El Kybalion Los Misterios de Hermes Tres Iniciados

1. Hermetic Philosophy: Ancient Wisdom for the Prepared

Los labios de la sabiduría permanecen cerrados, excepto para el oído capaz de comprender.

Ancient Egyptian Roots. Hermetic philosophy, based on the teachings of Hermes Trismegisto in ancient Egypt, is the source of much occult knowledge. Despite countless references, little has been written openly about these secret doctrines, preserved by a few initiates across centuries. This book aims not to create a new philosophy but to provide a master key to unlock existing occult knowledge.

Knowledge Transmission. The teachings were traditionally passed from mouth to ear, reserved for those ready to receive them. This secrecy protected the wisdom from misunderstanding, persecution, and degeneration into dogma or superstition, unlike other ancient traditions. The Hermetic maxim emphasizes that wisdom is revealed only when the student is prepared to hear it.

Finding the Path. The book itself serves as a tool for the prepared student. According to the Hermetic Principle of Cause and Effect (specifically the Law of Attraction), when the student is ready for the truth, this book will find its way to them. It is a guide to understanding the fundamental principles rather than a detailed exposition of every application.

2. The All is Mind: The Universe is Mental

El TODO es Mente; el universo es mental.

The First Principle. This fundamental principle states that the ultimate reality behind all manifestations – matter, energy, life, phenomena – is Spirit, which is unknowable in itself but can be conceived as Infinite, Living, Universal Mind, called The All. Everything that exists is a mental creation within the Mind of The All.

Explaining Phenomena. Understanding this principle provides a framework for comprehending mental and psychic phenomena that baffle conventional science. It reveals that the universe is governed by mental laws, which the Hermetic student can consciously apply for their well-being and development. This principle is the master key to mental and psychic knowledge.

Mind Over Matter. The principle explains the true nature of energy, force, and matter, showing how they are subordinate to the dominion of Mind. An ancient Master noted that whoever grasps the truth that the universe is mental is far advanced on the path to adeptship. Without this key, the door to wisdom remains locked.

3. As Above, So Below: The Principle of Correspondence

Como arriba es abajo; como abajo es arriba.

The Second Principle. This principle asserts a constant correspondence, harmony, and analogy between the laws and phenomena of the various planes of being and life. The ancient axiom "As above is below; as below is above" encapsulates this truth. It is a universal law applying across the physical, mental, and spiritual planes.

Unlocking Mysteries. Understanding this principle provides a key to resolving many of nature's obscure problems and paradoxes. By observing phenomena on one plane, one can gain insight into the workings of other, less known planes. It helps lift the veil of Isis, allowing glimpses of the unknown.

Reasoning by Analogy. Just as geometry allows measuring distant stars from an observatory, the Principle of Correspondence enables intelligent reasoning from the known to the unknown. Studying the smallest unit (monad) can lead to understanding the highest being (archangel), as the same patterns and laws repeat across different scales of existence.

4. Everything Vibrates: Nothing Rests

Nada está inmóvil; todo se mueve; todo vibra.

The Third Principle. This principle states that everything in the universe is in constant motion; nothing is at rest. This truth, taught by ancient Hermetic Masters, is now confirmed by modern science regarding matter and energy. The differences between manifestations are due solely to varying rates and modes of vibration.

Spectrum of Vibration. From The All, vibrating at infinite intensity (appearing as rest), down to the densest forms of matter, everything vibrates. There are countless degrees of vibration intensity between these poles. Science recognizes vibration in molecules, atoms, and subatomic particles (electrons/ions), as well as in energy forms like heat, light, and electricity.

Mental Control. Hermetic philosophy extends this principle to mental states, emotions, and thoughts, which also have corresponding vibrations. Understanding this allows the Hermetic student to control their own mental vibrations and influence others through mental induction. Mastery of this principle grants significant power over natural phenomena, often appearing as miracles.

5. Everything is Dual: Opposites are One

Todo es doble; todo tiene dos polos; todo, su par de opuestos: los semejantes y los antagónicos son lo mismo; los Opuestos son idénticos en naturaleza, pera diferentes en grado; los extremos se tocan; todas las verdades son semiverdades; todas las paradojas pueden reconciliarse.

The Fourth Principle. This principle reveals that everything manifested has two sides, two aspects, a pair of opposites, with countless degrees between them. It explains ancient paradoxes by stating that opposites are identical in nature but differ only in degree. Thesis and antithesis are the same reality, just at different points on a scale.

Degrees on a Scale. Examples abound: heat and cold are degrees of the same thing; light and darkness are degrees of vibration; hard and soft, large and small, positive and negative are relative terms on a scale. On the mental plane, love and hate are poles of the same feeling, with many intermediate degrees.

Mental Transmutation. This principle is key to Mental Transmutation. While things of different kinds cannot be transmuted (e.g., love into heat), things of the same kind can be changed in degree by shifting polarity. Fear can become courage, hate can become love, by raising mental vibrations along the scale. The art of polarization allows conscious control over one's own mental states and influencing others.

6. Everything Flows: The Principle of Rhythm

Todo fluye y refluye: todo tiene sus períodos de avance y retroceso; todo asciende y desciende; todo se mueve como un péndulo; la medida de su movimiento hacia la derecha, es la misma que la de su movimiento hacia la izquierda; el ritmo es la compensación.

The Fifth Principle. This principle describes the measured oscillation, the ebb and flow, the pendulum-like movement that manifests in everything. It operates between the two poles established by the Principle of Polarity, though rarely reaching the extreme ends. This rhythm is universal, seen in worlds, nations, life cycles, and mental states.

Universal Cycles. Rhythm is evident in the creation and destruction of universes, the rise and fall of civilizations, the cycle of seasons, and the tides. On the mental plane, it causes the succession of moods, feelings, and emotions, swinging between enthusiasm and depression, courage and fear. Most people are slaves to this mental pendulum.

Neutralization. Hermetic Masters discovered how to use the Law of Neutralization to rise above the effects of this principle on the lower mental plane. By polarizing themselves at a desired point and refusing to participate in the backward swing, they allow the rhythm to operate on the unconscious level while maintaining conscious stability. This mastery brings mental equilibrium and self-control.

7. Every Effect Has a Cause: Nothing is Chance

Toda causa tiene su efecto; todo efecto tiene su causa; todo sucede de acuerdo con la Ley; la suerte no es más que el nombre que se le da a una ley no conocida; hay muchos planos de casualidad, pero nada escapa a la Ley.

The Sixth Principle. This principle states that nothing happens by chance; every effect has a cause, and every cause has an effect. Everything occurs according to Law. Chance is merely a term for an unrecognized or unperceived cause. The chain of cause and effect is continuous and universal.

No True Chance. The idea of a random, lawless event is incompatible with the ordered universe. What appears as chance is simply the result of complex, often hidden, chains of causes. Every event, no matter how small, is linked to preceding events and will produce subsequent effects, demonstrating the interconnectedness of all things.

Becoming a Cause. While most people are effects, driven by heredity, environment, external influences, and internal emotions, Hermetic Masters learn to rise above the ordinary plane of causation. By understanding and applying higher laws, they become conscious causes, directing their own lives and influencing their environment, rather than being mere pawns in the game of life. They serve the Law on higher planes while mastering circumstances on lower ones.

8. Gender is in Everything: Creation on All Planes

La generación existe por doquier; todo tiene sus principios masculino y femenino; el género se manifiesta en todos los planos.

The Seventh Principle. This principle asserts that Gender is in everything, with masculine and feminine principles always active. It's crucial to distinguish "Gender" (meaning to generate, create, produce) from "Sex" (the physical distinction). Gender manifests on all planes: physical, mental, and spiritual.

Principles of Creation. On the physical plane, Gender manifests as sex in organic life and as positive/negative forces (like in electricity or atomic structure) in inorganic matter and energy. The masculine principle tends to project energy and will, while the feminine principle tends to receive impressions and perform the active work of generation and creation. Both are essential and interdependent.

Mental Gender. On the mental plane, this principle manifests as the duality of mind: the "I" (Masculine Principle, representing Will, projection) and the "Me" (Feminine Principle, representing the mental matrix, capable of generating thoughts, ideas, and mental creations). Understanding Mental Gender is key to conscious mental creation, influencing one's own mind and others.

9. Mental Transmutation: The Art of Mental Alchemy

La verdadera transmutación hermética es una práctica, un método, un arte mental.

Hermetic Alchemy. The Hermeticists were the original alchemists, not just seeking to turn lead into gold, but practicing Mental Transmutation. This is the art of changing or transforming mental states, qualities, and conditions into others. It is a form of mental chemistry or mystical psychology.

Changing Mental States. Based on the Principle of Mentalism (Universe is Mental), Mental Transmutation allows one to change conditions in the mental universe. By applying the principles, particularly Vibration and Polarity, one can consciously shift their own mental vibrations and polarity, transforming negative states (like fear or hate) into positive ones (courage or love).

Mastery and Influence. This art extends beyond self-mastery to influencing the mental states of others, explaining phenomena like telepathy, mental influence, and suggestion. While lower forms are often empirical, true Hermetic Transmutation is based on a deep understanding of the underlying principles, making the practitioner a conscious agent rather than a blind user of mental forces.

10. The Divine Paradox: Absolute vs. Relative Truth

El sabio a medias, reconociendo la irrealidad relativa del Universo, se imagina que puede desafiar sus leyes. Ese no es más que un tonto vano y presuntuoso, que se estrellará contra las rocas y será aplastado por los elementos, en razón de su locura. El verdadero sabio, conociendo la naturaleza del Universo, emplea la Ley contra las leyes: las superiores contra las inferiores, y por medio de la Alquimia transmuta lo que no es deseable en lo valioso y de esta manera triunfa.

The Paradox Explained. The Universe is a mental creation in The All's mind, thus illusory from an Absolute perspective (The All's view). However, for finite minds within the Universe, it is undeniably real from a Relative perspective. This is the Divine Paradox, a manifestation of the Principle of Polarity.

Avoiding Semi-Wisdom. The "semi-wise" person, grasping only the relative unreality, foolishly tries to defy the universe's laws, leading to their downfall. The true wise person understands both the absolute and relative aspects. They treat the universe as real for practical life and action, while holding the higher truth in mind.

Mastery Through Law. Mastery is not achieved by denying reality or laws, but by using higher laws against lower ones. Through Mental Alchemy (Transmutation), the wise person changes undesirable conditions into valuable ones by applying superior principles. They escape the pains of lower planes by vibrating on higher ones, using the laws rather than being blindly subject to them.

Last updated: May 21, 2025