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“Good and Evil” are but the poles of the same thing, and the Hermetist understands the art of transmuting Evil into Good, by means of an application of the Principle of Polarity.
An understanding of the Principle will enable one to change his own Polarity, as well as that of others, if he will devote the time and study necessary to master the art.
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.” —THE KYBALION.
This Principle embodies the truth that in everything there is manifested a measured motion, to and fro; a flow and inflow; a swing backward and forward; a pendulum-like movement; a tide-like ebb and flow; a high-tide and low-tide; between the two poles which exis...
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There is always an action and a reaction; an advance and a retreat; a rising and a sinking. This is in the affairs of the Universe, suns, worlds,...
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VI. 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.”
The Hermetists understand the art and methods of rising above the ordinary plane of Cause and Effect, to a certain degree, and by mentally rising to a higher plane they become Causers instead of Effects.
The masses of people are carried along, obedient to environment; the wills and desires of others stronger than themselves; heredity; suggestion; and other outward causes moving them about like pawns on the Chessboard of Life.
But the Masters, rising to the plane above, dominate their moods, characters, qualities, ...
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environment surrounding them, and become Movers instead of pawns. They help t...
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VII. THE PRINCIPLE OF GENDER. “Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine Principles; Gender manifests on all planes.” —THE KYBALION.
This Principle embodies the truth that there is GENDER manifested in everything—the Masculine and Feminine Principles ever at work.
The Principle of Gender works ever in the direction of generation, regeneration, and creation. Everything, and every person, contains the two Elements or Principles, or this great Principle, within it, him or her.
MENTAL TRANSMUTATION.
“Mind (as well as metals and elements) may be transmuted, from state to state; degree to degree; condition to condition; pole to pole; vibration to vibration. True Hermetic Transmutation is a Mental Art.” —THE KYBALION.
As we have stated, the Hermetists were the original alchemists, astrologers, and psychologists, Hermes having been the founder of these schools of thought.
The truth is, that beneath the material chemistry, astronomy and psychology (that is, the psychology in its phase of “brain-action”), the ancients possessed a knowledge of transcendental astronomy, called astrology; of transcendental chemistry, called alchemy; of transcendental psychology, called mystic psychology.
“Transmutation” is a term usually employed to designate the ancient art of the transmutation of metals—particularly of the base metals into gold. The word “Transmute” means “to change from one nature, form, or substance, into another; to transform” (Webster).
And accordingly, “Mental Transmutation” means the art of changing and transforming mental states, forms, and conditions, into others. So you may see that Mental Transmutation is the “Art of Mental Chemistry,” if you like the term—a form of practical Mystic Psychology.
If the Universal is Mental in its nature, then Mental Transmutation must be the art of CHANGING THE CONDITIONS OF THE UNIVERSE, along the lines of Matter, Force and Mind. So you see, therefore, that Mental Transmutation is really the “Magic” of which the ancient writers had so much to say in their mystical works, and about which they gave so few practical instructions.
As a matter of fact, none but advanced Mental Alchemists have been able to attain the degree of power necessary to control the grosser physical conditions, such as the control of the elements of Nature; the production or cessation of tempests; the production and cessation of earthquakes and other great physical phenomena.
The student and practitioner of Mental Transmutation works among the Mental Plane, transmuting mental conditions, states, etc., into others, according to various formulas, more or less efficacious.
THE ALL. “Under, and back of, the Universe of Time, Space and Change, is ever to be found The Substantial Reality—the Fundamental Truth.” —THE KYBALION.
Under and behind all outward appearances or manifestations, there must always be a Substantial Reality.
He sees that nothing really IS, but that everything is BECOMING and CHANGING.
Nothing stands still—everything is being born, growing, dying—the very instant a thing reaches its height, it begins to decline—the law of rhythm is in constant operation—there is no reality, enduring quality, fixity, or substantiality in anything—nothing is permanent but Change.
All thinkers, in all lands and in all times, have assumed the necessity for postulating the existence of this Substantial Reality. All philosophies worthy of the name have been based upon this thought. Men have given to this Substantial Reality many names—some have called it by the term of Deity (under many titles); others have called it “The Infinite and Eternal Energy”; others have tried to call it “Matter”—but all have acknowledged its existence. It is self-evident—it needs no argument.
In these lessons we have followed the example of some of the world’s greatest thinkers, both ancient and modern—the Hermetic Masters—and have called this Underlying Power—this Substantial Reality—by
the Hermetic name of “THE ALL,” which term we consider the most comprehensive of the many terms applied by Man to THAT...
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The Hermetists believe and teach that THE ALL, “in itself,” is and must ever be UNKNOWABLE. They regard all the theories, guesses and speculations of the theologians and metaphysicians regarding the inner nature of THE ALL, as but the childish efforts of mortal minds to grasp the secret of the Infinite.
Religion, to us, means that intuitional realization of the existence of THE ALL, and one’s relationship to it; while Theology means the attempts of men to ascribe personality, qualities, and characteristics to it;
THE ALL being Infinite, Absolute, Eternal and Unchangeable it must follow that anything finite, changeable, fleeting, and conditioned cannot be THE ALL.
The answer is “LIVING MIND, as far above that which mortals know by those words, as Life and Mind are higher than mechanical forces, or matter—INFINITE LIVING MIND as compared to finite Life and Mind.” We mean that which the illumined souls mean when they reverently pronounce the word: “SPIRIT!” “THE ALL” is Infinite Living Mind—the Illumined call it SPIRIT!
“The Universe is Mental—held in the Mind of THE ALL.” —THE KYBALION.
THE ALL is SPIRIT! But what is Spirit? This question cannot be answered, for the reason that its definition is practically that of THE ALL, which cannot be explained or defined.
Spirit is simply a name that men give to the highest conception of In...
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But your Universe is the mental creation of a Finite Mind, whereas that of THE ALL is the creation of an Infinite.
THE UNIVERSE, AND ALL IT CONTAINS, IS A MENTAL CREATION OF THE ALL. Verily, indeed, ALL IS MIND! “THE ALL creates in its Infinite Mind countless Universes, which exist for aeons of Time—and yet, to THE ALL, the creation, development, decline and death of a million Universes is as the time of the twinkling of an eye.” —THE KYBALION.
“The Infinite Mind of THE ALL is the womb of Universes.” —THE KYBALION.
If you prefer the old figures of thought, you may think of the Masculine Principle as GOD, the Father, and of the Feminine Principle as NATURE, the Universal Mother, from whose womb all things have been born. This is more than a mere poetic figure of speech—it is an idea of the actual process of the creation of the Universe. But always remember, that THE ALL is but One, and that in its Infinite Mind the Universe is generated, created and exists.
And Death is not real, even in the Relative sense—it is but Birth to a new life—and You shall go on, and on, and on, to higher and still higher planes of life, for aeons upon aeons of time. The Universe is your home, and you shall explore its farthest recesses before the end of Time.
THE DIVINE PARADOX. “The half-wise, recognizing the comparative unreality of the Universe, imagine that they may defy its Laws—such are vain and presumptuous fools, and they are broken against the rocks and torn asunder by the elements by reason of their folly. The truly wise, knowing the nature of the Universe, use Law against laws; the higher against the lower; and by the Art of Alchemy transmute that which is undesirable into that which is worthy, and thus triumph. Mastery consists not in abnormal dreams,
visions and fantastic imaginings or living, but in using the higher forces against the lower—escaping the pains of the lower planes by vibrating on the higher. Transmutation, not presumptuous denial, is the weapon of the Master.” —THE KYBALION.
What Hermetists know as “the Law of Paradox” is an aspect of the Principle of Polarity. The Hermetic writings are filled with references to the appearance of the Paradox in the consideration of the problems of Life and Being.
The Hermetic Principle of Mentalism, while explaining the true nature of the Universe upon the principle that all is Mental, does not change the scientific conceptions of the Universe, Life, or Evolution. In fact, science merely corroborates the Hermetic Teachings. The latter merely teaches that the nature of the Universe is “Mental,” while modern science has taught that it is “Material”; or (of late) that it is “Energy” at the last analysis. The
The purpose of this lesson is to impress upon the minds of our students the fact that, to all intents and purposes, the Universe and its laws, and its phenomena, are just as REAL, so far as Man is concerned, as they would be under the hypotheses of Materialism or Energism.
“While All is in THE ALL, it is equally true that THE ALL is in All. To him who truly understands this truth hath come great knowledge.” —THE KYBALION.
As the Kybalion says, in the passage quoted above: “All is in THE ALL.” But note also the co-related statement, that: “It is equally true that THE ALL is in ALL.” This apparently contradictory statement is reconcilable under the Law of Paradox.
It is, moreover, an exact Hermetic statement of the relations existing between THE ALL and its Mental Universe.
To take a modern example, let us say that Othello, Iago, Hamlet, Lear, Richard III, existed merely in the mind of Shakespeare, at the time of their conception or creation. And yet, Shakespeare also existed within each of these characters, giving them their vitality, spirit, and action.
