The Kybalion
The “summa” of Hermeticism is contained in a singular book, published anonymously a century ago, which contains the occult principles of our Universe...
If you are reading these words, there is a precise reason. Indeed, the first unwritten law that hovers around the Kybalion states that if you have heard of it, it means your soul has evolved to the point of "deserving" to know the philosophical-hermetic principles contained within it. And that's what happened to me: despite the hundreds of hermetic texts I have read throughout my life, despite the culture and erudition that many recognize in me, I honestly admit that I had never heard of this book until a few months ago. And it's strange because, after all, it's a book that has been reprinted many times over its hundred years of existence, including in many fine Italian editions. Yet, I confess, this singular name never caught my eye on the shelves of bookstores, nor have I seen its title in online catalogs of publishing houses: yet it's been there for decades almost...
I believe there is a kind of "fog" surrounding this text, much like the Grail castle that Perceval cannot see (while his lady, his beloved, tells him, "But it's right in front of you! How can you not see it?"). This is because there are themes that cannot be grasped until a certain point in one's journey, in one's inner evolution. But since the times of change have come, I believe and hope that this article of mine can help disseminate the hermetic principles that, developed since the Renaissance, find many confirmations in Science and its astrophysical discoveries.
The Kybalion was published in Chicago in December 1908 by one or more authors hidden behind the pseudonym "The Three Initiates": subsequent investigations established that it was likely the lawyer William Walker Atkinson, owner of the "Yogi Publication Society of Chicago", the publishing house that printed it, who was the editor of the text. Atkinson was an enthusiastic esotericist known in the field under the pseudonym Magus Incognito and as Yogi Ramacharaka.
A scholar of metaphysics and Eastern philosophies, Atkinson had the merit, in a strongly Christian and poorly educated America, of spreading ancestral sacred principles by disseminating them in a simple and effective manner, in line with the typically American pragmatism aimed at the understanding of the general public compared to the unbearable messianic attitude of many, too many Italian esotericists even today. Besides Atkinson, it was supposed that the second author of the Kybalion was Paul Foster Case, a musician and scholar of tarot symbolism, while the "third initiate" was probably the Theosophical writer Mabel Collins.
Starting from a popular and easily understandable approach to the public, the Kybalion innovatively addresses abstruse and complex themes that, according to legend, were written and handed down by Hermes Trismegistus himself. This figure, developed during Hellenism in Alexandria, Egypt, contains in his name a reference to the God Hermes, the Greek Mercury: Trismegistus means "thrice great". But anyone familiar with Hellenistic mythology knows well that this deity has nothing in common with the Messenger of the Gods, but rather with the Egyptian God of Wisdom, Writing, and Natural Laws: Thoth, the ibis-headed God, sometimes depicted as a baboon, represents the guardian of natural order. It is to him unequivocally that reference is made when Hermes Trismegistus is mentioned.
In simple terms, this signifies a continuity between Egyptian knowledge, dating back to ancient times, and the Greco-Roman tradition that was later transmitted during the Renaissance to Italian culture, making it an integral part of our modern philosophical conceptions. Naturally, we do not believe that a humanized God dictated these principles, but rather his inspiring energy, the cosmic consciousness that consistently demonstrates incredible intelligence and compassion, allowing us to understand and perceive universal truths.
Indeed, Clement of Alexandria believed that the sacred writings of Hermes numbered forty-two and contained the core teachings of the ancient pharaonic priests. Coincidentally, the "Commandments of Maat," which represented the basis of ethical behavior for the Egyptians, also numbered forty-two. In addition to this core, the writer Iamblichus attributed tens of thousands of works to Thoth-Hermes, predating Pythagoras and Socrates, from which they drew inspiration for their philosophy. In the dialogues Timaeus and Critias, Plato himself reports that in the temple of Neith in Sais, there were secret chambers containing ancient historical records from nine thousand years ago. According to Cyril of Alexandria and Marsilio Ficino, Plato thus drew on an ancient wisdom dating back to the pre-diluvian era. The Egyptian origin of Hermetic doctrines has been reiterated by some modern scholars like Martin Bernal, in his excellent book "Black Athena."
What survived the destruction of libraries, book burnings by the Inquisition, or the actions of infamous tyrants are only some portions of text, one recovered in 1945 among the Nag Hammadi papyri and another miraculously escaping Christian censorship and "emerging" in the heart of the Byzantine Empire around 1050. The text as we know it today is believed to date back to the "occultist" period, a passion for all things esoteric that gripped the Eastern Roman Empire in the years following the turn of the millennium. In this context, alongside the most integralist orthodoxy, Greek and Arab authors flourished. A Byzantine scholar, Michael Psellos, found this text in Greek in a convent, called the "Corpus Hermeticum," although it seems it did not have a Latin title. As a teacher of philosophy, history, theology, and a powerful state official, Psellos had no problems understanding the meaning of the manuscript's content and had it transcribed into multiple copies, albeit censoring magical and alchemical elements, making the Corpus more acceptable to the Orthodox Church.
The existence of the "Corpus Hermeticum" was kept hidden from the West, along with other ancient texts still unknown or considered lost, such as Plato's Timaeus. Its existence became known during the Ecumenical Council intended to heal the East-West Schism, held in Florence in 1438 under the patronage of Cosimo de' Medici. Emperor John VIII of Byzantium and Patriarch Gennadius II arrived in Italy with a retinue of nearly a thousand academics, theologians, and philosophers. Upon learning of this text's existence, Cosimo falsified documents to obtain a copy, and finally in 1460 managed to obtain the uncensored original copy that had belonged to Michael Psellos through the monk Leonardo da Pistoia, who had discovered it shortly before in a remote monastery in Macedonia. Cosimo commissioned Marsilio Ficino to interrupt the translation of a book by Plato to translate the text into Latin. Ficino completed the work in April 1463 in time to allow Cosimo to base all new humanistic philosophy on these Hermetic principles. It can be said without a shadow of a doubt that the philosophical foundations of the Renaissance owe themselves to this new-old vision of the surrounding world, so distant from the cold theological conceptions typical of medieval Christianity.
Over the years, however, the attitude of European society, initially so enthusiastic about this novelty, changed radically. The Counter-Reformation led to the burning of the work once again, risking its disappearance for the second time, and only in libertarian circles, such as in England, could scholars continue to read and appreciate it.
This was the case for scientists like Isaac Newton or the liberal philosopher Herbert Spencer, who based their Natural Theory on Hermetic principles, supporting Darwinian evolution among others. Spencer died in 1903, five years before the publication of the Kybalion, and in it, one can find many points in common with his works. Indeed, the text asserts that Spencer was the reincarnation of the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, underscoring the lineage of his thought.
Thus we come to our text, which takes its name from the Goddess Cybele: a collection of maxims, axioms, quotes in veiled terms and explained in such a way that the fundamental teachings can be understood, without revealing the profound meaning whose comprehension is delegated to the personal evolution of each of us. The central theme of the work is "mental transmutation," the art of changing and transforming one's mental states from lower and materialistic to higher and evolved. Therefore, the Kybalion represents only a starting point, a "primer" towards deeper insights that it will be our task to pursue. Within it are seven Hermetic principles, just as there are seven principles of truth ("he who has knowledge possesses the magical key with which all temple doors are opened"): 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. Each principle is dedicated a chapter in the book.
Principle of Mentalism: "All is mind," the universe is intelligent, created for a reason, everything has a purpose, chance is nothing more than an inscrutable plan of destiny that eludes us and makes things appear disconnected, while there exists a subtle web that indissolubly unites them. From this principle flow all others.
Principle of Correspondence: There is correspondence between phenomena on various planes of existence, the principle of "as above, so below" is an observable fact at all levels (just as a planet orbits the sun, an electron orbits a proton at the subatomic level).
Principle of Vibration: Nothing is at rest, everything is in motion and vibration, which also finds confirmation in the concept of Absolute Zero. This temperature, equal to -273°C, represents the absolute minimum beyond which one cannot go; however, it does not exist because throughout the universe, even in its remotest part, there exists a trace of "cosmic microwave background radiation" that originated with the Big Bang, which makes it "warmer," albeit by just two degrees, compared to Absolute Cold. But if cold is stasis, hence death, absence of life, then warmth represents life and thus what vibrates at a higher level, is more energetic and has a greater evolutionary value compared to a body that vibrates at a lower frequency.
Principle of Polarity: Everything is dual, everything has two poles, everything has its opposite. This view, so close to the philosophy of the Greek Heraclitus, has the consequence that every aspect of reality has two faces: truth is never absolute, principles are never immutable dogmas (as in Christianity) because everything considered true can also be its opposite, or rather contains its opposite within itself. A politician will never be consistent with their political position, a natural law may have exceptions that confirm it, and generally where there is a protagonist there must always be an antagonist, like the strings of a lyre supported by the two opposing arms of the instrument: their clash generates the harmony of sound.
Principle of Rhythm: In everything there is a movement like that of a pendulum. The existence of the Principle of Polarity implies that there is never dominance of one opposite over the other, but rather an statistically equal alternation between the two. If you toss a coin ten times, it may come up heads 7 times and tails 3; but if you toss it ten thousand times, statistics will show that about 5000 times it will be heads and the same number tails. This has significant implications in everything connected to the so-called Chaos Theory: gambling, but also political elections, sports, war, always involve the application of this principle.
Principle of Cause and Effect: There is a cause for every effect and an effect for every cause. Chance does not exist, it is just the name given to imperceptible causes. If everything is mind, if everything is connected to something else, every situation depends on the evolution of another preceding one and everything can be explained in terms of these relationships invisible to the eye but operating at a higher level of awareness than we simple human beings can have. When one is the victim of an accident, one is often convinced of having been subjected to an insult by life, which is always difficult and bitter. But once we understand that everything has a reason and that misfortune does not exist, we can follow the current that indicates our destiny to pursue our goal dictated by the universal mind, knowing that sooner or later balance will bring us favorable opportunities.
Principle of Gender: In every person there exist a masculine mental gender and a feminine mental gender. This concept has nothing to do with sexual gender and does not even concern sexual orientation: it concerns our inner attitude and this regardless of our birth status. There can be women with a predominantly masculine mental principle and men with a predominantly feminine one, and usually when these differences from one's birth sex are extreme, they imply a condition of homosexuality or transsexuality that therefore has an objective and natural origin and does not imply a choice on the part of the person in question. The masculine gender is mentally active, outwardly projected, and its keyword is "Will." The feminine gender is receptive, creative, generator of thoughts and ideas, and its keyword is "Imagination." The two genders must be in balance: the masculine mental gender tends toward indiscriminate action based on impulsive and immediate thought and tends to chaos if not balanced by the feminine principle. Evidence of this is provided by the excesses committed in all those extreme patriarchal societies, which make dominance and violence their prerogatives. No one is surprised by the chaos present in the actions of Nazi soldiers, historically one of the most distant institutions from the Feminine ever existed. But the opposite sense is also valid: the feminine, if not balanced by the masculine, tends towards stasis, depression, and timid passivity. It does not generate creativity, but only passive ostentation of the past. Only when the masculine mental gender and the feminine mental gender unite and contribute can they generate positive, rational but at the same time creative action. This situation develops within us and Carl Gustav Jung called it the difference between Anima and Animus. Only if we find a balance between these two opposites can we perform constructive actions: a concept similar to that of the "inner Baphomet" conceived by Gnostics and Templars in the Middle Ages, as proof of the Alexandrian origin of these Hermetic texts.
The task of men, according to the Kybalion, is to live using the laws of the universe to elevate themselves from a lower to a higher stage, to live and act according to everyone's abilities but with the ultimate goal of achieving higher ideals. The true meaning of life is not understandable except to a few chosen ones who reach extreme universal awareness, but if we manage to live according to everyone's aspirations, in harmony with the Universe, despite the obstacles found every day along our way, we are not far from this awareness. Those of the Kybalion are simple principles, bases aimed at becoming aware of a universal and objective situation: they serve to show us a path undertaken by the best minds and souls of our history. To continue on that path, to walk it is our task. This explains the meaning of our introduction. As an Hermetic site effectively says, "...according to Hermetic doctrine, the Kybalion will attract the attention of those who are ready to receive its teachings. When the disciple is ready to receive the truth, the booklet will come to him spontaneously. The principle of cause and effect, in its aspect of the law of attraction, will put lips and ears in contact and will place the learner in the company of the book. This is the law."
