Blog #185--Hermetic Philosophy

The inspiration for my book “It’s a Secret, So Pass It On: a Toolbox For Life,” came originally from an explosion of awareness I experienced in 1978. I felt a rebirth that included seeing beyond the limits of three-dimensional existence and knowing with certainty the reality of eternal life. As happens to many people who have similar experiences, I immediately wished to share what I learned with others.

Most people became frightened when I told them what I had learned. They had a primordial, instinctive need to push me and my ideas out of their lives. Not all of those with whom I spoke felt this way, however. One friend said it sounded like a vision he experienced while taking LSD. I have never experienced LSD; my explosion of awareness was not drug-induced. Another said what I learned sounded much like Taoism, a subject worth its own article but unfamiliar to me at the time. The Taoist yin-yang symbol, representing the unified balance between male and female and all other opposites, fits well what I learned.

A third person said I was describing Hermetic Philosophy, and for some reason that intrigued me. I had never heard of it or Hermes Trismegistus, who was credited with sharing it with the rest of humanity through his book “Divine Pymander” and other written references. He was said to have been an Egyptian who lived before or during the time of Moses. Some claim he was Moses, while some say Abraham learned from Hermes. The Egyptian Thoth and Hermes may be one and the same.

While we may never know for sure who he was, we do know what he taught and the major influence it has on souls seeking spiritual attainment. Hermes is considered to have been a master alchemist, psychologist and astrologer, and his teachings have served as a foundation for a number of world religions. While chemical alchemy like changing lead to gold may be possible, the message he shared with the world had more to do with spiritual alchemy, the transformation of ego-mind into spirit.

There is a book published in 1912 called “The Kybalion.” Wishing to remain anonymous, the authors merely listed themselves as “Three Initiates.” These authors sought to share principles from a much older text of the same name, much of which will sound extremely similar to what is shared in my book. A brief introduction to these principles follows:

1. The principle of mentalism. Everything is mind. All that we can comprehend is Spirit, which is an infinite, living mind. We cannot comprehend it in its entirety, but it represents everything. All aspects of mental and psychic phenomena fit within this concept. Knowing the truth of our minds is key to our understanding.

2. The principle of correspondence. This principle represents the axiom, “As above so below; as below so above.” There is always a correspondence or connection between all things at all levels of existence. Whatever it is we wish to understand, from the smallest to largest, from that which is recognizable to all that is beyond our ability to comprehend, can be understood by understanding ourselves. Knowing one thing means knowing all things.

3. The principle of vibration. Everything is in constant motion. The differences between all aspects of matter, energy, mind and spirit can be identified by their variable rates of vibration. From the smallest subatomic particles to whole universes, everything has a vibration that can be identified as unique to it. This is also true on the mental and spiritual planes.

4. The principle of polarity. Everything is composed of opposite polarities. These opposites are really extreme examples of the same thing. As the book explains, there is no absolute point when love becomes hate or vice versa. They are merely varying degrees of the same thing since there is no absolute love or absolute hate. All paradoxes can be reconciled by understanding the fact all things are merely variations on the same theme. We can change one to another within our minds by altering the vibration. It is said advanced students of this principle can change their polarity or the polarity of others.

5. The principle of rhythm. There is an ebb and flow to all things in life. It is like a pendulum swinging back and forth. The degree to which it swings one way is counted in equal measure by a swing back in the opposite direction. Within this concept lies the truism that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. It explains the rise and fall of civilizations and all other cycles of life. While we cannot overcome universal laws, we can learn to relax within the polarity reversals that occur naturally, changing an emotional roller coaster ride into a less extreme experience.

6. The principle of cause and effect. Every cause produces an effect, and every effect has a cause. Nothing just happens by chance; there is a link connecting it to past and future. Each cause produces an effect, which becomes a new cause that has an effect, on and on. It is a continuing chain reaction.

7. The principle of gender. The masculine and feminine principles are both in everything and everyone. They are merely opposite poles of the same magnet, and everything is a magnet. They are the basis of all creation and exist on the mental and spiritual planes as well as the physical plane.

Those who are familiar with my book will notice many similarities between it and Hermetic Philosophy. My accidental discovery, which occurred at least 12 years prior to my reading of "The Kybalion," proves this knowledge is available to all and not just those who study and try to copy the work of the masters who have preceded us. That which is true about one thing is true of all things. Discovering and then accepting that truism is tantamount to our spiritual growth.

"The Kybalion" offers practical applications of the seven principles and suggests that masters have and will continue to develop on this plane who might be able to manipulate the forces of Nature. Fortunately, they will also accept the fact the human ego and its selfishness are counterproductive to any effort they make along those lines. So most remain anonymous, preferring the solitary life to being trampled on by those rushing to gain favors from them.

Spiritual alchemy transforms us into what we really are, and Hermetic Philosophy is one of the avenues available to us for that purpose.

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