- [Man Narrator] "These words of wisdom,
"although written by my decaying hand,
"shall remain imperishable through time.
"May they be imbued
"with the medicine of immortality."
- [Woman Narrator] A few miles west of the Nile
and just below the tip of its delta, lies Saqqara,
the necropolis of ancient Memphis,
center of lower Egypt from the days of the pharaohs
through to the time of Egypt's Roman conquerors.
The ibis, the graceful black and white bird
in which the god Thoth showed himself,
no longer visits the Nile at Memphis.
But when the Ptolemies
and their Roman successors drank from the holy river,
the god's birds still came to its banks in great plenty.
Wisdom is eternal,
even if people are not.
The "Kybalion" were only published in 1908;
is a manuscript that claims to be the essence
of the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus.
Who as we've discussed before,
is believed to be our old pal, Thoth.
We should be clear
that there are several different texts, here,
worth exploring.
There's the older "Corpus Hermeticum"
which is a huge ancient body of work in itself,
along with the "Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean"
and the "Emerald Tablet of Hermes."
But these writings do not actually make
any specific references to the laws and principles
that we're exploring today.
And so, we have the "Kybalion,"
which is supposedly based upon ancient hermeticism
and is argued to be an elaboration
of an ancient, unpublished hermetic text
of the same name,
one which humanity has not yet actually found.
While it's healthy to approach it with some skepticism,
the profound wisdom of this text needs
to be taught and explained.
The "Hermetica" speaks very highly of cosmic laws,
critical to be understood
in order for our own liberation and transcendence.
And that's why we've created
the "2021 Almanac of the New Age."
If you're interested in connecting
with the celestial and personal cycles
in order to start the new year off
with an exceptionally high vibration,
check out this book.
You'll find links in the description.
And with that, let's now dive into the hermetic principles.
(upbeat music)
The "Kybalion" was written by unknown authors,
known simply as the Three Initiates.
But the most common theory is that it was authored
by a man named William Walker Atkinson
and some others;
who was a famous American occultist
and pioneer of the new thought movement.
In the first couple of pages,
it says that it will only appear to you
when the time is appropriate
and you're ready for its wisdom.
So I guess that means we're ready for it in mass, huh?
Because there's more than a few videos
and articles talking about it, now.
For the most part,
it discusses the structure of the spiritual world
and outlines the three great planes of existence:
the physical plane, the mental plane,
and the spiritual plane,
all of which are broken down into several lesser planes
which are kind of like astral black keys
like the ones on a piano.
Each having their own vibration and frequency,
and are inhabited by different kinds
of spirits and entities.
Another aspect of the wisdom is found
in its teachings of alchemy.
It discusses aspects of spiritual and mental transmutation,
and how you can alter your vibration or frequency
to move into these higher realms,
interact with spiritual entities,
and attain the wisdom of Hermes himself.
The subject that has made the "Kybalion,"
a legendary book,
is its discussion of the seven hermetic principles
which are like the laws that govern the universe
according to the Western mystery tradition;
the foundation of many schools of esoteric thought, today.
Much like how physicists observe the universe,
to the hermetic mystics,
they believed that the universe runs on natural laws;
apples fall, birds fly, things live and die.
But when we take time to understand these laws,
we can use them.
And in some cases, even leverage them
to transform life as we know it.
Perhaps one day we can push against gravity to fly
or simply use the knowledge
that one day we might die
to live better lives.
As it's described,
whenever this wisdom resurfaces in culture,
it acts as a catalyst for a creative Renaissance,
revolutions, and cultural regeneration.
These seven laws were some
of the most influential systems of thought
to the Renaissance and medieval philosophers;
which even today, can expand horizons,
broaden possibilities, and aid one in the pursuit
of a fuller, happier, more meaningful, and longer life.
And so, as we go through these principles,
remember that they were potentially first thought of,
thousands of years ago,
despite only being codified recently in history
before any modern science verified
there are unusually accurate and esoteric claims.
The "Kybalion" even devotes a chapter to each principle
and goes into what it's really all about.
And we especially recommend going deeper
by reading this book if you haven't already.
It's a favorite of ours.
- [Man Narrator] Principle one: mentalism.
- [Woman Narrator] Much like in the "Corpus Hermeticum,"
this axiom embodies the idea
that all is mind,
something today we know as idealism.
Basically, everything that happens is a result
of a mental state which proceeds it.
For anything to exist,
thoughts had to form first,
which then form physical reality or manifestation.
But it goes even deeper than manifestation, though,
for the principle of mind is rooted in the idea
of the God mind;
that the universe itself is the mind of God.
Or going even bigger,
that the universe is a thought in the mind of God.
That all phenomena of life, matter,
and energy of the material universe,
are thoughts of an infinite and universal living mind,
which means all things share a connection
to the fact that they exist within the mind of God
or the all.
Perhaps this could take the form of a field
as his thought of consciousness.
In other words, when you view everything you think
and therefore do as an interaction of a thought
with another thought,
you develop an understanding
of the first principle of mentalism
which allows you to grasp the laws of the mental universe.
This law ultimately says that it is our consciousness
that allows us to interact with reality.
- [Man Narrator] Principle two: correspondence.
- [Woman Narrator] This truth discusses the idea
that there's always a correspondence and link
between the events in the various planes of existence.
In fact, this law is where we explore the legendary phrase,
"As above, so below,"
to much greater depths.
In a nutshell, if something is happening
on a physical level,
chances are there is a relationship
to a like energy on a higher frequency too.
And if something occurs solely in the physical,
if that's even possible,
it will have an effect on the other planes of existence.
By observing the principle of correspondence,
we can come to know the whole of the universe
by exploring the relationship between the higher
and lower nature of things,
and learn that harmony exists only
when we have a good balance between all of the dimensions
of our being.
- [Man Narrator] Principle three: vibration.
- [Woman Narrator] In short, nothing rests.
Everything in existence is in a constant state
of motion and vibration.
Even things that appear motionless and still
like a rock on the ground,
is still moving at a molecular
and atomic level, and beyond.
To quote Walter Russell,
"In the wave lies the secrets of creation."
It explains that the distinction between manifestations
of matter, energy, mind, and spirit,
are all just the result
of different vibrational frequencies.
The higher a person or thing is on the scale,
the higher the rate of vibration.
In fact, spiritual alchemy in the "Kybalion"
is described simply as the practical application
of this principle.
To change one's mental state is to change vibration.
You can sometimes do this by an effort of will,
by deliberately fixing the attention
upon a more desirable state.
Ultimately, even thoughts have their own rate of vibration
and can be controlled like tuning an instrument
to produce various results
of self and environmental mastery.
As your understanding of vibration, frequency, harmony,
and resonance, gets better,
so too, shall your power over yourself grow.
- [Man Narrator] Principal four: polarity.
- [Woman Narrator] Following in our last principle,
this one says that everything has an opposite.
While this might seem out of the ordinary
for a spiritual text that talks about unity and one mind,
this one refers to how the unity manifests through creation.
The whole thing is like Newton's first law of motion
that everything has an equal and opposite action,
and reaction.
All manifested things have two sides,
two aspects, or two poles.
Opposites are identical in nature,
yet different in degree.
Extremes meet and all paradoxes can be reconciled.
An obvious example is a hot and cold tap.
Both waters being aspects of temperature,
varying only in degree,
there's no clear crossover moment when hot stops being hot
and starts being cold, and vice versa.
With no absolutes on either end too,
especially since the quality of hot and cold are relative
to your own perception.
If it's cold outside,
jump in a freezing lake for a few minutes
and get colder than the average temperature outside.
Suddenly, that cold air is actually kind of feeling
pretty warm to you.
This one is quite important since it suggests
that we can change the polarity of a degree of emotion
by recognizing it as a spectrum
and choosing the degree which best suits our needs.
- [Man Narrator] Principle five: rhythm.
- [Woman Narrator] This one builds upon both the principles
of vibration and polarity,
as it states that everything is manifested
as a measured motion; to and from, outflow and inflow,
a swing backwards and a swing forwards,
just like a pendulum.
This law also reminds us that there is a rhythm
between every pair of opposites or poles.
Learning from this principle allows us
to transition from one pole to the other
and not necessarily need to go
to poles of extreme opposites.
It also arguably controls the cycle of life and death,
creation and destruction, rise and fall,
and of course, manifests in our mental states.
Know that things you lose will come back
and that things you own now will also one day disappear.
- [Man Narrator] Principle six: causation.
- [Woman Narrator] Again, we find ourselves overlapping
with previous laws.
And it makes sense that they'd fit together.
This principle states that there's a cause for every effect
and an effect for every cause.
It also argues that there's no such thing
as chance or coincidence;
that it's merely a term indicating already existing causes
that we can't recognize or perceive.
The empowering use of this principle
is to make the conscious choice
to rise above the plane of thought you're currently on
and become your own cause,
and not just an effect of others
and the situations you find yourself in.
In other words, strive to act rather than react
or be mindfully responsive at best.
If you wanna be good at something,
you need to practice it every day,
as opposed to resigning yourself
to merely reacting to the consequences
of not having done any self-work,
and then experiencing the problems
that inevitably arise when you're not pursuing
your highest calling.
- [Man Narrator] Principle seven: gender.
- [Woman Narrator] This principle explains
how gender is manifested in everything.
But this doesn't necessarily relate to sexual gender
or how you identify yourself,
it's more about the masculine and feminine energies
that lead to creation and procreation in the universe.
And if you haven't seen our episode on masculine
and feminine energies, in general,
you can always check that video out,
right after this one.
It doesn't refer to someone's physical sex
nor does it suggest that someone of a certain sex,
necessarily has a matching mental gender.
In actuality, ideally, you would want
to have a balanced mental gender,
embodying both the sacred masculine and divine feminine.
Gender and these two polarities of energy exist
on all planes of existence
and represents different aspects on different planes.
Everything and everyone contains
these two elements or principles.
The "Kybalion" explains
that the divine feminine is more receptive,
facilitating new thoughts, concepts, and ideas,
including the work of the imagination.
The sacred masculine, on the other hand,
works more by giving out or expressing,
and rules over the will of an individual
and helps put things into action.
It is said that there must be a balance in these two forces.
Without the feminine, the masculine will act
without restraint, order, or reason,
resulting in chaos.
The feminine alone, on the other hand,
will constantly reflect and fail to actually do anything,
resulting in stagnation.
With both the masculine and feminine working in conjunction,
there's thoughtful action that breeds success,
which tells us
that both the feminine and the masculine fulfill each other.
Ultimately, choosing the middle path between these extremes
is the key to using all seven hermetic principles
to full effect
and achieving lasting self-mastery
without straying too far from the path.
At the same time, though,
we must remember that these are only principles.
By themselves, they're kind of useless.
But when you creatively apply them in your life,
you can achieve any endeavor you dedicate yourself to
and have your own personal Renaissance.
The best way to understand them
is by experiencing them for yourself.
And so, with that,
thank you so much for joining us today.
Remember to try and apply the wisdom
of these teachings in your life,
mostly by asking questions like,
"Have I ever experienced mind over matter?
"Have I ever attracted something into my life repeatedly
"by obsessing over it?
"Or have I ever dipped my fingers in water so hot
"that it shocked my nerves
"and felt cold at first?"
All of these kinds of questions can be answered
with the hermetic principles.
So have fun trying them out.
Until next time, toodles.
(upbeat music)