 | |
| Author | William Walker Atkinson (likely) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Hermeticism,occultism |
| Publisher | Yogi Publication Society |
Publication date | 1908 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Text | The Kybalion atWikisource |
The Kybalion (full title:The Kybalion: A Study of the Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece) is a book originally published in 1908 by "Three Initiates" (often identified as theNew Thought pioneerWilliam Walker Atkinson, 1862–1932)[1] that purports to convey the teachings ofHermes Trismegistus.
While it shares with ancient and medievalHermetic texts a number of traits such asphilosophical mentalism, the concept of 'as above, so below', and the idea that everything consists of gendered polar opposites, as a whole it is more indebted to the ideas of modernoccultist authors, especially those of the New Thought movement to which Atkinson belonged.[2] A modern Hermetic tract, it has been widely influential inNew Age circles since the twentieth century.[3]
The titleKybalion looks like anancient Greek word, but it has no known meaning in that language. It was likely made up in an attempt to convey a false sense of antiquity.[2]
A central concept in the book is that there are "seven Hermetic principles, upon which the entireHermetic philosophy is based".[4] These are, as literally quoted from the book:
1. The principle of mentalism
"The All is Mind; the Universe is Mental."[5]
2. The principle of correspondence
"As above, so below; as below, so above.” [...] This principle embodies the truth that there is always acorrespondence between the laws and phenomena of the various planes of being and life.[6]
3. The principle of vibration
"Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates."[7]
4. 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-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled."[8]
5. The 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."[9]
6. The 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."[10]
7. The principle of gender
"Gender is in everything; everything has its masculine and feminine principles; gender manifests on all planes."[11]
According to occult writerMitch Horowitz, thephilosophical mentalism (the primacy of mind as the active cause of things) described by theKybalion's first principle was inspired by broadly similar notions in the ancient GreekHermetica.[12]
Nicholas E. Chapel notes that while several aspects such as the philosophical mentalism, the concept of "as above, so below" as derived from theEmerald Tablet, and the idea that everything exists as pairs of gendered polar opposites, do have a background in ancient and medieval Hermetic texts, other aspects such as the principle of vibration (which originates in the philosophy ofDavid Hartley, 1705–1757) are not related to Hermeticism.[2]
Chapel also points out that there are a number of stark contrasts between theKybalion and the traditionalHermetica, such as theKybalion's anti-theological stance versus the heavy emphasis ontheology in theHermetica, or theKybalion's focus on the practitioner's "mental transmutation" versus the traditionalHermetica's preoccupation with reverence for andunification with the divine. Chapel concludes that as a whole, theKybalion is too bound up with early 20th-century ideas emanating from theNew Thought movement to be representative of the broader historical tradition of Hermetic philosophy.[2]
Works related toThe Kybalion at Wikisource
Quotations related toThe Kybalion at Wikiquote
The Kybalion public domain audiobook atLibriVox