The Kybalion (full title: The Kybalion: A Study of the Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece) is a book originally published in 1908 by "Three Initiates" (often identified as the New Thought pioneer William Walker Atkinson, 1862–1932)[1] that purports to convey the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus. A modern Hermetic tract, it has been widely influential in twentieth- and twenty-first-century New Age circles.[2]
Cover of the first edition (1908)
Seven Hermetic principles
A central concept in the book is that there are "seven Hermetic principles, upon which the entire Hermetic philosophy is based".[3] These are:
1. The principle of mentalism
"The All is Mind; the Universe is Mental."[4]
2. The principle of correspondence
"As above, so below; as below, so above.” [...] This principle embodies the truth that there is always a correspondence between the laws and phenomena of the various planes of being and life.[5]
3. The principle of vibration
"Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates."[6]
4. The principle of polarity
"Everything is dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; extremes meet; all truths are but half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled."[7]
5. The principle of rhythm
"Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates."[8]
6. The principle of cause and effect
"Every cause has its effect; every effect has its cause; everything happens according to law; chance is but a name for law not recognized; there are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes the law."[9]
7. The principle of gender
"Gender is in everything; everything has its masculine and feminine principles; gender manifests on all planes."[10]
According to Mitch Horowitz, the philosophical mentalism (the primacy of mind as the active cause of things) described by the Kybalion's first principle was inspired by broadly similar notions in the ancient Greek Hermetica.
Reader's Reviews:
1.一切都是心灵； 宇宙就是精神。
1. The All is Mind; the Universe is Mental.
2.如上所述，因此如下； 如下所示。
2. As above, so below; as below, so above.
3.什么都没有休息；
一切都在移动；
一切都在震动。
3. Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates.
4.一切都是双重的； 一切都有两极； 一切都有其对立面； 喜欢和不一样是相同的； 对立的事物本质上是相同的，但程度不同； 极端相遇； 所有的真理都是真理。 所有矛盾都可以调和。
4. Everything is dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; extremes meet; all truths are but half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled.
5.一切都进出。 一切都有潮流； 万物兴衰 摆的摆动体现在所有事物上； 右旋的量度是左旋的量度； 节奏补偿。
5. Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates.
6.每一种原因都有其影响； 每一种影响都有其原因； 一切都依法发生； 机会不过是法律不被承认的名称； 有许多因果关系的层面，但是没有什么能逃脱法律的约束。
6. Every cause has its effect; every effect has its cause; everything happens according to law; chance is but a name for law not recognized; there are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes the law.
7.性别无处不在； 一切都有其男性化和女性化原则； 性别在所有层面上都得到体现。
7. Gender is in everything; everything has its masculine and feminine principles; gender manifests on all planes.
Reader's Reviews:
The Kybalion - Hermetic Philosophy from 2 Ancient Portals: Egypt and Greece
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2018
One famous book begins with the following sentence: “Let there be light.” Many other books of the same category but of other persuasions also propose and follow this thought.
The Kybalion is one of them.
The Kybalion begins with this sentence: “The lips of wisdom are closed, except to Understanding.” In order to understand, there must be “light}. Understanding leads to wisdom. Wisdom can be passed on but only to those who are willing to experience, master, and better themselves. Note that wisdom is the higher octave of learning, meaning that one can learn something to get by in life but still not have wisdom.
The universe is run by a set of laws. The Kybalion gives us a glimpse of these.
This thin book is an alchemical modern-day distillation of – NOT creating worldly riches – but of creating mental and spiritual riches: wisdom. The authors are 3 anonymous ‘Initiates’ utilizing Hermetic Principles, passed down to wise “King” Solomon (whose name means “3 lights”, and who lived from 970-931 BCE). These Principles were then later passed down through the portals of the Ancient Mystery Schools 3 ½ centuries ago. Thus, information from that time has been slowly and carefully transmitted through many generations of those who have had the burning desire to question their existence on earth and want to know how they fit into the scheme of things, among other things. Information continued to be guarded by presenting allegorical ‘stories’ and being part of ‘initiations’ of learning and then having that knowledge themselves if they are deemed wise enough to use it properly. Only then could an ‘initiate’ progress onto even higher levels of thought and activity. (Note that one organization with roots in the distant past that survives even today has a person in office named the “Thrice Illustrious Master”.)
Attaining wisdom in this way, from mouth-to-ear, this information was safely spread far and wide, and ‘nuggets of truth’ were written allegorically in order to deter or confuse those who didn’t have the correct knowledge ‘base’ to understand it or misuse the information.
To originally write this book in 1908, the “3 Initiates” carefully examined the allegories and replaced them with a more practical, easy-to-understand book of these previously ‘hidden” philosophies. They did this as a tip of the hat to the changing of the times in the way that people were starting to think and learn. And to save time.
Hermes Trismegistus (from which the word ‘Hermetic’ derives) was ‘half god/ half man’, living in the earliest days of the oldest of the Egyptian dynasties, and then in other incarnations (one of which was Greece) he was the son of Zeus and Maia, the daughter of Atlas. By virtue of being ‘half god/ half man’, he would have knowledge that mere mortals would not have. Hermes is the font from which Hermetic Philosophy flows. He is the progenitor and author of the Hermetic Corpus, a series of sacred texts. This book, The Kybalion is a ‘distillation’ of these original books. It may be the entire Corpus or may be only part of it. And hopefully, there was no ‘loss in translation(s)’. The word ‘Kybalion’ takes the form of a Greek noun but has no meaning. However, the word could, in a hidden form, relate to the word ‘Kabballah’
Note that Hermes has had even later incarnations, all dealing with wisdom and its transmission into a multitude of other cultures.
Unfortunately, moving through the ages, people started perverting the wisdom knowledge base, so beginning with the Middle Ages, this knowledge went underground. Nowadays, modern-day living does not lend itself to people using complex thinking and abstractions to gain wisdom because it is faster to watch movies (the tech people are the ones who decide what something looks like and how it behaves, etc.) and because the author, publisher, and head of the company or TV station inserts his/ her views to present to the public. Therefore, most things IT are anti-Hermetic. This is one of the main problems facing mankind today: the inability to think, reason, and understand abstractions without seeing them in movies, TV.
Therefore, in order to gain wisdom, turn off all things IT (except for .PDF format reading devices) and read this and other books. The authors have distilled some major nuggets/ ideas for readers to think about, so that people can evolve; they can also continue to question ideas, and during this process, continue to refine themselves. Those that can’t do this fall away because they don’t have the mental strength to persevere. These people wouldn’t understand the concepts and may even pervert them because they lack the ability to stay with something long enough to learn from and benefit from it. Note also that people who transform become refined by the trials and tribulations that they face; the result is wisdom and enlightenment, which is earned through hard work and perseverance.
The authors of this book, the keepers of this knowledge/ wisdom slowly release their information in general terms to those who are new to gaining wisdom, for them to evolve and mentally and spiritually be able to stitch together the principles that make up the Great Work from all of the major light sources of every great religion or philosophy. These ‘New Initiates’ that are ready will have started to change themselves from a rough state to a refined state, like ancient alchemy refining lead into gold. The “nuggets” of truth gained while doing this are universal.
This is one of a handful of books which many people who get on the path will eventually find.
After the Introduction, there are 15 chapters in this book: Chapter 1. The Hermetic Philosophy; Chapter 2. The Seven Hermetic Principles; Chapter 3. Mental Transmutation; Chapter 4. The All; Chapter 5. The Mental Universe; Chapter 6. The Divine Paradox; Chapter 7. “The All” in All; Chapter 8. Planes of Correspondence; Chapter 9. Vibration; Chapter 10. Polarity; Chapter 11. Rhythm; Chapter 12. Causation; Chapter 13. Gender; Chapter 14. Mental Gender; and Chapter 15. Hermetic Axioms.
Read the book and note especially what it says about the ‘wise’ and the ‘half-wise’. Read the book to learn about all of the other concepts.
This book is so interesting that I have bought multiple copies of it to give to friends to read, discuss, and compare to other similar books. This book contains many “nuggets’ of information and should be on the bookshelves of those who seek the past to be able to translate the present and future.
When you finish reading this book, read my Review of the “9 Faces of Christ”: (https://www.amazon.com/Nine-Faces-Christ-Quest-Initiate/dp/0875166652/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 Nine Faces of Christ: Quest of the True Initiate ) to see more examples of wisdom and enlightenment and note the metaphysical process by which this is done. Compare and contrast main themes between “The Kybalion” and “9 Faces”.
The Kybalion is one of them.
The Kybalion begins with this sentence: “The lips of wisdom are closed, except to Understanding.” In order to understand, there must be “light}. Understanding leads to wisdom. Wisdom can be passed on but only to those who are willing to experience, master, and better themselves. Note that wisdom is the higher octave of learning, meaning that one can learn something to get by in life but still not have wisdom.
The universe is run by a set of laws. The Kybalion gives us a glimpse of these.
This thin book is an alchemical modern-day distillation of – NOT creating worldly riches – but of creating mental and spiritual riches: wisdom. The authors are 3 anonymous ‘Initiates’ utilizing Hermetic Principles, passed down to wise “King” Solomon (whose name means “3 lights”, and who lived from 970-931 BCE). These Principles were then later passed down through the portals of the Ancient Mystery Schools 3 ½ centuries ago. Thus, information from that time has been slowly and carefully transmitted through many generations of those who have had the burning desire to question their existence on earth and want to know how they fit into the scheme of things, among other things. Information continued to be guarded by presenting allegorical ‘stories’ and being part of ‘initiations’ of learning and then having that knowledge themselves if they are deemed wise enough to use it properly. Only then could an ‘initiate’ progress onto even higher levels of thought and activity. (Note that one organization with roots in the distant past that survives even today has a person in office named the “Thrice Illustrious Master”.)
Attaining wisdom in this way, from mouth-to-ear, this information was safely spread far and wide, and ‘nuggets of truth’ were written allegorically in order to deter or confuse those who didn’t have the correct knowledge ‘base’ to understand it or misuse the information.
To originally write this book in 1908, the “3 Initiates” carefully examined the allegories and replaced them with a more practical, easy-to-understand book of these previously ‘hidden” philosophies. They did this as a tip of the hat to the changing of the times in the way that people were starting to think and learn. And to save time.
Hermes Trismegistus (from which the word ‘Hermetic’ derives) was ‘half god/ half man’, living in the earliest days of the oldest of the Egyptian dynasties, and then in other incarnations (one of which was Greece) he was the son of Zeus and Maia, the daughter of Atlas. By virtue of being ‘half god/ half man’, he would have knowledge that mere mortals would not have. Hermes is the font from which Hermetic Philosophy flows. He is the progenitor and author of the Hermetic Corpus, a series of sacred texts. This book, The Kybalion is a ‘distillation’ of these original books. It may be the entire Corpus or may be only part of it. And hopefully, there was no ‘loss in translation(s)’. The word ‘Kybalion’ takes the form of a Greek noun but has no meaning. However, the word could, in a hidden form, relate to the word ‘Kabballah’
Note that Hermes has had even later incarnations, all dealing with wisdom and its transmission into a multitude of other cultures.
Unfortunately, moving through the ages, people started perverting the wisdom knowledge base, so beginning with the Middle Ages, this knowledge went underground. Nowadays, modern-day living does not lend itself to people using complex thinking and abstractions to gain wisdom because it is faster to watch movies (the tech people are the ones who decide what something looks like and how it behaves, etc.) and because the author, publisher, and head of the company or TV station inserts his/ her views to present to the public. Therefore, most things IT are anti-Hermetic. This is one of the main problems facing mankind today: the inability to think, reason, and understand abstractions without seeing them in movies, TV.
Therefore, in order to gain wisdom, turn off all things IT (except for .PDF format reading devices) and read this and other books. The authors have distilled some major nuggets/ ideas for readers to think about, so that people can evolve; they can also continue to question ideas, and during this process, continue to refine themselves. Those that can’t do this fall away because they don’t have the mental strength to persevere. These people wouldn’t understand the concepts and may even pervert them because they lack the ability to stay with something long enough to learn from and benefit from it. Note also that people who transform become refined by the trials and tribulations that they face; the result is wisdom and enlightenment, which is earned through hard work and perseverance.
The authors of this book, the keepers of this knowledge/ wisdom slowly release their information in general terms to those who are new to gaining wisdom, for them to evolve and mentally and spiritually be able to stitch together the principles that make up the Great Work from all of the major light sources of every great religion or philosophy. These ‘New Initiates’ that are ready will have started to change themselves from a rough state to a refined state, like ancient alchemy refining lead into gold. The “nuggets” of truth gained while doing this are universal.
This is one of a handful of books which many people who get on the path will eventually find.
After the Introduction, there are 15 chapters in this book: Chapter 1. The Hermetic Philosophy; Chapter 2. The Seven Hermetic Principles; Chapter 3. Mental Transmutation; Chapter 4. The All; Chapter 5. The Mental Universe; Chapter 6. The Divine Paradox; Chapter 7. “The All” in All; Chapter 8. Planes of Correspondence; Chapter 9. Vibration; Chapter 10. Polarity; Chapter 11. Rhythm; Chapter 12. Causation; Chapter 13. Gender; Chapter 14. Mental Gender; and Chapter 15. Hermetic Axioms.
Read the book and note especially what it says about the ‘wise’ and the ‘half-wise’. Read the book to learn about all of the other concepts.
This book is so interesting that I have bought multiple copies of it to give to friends to read, discuss, and compare to other similar books. This book contains many “nuggets’ of information and should be on the bookshelves of those who seek the past to be able to translate the present and future.
When you finish reading this book, read my Review of the “9 Faces of Christ”: (https://www.amazon.com/Nine-Faces-Christ-Quest-Initiate/dp/0875166652/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 Nine Faces of Christ: Quest of the True Initiate ) to see more examples of wisdom and enlightenment and note the metaphysical process by which this is done. Compare and contrast main themes between “The Kybalion” and “9 Faces”.
~~~~~
Melanin girl :
Truth will find you and seep in when you are ready to receive....
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2018
I purchased this for my man who is incarcerated. He and I are really exploring a lot of these concepts. It is well written in the aspect that the information is not easy to consume without cumulative knowledge that you have acquired overtime. Initially when I was exposed to a lot of this I considered it hocus pocus mumbo jumbo because I had been brought up Christian all my life. I'm glad that this read did not fall into my life in the very beginning because it would've fell on deaf and dumb ears.
If you are not ready to receive this type of information don't waste your time. It will go right over your head as it could've been with the old me. This is meant to be taken in light of itself not comparative to other texts. The best rule of thumb is listen to all spectrums, agreeable as well as disagreeable, with an open mind. Use your God given common sense because we all have it. Then you will be receptive.
This information makes sense if you will be open to it. Actually if you really look, these are the same concepts that all these self help gurus who successful people follow are feeding you. They just package it a little differently and take out anything that might be offensive to the masses. I hope you find your enlightenment through it.
`````
Scott:
A work for the ages.
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2018
This little book will produce years of meaningful contemplation and has the potential to change lives. For example the principal of rhythm sates (in paraphrase) that no matter what extreme comes in life (or any other set of measure) - that it must in time return to an opposite and equal extreme - so when I have bad days ..and very, very bad days I find comfort in knowing that nature itself will recover them in time and equally good days and very , very good days will happen as the rhythm swings back the pendulum to balance it all out in an enigmatic work of universal justice. This is not a work of spirituality , but definitely sets perspectives of the deeper symmetries of physical reality.
|||||
Ellen:
DO NOT PURCHASE
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2019
i DON'T KNOW WHO DID THE PRINTING OF THIS BOOK, BUT IT IS OFF CENTERED!
WORTHLESS!
HOW CAN I GET MY MONEY BACK?
•••••
Rachel:
Derivative, Mis-attributive, Excitable and Incongruent with the Essence of Kemetic Spirituality
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2019
There is no bismirching the ascendant primacy of indigenous Kemetic wisdom.
The first flaw of this extract is its misattributive title. A more accurate title would have been "Aphorisms of the Shabaka Stone: Extracts from the Philosophy of Lord of Ancient Kemet".
Greeks were mere students of initiatic schools of Kemet, and so called Hermes was nothing but a greek name for Lord Tehuti - the master scribe and God who wrote down the teachings passed down by Lord Khepera.
A more authentic book to buy (although it needs a quality editor) would be "The Cosmic Mind" by Sehu Khepera Ankh.
I suppose some credit can be given to the anonymous authors of ‘Kybalion’ for releasing their summative understanding of what they learned as initiates, but it is clear these initiates are not mature or part of Kem culture. Their excitability discloses this...the same sort of excitability immature outsiders (from Greeks to the British with their nonesense 'illuminati', masonic orders, etc): all excitability underpinned by low values with the ignoble goal of using high wisdom to exploit others for materialistic gain - a self-destructive path that is the very antithesis of the wisdom itself.
Forget about this book and instead opt for a source based directly on the Kemetic originals as written in medu. Better yet, seek out an authentic kemetic temple and if your ariu is as such one will reveal itself to you and you may get to imbibe wisdom sitting directly at the lotus feet of a Kem Neb (Kem spiritual master/high priest)...contrary to invader propoganda the culture is not all dead and you are to limited to aspiritual so called 'egyptologist'. Revelations occur only through self-transformation: you can read until you turn blue not much will happen lest one transforms - viz vibrate at higher frequencies.
"When foolishness is rewarded, wisdom becomes useless"
--Sage Ptahhotep, Kem High Priest
Book is sufficient for the Rehket class, so read it if you must: we all start somewhere...
√√√√√
Lola Tatlyan
Revelation
Revelation
Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2016
A must for any progressing mind. The book is very thin if that anyhow is important to you. It has paper cover, so yes,it will not preserve well, but I am sure you don't buy books for their looks. If you can fully absorb 10 % of the info from the book, your life will change forever. The book is not an easy read if you are expecting a fast ride. Most people are likely not ready to approach this book thus why it clearly states in the very beginning of it that truth is spoken when you have ears ready to accept the words of wisdom. It will be good to read the book and find a practitioner hermitist since the book only have essence and does not cover topics such as WILL power. The book does give you keys to open or deepen any other knowledge, so if you are into astrology, numerology,any other occult science, you will have a tremendous insights into your studies as an extra unexpected bonus. Again, the book has essence and will keep bringing you back to it from time to time as you uncover more and more of its hidden wisdom.
πππππ
Why? :
to learn and to have fun! " Continue your travels and enjoy the journey
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2018
A special friend and spiritual guide gave me her copy to read. She considers it a Bible for her life. After reading it, I ordered my own copy and I am reading and highlighting it again. Absolutely mind opening about the revelations of Hermes. Even if you are new to new thought, new age, spirit of mind, or any ideas of being a thought of the universe and not just a body, this book will expand your horizons exponentially! Read it, experience it. As Richard Bach wrote through his protagonist, Donald shimoda, in 'Illusions', "We are only here for two reasons: to learn and to have fun!" Continue your travels and enjoy the journey.
÷÷÷÷÷
Lambdanaut:
A Self-Help book at its core
Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2016
The book is short and sweet, and stands as a recognized classic for initiates delving into the occult.
Like all Philosophies, the Hermetic teachings are another equally valid way to see reality. What sets the Hermetic teachings apart from others is a reduction of our experience to its utmost basic. A simplified way to describe Hermetics is that it is a study of universal vibration.
All is mental. Mental phenomena is vibration. Vibration is polar. Vibration exhibits gender qualities.
While the implication is that a mastery of vibration allows universal control of experience, including manipulation of perceived matter, The Kybalion focuses more on the mental aspects of vibratory manipulation. In that way, you can gain control over your own thought and emotional processes.
Happiness Is a Choice, and the Hermetic practice is one way to understand how to choose.
×××××
Top reviews from other countries
Mibos:
Great
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 5, 2018
Fabulous book. Ancient wisdom at its best. Although a brief introduction to mystical teachings, this book offers a solid foundation. It talks primarily about the 7 Hermetic Principles or (Universal/Spiritual) laws, each one clearly explained. 1. The Principle of Mentalism. 2. The Principle of Correspondence. 3. The Principle of Vibration. 4. The Principle of Polarity. 5. The Principle of Rhythm. 6. The Principle of Cause and Effect. 7. The Principle of Gender. Understanding these 7 principles will allow you to live a happy and fulfilling life.
¶¶¶¶¶
Jordan :
get this book!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 18, 2017
book is awesome, sometimes comes across as a little weird in its philosophy especially as some bits are repeated, but when you study them in detail they do have they're differences. I find this a great educational book on the hermetic philosophy, im interested in studying others beliefs and in that instance this book is worth the buy!!
∆∆∆∆∆
read-all-about-it :
Eye opening
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 28, 2014
A very intriguing booklet. This small booklet provides the reader with an understandable and reasonably thorough exegesis of the principles of hermetic thought. The book was written rather recent (1900's) however general consensus seems to be that this in no way detracts from its credability in relaying ancient hermetic wisdom. I would suggest it is a book that requires re-reading in order to truly appreciate the depth of mystical insight that is being imparted to the reader, this is no problem as it is so small. This should undoubtedly be among your collection of hermetic literature as it seems only to be second to the Corpus Hermeticum itself in importance in hermetic circles. If anything, once the end was reached I felt that there ought to be so much more. It is as if it ended all too prematurely and thus I was unsure of where to turn next. Was this tantalisation deliberate by the author/s, was this designed to inspire further exploration elswhere? Of course I cannot say, but after reading It was left with questions that needed to be answered and I felt that the book could have done this by moving on to other topics. So what I guess what I am trying to say is that it disappointingly felt incomplete.
€€€€€
awakening :
Good introducing many old and new
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 20, 2018
Anybody out there seeking some kind of answer to the whole meaning if whatever is. Well this book has an approach unlike anything I've read before. I'm still searching but this has opened many doors to me that once were closed. I will say it can be confusing at times. So I read some of it twice and will no doubt do so again in the future.
¥¥¥¥¥
S. O'hara:
Unlocking the secrets of Natural Law
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 27, 2015
Read along with 'The Path of Least Resistance' by Robert Fritz. This is a difficult read at first...but then you get used to the way it's written and can understand easier, then it's like OhMyGod! Yes I get it! When you read the truth it resonates... Unlocking the secrets to life.
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