Have you ever wondered how the laws that govern the universe work? Perhaps you will find the answer if you complete a careful reading of the kybalion. This 1908 document whose authorship is attributed to The Three Initiatesan anonymous group of people, summarizes what we know as the 7 hermetic principles.
we refer to a religious and philosophical doctrine dating back to the 1st and 2nd centuries after Christ. Keep in mind that it corresponds to a series of beliefs that are still practiced today. Hermes Trismegistus (the three times great) is considered the father of Hermeticism.
Kybalion: The 7 Hermetic Principles
The mystical origins of Hermes Trismegistus
Its existence is associated with a archetypal figure more than a real historical character. He is a mix of occult lodge deities, a mystic alchemist and even a sage raised to godhood in ancient Greece thanks to his great knowledge.
It is associated with a syncretism of the Egyptian god Dyehuty (Thoth, in Greek) and the hellen Hermes. It is also said that he lived in Egypt at the time of the pharaohs and even became a guide to Abraham. Some medieval thinkers considered him a pagan prophet who announced the arrival of Christianity.
It is argued that he was also a student of alchemy and author of the Emerald Tablet, translated from the Latin by Isaac Newton. Hermes Trismegistus is considered to be the writer of the Corpus Hermeticuma collection of 24 sacred texts containing the main metaphysical axioms on which Hermeticism is based.
Fundamental axioms on which Hermeticism is based
We comment below on those 7 principles that we talked about, which are summarized in the kybalion. Keep in mind that they try to answer questions such as the departure of man from Paradise, the emergence of the Cosmos, the nature of the divine or what the concepts of beauty, good and truth mean.
1. Mentalism: “Everything is mind, the universe is mental”
Everything sensitive to your senses is spirit. The universe itself is a kind of living mind, infinite and universal. Therefore, each action, manifestation, appearance or thought is an interaction between different aspects of the mental. All people are connected to each other and once you internalize it, you can shape your own reality through your thoughts. Therefore, if you think the right thing, you will do the right thing.
2. Correspondence: «As above, so below; as below, so above»
Between the mental, physical and spiritual planes there are constant links, a kind of harmony. Therefore, to understand certain patterns in your life you must contemplate all aspects. Try to argue that there is a reciprocal influence between human beings and nature. Also, between your inner world and your everyday experiences. So everything you do on either plane will inevitably affect the other.
3. Vibration: «Nothing rests, everything moves, everything vibrates»
Everything revolves around vibratory states and everything has its own unique energy, in absolutely all planes of existence. Also your thoughts, your desires, your impulses or your emotions. If you are happy it is because of a positive vibration and, if you are sad, because of a negative one.
4. Polarity: «Everything is dual, everything has two poles»
This axiom speaks that everything in life has its opposite; polarity is what keeps its rhythm. Any phenomenon can also manifest itself in its opposite form. Love and hate, life and death, good and evil, happiness and sadness, courage and fear, wakefulness and sleep, light and darkness… Therefore, it is possible to change something undesirable to its opposite condition, to neutralize it. The extremes touch, the poles attract.
5. Rhythm: “Everything ebbs and flows, goes back and forth, rises and falls«
The great lesson that you can take from this principle is that everything is in constant motion and that there is a pattern for each change that you experience in your day to day life. Nothing is permanent and everything goes through cycles. You only have the present, so experiment and learn what you can.
6. Cause and effect: «Every cause has its effect, every effect has its cause»
All the experiences of your life are related to other events, each of your actions instigates a reaction. The magnitude of an effect is equal to that of the cause that generated it. This axiom acts on all planes and rules out the existence of luck or chance. It encourages you to become an active agent, since you are the one in charge of carving out your own life.
7. Gender: «Everything has its masculine and feminine»
Finally, the last of the principles included in the kybalion argues that the masculine and feminine can be found in everything, not just animals and people. The masculine is the generator and the feminine the conceiver. It is present on all planes: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.