The Seven Hermetic Principles – What They Mean in Your World
Many of us have heard the term ‘hermetic’ used in one way or another at this point in our culture, especially if you’re often here on the Spirit Science site with us on this journey of expanding consciousness. A tree is only as good as its roots. With that adage in mind, we are going to examine the Seven Hermetic Principles as presented by the book ‘The Kybalion’ by Three Initiates. They present these principles as immutable universal laws of which all are subject and none can violate.
To begin let’s look at the word principle. It comes from the Latin noun Principia, which means: first, foremost, leading, chief, most necessary. This implies principles are the most important thing in our life, or at least the concept of them tells us they should be even if that’s not popular in society today. It tells us principles are the key to a healthy and sound foundation as a being before we can be of true benefit to anyone we interact with or our environment.
The Hermetic Principle of Mentalism
The first principle is known as the principle of mentalism. It begins the section describing this principle with quoting itself to say, “THE ALL is MIND; The Universe is Mental.” What does that mean? It means that everything we see and think of as objective reality is actually manifest consciousness. This is not to suggest it’s all inside “your” mind, but rather that the quintessential essence beneath all matter and energy observed in reality is a field of consciousness that makes up everything including you. Why does this matter to you? “He who grasps the truth of the Mental Nature of the Universe is well advanced on The Path to Mastery.” – The Kybalion. With a deep understanding of this principle, the whole of the universe begins to open up to your expanding consciousness through awareness that all is one. This principle is the first step in learning Hermetic Mental Alchemy.
The Hermetic Principle of Correspondence
The second principle is known as the principle of correspondence. “As above, so below; as below, so above.” – The Kybalion. This principle refers to the way everything connects from the microcosm to the macrocosm. It tells us that reality is fractal in nature, like a hologram each part stores or reflects the information of the whole encoded within it. If you’ve ever seen that comparison picture meme of the mislabeled brain cell (pictured below) and been astonished by the remarkable similarities between the apparent structure development, then you have seen the evidence of this principle in nature. It is with the awareness of this principle the hermeticist is able to pierce the veil of the unknown and learn the secrets of the higher vibratory realms and beings by studying the world around them and within them.
The Hermetic Principle of Vibration
The third principle, the principle of vibration says,”nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates.” This tells us everything is vibrating at a specific frequency as science has been proving to us for some time now, yet these ancient hermetic masters already knew. The understanding of this principle is said to be the grasping of the scepter of power by the old hermetic writers. To know and understand what this means is to know how to affect the vibration of things and shift them in accord with your will using the other principles along with this one. This principle is about everything in manifestation, which allows us to adjust our own vibration to manifest what we desire.
The Hermetic Principle of Polarity
The fourth, the principle of polarity is described as, “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.” It even goes further still to say, “everything is and isn’t, at the same time.” This principle is calling our awareness to the idea that we easily classify things as having poles when in reality the two poles are the same object. Examples of this are easily found in a magnet, the idea of night and day, or heat and cold. Further, there are like and dislike, hate and love, good and evil. The consciousness-expanding key is that in gaining an understanding of this principle you gain the key to transmuting one polarity to the other in accordance with applied will in how we choose to perceive or define whatever is.
The Hermetic Principle of Rhythm
The fifth, the principle of rhythm tells us, “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.” This means that every wave has a crest and a trough, everything follows cycles like melodies composed of flow between the two poles from the principle of polarity. There is always an action and reaction the book says and that tells us that there is no action which could be taken to escape the effect of this principle. Instead, the hermeticist learns to work with this principle rather than unwittingly letting it work upon them. Learning to do this is a key part of Hermetic Mental Alchemy, by setting the polarity desired and learning to still the rhythm so that your vibration does not swing to the opposite pole, the doing of which magnetizes the desire into manifestation by utilizing our natural flow.
The Hermetic Principle of Cause and Effect
The sixth is called 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.” This principle teaches us that there is no such thing as chance or a random occurrence, everything occurs according to law. This principle talks about more than simply physical cause and effect when taken into account with the other principles, especially the first one. Knowing these principles gives us the ability to become aware of the causal influences from our environment on all dimensions and densities. This is also in relation to the will of others, empowering you to assert your own will rather than be the unwitting recipient of something else’s choice for you and your life.
Hermetic Geometry. The Hermetic Principle of Gender
The seventh is the principle of gender. “Gender is in everything; everything has its masculine and feminine principles. Gender manifests on all planes.” This principle refers to the archetypal energy-nature of the Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine within all that is rather than simply physical expression. This means that regardless of genitalia, all things contain both feminine and masculine energy. The physical plane expression of this principle is sex, and on the higher planes of the mental and the spiritual, they take other forms entirely. Ultimately this principle represents the capacity for Divine Creation and is the final key of Hermetic Mental Alchemy by uniting the conscious and unconscious mind in harmonious vibration, rhythm, and polarity in direct correspondence to the desired state by proper application of will. The left brain is focused on masculine energy/information processing. The right brain is therefore focused on feminine energy/information processing. In sacred geometry, curved lines are feminine energy and straight lines are masculine energy, and the unified archetypes are represented by metatrons cube which is the choice/will/masculine and the flower of life which is the desire/creative-force/feminine overlayed onto each other in perfect union.
To bring this all together we have to remember these are principles. Being mindful of just one of them will create a small resonance in your life if you practice it at all times. The more of these principles you integrate into your regularly repeated thoughts and actions, the more significant and synergistic manifestation effect you will notice. Always remember though, these principles were learned and taught by hermetic masters, they acknowledged from the beginning they had no one to complain to about anything manifest in their life because nothing was by accident. They took responsibility for the life they manifested every day, and as you integrate these you will need to remember that perspective as well. It’s your will, you choose what you do with it.