A Steversified View of Kybalion – Part I

John Rogers — Feb 11, 2019

My name is Stephen Rousseau, my friends call me Stever. I am excited to share my thoughts after my initial reading of The Kybalion with the Wealth Creation Mastermind. I was introduced to this writing by the WCM and am grateful I was led to this.

This is the first post in a series of five and is an introduction to a certain way to view The Kybalion. In this series of blog posts, I focus on the seven principals as gleaned from my first read and multiple discussions with the WCM on the Monday Night Curriculum Calls. (Join us!)

When all parts have been posted, they will be linked from here:

• A Steversified View of The Kybalion – Part I (This post)
• A Steversified View of The Kybalion – Part II
• A Steversified View of The Kybalion – Part III
• A Steversified View of The Kybalion – Part IV
• A Steversified View of The Kybalion – Part V

The Kybalion: 15 intense chapters

12 of which speak directly to the seven principles and 3 of which speak to the integrated whole.

• Chapter 1) The Hermetic Philosophy (integrated whole)
• Chapter 2) The Seven Hermetic Principles (integrated whole)
• Chapter 3) Mental Transmutation (Principle #1)
• Chapter 4) The All (Principle #1)
• Chapter 5) The Mental Universe (Principle #1)
• Chapter 6) The Divine Paradox (Principle #1)
• Chapter 7) “The All” in All (Principle #1)
• Chapter 8) The Planes of Correspondence (Principle #2)
• Chapter 9) Vibration (Principle #3)
• Chapter 10) Polarity (Principle #4)
• Chapter 11) Rhythm (Principle #5)
• Chapter 12) Causation (Principle #6)
• Chapter 13) Gender (Principle #7)
• Chapter 14) Mental Gender (Principle #7)
• Chapter 15) Hermetic Axioms (integrated whole)

In this first post, we will briefly look at the three general chapters which do not specifically address one of the principles. The other chapters will be referenced in the appropriate post. Notice the first principle is addressed in five chapters. Principle seven is addressed in two chapters. The other principles are addressed in only one chapter each.

In previous posts on this blog, a nice overview of The Kybalion is provided in a three-part series. You can find them here:

• The Kybalion
• The Kybalion – Principles and Meaning
• The Kybalion – Explained/Applications

Chapter 1) The Hermetic Philosophy

In this chapter we learn about the origin of The Kybalion and the Great Hermes Trismegistus, the Master of Masters. The Kybalion is hidden from those who refuse to hear. But, for those ready to hear, the teaching is attracted. Seek and ye shall find.

• The lips of wisdom are closed, except to the ears of Understanding
• Where fall the footsteps of the Master, the ears of those ready for his Teaching open wide
• When the ears of the student are ready to hear, then cometh the lips to fill them with Wisdom

Chapter 2) The Seven Hermetic Principles

This chapter lists the Seven Hermetic Principles, upon which the entire Hermetic Philosophy is based. This is a great chapter to review because there is a general synopsis of each principle. These will all be addressed in the following four posts.

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

Chapter 15) Hermetic Axioms

An axiom is a statement or proposition which is regarded as being established, accepted, or self-evidently true. This chapter lists the axioms The Kybalion is based on. There is quite a bit to absorb here, and these are appropriately at the end of the book to ease the understanding. It is a good review chapter… the answers are in the back of the book, so to speak.

• “The possession of Knowledge, unless accompanied by a manifestation and expression in Action, is like the hoarding of precious metals–a vain and foolish thing. Knowledge, like Wealth, is intended for Use. The Law of Use is Universal, and he who violates it suffers by reason of his conflict with natural forces.”

 

• “To change your mood or mental state–change your vibration.”

 

• “To destroy an undesirable rate of mental vibration, put into operation the Principle of Polarity and concentrate upon the opposite pole to that which you desire to suppress. Kill out the undesirable by changing its polarity.”

 

• “Mind (as well as metals and elements) may be transmuted from state to state; degree to degree; condition to condition; pole to pole; vibration to vibration.”

 

• “Rhythm may be neutralized by an application of the Art of Polarization.”

 

• “Nothing escapes the Principle of Cause and Effect, but there are many Planes of Causation, and one may use the laws of the higher to overcome the laws of the lower.”

 

• “The wise ones serve on the higher, but rule on the lower. They obey the laws coming from above them, but in their own plane, and those below them, they rule and give orders. And, yet, in so doing, they form a part of the Principle, instead of opposing it. The wise man falls in with the Law, and by understanding its movements he operates it instead of being its blind slave. Just as does the skilled swimmer turn this way and that way, going and coming as he will, instead of being as the log which is carried here and there–so is the wise man as compared to the ordinary man–and yet both swimmer and log; wise man and fool, are subject to Law. He who understands this is well on the road to Mastery.”

 

• “True Hermetic Transmutation is a Mental Art.”

 

• “THE ALL is MIND; The Universe is Mental.”

 
“Any breakthrough in science is likely to come from outside the system.” – Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz

For a shift to happen, you must be outside of the system. It is from this viewpoint a person can best improve oneself. In this series I share what I’ve discovered on the seven principals by viewing them through the filter of Four Views of I, a book I wrote to present a dynamic introspection of self.

Four Views of I – Instinct, Intellect, Intuition, and Intention.

Four Views of I is an introspection into individuals using words starting with the letter I. In it we move past the trilogy of Body, Mind, and Spirit and add another dimension: Time. I have assigned four words to each of the aspects of our individuality to represent Body, Mind, Soul, and Spirit.

Before publishing the book Four Views of I – Instinct, Intellect, Intuition, and Intention (available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble), it was summed up in a booklet. If you’d like a glimpse of the book you may download a free PDF of the booklet.
 

As above, so below

As I flesh these principles out for myself, I combine those which I feel are related to present them, with the premise they mirror the fully integrated whole of the individual.

But, what do we care about where all this comes from? If it works, all we need do is act according to what we learn from it. Our intention to help you do just that. Put the teachings to work so we can live a life of excellence. (Just as Wallace D. Wattles said in The Science of Getting Rich.) Then, when we have time, and if we wish, we can philosophize to our heart’s content. Until then, let’s find the fasted way to understand and apply.

Is this work necessary? A good question, and to answer, I suggest reading the MIT blog article by Ben Linville-Engler where I think he puts it best:

In nature, objects often follow the path of least resistance. Water finds the path of least resistance downhill and electricity finds the path of least resistance to ground, but these happen to be the places where water and electricity want to go, and they are not really concerned with how long it takes to get there. But if you are that “object” … the path of least resistance may not enable you to get the most out of your experience. So where do you want to go and how do you want to get there?

So, it is natural to go with the flow… but if where you want to be is up, positive, or high… you need to go against the flow. Remember, even a dead fish can swim downstream. Find the path that is most conductive (a path leading toward your goal).
 

Line Up!

Let’s get ourselves in alignment so we can sympathetically resonate with the teachings. First, we must understand we live in the 3D universe and are subject to the laws here. Let me share how I describe it in my book:

• Dimensionality
  • Zero-dimensional space is a point. The point has no mass and no size; it is only location. It is nothing. From this nothing comes everything —ex nihilo.
• First Dimension
• The smallest unit of 1-D space is a line between two points. This is the first manifestation of the One—the begetting.
• Second Dimension
• The smallest representation of 2-D space is a triangle. The triangle is three points joined by three edges. There is stability in the triangle. This trinity is the second manifestation of the One.
• Third Dimension
• The tetrahedron is the smallest unit of 3-D space. It is four triangles joined at four corners and six edges. This is the third manifestation of the One. The tetrahedron is the basic building block and is the first Platonic solid. It is built with locations joined by straight lines.
• Fourth Dimension
• Now to throw a curve at this. A curve is infinite points joined together, constantly changing direction. This curve is the fourth dimension we know as time. This curve is combined with the other dimensions to become space-time. Everything perceived is perceived through space-time. Time is a curious dimension. Some would say it is not a dimension at all but something outside of space.

The shape of the photon is tetrahedral. The photon in space-time is the basic building block of what we call reality.

Time is a strange dimension in that we cannot fully observe this dimension as we do the other three. We can see back in time but not forward. We can move forward in time but not back. It is a restricted dimension for us. The Kybalion calls the Fourth Dimension the Dimension of Vibration.
Let us call this dimension ‘breadth’. So, the four types that make up the basic building blocks of the universe can be observed in height, width, depth, and breadth. Hey, it’s biblical!

May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. —Ephesians 3:18–19 (KJV)

These correspond to body, mind, soul, and spirit—the four aspects of an individual.

Minimalism
In our space-time dimension, we cannot divide these aspects any further. As with the platonic solid of a tetrahedron, we cannot make any simpler shape. Because of this, we can use a model of the tetrahedron to illustrate our limited view.

Time is required to observe all that you are. So, hold the model in your hand, and try to look at all four sides. You can’t do it. The only way to see all four sides is to rotate the tetrahedron. Time allows you to do this.

Change is growth. Curve is change. Everyone is different—that’s the point! Everyone must change to grow. Change takes time.

You may ask, “What does this have to do with The Kybalion?”

As anyone who has read Four Views of I knows, I tend to look at everything from a point of view that reduces everything to four views. As you read the seven principles you may noticed they can be combined by types. As above, so below… it seems these combinations are related and show the whole as a macrocosm of an individual. In the following blog posts we will look at each side of the whole one at a time:
 

A Steversified View of The Kybalion – Part II

1 – The Principles of Vibration and Rhythm (Instinct – Body) Principles 3&5

Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates. (Principle 3)

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. (Principle 5)

A Steversified View of The Kybalion– Part III

2 – The Principles of Correspondence and Cause & Effect (Intellect – Mind) Principles 2&6

As above, so below; as below, so above. (Principle 2)

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. (6)
 

A Steversified View of The Kybalion– Part IV

3 – The Principles of Polarity and Gender (Intuition – Soul) Principles 4&7

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. (Principle 4)

Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine Principles; Gender manifests on all planes. (Principle 7)
 

A Steversified View of The Kybalion – Part V

4 – The Principle of Mentalism (Intention – Spirit) Principle 1

THE ALL is MIND; The Universe is Mental. (Principle 1)

This fits the whole of Hermes’ Principles into the basic form of a tetrahedron, the first order of sacred geometric building blocks of the material universe. In the next four posts listed above, we will look at each of the four views one at a time. Let’s never miss the forest for the trees, but take a good, broad view from as far outside as possible, from the viewpoint of The All. It is a first step in knowing the whole of The All.

For making it this far, you are a true seeker and here for a reason. You have attracted this.
What next?

• Become a member of Wealth Creation Mastermind
• Bring your unique perspective to the group, participate
• Advance humanity by advancing yourself synergistically with us

There is no money required to join and participate in WCM. There is an investment though – time and effort. For me it is a wise investment, I am grateful for WCM. I am grateful for the time you have already given in reading this article. I trust there is value here. Please comment below and share your thoughts on what you’ve read today.

John Rogers

John Rogers has been in the network marketing industry for over 20 years. He has earned the prestigious Blue Diamond rank with Univera, the highest rank that the health- and wellness-focused network marketing company offers. His team represents 60% of Univera’s annual sales in North America.  John was recognized as the Univera Associate of the Year in 2015.

John has also been associated with 2 other network marketing companies and achieved a Platinum rank with Nikken, a Japanese health and wellness company.

John is the former CEO of Premium Enterprises. He has a Masters degree in education (M.Ed.) from the University of Northern Colorado (graduated 1973) and is passionate about teaching fellow network marketers to replicate his success.