Hermetic Principles

Hermetic Tradition
"Heed these words, you who wish to probe the depths of Nature: If you do not find within yourself that which you seek, neither will you find it outside. If you ignore the wonders of your own house, how do you expect to find other wonders? In you is hidden the Treasure of Treasures. Know Thyself and you will know the Universe and the Gods."
-The Oracle At Delphi

This quote is an understanding of the rule of Correspondance. It is to know the dynamic interplay between free will and natural law.

The Kybalion
"There is no portion of the occult teachings possed 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 founder, Hermes Trismegistus, the "scribe of the gods," who dwelt in old Egypt in the days when the present race of men was in its infancy. Hermes was, and is, the Great Central Sun of Occultism, whose rays have served to illuminate the countless teachings which have been promulgated since his time. All the fundamental and basic teachings embedded in the esoteric teachings of every race may be traced back to Hermes. Even the most ancient teachings of India undoubtedly have their roots in the original Hermetic Teachings."
-The Kybalion

The writers of the Kybalion argue that the Hermetic teachings are the oldest teachings having influenced all occultic teachings since. In reality this is probably not true. The Hermetic tradition grew out of the Egyptians' Khemetian tradition that was passed onto the Greeks. Forms of Shamanism likely predate the Egyptian' Khemtian philosophy and that is just known forms of occult teachings. Regardless, the teachings of Herems Trismegistus have surely influenced countless esoteric teachings.

"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 forms, rather that to establish a school of philosophy which would dominate the world's thought. But, nevertheless, the original truths taught by him have kept intact in their original purity by a few men each age, who, refusing great numbers of half-developed students and followers, followed the Hermetic custom and reserved their truth for the few who were ready to comprehend and master it. From lip to ear the truth has been handed down among the few. There have always been a few initiates in each generation, in the various lands of the earth, who kept alive the sacred flame of the Hermetic Teachings, and such have always been willing to use their lamps to re-light the lesser lamps of the outside world, when the light of truth grew dim, and clouded by reason and neglect, and when the wicks became clogged with foreign matter. There were always a few to tend faithfully the alter of the Truth, upon which was kept alight the Perpetual Lamp of Wisdom."
-The Kybalion

The Hermetic tradition was a collection of teachings, a body of knowledge if you will. It was not a dogmatic religion or single set of teachings. The tradition was hidden from those who were not deemed worthy of the body of knowledge which is known today as occultism, hidden knowledge.

"These men have never sought popular approval, nor numbers of followers. They are indifferent to these things, for they know how few there are in each generation who are ready for the truth, or who would recognize it if it were presented to them. They reserve the "strong meat for men," while others furnish the "milk for babes." They reserve their pearls of wisdom for the few elect, who recognize their value and who wear them in their crowns, instead of casting them before the materialistic vulgar swine, who would trample them in the mud and mix them with their disgusting mental food. But still these men have never forgotten or overlooked the original teachings of Hermes, regarding the passing on of the words of truth to those ready to receive it. Their customary attitude has always been strictly in accordance with the other Hermetic aphorism: "The lips of Wisdom are closed, except to the ears of Understanding."
-The Kybalion

From my personal experience this first sentiment about there being only a few people within each generation with the curiosity, and willingness to receive truth rings true. The writers of the Kybalion are pointing out the truth that you cannot make somebody learn. The pursuit of truth is a solitary pursuit. You need sustained curiosity and a desire to learn in order to do the work needed to elevate your personal understanding of both yourself, and the world around you. Fortunatly with the information super highway open(the free and open internet) the ancient wisdom of the occult is at the fingertips of anyone with the will to learn. Unfortunatly, times have not changed much since the time of the Kybalion. In todays society we cannot stop entertaining ourselves to death with trash entertainment, our modern equivalent of disgusting mental food.

"There are those who have criticized this attitude of the Hermetists, and who have claimed that they did not manifest the proper spirit in their policy of seclusion and reticence. But a moment's glace back over the pages of history wil show the wisdom of the Masters, who knew the folly of attempting to teach to the world that which it was neither ready or willing to receive. The Hermetists have never sought to be martyrs, and have, instead, sat silently aside with a pitying smile on their closed lips, 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 Path."
-The Kybalion

Well consider me a critic becuase knowledge is power. Knowledge withheld from the masses creates a knowledge differential which results in a power differential in favor of those hoarding the occult knowledge. I believe that knowledge used positevly means using it to uplift and expand the human conciousness which results in the expansion of morallity. Now I will confess that my take is a modern take but I think the spirit of the above passage speaks for itself. So as long as you are not at risk of being tortured or put to death knowledge should be available to all those with the will to absorb it.

Now the The Kyballion teaches seven basic over arching operating principles found in nature. They are known as the Hermetic Principles:

  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

The Principle of Mentalism

The ALL is MIND. The Universe is Mental. Thoughts lead to the manifestation of things and events. Thoughts create our state of existence and the quality of our experience here on Earth. Therefore, be responsible for everything you create by being responsible for everything that you think.

The Principle of Correspondence

That which is Above is like to that which is Below. That which is Below is like to that which is Above. The Macrocosom (the very large; the totality) and the Microcosom (the very small; the individual units which comprise the whole) are reflections of each other. The Universe is Holographic; it is self-similar across all scales.

This principle states that there is a harmony which can be made, agreement and coorespondence between these planes:

The Principle of Vibration

Nothing rests. Everything moves. Everything vibrates. At the most fundamental level, the Universe and everything which comprises it is pure vibratory energy manifesting itself in different ways. The Universe has no "solidity," as such. Matter is merely energy in a state of vibration.

The Principle of Polarity

Everything is Dual. Everything has poles. Everything has its pair of opposites. Opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree. Extremes meet. All paradoxes may be reconciled.

The Principle of Rhythm

Everything flows, out and in. Everything has its tides. All things rise and fall. The pendulum-swing manifests in everything. The measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left. Rhythm compensates.

The Principle of Cause and Effect

Every Cause has its Effect. Every Effect has its Cause. Everything happens according to Law. Chance is but a name for Law not recognized. There are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes the Law.

The Principle of Gender

Gender is in everything. Everything has its Masculine and Feminine Principles. Gender manifests on all planes.

The Lost Principle
The Generative Principle or The Principle of Care

The "LOST" PRINCIPLE, is the dynamic of CARE. What we care about on a day-to-day basis acts as the driving force of our thoughts and actions. Therefore, Care can be seen as the ultimate Generator of the quality of our experience. This Principle has been often referred to as the Generative Principle. The word generative is derived from the Latin verb genere, which means "to create".

What we care enough about to put our will behind is ultimately what gets created in our world. The world is the way that it is because most people do not care enough (even if they SAY they want things to be different) to change it through their actions.

These principles operate in everything in the natural world and they are always operating. As such they were called the Hermetic Principles and the word hermetic comes down to us in modern english in the word Hermetically Sealed. Meaning that it is fixed, it is inherent in nature and nothing we do is going to change how these principles operate. So all we can do is align our conciousness to them and understand that they do exist and are operating in nature. Only then can we live in harmony with them and not create self inflicted suffering. This is just like the physical laws of dynamics, they are fixed and set in stone. While you are on Earth you are operating in a 1 G gravitational field. If you step off of a large building gravity will have an effect upon the mass of your body and you will go splat. That is a fixed law and all you can do is understand it. It does not matter wether or not you like it or not, all you can do is understand it and align your behavior accordingly. The laws of nature as expressed in the Hermetic tradition are set in stone and as a result they are Hermetically Sealed. This tradition does a really good job of explaining the underlying principles of Natural Law.

If you found this article interesting and would like to share a comment with me, please feel free to reach out to me directly via my personal email at (drew@drewredifer.com).

Return to