great Divine and are ourselves part of it. Being within and a part of Great Divine implies that everything is inherently divine, including us - who have mind ourselves. Being a part of Divine Mind and possessing our minds suggest that we, like the Great Divine, are able to create reality using our own divine mental energy. That is because according to this principle our thoughts are energy and if we can harness that mental energy and direct it, we can begin to understand our own divinity as co-creators of reality. This reflects Dion Fortune's definition of magick, as being the science ad art of causing changes in consciousness to occur in accordance with the Will.

When we recognize how much our thoughts manifest every day, whether internally as a psychological or emotional state, or externally, as the things we do or places we go, we see that when we can control our mind, we control our lives. For anything to exist, a thought had to first exist, which then formed a physical reality or manifestation.

The Principle of Correspondence

The second Hermetic Principle in the Kybalion is the Principle of Correspondence. This principle state: "As above, so below; as within, so without; as in the microcosm, so in the macrocosm." This states that everything on one plane of reality affects another. It also states that, just like the Principle of Mentalism, the All is within the all and that the all is within the All. Or, to put it more clearly, everything is within divine consciousness, and divine consciousness is within everything. Everything is part of the Great Divinity, and the whole entirety of the Great Divinity is within all things. Everything is fractal in nature like a hologram, being parts the whole and containing the whole pattern within the part. This suggest that the microcosm is an atlas of the macrocosm, and vice versa. Furthermore, this principle suggests that things in different planes of reality are linked together by energy that correspondent between them. Working with plants or stones that hold a certain elemental, planetary, or celestial vibration allows us to work with and tap into those greater energies to create change via magick.

Have you heard the saying that what are you pursuing is also pursuing you? When you're thinking of someone, that someone is also thinking about you. It is true. Whatever you're thinking or doing - it is moving to the same direction; as long as it is harmonious. Meaning that your thoughts should be in harmony (same direction, similar, matches) with your actions. When we have a firm grasp on how we are interacting with life and how it's affecting us, we can recognize and break patterns, live in alignment with our highest good, and feel harmonious with everything there is.

The Principle of Polarity

"Everything is Dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; extremes meet; all truths are but half-thrust; all paradoxes maybe reconciled." - The Kybalion.

The third Hermetic Principle is the Principle of Polarity. This suggests that everything in the universe has an opposite and that one thing and its opposite are actually the same thing but different parts of the spectrum. Hot and cold, light and dark, reception and projection, righteousness and wickedness, happiness and sadness, life and death, and so on. Everything is not only linked to its opposite but is a complementary aspect that when combined makes up the entirety of what the thing actually is. The Kybalion expresses this by saying that "Everything is Dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; extremes meet; all truths are but half-truths; all paradoxes maybe reconciled. The last line is one of the main goals of alchemy and occultism: the reconciliation and reunification of energies that seem like they're separate but are only two halves of one side.

When you're sad and feeling hopeless, know that there will be joy and hope. When you see someone is quite the opposite from what you currently are, there's chance you will see one hundred eighty degree difference next time you meet this person. Applying the principle of polarity takes a degree of mental stamina and involves shifting the way you look at something, potentially completely on its head. Take the hate you may feel for someone; is there any way you can shift it to feelings of love?

The Principle of Vibration

"Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates." - The Kybalion

"He who understands the Principle of Vibration, has grasped the scepter of power," - Anonymous

The fourth Hermetic Principle is the Principle of Vibration. The Principle of Vibration states that, "Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates." This means nothing is truly still and that everything is vibrating or moving at different rates. We know through science that even the most solid-looking matter is composed of moving and vibrating atoms and molecules. This suggests that everything in the universe, physical and non physical, is vibrating. When we remember the Principle of Mentalism, we realized that everything is composed of consciousness and thought. That means our thoughts also have a vibration to them, and many spiritual, metaphysical, and occult practitioners refer to the vibration of something. Unfortunately sometimes this is used to label things as "good" or "bad" vibrations, which leads to a whole host of problems including spiritual bypassing.

In magick ritual, the energies that I send to each of my client are in the form of energy waves that vibrate. Even my client confessed that they feel the vibration, their body vibrate, it is the energy. During meditation and some of the rituals, I make sounds that create vibration - the easiest one to imagine is to make sounds that cause your throat to vibrate. The ritual candle flicker because of vibration; sometimes when there is spirit nearby.

The Principles of Rhythm

The fifth Hermetic Principle is the Principle of Rhythm. This states that, "Everything flows out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall, the pendulum-swing manifests in everything, the measure of the swing to the right, is the measure of the swing to the left, rhythm compensates. We know from the Principle of Polarity that all things are only a part of their opposite and that there's a spectrum within two poles. The Principle of Rhythm states that everything is in a state of flowing from one pole to the other. The idea is that energy is flowing from one spectrum of the pole to the other and that one expression of energy will eventually give way to its opposite. We can think of this symbolically like the waxing and the waning of the moon, as the moon increases in light, only eventually to decrease to darkness and vice versa. This paired with the last principle implies that nothing is permanent, and it will eventually give way to its opposite in compensation, like a pendulum swinging back and forth. This also gives insight into the concept held by many witches that all things are cyclical: time, season, moon phases, rebirth, etc.

Real life implementation:

The Principle of Cause and Effect

The sixth Hermetic Principle is the Principle of Cause and Effect. It states that "Every Cause has its Effect; every Effect has its cause. This means that everything that is, is an effect of a previous cause and everything creates and effect. Nothing that occurs without consequence. This isn't the idea that if you do good you will get good back and if you do bad you will get bad back. Rather, this idea is not moralistic. This ties back to the fact that everything is moving and everything is intricately linked with everything else. A stone thrown into a pond creates a ripple. Likewise, no thought, word, or action that occurs does so in a vacuum. Everything creates change one way or another, for good or ill or neutral, because everything is interacting with something else. The Kybalion refers to this principle as a law, and states that, " Chance is but a name for Law not recognized," meaning nothing is random; everything occurs for one reason or another due to something else.

The Principle of Gender

So now we come to the most controversial of Hermetic Principles and for very good reason. The Principle of Gender states that "Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine Principles; Gender manifests on all planes." There is a lot to unpack here. With a lot of older occult and classical text we must be discerning and honest, while still salvaging what we can work with from the wreckage. A book can be both incredibly insightful and helpful at points and highly problematic during others, and this includes most of our foundational texts in occultism. Our task as readers in the modern age is to pan through these older texts, sifting through the rubbish of problematic personal and cultural biases and ideologies of their time period to find the golden nuggets within them and what applies to us now. The Kybalion is no exception.