Kybalion
Encyclopedia
The Kybalion: Hermetic Philosophy is a 1908 book claiming to be the essence of the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus
, published anonymously by a group or person under the pseudonym of "the Three Initiates".
The Kybalion was first published in 1908 by the Yogi Publication Society and is now in the public domain
, and can be found on the internet. The book purports to be based upon ancient Hermeticism
, though many of its ideas are relatively modern concepts arising from the New Thought
movement. The book itself early in reading makes the claim that it makes its appearance in one's life when the time is appropriate and includes variations of material found in the book of Proverbs.
Transmutation (also described as Mental Alchemy, the Art of Mental Chemistry, and the Art of Polarization) refers to the art of changing and transforming one's own mental states and conditions, as well as influencing those of others. It is also called a form of "Mystic Psychology" .
is purported to be at an infinite level of vibration, almost to the point of being at rest. There are said to be millions upon millions of varying degrees between the highest level, The All, and the objects of the lowest vibration.
Mental Transmutation is described as the practical application of this principle. To change one's mental state is to change vibration. One may do this by an effort of Will, by means of deliberately "fixing the attention" upon a more desirable state.
Mental Gender is described as a Hermetic
concept which relates to the masculine and feminine principles. It does not refer to the physical gender
of someone, nor does it suggest that someone of a certain physical gender necessarily has the same mental gender. Ideally, one wants to have a balanced mental gender.
The concept put forth in The Kybalion states that gender exists on all planes of existence (Physical, Mental, and Spiritual), and represents different aspects on different planes. It is also stated that everything and everyone contains these two elements or principles.
The Masculine principle is always in the direction of giving out or expressing, and contents itself with the "Will" in its varied phases.
The Feminine principle is always in the direction of receiving impressions, and has a much more varied field of operation than the Masculine. The Feminine conducts the work of generating new thoughts , concepts, and ideas, including the work of the imagination.
It is said that there must be a balance in these two forces. Without the Feminine, the Masculine is apt to act without restraint, order, or reason, resulting in chaos. The Feminine alone, on the other hand, is apt to constantly reflect and fail to actually do anything, resulting in stagnation. With both the Masculine and Feminine working in conjunction, there is thoughtful action that breeds success, which points out that both the Feminine and the Masculine fulfil each other.
The most common proposal is that The Kybalion was authored by William Walker Atkinson
, either alone or with others, such as Paul Foster Case and Elias Gewurz. Atkinson was known to use many pseudonyms, and to self-publish his works.
Also suggestive is the fact that, among his earliest published pseudonymous and anonymous works may have been a series entitled The Arcane Teachings, which bears many superficial similarities to The Kybalion — The Kybalion explores seven "Hermetic Principles" while The Arcane Teachings examines seven "Arcane Laws", The Kybalion claims to be an elucidation of an ancient, unpublished Hermetic text of the same name, while The Arcane Teachings claims to reveal the wisdom of an ancient, unpublished scroll of occult aphorisms, and both books describe three "Great Planes" of reality which are further subdivided into seven lesser planes. Both books also describe three of the lesser planes as "astral black keys" analogous to the black keys on a piano, and inhabited by elemental spirits. And, both books describe the process of "Mental Alchemy" in great detail, and in nearly complete agreement with each other. There are other similarities, and The Arcane Teachings might have been Atkinson's "first draft" of material which later became The Kybalion. Atkinson also attempted to describe the workings of the universe in terms of a set of laws in 1918's The Secret Doctrine of the Rosicrucians and his last manuscript The Seven Cosmic Laws, written in 1931 and published posthumously in 2011.
A common theory is that Atkinson co-wrote the book with Paul Foster Case
and Michael Whitty. This theory is often held by members of Builders of the Adytum
, the Mystery School later founded by Case, though the group doesn't publicly make this claim itself. In fact, this story appears to have originated with a B.O.T.A. splinter group, the Fraternity of Hidden Light.
Along these lines, much has been made about the fact that Paul Foster Case was a Freemason, and that The Kybalion's publisher, the Yogi Publication Society, gave its address as "Masonic Temple, Chicago IL" in the book's frontispiece. However, Chicago's "Masonic Temple" was also the city's first skyscraper, housing dozens of stores and small businesses without any Masonic affiliations, and named for the Masonic Lodge which financed much of its construction and met in its top few floors.
Other names speculatively mentioned as co-authors of The Kybalion include Harriet Case (Paul Foster Case's wife at the time), Mabel Collins
(a prominent Theosophical writer), Claude Bragdon (an architect, Theosophist, and writer on "mystic geometry
"), and Claude Alexander
(a well-known stage magician, mentalist, proponent of crystal gazing
, and New Thought
author). Ann Davies, who succeeded Paul Foster Case as head of the B.O.T.A., is often mentioned as a possible Kybalion contributor, but she was born in 1912-- four years after the book's first publication.
The introduction for a 2011 edition of The Kybalion published by Tarcher/Penguin presents an argument that William Walker Atkinson was the sole author of the work, including evidence such as the 1912 edition of Who's Who In America, in which Atkinson admits to being the author, and a 1917 French language edition of The Kybalion in which the translator's introduction credits the work to "the American psychic master W.W. Atkinson."
are referred to approvingly in The Kybalion as showing an understanding of Hermetic Principles
; and Spencer himself is eulogised as a reincarnation of the 5th Century BCE Greek philosopher Heraclitus
or Hermes; who is in turn described as being a reincarnation of a still more ancient, Egyptian philosopher: No other writers are similarly referenced or endorsed within the text.
Another loosely derivative work
has emerged from an esoteric organization by the name of Summum
which, considering The Kybalion to be antiquated and incomplete, rewrote the text to incorporate a "grand principle", their Principle of Creation. Summum describes this as the foundation underlying the existence of The All
, and the source from which the seven Principles emanate.
Hermes Trismegistus
Hermes Trismegistus is the eponymous author of the Hermetic Corpus, a sacred text belonging to the genre of divine revelation.-Origin and identity:...
, published anonymously by a group or person under the pseudonym of "the Three Initiates".
General description
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
, and can be found on the internet. The book purports to be based upon ancient Hermeticism
Hermeticism
Hermeticism or the Western Hermetic Tradition is a set of philosophical and religious beliefs based primarily upon the pseudepigraphical writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus...
, though many of its ideas are relatively modern concepts arising from the New Thought
New Thought
New Thought promotes the ideas that "Infinite Intelligence" or "God" is ubiquitous, spirit is the totality of real things, true human selfhood is divine, divine thought is a force for good, sickness originates in the mind, and "right thinking" has a healing effect.Although New Thought is neither...
movement. The book itself early in reading makes the claim that it makes its appearance in one's life when the time is appropriate and includes variations of material found in the book of Proverbs.
Mental Transmutation
MentalMind
The concept of mind is understood in many different ways by many different traditions, ranging from panpsychism and animism to traditional and organized religious views, as well as secular and materialist philosophies. Most agree that minds are constituted by conscious experience and intelligent...
Transmutation (also described as Mental Alchemy, the Art of Mental Chemistry, and the Art of Polarization) refers to the art of changing and transforming one's own mental states and conditions, as well as influencing those of others. It is also called a form of "Mystic Psychology" .
Principle of Mentalism
The Principle of Mentalism embodies the truth that "All is Mind."Principle of Correspondence
The Principle of Correspondence embodies the idea that there is always a correspondence between the laws of phenomena of the various "planes" of being and life. As above, so below; as below, so above. This principle states that there is a harmony, agreement and correspondence between these planes, delineated as- The Great Physical Plane
- The Great Mental Plane
- The Great Spiritual Plane
Principle of Vibration
The Principle of Vibration embodies the idea that motion is manifest in everything in the Universe, that nothing rests, and everything moves, vibrates, and circles. This principle explains that the differences between different manifestations of Matter, Energy, Mind, and even Spirit, are the result of only different "vibrations". The higher a person is on the scale, the higher the rate of vibration will be. Here, The AllThe All
The All is the Hermetic or panentheistic view of God, which is that everything that is, or at least that can be experienced, collectively makes up The All...
is purported to be at an infinite level of vibration, almost to the point of being at rest. There are said to be millions upon millions of varying degrees between the highest level, The All, and the objects of the lowest vibration.
Mental Transmutation is described as the practical application of this principle. To change one's mental state is to change vibration. One may do this by an effort of Will, by means of deliberately "fixing the attention" upon a more desirable state.
Principle of Polarity
The Principle of Polarity embodies the idea that everything is dual, everything has two poles, and everything has its opposite. All manifested things have two sides, two aspects, or two poles. Everything "is" and "isn't" at the same time, all truths are but half truths and every truth is half false, there are two sides to everything, opposites are identical in nature, yet different in degree, extremes meet, and all paradoxes may be reconciled.Principle of Rhythm
The Principle of Rhythm embodies the idea that in everything there is manifested a measured motion, a to and fro, a flow and inflow, a swing backward and forward, a pendulum-like movement. This principle explains that there is rhythm between every pair of opposites, or poles, and is closely related to the Principle of Polarity. It can be seen that this Principle enables transition from one pole to the other, and not necessarily poles of extreme opposites.Principle of Cause and Effect
The Principle of Cause and Effect explains that there is a cause for every effect, and an effect for every cause. It also states that there is no such thing as chance, that chance is merely a term indicating extant causes not recognized or perceived. The Principle is clarified in the chapter Causation.Principle of Gender
The Principle of Gender embodies the idea that gender is manifested in everything. The authors state that this does not relate explicitly to the commonly understood notion of sex, but rather "... to beget; to procreate, to generate, to create, or to produce..." in general. Gender is manifested as the Masculine and Feminine principles, and manifests itself on all planes.Mental Gender is described as a Hermetic
Hermeticism
Hermeticism or the Western Hermetic Tradition is a set of philosophical and religious beliefs based primarily upon the pseudepigraphical writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus...
concept which relates to the masculine and feminine principles. It does not refer to the physical gender
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
of someone, nor does it suggest that someone of a certain physical gender necessarily has the same mental gender. Ideally, one wants to have a balanced mental gender.
The concept put forth in The Kybalion states that gender exists on all planes of existence (Physical, Mental, and Spiritual), and represents different aspects on different planes. It is also stated that everything and everyone contains these two elements or principles.
The Masculine principle is always in the direction of giving out or expressing, and contents itself with the "Will" in its varied phases.
The Feminine principle is always in the direction of receiving impressions, and has a much more varied field of operation than the Masculine. The Feminine conducts the work of generating new thoughts , concepts, and ideas, including the work of the imagination.
It is said that there must be a balance in these two forces. Without the Feminine, the Masculine is apt to act without restraint, order, or reason, resulting in chaos. The Feminine alone, on the other hand, is apt to constantly reflect and fail to actually do anything, resulting in stagnation. With both the Masculine and Feminine working in conjunction, there is thoughtful action that breeds success, which points out that both the Feminine and the Masculine fulfil each other.
Authorship
The "Three Initiates" who authored The Kybalion chose to remain anonymous. As a result, a great deal of speculation has been made about who actually wrote the book.The most common proposal is that The Kybalion was authored by William Walker Atkinson
William Walker Atkinson
William Walker Atkinson was an attorney, merchant, publisher, and author, as well as an occultist and an American pioneer of the New Thought movement. He is also known to have been the author of the pseudonymous works attributed to Theron Q...
, either alone or with others, such as Paul Foster Case and Elias Gewurz. Atkinson was known to use many pseudonyms, and to self-publish his works.
Also suggestive is the fact that, among his earliest published pseudonymous and anonymous works may have been a series entitled The Arcane Teachings, which bears many superficial similarities to The Kybalion — The Kybalion explores seven "Hermetic Principles" while The Arcane Teachings examines seven "Arcane Laws", The Kybalion claims to be an elucidation of an ancient, unpublished Hermetic text of the same name, while The Arcane Teachings claims to reveal the wisdom of an ancient, unpublished scroll of occult aphorisms, and both books describe three "Great Planes" of reality which are further subdivided into seven lesser planes. Both books also describe three of the lesser planes as "astral black keys" analogous to the black keys on a piano, and inhabited by elemental spirits. And, both books describe the process of "Mental Alchemy" in great detail, and in nearly complete agreement with each other. There are other similarities, and The Arcane Teachings might have been Atkinson's "first draft" of material which later became The Kybalion. Atkinson also attempted to describe the workings of the universe in terms of a set of laws in 1918's The Secret Doctrine of the Rosicrucians and his last manuscript The Seven Cosmic Laws, written in 1931 and published posthumously in 2011.
A common theory is that Atkinson co-wrote the book with Paul Foster Case
Paul Foster Case
Paul Foster Case was an American occultist of the early 20th century and author of numerous books on occult tarot and Qabalah. Perhaps his greatest contributions to the field of occultism were the lessons he wrote for associate members of Builders of the Adytum. The Knowledge Lectures given to...
and Michael Whitty. This theory is often held by members of Builders of the Adytum
Builders of the Adytum
The Builders of the Adytum is a school of the Western mystery tradition based in Los Angeles which is registered as a non-profit tax-exempt religious organization. It was founded by Paul Foster Case and has its roots in both the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and the Masonic blue lodge system....
, the Mystery School later founded by Case, though the group doesn't publicly make this claim itself. In fact, this story appears to have originated with a B.O.T.A. splinter group, the Fraternity of Hidden Light.
Along these lines, much has been made about the fact that Paul Foster Case was a Freemason, and that The Kybalion's publisher, the Yogi Publication Society, gave its address as "Masonic Temple, Chicago IL" in the book's frontispiece. However, Chicago's "Masonic Temple" was also the city's first skyscraper, housing dozens of stores and small businesses without any Masonic affiliations, and named for the Masonic Lodge which financed much of its construction and met in its top few floors.
Other names speculatively mentioned as co-authors of The Kybalion include Harriet Case (Paul Foster Case's wife at the time), Mabel Collins
Mabel Collins
Mabel Collins was a theosophist and author of over 46 books.-Life:Mabel Collins was born in St Peter Port, Guernsey...
(a prominent Theosophical writer), Claude Bragdon (an architect, Theosophist, and writer on "mystic geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
"), and Claude Alexander
Alexander (magician)
Claude Alexander Conlin , also known as Alexander, C. Alexander, Alexander the Crystal Seer, and Alexander the Man Who Knows, was a vaudeville magician who specialized in mentalism and psychic reading acts, dressed in Oriental style robes and a feathered turban, and often used a crystal ball as a...
(a well-known stage magician, mentalist, proponent of crystal gazing
Crystal gazing
Crystal-gazing is a form of divination or scrying achieved through trance induction by means of gazing at a crystal....
, and New Thought
New Thought
New Thought promotes the ideas that "Infinite Intelligence" or "God" is ubiquitous, spirit is the totality of real things, true human selfhood is divine, divine thought is a force for good, sickness originates in the mind, and "right thinking" has a healing effect.Although New Thought is neither...
author). Ann Davies, who succeeded Paul Foster Case as head of the B.O.T.A., is often mentioned as a possible Kybalion contributor, but she was born in 1912-- four years after the book's first publication.
The introduction for a 2011 edition of The Kybalion published by Tarcher/Penguin presents an argument that William Walker Atkinson was the sole author of the work, including evidence such as the 1912 edition of Who's Who In America, in which Atkinson admits to being the author, and a 1917 French language edition of The Kybalion in which the translator's introduction credits the work to "the American psychic master W.W. Atkinson."
Influences
The works of the English philosopher Herbert SpencerHerbert Spencer
Herbert Spencer was an English philosopher, biologist, sociologist, and prominent classical liberal political theorist of the Victorian era....
are referred to approvingly in The Kybalion as showing an understanding of Hermetic Principles
Hermeticism
Hermeticism or the Western Hermetic Tradition is a set of philosophical and religious beliefs based primarily upon the pseudepigraphical writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus...
; and Spencer himself is eulogised as a reincarnation of the 5th Century BCE Greek philosopher Heraclitus
Heraclitus
Heraclitus of Ephesus was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, a native of the Greek city Ephesus, Ionia, on the coast of Asia Minor. He was of distinguished parentage. Little is known about his early life and education, but he regarded himself as self-taught and a pioneer of wisdom...
or Hermes; who is in turn described as being a reincarnation of a still more ancient, Egyptian philosopher: No other writers are similarly referenced or endorsed within the text.
Derivative works
Doreen Virtue, Ph.D wrote a book called Divine Magic: The Seven Sacred Secrets of Manifestation (A New Interpretation of the Classic Hermetic Manual The Kybalion), in 2006, presenting a modern version of The Kybalion with companion "meditative" CD. In her view, one can learn to master one's moods, release negativity, manifest "higher levels of abundance", and attract new opportunities into one's life with the aid of the teachings of The Kybalion.Another loosely derivative work
Derivative work
In United States copyright law, a derivative work is an expressive creation that includes major, copyright-protected elements of an original, previously created first work .-Definition:...
has emerged from an esoteric organization by the name of Summum
Summum
Summum is a religion and philosophy that began in 1975 as a result of Claude "Corky" Nowell's claimed encounter with beings he described as "Summa Individuals"...
which, considering The Kybalion to be antiquated and incomplete, rewrote the text to incorporate a "grand principle", their Principle of Creation. Summum describes this as the foundation underlying the existence of The All
The All
The All is the Hermetic or panentheistic view of God, which is that everything that is, or at least that can be experienced, collectively makes up The All...
, and the source from which the seven Principles emanate.
Languages
A few organizations consider The Kybalion an essential foundation of their beliefs, and have translated the original text into many languages. Ultimately, The Kybalion itself claims to have influenced all major religions and philosophies ancient and modern alike.See also
- Emerald TabletEmerald TabletThe Emerald Tablet, also known as Smaragdine Table, Tabula Smaragdina, or The Secret of Hermes, is a text purporting to reveal the secret of the primordial substance and its transmutations...
(of Hermes Trismegistus) - HermeticaHermeticaThe Hermetica are Greek wisdom texts from the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE, mostly presented as dialogues in which a teacher, generally identified with Hermes Trismegistus or "thrice-greatest Hermes", enlightens a disciple...
- Occultism
- GnosticismGnosticismGnosticism is a scholarly term for a set of religious beliefs and spiritual practices common to early Christianity, Hellenistic Judaism, Greco-Roman mystery religions, Zoroastrianism , and Neoplatonism.A common characteristic of some of these groups was the teaching that the realisation of Gnosis...
- MagicMagic (paranormal)Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
- The Secret (2006 film)