A Brief Introduction to The Kybalion
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Before there was The Secret, there was the Kybalion. The phrase "Law of Attraction" is used only once in The Kybalion, "when the pupil is ready to receive the truth, then will this little book [The Kybalion] come to him, or her. Such is The Law. The Hermetic Principle of Cause and Effect, in its aspect of The Law of Attraction, will bring lips and ear together-pupil and book in company.") However the entire framework for The Law of Attraction is detailed in depth. One of the Three Initiates (possibly the sole author) is said to have been William Walker Atkinson, whose 1906 book Thought Vibration or the Law of Attraction in the Thought World, can be credited as the basis for the teachings of The Secret's Law of Attraction.
The Kybalion outlines a process of Mental Transmutation (Mental Alchemy) which is said to be an art of changing and transforming one's own mental states and conditions, with the Law of Attraction being primarily performed through knowledge of the Principle of Vibration. If you are genuine about learning The Law of Attraction then a study of the Kybalion is highly recommended.
The Seven Hermetic Principles or Axioms
"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 Principle of Mentalism.
- The Principle of Correspondence.
- The Principle of Vibration.
- The Principle of Polarity.
- The Principle of Rhythm.
- The Principle of Cause and Effect.
- The Principle of Gender.
Principle of Mentalism
"THE ALL IS MIND; The Universe is Mental." - The Kybalion
The Principle of Mentalism suggests that "All is Mind." The ALL is the term used to refer to all that is seen and unseen within the Universe. It the true reality from which all other aspects of the Universe become manifest. Essentially it could be said to be synonymous with God or The Great Spirit That Runs Through All Things. The idea that the ALL is mind suggests that the Universe in some sense is self aware or sentient, a form of intelligence that exists within the Universe.
Principle of Correspondence
"As above, so below; as below, so above." - The Kybalion.
The Principle of Correspondence is very similar to the Emerald Tablet's second verse: "That which is below is like that which is above & that which is above is like that which is below to do the miracles of one only thing." . This is the concept that there is always a correspondence between the laws of phenomena of the various "planes" of being and life. A variation on this theme is "That which is within is like that which is without; That which is without is like that which is within". The "above" or "within" can be called the macrocosm, the bigger picture, or perhaps the astral plane. The "below" or "without" is the physical world with which our body interacts, and is the microcosm. This principle states that there is a harmony, agreement and correspondence between The Great Physical Plane, The Great Mental Plane and The Great Spiritual Plane.
Principle of Vibration
"Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates." - The Kybalion
The Principle of Vibration states that everything in the Universe is in motion. Nothing rests. Modern Science has shown this, that even seemingly solid matter is actually comprised of moving atoms. An interesting example is glass, which some have speculated is a very slow moving liquid, but a more common theory is that it is one of several substances in a state between a liquid and a solid. The principle shows that the differences between different manifestations of Matter, Energy, Mind, and Spirit are due to rates different of vibrations. This principle can be seen in the Four/Five Classical Elements. Spirit is vibrating at an infinite level to the point of almost being at rest (see Polarity principle below).
This is the main principle applicable to the Law of Attraction, as "revealed" by The Secret. The practical demonstration of this principle is Mental Transmutation, where you can change your mental state by changing your vibration. This can be achieved by an Act of Will, in which you fix your attention upon a more desirable state.
Principle of Polarity
"Everything is Dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; extremes meet; all truths are but half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled." - The Kybalion.
The Principle of Polarity states that everything is dual in nature (has two poles). Everything in the physical world has its opposite. It states that all truths are only half truths and that every truth is half false. The opposites are said to be identical in nature, yet different in degree (different sides of the same coin). Further, all extremes meet, and it is possible to reconcile all paradoxes.
Principle of Rhythm
"Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates." - The Kybalion.
The Principle of Rhythm is related to the Law of Vibration and the Law of Polarity. It states that everything has a measured motion, a swing backward and forward, like the movement of a pendulum. Every pair of opposites or poles (as in the Principle of Polarity) has a particular rhythm.
Principle of Cause and Effect
"Every Cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause; everything happens according to Law; Chance is but a name for Law not recognized; there are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes the Law." - The Kybalion.
The Principle of Cause and Effect states that every effect has a cause and every cause has an effect. This is essentially the underlying principle embodies in the principle of Karma (the word itself deriving from the Sanskrit word for an action or performance). It is not necessarily moralistic (as the popular New Age concepts of Karma), but acknowledges that all actions (causes) will have an effect. This principle also states that there is no such thing as chance. Chance is the term used when the cause(s) are not recognized or perceived.
Principle of Gender
"Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine Principles; Gender manifests on all planes."–The Kybalion.
The Principle of Gender states that there is a gender for every manifested thing. This Mental Gender does not relate to physical gender, rather to the concepts of procreation, generation, creation, or production. Gender is manifested as principles classified as Masculine and Feminine. According to the Kybalion Gender manifests itself on all planes. While this may be so, it may confuse some people who become aware of teachings which talk of androgynous beings on other planes, or that concept of the All (or God) as being both masculine and feminine in nature. The key concept is that things contain both masculine and feminine principles which ideally need to be balanced.
The Masculine principle is described as always existing in the direction of expressing, and is related to the Will in its various phases.
The Feminine principle is described as always existing in the direction of receiving impressions, and having a more varied field of operation. The Feminine conducts the work of generating new thoughts, concepts, and ideas, including the work of the imagination.
It is interesting to note that The Secret Book (Note: Not 'The Secret' Book) uses a number of feminine verbs for derived from the Greek verb noein - "think, be aware, or perceive." The usage of feminine gendered verbs reflected the Feminine Principle of these aspects of receptive awareness, given as Ennoia, Pronoia, Prognosis, the luminous Epinoia.
For further information read The Kybalion. You may also find useful to compare the teachings of The Kybalion with The Secret – read the book, or watch the movie.
The PopMagick.com Edition of The Kybalion comes with additional appendices: an article on the History of the Kybalion and The Emerald Tablet of Hermes. Free Download.
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See Also: How to... Manifest a Miracle
