The Kybalion

The Kybalion

The kybalion is a little known book that is based on secret
teachings which date back millennia to ancient Eygpt. Despite the
information within this philosophy being jealously guarded over the
centuries, and hidden from the public, the Kybalion claims that
it's ideas have influenced all major religions. The book was
published in 1908, and the authors choose to remain anonymous,
calling themselves only 'the three initiates'. Due to the length of
time since it was published, it's now in the public domain and can
be downloaded for free online.

Basically the Kybalion is based on seven key principles:

1. The principle of mentalism

This principle states that our reality is, at essence, mental. That
rather than minds being a property within a purely physical
universe, the universe is itself a mind, or like a mind. In a
sense, the whole universe is alive, or at least is intelligent. The
world doesn't create consciousness, consciousness creates the
world. While this idea runs against the view that science has held
over the last few centuries about reality, the most advanced,
cutting edge thinkers in physics are now proposing ideas very
similar to this. Also, the very fabric of our world, the molecules,
atoms and even the sub-atomic quantum world, is now known to be
able to be harnessed into a form of computer. So the idea that
reality itself may be a kind of computer is gaining ground in some
quarters.

How to use this principle: Don't dismiss your thoughts as
unimportant, they are extremely powerful and influential! The life
you are living today is, to a large extent, the result of your
thinking in the past. Test this principle for yourself: start to
keep your eyes open for events which occur which you had previously
thought about, you will eventually be amazed at these apparent
'co-incidences'.

2. The principle of correspondence

This principle can be summarised in the phrase 'as above, so
below'. The idea being that Humans are a reflection of the cosmos
itself. The best way to think of this is like one of those fractal
patterns that used to be popular in the 1990s. The patterns, if you
don't recall them, looked like something natural, perhaps the
jagged edge of a leaf or a tree. And just as the overall shape of
the branches and leaves of a tree is reflected in the shape of a
leaf itself, this principle states that similar patterns keep
repeating themselves at different scales. This is also related to
the ancient art of astrology, which is based on the idea that the
large-scale cycles of the planets are repeated in the cycles of
Human affairs on Earth.

How to use this principle: If you are interested, I would suggest a
proper study of astrology, you will find it an eye-opening
experience, I promise you! Also you could start to think about
trends within your life that repeat themselves. Try to look at the
underlying theme of things that happen in your life and see how
that theme repeats in different ways. It could point towards
revolutionary ways to improve your life.

3. The principle of vibration

According to this principle, everything in the universe is moving,
or vibrating, nothing is completely at rest. The speed of vibration
determines its energy, and explains the different forms of matter
(solid, liquid, gas, plasma, and some would add mind and spirit).
The higher the rate of vibration, the higher something is on the
scale of being. What the Kybalion calls God - the all - is said to
be at such a high level of vibration that it in fact appears at
rest, just as a fast spinning wheel starts to look like its not
moving at all. Equally, something vibrating fairly slowly may be
heard as a sound, when it vibrates faster it can be seen as light,
and when it vibrates faster still it will emit x-rays. All the
points along the electromagnetic spectrum are but degrees of
vibration.

Again, this principle is not really that controversial to science.

However, the Kybalion goes further than this. It says that every
Human thought, emotion and mental state has a certain vibration.

How to use this principle: We can raise the vibration of our own
thoughts and emotional states. If you are feeling down, try taking
some exercise or thinking about something that excites or motivates
you. If that doesn't work, simply pretend that you are feeling more
energetic and happy and pretty soon you will be.

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." -- The Kybalion.

The quote above neatly describes the forth principle: the principle
of polarity. This principle says that basically everything has an
opposite, and the opposites are not as different as they might
appear. Similar to travelling in a circle: the two extremes meet.
The further West you travel around the globe, eventually you arrive
at the extreme east (as shown on a typical map of the world)! This
is even true of what we call 'good and bad'. The most extreme a
person becomes in pursuing 'good' the more likely they are to do
something bad (for the good cause), and often extremely good things
can be born out of extremely bad events.

How to use this principle:
Trying looking beyond simple duel-distinctions (such as that
something can only be one thing or another), because often we find
that opposites are really an illusion and they are almost the same.
One good way to do this is to continually question your assumptions
about whether two things are really so separate. Often we limit
ourselves in life by artificially assuming two things must be
separate, when they needn't be. We assume that only one of two
possibilities can be followed, but instead trying looking for ways
in which both possibilities can be allowed to co-exist.

5. The principle of rhythm

The principle of rhythm states that everything is moving back and
forth. For every action there is a reaction, every tide that goes
out will also come back in, and what goes up must come down! These
are all examples of the principle of rhythm.

Again, nothing new here you might think, but, again, the Kybalion
goes further. It points out that this principle of rhythm operates
in the realm of human thought and emotions too. And if you think
about it, you will notice this: those who have the greatest
capacity for happiness also have the greatest capacity for sadness,
whilst those who never get that happen usually never get that sad
either. Similarly, we tend to have swings of emotion, sometimes
lasting hours, sometimes as long as years.

How to use this principle:
If you are having a period of bad luck or depression, remember that
eventually things will probably swing back in your favour. So start
to prepare to make the most of things when they do! Also, be aware
of when your own moods and fortunes start to swing in the negative
direction. The Kybalion teaches that if we become aware of this we
can consciously choose not to participate in it, and the pendulum
swings off in the negative direction while will hold on, still at
the positive end!

6. The principle of cause and effect

According to this principle nothing happens by chance, everything
has a cause. If something appears to happen by chance then it
merely means that we have not uncovered its cause. Of course, this
doesn't mean that everything is meaningful in the way we might
think it is. For example, if we look up and see a cloud which seems
to look like our old aunt Betty, that doesn't mean that it has
genuinely been created to look like that! The cloud has formed
according to the laws of physics, and our mind has merely seen a
meaningful pattern where there wasn't one. Our minds, too, operate
according to laws, and sometimes they can lead us to incorrect
conclusions!

How to use this principle:
As Humans, we evolved to tend to only notice the links between
cause and effects when the one follows the other quite quickly. It
can be difficult for us to perceive how something that is happening
today was directly caused by something that happened last month,
last year, or even last decade! But it can be tremendously
rewarding to uncover these cause-and-effect links. Two useful
questions to ask yourself: Which actions in the past have led you
to your greatest successes (however you define success)? And what
could be the hidden causes - usually things we ourselves have
thought, done or not done - that have caused any undesirable
effects in our lives?

7. The principle of gender

This final principle states that everything is either masculine or
feminine. This distinction is not quite the same as the difference
between the Human sexes, it's more of a general, abstract
principle. This is very similar to the principle of polarity: that
everything is composed of two opposites (and that, often, these
opposites attract!). There are always two types of energies, the
one being attracted to the other.

How to use this principle: Understand that most creative acts
involve the joining together of two different elements. Also be
aware that two people can usually achieve together in harmony what
one person alone cannot.

So, overall the Kybalion is about looking at the general laws of
the universe and showing how these laws also operate in the Human
mind. This was key to the ancient philosophy of Hermeticism: that
humans are a reflection of the whole of nature, or the universe.
One other way of expressing this is the way that Christians believe
that man is made in God's image.

( To read more on the Kybalion, visit:
http://www.kybalion.org/kybalion.asp )