,,the ,,kybalion    ,a ,study of  ,the  
,hermetic ,philosophy of  ,ancient      
,egypt and  ,greece      ,,by  ,,three  
,,initiates      ,,the ,,lips ,,of      
,,wisdom ,,are ,,closed1 ,,except ,,to  
,,the  ,,ears ,,of ,,understanding      
#aiab    ,,copyright #aiab              
,,originally ,,published ,,by    ,,the  
,,yogi ,,publication ,,society          
,,masonic ,,temple  ,,chicago1          
,,illinois    ,,isbn #j #iaaffb-be-a    
,,to  ,,hermes ,,trismegistus           
,,known ,,by ,,the ,,ancient            
,,egyptians ,,as    ,,the ,,great       
,,great  ,,and  ,,master ,,of ,,masters 
,,this ,,little ,,volume ,,of ,,hermetic
 ,,teaching  ,,is ,,reverently          
,,dedicated        ,table of ,contents  
,i4    ,the ,hermetic ,philosophy       
,,ii4   ,the ,seven ,hermetic           
,principles          #a4  ,the          
,principle of ,mentalism          #b4   
,the ,principle of ,correspondence      
#c4  ,the ,principle of ,vibration      
#d4  ,the ,principle of ,polarity       

#e4  ,the ,principle of ,rhythm         
#f4  ,the ,principle of ,cause and      
,effect          #g4  ,the ,principle of
 ,gender    ,,iii4  ,mental             
,transmutation    ,,iv4   ,the ,all     
,v4    ,the ,mental ,universe    ,,vi4  
,the ,divine ,paradox    ,,vii4  ,the   
,all in ,all    ,,viii4 ,planes of      
,correspondence    ,,ix4   ,vibration   
,x4    ,polarity    ,,xi4   ,rhythm     
,,xii4  ,causation    ,,xiii4 ,gender   
,,xiv4  ,mental ,gender    ,,xv4        
,hermetic ,axioms        ,,introduction 
,we take great pleasure in presenting to
 the attention of students and          
investigators of the ,secret ,doctrines 
this little work based upon the         
world-old ,hermetic ,teachings4 ,there  
has been so little written upon this    
subject1 not withstanding the countless 
references to the ,teachings in  the    
many works upon occultism1 that the many
 earnest searchers after the  ,arcane   
,truths will doubtless welcome the      
appearance of this present  volume4     

,the purpose of this work is not the    
enunciation of any special  philosophy  
or doctrine1 but rather is to give to   
the students a  statement of the ,truth 
that will serve to reconcile the many   
bits of  occult knowledge that they may 
have acquired1 but which are apparently 
opposed to each other and which often   
serve to discourage and disgust  the    
beginner in the study4 ,our intent is   
not to erect a new ,temple of           
,knowledge1 but rather to place in the  
hands of the student a ,master-,key     
with which he may open the many inner   
doors in the ,temple of ,mystery        
through the main portals he has already 
entered4    ,there is no portion of the 
occult teachings possessed by the world 
which  have been so closely guarded as  
the fragments of the ,hermetic          
,teachings  which have come down to us  
over the tens of centuries which have   
elapsed  since the lifetime of its great
 founder1 ,hermes ,trismegistus1 the    
scribe of the gods1 who dwelt in old    

,egypt in the days when the  present    
race of men was in its infancy4         
,contemporary with ,abraham1 and1  if   
the legends be true1 an instructor of   
that venerable sage1 ,hermes  was1 and  
is1 the ,great ,central ,sun of         
,occultism1 whose rays have served  to  
illumine the countless teachings which  
have been promulgated since  his time4  
,all the fundamental and basic teachings
 embedded in the  esoteric teachings of 
every race may be traced back to        
,hermes4 ,even the  most ancient        
teachings of ,india undoubtedly have    
their roots in the  original ,hermetic  
,teachings4    ,from the land of the    
,ganges many advanced occultists        
wandered to the  land of ,egypt1 and sat
 at the feet of the ,master4 ,from him  
they obtained  the ,master-,key which   
explained and reconciled their divergent
 views1 and  thus the ,secret ,doctrine 
was firmly established4 ,from other     
lands also  came the learned ones1 all  
of whom regarded ,hermes as the ,master 

of  ,masters1 and his influence was so  
great that in spite of the many         
wanderings from the path on the part of 
the centuries of teachers in  these     
different lands1 there may still be     
found a certain basic  resemblance and  
correspondence which underlies the many 
and often quite  divergent theories     
entertained and taught by the occultists
 of these  different lands today4 ,the  
student of ,comparative ,religions will 
be able  to perceive the influence of   
the ,hermetic ,teachings in every       
religion  worthy of the name1 now known 
to man1 whether it be a dead religion or
  one in full vigor in our own times4   
,there is always certain  correspondence
 in spite of the contradictory features1
 and the ,hermetic  ,teachings act as   
the ,great ,reconciler4    ,the lifework
 of ,hermes seems to have been in the   
direction of planting  the great        
,seed-,truth which has grown and        
blossomed in so many strange  forms1    
rather than to establish a school of    

philosophy which would  dominate1 the   
world's thought4 ,but1 nevertheless1 the
 original truths  taught by him have    
been kept intact in their original      
purity by a few  men each age1 who1     
refusing great numbers of half-developed
 students and  followers1 followed the  
,hermetic custom and reserved their     
truth for the  few who were ready to    
comprehend and master it4 ,from lip to  
ear the  truth has been handed down     
among the few4 ,there have always been a
 few  ,initiates in each generation1 in 
the various lands of the earth1 who     
kept alive the sacred flame of the      
,hermetic ,teachings1 and such have     
always been willing to use their lamps  
to re-light the lesser lamps of  the    
outside world1 when the light of truth  
grew dim1 and clouded by  reason of     
neglect1 and when the wicks became      
clogged with foreign  matter4 ,there    
were always a few to tend faithfully the
 altar of the  ,truth1 upon which was   
kept alight the ,perpetual ,lamp of     

,wisdom4 ,these  men devoted their lives
 to the labor of love which the poet has
 so well  stated in his lines3          
,o1 let not the flame die out6          
,cherished age after age       in its   
dark cavern--in its holy temples        
cherished4 ,fed       by pure ministers 
of love--let not the flame die out6     
,these men have never sought popular    
approval1 nor numbers of followers4     
,they are indifferent to these things1  
for they know how few there are in  each
 generation who are ready for the truth1
 or who would recognize it  if it were  
presented to them4 ,they reserve the    
strong meat for men1  while others      
furnish the milk for babes4 ,they       
reserve their pearls of  wisdom for the 
few elect1 who recognize their value and
 who wear them in  their crowns1 instead
 of casting them before the             
materialistic vulgar  swine1 who would  
trample them in the mud and mix them    
with their  disgusting mental food4 ,but
 still these men have never forgotten or

  overlooked the original teachings of  
,hermes1 regarding the passing on of    
the words of truth to those ready to    
receive it1 which teaching is  stated in
 ,the ,kybalion as follows3 ,where fall 
the footsteps of the  ,master1 the ears 
of those ready for his ,teaching open   
wide4 ,and again3  ,when the ears of the
 student are ready to hear1 then cometh 
the lips to  fill them with wisdom4 ,but
 their customary attitude has always    
been  strictly in accordance with the   
other ,hermetic aphorism1 also in ,the  
,kybalion3 ,the lips of ,wisdom are     
closed1 except to the ears of           
,understanding4    ,there are those who 
have criticized this attitude of the    
,hermetists1 and  who have claimed that 
they did not manifest the proper spirit 
in their  policy of seclusion and       
reticence4 ,but a moment's glance back  
over the  pages of history will show the
 wisdom of the ,masters1 who knew the   
folly  of attempting to teach to the    
world that which it was neither ready or

  willing to receive4 ,the ,hermetists  
have never sought to be martyrs1 and    
have1 instead1 sat silently aside with a
 pitying smile on their closed  lips1   
while the heathen raged noisily about   
them in their customary  amusement of   
putting to death and torture the honest 
but misguided  enthusiasts who imagined 
that they could force upon a race of    
barbarians  the truth capable of being  
understood only by the elect who had    
advanced  along ,the ,path4    ,and the 
spirit of persecution has not as yet    
died out in the land4 ,there  are       
certain ,hermetic ,teachings1 which1 if 
publicly promulgated1 would  bring down 
upon the teachers a great cry of scorn  
and revilement from  the multitude1 who 
would again raise the cry of ,crucify6  
,crucify4    ,in this little work we    
have endeavored to give you an idea of  
the  fundamental teachings of ,the      
,kybalion1 striving to give you the     
working  ,principles1 leaving you to    
apply therm yourselves1 rather than     

attempting to work out the teaching in  
detail4 ,if you are a true  student1 you
 will be able to work out and apply     
these ,principles--if  not1 then you    
must develop yourself into one1 for     
otherwise the ,hermetic  ,teachings will
 be as words1 words1 words to you4      
,,the ,,three ,,initiates4              
,,chapter ,i    ,,the ,,hermetic        
,,philosophy        ,the lips of wisdom 
are closed1 except to the ears      of  
,understanding--,the ,kybalion4    ,from
 old ,egypt have come the fundamental   
esoteric and occult teachings  which    
have so strongly influenced the         
philosophies of all races1 nations  and 
peoples1 for several thousand years4    
,egypt1 the home of the ,pyramids  and  
the ,sphinx1 was the birthplace of the  
,hidden ,wisdom and ,mystic  ,teachings4
 ,from her ,secret ,doctrine all nations
 have borrowed4 ,india1  ,persia1       
,chaldea1 ,medea1 ,china1 ,japan1       
,assyria1 ancient ,greece and ,rome1    
and other ancient countries partook     

liberally at the feast of knowledge     
which the ,hierophants and ,masters of  
the ,land of ,isis so freely provided   
for those who came prepared to partake  
of the great store of ,mystic and       
,occult ,lore which the masterminds of  
that ancient land had gathered          
together4    ,in ancient ,egypt dwelt   
the great ,adepts and ,masters who have 
never been  surpassed1 and who seldom   
have been equaled1 during the centuries 
that  have taken their processional     
flight since the days of the ,great     
,hermes4  ,in ,egypt was located the    
,great ,lodge of ,lodges of the         
,mystics4 ,at the  doors of her ,temples
 entered the ,neophytes who afterward1  
as  ,hierophants1 ,adepts1 and ,masters1
 traveled to the four corners of the    
earth1 carrying with them the precious  
knowledge which they were ready1        
anxious1 and willing to pass on to those
 who were ready to receive the  same4   
,all students of the ,occult recognize  
the debt that they owe to  these        

venerable ,masters of that ancient land4
    ,but among these great ,masters of  
,ancient ,egypt there once dwelt one of 
whom ,masters hailed as ,the ,master of 
,masters4 ,this man1 if man  indeed he  
was1 dwelt in ,egypt in the earliest    
days4 ,he was known as  ,hermes         
,trismegistus4 ,he was the father of the
 ,occult ,wisdom2 the founder  of       
,astrology2 the discoverer of ,alchemy4 
,the details of his life story  are lost
 to history1 owing to the lapse of the  
years1 though several of  the ancient   
countries disputed with each other in   
their claims to the  honor of having    
furnished his birthplace--and this      
thousands of years  ago4 ,the date of   
his sojourn in ,egypt1 in that his last 
incarnation on  this planet1 is not now 
known1 but it has been fixed at the     
early days  of the oldest dynasties of  
,egypt--long before the days of ,moses4 
,the  best authorities regard him as a  
contemporary of ,abraham1 and some of   
the ,jewish traditions go so far as to  

claim that ,abraham acquired a  portion 
of his mystic knowledge from ,hermes    
himself4    ,as the years rolled by     
after his passing from this plane of    
life  7tradition recording that he lived
 three hundred years in the flesh71  the
 ,egyptians deified ,hermes1 and made   
him one of their gods1 under the  name  
of ,thoth4 ,years after1 the people of  
,ancient ,greece also made him  one of  
their many gods--calling him ,hermes1   
the god of ,wisdom4 ,the  ,egyptians    
revered his memory for many             
centuries-yes1 tens of centuries--      
calling him the ,scribe of the ,gods1   
and bestowing upon him1  distinctively1 
his ancient title1 ,trismegistus1 which 
means the  thrice-great2 the            
great-great2 the greatest-great2 etc4   
,in all the  ancient lands1 the name of 
,hermes ,trismegistus was revered1 the  
name  being synonymous with the ,fount  
of ,wisdom4    ,even to this day1 we use
 the term hermetic in the sense of      
secret2  sealed so that nothing can     

escape2 etc41 and this by reason of the 
fact that the followers of ,hermes      
always observed the principle of        
secrecy in their teachings4 ,they did   
not believe in casting pearls  before   
swine1 but rather held to the teaching  
milk for babes2 meat  for strong men1   
both of which maxims are familiar to    
readers of the  ,christian scriptures1  
but both of which had been used by the  
,egyptians  for centuries before the    
,christian era4    ,and this policy of  
careful dissemination of the truth has  
always  characterized the ,hermetics1   
even unto the present day4 ,the         
,hermetic  ,teachings are to be found in
 all lands1 among all religions1 but    
never  identified with any particular   
country1 nor with any particular        
religious sect4 ,this because of the    
warning of the ancient teachers  against
 allowing the ,secret ,doctrine to      
become crystallized into a  creed4 ,the 
wisdom of this caution is apparent to   
all students of  history4 ,the ancient  

occultism of ,india and ,persia         
degenerated1 and was  largely lost1     
owing to the fact that the teachers     
became priests1 and so  mixed theology  
with the philosophy1 the result being   
that the occultism  of ,india and       
,persia has been gradually lost amidst  
the mass of religious  superstition1    
cults1 creeds and gods4 ,so it was with 
,ancient ,greece  and ,rome4 ,so it was 
with the ,hermetic ,teachings of the    
,gnostics and  ,early ,christians1 which
 were lost at the time of ,constantine1 
whose iron  hand smothered philosophy   
with the blanket of theology1 losing to 
the  ,christian ,church that which was  
its very essence and spirit1 and causing
  it to grope throughout several        
centuries before it found the way back  
to  its ancient faith1 the indications  
apparent to all careful observers in    
this ,twentieth ,century being that the 
,church is now struggling to get  back  
to its ancient mystic teachings4    ,but
 there were always a few faithful souls 

who kept alive the ,flame1  tending it  
carefully1 and not allowing its light to
 become extinguished4  ,and thanks to   
these staunch hearts1 and fearless      
minds1 we have the  truth still with us4
  ,but it is not found in books1 to any 
great extent4  ,it has been passed along
 from ,master to ,student2 from         
,initiate to  ,hierophant2 from lip to  
ear4 ,when it was written down at all1  
its  meaning was veiled in terms of     
alchemy and astrology so that only those
  possessing the key could read it      
aright4 ,this was made necessary in     
order to avoid the persecutions of the  
theologians of the ,middle ,ages1  who  
fought the ,secret ,doctrine with fire  
and sword2 stake1 gibbet and  cross4    
,even to this day there will be found   
but few reliable books on  the ,hermetic
 ,philosophy1 although there are        
countless references to it  in many     
books written on various phases of      
,occultism4 ,and yet1 the  ,hermetic    
,philosophy is the only ,master ,key    

which will open all the doors  of the   
,occult ,teachings6    ,in the early    
days1 there was a compilation of certain
 ,basic ,hermetic  ,doctrines1 passed on
 from teacher to student1 which was     
known as ,,the  ,,kybalion1 the exact   
significance and meaning of the term    
having been  lost for several centuries4
 ,this teaching1 however1 is known to   
many to  whom it has descended1 from    
mouth to ear1 on and on throughout the  
centuries4 ,its precepts have never been
 written down1 or printed1 so far  as we
 know4 ,it was merely a collection of   
maxims1 axioms1 and precepts1  which    
were non-understandable to outsiders1   
but which were readily  understood by   
students1 after the axioms1 maxims1 and 
precepts had been  explained and        
exemplified by the ,hermetic ,initiates 
to their ,neophytes4  ,these teachings  
really constituted the basic principles 
of ,the ,art of  ,hermetic ,alchemy1    
which1 contrary to the general belief1  
dealt in the  mastery of ,mental        

,forces1 rather than ,material          
,elements-the  ,transmutation of one    
kind of ,mental ,vibrations into others1
 instead of  the changing of one kind of
 metal into another4 ,the legends of the
  ,philosopher's ,stone which would turn
 base metal into ,gold1 was an  allegory
 relating to ,hermetic ,philosophy1     
readily understood by all  students of  
true ,hermeticism4    ,in this little   
book1 of which this is the ,first       
,lesson1 we invite our  students to     
examine into the ,hermetic ,teachings1  
as set forth in ,,the  ,,kybalion1 and  
as explained by ourselves1 humble       
students of the  ,teachings1 who1 while 
bearing the title of ,initiates1 are    
still students  at the feet of ,,hermes1
 the ,master4 ,we herein give you many  
of the  maxims1 axioms and precepts of  
,,the ,,kybalion1 accompanied by        
explanations  and illustrations which we
 deem likely to render the teachings    
more  easily comprehended by the modern 
student1 particularly as the original   

text is purposely veiled in obscure     
terms4    ,the original maxims1 axioms1 
and precepts of ,,the ,,kybalion are    
printed  herein1 in italics1 the proper 
credit being given4 ,our own work is    
printed in the regular way1 in the body 
of the work4 ,we trust that the  many   
students to whom we now offer this      
little work will derive as much  benefit
 from the study of its pages as have the
 many who have gone on  before1 treading
 the same ,path to ,mastery throughout  
the centuries that  have passed since   
the times of ,,hermes                   
,,trismegistus--the ,master of          
,masters--the ,great-,great4 ,in the    
words of ,,the ,,kybalion3        ,where
 fall the footsteps of the ,master1 the 
ears of those      ready for his        
,teaching open wide4--,the ,kybalion4   
,when the ears of the student are ready 
to hear1 then cometh      the lips to   
fill them with ,wisdom4--,the ,kybalion4
    ,so that according to the           
,teachings1 the passage of this book to 

those  ready for the instruction will   
attract the attention of such as are    
prepared to receive the ,teaching4 ,and1
 likewise1 when the pupil is ready  to  
receive the truth1 then will this little
 book come to him1 or her4  ,such is    
,the ,law4 ,the ,hermetic ,principle of 
,cause and ,effect1 in its  aspect of   
,the ,law of ,attraction1 will bring    
lips and ear together--pupil  and book  
in company4 ,so mote it be6             
,,chapter ,,ii    ,,the ,,seven         
,,hermetic ,,principles        ,the     
,principles of ,truth are ,seven2 he who
 knows these1      understandingly1     
possesses the ,magic ,key before whose  
touch all the ,doors of the ,temple fly 
open4--,the ,kybalion4    ,the ,seven   
,hermetic ,principles1 upon which the   
entire ,hermetic ,philosophy  is based1 
are as follows3        #a4 ,the         
,principle of ,mentalism4      #b4 ,the 
,principle of ,correspondence4      #c4 
,the ,principle of ,vibration4      #d4 
,the ,principle of ,polarity4      #e4  

,the ,principle of ,rhythm4      #f4    
,the ,principle of ,cause and ,effect4  
#g4 ,the ,principle of ,gender4         
,these ,seven ,principles will be       
discussed and explained as we proceed   
with these lessons4 ,a short explanation
 of each1 however1 may as well be  given
 at this point4    #a4  ,the ,principle 
of ,mentalism        ,,the ,,all ,,is   
,,mind2 ,the ,universe is ,mental4--,the
 ,kybalion4    ,this ,principle embodies
 the truth that ,all is ,mind4 ,it      
explains that  ,,the ,,all 7which is the
 ,substantial ,reality underlying all   
the outward  manifestations and         
appearances which we know under the     
terms of ,the  ,material ,universe2 the 
,phenomena of ,life2 ,matter2 ,energy2  
and1 in  short1 all that is apparent to 
our material senses7 is ,,spirit which  
in  itself is ,,unknowable and          
,,undefinable1 but which may be         
considered and  thought of as ,,an      
,,universal1 ,,infinite1 ,,living       
,,mind4 ,it also explains that  all the 

phenomenal world or universe is simply a
 ,mental ,creation of ,,the  ,,all1     
subject to the ,laws of ,created        
,things1 and that the universe1 as a    
whole1 and in its parts or units1 has   
its existence in the ,mind of ,,the     
,,all1 in which ,mind we live and move  
and have our being4 ,this  ,principle1  
by establishing the ,mental ,nature of  
the ,universe1 easily  explains all of  
the varied mental and psychic phenomena 
that occupy such  a large portion of the
 public attention1 and which1 without   
such  explanation1 are                  
non-understandable and defy scientific  
treatment4 ,an  understanding of this   
great ,hermetic ,principle of ,mentalism
 enables the  individual to readily     
grasp the laws of the ,mental ,universe1
 and to  apply the same to his          
well-being and advancement4 ,the        
,hermetic ,student  is enabled to apply 
intelligently the great ,mental ,laws1  
instead of  using them in a haphazard   
manner4 ,with the ,master-,key in his   

possession1  the student may unlock the 
many doors of the mental and psychic    
temple  of knowledge1 and enter the same
 freely and intelligently4 ,this        
,principle explains the true nature of  
,energy1 ,power1 and ,matter1  and why  
and how all these are subordinate to the
 ,mastery of ,mind4 ,one of  the old    
,hermetic ,masters wrote1 long ages ago3
 ,he who grasps the truth  of the       
,mental ,nature of the ,universe is well
 advanced on ,the ,path to  ,mastery4   
,and these words are as true today as at
 the time they were  first written4     
,without this ,master-,key1 ,mastery is 
impossible1 and the  student knocks in  
vain at the many doors of ,the ,temple4 
#b4  ,the ,principle of ,correspondence 
,as above1 so below2 as below1 so       
above4--,the ,kybalion4    ,this        
,principle embodies the truth that there
 is always a ,correspondence  between   
the laws and phenomena of the various   
planes of ,being and ,life4  ,the old   
,hermetic axiom ran in these words3 ,as 

above1 so below2 as  below1 so above4   
,and the grasping of this ,principle    
gives one the means  of solving many a  
dark paradox1 and hidden secret of      
,nature4 ,there are  planes beyond our  
knowing1 but when we apply the          
,principle of  ,correspondence to them  
we are able to understand much that     
would  otherwise be unknowable to us4   
,this ,principle is of universal        
application and manifestation1 on the   
various planes of the material1  mental1
 and spiritual universe--it is an       
,universal ,law4 ,the ancient           
,hermetists considered this ,principle  
as one of the most important mental     
instruments by which man was able to pry
 aside the obstacles which hid  from    
view the ,unknown4 ,its use even tore   
aside the ,veil of ,isis to the  extent 
that a glimpse of the face of the       
goddess might be caught4 ,just  as a    
knowledge of the ,principles of         
,geometry enables man to measure        
distant suns and their movements1 while 

seated in his observatory1  so a        
knowledge of the ,principle of          
,correspondence enables ,man to reason  
intelligently from the ,known to the    
,unknown4  ,studying the monad1 he      
understands the archangel4    #c4  ,the 
,principle of ,vibration        ,nothing
 rests2 everything moves2 everything    
vibrates4--,the      ,kybalion4    ,this
 ,principle embodies the truth that     
everything is in motion2  everything    
vibrates2 nothing is at rest2 facts     
which ,modern ,science  endorses1 and   
which each new scientific discovery     
tends to verify4  ,and  yet this        
,hermetic ,principle was enunciated     
thousands of years ago1 by  the ,masters
 of ,ancient ,egypt4 ,this ,principle   
explains that the  differences between  
different manifestations of ,matter1    
,energy1 ,mind1  and even ,spirit1      
result largely from varying rates of    
,vibration4 ,from  ,,the ,,all1 which is
 ,pure ,spirit1 down to the grossest    
form of ,matter1 all  is in             

vibration--the higher the vibration1 the
 higher the position in  the scale4 ,the
 vibration of ,spirit is at such an     
infinite rate of  intensity and rapidity
 that it is practically at rest--just as
 a rapidly  moving wheel seems to be    
motionless4 ,and at the other end of the
 scale1  there are gross forms of matter
 whose vibrations are so low as to seem 
at rest4 ,between these poles1 there are
 millions upon millions of  varying     
degrees of vibration4 ,from corpuscle   
and electron1 atom and  molecule1 to    
worlds and universes1 everything is in  
vibratory motion4  ,this is also true on
 the planes of energy and force 7which  
are but  varying degrees of vibration72 
and also on the mental planes 7whose    
states depend upon vibrations72 and even
 on to the spiritual planes4  ,an       
understanding of this ,principle1 with  
the appropriate formulas1  enables      
,hermetic students to control their own 
mental vibrations as well  as those of  
others4 ,the ,masters also apply this   

,principle to the  conquering of        
,natural phenomena1 in various ways4 ,he
 who understands  the ,principle of     
,vibration1 has grasped the scepter of  
power1 says one  of the old writers4    
#d4  ,the ,principle of ,polarity       
,everything is ,dual2 everything has    
poles2 everything has its      pair of  
opposites2 like and unlike are the same2
 opposites are      identical in nature1
 but different in degree2 extremes meet2
      all truths are but half-truths2   
all paradoxes may be                    
reconciled4--,the ,kybalion4    ,this   
,principle embodies the truth that      
everything is dual2 everything  has two 
poles2 everything has its pair of       
opposites1 all of which  were old       
,hermetic axioms4 ,it explains the old  
paradoxes1 that have  perplexed so many1
 which have been stated as follows3     
,thesis and  antithesis are identical in
 nature1 but different in degree2       
opposites  are the same1 differing only 
in degree2 the pairs of opposites may be

  reconciled2 extremes meet2 everything 
is and isn't1 at the same  time2 all    
truths are but half-truths2 every truth 
is half-false2  there are two sides to  
everything1 etc41 etc41 etc4 ,it        
explains that  in everything there are  
two poles1 or opposite aspects1 and that
  opposites are really only the two     
extremes of the same thing1 with  many  
varying degrees between them4 ,to       
illustrate3  ,heat and ,cold1  although 
opposites1 are really the same thing1   
the differences  consisting merely of   
degrees of the same thing4 ,look at your
 thermometer  and see if you can        
discover where heat terminates and cold 
begins6  ,there is no such thing as     
absolute heat or absolute cold--the two 
terms heat and cold simply indicate     
varying degrees of the same  thing1 and 
that same thing which manifests as heat 
and cold  is merely a form1 variety1 and
 rate of ,vibration4 ,so heat and cold  
are simply the two poles of that which  
we call ,heat--and the  phenomena       

attendant thereupon are manifestations  
of the ,principle of  ,polarity4 ,the   
same ,principle manifests in the case of
 ,light and  ,darkness1 which are the   
same thing1 the difference consisting of
  varying degrees between the two poles 
of the phenomena4 ,where does  darkness 
leave off1 and light begin8 ,what is the
 difference between  ,large and ,small8 
,between ,hard and ,soft8 ,between      
,black and ,white8  ,between ,sharp and 
,dull8 ,between ,noise and ,quiet8      
,between ,high and  ,low8 ,between      
,positive and ,negative8 ,the ,principle
 of ,polarity  explains these paradoxes1
 and no other ,principle can supersede  
it4 ,the  same ,principle operates on   
the ,mental ,plane4 ,let us take a      
radical and  extreme example--that of   
,love and ,hate1 two mental states      
apparently  totally different4  ,and yet
 there are degrees of ,hate and degrees 
of  ,love1 and a middle point in which  
we use the terms ,like or ,dislike1     
which shade into each other so gradually

 that sometimes we are at a loss  to    
know whether we like or dislike or      
neither4 ,and all are simply  degrees of
 the same thing1 as you will see if you 
will but think a  moment4  ,and1 more   
than this 7and considered of more       
importance  by the ,hermetists71 it is  
possible to change the vibrations of    
,hate to  the vibrations of ,love1 in   
one's own mind1 and in the minds of     
others4  ,many of you1 who read these   
lines1 have had personal experiences of 
the  involuntary rapid transition from  
,love to ,hate1 and the reverse1 in your
  own case and that of others4  ,and you
 will therefore realize the  possibility
 of this being accomplished by the use  
of the ,will1 by means  of the ,hermetic
 formulas4 ,good and ,evil are but the  
poles of the same  thing1 and the       
,hermetist understands the art of       
transmuting ,evil into  ,good1 by means 
of an application of the ,principle of  
,polarity4 ,in short1  the ,art of      
,polarization becomes a phase of ,mental

 ,alchemy known and  practiced by the   
ancient and modern ,hermetic ,masters4  
,an understanding  of the ,principle    
will enable one to change his own       
,polarity1 as well as  that of others1  
if he will devote the time and study    
necessary to master  the art4    #e4    
,the ,principle of ,rhythm              
,everything flows1 out and in2          
everything has its tides2      all      
things rise and fall2 the pendulum-swing
 manifests in      everything2 the      
measure of the swing to the right is the
      measure of the swing to the left2 
rhythm compensates4--,the               
,kybalion4    ,this ,principle embodies 
the truth that in everything there is   
manifested  a measured motion1 to and   
fro2 a flow and inflow2 a swing backward
 and  forward2 a pendulum-like movement2
 a tide-like ebb and flow2 a high-tide  
and low-tide2 between the two poles     
which exist in accordance with the      
,principle of ,polarity described a     
moment ago4 ,there is always an action  

and a reaction2 an advance and a        
retreat2 a rising and a sinking4 ,this  
is in the affairs of the ,universe1     
suns1 worlds1 men1 animals1 mind1       
energy1 and matter4  ,this law is       
manifest in the creation and            
destruction of worlds2 in the rise and  
fall of nations2 in the life of  all    
things2 and finally in the mental states
 of ,man 7and it is with this  latter   
that the ,hermetists find the           
understanding of the ,principle most    
important74 ,the ,hermetists have       
grasped this ,principle1 finding its    
universal application1 and have also    
discovered certain means to  overcome   
its effects in themselves by the use of 
the appropriate  formulas and methods4  
,they apply the ,mental ,law of         
,neutralization4 ,they  cannot annul the
 ,principle1 or cause it to cease its   
operation1 but they  have learned how to
 escape its effects upon themselves to a
 certain  degree depending upon the     
,mastery of the ,principle4  ,they have 

learned  how to ,,use it1 instead of    
being ,,used ,,by it4 ,in this and      
similar  methods1 consist the ,art of   
the ,hermetists4 ,the ,master of        
,hermetics  polarizes himself at the    
point at which he desires to rest1 and  
then  neutralizes the ,rhythmic swing of
 the pendulum which would tend to carry 
him to the other pole4  ,all individuals
 who have attained any degree of        
,self-,mastery do this to a certain     
degree1 more or less unconsciously1  but
 the ,master does this consciously1 and 
by the use of his ,will1 and  attains a 
degree of ,poise and ,mental ,firmness  
almost impossible of  belief on the part
 of the masses who are swung backward   
and forward like  a pendulum4 ,this     
,principle and that of ,polarity have   
been closely  studied by the            
,hermetists1 and the methods of         
counteracting1  neutralizing1 and       
,,using them form an important part of  
the ,hermetic  ,mental ,alchemy4    #f4 
,the ,principle of ,cause and ,effect   

,every ,cause has its ,effect2 every    
,effect has its ,cause2      everything 
happens according to ,law2 ,chance is   
but a name      for ,law not recognized2
 there are many planes of causation1    
but nothing escapes the ,law4--,the     
,kybalion4    ,this ,principle embodies 
the fact that there is a ,cause for     
every ,effect2  an ,effect from every   
,cause4 ,it explains that3  ,everything 
,happens  according to ,law2 that       
nothing ever merely happens2 that there 
is no  such thing as ,chance2 that while
 there are various planes of ,cause and 
,effect1 the higher dominating the lower
 planes1 still nothing ever  entirely   
escapes the ,law4 ,the ,hermetists      
understand the art and methods  of      
rising above the ordinary plane of      
,cause and ,effect1 to a certain        
degree1 and by mentally rising to a     
higher plane they become ,causers       
instead of ,effects4 ,the masses of     
people are carried along1 obedient to   
environment2 the wills and desires of   

others stronger than themselves2        
heredity2 suggestion2 and other outward 
causes moving them about like  pawns on 
the ,chessboard of ,life4 ,but the      
,masters1 rising to the plane  above1   
dominate their moods1 characters1       
qualities1 and powers1 as well  as the  
environment surrounding them1 and become
 ,movers instead of pawns4  ,they help  
to ,,play ,,the ,,game ,,of ,,life1     
instead of being played and moved  about
 by other wills and environment4 ,they  
,,use the ,principle instead of  being  
its tools4 ,the ,masters obey the       
,causation of the higher planes1  but   
they help to ,,rule on their own plane4 
,in this statement there is  condensed a
 wealth of ,hermetic knowledge--let him 
read who can4    #g4  ,the ,principle of
 ,gender        ,gender is in           
everything2 everything has its          
,masculine      and ,feminine           
,principles2 ,gender manifests on all   
planes4--,the ,kybalion4    ,this       
,principle embodies the truth that there

 is ,,gender manifested in              
everything--the ,masculine and ,feminine
 ,principles ever at work4 ,this is     
true not only of the ,physical ,plane1  
but of the ,mental and even the         
,spiritual ,planes4 ,on the ,physical   
,plane1 the ,principle manifests as     
,,sex1  on the higher planes it takes   
higher forms1 but the ,principle is ever
  the same4  ,no creation1 physical1    
mental or spiritual1 is possible        
without this ,principle4 ,an            
understanding of its laws will throw    
light on  many a subject that has       
perplexed the minds of men4 ,the        
,principle of  ,gender works ever in the
 direction of generation1 regeneration1 
and  creation4 ,everything1 and every   
person1 contains the two ,elements or   
,principles1 or this great ,principle1  
within it1 him or her4 ,every ,male     
thing has the ,female ,element also2    
every ,female contains also the ,male   
,principle4  ,if you would understand   
the philosophy of ,mental and           

,spiritual ,creation1 ,generation1 and  
,re-generation1 you must understand  and
 study this ,hermetic ,principle4 ,it   
contains the solution of many  mysteries
 of ,life4 ,we caution you that this    
,principle has no reference  to the many
 base1 pernicious and degrading lustful 
theories1 teachings  and practices1     
which are taught under fanciful titles1 
and which are a  prostitution of the    
great natural principle of ,gender4     
,such base  revivals of the ancient     
infamous forms of ,phallicism tend to   
ruin mind1  body and soul1 and the      
,hermetic ,philosophy has ever sounded  
the warning  note against these degraded
 teachings which tend toward lust1      
licentiousness1 and perversion of       
,nature's principles4 ,if you seek such 
teachings1 you must go elsewhere for    
them--,hermeticism contains nothing  for
 you along these lines4 ,to the pure1   
all things are pure2 to the  base1 all  
things are base4        ,,chapter ,,iii 
,,mental ,,transmutation        ,mind   

7as well as metals and elements7 may be 
transmuted1      from state to state2   
degree to degree2 condition to          
condition2      pole to pole2 vibration 
to vibration4 ,true ,hermetic           
,transmutation      is a ,mental        
,art4--,the ,kybalion4    ,as we have   
stated1 the ,hermetists were the        
original alchemists1  astrologers1 and  
psychologists1 ,hermes having been the  
founder of these  schools of thought4   
,from astrology has grown modern        
astronomy2 from  alchemy has grown      
modern chemistry2 from the mystic       
psychology has grown  the modern        
psychology of the schools4 ,but it must 
not be supposed that  the ancients were 
ignorant of that which the modern       
schools suppose to  be their exclusive  
and special property4 ,the records      
engraved on the  stones of ,ancient     
,egypt show conclusively that the       
ancients had a full  comprehensive      
knowledge of astronomy1 the very        
building of the ,pyramids  showing the  

connection between their design and the 
study of  astronomical science4 ,nor    
were they ignorant of ,chemistry1 for   
the  fragments of the ancient writings  
show that they were acquainted with  the
 chemical properties of things2 in fact1
 the ancient theories  regarding physics
 are being slowly verified by the latest
 discoveries of  modern science1 notably
 those relating to the constitution of  
matter4  ,nor must it be supposed that  
they were ignorant of the so-called     
modern  discoveries in psychology--on   
the contrary1 the ,egyptians were       
especially skilled in the science of    
,psychology1 particularly in the        
branches that the modern schools ignore1
 but which1 nevertheless1 are  being    
uncovered under the name of psychic     
science which is perplexing  the        
psychologists of to-day1 and making them
 reluctantly admit that  there may be   
something in it after all4    ,the truth
 is1 that beneath the material          
chemistry1 astronomy and  psychology    

7that is1 the psychology in its phase of
 brain-action7 the  ancients possessed a
 knowledge of transcendental astronomy1 
called  astrology2 of transcendental    
chemistry1 called alchemy2 of           
transcendental psychology1 called mystic
 psychology4 ,they possessed the  ,inner
 ,knowledge as well as the ,outer       
,knowledge1 the latter alone being      
possessed by modern scientists4 ,among  
the many secret branches of  knowledge  
possessed by the ,hermetists1 was that  
known as ,mental  ,transmutation1 which 
forms the subject matter of this lesson4
    ,transmutation is a term usually    
employed to designate the ancient art   
of the transmutation of                 
metals--particularly of the base metals 
into  gold4 ,the word ,transmute means  
to change from one nature1 form1 or     
substance1 into another2 to transform   
7,webster74 ,and accordingly1  ,mental  
,transmutation means the art of changing
 and transforming mental  states1 forms1
 and conditions1 into others4 ,so you   

may see that ,mental  ,transmutation is 
the ,art of ,mental ,chemistry1 if you  
like the term--a  form of practical     
,mystic ,psychology4    ,but this means 
far more than appears on the surface4   
,transmutation1  ,alchemy1 or ,chemistry
 on the ,mental ,plane is important     
enough in its  effects1 to be sure1 and 
if the art stopped there it would still 
be one  of the most important branches  
of study known to man4 ,but this is only
  the beginning4 ,let us see why6       
,the first of the ,seven ,hermetic      
,principles is the ,principle of        
,mentalism1 the axiom of which is ,,the 
,,all is ,mind2 the ,universe is        
,mental1 which means that the           
,underlying ,reality of the ,universe is
  ,mind2 and the ,universe itself is    
,mental--that is1 existing in the ,mind 
of ,,the ,,all4 ,we shall consider this 
,principle in succeeding lessons1 but   
let us see the effect of the principle  
if it be assumed to be true4    ,if the 
,universe is ,mental in its nature1 then

 ,mental ,transmutation must  be the art
 of ,,changing ,,the ,,conditions ,,of  
,,the ,,universe1 along the lines  of   
,matter1 ,force and mind4 ,so you see1  
therefore1 that ,mental  ,transmutation 
is really the ,magic of which the       
ancient2 writers had so  much to say in 
their mystical works1 and about which   
they gave so few  practical             
instructions4 ,if ,all be ,mental1 then 
the art which enables one  to transmute 
mental conditions must render the       
,master the controller of  material     
conditions as well as those ordinarily  
called mental4    ,as a matter of fact1 
none but advanced ,mental ,alchemists   
have been able  to attain the degree of 
power necessary to control the grosser  
physical  conditions1 such as the       
control of the elements of ,nature2 the 
production or cessation of tempests2 the
 production and cessation of            
earthquakes and other great physical    
phenomena4 ,but that such men have      
existed1 and do exist today1 is a matter

 of earnest belief to all  advanced     
occultists of all schools4 ,that the    
,masters exist1 and have  these powers1 
the best teachers assure their students1
 having had  experiences which justify  
them in such belief and statements4     
,these  ,masters do not make public     
exhibitions of their powers1 but seek   
seclusion from the crowds of men1 in    
order to better work their may  along   
the ,path of ,attainment4 ,we mention   
their existence1 at this point1  merely 
to call your attention to the fact that 
their power is entirely  ,mental1 and   
operates along the lines of the higher  
,mental ,transmutation1  under the      
,hermetic ,principle of ,mentalism4     
,the ,universe is ,mental--,the         
,kybalion4    ,but students and         
,hermetists of lesser degree than       
,masters--the ,initiates  and           
,teachers--are able to freely work along
 the ,mental ,plane1 in ,mental         
,transmutation4 ,in fact all that we    
call psychic phenomena12 mental         

influence2 mental science2 new-thought  
phenomena1 etc41 operates  along the    
same general lines1 for there is but one
 principle involved1  no matter by what 
name the phenomena be called4    ,the   
student and practitioner of ,mental     
,transmutation works among the  ,mental 
,plane1 transmuting mental conditions1  
states1 etc41 into others1  according to
 various formulas1 more or less         
efficacious4 ,the various  treatments1  
affirmations1 denials etc41 of the      
schools of mental  science are but      
formulas1 often quite imperfect and     
unscientific1 of ,the  ,hermetic ,art4  
,the majority of modern practitioners   
are quite ignorant  compared to the     
ancient masters1 for they lack the      
fundamental knowledge  upon which the   
work is based4    ,not only may the     
mental states1 etc41 of one's self be   
changed or  transmuted by ,hermetic     
,methods2 but also the states of others 
may be1  and are1 constantly transmuted 
in the same way1 usually unconsciously1 

but often consciously by some           
understanding the laws and principles1  
in  cases where the people affected are 
not informed of the principles of       
self-protection4 ,and more than this1 as
 many students and practitioners  of    
modern mental science know1 every       
material condition depending upon  the  
minds of other people may be changed or 
transmuted in accordance  with the      
earnest desire1 will1 and treatments of 
person desiring  changed conditions of  
life4 ,the public are so generally      
informed  regarding these things at     
present1 that we do not deem it         
necessary to  mention the same at       
length1 our purpose at this point being 
merely to  show the ,hermetic ,principle
 and ,art underlying all of these       
various  forms of practice1 good and    
evil1 for the force can be used in      
opposite  directions according to the   
,hermetic ,principles of ,polarity4     
,in this little book we shall state the 
basic principles of ,mental             

,transmutation1 that all who read may   
grasp the ,underlying ,principles1  and 
thus possess the ,master-,key that will 
unlock the many doors of the  ,principle
 of ,polarity4    ,we shall now proceed 
to a consideration of the first of the  
,hermetic  ,seven ,principles--the      
,principle of ,mentalism1 in which is   
explained the  truth that ,,the ,,all is
 ,mind2 the ,universe is ,mental1 in the
 words of  ,the ,kybalion4 ,we ask the  
close attention1 and careful study of   
this  great ,principle1 on the part of  
our students1 for it is really the      
,basic  ,principle of the whole         
,hermetic ,philosophy1 and of the       
,hermetic ,art of  ,mental              
,transmutation4        ,,chapter ,,iv   
,,the ,,all        ,under1 and back of1 
the ,universe of ,time1 ,space and      
,change1      is ever to be found ,the  
,substantial ,reality--the ,fundamental 
,truth4--,the ,kybalion4    ,substance  
means3 that which underlies all outward 
manifestations2 the  essence2 the       

essential reality2 the thing in itself1 
etc4 ,substantial  means3 actually      
existing2 being the essential element2  
being real1 etc4  ,reality means3 the   
state of being real2 true1 enduring2    
valid2 fixed2  permanent2 actual1 etc4  
,under and behind all outward           
appearances or manifestations1 there    
must  always be a ,substantial ,reality4
 ,this is the ,law4 ,man considering the
  ,universe1 of which he is a unit1 sees
 nothing but change in matter1  forces1 
and mental states4 ,he sees that nothing
 really ,,is1 but that  everything is   
,,becoming and ,,changing4 ,nothing     
stands still-everything is  being born1 
growing1 dying-the very instant a thing 
reaches its height1  it begins to       
decline--the law of rhythm is in        
constant operation--there  is no        
reality1 enduring quality1 fixity1 or   
substantiality in anything--  nothing is
 permanent but ,change4 ,he sees all    
things evolving from other  things1 and 
resolving into other things--constant   

action and reaction2  inflow and        
outflow2 building up and tearing down2  
creation and  destruction2 birth1 growth
 and death4 ,nothing endures but        
,change4 ,and if  he be a thinking man1 
he realizes that all of these changing  
things must  be but outward appearances 
or manifestations of some ,underlying   
,power--some ,substantial ,reality4     
,all thinkers1 in all lands and in all  
times1 have assumed the necessity  for  
postulating the existence of this       
,substantial ,reality4 ,all             
philosophies worthy of the name have    
been based upon this thought4 ,men  have
 given to this ,substantial ,reality    
many names-some have called it by  the  
term of ,deity 7under many titles74     
,others have called it ,the  ,infinite  
and ,eternal ,energy others have tried  
to call it ,matter--but  all have       
acknowledged its existence4 ,it is      
self-evident it needs no  argument4     
,in these lessons we have followed the  
example of some of the world's  greatest

 thinkers1 both ancient and modern--the 
,hermetic4 ,masters--and  have called   
this ,underlying ,power--this           
,substantial ,reality--by the  ,hermetic
 name of ,,the ,,all1 which term we     
consider the most  comprehensive of the 
many terms applied by ,man to ,,that    
which transcends  names and terms4      
,we accept and teach the view of the    
great ,hermetic thinkers of all  times1 
as well as of those illumined souls who 
have reached higher  planes of being1   
both of whom assert that the inner      
nature of ,,the ,,all is  ,,unknowable4 
,this must be so1 for naught by ,,the   
,,all itself can comprehend  its own    
nature and being4    ,the ,hermetists   
believe and teach that ,,the ,,all1 in  
itself1 is and must  ever be            
,,unknowable4 ,they regard all the      
theories1 guesses and  speculations of  
the theologians and metaphysicians      
regarding the inner  nature of ,,the    
,,all1 as but the childish efforts of   
mortal minds to grasp  the secret of the

 ,infinite4 ,such efforts have always   
failed and will  always fail1 from the  
very nature of the task4 ,one pursuing  
such  inquiries travels around and      
around in the labyrinth of thought1     
until  he is lost to all sane reasoning1
 action or conduct1 and is utterly      
unfitted for the work of life4 ,he is   
like the squirrel which frantically     
runs around and around the circling     
treadmill wheel of his cage1  traveling 
ever and yet reaching nowhere--at the   
end a prisoner still1  and standing just
 where he started4    ,and still more   
presumptuous are those who attempt to   
ascribe to ,,the ,,all  the personality1
 qualities1 properties1 characteristics 
and attributes  of themselves1 ascribing
 to ,,the ,,all the human emotions1     
feelings1 and  characteristics1 even    
down to the pettiest qualities of       
mankind1 such as  jealousy1             
susceptibility to flattery and praise1  
desire for offerings  and worship1 and  
all the other survivals from the days of

 the childhood  of the race4 ,such ideas
 are not worthy of grown men and women1 
and are  rapidly being discarded4       
7,at this point1 it may be proper for me
 to state that we make a  distinction   
between ,religion and ,theology--between
 ,philosophy and  ,metaphysics4         
,religion1 to us1 means that intuitional
 realization of the  existence of ,,the 
,,all1 and one's relationship to it2    
while ,theology means  the attempts of  
men to ascribe personality1 qualities1  
and  characteristics to it2 their       
theories regarding its affairs1 will1   
desires1 plans1 and designs1 and their  
assumption of the office of ''          
middle-men'' between ,,the ,,all and the
 people4 ,philosophy1 to us1 means  the 
inquiry after knowledge of things       
knowable and thinkable2 while           
,metaphysics means the attempt to carry 
the inquiry over and beyond the         
boundaries and into regions unknowable  
and unthinkable1 and with the  same     
tendency as that of ,theology4 ,and     

consequently1 both ,religion and        
,philosophy mean to us things having    
roots in ,reality1 while ,theology and  
,metaphysics seem like broken reeds1    
rooted in the quicksands of  ignorance1 
and affording naught but the most       
insecure support for the  mind or soul  
of ,man4 we do not insist upon our      
students accepting these                
definitions--we mention them merely to  
show our position4  ,at any rate1 you   
shall hear very little about ,theology  
and ,metaphysics  in these lessons47    
,but while the essential nature of ,,the
 ,,all is ,unknowable1 there are        
certain truths connected with its       
existence which the human mind finds    
itself compelled to accept4 ,and an     
examination of these reports form a     
proper subject of inquiry1 particularly 
as they agree with the reports  of the  
,illumined on higher planes4 ,and to    
this inquiry we now invite  you4        
,,that which is the ,fundamental        
,truth--the ,substantial                

,reality--is beyond true naming1 but the
 ,wise ,men call      it ,,the          
,,all4--,the ,kybalion4        ,in its  
,essence1 ,,the ,,all is                
,,unknowable4--,the ,kybalion4          
,but1 the report of ,reason must be     
hospitably received1      and treated   
with respect4--,the ,kybalion4    ,the  
human reason1 whose reports we must     
accept so long as we think at  all1     
informs us as follows regarding ,,the   
,,all1 and that without  attempting to  
remove the veil of the ,unknowable3     
7#a7 ,,the ,,all must be ,,all that     
,,really ,,is4 ,there can be            
nothing existing outside of ,,the ,,all1
 else ,,the ,,all would      not be     
,,the ,,all4        7#b7 ,,the ,,all    
must be ,,infinite1 for there is nothing
 else      to define1 confine1 bound1   
limit2 or restrict ,,the ,,all4      ,it
 must be ,infinite in ,time1 or         
,,eternal1--it must have      always    
continuously existed1 for there is      
nothing else to      have ever created  

it1 and something can never evolve from 
nothing1 and if it had ever not been1   
even for a moment1      it would not be 
now1--it must continuously exist        
forever1      for there is nothing to   
destroy it1 and it can never            
not-be1 even for a moment1 because      
something can never      become nothing4
 ,it must be ,infinite in ,space--it    
must be      ,everywhere1 for there is  
no place outside of ,,the ,,all--it     
cannot be otherwise than continuous in  
,space1 without break1      cessation1  
separation1 or interruption1 for there  
is nothing      to break1 separate1 or  
interrupt its continuity1 and nothing   
with which to fill in the gaps4 ,it must
 be ,infinite in      ,power1 or        
,absolute1 for there is nothing to      
limit1 restrict1      restrain1 confine1
 disturb or condition it--it is subject 
to      no other ,power1 for there is no
 other ,power4        7#c7 ,,the ,,all  
must be ,,immutable1 or not subject to  
change in      its real nature1 for     

there is nothing to work changes upon it
      nothing into which it could       
change1 nor from which it could         
have changed4 ,it cannot be added to nor
 subtracted from2      increased nor    
diminished2 nor become greater or lesser
 in any      respect whatsoever4 ,it    
must have always been1 and must always  
remain1 just what it is now--,,the      
,,all--there has never been1      is not
 now1 and never will be1 anything else  
into which it      can change4    ,,the 
,,all being ,infinite1 ,absolute1       
,eternal and ,unchangeable it must      
follow that anything finite1 changeable1
 fleeting1 and conditioned  cannot be   
,,the ,,all4 ,and as there is ,nothing  
outside of ,,the ,,all1 in  ,reality1   
then any and all such finite things must
 be as ,nothing in  ,reality4 ,now do   
not become befogged1 nor frightened--we 
are not trying  to lead you into the    
,christian ,science field under cover of
 ,hermetic  ,philosophy4 ,there is a    
,reconciliation of this apparently      

contradictory  state of affairs4 ,be    
patient1 we will reach it in time4      
,we see around us that which is called  
,matter1 which forms the physical       
foundation for all forms4 ,is ,,the     
,,all merely ,matter8 ,not at all6      
,matter  cannot manifest ,life or ,mind1
 and as ,life and ,mind are manifested  
in the  ,universe1 ,,the ,,all cannot be
 ,matter1 for nothing rises higher than 
its  own source--nothing is ever        
manifested in an effect that is not in  
the  cause--nothing is evolved as a     
consequent that is not involved as an   
antecedent4 ,and then ,modern ,science  
informs us that there is really no  such
 thing as ,matter--that what we call    
,matter is merely interrupted  energy or
 force1 that is1 energy or force at a   
low rate of vibration4  ,as a recent    
writer has said ,matter has melted into 
,mystery4 ,even  ,material ,science has 
abandoned the theory of ,matter1 and now
 rests on  the basis of ,energy4        
,then is ,,the ,,all mere ,energy or    

,force8 ,not ,energy or ,force as the   
materialists use the terms1 for their   
energy and force are blind1  mechanical 
things1 devoid of ,life or ,mind4 ,life 
and ,mind can never  evolve from blind  
,energy or ,force1 for the reason given 
a moment ago3  ,nothing can rise higher 
than its source--nothing is evolved     
unless it  is involved--nothing         
manifests in the effect1 unless it is in
 the cause4   ,and so ,,the ,,all cannot
 be mere ,energy or ,force1 for1 if it  
were1 then  there would be no such      
things as ,life and ,mind in existence1 
and we know  better than that1 for we   
are ,alive and using ,mind to consider  
this very  question1 and so are those   
who claim that ,energy or ,force is     
,everything4    ,what is there then     
higher than ,matter or ,energy that we  
know to be  existent in the ,universe8  
,,life ,,and ,,mind6 ,life and ,mind in 
all their  varying degrees of           
unfoldment6 ,then1 you ask1 do you mean 
to tell us  that ,,the ,,all is ,,life  

and ,,mind8 ,yes6 and ,no6 is our       
answer4 ,if you mean  ,life and ,mind as
 we poor petty mortals know them1 we say
 ,no6 ,,the ,,all is  not that6 ,but    
what kind of ,life and ,mind do you     
mean8 you ask4    ,the answer is        
,,living ,,mind1 as far above that which
 mortals know by  those words1 as ,life 
and ,mind are higher than mechanical    
forces1 or  matter--,,infinite ,,living 
,,mind as compared to finite ,life and  
,mind4 ,we  mean that which the         
illumined souls mean when they          
reverently pronounce  the word3         
,,spirit6    ,,the ,,all is ,infinite   
,living ,mind--the ,illumined call it   
,,spirit6        ,,chapter ,v    ,,the  
,,mental ,,universe        ,the         
,universe is ,mental--held in the ,mind 
of ,,the      ,,all4--,the ,kybalion4   
,,the ,,all is ,,spirit6 ,but what is   
,spirit8 ,this question cannot be       
answered1  for the reason that its      
definition is practically that of ,,the 
,,all1 which  cannot be explained or    

defined4 ,spirit is simply a name that  
men give to  the highest conception of  
,infinite ,living ,mind--it means the   
,real  ,essence--it means ,living ,mind1
 as much superior to ,life and ,mind as 
we  know them1 as the latter are        
superior to mechanical ,energy and      
,matter4  ,spirit transcends our        
understanding1 and we use the term      
merely that we  may think or speak of   
,,the ,,all4 ,for the purposes of       
thought and  understanding1 we are      
justified in thinking of ,spirit as     
,infinite ,living  ,mind1 at the same   
time acknowledging that we cannot fully 
understand it4  ,we must either do this 
or stop thinking of the matter at all4  
,let us now proceed to a consideration  
of the nature of the ,universe1 as  a   
whole and in its parts4 ,what is the    
,universe8 ,we have seen that there  can
 be nothing outside of ,,the ,,all4     
,then is the ,universe ,,the ,,all8 ,no1
  this cannot be1 because the ,universe 
seems to be made up of ,,many1 and is   

constantly changing1 and in other ways  
it does not measure up to the  ideas    
that we are compelled to accept         
regarding ,,the ,,all1 as stated in  our
 last lesson4 ,then if the ,universe be 
not ,,the ,,all1 then it must be        
,nothing--such is the inevitable        
conclusion of the mind at first thought4
  ,but this will not satisfy the        
question1 for we are sensible of the    
existence of the ,universe4 ,then if the
 ,universe is neither ,,the ,,all1 nor  
,nothing1 what ,can it be8 ,let us      
examine this question4    ,if the       
,universe exists at all1 or seems to    
exist1 it must proceed in  some way from
 ,,the ,,all--it must be a creation of  
,,the ,,all4 ,but as  something can     
never come from nothing1 from what could
 ,,the ,,all have  created it4 ,some    
philosophers have answered this question
 by saying that  ,,the ,,all created the
 ,universe from ,,itself--that is1 from 
the being and  substance of ,,the ,,all4
 ,but this will not do1 for ,,the ,,all 

cannot be  subtracted from1 nor divided1
 as we have seen1 and then again if this
 be  so1 would not each particle in the 
,universe be aware of its being ,,the   
,,all--,,the ,,all could not lose its   
knowledge of itself1 nor actually       
,,become  an atom1 or blind force1 or   
lowly living thing4 ,some men1 indeed1  
realizing that ,,the ,,all is indeed    
,,all1 and also recognizing that they1  
the men1 existed1 have jumped to the    
conclusion that they and ,,the ,,all    
were identical1 and they have filled the
 air with shouts of ,i ,,am ,,god1  to  
the amusement of the multitude and the  
sorrow of sages4 ,the claim of  the     
corpuscle that3 ,i am ,man6 would be    
modest in comparison4    ,but1 what     
indeed is the ,universe1 if it be not   
,,the ,,all1 not yet created  by ,,the  
,,all having separated itself into      
fragments8 ,what else can it be--  of   
what else can it be made8 ,this is the  
great question4 ,let us examine  it     
carefully4 ,we find here that the       

,principle of ,correspondence 7see      
,lesson ,i47 comes to our aid here4 ,the
 old ,hermetic axiom1 ,as above so      
below1 may be pressed into service at   
this point4 ,let us endeavor to  get a  
glimpse of the workings on higher planes
 by examining those on our  own4 ,the   
,principle of ,correspondence must apply
 to this as well as to  other problems4 
,let us see6 ,on his own plane of being1
 how does ,man create8 ,well1 first1  he
 may create by making something out of  
outside materials4 ,but this  will not  
do1 for there are no materials outside  
of ,,the ,,all with which it  may       
create4 ,well1 then1 secondly1 ,man     
pro-creates or reproduces his kind  by  
the process of begetting1 which is      
self-multiplication accomplished  by    
transferring a portion of his substance 
to his offspring4 ,but this  will not   
do1 because ,,the ,,all cannot transfer 
or subtract a portion of  itself1 nor   
can it reproduce or multiply itself--in 
the first place  there would be a taking

 away1 and in the second case a         
multiplication or  addition to ,,the    
,,all1 both thoughts being an absurdity4
 ,is there no third  way in which ,,man 
creates8 ,yes1 there is--he ,,creates   
,,mentally6 ,and in so  doing he uses no
 outside materials1 nor does he         
reproduce himself1 and  yet his ,spirit 
pervades the ,mental ,creation4         
,following the ,principle of            
,correspondence1 we are justified in    
considering that ,,the ,,all creates the
 ,universe ,,mentally1 in a manner akin 
to the process whereby ,man creates     
,mental ,images4 ,and1 here is where the
  report of ,reason tallies precisely   
with the report of the ,illumined1 as   
shown by their teachings and writings4  
,such are the teachings of the  ,wise   
,men4 ,such was the ,teaching of        
,hermes4    ,,the ,,all can create in no
 other way except mentally1 without     
either using  material 7and there is    
none to use71 or else reproducing itself
 7which  is also impossible74 ,there is 

no escape from this conclusion of the   
,reason1 which1 as we have said1 agrees 
with the highest teachings of the       
,illumined4 ,just as you1 student1 may  
create a ,universe of your own in  your 
mentality1 so does ,,the ,,all create   
,universes in its own ,mentality4  ,but 
your ,universe is the mental creation of
 a ,finite ,mind1 whereas that  of ,,the
 ,,all is the creation of an ,infinite4 
,the two are similar in kind1  but      
infinitely different in degree4 ,we     
shall examine more closely into  the    
process of creation and manifestation as
 we proceed4 ,but this is the  point to 
fix in your minds at this stage3 ,,the  
,,universe1 ,,and ,,all ,,it            
,,contains1 ,,is ,a ,,mental ,,creation 
,,of ,,the ,,all4 ,verily indeed1 ,,all 
,,is ,,mind6        ,,the ,,all creates 
in its ,infinite ,mind countless        
,universes1      which exist for aeons  
of ,time--and yet1 to ,,the ,,all1 the  
creation1 development1 decline and death
 of a million ,universes      is as the 

time of the twinkling of an eye4--,the  
,kybalion4        ,the ,infinite ,mind  
of ,,the ,,all is the womb of           
,universes4--,the      ,kybalion4       
,the ,principle of ,gender 7see ,lesson 
,i4 and other lessons to follow7 is     
manifested on all planes of life1       
material mental and spiritual4 ,but1  as
 we have said before1 ,gender does not  
mean ,sex sex is merely a  material     
manifestation of gender4 ,gender means  
relating to generation  or creation4    
,and whenever anything is generated or  
created1 on any  plane1 the ,principle  
of ,gender must be manifested4 ,and this
 is true even  in the creation of       
,universes4    ,now do not jump to the  
conclusion that we are teaching that    
there is a  male and female ,god1 or    
,creator4 ,that idea is merely a        
distortion of the  ancient teachings on 
the subject4 ,the true teaching is that 
,,the ,,all1 in  itself1 is above       
,gender1 as it is above every other     
,law1 including those  of ,time and     

,space4 ,it is the ,law1 from which the 
,laws proceed1 and it is  not subject to
 them4 ,but when ,,the ,,all manifests  
on the plane of  generation or creation1
 then it acts according to ,law and     
,principle1 for  it is moving on a lower
 plane of ,being4 ,and consequently it  
manifests  the ,principle of ,gender1 in
 its ,masculine and ,feminine aspects1  
on the  ,mental ,plane1 of course4      
,this idea may seem startling to some of
 you who hear it for the first  time1   
but you have all really passively       
accepted it in your everyday            
conceptions4 ,you speak of the          
,fatherhood of ,god1 and the ,motherhood
 of  ,nature--of ,god1 the ,divine      
,father1 and ,nature the ,universal     
,mother--and  have thus instinctively   
acknowledged the ,principle of ,gender  
in the  ,universe4 ,is this not so8     
,but1 the ,hermetic teaching does not   
imply a real duality--,,the ,,all is    
,,one--the ,two ,aspects are merely     
aspects of manifestation4 ,the teaching 

is that ,the ,masculine ,principle      
manifested by ,,the ,,all stands1 in a  
way1  apart from the actual mental      
creation of the ,universe4 ,it projects 
its  ,will toward the ,feminine         
,principle 7which may be called ,nature7
  whereupon the latter begins the actual
 work of the evolution of the           
,universe1 from simple centers of       
activity on to man1 and then on and  on 
still higher1 all according to          
well-established and firmly enforced    
,laws of ,nature4 ,if you prefer the old
 figures of thought1 you may think  of  
the ,masculine ,principle as ,,god1 the 
,father1 and of the ,feminine           
,principle as ,,nature1 the ,universal  
,mother1 from whose womb all things     
have been born4 ,this is more than a    
mere poetic figure of speech--it is  an 
idea of the actual process of the       
creation of the ,universe4 ,but  always 
remember1 that ,,the ,,all is but ,one1 
and that in its ,infinite ,mind  the    
,universe is generated1 created and     

exists4    ,it may help you to get the  
proper idea1 if you will apply the ,law 
of  ,correspondence to yourself1 and    
your own mind4 ,you know that the part  
of  ,you which you call ,i1 in a sense1 
stands apart and witnesses the  creation
 of mental ,images in your own mind4    
,the part of your mind in  which the    
mental generation is accomplished may be
 called the ,me in  distinction from the
 ,i which stands apart and witnesses and
 examines  the thoughts1 ideas and      
images of the ,me4  ,as above1 so below1
  remember1 and the phenomena of one    
plane may be employed to solve the      
riddles of higher or lower planes4      
,is it any wonder that ,you1 the child1 
feel that instinctive reverence  for    
,,the ,,all1 which feeling we call      
religion--that respect1 and  reverence  
for ,,the ,,father ,,mind8 ,is it any   
wonder that1 when you consider  the     
works and wonders of ,nature1 you are   
overcome with a mighty feeling  which   
has its roots away down in your inmost  

being8 ,it is the ,,mother  ,,mind that 
you are pressing close up to1 like a    
babe to the breast4    ,do not make the 
mistake of supposing that the little    
world you see  around you--the ,earth1  
which is a mere grain of dust in the    
,universe--is  the ,universe itself4    
,there are millions upon millions of    
such worlds1  and greater4 ,and there   
are millions of millions of such        
,universes in  existence within the     
,infinite ,mind of ,,the ,,all4 ,and    
even in our own  little solar system    
there are regions and planes of life far
 higher than  ours1 and beings compared 
to which we earth-bound mortals are as  
the  slimy life-forms that dwell on the 
ocean's bed when compared to ,man4      
,there are beings with powers and       
attributes higher than ,man has ever    
dreamed of the gods' possessing4 ,and   
yet these beings were once as you1  and 
still lower--and you will be even as    
they1 and still higher1 in  time1 for   
such is the ,destiny of ,man as reported

 by the ,illumined4    ,and ,death is   
not real1 even in the ,relative         
sense--it is but ,birth to a  new       
life--and ,you shall go on1 and on1 and 
on1 to higher and still  higher planes  
of life1 for aeons upon aeons of time4  
,the ,universe is  your home1 and you   
shall explore its farthest recesses     
before the end of  ,time4 ,you are      
dwelling in the ,infinite ,mind of ,,the
 ,,all1 and your  possibilities and     
opportunities are infinite1 both in time
 and space4  ,and at the end of the     
,grand ,cycle of ,aeons1 when ,,the     
,,all shall draw back  into itself all  
of its creations--you will go gladly for
 you will then  be able to know the     
,whole ,truth of being ,at ,one with    
,,the ,,all4 ,such is  the report of the
 ,illumined--those who have advanced    
well along ,the  ,path4    ,and1 in the 
meantime1 rest calm and serene--you are 
safe and protected  by the ,infinite    
,power of the ,,father-,,mother ,,mind4 
,within the ,father-,mother ,mind1      

mortal children are at      home4--,the 
,kybalion4        ,there is not one who 
is ,fatherless1 nor ,motherless in the  
,universe4--,the ,kybalion4             
,,chapter ,,vi    ,,the ,,divine        
,,paradox        ,the half-wise1        
recognizing the comparative unreality of
      the ,universe1 imagine that they  
may defy its ,laws--such      are vain  
and presumptuous fools1 and they are    
broken against      the rocks and torn  
asunder by the elements by reason of    
their folly4 ,the truly wise1 knowing   
the nature of the ,universe1      use   
,law against laws2 the higher against   
the lower2 and by      the ,art of      
,alchemy transmute that which is        
undesirable into      that which is     
worthy1 and thus triumph4 ,mastery      
consists not      in abnormal dreams1   
visions and fantastic imaginings or     
living1 but in using the higher forces  
against the lower--escaping      the    
pains of the lower planes by vibrating  
on the higher4      ,transmutation1 not 

presumptuous denial1 is the weapon of   
the      ,master4--,the ,kybalion4      
,this is the ,paradox of the ,universe1 
resulting from the ,principle of        
,polarity which manifests when ,,the    
,,all begins to ,create--hearken to it  
for it points the difference between    
half-wisdom and wisdom4 ,while to  ,,the
 ,,infinite ,,all1 the ,universe1 its   
,laws1 its ,powers1 its life1 its       
,phenomena1 are as things witnessed in  
the state of ,meditation or ,dream2  yet
 to all that is ,finite1 the ,universe  
must be treated as ,real1 and  life1 and
 action1 and thought1 must be based     
thereupon1 accordingly1  although with  
an ever understanding of the ,higher    
,truth4 ,each according  to its own     
,plane and ,laws4 ,were ,,the ,,all to  
imagine that the ,universe  were indeed 
,reality1 then woe to the ,universe1 for
 there would be then  no escape from    
lower to higher1 divineward--then would 
the ,universe  become a fixity and      
progress would become impossible4 ,and  

if ,man1 owing  to half-wisdom1 acts and
 lives and thinks of the ,universe as   
merely a  dream 7akin to his own finite 
dreams7 then indeed does it so become   
for  him1 and like a sleep-walker he    
stumbles ever around and around in a    
circle1 making no progress1 and being   
forced into an awakening at last  by his
 falling bruised and bleeding over the  
,natural ,laws which he  ignored4 ,keep 
your mind ever on the ,star1 but let    
your eyes watch over  your footsteps1   
lest you fall into the mire by reason of
 your upward  gaze4 ,remember the       
,divine ,paradox1 that while the        
,universe ,,is ,,not1 still  ,,it ,,is4 
,remember ever the ,two ,poles of ,truth
 the ,absolute and the  ,relative4      
,beware of ,half-,truths4    ,what      
,hermetists know as the ,law of ,paradox
 is an aspect of the  ,principle of     
,polarity4 ,the ,hermetic writings are  
filled with references  to the          
appearance of the ,paradox in the       
consideration of the problems of  ,life 

and ,being4 ,the ,teachers are          
constantly warning their students       
against the error of omitting the other 
side of any question4 ,and  their       
warnings are particularly directed to   
the problems of the ,absolute  and the  
,relative1 which perplex all students of
 philosophy1 and which  cause so many to
 think and act contrary to what is      
generally known as  common sense4 ,and  
we caution all students to be sure to   
grasp the  ,divine ,paradox of the      
,absolute and ,relative1 lest they      
become entangled  in the mire of the    
,half-,truth4 ,with this in view this   
particular lesson  has been written4    
,read it carefully6    ,the first       
thought that comes to the thinking man  
after he realizes the  truth that the   
,universe is a ,mental ,creation of     
,,the ,,all1 is that the  ,universe and 
all that it contains is a mere illusion2
 an unreality2  against which idea his  
instincts revolt4 ,but this1 like all   
other great  truths1 must be considered 

both from the ,absolute and the         
,relative  points of view4 ,from the    
,absolute viewpoint1 of course1 the     
,universe is  in the nature of an       
illusion1 a dream1 a phantasmagoria1 as 
compared to  ,,the ,,all in itself4 ,we 
recognize this even in our ordinary     
view1 for we  speak of the world as a   
fleeting show that comes and goes1 is   
born and  dies--for the element of      
impermanence and change1 finiteness and 
unsubstantiality1 must ever be connected
 with the idea of a created  ,universe  
when it is contrasted with the idea of  
,,the ,,all1 no matter what  may be our 
beliefs concerning the nature of both4  
,philosopher1  metaphysician1 scientist 
and theologian all agree upon this idea1
 and  the thought is found in all forms 
of philosophical thought and religious  
conceptions1 as well as in the theories 
of the respective schools of            
metaphysics and theology4    ,so1 the   
,hermetic ,teachings do not preach the  
unsubstantiality of the  ,universe in   

any stronger terms than those more      
familiar to you1 although  their        
presentation of the subject may seem    
somewhat more startling4  ,anything that
 has a beginning and an ending must be1 
in a sense1 unreal  and untrue1 and the 
,universe comes under the rule1 in all  
schools of  thought4 ,from the ,absolute
 point of view1 there is nothing ,real  
except  ,,the ,,all1 no matter what     
terms we may use in thinking of1 or     
discussing  the subject4 ,whether the   
,universe be created of ,matter1 or     
whether it be  a ,mental ,creation in   
the ,mind of ,,the ,,all--it is         
unsubstantial1  non-enduring1 a thing of
 time1 space and change4 ,we want you to
 realize  this fact thoroughly1 before  
you pass judgment on the ,hermetic      
conception of the ,mental nature of the 
,universe4 ,think over any and all  of  
the other conceptions1 and see whether  
this be not true of them4    ,but the   
,absolute point of view shows merely one
 side of the picture--the  other side is

 the ,relative one4 ,absolute ,truth has
 been defined as  ,things as the mind of
 ,god knows them1 while ,relative ,truth
 is ,things  as the highest reason of   
,man understands them4 ,and so while to 
,,the ,,all  the ,universe must be      
unreal and illusionary1 a mere dream or 
result of  meditation1--nevertheless1 to
 the finite minds forming a part of that
  ,universe1 and viewing it through     
mortal faculties1 the ,universe is very 
real indeed1 and must be so considered4 
,in recognizing the ,absolute  view1 we 
must not make the mistake of ignoring or
 denying the facts and  phenomena of the
 ,universe as they present themselves to
 our mortal  faculties--we are not ,,the
 ,,all1 remember4    ,to take familiar  
illustrations1 we all recognize the fact
 that matter  exists to our senses--we  
will fare badly if we do not4 ,and yet1 
even  our finite minds understand the   
scientific dictum that there is no such 
thing as ,matter from a scientific point
 of view--that which we call  ,matter is

 held to be merely an aggregation of    
atoms1 which atoms  themselves are      
merely a grouping of units of force1    
called electrons or  ions1 vibrating and
 in constant circular motion4 ,we kick a
 stone and  we feel the impact--it seems
 to be real1 notwithstanding that we    
know it  to be merely what we have      
stated above4 ,but remember that our    
foot1  which feels the impact by means  
of our brains1 is likewise ,matter1 so  
constituted of electrons1 and for that  
matter so are our brains4 ,and1 at  the 
best1 if it were not by reason of our   
,mind1 we would not know the  foot or   
stone at all4    ,then again1 the ideal 
of the artist or sculptor1 which he is  
endeavoring  to reproduce in stone or on
 canvas1 seems very real to him4 ,so do 
the  characters in the mind of the      
author2 or dramatist1 which he seeks to 
express so that others may recognize    
them4 ,and if this be true in the  case 
of our finite minds1 what must be the   
degree of ,reality in the  ,mental      

,images created in the ,mind of the     
,infinite8 ,oh1 friends1 to  mortals    
this ,universe of ,mentality is very    
real indeed--it is the only  one we can 
ever know1 though we rise from plane to 
plane1 higher and  higher in it4 ,to    
know it otherwise1 but actual           
experience1 we must be  ,,the ,,all     
itself4 ,it is true that the higher we  
rise in the scale--the  nearer to the   
mind of the ,father we reach--the more  
apparent becomes  the illusory nature of
 finite things1 but not until ,,the     
,,all finally  withdraws us into itself 
does the vision actually vanish4    ,so1
 we need not dwell upon the feature of  
illusion4 ,rather let us1  recognizing  
the real nature of the ,universe1 seek  
to understand its  mental laws1 and     
endeavor to use them to the best effect 
in our upward  progress through life1 as
 we travel from plane to plane of being4
 ,the  ,laws of the ,universe are none  
the less ,iron ,laws because of the     
mental  nature4 ,all1 except ,,the      

,,all1 are bound by them4 ,what is ,,in 
,,the ,,infinite  ,,mind ,,of ,,the     
,,all is ,,real in a degree second only 
to that ,reality itself  which is vested
 in the nature of ,,the ,,all4    ,so1  
do not feel insecure or afraid--we are  
all ,,held ,,firmly ,,in ,,the          
,,infinite ,,mind ,,of ,,the ,,all1 and 
there is naught to hurt us or for us to 
fear4 ,there is no ,power outside of    
,,the ,,all to affect us4 ,so we may    
rest  calm and secure4 ,there is a world
 of comfort and security in this        
realization when once attained4 ,then   
calm and peaceful do we sleep1  rocked  
in the ,cradle of the ,deep--resting    
safely on the bosom of the  ,ocean of   
,infinite ,mind1 which is ,,the ,,all4  
,in ,,the ,,all1 indeed1 do we  live and
 move and have our being4    ,matter is 
none the less ,matter to us1 while we   
dwell on the plane of  ,matter1 although
 we know it to be merely an aggregation 
of electrons1  or particles of ,force1  
vibrating rapidly and gyrating around   

each other  in the formations of atoms2 
the atoms in turn vibrating and         
gyrating1  forming molecules1 which     
latter in turn form larger masses of    
,matter4  ,nor does ,matter become less 
,matter1 when we follow the inquiry     
still  further1 and learn from the      
,hermetic ,teachings1 that the ,force of
  which the electrons are but units is  
merely a manifestation of the ,mind  of 
,,the ,,all1 and like all else in the   
,universe is purely ,mental in its      
nature4 ,while on the ,plane of matter1 
we must recognize its phenomena--  we   
may control ,matter 7as all ,masters of 
higher or lesser degree do71  but we do 
so by applying the higher forces4 ,we   
commit a folly when we  attempt to deny 
the existence of ,matter in the relative
 aspect4 ,we may  deny its mastery over 
us--and rightly so--but we should not   
attempt to  ignore it in its relative   
aspect1 at least so long as we dwell    
upon its  plane4    ,nor do the ,laws of
 ,nature become less constant or        

effective1 when we  know them1 likewise1
 to be merely mental creations4 ,they   
are in full  effect on the various      
planes4 ,we overcome the lower laws1 by 
applying  still higher ones--and in this
 way only4 ,but we cannot escape ,law or
  rise above it entirely4 ,nothing but  
,,the ,,all can escape ,law--and that   
because ,,the ,,all is ,,law itself1    
from which all ,laws emerge4 ,the most  
advanced ,masters may acquire the powers
 usually attributed to the gods  of men2
 and there are countless ranks of being1
 in the great hierarchy  of life1 whose 
being and power transcends even that of 
the highest  ,masters among men to a    
degree unthinkable by mortals1 but even 
the  highest ,master1 and the highest   
,being1 must bow to the ,law1 and be as 
,nothing in the eye of ,,the ,,all4 ,so 
that if even these highest ,beings1     
whose powers exceed even those          
attributed by men to their gods--if even
  these are bound by and are subservient
 to ,law1 then imagine the  presumption 

of mortal man1 of our race and grade1   
when he dares to  consider the ,laws of 
,nature as unreal6 visionary and        
illusory1 because  he happens to be able
 to grasp the truth that the ,laws are  
,mental in  nature1 and simply ,mental  
,creations of ,,the ,,all4 ,those ,laws 
which ,,the ,,all  intends to be        
governing ,laws are not to be defied or 
argued away4 ,so  long as the ,universe 
endures1 will they endure--for the      
,universe exists  by virtue of these    
,laws which form its framework and which
 hold it  together4    ,the ,hermetic   
,principle of ,mentalism1 while         
explaining the true nature of  the      
,universe upon the principle that all is
 ,mental1 does not change the           
scientific conceptions of the ,universe1
 ,life1 or ,evolution4 ,in fact1        
science merely corroborates the         
,hermetic ,teachings4 ,the latter merely
  teaches that the nature of the        
,universe is ,mental1 while modern      
science has taught that it is ,material2

 or 7of late7 that it is  ,energy at the
 last analysis4 ,the ,hermetic          
,teachings have no fault to  find with  
,herbert ,spencer's basic principle     
which postulates the  existence of an   
,infinite and ,eternal ,energy1 from    
which all things  proceed4 ,in fact1 the
 ,hermetics recognize in ,spencer's     
philosophy the  highest outside         
statement of the workings of the        
,natural ,laws that have  ever been     
promulgated1 and they believe ,spencer  
to have been a  reincarnation of an     
ancient philosopher who dwelt in ancient
 ,egypt  thousands of years ago1 and who
 later incarnated as ,heraclitus1 the   
,grecian philosopher who lived ,b4 ,c4  
#ejj4 ,and they regard his statement  of
 the ,infinite and ,eternal ,energy as  
directly in the line of the  ,hermetic  
,teachings1 always with the addition of 
their own doctrine  that his ,energy is 
the ,energy of the ,mind of ,,the ,,all4
 ,with the  ,master-,key of the         
,hermetic ,philosophy1 the student of   

,spencer will be  able to unlock many   
doors of the inner philosophical        
conceptions of the  great ,english      
philosopher1 whose work shows the       
results of the  preparation of his      
previous incarnations4 ,his teachings   
regarding  ,evolution and ,rhythm are in
 almost perfect agreement with the      
,hermetic  ,teachings regarding the     
,principle of ,rhythm4    ,so1 the      
student of ,hermetics need not lay aside
 any of his cherished  scientific views 
regarding the ,universe4 ,all he is     
asked to do is to  grasp the underlying 
principle of ,,the ,,all is ,mind2 the  
,universe is  ,mental--held in the mind 
of ,,the ,,all4 ,he will find that the  
other six of  the ,seven ,principles    
will fit into his scientific knowledge1 
and will  serve to bring out obscure    
points and to throw light in dark       
corners4  ,this is not to be wondered   
at1 when we realize the influence of the
  ,hermetic thought of the early        
philosophers of ,greece1 upon whose     

foundations of thought the theories of  
modern science largely rest4 ,the       
acceptance of the ,first ,hermetic      
,principle 7,mentalism7 is the only     
great  point of difference between      
,modern ,science and ,hermetic students1
 and  ,science is gradually moving      
toward the ,hermetic position in its    
groping  in the dark for a way out of   
the ,labyrinth into which it has        
wandered in  its search for ,reality4   
,the purpose of this lesson is to       
impress upon the minds of our students  
the fact that1 to all intents and       
purposes1 the ,universe and its laws1   
and its phenomena1 are just as ,,real1  
so far as ,man is concerned1 as they    
would be under the hypotheses of        
,materialism or ,energism4 ,under any   
hypothesis the ,universe in its outer   
aspect is changing1 ever-flowing1  and  
transitory--and therefore devoid of     
substantiality and reality4 ,but  7note 
the other pole of the truth7 under the  
same hypotheses1 we are  compelled to   

,,act ,,and ,,live as if the fleeting   
things were real and  substantial4 ,with
 this difference1 always1 between the   
various  hypotheses--that under the old 
views ,mental ,power was ignored as a   
,natural ,force1 while under ,mentalism 
it becomes the ,greatest ,natural       
,force4 ,and this one difference        
revolutionizes ,life1 to those who      
understand the ,principle and its       
resulting laws and practice4    ,so1    
finally1 students all1 grasp the        
advantage of ,mentalism1 and learn  to  
know1 use and apply the laws resulting  
therefrom4 ,but do not yield to  the    
temptation which1 as ,the ,kybalion     
states1 overcomes the half-wise  and    
which causes them to be hypnotized by   
the apparent unreality of  things1 the  
consequence being that they wander about
 like dream-people  dwelling in a world 
of dreams1 ignoring the practical work  
and life of  man1 the end being that    
they are broken against the rocks and   
torn  asunder by the elements1 by reason

 of their folly4 ,rather follow the     
example of the wise1 which the same     
authority states1 use ,law against      
,laws2 the higher against the lower2 and
 by the ,art of ,alchemy transmute  that
 which is undesirable into that which is
 worthy1 and thus triumph4  ,following  
the authority1 let us avoid the         
half-wisdom 7which is folly7  which     
ignores the truth that3 ,mastery        
consists not in abnormal dreams1        
visions1 and fantastic imaginings or    
living1 but in using the higher  forces 
against the lower--escaping the pains of
 the lower planes by  vibrating on the  
higher4 ,remember always1 student1 that 
,transmutation1  not presumptuous       
denial1 is the weapon of the ,master4   
,the above  quotations are from ,the    
,kybalion1 and are worthy of being      
committed to  memory by the student4    
,we do not live in a world of dreams1   
but in an ,universe which while         
relative1 is real so far as our lives   
and actions are concerned4 ,our         

business in the ,universe is not to deny
 its existence1 but to ,,live1  using   
the ,laws to rise from lower to         
higher--living on1 doing the best  that 
we can under the circumstances arising  
each day1 and living1 so far  as is     
possible1 to our biggest ideas and      
ideals4 ,the true ,meaning of  ,life is 
not known to men on this plane 4if1     
indeed1 to any--but the  highest        
authorities1 and our own intuitions1    
teach us that we will make  no mistake  
in living up to the best that is in us1 
so far as is  possible1 and realising   
the ,universal tendency in the same     
direction in  spite of apparent evidence
 to the contrary4 ,we are all on ,the   
,path--and  the road leads upward ever1 
with frequent resting places4    ,read  
the message of ,the ,kybalion--and      
follow the example of the               
wise--avoiding the mistake of the       
half-wise who perish by reason of  their
 folly4        ,,chapter ,,vii    ,,the 
,,all ,,in ,,all        ,while ,all is  

in ,,the ,,all1 it is equally true that 
,,the      ,,all is in ,,all4  ,to him  
who truly understands this      truth   
hath come great knowledge4--,the        
,kybalion4    ,how often have the       
majority of people heard repeated the   
statement that  their ,deity 7called by 
many names7 was ,all in ,all and how    
little have  they suspected the inner   
occult truth concealed by these         
carelessly  uttered words8 ,the commonly
 used expression is a survival of the   
ancient  ,hermetic ,maxim quoted above4 
,as the ,kybalion says3 ,to him who     
truly  understands this truth1 hath come
 great knowledge4 ,and1 this being so1  
let us seek this truth1 the             
understanding of which means so much4   
,in  this statement of truth--this      
,hermetic ,maxim--is concealed one of   
the  greatest philosophical1 scientific 
and religious truths4    ,we have given 
you the ,hermetic ,teaching regarding   
the ,mental ,nature of  the             
,universe--the truth that the ,universe 

is ,mental--held in the ,mind  of ,,the 
,,all4 ,as the ,kybalion says1 in the   
passage quoted above3 ,all is  in ,,the 
,,all4 ,but note also the co-related    
statement1 that3 ,it is  equally true   
that ,,the ,,all is in ,,all4 ,this     
apparently contradictory  statement is  
reconcilable under the ,law of ,paradox4
 ,it is1 moreover1 an  exact ,hermetic  
statement of the relations existing     
between ,,the ,,all and  its ,mental    
,universe4 ,we have seen how ,all is in 
,,the ,,all--now let us  examine the    
other aspect of the subject4    ,the    
,hermetic ,teachings are to the effect  
that ,,the ,,all is ,imminent in        
7remaining within2 inherent2 abiding    
within7 its ,universe1 and in  every    
part1 particle1 unit1 or combination1   
within the ,universe4 ,this  statement  
is usually illustrated by the ,teachers 
by a reference to the  ,principle of    
,correspondence4 ,the ,teacher instructs
 the student to form a  ,mental ,image  
of something1 a person1 an idea1        

something having a mental  form1 the    
favorite example being that of the      
author or dramatist forming  an idea of 
his characters2 or a painter or sculptor
 forming an image of  an ideal that he  
wishes to express by his art4 ,in each  
case1 the student  will find that while 
the image has its existence1 and being1 
solely  within his own mind1 yet he1 the
 student1 author1 dramatist1 painter1 or
  sculptor1 is1 in a sense1 immanent in2
 remaining within2 or abiding  within1  
the mental image also4 ,in other words1 
the entire virtue1 life1  spirit1 of    
reality in the mental image is derived  
from the immanent  mind of the thinker4 
,consider this for a moment1 until the  
idea is  grasped4    ,to take a modern  
example1 let us say that ,othello1      
,iago1 ,hamlet1 ,lear1  ,richard ,,iii1 
existed merely in the mind of           
,shakespeare1 at the time of  their     
conception or creation4 ,and yet1       
,shakespeare also existed within  each  
of these characters1 giving them their  

vitality1 spirit1 and  action4 ,whose is
 the spirit of the characters that we   
know as  ,micawber1 ,oliver ,twist1     
,uriah ,heep--is it ,dickens1 or have   
each of these  characters a personal    
spirit1 independent of their creator8   
,have the  ,venus of ,medici1 the       
,sistine ,madonna1 the ,apollo          
,belvidere1 spirits and  reality of     
their own1 or do they represent the     
spiritual and mental  power of their    
creators8 ,the ,law of ,paradox explains
 that both  propositions are true1      
viewed from the proper viewpoints4      
,micawber is  both ,micawber1 and yet   
,dickens4 ,and1 again1 while ,micawber  
may be said  to be ,dickens1 yet        
,dickens is not identical with          
,micawber4 ,man1 like  ,micawber1 may   
exclaim3 ,the ,spirit of my ,creator is 
inherent within me--  and yet ,i am not 
,,he6 ,how different this from the      
shocking half-truth so  vociferously    
announced by certain of the half-wise1  
who fill the air  with their raucous    

cries of3 ,i am ,god6 ,imagine poor     
,micawber1 or the  sneaky ,uriah ,heep1 
crying3 ,i ,am ,dickens2 or some of the 
lowly clods in  one of ,shakespeare's   
plays1 eloquently announcing that3 ,i   
,am  ,shakespeare6 ,,the ,,all is in the
 earthworm1 and yet the earth-worm is   
far  from being ,,the ,,all4 ,and still 
the wonder remains1 that though the     
earth-worm exists merely as a lowly     
thing1 created and having its being     
solely within the ,mind of ,,the        
,,all--yet ,,the ,,all is immanent in   
the  earthworm1 and in the particles    
that go to make up the earth-worm4 ,can 
there be any greater mystery than this  
of ,all in ,,the ,,all2 and ,,the ,,all 
in ,all8    ,the student will1 of       
course1 realize that the illustrations  
given above  are necessarily imperfect  
and inadequate1 for they represent the  
creation of mental images in finite     
minds1 while the ,universe is a         
creation of ,infinite ,mind--and the    
difference between the two poles        

separates them4 ,and yet it is merely a 
matter of degree--the same  ,principle  
is in operation--the ,principle of      
,correspondence manifests in  each--,as 
above1 so ,below2 as ,below1 so above4  
,and1 in the degree that ,man realizes  
the existence of the ,indwelling        
,spirit immanent within his being1 so   
will he rise in the spiritual scale  of 
life4 ,this is what spiritual           
development means--the recognition1     
realization1 and manifestation of the   
,spirit within us4 ,try to remember     
this last definition--that of spiritual 
development4 ,it contains the  ,truth of
 ,true ,religion4    ,there are many    
planes of ,being--many sub-planes of    
,life--many degrees of  existence in the
 ,universe4 ,and all depend upon the    
advancement of beings  in the scale1 of 
which scale the lowest point is the     
grossest matter1  the highest being     
separated only by the thinnest division 
from the  ,,spirit of ,,the ,,all4 ,and1
 upward and onward along this ,scale of 

,life1  everything is moving4 ,all are  
on the ,path1 whose end is ,,the ,,all4 
,all  progress is a ,returning ,home4   
,all is ,upward and ,onward1 in spite of
 all  seemingly contradictory           
appearances4 ,such is the message of the
  ,illumined4    ,the ,hermetic         
,teachings concerning the process of the
 ,mental ,creation of  the ,universe1   
are that at the beginning of the        
,creative ,cycle1 ,,the ,,all1  in its  
aspect of ,being1 projects its ,will    
toward its aspect of  ,becoming and the 
process of creation begins4 ,it is      
taught that the  process consists of the
 lowering of ,vibration until a very low
 degree of  vibratory energy is reached1
 at which point the grossest possible   
form  of ,matter is manifested4 ,this   
process is called the stage of          
,involution1  in which ,,the ,,all      
becomes involved1 or wrapped up1 in its 
creation4  ,this process is believed by 
the ,hermetists to have a               
,correspondence to  the mental process  

of an artist1 writer1 or inventor1 who  
becomes so  wrapped up in his mental    
creation as to almost forget his own    
existence  and who1 for the time being1 
almost lives in his creation1 ,if       
instead  of wrapped we use the word     
rapt1 perhaps we will give a better idea
  of what is meant4    ,this            
,involuntary stage of ,creation is      
sometimes called the ,outpouring  of the
 ,divine ,energy1 just as the           
,evolutionary state is called the       
,indrawing4 ,the extreme pole of the    
,creative process is considered to  be  
the furthest removed from ,,the ,,all1  
while the beginning of the              
,evolutionary stage is regarded as the  
beginning of the return swing of  the   
pendulum of ,rhythm--a coming home idea 
being held in all of the  ,hermetic     
,teachings4    ,the ,teachings are that 
during the ,outpouring1 the vibrations  
become  lower and lower until finally   
the urge ceases1 and the return swing   
begins4 ,but there is this difference1  

that while in the ,outpouring the       
creative forces manifest compactly and  
as a whole1 yet from the  beginning of  
the ,evolutionary or ,indrawing stage1  
there is manifested  the ,law of        
,individualization--that is1 the        
tendency to separate into  ,units of    
,force1 so that finally that which left 
,,the ,,all as  unindividualized energy 
returns to its source as countless      
highly  developed ,units of ,life1      
having risen higher and higher in the   
scale by  means of ,physical1 ,mental   
and ,spiritual ,evolution4    ,the      
ancient ,hermetists use the word        
,meditation in describing the  process  
of the mental creation of the ,universe 
in the ,mind of ,,the ,,all1  the word  
,contemplation also being frequently    
employed4 ,but the idea  intended seems 
to be that of the employment of the     
,divine ,attention4  ,attention is a    
word derived from the ,latin root1      
meaning to reach  out2 to stretch out1  
and so the act of ,attention is really a

 mental  reaching out2 extension of     
mental energy1 so that the underlying   
idea  is readily understood when we     
examine into the real meaning of        
,attention4    ,the ,hermetic ,teachings
 regarding the process of ,evolution are
 that1 ,,the  ,,all1 having meditated   
upon the beginning of the               
,creation--having thus  established the 
material foundations of the             
,universe--having thought it  into      
existence--then gradually awakens or    
rouses from its ,meditation and  in so  
doing starts into manifestation the     
process of ,evolution1 on the  material 
mental and spiritual planes1            
successively and in order4 ,thus  the   
upward movement begins--and all begins  
to move ,spiritward4 ,matter  becomes   
less gross2 the ,units spring into      
being2 the combinations begin  to form2 
,life appears and manifests in higher   
and higher forms2 and ,mind  becomes    
more and more in evidence--the          
vibrations constantly becoming  higher4 

,in short1 the entire process of        
,evolution1 in all of its phases1       
begins1 and proceeds according to the   
established ,laws of the  ,indrawing    
process4 ,all of this occupies aeons    
upon aeons of ,man's time1  each aeon   
containing countless millions of years1 
but yet the ,illumined  inform us that  
the entire creation1 including          
,involution and ,evolution1  of an      
,universe1 is but as the twinkle of the 
eye to ,,the ,,all4  ,at the  end of    
countless cycles of aeons of time1 ,,the
 ,,all withdraws its  ,attention--its   
,contemplation and ,meditation--of the  
,universe1 for the  ,great ,work is     
finished--and ,all is withdrawn into    
,,the ,,all from which it  emerged4 ,but
 ,mystery of ,mysteries--the ,spirit of 
each soul is not  annihilated1 but is   
infinitely expanded--the ,created and   
the ,creator are  merged4 ,such is the  
report of the ,illumined6    ,the above 
illustration of the meditation1 and     
subsequent awakening  from meditation1  

of ,,the ,,all1 is of course but an     
attempt of the  teachers to describe the
 ,infinite process by a finite example4 
,and1 yet3  ,as ,below1 so ,above4 ,the 
difference is merely in degree4 ,and    
just as  ,,the ,,all arouses itself from
 the meditation upon the ,universe1 so  
does  ,man 7in time7 cease from         
manifesting upon the ,material ,plane1  
and  withdraws himself more and more    
into the ,indwelling ,spirit1 which is  
indeed ,the ,divine ,ego4    ,there is  
one more matter of which we desire to   
speak in this lesson1 and  that comes   
very near to an invasion of the         
,metaphysical field of  speculation1    
although our purpose is merely to show  
the futility of such  speculation4 ,we  
allude to the question which inevitably 
comes to the  mind of all thinkers who  
have ventured to seek the ,truth4 ,the  
question  is3 ,,why does ,,the ,,all    
create ,universes ,the question may be  
asked in  different forms1 but the above
 is the gist of the inquiry4    ,men    

have striven hard to answer this        
question1 but still there is no  answer 
worthy of the name4 ,some have imagined 
that ,,the ,,all had something  to gain 
by it1 but this is absurd1 for what     
could ,,the ,,all gain that it  did not 
already possess8 ,others have sought the
 answer in the idea that  ,,the ,,all   
wished something to love and others that
 it created for  pleasure1 or amusement2
 or because it was lonely or to manifest
 its  power2--all puerile explanations  
and ideas1 belonging to the childish    
period of thought4    ,others have      
sought to explain the mystery by        
assuming that ,,the ,,all found  itself 
compelled to create1 by reason of its   
own internal  nature--its creative      
instinct4 ,this idea is in advance of   
the others1  but its weak point lies in 
the idea of ,,the ,,all being compelled 
by  anything1 internal or external4 ,if 
its internal nature1 or creative        
instinct1 compelled it to do anything1  
then the internal nature or  creative   

instinct would be the ,absolute1 instead
 of ,,the ,,all1 and so  accordingly    
that part of the proposition falls4     
,and1 yet1 ,,the ,,all does  create and 
manifest1 and seems to find some kind of
 satisfaction in so  doing4 ,and it is  
difficult to escape the conclusion that 
in some  infinite degree it must have   
what would correspond to an inner       
nature1  or creative instinct1 in man1  
with correspondingly infinite ,desire   
and  ,will4 ,it could not act unless it 
,willed to ,act2 and it would not ,will 
to  ,act1 unless it ,desired to ,act and
 it would not ,desire to ,act unless it 
obtained some ,satisfaction thereby4    
,and all of these things would belong   
to an ,inner ,nature1 and might be      
postulated as existing according to  the
 ,law of ,correspondence4 ,but1 still1  
we prefer to think of ,,the ,,all as    
acting entirely ,,free from any         
influence1 internal as well as external4
  ,that is the problem which lies at the
 root of difficulty--and the  difficulty

 that lies at the root of the problem4  
,strictly speaking1 there cannot be said
 to be any ,reason whatsoever  for ,,the
 ,,all to act1 for a reason implies a   
cause1 and ,,the ,,all is  above ,cause 
and ,effect1 except when it ,wills to   
become a ,cause1 at which  time the     
,principle is set into motion4 ,so1 you 
see1 the matter is  ,unthinkable1 just  
as ,,the ,,all is ,unknowable4 ,just as 
we say ,,the ,,all  merely ,,is--so we  
are compelled to say that ,,the ,,all   
,,acts ,,because ,,it  ,,acts4 ,at the  
last1 ,,the ,,all is ,all ,reason in    
,itself2 ,all ,law in ,itself2  ,all    
,action in ,itself--and it may be said1 
truthfully1 that ,,the ,,all is  ,its   
,own ,reason2 its own ,law2 its own     
,act--or still further1 that ,,the      
,,all2 ,its ,reason2 ,its ,act2 is ,law2
 are ,,one1 all being names for the same
  thing4 ,in the opinion of those who   
are giving you these present lessons1   
the answer is locked up in the ,,inner  
,,self of ,,the ,,all1 along with its   

,secret of ,being4 ,the ,law of         
,correspondence1 in our opinion1 reaches
 only  to that aspect of ,,the ,,all1   
which may be spoken of as ,the ,aspect  
of  ,,becoming4 ,back of that ,aspect is
 ,the ,aspect of ,,being in which all   
,laws are lost in ,,law2 all ,principles
 merge into ,,principle--and ,,the      
,,all2  ,,principle2 and ,,being2 are   
,,identical1 ,,one ,,and ,,the ,,same4  
,therefore1  ,metaphysical speculation  
on this point is futile4 ,we go into the
 matter  here1 merely to show that we   
recognize the question1 and also the    
absurdity of the ordinary answers of    
metaphysics and theology4    ,in        
conclusion1 it may be of interest to our
 students to learn that while  some of  
the ancient1 and modern1 ,hermetic      
,teachers have rather inclined  in the  
direction of applying the ,principle of 
,correspondence to the  question1 with  
the result of the ,inner ,nature        
conclusion1--still the  legends have it 
that ,,hermes1 the ,great1 when asked   

this question by his  advanced students1
 answered them by ,,pressing ,,his      
,,lips ,,tightly ,,together  and saying 
not a word1 indicating that there ,,was 
,,no ,,answer4 ,but1 then1  he may have 
intended to apply the axiom of his      
philosophy1 that3 ,the  lips of ,wisdom 
are closed1 except to the ears of       
,understanding1  believing that even his
 advanced students did not possess the  
,understanding which entitled them to   
the ,teaching4 ,at any rate1 if  ,hermes
 possessed the ,secret1 he failed to    
impart it1 and so far as the  world is  
concerned ,,the ,,lips ,,of ,,hermes    
,,are ,,closed regarding it4 ,and where 
the ,great ,hermes hesitated to speak1  
what mortal may dare to teach8    ,but1 
remember1 that whatever be the answer to
 this problem1 if indeed  there be an   
answer the truth remains that3  ,while  
,all is in ,,the ,,all1 it  is equally  
true that ,,the ,,all is in ,all4 ,the  
,teaching on this point is  emphatic4   
,and1 we may add the concluding words of

 the quotation3 ,to him  who truly      
understands this truth1 hath come great 
knowledge4        ,,chapter ,,viii      
,,planes ,,of ,,correspondence          
,as above1 so below2 as below1 so       
above4--,the ,kybalion4    ,the great   
,second ,hermetic ,principle embodies   
the truth that there is a  harmony1     
agreement1 and correspondence between   
the several planes of  ,manifestation1  
,life and ,being4 ,this truth is a truth
 because all that is  included in the   
,universe emanates from the same source1
 and the same  laws1 principles1 and    
characteristics apply to each unit1 or  
combination  of units1 of activity1 as  
each manifests its own phenomena upon   
its own  plane4    ,for the purpose of  
convenience of thought and study1 the   
,hermetic  ,philosophy considers that   
the ,universe may be divided into three 
great  classes of phenomena1 known as   
the ,three ,great ,planes1 namely3      
#a4 ,the ,great ,physical ,plane4       
#b4 ,the ,great ,mental ,plane4      #c4

 ,the ,great ,spiritual ,plane4         
,these divisions are more or less       
artificial and arbitrary1 for the truth 
is that all of the three divisions are  
but ascending degrees of the  great     
scale of ,life1 the lowest point of     
which is undifferentiated  ,matter1 and 
the highest point that of ,spirit4 ,and1
 moreover1 the  different ,planes shade 
into each other1 so that no hard and    
fast  division may be made between the  
higher phenomena of the ,physical and   
the lower of the ,mental2 or between the
 higher of the ,mental and the  lower of
 the ,physical4    ,in short1 the ,three
 ,great ,planes may be regarded as three
 great groups  of degrees of ,life      
,manifestation4 ,while the purposes of  
this little book  do not allow us to    
enter into an extended discussion of1 or
 explanation  of1 the subject of these  
different planes1 still we think it well
 to  give a general description of the  
same at this point4    ,at the beginning
 we may as well consider the question so

 often asked by  the neophyte1 who      
desires to be informed regarding the    
meaning of the  word ,plane1 which term 
has been very freely used1 and very     
poorly  explained1 in many recent works 
upon the subject of occultism4 ,the     
question is generally about as follows3 
,is a ,plane a place having  dimensions1
 or is it merely a condition or state8  
,we answer3 ,no1 not a  place1 nor      
ordinary dimension of space2 and yet    
more than a state or  condition4 ,it may
 be considered as a state or condition1 
and yet the  state or condition is a    
degree of dimension1 in a scale subject 
to  measurement4 ,somewhat paradoxical1 
is it not8 ,but let us examine the      
matter4 ,a dimension1 you know1 is a    
measure in a straight line1  relating to
 measure1 etc4 ,the ordinary dimensions 
of space are length1  breadth1 and      
height1 or perhaps length1 breadth1     
height1 thickness or  circumference4    
,but there is another dimension of      
created things or  measure in a straight

 line1 known to occultists1 and to      
scientists as  well1 although the latter
 have not as yet applied the term       
dimension  to it--and this new          
dimension1 which1 by the way1 is the    
much speculated  -about ,fourth         
,dimension1 is the standard used in     
determining the  degrees or planes4     
,this ,fourth ,dimension may be called  
,the ,dimension of ,vibration ,it is a  
fact well known to modern science1 as   
well as to the ,hermetists who have     
embodied the truth in their ,third      
,hermetic ,principle1 that everything   
is in motion2 everything vibrates2      
nothing is at rest4  ,from the  highest 
manifestation1 to the lowest1 everything
 and all things ,vibrate4  ,not only do 
they vibrate at different rates of      
motion1 but as in  different directions 
and in a different manner4 ,the degrees 
of the rate  of vibrations constitute   
the degrees of measurement on the ,scale
 of  ,vibrations--in other words the    
degrees of the ,fourth ,dimension4 ,and 

these degrees form what occultists call 
,planes ,the higher the degree  of rate 
of vibration1 the higher the plane1 and 
the higher the  manifestation of ,life  
occupying that plane4 ,so that while a  
plane is not  a place1 nor yet a state  
or condition1 yet it possesses qualities
  common to both4 ,we shall have more to
 say regarding the subject of the  scale
 of ,vibrations in our next lessons1 in 
which we shall consider the  ,hermetic  
,principle of ,vibration4    ,you will  
kindly remember1 however1 that the      
,three ,great ,planes are not  actual   
divisions of the phenomena of the       
,universe1 but merely arbitrary  terms  
used by the ,hermetists in order to aid 
in the thought and study of  the various
 degrees and ,forms of universal        
activity and life4 ,the atom  of matter1
 the unit of force1 the mind of man1 and
 the being of the arch  -angel are all  
but degrees in one scale1 and all       
fundamentally the same1  the difference 
between solely a matter of degree1 and  

rate of  vibration--all are creations of
 ,,the ,,all1 and have their existence  
solely  within the ,infinite ,mind of   
,,the ,,all4    ,the ,hermetists        
sub-divide each of the ,three ,great    
,planes into ,seven  ,minor ,planes1 and
 each of these latter are also          
sub-divided into seven  sub-planes1 all 
divisions being more or less arbitrary1 
shading into  each other1 and adopted   
merely for convenience of scientific    
study and  thought4    ,the ,great      
,physical ,plane1 and its ,seven ,minor 
,planes1 is that division  of the       
phenomena of the ,universe which        
includes all that relates to  physics1  
or material things1 forces1 and         
manifestations4 ,it includes all  forms 
of that which we call ,matter1 and all  
forms of that which we call  ,energy or 
,force4 ,but you must remember that the 
,hermetic ,philosophy does  not         
recognize ,matter as a thing in itself1 
or as having a separate  existence even 
in the ,mind of ,,the ,,all4 ,the       

,teachings are that ,matter is  but a   
form of ,energy--4that is1 ,energy at a 
low rate of vibrations of a  certain    
kind4 ,and accordingly the ,hermetists  
classify ,matter under the  head of     
,energy1 and give to it three of the    
,seven ,minor ,planes of the  ,great    
,physical ,plane4    ,these ,seven      
,minor ,physical ,planes are as follows3
        #a4 ,the ,plane of ,matter 7,a7 
#b4 ,the ,plane of ,matter 7,b7      #c4
 ,the ,plane of ,matter 7,c7      #d4   
,the ,plane of ,ethereal ,substance     
#e4 ,the ,plane of ,energy 7,a7      #f4
 ,the ,plane of ,energy 7,b7      #g4   
,the ,plane of ,energy 7,c7    ,the     
,plane of ,matter 7,a7 comprises the    
forms of ,matter in its form of  solids1
 liquids1 and gases1 as generally       
recognized by the text-books on         
physics4 ,the ,plane of ,matter 7,b7    
comprises certain higher and more       
subtle forms of ,matter of the existence
 of which modern science is but  now    
recognizing1 the phenomena of ,radiant  

,matter1 in its phases of  radium1 etc41
 belonging to the lower sub-division of 
this ,minor ,plane4  ,the ,plane of     
,matter 7,c7 comprises forms of the most
 subtle and tenuous  ,matter1 the       
existence of which is not suspected by  
ordinary scientists4  ,the ,plane of    
,ethereal ,substance comprises that     
which science speaks of  as ,the ,ether1
 a substance of extreme tenuity and     
elasticity1 pervading  all ,universal   
,space1 and acting as a medium for the  
transmission of  waves of energy1 such  
as light1 heat1 electricity1 etc4 ,this 
,ethereal  ,substance forms a connecting
 link between ,matter 7so-called7 and   
,energy1  and partakes of the nature of 
each4 ,the ,hermetic ,teachings1        
however1  instruct that this plane has  
seven sub-divisions 7as have all of the 
,minor ,planes71 and that in fact there 
are seven ethers1 instead of but  one4  
,next above the ,plane of ,ethereal     
,substance comes the ,plane of ,energy  
7,a71 which comprises the ordinary forms

 of ,energy known to science1 its  seven
 sub-planes being1 respectively1 ,heat2 
,light2 ,magnetism2  ,electricity1 and  
,attraction 7including ,gravitation1    
,cohesion1 ,chemical  ,affinity1 etc47  
and several other forms of energy       
indicated by  scientific experiments but
 not as yet named or classified4 ,the   
,plane of  ,energy 7,b7 comprises seven 
subplanes of higher forms of energy not 
as  yet discovered by science1 but which
 have been called ,nature's ,finer      
,forces and which are called into       
operation in manifestations of certain  
forms of mental phenomena1 and by which 
such phenomena becomes possible4  ,the  
,plane of ,energy 7,c7 comprises seven  
sub-planes of energy so highly          
organized that it bears many of the     
characteristics of life1 but which  is  
not recognized by the minds of men on   
the ordinary plane of  development1     
being available for the use on beings of
 the ,spiritual  ,plane alone--such     
energy is unthinkable to ordinary man1  

and may be  considered almost as the    
divine power4 ,the beings employing the 
same  are as gods compared even to the  
highest human types known to us4    ,the
 ,great ,mental ,plane comprises those  
forms of living things known to  us in  
ordinary life1 as well as certain other 
forms not so well known  except to the  
occultist4 ,the classification of the   
,seven ,minor ,mental  ,planes is more  
or less satisfactory and arbitrary      
7unless accompanied by  elaborate       
explanations which are foreign to the   
purpose of this  particular work71 but  
we may as well mention them4 ,they are  
as follows3        #a4 ,the ,plane of   
,mineral ,mind      #b4 ,the ,plane of  
,elemental ,mind 7,a7      #c4 ,the     
,plane of ,plant ,mind      #d4 ,the    
,plane of ,elemental ,mind 7,b7      #e4
 ,the ,plane of ,animal ,mind      #f4  
,the ,plane of ,elemental ,mind 7,c7    
#g4 ,the ,plane of ,human ,mind    ,the 
,plane of ,mineral ,mind comprises the  
states or conditions of the  units or   

entities1 or groups and combinations of 
the same1 which animate  the forms known
 to us as minerals1 chemicals1 etc4     
,these entities must  not be confounded 
with the molecules1 atoms and corpuscles
 themselves1  the latter being merely   
the material bodies or forms of these   
entities1  just as a man's body is but  
his material form and not himself4      
,these  entities may be called souls in 
one sense1 and are living beings of a   
low degree of development1 life1 and    
mind--just a little more than the  units
 of living energy which comprise the    
higher sub-divisions of the  highest    
,physical ,plane4 ,the average mind does
 not generally attribute  the possession
 of mind1 soul1 or life1 to the mineral 
kingdom1 but all  occultists recognize  
the existence of the same1 and modern   
science is  rapidly moving forward to   
the point-of-view of the ,hermetic1 in  
this  respect4 ,the molecules1 atoms and
 corpuscles have their loves and  hates2
 likes and dislikes2 attractions and    

repulsions4 affinities  and             
non-affinities1 etc41 and some of the   
more daring of modern  scientific minds 
have expressed the opinion that the     
desire and will1  emotions and feelings1
 of the atoms differ only in degree from
 those of  men4 ,we have no time or     
space to argue this matter here4 ,all   
occultists  know it to be a fact1 and   
others are referred to some of the more 
recent  scientific works for outside    
corroboration4 ,there are the usual     
seven  sub-divisions to this plane4     
,the ,plane of ,elemental ,mind 7,a7    
comprises the state or condition1 and   
degree of mental and vital development  
of a class of entities unknown to  the  
average man1 but recognized to          
occultists4 ,they are invisible to the  
ordinary senses of man1 but1            
nevertheless1 exist and play their part 
of  the ,drama of the ,universe4 ,their 
degree of intelligence is between that  
of the mineral and chemical entities on 
the one hand1 and of the  entities of   

the plant kingdom on the other4 ,there  
are seven subdivisions  to this plane1  
also4    ,the ,plane of ,plant ,mind1 in
 its seven sub-divisions1 comprises the 
states or conditions of the entities    
comprising the kingdoms of the  ,plant  
,world1 the vital and mental phenomena  
of which is fairly well  understood by  
the average intelligent person1 many new
 and interesting  scientific works      
regarding ,mind and ,life in ,plants    
having been  published during the last  
decade4 ,plants have life1 mind and     
souls1 as  well as have the animals1    
man1 and super-man4    ,the ,plane of   
,elemental ,mind 7,b71 in its seven     
sub-divisions1 comprises  the states and
 conditions of a higher form of         
elemental or unseen  entities1 playing  
their part in the general work of the   
,universe1 the  mind and life of which  
form a part of the scale between the    
,plane of  ,plant ,mind and the ,plane  
of ,animal ,mind1 the entities partaking
 of the  nature of both4    ,the ,plane 

of ,animal ,mind1 in its seven          
sub-divisions1 comprises the  states and
 conditions of the entities1 beings1 or 
souls1 animating the  animal forms of   
life1 familiar to us all4 ,it is not    
necessary to go into  details regarding 
this kingdom or plane of life1 for the  
animal world is  as familiar to us as is
 our own4    ,the ,plane of ,elemental  
,mind 7,c71 in its seven sub-divisions1 
comprises  those entities or beings1    
invisible as are all such elemental     
forms1  which partake of the nature of  
both animal and human life in a degree  
and in certain combinations4 ,the       
highest forms are semi-human in         
intelligence4    ,the ,plane of ,human  
,mind1 in its seven sub-divisions1      
comprises those  manifestations of life 
and mentality which are common to ,man1 
in his  various grades1 degrees1 and    
divisions4 ,in this connection1 we wish 
to  point out the fact that the average 
man of today occupies but the fourth    
sub-division of the ,plane of ,human    

,mind1 and only the most intelligent    
have crossed the borders of the ,fifth  
,sub-,division4 ,it has taken the  race 
millions of years to reach this stage1  
and it will take many more  years for   
the race to move on to the sixth and    
seventh sub-divisions1  and beyond4     
,but1 remember1 that there have been    
races before us which  have passed      
through these degrees1 and then on to   
higher planes4 ,our own  race is the    
fifth 7with stragglers from the fourth7 
which has set foot  upon ,the ,path4    
,and1 then there are a few advanced     
souls of our own race  who have         
outstripped the masses1 and who have    
passed on to the sixth and  seventh     
sub-division1 and some few being still  
further on4 ,the man of  the ,sixth     
,sub-,division will be ,the ,super-,man2
 he of the ,seventh will  be ,the       
,over-,man4    ,in our consideration of 
the ,seven ,minor ,mental ,planes1 we   
have merely  referred to the ,three     
,elementary ,planes in a general way4   

,we do not wish  to go into this subject
 in detail in this work1 for it does not
 belong  to this part of the general    
philosophy and teachings4 ,but we may   
say  this much1 in order to give you a  
little clearer idea1 of the relations   
of these planes to the more familiar    
ones--the ,elementary ,planes bear  the 
same relation to the ,planes of         
,mineral1 ,plant1 ,animal and ,human    
,mentality and ,life1 that the black    
keys on the piano do to the white  keys4
 ,the white keys are sufficient to      
produce music1 but there are  certain   
scales1 melodies1 and harmonies1 in     
which the black keys play  their part1  
and in which their presence is          
necessary4 ,they are also  necessary as 
connecting links of soul-condition2     
entity states1 etc41  between the       
several other planes1 certain forms of  
development being  attained             
therein--this last fact giving to the   
reader who can read  between the lines a
 new light upon the processes of        

,evolution1 and a  new key to the secret
 door of the leaps of life between      
kingdom and  kingdom4  ,the great       
kingdoms of ,elementals are fully       
recognized by all  occultists1 and the  
esoteric writings are full of mention of
 them4  ,the  readers of ,bulwer's      
,sanoni and similar tales will recognize
 the  entities inhabiting these planes  
of life4    ,passing on from the ,great 
,mental ,plane to the ,great ,spiritual 
,plane1  what shall we say8 ,how can we 
explain these higher states of ,being1  
,life  and ,mind1 to minds as yet unable
 to grasp and understand the higher     
subdivisions of the ,plane of ,human    
,mind8 ,the task is impossible4 ,we can 
speak only in the most general terms4   
,how may ,light be described to a  man  
born blind--how sugar1 to a man who has 
never tasted anything  sweet--how       
harmony1 to one born deaf8    ,all that 
we can say is that the ,seven ,minor    
,planes of the ,great  ,spiritual ,plane
 7each ,minor ,plane having its seven   

sub-divisions7  comprise ,beings        
possessing ,life1 ,mind and ,form as far
 above that of ,man  of to-day as the   
latter is above the earth-worm1 mineral 
or even certain  forms of ,energy or    
,matter4 ,the ,life of these ,beings so 
far transcends  ours1 that we cannot    
even think of the details of the same2  
their minds  so far transcend ours1 that
 to them we scarcely seem to think1 and 
our  mental processes seem almost akin  
to material processes2 the ,matter of   
which their forms are composed is of the
 highest ,planes of ,matter1 nay1  some 
are even said to be clothed in ,pure    
,energy4 ,what may be said of  such     
,beings8    ,on the ,seven ,minor       
,planes of the ,great ,spiritual ,plane 
exist ,beings of  whom we may speak as  
,angels2 ,archangels2 ,demi-,gods4 ,on  
the lower ,minor  ,planes dwell those   
great souls whom we call ,masters and   
,adepts4 ,above  them come the ,great   
,hierarchies of the ,angelic ,hosts1    
unthinkable to  man2 and above those    

come those who may without irreverence  
be called  ,the ,gods1 so high in the   
scale of ,being are they1 their being1  
intelligence and power being akin to    
those attributed by the races of  men to
 their conceptions of ,deity4 ,these    
,beings are beyond even the  highest    
flights of the human imagination1 the   
word ,divine being the  only one        
applicable to them4 ,many of these      
,beings1 as well as the  ,angelic ,host1
 take the greatest interest in the      
affairs of the ,universe  and play an   
important part in its affairs4 ,these   
,unseen ,divinities and  ,angelic       
,helpers extend their influence freely  
and powerfully1 in the  process of      
,evolution1 and ,cosmic ,progress4      
,their occasional intervention  and     
assistance in human affairs have led to 
the many legends1 beliefs1  religions   
and traditions of the race1 past and    
present4 ,they have  superimposed their 
knowledge and power upon the world1     
again and again1  all under the ,law of 

,,the ,,all1 of course4    ,but1 yet1   
even the highest of these advanced      
,beings exist merely as  creations of1  
and in1 the ,mind of ,,the ,,all1 and   
are subject to the ,cosmic  ,processes  
and ,universal ,laws4 ,they are still   
,mortal4 ,we may call them  gods if we  
like1 but still they are but the ,elder 
,brethren of the  ,race1--the advanced  
souls who have outstripped their        
brethren1 and who  have foregone the    
ecstasy of ,absorption by ,,the ,,all1  
in order to help the  race on its upward
 journey along ,the ,path4 ,but1 they   
belong to the  ,universe1 and are       
subject to its conditions--they are     
mortal--and their  plane is below that  
of ,absolute ,spirit4    ,only the most 
advanced ,hermetists are able to grasp  
the ,inner ,teachings  regarding the    
state of existence1 and the powers      
manifested on the  ,spiritual ,planes4  
,the phenomena is so much higher than   
that of the  ,mental ,planes that a     
confusion of ideas would surely result  

from an  attempt to describe the same4  
,only those whose minds have been       
carefully  trained along the lines of   
the ,hermetic ,philosophy for           
years--yes1 those  who have brought with
 them from other incarnations the       
knowledge  acquired previously--can     
comprehend just what is meant by the    
,teaching  regarding these ,spiritual   
,planes4 ,and much of these ,inner      
,teachings is  held by the ,hermetists  
as being too sacred1 important and even 
dangerous  for general public           
dissemination4 ,the intelligent student 
may recognize  what we mean by this when
 we state that the meaning of ,spirit as
 used  by the ,hermetists is akin to    
,living ,power2 ,animated ,force2 ,inner
  ,essence2 ,essence of ,life1 etc41    
which meaning must not be confounded    
with that usually and commonly employed 
in connection with the term1  i4e41     
religious2 ecclesiastical2 spiritual2   
ethereal2 holy1 etc41 etc4  ,to         
occultists the word ,spirit is used in  

the sense of ,the ,animating            
,principle1 carrying with it the idea of
 ,power1 ,living ,energy1 ,mystic       
,force1 etc4 ,and occultists know that  
that which is known to them as          
,spiritual ,power may be employed for   
evil as well as good ends 7in           
accordance with the ,principle of       
,polarity71 a fact which has been       
recognized by the majority of religions 
in their conceptions of ,satan1         
,beelzebub1 the ,devil1 ,lucifer1       
,fallen ,angels1 etc4 ,and so the       
knowledge  regarding these ,planes has  
been kept in the ,holy of ,holies in all
  ,esoteric ,fraternities and ,occult   
,orders1--in the ,secret ,chamber of the
  ,temple4 ,but this may be said here1  
that those who have attained high       
spiritual powers and have misused them1 
have a terrible fate in store  for them1
 and the swing of the pendulum of       
,rhythm will inevitably swing  them back
 to the furthest extreme of ,material   
existence1 from which  point they must  

retrace their steps ,spiritward1 along  
the weary rounds  of ,the ,path1 but    
always with the added torture of having 
always with  them a lingering memory of 
the heights from which they fell owing  
to  their evil actions4 ,the legends of 
the ,fallen ,angels have a basis in     
actual facts1 as all advanced occultists
 know4 ,the striving for selfish  power 
on the ,spiritual ,planes inevitably    
results in the selfish soul  losing its 
spiritual balance and falling back as   
far as it had  previously risen4 ,but to
 even such a soul1 the opportunity of a 
return  is given--and such souls make   
the return journey1 paying the terrible 
penalty according to the invariable     
,law4    ,in conclusion we would again  
remind you that according to the        
,principle  of ,correspondence1 which   
embodies the truth3 ,as ,above so       
,below2 as  ,below1 so ,above1 all of   
the ,seven ,hermetic ,principles are in 
full  operation on all of the many      
planes1 ,physical ,mental and           

,spiritual4 ,the  ,principle of ,mental 
,substance of course applies to all the 
planes1 for  all are held in the ,mind  
of ,,the ,,all4 ,the ,principle of      
,correspondence  manifests in all1 for  
there is a correspondence1 harmony and  
agreement  between the several planes4  
,the ,principle of ,vibration manifests 
on all  planes1 in fact the very        
differences that go to make the planes  
arise  from ,vibration1 as we have      
explained4 ,the ,principle of ,polarity 
manifests on each plane1 the extremes of
 the ,poles being apparently  opposite  
and contradictory4 ,the ,principle of   
,rhythm manifests on each  ,plane1 the  
movement of the phenomena having its ebb
 and flow1 rise and  flow1 incoming and 
outgoing4 ,the ,principle of ,cause and 
,effect manifests  on each ,plane1 every
 ,effect having its ,cause and every    
,cause having its  effect4 ,the         
,principle of ,gender manifests on each 
,plane1 the ,creative  ,energy being    
always manifest1 and operating along the

 lines of its  ,masculine and ,feminine 
,aspects4    ,as ,above so ,below2 as   
,below1 so ,above4 ,this centuries old  
,hermetic  axiom embodies one of the    
great ,principles of ,universal         
,phenomena4 ,as we  proceed with our    
consideration of the remaining          
,principles1 we will see  even more     
clearly the truth of the universal      
nature of this great  ,principle of     
,correspondence4        ,,chapter ,,ix  
,,vibration        ,nothing rests2      
everything moves2 everything            
vibrates4--,the ,kybalion4    ,the great
 ,third ,hermetic ,principle--the       
,principle of ,vibration--embodies  the 
truth that ,motion is manifest in       
everything in the ,universe--that       
nothing is at rest--that everything     
moves1 vibrates1 and circles4 ,this     
,hermetic ,principle was recognized by  
some of the early ,greek philosophers   
who embodied it in their systems4 ,but1 
then1 for centuries it was lost  sight  
of by the thinkers outside of the       

,hermetic ranks4 ,but in the            
,nineteenth ,century physical science   
re-discovered the truth and the         
,twentieth ,century scientific          
discoveries have added additional proof 
of  the correctness and truth of this   
centuries-old ,hermetic doctrine4       
,the ,hermetic ,teachings are that not  
only is everything in constant  movement
 and vibration1 but that the differences
 between the various  manifestations of 
the universal power are due entirely to 
the varying  rate and mode of           
vibrations4 ,not only this1 but that    
even ,,the ,,all1 in  itself1 manifests 
a constant vibration of such an infinite
 degree of  intensity and rapid motion  
that it may be practically considered as
 at  rest1 the teachers directing the   
attention of the students to the fact   
that even on the physical plane a       
rapidly moving object 7such as a        
revolving wheel7 seems to be at rest4   
,the ,teachings are to the effect  that 
,spirit is at one end of the ,pole of   

,vibration1 the other ,pole being       
certain extremely gross forms of        
,matter4 ,between these two poles are   
millions upon millions of different     
rates and modes of vibration4    ,modern
 ,science has proven that all that we   
call ,matter and ,energy are  but modes 
of vibratory motion1 and some of the    
more advanced  scientists are rapidly   
moving toward the positions of the      
occultists who  hold that the phenomena 
of ,mind are likewise modes of vibration
 or  motion4 ,let us see what science   
has to say regarding the question of    
vibrations in matter and energy4    ,in 
the first place1 science teaches that   
all matter manifests1 in some  degree1  
the vibrations arising from temperature 
or heat4 ,be an object  cold or         
hot--both being but degrees of the same 
things--it manifests  certain heat      
vibrations1 and in that sense is in     
motion and vibration4  ,then all        
particles of ,matter are in circular    
movement1 from corpuscle to  suns4 ,the 

planets revolve around suns1 and many of
 them turn on their  axes4 ,the suns    
move around greater central points1 and 
these are  believed to move around still
 greater1 and so on1 ad infinitum4 ,the 
molecules of which the particular kinds 
of ,matter are composed are in a  state 
of constant vibration and movement      
around each other and against  each     
other4 ,the molecules are composed of   
,atoms1 which1 likewise1 are in  a state
 of constant movement and vibration4    
,the atoms are composed of  ,corpuscles1
 sometimes called electrons1 ions1 etc41
 which also are  in a state of rapid    
motion1 revolving around each other1 and
 which  manifest a very rapid state and 
mode of vibration4 ,and1 so we see that 
all forms of ,matter manifest           
,vibration1 in accordance with the      
,hermetic  ,principle of ,vibration4    
,and so it is with the various forms of 
,energy4 ,science teaches that  ,light1 
,heat1 ,magnetism and ,electricity are  
but forms of vibratory motion  connected

 in some way with1 and probably         
emanating from the ,ether4  ,science    
does not as yet attempt to explain the  
nature of the phenomena  known as       
,cohesion1 which is the principle of    
,molecular ,attraction2 nor  ,chemical  
,affinity1 which is the principle of    
,atomic ,attraction2 nor  ,gravitation  
7the greatest mystery of the three71    
which is the principle  of attraction by
 which every particle or mass of ,matter
 is bound to  every other particle or   
mass4 ,these three forms of ,energy are 
not as yet  understood by science1 yet  
the writers incline to the opinion that 
these  too are manifestations of some   
form of vibratory energy1 a fact which  
the ,hermetists have held and taught for
 ages past4    ,the ,universal ,ether1  
which is postulated by science without  
its nature  being understood clearly1 is
 held by the ,hermetists to be but a    
higher  manifestation of that which is  
erroneously called matter--that is to   
say1 ,matter at a higher degree of      

vibration--and is called by them ,the   
,ethereal ,substance4 ,the ,hermetists  
teach that this ,ethereal ,substance  is
 of extreme tenuity and elasticity1 and 
pervades universal space1  serving as a 
medium of transmission of waves of      
vibratory energy1 such  as heat1 light1 
electricity1 magnetism1 etc4 ,the       
,teachings are that ,the  ,ethereal     
,substance is a connecting link between 
the forms of vibratory  energy known as 
,matter on the one hand1 and ,energy or 
,force on the  other2 and also that it  
manifests a degree of vibration1 in rate
 and  mode1 entirely its own4           
,scientists have offered the            
illustration of a rapidly moving wheel1 
top1  or cylinder1 to show the effects  
of increasing rates of vibration4 ,the  
illustration supposes a wheel1 top1 or  
revolving cylinder1 running at a  low   
rate of speed--we will call this        
revolving thing the object in  following
 out the illustration4 ,let us suppose  
the object moving slowly4  ,it may be   

seen readily1 but no sound of its       
movement reaches the ear4  ,the speed is
 gradually increased4 ,in a few moments 
its movement becomes  so rapid that a   
deep growl or low note may be heard4    
,then as the rate is  increased the note
 rises one in the musical scale4 ,then1 
the motion  being still further         
increased1 the next highest note is     
distinguished4  ,then1 one after        
another1 all the notes of the musical   
scale appear1  rising higher and higher 
as the motion is increased4 ,finally    
when the  motions have reached a certain
 rate the final note perceptible to     
human  ears is reached and the shrill1  
piercing shriek dies away1 and silence  
follows4 ,no sound is heard from the    
revolving object1 the rate of motion    
being so high that the human ear cannot 
register the vibrations4 ,then  comes   
the perception of rising degrees of     
,heat4 ,then after quite a time  the eye
 catches a glimpse of the object        
becoming a dull dark reddish  color4 ,as

 the rate increases1 the red becomes    
brighter4 ,then as the  speed is        
increased1 the red melts into an orange4
 ,then the orange melts  into a yellow4 
,then follow1 successively1 the shades  
of green1 blue1  indigo1 and finally    
violet1 as the rate of sped increases4  
,then the  violet shades away1 and all  
color disappears1 the human eye not     
being able to register them4 ,but there 
are invisible rays emanating from  the  
revolving object1 the rays that are used
 in photographing1 and other  subtle    
rays of light4 ,then begin to manifest  
the peculiar rays known as  the ,x      
,rays1 etc41 as the constitution of the 
object changes4  ,electricity and       
,magnetism are emitted when the         
appropriate rate of  vibration is       
attained4    ,when the object reaches a 
certain rate of vibration its molecules 
disintegrate1 and resolve themselves    
into the original elements or  atoms4   
,then the atoms1 following the          
,principle of ,vibration1 are  separated

 into the countless corpuscles of which 
they are composed4 ,and  finally1 even  
the corpuscles disappear and the object 
may be said to ,be  composed of ,the    
,ethereal ,substance4 ,science does not 
dare to follow the  illustration        
further1 but the ,hermetists teach that 
if the vibrations be  continually       
increased the object would mount up the 
successive states of  manifestation and 
would in turn manifest the various      
mental stages1 and  then on ,spiritward1
 until it would finally re-enter ,,the  
,,all1 which is  ,absolute ,spirit4 ,the
 object1 however1 would have ceased to  
be an  object long before the stage of  
,ethereal ,substance was reached1 but   
otherwise the illustration is correct   
inasmuch as it shows the effect of      
constantly increased rates and modes of 
vibration4 ,it must be  remembered1 in  
the above illustration1 that at the     
stages at which the  object throws off  
vibrations of light1 heat1 etc41 it is  
not actually  resolved into those forms 

of energy 7which are much higher in the 
scale71 but simply that it reaches a    
degree of vibration in which those      
forms of energy are liberated1 in a     
degree1 from the confining  influences  
of its molecules1 atoms and corpuscles1 
as the case may be4  ,these forms of    
energy1 although much higher in the     
scale than matter1  are imprisoned and  
confined in the material combinations1  
by reason of  the energies manifesting  
through1 and using material forms1 but  
thus  becoming entangled and confined in
 their creations of material forms1     
which1 to an extent1 is true of all     
creations1 the creating force  becoming 
involved in its creation4    ,but the   
,hermetic ,teachings go much further    
than do those of modern  science4 ,they 
teach that all manifestation of thought1
 emotion1 reason1  will or desire1 or   
any mental state or condition1 are      
accompanied by  vibrations1 a portion of
 which are thrown off and which tend to 
affect  the minds of other persons by   

induction4 ,this is the principle which 
produces the phenomena of telepathy2    
mental influence1 and other forms  of   
the action and power of mind over mind1 
with which the general public  is       
rapidly becoming acquainted1 owing to   
the wide dissemination of  occult       
knowledge by the various schools1 cults 
and teachers along these  lines at this 
time4    ,every thought1 emotion or     
mental state has its corresponding rate 
and  mode of vibration4 ,and by an      
effort of the will of the person1 or of 
other persons1 these mental states may  
be reproduced1 just as a musical  tone  
may be reproduced by causing an         
instrument to vibrate at a certain      
rate--just as color may be reproduced in
 the same may4 ,by a knowledge of  the  
,principle of ,vibration1 as applied to 
,mental ,phenomena1 one may  polarize   
his mind at any degree he wishes1 thus  
gaining a perfect  control over his     
mental states1 moods1 etc4 ,in the same 
way he may  affect the minds of others1 

producing the desired mental states in  
them4  ,in short1 he may be able to     
produce on the ,mental ,plane that which
  science produces on the ,physical     
,plane--namely1 ,vibrations at ,will4   
,this power of course may be acquired   
only by the proper instruction1         
exercises1 practice1 etc41 the science  
being that of ,mental  ,transmutation1  
one of the branches of the ,hermetic    
,art4    ,a little reflection on what we
 have said will show the student that   
the  ,principle of ,vibration underlies 
the wonderful phenomena of the power    
manifested by the ,masters and ,adepts1 
who are able to apparently set  aside   
the ,laws of ,nature1 but who1 in       
reality1 are simply using one law       
against another2 one principle against  
others2 and who accomplish their        
results by changing the vibrations of   
material objects1 or forms of  energy1  
and thus perform what are commonly      
called miracles4    ,as one of the old  
,hermetic writers has truly said3 ,he   

who understands  the ,principle of      
,vibration1 has grasped the scepter of  
,power4        ,,chapter ,x             
,,polarity        ,everything is dual2  
everything has poles2 everything        
has its pair of opposites2 like and     
unlike are the same2      opposites are 
identical in nature1 but different in   
degree2      extremes meet2 all truths  
are but half-truths2 all paradoxes      
may be reconciled4--,the ,kybalion4     
,the great ,fourth ,hermetic            
,principle--the ,principle of ,polarity 
embodies  the truth that all manifested 
things have two sides2 two aspects2  two
 poles2 a pair of opposites1 with       
manifold degrees between the  two       
extremes4 ,the old paradoxes1 which have
 ever perplexed the mind of  men1 are   
explained by an understanding of this   
,principle4 ,man has always  recognized 
something akin to this ,principle1 and  
has endeavored to  express it by such   
sayings1 maxims and aphorisms as the    
following3  ,everything is and isn't1 at

 the same time2 all truths are but      
half-truths2 every truth is half-false2 
there are two sides to                  
everything--there is a reverse side to  
every shield1 etc41 etc4    ,the        
,hermetic ,teachings are to the effect  
that the difference between  things     
seemingly diametrically opposed to each 
other is merely a matter  of degree4 ,it
 teaches that the pairs of opposites may
 be reconciled1  and that thesis and    
anti-thesis are identical in nature1 but
 different  in degree2 and that the     
universal reconciliation of opposites is
  effected by a recognition of this     
,principle of ,polarity4 ,the teachers  
claim that illustrations of this        
,principle may be had on every hand1 and
  from an examination into the real     
nature of anything4 ,they begin by      
showing that ,spirit and ,matter are but
 the two poles of the same thing1  the  
intermediate planes being merely degrees
 of vibration4 ,they show  that ,,the   
,,all and ,the ,many are the same1 the  

difference being merely a  matter of    
degree of ,mental ,manifestation4 ,thus 
the ,,law and ,laws are the  two        
opposite poles of one thing4 ,likewise1 
,,principle and ,principles4  ,infinite 
,mind and finite minds4    ,then passing
 on to the ,physical ,plane1 they       
illustrate the ,principle by  showing   
that ,heat and ,cold are identical in   
nature1 the differences  being merely a 
matter of degrees4 ,the thermometer     
shows many degrees of  temperature1 the 
lowest pole being called cold1 and the  
highest  heat4 ,between these two poles 
are many degrees of heat or cold1  call 
them either and you are equally correct4
 ,the higher of two degrees  is always  
warmer1 while the lower is always       
colder4 ,there is no  absolute          
standard-all is a matter of degree4     
,there is no place on the  thermometer  
where heat ceases and cold begins4 ,it  
is all a matter of  higher or lower     
vibrations4 ,the very terms high and    
low1 which we  are compelled to use1 are

 but poles of the same thing-the terms  
are  relative4 ,so with ,east and       
,west--travel around the world in an    
eastward direction1 and you reach a     
point which is called west at your      
starting point1 and you return from that
 westward point4 ,travel far  enough    
,north1 and you will find yourself      
traveling ,south1 or vice versa4        
,light and ,darkness are poles of the   
same thing1 with many degrees  between  
them4 ,the musical scale is the         
same--starting with ,c you move  upward 
until you reach another ,c and so on1   
the differences between  the two ends of
 the board being the same1 with many    
degrees between the  two extremes4 ,the 
scale of color is the same-higher and   
lower vibrations  being the only        
difference between high violet and low  
red4 ,large and  ,small are relative4   
,so are ,noise and ,quiet2 ,hard and    
,soft follow the  rule4 ,likewise ,sharp
 and ,dull4 ,positive and ,negative are 
two poles of  the same thing1 with      

countless degrees between them4    ,good
 and ,bad are not absolute--we call one 
end of the scale ,good and the  other   
,bad1 or one end ,good and the other    
,evil1 according to the use of  the     
terms4 ,a thing is less good than the   
thing higher in the scale2  but that    
less good thing1 in turn1 is more good  
than the thing next  below it--and so   
on1 the more or less being regulated by 
the position  on the scale4    ,and so  
it is on the ,mental ,plane4 ,love and4 
,hate are generally  regarded as being  
things diametrically opposed to each    
other2 entirely  different2             
unreconcilable4 ,but we apply the       
,principle of ,polarity2 we  find that  
there is no such thing as ,absolute     
,love or ,absolute ,hate1 as            
distinguished from each other4 ,the two 
are merely terms applied to the  two    
poles of the same thing4 ,beginning at  
any point of the scale we find  more    
love1 or less hate1 as we ascend the    
scale2 and more hate or  less love as we

 descend this being true no matter from 
what point1  high or low1 we may start4 
,there are degrees of ,love and ,hate1  
and there  is a middle point where ,like
 and ,dislike become so faint that it is
  difficult to distinguish between them4
 ,courage and ,fear come under the  same
 rule4 ,the ,pairs of ,opposites exist  
everywhere4 ,where you find one  thing  
you find its opposite-the two poles4    
,and it is this fact that enables the   
,hermetist to transmute one mental      
state into another1 along the lines of  
,polarization4 ,things belonging to     
different classes cannot be transmuted  
into each other1 but things of  the same
 class may be changed1 that is1 may have
 their polarity changed4  ,thus ,love   
never becomes ,east or ,west1 or ,red or
 ,violet-but it may and  often does turn
 into ,hate and likewise ,hate may be   
transformed into  ,love1 by changing its
 polarity4 ,courage may be transmuted   
into ,fear1 and  the reverse4 ,hard     
things may be rendered ,soft4 ,dull     

things become ,sharp4  ,hot things      
become ,cold4 ,and so on1 the           
transmutation always being  between     
things of the same kind of different    
degrees4 ,take the case of a  ,fearful  
man4 ,by raising his mental vibrations  
along the line of ,fear-  ,courage1 he  
can be filled with the highest degree of
 ,courage and  ,fearlessness4 ,and1     
likewise1 the ,slothful man may change  
himself into an  ,active1 ,energetic    
individual simply by polarizing along   
the lines of the  desired quality4      
,the student who is familiar with the   
processes by which the various  schools 
of ,mental ,science1 etc41 produce      
changes in the mental states of  those  
following their teachings1 may not      
readily understand the  principle       
underlying many of these changes4 ,when1
 however1 the ,principle  of ,polarity  
is once grasped1 and it is seen that the
 mental changes are  occasioned by a    
change of polarity-a sliding along the  
same scale-the  hatter is readily       

understood4 ,the change is not in the   
nature of a  transmutation of one thing 
into another thing entirely             
different-but is  merely a change of    
degree in the same things1 a vastly     
important  difference4 ,for instance1   
borrowing an analogy from the ,physical 
,plane1  it is impossible to change     
,heat into ,sharpness1 ,loudness1       
,highness1  etc41 but ,heat may readily 
be transmuted into ,cold1 simply by     
lowering  the vibrations4 ,in the same  
way ,hate and ,love are mutually        
transmutable2  so are ,fear and         
,courage4 ,but ,fear cannot be          
transformed into ,love1 nor  can        
,courage be transmuted into ,hate4 ,the 
mental states belong to  innumerable    
classes1 each class of which has its    
opposite poles1 along  which            
transmutation is possible4    ,the      
student will readily recognize that in  
the mental states1 as well as  in the   
phenomena of the ,physical ,plane1 the  
two poles may be classified  as         

,positive and ,negative1 respectively4  
,thus ,love is ,positive to ,hate2      
,courage to ,fear2 ,activity to         
,non-,activity1 etc41 etc4 ,and it will 
also  be noticed that even to those     
unfamiliar with the ,principle of       
,vibration1 the ,positive pole seems to 
be of a higher degree than the          
,negative1 and readily dominates it4    
,the tendency of ,nature is in the      
direction of the dominant activity of   
the ,positive pole4    ,in addition to  
the changing of the poles of one's own  
mental states by  the operation of the  
art of ,polarization1 the phenomena of  
,mental  ,influence1 in its manifold    
phases1 shows us that the principle may 
be  extended so as to embrace the       
phenomena of the influence of one mind  
over that of another1 of which so much  
has been written and taught of  late    
years4 ,when it is understood that      
,mental ,induction is possible1  that is
 that mental states may be produced by  
induction from others1  then we can     

readily see how a certain rate of       
vibration1 or polarization  of a certain
 mental state1 may be communicated to   
another person1 and  his polarity in    
that class of mental states thus        
changed4 ,it is along  this principle   
that the results of many of the mental  
treatments are  obtained4 ,for instance1
 a person is blue1 melancholy and full  
of fear4  ,a mental scientist bringing  
his own mind up to the desired vibration
 by  his trained will1 and thus         
obtaining the desired polarization in   
his own  case1 then produces a similar  
mental state in the other by induction1 
the result being that the vibrations are
 raised and the person polarizes  toward
 the ,positive end of the scale instead 
toward the ,negative1 and  his ,fear and
 other negative emotions are transmuted 
to ,courage and  similar positive mental
 states4 ,a little study will show you  
that these  mental changes are nearly   
all along the line of ,polarization1 the
 change  being one of degree rather than

 of kind4    ,a knowledge of the        
existence of this great ,hermetic       
,principle will  enable the student to  
better understand his own mental states1
 and those  of other people4 ,he will   
see that these states are all matters of
  degree1 and seeing thus1 he will be   
able to raise or lower the vibration  at
 will--to change his mental poles1 and  
thus be ,master of his mental  states1  
instead of being their servant and      
slave4 ,and by his knowledge  he will be
 able to aid his fellows intelligently  
and by the appropriate  methods change  
the polarity when the same is desirable4
 ,we advise all  students to familiarize
 themselves with this ,principle of     
,polarity1 for  a correct understanding 
of the same will throw light on many    
difficult  subjects4        ,,chapter   
,,xi    ,,rhythm        ,everything     
flows out and in2 everything has its    
tides2      all things rise and fall2   
the pendulum-swing manifests      in    
everything2 the measure of the swing to 

the right1      is the measure of the   
swing to the left2 rhythm               
compensates--,the ,kybalion4    ,the    
great ,fifth ,hermetic ,principle--the  
,principle of ,rhythm-embodies the      
truth that in everything there is       
manifested a measured motion2 a         
to-and-from movement2 a flow and inflow2
 a swing forward and backward2 a        
pendulum-like movement2 a tide-like ebb 
and flow2 a high-tide and a low-  tide2 
between the two-poles manifest on the   
physical1 mental or  spiritual planes4  
,the ,principle of rhythm is closely    
connected with the  ,principle of       
,polarity described in the preceding    
chapter4 ,rhythm  manifests between the 
two poles established by the ,principle 
of  ,polarity4 ,this does not mean1     
however1 that the pendulum of ,rhythm   
swings to the extreme poles1 for this   
rarely happens2 in fact1 it is          
difficult to establish the extreme polar
 opposites in the majority of  cases4   
,but the swing is ever toward first one 

pole and then the other4    ,there is   
always an action and reaction2 an       
advance and a retreat2 a  rising and a  
sinking2 manifested in all of the airs  
and phenomena of the  ,universe4 ,suns1 
worlds1 men1 animals1 plants1 minerals1 
forces1 energy1  mind and matter1 yes1  
even ,spirit1 manifests this ,principle4
 ,the  ,principle manifests in the      
creation and destruction of worlds2 in  
the  rise and fall of nations2 in the   
life history of all things2 and finally 
in the mental states of ,man4           
,beginning with the manifestations of   
,spirit--of ,,the ,,all--it will be     
noticed that there is ever the          
,outpouring and the ,indrawing2 the     
,outbreathing and ,inbreathing of       
,brahm1 as the ,brahmans word it4       
,universes are created2 reach their     
extreme low point of materiality2 and   
then begin in their upward swing4 ,suns 
spring into being1 and then their       
height of power being reached1 the      
process of retrogression begins1 and    

after aeons they become dead masses of  
matter1 awaiting another impulse  which 
starts again their inner energies into  
activity and a new solar  life cycle is 
begun4 ,and thus it is with all the     
worlds2 they are born1  grow and die2   
only to be reborn4 ,and thus it is with 
all the things of  shape and form2 they 
swing from action to reaction2 from     
birth to death2  from activity to       
inactivity--and then back again4 ,thus  
it is with all  living things2 they are 
born1 grow1 and die--and then are       
reborn4 ,so it  is with all great       
movements1 philosophies1 creeds1        
fashions1  governments1 nations1 and all
 else-birth1 growth1 maturity1          
decadence1  death-and then new-birth4   
,the swing of the pendulum is ever in   
evidence4    ,night follows day2 and day
 night4 ,the pendulum swings from       
,summer to  ,winter1 and then back      
again4 ,the corpuscles1 atoms1          
molecules1 and all  masses of matter1   
swing around the circle of their nature4

 ,there is no  such thing as absolute   
rest1 or cessation from movement1 and   
all  movement partakes of rhythm4 ,the  
principle is of universal application4  
,it may be applied to any question1 or  
phenomena of any of the many  planes of 
life4 ,it may be applied to all phases  
of human activity4  ,there is always the
 ,rhythmic swing from one pole to the   
other4 ,the  ,universal ,pendulum is    
ever in motion4 ,the ,tides of ,life    
flow in and out1  according to ,law4    
,the ,principle of rhythm is well       
understood by modern science1 and is    
considered a universal law as applied to
 material things4 ,but the  ,hermetists 
carry the principle much further1 and   
know that its  manifestations and       
influence extend to the mental          
activities of ,man1 and  that it        
accounts for the bewildering succession 
of moods1 feelings and  other annoying  
and perplexing changes that we notice in
 ourselves4 ,but  the ,hermetists by    
studying the operations of this         

,principle have learned  to escape some 
of its activities by ,transmutation4    
,the ,hermetic ,masters long since      
discovered that while the ,principle of 
,rhythm was invariable1 and ever in     
evidence in mental phenomena1 still     
there were two planes of its            
manifestation so far as mental phenomena
  are concerned4 ,they discovered that  
there were two general planes of        
,consciousness1 the ,lower and the      
,higher1 the understanding of which fact
  enabled them to rise to the higher    
plane and thus escape the swing of  the 
,rhythmic pendulum which manifested on  
the lower plane4 ,in other  words1 the  
swing of the pendulum occurred on the   
,unconscious ,plane1 and  the           
,consciousness was not affected4 ,this  
they call the ,law of  ,neutralization4 
,its operations consist in the raising  
of the ,ego above  the vibrations of the
 ,unconscious ,plane of mental activity1
 so that the  negative-swing of the     
pendulum is not manifested in           

consciousness1 and  therefore they are  
not affected4 ,it is akin to rising     
above a thing and  letting it pass      
beneath you4 ,the ,hermetic ,master1 or 
advanced student1  polarizes himself at 
the desired pole1 and by a process akin 
to  refusing to participate in the      
backward swing or1 if you prefer1 a     
denial of its influence over him1 he    
stands firm in his polarized  position1 
and allows the mental pendulum to swing 
back along the  unconscious plane4 ,all 
individuals who have attained any degree
 of self-  mastery1 accomplish this1    
more or less unknowingly1 and by        
refusing to  allow their moods and      
negative mental states to affect them1  
they apply  the ,law of ,neutralization4
 ,the ,master1 however1 carries this to 
a much  higher degree of proficiency1   
and by the use of his ,will he attains  
a degree of ,poise and ,mental ,firmness
 almost impossible of belief on the     
part of those who allow themselves to be
 swung backward and forward by  the     

mental pendulum of moods and feelings4  
,the importance of this will be         
appreciated by any thinking person who  
realizes what creatures of moods1       
feelings and emotion the majority of    
people are1 and how little mastery of   
themselves they manifest4 ,if you  will 
stop and consider a moment1 you will    
realize how much these swings  of       
,rhythm have affected you in your       
life--how a period of ,enthusiasm has   
been invariably followed by an opposite 
feeling and mood of ,depression4        
,likewise1 your moods and periods of    
,courage have been succeeded by equal   
moods of ,fear4 ,and so it has ever been
 with the majority of  persons--tides of
 feeling have ever risen and fallen with
 them1 but they  have never suspected   
the cause or reason of the mental       
phenomena4 ,an  understanding of the    
workings of this ,principle will give   
one the key to  the ,mastery of these   
rhythmic swings of feeling1 and will    
enable him to  know himself better and  

to avoid being carried away by these    
inflows and  outflows4 ,the ,will is    
superior to the conscious manifestation 
of this  ,principle1 although the       
,principle itself can never be          
destroyed4 ,we may  escape its effects1 
but the ,principle operates1            
nevertheless4 ,the  pendulum ever       
swings1 although we may escape being    
carried along with  it4    ,there are   
other features of the operation of this 
,principle of ,rhythm of  which we wish 
to speak at this point4 ,there comes    
into its operations  that which is known
 as the ,law of ,compensation4 ,one of  
the definitions  or meanings of the word
 ,compensate is1 to counterbalance which
 is  the sense in which the ,hermetists 
use the term4 ,it is this ,law of       
,compensation to which the ,kybalion    
refers when it says3 ,the measure of    
the swing to the right is the measure of
 the swing to the left2 rhythm          
compensates4    ,the ,law of            
,compensation is that the swing in one  

direction determines  the swing in the  
opposite direction1 or to the opposite  
pole-the one  balances1 or              
counterbalances1 the other4 ,on the     
,physical ,plane we see  many examples  
of this ,law4 ,the pendulum of the clock
 swings a certain  distance to the      
right1 and then an equal distance to the
 left4 ,the  seasons balance each other 
in the same way4 ,the tides follow the  
same  ,law4 ,and the same ,law is       
manifested in all the phenomena of      
,rhythm4 ,the  pendulum1 with a short   
swing in one direction1 has but a short 
swing in  the other2 while the long     
swing to the right invariably means the 
long  swing to the left4  ,an object    
hurled upward to a certain height has an
  equal distance to traverse on its     
return4 ,the force with which a         
projectile is sent upward a mile is     
reproduced when the projectile  returns 
to the earth on its return journey4     
,this ,law is constant on the  ,physical
 ,plane1 as reference to the standard   

authorities will show you4    ,but the  
,hermetists carry it still further4     
,they teach that a man's  mental states 
are subject to the same ,law4 ,the man  
who enjoys keenly1 is  subject to keen  
suffering2 while he who feels but little
 pain is capable  of feeling but little 
joy4 ,the pig suffers but little        
mentally1 and  enjoys but little--he is 
compensated4 ,and on the other hand1    
there are  other animals who enjoy      
keenly1 but whose nervous organism and  
temperament cause them to suffer        
exquisite degrees of pain and so it is  
with ,man4 ,there are temperaments which
 permit of but low degrees of           
enjoyment1 and equally low degrees of   
suffering2 while there are others  which
 permit the most intense enjoyment1 but 
also the most intense  suffering4 ,the  
rule is that the capacity for pain and  
pleasure1 in each  individual1 are      
balanced4 ,the ,law of ,compensation is 
in full operation  here4    ,but the    
,hermetists go still further in this    

matter4 ,they teach that  before one is 
able to enjoy a certain degree of       
pleasure1 he must have  swung as far1   
proportionately1 toward the other pole  
of feeling4 ,they  hold1 however1 that  
the ,negative is precedent to the       
,positive in this  matter1 that is to   
say that in experiencing a certain      
degree of pleasure  it does not follow  
that he will have to pay up for it with 
a  corresponding degree of pain2 on the 
contrary1 the pleasure is the  ,rhythmic
 swing1 according to the ,law of        
,compensation1 for a degree of  pain    
previously experienced either in the    
present life1 or in a previous          
incarnation4 ,this throws a new light on
 the ,problem of ,pain4    ,the         
,hermetists regard the chain of lives as
 continuous1 and as forming a  part of  
one life of the individual1 so that in  
consequence the rhythmic  swing is      
understood in this way1 while it would  
be without meaning  unless the truth of 
reincarnation is admitted4    ,but the  

,hermetists claim that the ,master or   
advanced student is able1 to  a great   
degree1 to escape the swing toward      
,pain1 by the process of                
,neutralization before mentioned4 ,by   
rising on to the higher plane of the    
,ego1 much of the experience that comes 
to those dwelling on the lower  plane is
 avoided and escaped4    ,the ,law of   
,compensation plays an important part in
 the lives of men and  women4 ,it will  
be noticed that one generally pays the  
price of  anything he possesses or      
lacks4 ,if he has one thing1 he lacks   
another--the balance is struck4 ,no one 
can keep his penny and have the  bit of 
cake at the same time ,everything has   
its pleasant and unpleasant  sides4 ,the
 things that one gains are always paid  
for by the things that  one loses4 ,the 
rich possess much that the poor lack1   
while the poor  often possess things    
that are beyond the reach of the rich4  
,the  millionaire may have the          
inclination toward feasting1 and the    

wealth  wherewith to secure all the     
dainties and luxuries of the table1     
while he  lacks the appetite to enjoy   
the same2 he envies the appetite and    
digestion of the laborer who lacks the  
wealth and inclinations of the          
millionaire1 and who gets more pleasure 
from his plain food than the            
millionaire could obtain even if his    
appetite were not jaded1 nor his        
digestion ruined1 for the wants1 habits 
and inclinations differ4 ,and so  it is 
through life4 ,the ,law of ,compensation
 is ever in operation1  striving to     
balance and counter-balance1 and always 
succeeding in time1  even though several
 lives may be required for the return   
swing of the  ,pendulum of ,rhythm4     
,,chapter ,,xii    ,,causation          
,every ,cause has its ,effect2 every    
,effect has its ,cause2      everything 
happens according to ,law2 ,chance is   
but a      name for ,law not recognized2
 there are many planes of               
causation1 but nothing escapes the      

,law4--,the ,kybalion4    ,the great    
,sixth ,hermetic ,principle--the        
,principle of ,cause and                
,effect--embodies the truth that ,law   
pervades the ,universe2 that nothing    
happens by ,chance2 that ,chance is     
merely a term indicating cause  existing
 but not recognized or perceived2 that  
phenomena is continuous1  without break 
or exception4    ,the ,principle of     
,cause and ,effect underlies all        
scientific thought1  ancient and modern1
 and was enunciated by the ,hermetic    
,teachers in the  earliest days4 ,while 
many and varied disputes between the    
many schools  of thought have since     
arisen1 these disputes have been        
principally upon  the details of the    
operations of the ,principle1 and still 
more often  upon the meaning of certain 
words4 ,the underlying ,principle of    
,cause and  ,effect has been accepted as
 correct by practically all the thinkers
 of  the world worthy of the name4 ,to  
think otherwise would be to take the    

phenomena of the universe from the      
domain of ,law and ,order1 and to       
relegate it2 to the control of the      
imaginary something which men have      
called ,chance4    ,a little            
consideration will show anyone that     
there is in reality no such  thing as   
pure chance4 ,webster defines the word  
,chance as follows3 ,a  supposed agent  
or mode of activity other than a force1 
law or purpose2  the operation or       
activity of such agent2 the supposed    
effect of such an  agent2 a happening2  
fortuity2 casualty1 etc4 ,but a little  
consideration  will show you that there 
can be no such agent as ,chance1 in the 
sense  of something outside of          
,law-something outside of ,cause and    
,effect4 ,how  could there be a         
something acting in the phenomenal      
universe1  independent of the laws1     
order1 and continuity of the latter8    
,such a  something would be entirely    
independent of the orderly trend of the 
universe1 and therefore superior to it4 

,we can imagine nothing outside  of     
,,the ,,all being outside of the ,law1  
and that only because ,,the ,,all is    
the ,,law in itself4 ,there is no room  
in the universe for a something  outside
 of and independent of ,law4 ,the       
existence of such a ,something  would   
render all ,natural ,laws ineffective1  
and would plunge the universe  into     
chaotic disorder and lawlessness4    ,a 
careful examination will show that what 
we call ,chance is merely an  expression
 relating to obscure causes2 causes that
 we cannot perceive2  causes that we    
cannot understand4 ,the word ,chance is 
derived from a word  ,meaning to fall   
7as the falling of dice71 the idea being
 that the fall  of the dice 7and many   
other happenings7 are merely a happening
  unrelated to any cause4 ,and this is  
the sense in which the term is          
generally employed4 ,but when the matter
 is closely examined1 it is seen  that  
there is no chance whatsoever about the 
fall of the dice4 ,each time  a die     

falls1 and displays a certain number1 it
 obeys a law as infallible  as that     
which governs the revolution of the     
planets around the sun4 ,back  of the   
fall of the die are causes1 or chains of
 causes1 running back  further than the 
mind can follow4 ,the position of the   
die in the box2  the amount of muscular 
energy expended in the throw2 the       
condition of  the table1 etc41 etc41 all
 are causes1 the effect of which may be 
seen4  ,but back of these seen causes   
there are chains of unseen preceding    
causes1 all of which had a bearing upon 
the number of the die which fell        
uppermost4    ,if a die be cast a great 
number of times1 it will be found that  
the  numbers shown will be about equal1 
that is1 there will be an equal  number 
of one-spot1 two-spot1 etc41 coming     
uppermost4 ,toss a penny in  the air1   
and it may come down either heads or    
tails2 but make a  sufficient number of 
tosses1 and the heads and tails will    
about even up4  ,this is the operation  

of the law of average4 ,but both the    
average and  the single toss come under 
the ,law of ,cause and ,effect1 and if  
we were  able to examine into the       
preceding causes1 it would be clearly   
seen that  it was simply impossible for 
the die to fall other than it did1 under
  the same circumstances and at the same
 time4 ,given the same causes1 the  same
 results will follow4 ,there is always a
 cause and a because to  every event4   
,nothing ever happens without a cause1  
or rather a chain  of causes4    ,some  
confusion has arisen in the minds of    
persons considering this  ,principle1   
from the fact that they were unable to  
explain how one thing  could cause      
another thing--that is1 be the creator  
of the second  thing4 ,as a matter of   
fact1 no thing ever causes or creates   
another  thing4 ,cause and ,effect deals
 merely with events4 ,an event is  that 
which comes1 arrives or happens1 as a   
result or consequent of some  preceding 
event4 ,no event creates another event1 

but is merely a  preceding link in the  
great orderly chain of events flowing   
from the  creative energy of ,,the      
,,all4 ,there is a continuity between   
all events  precedent1 consequent and   
subsequent4 ,there is a relation        
existing  between everything that has   
gone before1 and everything that        
follows4 ,a  stone is dislodged from a  
mountain side and crashes through a roof
 of a  cottage in the valley below4 ,at 
first sight we regard this as a chance  
effect1 but when we examine the matter  
we find a great chain of causes  behind 
it4 ,in the first place there was the   
rain which softened the  earth          
supporting the stone and which allowed  
it to fall2 then back of  that was the  
influence of the sun1 other rains1 etc41
 which gradually  disintegrated the     
piece of rock from a larger piece2 then 
there were the  causes which led to the 
formation of the mountain1 and its      
upheaval by  convulsions of nature1 and 
so on ad infinitum4 ,then we might      

follow up  the causes behind the rain1  
etc4 ,then we might consider the        
existence of  the roof ,in short1 we    
would soon find ourselves involved in a 
mesh of  cause and effect1 from which we
 would soon strive to extricate         
ourselves4    ,just as a man has two    
parents1 and four grandparents1 and     
eight  great-grandparents1 and sixteen  
great-great-grandparents1 and so on     
until when1 say1 forty generations are  
calculated the numbers of  ancestors run
 into many millions--so it is with the  
number of causes  behind even the most  
trifling event or phenomena1 such as the
 passage of  a tiny speck of soot before
 your eye4 ,it is not an easy matter to 
trace  the bit of soot hack to the early
 period of the world's history when it  
formed a part of a massive tree-trunk1  
which was afterward converted  into     
coal1 and so on1 until as the speck of  
soot it now passes before  your vision  
on its way to other adventures4 ,and a  
mighty chain of  events1 causes and     

effects1 brought it to its present      
condition1 and the  later is but one of 
the chain of events which will go to    
produce other  events hundreds of years 
from now4 ,one of the series of events  
arising  from the tiny bit of soot was  
the writing of these lines1 which caused
  the typesetter to perform certain     
work2 the proofreader to do likewise2   
and which will arouse certain thoughts  
in your mind1 and that of others1  which
 in turn will affect others1 and so on1 
and on1 and on1 beyond the  ability of  
man to think further-and all from the   
passage of a tiny bit  of soot1 all of  
which shows the relativity and          
association of things1  and the further 
fact that there is no great2 there is no
 small1 in the  mind that causeth all4  
,stop to think a moment4 ,if a certain  
man had not met a certain maid1  away   
back in the dim period of the ,stone    
,age--you who are now reading  these    
lines would not now be here4 ,and if1   
perhaps1 the same couple had  failed to 

meet1 we who now write these lines would
 not now be here4 ,and  the very act of 
writing1 on our part1 and the act of    
reading1 on yours1  will affect not only
 the respective lives of yourself and   
ourselves1 but  will also have a direct1
 or indirect1 affect upon many other    
people now  living and who will live in 
the ages to come4 ,every thought we     
think1  every act we perform1 has its   
direct and indirect results which fit   
into  the great chain of ,cause and     
,effect4    ,we do not wish to enter    
into a consideration of ,free ,will1 or 
,determinism1 in this work1 for various 
reasons4 ,among the many reasons1  is   
the principal one that neither side of  
the controversy is entirely  right-in   
fact1 both sides are partially right1   
according to the ,hermetic  ,teachings4 
,the ,principle of ,polarity shows that 
both are but ,half-,truths  the opposing
 poles of ,truth4 ,the ,teachings are   
that a man may be both  ,free and yet   
bound by ,necessity1 depending upon the 

meaning of the  terms1 and the height of
 ,truth from which the matter is        
examined4 ,the  ancient writers express 
the matter thus3 ,the further the       
creation is  from the ,centre1 the more 
it is bound2 the nearer the ,centre it  
reaches1  the nearer ,free is it4       
,the majority of people are more or less
 the slaves of heredity1  environment1  
etc41 and manifest very little ,freedom4
 ,they are swayed by  the opinions1     
customs and thoughts of the outside     
world1 and also by  their emotions1     
feelings1 moods1 etc4 ,they manifest no 
,mastery1 worthy  of the name4 ,they    
indignantly repudiate this assertion1   
saying1 ,why1 ,i  certainly am free to  
act and do as ,i please--,i do just what
 ,i want to  do1 but they fail to       
explain whence arise the want to and as 
,i  please4 ,what makes them want to do 
one thing in preference to  another2    
what makes them please to do this1 and  
not do that8 ,is there  no because to   
their pleasing and ,wanting8 ,the       

,master can change  these pleases and   
wants into others at the opposite end of
 the  mental pole4 ,he is able to ,will 
to will1 instead of to will because     
some feeling1 mood1 emotion1 or         
environmental suggestion arouses a      
tendency or desire within him so to do4 
,the majority of people are carried     
along like the falling stone1  obedient 
to environment1 outside influences and  
internal moods1 desires1  etc41 not to  
speak of the desires and wills of others
 stronger than  themselves1 heredity1   
environment1 and suggestion1 carrying   
them along  without resistance on their 
part1 or the exercise of the ,will4     
,moved  like the pawns on the           
checkerboard of life1 they play their   
parts and  are laid aside after the game
 is over4 ,but the ,masters1 knowing the
  rules of the game1 rise above the     
plane of material life1 and placing     
themselves in touch with the higher     
powers of their nature1 dominate  their 
own moods1 characters1 qualities1 and   

polarity1 as well as the  environment   
surrounding them and thus become ,movers
 in the game1 instead  of ,pawns-,causes
 instead of ,effects4 ,the ,masters do  
not escape the  ,causation of the higher
 planes1 but fall in with the higher    
laws1 and  thus master circumstances on 
the lower plane4 ,they thus form a      
conscious  part of the ,law1 instead of 
being mere blind instruments4 ,while    
they  ,serve on the ,higher ,planes1    
they ,rule on the ,material ,plane4     
,but1 on higher and on lower1 the ,law  
is always in operation4 ,there is no    
such thing as ,chance4 ,the blind       
goddess has been abolished by ,reason4  
,we  are able to see now1 with eyes made
 clear by knowledge1 that everything  is
 governed by ,universal ,law-that the   
infinite number of laws are but         
manifestations of the ,one ,great       
,law-the ,,law which is ,,the ,,all4 ,it
 is true  indeed that not a sparrow     
drops unnoticed by the ,mind of ,,the   
,,al--that  even the hairs on our head  

are numbered--as the scriptures have    
said  ,there is nothing outside of ,law2
 nothing that happens contrary to it4   
,and yet1 do not make the mistake of    
supposing that ,man is but a blind      
automaton-far from that4 ,the ,hermetic 
,teachings are that ,man may use ,law   
to overcome laws1 and that the higher   
will always prevail against the  lower1 
until at last he has reached the stage  
in which he seeks refuge  in the ,,law  
itself1 and laughs the phenomenal laws  
to scorn4 ,are you able  to grasp the   
inner meaning of this8        ,,chapter 
,,xiii    ,,gender        ,gender is in 
everything2 everything has its          
,masculine      and ,feminine           
,principles2 ,gender manifests on all   
planes4--,the ,kybalion4    ,the great  
,seventh ,hermetic ,principle--the      
,principle of ,gender-embodies  the     
truth that there is ,gender manifested  
in everything-that the  ,masculine and  
,feminine principles are ever present   
and active in all  phases of phenomena1 

on each and every plane of life4 ,at    
this point we  think it well to call    
your attention to the fact that ,gender1
 in its  ,hermetic sense1 and ,sex in   
the ordinarily accepted use of the term1
 are  not the same4    ,the word ,gender
 is derived from the ,latin root meaning
 to beget2 to  procreate2 to generate2  
to create2 to produce4 ,a moment's      
consideration  will show you that the   
word has a much broader and more general
 meaning  than the term ,sex1 the latter
 referring to the physical distinctions 
between male and female living things4  
,sex is merely a manifestation of       
,gender on a certain plane of the ,great
 ,physical ,plane--the plane of  organic
 life4 ,we wish to impress this         
distinction upon your minds1 for  the   
reason that certain writers1 who have   
acquired a smattering of the  ,hermetic 
,philosophy1 have sought to identify    
this ,seventh ,hermetic  ,principle with
 wild and fanciful1 and often           
reprehensible1 theories and  teachings  

regarding ,sex4    ,the office of       
,gender is solely that of creating1     
producing1 generating1  etc41 and its   
manifestations are visible on every     
plane of phenomena4 ,it  is somewhat    
difficult to produce proofs of this     
along scientific lines1  for the reason 
that science has not as yet recognized  
this ,principle as  of universal        
application4 ,but still some proofs are 
forthcoming from  scientific sources4   
,in the first place1 we find a distinct 
manifestation  of the ,principle of     
,gender among the corpuscles1 ions1 or  
electrons1  which constitute the basis  
of ,matter as science now knows the     
latter1  and which by forming certain   
combinations form the ,atom1 which until
  lately was regarded as final and      
indivisible4    ,the latest word of     
science is that the atom is composed of 
a multitude  of corpuscles1 electrons1  
or ions 7the various names being applied
 by  different authorities7 revolving   
around each other and vibrating at a    

high degree and intensity4 ,but the     
accompanying statement is made that  the
 formation of the atom is really due to 
the clustering of negative  corpuscles  
around a positive one---the positive    
corpuscles seeming to  exert a certain  
influence upon the negative corpuscles1 
causing the  latter to assume certain   
combinations and thus create or generate
 an  atom4 ,this is in line with the    
most ancient ,hermetic ,teachings1 which
  have always identified the ,masculine 
principle of ,gender with the           
,positive1 and the ,feminine with the   
,negative ,poles of ,electricity  7so   
called74    ,now a word at this point   
regarding this identification4 ,the     
public mind  has formed an entirely     
erroneous impression regarding the      
qualities of  the so-called ,negative   
pole of electrified or magnetized       
,matter4 ,the  terms ,positive and      
,negative are very wrongly applied to   
this phenomenon  by science4 ,the word  
,positive means something real and      

strong1 as  compared with a ,negative   
unreality or weakness4 ,nothing is      
further from  the real facts of         
electrical phenomenon4 ,the so-called   
,negative pole of  the battery is really
 the pole in and by which the generation
 or  production of new forms and        
energies is manifested4 ,there is       
nothing  negative about it4 ,the best   
scientific authorities now use the word 
,cathode in place of ,negative1 the word
 ,cathode coming from the ,greek  root  
meaning descent2 the path of generation1
 etc1 ,from the ,cathode  pole emerge   
the swarm of electrons or corpuscles2   
from the same pole  emerge those        
wonderful rays which have revolutionized
 scientific  conceptions during the past
 decade4 ,the ,cathode pole is the      
,mother of  all of the strange phenomena
 which have rendered useless the old    
textbooks1 and which have caused many   
long accepted theories to be  relegated 
to the scrap-pile of scientific         
speculation4 ,the ,cathode1 or          

,negative ,pole1 is the ,mother         
,principle of ,electrical ,phenomena1   
and of  the finest forms of matter as   
yet known to science4 ,so you see we are
  justified in refusing to use the term 
,negative in our consideration of  the  
subject1 and in insisting upon          
substituting the word ,feminine for  the
 old term4 ,the facts of the case bear  
us out in this1 without taking  the     
,hermetic ,teachings into consideration4
 ,and so we shall use the word          
,feminine in the place of ,negative in  
speaking of that pole of  activity4     
,the latest scientific teachings are    
that the creative corpuscles or         
electrons are ,feminine 7science says   
they are composed of negative           
electricity-we say they are composed of 
,feminine energy74 ,a ,feminine         
corpuscle becomes detached from1 or     
rather leaves1 a ,masculine  corpuscle1 
and starts on a new career4 ,it actively
 seeks a union with a  ,masculine       
corpuscle1 being urged thereto by the   

natural impulse to  create new forms of 
,matter or ,energy4 ,one writer goes so 
far as to use  the term it at once      
seeks1 of its own volition1 a union1    
etc4 ,this  detachment and uniting form 
the basis of the greater part of the    
activities of the chemical world4 ,when 
the ,feminine corpuscle unites  with a  
,masculine corpuscle1 a certain process 
is begun4 ,the ,feminine  particles     
vibrate rapidly under the influence of  
the ,masculine energy1  and circle      
rapidly around the latter4 ,the result  
is the birth of a new  atom4 ,this new  
atom is really composed of a union of   
the ,masculine and  ,feminine electrons1
 or corpuscles1 but when the union is   
formed the atom  is a separate thing1   
having certain properties1 but no longer
  manifesting the property of free      
electricity4 ,the process of detachment 
or separation of the ,feminine electrons
 is called ionization4 ,these           
electrons1 or corpuscles1 are the most  
active workers in ,nature's field4      

,arising from their unions1 or          
combinations1 manifest the varied       
phenomena of light1 heat1 electricity1  
magnetism1 attraction1  repulsion1      
chemical affinity and the reverse1 and  
similar phenomena4 ,and  all this arises
 from the operation of the ,principle of
 ,gender on the  plane of ,energy4      
,the part of the ,masculine principle   
seems to be that of directing a  certain
 inherent energy toward the ,feminine   
principle1 and thus starting  into      
activity the creative processes4 ,but   
the ,feminine principle is the  one     
always doing the active creative        
work-and this is so on all planes4  ,and
 yet1 each principle is incapable of    
operative energy without the  assistance
 of the other4 ,in some of the forms of 
life1 the two  principles are combined  
in one organism4 ,for that matter1      
everything in  the organic world        
manifests both genders--there is always 
the ,masculine  present in the ,feminine
 form1 and the ,feminine form4  ,the    

,hermetic  ,teachings include much      
regarding the operation of the two      
principles of  ,gender in the production
 and manifestation of various forms of  
energy1  etc41 but we do not deem it    
expedient to go into detail regarding   
the  same at this point1 because we are 
unable to back up the same with         
scientific proof1 for the reason that   
science has not as yet progressed  thus 
far4 ,but the example we have given you 
of the phenomena of the  electrons or   
corpuscles will show you that science is
 on the right path1  and will also give 
you a general idea of the underlying    
principles4    ,some leading scientific 
investigators have announced their      
belief that  in the formation of        
crystals there was to be found something
 that  corresponded to sex-activity     
which is another straw showing the      
direction the scientific winds are      
blowing4 ,and each year will bring      
other facts to corroborate the          
correctness of the ,hermetic ,principle 

of  ,gender4 ,it will be found that     
,gender is in constant operation and    
manifestation in the field of inorganic 
matter1 and in the field of  ,energy or 
,force4 ,electricity is now generally   
regarded as the  ,something into which  
all other forms of energy seem to melt  
or  dissolve4 ,the ,electrical ,theory  
of the ,universe is the latest          
scientific doctrine1 and is growing     
rapidly in popularity and  general      
acceptance4 ,and it thus follows that if
 we are able to discover  in the        
phenomena of electricity-even at the    
very root and source of its             
manifestations a clear and unmistakable 
evidence of the presence of  ,gender and
 its activities1 we are justified in    
asking you to believe  that science at  
last has offered proofs of the existence
 in all  universal phenomena of that    
great ,hermetic ,principle-the          
,principle of  ,gender4    ,it is not   
necessary to take up your time with the 
well known phenomena  of the attraction 

and repulsion of the atoms2 chemical    
affinity2 the  loves and hates of the   
atomic particles2 the attraction or     
cohesion  between the molecules of      
matter4 ,these facts are too well known 
to need  extended comment from us4 ,but1
 have you ever considered that all of   
these things are manifestations of the  
,gender ,principle8 ,can you not see    
that the phenomena is on all fours with 
that of the corpuscles or  electrons8   
,and more than this1 can you not see the
 reasonableness of the  ,hermetic       
,teachings which assert that the very   
,law of ,gravitation-that  strange      
attraction by reason of which all       
particles and bodies of matter  in the  
universe tend toward each other is but  
another manifestation of  the ,principle
 of ,gender1 which operates in the      
direction of attracting  the ,masculine 
to the ,feminine energies1 and vice     
versa8 ,we cannot offer  you scientific 
proof of this at this time-but examine  
the phenomena in  the light of the      

,hermetic ,teachings on the subject1 and
 see if you have  not a better working  
hypothesis than any offered by physical 
science4  ,submit all physical phenomena
 to the test1 and you will discern the  
,principle of ,gender ever in evidence4 
,let us now pass on to a consideration  
of the operation of the ,principle  on  
the ,mental ,plane4 ,many interesting   
features are there awaiting             
examination4        ,,chapter ,,xiv     
,,mental ,,gender    ,students of       
psychology who have followed the modern 
trend of thought  along the lines of    
mental phenomena are struck by the      
persistence of the  dual-mind idea which
 has manifested itself so strongly      
during the past  ten or fifteen years1  
and which has given rise to a number of 
plausible  theories regarding the nature
 and constitution of these two minds4   
,the  late ,thomson ,j4 ,hudson attained
 great popularity in #ahic by advancing 
his well-known theory of the objective  
and subjective minds which he  held     

existed in every individual4 ,other     
writers have attracted almost  equal    
attention by the theories regarding the 
conscious and  subconscious minds2 the  
voluntary and involuntary minds2 the    
active  and passive minds1 etc41 etc4   
,the theories of the various writers    
differ from each other1 but there       
remains the underlying principle of  the
 duality of mind4    ,the student of the
 ,hermetic ,philosophy is tempted to    
smile when he reads  and hears of these 
many new theories regarding the duality 
of mind1  each school adhering          
tenaciously to its own pet theories1 and
 each  claiming to have discovered the  
truth4 ,the student turns back the      
pages of occult history1 and away back  
in the dim beginnings of occult         
teachings he finds references to the    
ancient ,hermetic doctrine of the       
,principle of ,gender on the ,mental    
,plane-the manifestation of ,mental     
,gender4 ,and examining further he finds
 that the ancient philosophy took       

cognizance of the phenomenon of the dual
 mind1 and accounted for it by  the     
theory of ,mental ,gender4 ,this idea of
 ,mental ,gender may be explained  in a 
few words to students who are familiar  
with the modern theories  just alluded  
to4 ,the ,masculine ,principle of ,mind 
corresponds to the  so-called ,objective
 ,mind2 ,conscious ,mind2 ,voluntary    
,mind2 ,active ,mind1  etc4 ,and the    
,feminine ,principle of ,mind           
corresponds to the so-called            
,subjective ,mind2 ,sub-conscious ,mind2
 ,involuntary ,mind2 ,passive ,mind1    
etc4 ,of course the ,hermetic ,teachings
 do not agree with the many modern      
theories regarding the nature of the two
 phases of mind1 nor does it  admit many
 of the facts claimed for the two       
respective aspects--some of  the said   
theories and claims being very          
far-fetched and incapable of  standing  
the test of experiment and              
demonstration4  ,we point to the  phases
 of agreement merely for the purpose of 

helping the student to  assimilate his  
previously acquired knowledge with the  
teachings of the  ,hermetic ,philosophy4
 ,students of ,hudson will notice the   
statement at the  beginning of his      
second chapter of ,the ,law of ,psychic 
,phenomena1 that3  ,the mystic jargon of
 the ,hermetic philosophers discloses   
the same  general idea i4e41 the duality
 of mind4 ,if ,dr4 ,hudson had taken    
the time and trouble to decipher a      
little of the mystic jargon of the      
,hermetic ,philosophy1 he might have    
received much light upon the subject  of
 the dual mind--but then1 perhaps1 his  
most interesting work might  not have   
been written4 ,let us now consider the  
,hermetic ,teachings  regarding ,mental 
,gender4    ,the ,hermetic ,teachers    
impart their instruction regarding this 
subject by  bidding their students      
examine the report of their             
consciousness  regarding their ,self4   
,the students are bidden to turn their  
attention  inward upon the ,self        

dwelling within each4 ,each student is  
led to see  that his consciousness gives
 him first a report of the existence of 
his  ,self-the report is ,i ,am4 ,this  
at first seems to be the final words    
from the consciousness1 but a little    
further examination discloses the  fact 
that this ,i ,am may be separated or    
split into two distinct parts1  or      
aspects1 which while working in unison  
and in conjunction1 yet1  nevertheless1 
may be separated in consciousness4      
,while at first there seems to be only  
an ,i existing1 a more careful  and     
closer examination reveals the fact that
 there exists an ,i and a  ,me4 ,these  
mental twins differ in their            
characteristics and nature1 and  an     
examination of their nature and the     
phenomena arising from the same  will   
throw much light upon many of the       
problems of mental influence4    ,let us
 begin with a consideration of the ,me1 
which is usually mistaken  for the ,i by
 the student1 until he presses the      

inquiry a little further  back into the 
recesses of consciousness4 ,a man thinks
 of his ,self 7in  its aspect of ,me7 as
 being composed of certain feelings1    
tastes likes1  dislikes1 habits1        
peculiar ties1 characteristics1 etc41   
all of which go  to make up his         
personality1 or the ,self known to      
himself and others4  ,he knows that     
these emotions and feelings change2 are 
born and die away2  are subject to the  
,principle of ,rhythm1 and the          
,principle of ,polarity1  which take him
 from one extreme of feeling to another4
 ,he also thinks of  the ,me as being   
certain knowledge gathered together in  
his mind1 and  thus forming a part of   
himself4 ,this is the ,me of a man4     
,but we have proceeded too hastily4 ,the
 ,me of many men may be said to  consist
 largely of their consciousness of the  
body and their physical  appetites1 etc4
 ,their consciousness being largely     
bound up with their  bodily nature1 they
 practically live there4 ,some men even 

go so far as  to regard their personal  
apparel as a part of their ,me and      
actually  seem to consider it a part of 
themselves4 ,a writer has humorously    
said  that men consist of three         
parts--soul1 body and clothes4 ,these   
clothes conscious people would lose     
their personality if divested of  their 
clothing by savages upon the occasion of
 a shipwreck4 ,but even  many who are   
not so closely bound up with the idea of
 personal raiment  stick closely to the 
consciousness of their bodies being     
their ,me ,they  cannot conceive of a   
,self independent of the body4 ,their   
mind seems to  them to be practically a 
something belonging to their body-which 
in  many cases it is indeed4    ,but as 
man rises in the scale of consciousness 
he is able to disentangle  his ,me from 
his idea of body1 and is able to think  
of his body as  belonging to the mental 
part of him4 ,but even then he is very  
apt to  identify the ,me entirely with  
the mental states1 feelings1 etc41 which

  he feels to exist within him4 ,he is  
very apt to consider these internal     
states as identical with himself1       
instead of their being simply things    
produced by some part of his mentality1 
and existing within him--of him1  and in
 him1 but still not himself4 ,he sees   
that he may change these  internal      
states of feelings by all effort of     
will1 and that he may  produce a feeling
 or state of an exactly opposite nature1
 in the same  way1 and yet the same ,me 
exists4 ,and so after a while he is able
 to  set aside these various mental     
states1 emotions1 feelings1 habits1     
qualities1 characteristics1 and other   
personal mental belongings--he is  able 
to set them aside in the not-me         
collection of curiosities and           
encumbrances1 as well as valuable       
possessions4 ,this requires much mental 
concentration and power of mental       
analysis on the part of the student4    
,but still the task is possible for the 
advanced student1 and even those  not so

 far advanced are able to see1 in the   
imagination1 how the process  may be    
performed4    ,after this laying-aside  
process has been performed1 the student 
will  find himself in conscious         
possession of a ,self which may be      
considered  in its ,i and ,me dual      
aspects4 ,the ,me will be felt to be a  
,something mental in which thoughts1    
ideas1 emotions1 feelings1 and other    
mental states may be produced4 ,it may  
be considered as the mental  womb1 as   
the ancients styled it-capable of       
generating mental offspring4  ,it       
reports to the consciousness as a ,me   
with latent powers of creation  and     
generation of mental progeny of all     
sorts and kinds4 ,its powers of         
creative energy are felt to be enormous4
 ,but still it seems to be  conscious   
that it must receive some form of energy
 from either its ,i  companion1 or else 
from some other ,i ere it is able to    
bring into  being its mental creations4 
,this consciousness brings with it a    

realization of an enormous capacity for 
mental work and creative  ability4      
,but the student soon finds that this is
 not all that he finds within his  inner
 consciousness4 ,he finds that there    
exists a mental ,something which  is    
able to ,will that the ,me act along    
certain creative lines1 and  which is   
also able to stand aside and witness the
 mental creation4 ,this  part of himself
 he is taught to call his ,i4 ,he is    
able to rest in its  consciousness at   
will4 ,he finds there not a             
consciousness of an ability  to generate
 and actively create1 in the sense of   
the gradual process  attendant upon     
mental operations1 but rather a sense   
and consciousness  of an ability to     
project an energy from the ,i to the    
,me--a process  of willing that the     
mental creation begin and proceed4 ,he  
also finds  that the ,i is able to stand
 aside and witness the operations of the
  ,me's mental creation and generation4 
,there is this dual aspect in the  mind 

of every person4 ,the ,i represents the 
,masculine ,principle of  ,mental       
,gender-the ,me represents the ,female  
,principle4 ,the ,i  represents the     
,aspect of ,being2 the ,me the ,aspect  
of ,becoming4 ,you  will notice that the
 ,principle of ,correspondence operates 
on this plane  just as it does upon the 
great plane upon which the creation of  
,universes is performed4 ,the two are   
similar in kind1 although  vastly       
different in degree4 ,as above1 so      
below2 as below1 so above4    ,these    
aspects of mind-the ,masculine and      
,feminine ,principles-the ,i and  the   
,me-considered in connection with the   
well-known mental and psychic           
phenomena1 give the master-key to these 
dimly known regions of mental  operation
 and manifestation4 ,the principle of   
,mental ,gender gives the  truth        
underlying the whole field of the       
phenomena of mental influence1  etc4    
,the tendency of the ,feminine          
,principle is always in the direction of

  receiving impressions1 while the      
tendency of the ,masculine ,principle is
  always in the direction of giving1 out
 or expressing4 ,the ,feminine          
,principle has much more varied field of
 operation than has the ,masculine      
,principle4 ,the ,feminine ,principle   
conducts the work of generating new     
thoughts1 concepts1 ideas1 including the
 work of the imagination4 ,the          
,masculine ,principle contents itself   
with the work of the ,will in its       
varied phases4 ,and yet1 without the    
active aid of the ,will of the          
,masculine ,principle1 the ,feminine    
,principle is apt to rest content with  
generating mental images which are the  
result of impressions received  from    
outside1 instead of producing original  
mental creations4    ,persons who can   
give continued attention and thought to 
a subject  actively employ both of the  
,mental ,principles-the ,feminine in the
 work  of the mental generation1 and the
 ,masculine ,will in stimulating and    

energizing the creative portion of the  
mind4 ,the majority of persons  really  
employ the ,masculine ,principle but    
little1 and are content to  live        
according to the thoughts and ideas     
instilled into the ,me from  the ,i of  
other minds4 ,but it is not our purpose 
to dwell upon this  phase of the        
subject1 which may be studied from any  
good text-book upon  psychology1 with   
the key that we have given you regarding
 ,mental ,gender4    ,the student of    
,psychic ,phenomena is aware of the     
wonderful phenomena  classified under   
the head of ,telepathy2 ,thought        
,transference2 ,mental  ,influence2     
,suggestion2 ,hypnotism1 etc4 ,many have
 sought for an  explanation of these    
varied phases of phenomena under the    
theories of  the various dual mind      
teachers4 ,and in a measure they are    
right1 for  there is clearly a          
manifestation of two distinct phases of 
mental  activity4 ,but if such students 
will consider these dual minds in the   

light of the ,hermetic ,teachings       
regarding ,vibrations and ,mental       
,gender1  they will see that the long   
sought for key is at hand4    ,in the   
phenomena of ,telepathy it is seen how  
the ,vibratory ,energy of the           
,masculine ,principle is projected      
toward the ,feminine ,principle of      
another person1 and the latter takes the
 seed-thought and allows it to  develop 
into maturity4 ,in the same way         
,suggestion and ,hypnotism  operates4   
,the ,masculine ,principle of the person
 giving the suggestions  directs a      
stream of ,vibratory ,energy or         
,will-,power toward the ,feminine       
,principle of the other person1 and the 
latter accepting it makes it its  own   
and acts and thinks accordingly4 ,an    
idea thus lodged in the mind of  another
 person grows and develops1 and in time 
is regarded as the  rightful mental     
offspring of the individual1 whereas it 
is in reality  like the cuckoo egg      
placed in the sparrows nest1 where it   

destroys the  rightful offspring and    
makes itself at home4 ,the normal method
 is for  the ,masculine and ,feminine   
,principles in a person's mind to       
co-ordinate  and act harmoniously in    
conjunction with each other1 but1       
unfortunately1  the ,masculine          
,principle in the average person is too 
lazy to act-the  display of ,will-,power
 is too slight-and the consequence is   
that such  persons are ruled almost     
entirely by the minds and wills of other
  persons1 whom they allow to do their  
thinking and willing for them4  ,how few
 original thoughts or original actions  
are performed by the  average person8   
,are not the majority of persons mere   
shadows and echoes  of others having    
stronger wills or minds than themselves8
 ,the trouble is  that the average      
person dwells almost altogether in his  
,me  consciousness and does not realize 
that he has such a thing as an ,i4  ,he 
is polarized in his ,feminine ,principle
 of ,mind1 and the ,masculine           

,principle1 in which is lodged the      
,will1 is allowed to remain inactive    
and not employed4    ,the strong men and
 women of the world invariably manifest 
the ,masculine  ,principle of ,will1 and
 their strength depends materially upon 
this fact4  ,instead of living upon the 
impressions made upon their minds by    
others1  they dominate their own minds  
by their ,will1 obtaining the kind of   
mental images desired1 and moreover     
dominate the minds of others  likewise1 
in the same manner4 ,look at the strong 
people1 how they manage  to implant     
their seed-thoughts in the minds of the 
masses of the people1  thus causing the 
latter to think thoughts in accordance  
with the desires  and wills of the      
strong individuals4 ,this is why the    
masses of people  are such sheeplike    
creatures1 never originating an idea of 
their own1  nor using their own powers  
of mental activity4    ,the             
manifestation of ,mental ,gender may be 
noticed all around us in  everyday life4

 ,the magnetic persons are those who are
 able to use the  ,masculine ,principle 
in the way of impressing their ideas    
upon others4  ,the actor who makes      
people weep or cry as he wills1 is      
employing this  principle4 ,and so is   
the successful orator1 statesman1       
preacher1 writer  or other people who   
are before the public attention4 ,the   
peculiar  influence exerted by some     
people over others is due to the        
manifestation  of ,mental ,gender1 along
 the ,vibrational lines above indicated4
 ,in this  principle lies the secret of 
personal magnetism1 personal influence1 
fascination1 etc41 as well as the       
phenomena generally grouped under the   
name of ,hypnotism4    ,the student who 
has familiarized himself with the       
phenomena generally  spoken of as       
psychic will have discovered the        
important part played in  the said      
phenomena by that force which science   
has styled ,suggestion1  by which term  
is meant the process or method whereby  

an idea is  transferred to1 or impressed
 upon the mind of another1 causing the  
second mind to act in accordance        
therewith4 ,a correct understanding of  
,suggestion is necessary in order to    
intelligently comprehend the varied     
psychical phenomena which ,suggestion   
underlies4 ,but1 still more is a        
knowledge of ,vibration and ,mental     
,gender necessary for the student of    
,suggestion4 ,for the whole principle of
 ,suggestion depends upon the  principle
 of ,mental ,gender and ,vibration4     
,it is customary for the writers and    
teachers of ,suggestion to explain  that
 it is the objective or voluntary mind  
which make the mental  impression1 or   
suggestion1 upon the subjective or      
involuntary mind4  ,but they do not     
describe the process or give us any     
analogy in nature  whereby we may more  
readily comprehend the idea4 ,but if you
 will think  of the matter in the light 
of the ,hermetic ,teachings you will be 
able to  see that the energizing of the 

,feminine ,principle by the ,vibratory  
,energy of the ,masculine ,principle ,is
 in accordance to the universal laws  of
 nature1 and that the natural world     
affords countless analogies  whereby the
 principle may be understood4 ,in fact1 
the ,hermetic ,teachings  show that the 
very creation of the ,universe follows  
the same law1 and  that in all creative 
manifestations1 upon the planes of the  
spiritual1  the mental1 and the         
physical1 there is always in operation  
this  principle of ,gender-this         
manifestation of the ,masculine and the 
,feminine  ,principles4 ,as above1 so   
below2 as below1 so above4 ,and more    
than  this1 when the principle of       
,mental ,gender is once grasped and     
understood1 the varied phenomena of     
psychology at once becomes capable  of  
intelligent classification and study1   
instead of being very much in  the dark4
 ,the principle works out in practice1  
because it is based  upon the immutable 
universal laws of life4    ,we shall not

 enter into an extended discussion of1  
or description of1  the varied phenomena
 of mental influence or psychic         
activity4 ,there are  many books1 many  
of them quite good1 which have been     
written and  published on this subject  
of late years4 ,the main facts stated in
 these  various books are correct1      
although the several writers have       
attempted  to explain the phenomena by  
various pet theories of their own4 ,the 
student may acquaint himself with these 
matters1 and by using the theory  of    
,mental ,gender he will be able to bring
 order out of the chaos of  conflicting 
theory and teachings1 and may1 moreover1
 readily make  himself a master of the  
subject if he be so inclined4 ,the      
purpose of  this work is not to give an 
extended account of psychic phenomena   
but  rather to give to the student a    
master-key whereby ,he may unlock the   
many doors leading into the parts of the
 ,temple of ,knowledge which he  may    
wish to explore4 ,we feel that in this  

consideration of the teachings  of ,the 
,kybalion1 one may find an explanation  
which will serve to clear  away many    
perplexing difficulties--a key that will
 unlock many doors4  ,what is the use of
 going into detail regarding all of the 
many features  of psychic phenomena and 
mental science1 provided we place in the
 hands  of the student the means whereby
 he may acquaint himself fully regarding
  any phase of the subject which may    
interest him4 ,with the aid of ,the     
,kybalion one may go through any occult 
library anew1 the old ,light from       
,egypt illuminating many dark pages1 and
 obscure subjects4 ,that is the  purpose
 of this book4 ,we do not come          
expounding a new philosophy1 but  rather
 furnishing the outlines of a great     
world-old teaching which will  make     
clear the teachings of others-which will
 serve as a ,great  ,reconciler of      
differing3 theories1 and opposing       
doctrines4        ,,chapter ,,xv        
,,hermetic ,,axioms        ,the         

possession of ,knowledge1 unless        
accompanied by a      manifestation and 
expression in ,action1 is like the      
hoarding of precious metals-a vain and  
foolish thing4      ,knowledge1 like    
wealth1 is intended for ,use4 ,the ,law 
of      ,use is ,universal1 and he who  
violates it suffers by      reason of   
his conflict with natural forces4--,the 
,kybalion4    ,the ,hermetic ,teachings1
 while always having been kept securely 
locked up  in the minds of the fortunate
 possessors thereof1 for reasons which  
we  have already stated1 were never     
intended to be merely stored away and   
secreted4 ,the ,law of ,use is dwelt    
upon in the ,teachings1 as you may see  
by reference to the above quotation from
 ,the ,kybalion1 which states it        
forcibly4 ,knowledge without ,use and   
,expression is a vain thing1 bringing   
no good to its possessor1 or to the     
race4 ,beware of ,mental ,miserliness1  
and express into ,action that which you 
have learned4 ,study the ,axioms  and   

,aphorisms1 but practice them also4     
,we give below some of the more         
important ,hermetic ,axioms1 from ,the  
,kybalion1 with a few comments added to 
each4 ,make these your own1 and         
practice and use them1 for they are not 
really your own until you have  ,used   
them4        ,to change your mood or    
mental state--change your               
vibration4--,the ,kybalion4    ,one may 
change his mental vibrations by an      
effort of ,will1 in the  direction of   
deliberately fixing the ,attention upon 
a more desirable  state4 ,will directs  
the ,attention1 and ,attention changes  
the ,vibration4  ,cultivate the ,art of 
,attention1 by means of the ,will1 and  
you have  solved the secret of the      
,mastery of ,moods and ,mental ,states4 
,to destroy an undesirable rate of      
mental vibration1      put into         
operation the principle of ,polarity and
      concentrate upon the opposite pole
 to that which      you desire to       
suppress4 ,kill out the undesirable by  

changing its polarity4--,the ,kybalion4 
,this is one of the most important of   
the ,hermetic ,formulas4 ,it is based   
upon true scientific principles4 ,we    
have shown you that a mental state  and 
its opposite were merely the two poles  
of one thing1 and that by  ,mental      
,transmutation the polarity might be    
reversed4 ,this ,principle is  known to 
modern psychologists1 who apply it to   
the breaking up of  undesirable habits  
by bidding their students concentrate   
upon the  opposite quality4 ,if you are 
possessed of ,fear1 do not waste time   
trying  to kill out ,fear1 but instead  
cultivate the quality of ,courage1 and  
the ,fear will disappear4 ,some writers 
have expressed this idea most  forcibly 
by using the illustration of the dark   
room4 ,you do not have to  shovel out or
 sweep out the ,darkness1 but by merely 
opening the shutters  and letting in the
 ,light the ,darkness has disappeared4  
,to kill out a  ,negative quality1      
concentrate upon the ,positive ,pole of 

that same  quality1 and the vibrations  
will gradually change from ,negative to 
,positive1 until finally you will become
 polarized on the  ,positive pole       
instead of the ,negative4 ,the reverse  
is also true1 as many  have found out to
 their sorrow1 when they have allowed   
themselves to  vibrate too constantly on
 the ,negative pole of things4 ,by      
changing your  polarity you may master  
your moods1 change your mental states1  
remake  your disposition1 and build up  
character4 ,much of the ,mental ,mastery
 of  the advanced ,hermetics is due to  
this application of ,polarity1 which is 
one of the important aspects of ,mental 
,transmutation4 ,remember the  ,hermetic
 ,axiom 7quoted previously71 which says3
        ,mind 7as well as metals and    
elements7 may be transmuted      from   
state to state2 degree to degree1       
condition to      condition2 pole to    
pole2 vibration to vibration4--,the     
,kybalion4    ,the mastery of           
,polarization is the mastery of the     

fundamental principles  of ,mental      
,transmutation or ,mental ,alchemy1 for 
unless one acquires the  art of changing
 his own polarity1 he will be unable to 
affect his  environment4 ,an            
understanding of this principle will    
enable one to  change his own ,polarity1
 as well as that of others1 if he will  
but  devote the time1 care1 study and   
practice necessary to master the art4   
,the principle is true1 but the results 
obtained depend upon the  persistent    
patience and practice of the student4   
,rhythm may be neutralized by an        
application of the ,art      of         
,polarization4--,the ,kybalion4    ,as  
we have explained in previous chapters1 
the ,hermetists hold that the           
,principle of ,rhythm manifests on the  
,mental ,plane as well as on the        
,physical ,plane1 and that the          
bewildering succession of moods1        
feelings1  emotions1 and other mental   
states1 are due to the backward and     
forward  swing of the mental pendulum1  

which carries us from one extreme of    
feeling to the other4 ,the ,hermetists  
also teach that the ,law of             
,neutralization enables one1 to a great 
extent1 to overcome the operation  of   
,rhythm in consciousness4 ,as we have   
explained1 there is a ,higher  ,plane of
 ,consciousness1 as well as the ordinary
 ,lower ,plane1 and the  ,master by     
rising mentally to the ,higher ,plane   
causes the swing of the  mental pendulum
 to manifest on the ,lower ,plane1 and  
he1 dwelling on his  ,higher ,plane1    
escapes the consciousness of the swing  
backward4 ,this is  effected by         
polarizing on the ,higher ,self1 and    
thus raising the mental  vibrations of  
the ,ego above those of the ordinary    
plane of  consciousness4 ,it is akin to 
rising above a thing and allowing it to 
pass beneath you4 ,the advanced         
,hermetist polarizes himself at the     
,positive ,pole of his ,being-the ,i ,am
 pole rather than the pole of           
personality and by refusing and denying 

the operation of ,rhythm1  raises       
himself above its plane of              
consciousness1 and standing firm in  his
 ,statement of ,being he allows the     
pendulum to swing back on the ,lower    
,plane without changing his ,polarity4  
,this is accomplished by all            
individuals who have attained any degree
 of self-mastery1 whether  they         
understand the law or not4 ,such persons
 simply refuse to allow  themselves to  
be swung back by the pendulum of mood   
and emotion1 and by  steadfastly        
affirming the superiority they remain   
polarized on the  ,positive pole4 ,the  
,master1 of course1 attains a far       
greater degree of  proficiency1 because 
he understands the law which he is      
overcoming by a  higher law1 and by the 
use of his ,will he attains a degree of 
,poise and  ,mental ,steadfastness      
almost impossible of belief on the part 
of those  who allow themselves to be    
swung backward and forward by the mental
  pendulum of moods and feelings4       

,remember always1 however1 that you do  
not really destroy the ,principle  of   
,rhythm1 for that is indestructible4    
,you simply overcome one law by         
counter-balancing it with another and   
thus maintain an equilibrium4 ,the  laws
 of balance and counter-balance are in  
operation on the mental as  well as on  
the physical planes1 and an             
understanding of these laws  enables one
 to seem to overthrow laws1 whereas he  
is merely exerting a  counterbalance4   
,nothing escapes the ,principle of      
,cause and ,effect1      but there are  
many ,planes of ,causation1 and one may 
use      the laws of the higher to      
overcome the laws of the                
lower4--,the ,kybalion4    ,by an       
understanding of the practice of        
,polarization1 the ,hermetists rise  to 
a higher plane of ,causation and thus   
counter-balance the laws of the  lower  
planes of ,causation4 ,by rising above  
the plane of ordinary ,causes  they     
become themselves1 in a degree1 ,causes 

instead of being merely  ,caused4 ,by   
being able to master their own moods and
 feelings1 and by  being able to        
neutralize ,rhythm1 as we have already  
explained1 they are  able to escape a   
great part of the operations of ,cause  
and ,effect on the  ordinary plane4 ,the
 masses of people are carried along1    
obedient to  their environment2 the     
wills and desires of others stronger    
than  themselves2 the effects of        
inherited tendencies2 the suggestions of
  those about them2 and other outward   
causes2 which tend to move them  about  
on the chess-board of life like mere    
pawns4 ,by rising above these           
influencing causes1 the advanced        
,hermetists seek a higher plane of      
mental action1 and by dominating their  
moods1 emotions1 impulses and  feelings1
 they create for themselves new         
characters1 qualities and  powers1 by   
which they overcome their ordinary      
environment1 and thus  become           
practically players instead of mere     

,pawns4 ,such people help to  play the  
game of life understandingly1 instead of
 being moved about this  way and that   
way by stronger influences and powers   
and wills4 ,they use  the ,principle of 
,cause and ,effect1 instead of being    
used by  it4 ,of course1 even the       
highest are subject to the ,principle as
 it  manifests on the higher planes1 but
 on the lower planes of activity1  they 
are ,masters instead of ,slaves4 ,as    
,the ,kybalion says3        ,the wise   
ones serve on the higher1 but rule on   
the lower4      ,they obey the laws     
coming from above them1 ,but on their   
own plane1 and those below them they    
rule and give orders4      ,and1 yet1 in
 so doing1 they form a part of the      
,principle1      instead of opposing it4
 ,the wise man falls in with the ,law1  
and by understanding its movements he   
operates it instead      of being its   
blind slave4 ,just as does the skilled  
swimmer      turn this way and that way1
 going and coming as he will1           

instead of being as the log which is    
carried here and      there--so is the  
wise man as compared to the ordinary    
man--and yet both swimmer and log2 wise 
man and fool1      are subject to ,law4 
,he who understands this is well on     
the road to ,mastery4--,the ,kybalion4  
,in conclusion let us again call your   
attention to the ,hermetic ,axiom3      
,true ,hermetic ,transmutation is a     
,mental ,art4--,the ,kybalion4    ,in   
the above axiom1 the ,hermetists teach  
that the great work of  influencing     
one's environment is accomplished by    
,mental ,power4 ,the  ,universe being   
wholly mental1 it follows that it may be
 ruled only by  ,mentality4 ,and in this
 truth is to be found an explanation of 
all the  phenomena and manifestations of
 the various mental powers which are    
attracting so much attention and study  
in these earlier years of the           
,twentieth ,century4 ,back of and under 
the teachings of the various cults  and 
schools1 remains ever constant the      

,principle of the ,mental ,substance  of
 the ,universe4 ,if the ,universe be    
,mental in its substantial nature1  then
 it follows that ,mental ,transmutation 
must change the conditions and          
phenomena of the ,universe4 ,if the     
,universe is ,mental1 then ,mind must be
  the highest power affecting its       
phenomena4 ,if this be understood then  
all the so-called miracles and          
wonder-workings are seen plainly for    
what they are4        ,,the ,,all is    
,,mind2 ,the ,universe is ,mental4--,the
 ,kybalion4                             
,,finis