The Kybalion

[MutedBlue]

Hi everyone. I've been looking for discussions on The Kybalion here on the forum and can't seem to find any. If anyone knows of a thread that discusses this book, I would appreciate it if someone could direct me to it.

I've read most of this book, and many of the concepts speak to me, but I don't fully understand all of what is talked about. I was just wondering if anyone else has read this and what they thought of it or of the teachings.
:hug3:

[Animus27]

I've read it in the past, and know a bit about Hermeticism (the tradition that inspired the work). Let me know what parts you need commentary on, and I might be able to help! :smile:

[MutedBlue]

Thanks so much for your reply, Animus27. Alot of my confusion comes from when they explain the principles and then say you can have mastery over them. I don't understand what one can do to practice the principles. Also there was a mention that some masters can even control the elements. I'm not looking to practice, I was just wondering how one can achieve a level of understanding where they would be able to if they wanted.

[Animus27]

The Kybalion was written within a bit of a Ceremonial Magic(k) context. So when they refer to mastery over principles, etc. They can be speaking of either ritual magic - in particular something called theurgy, which has the goal of uniting with God, or as they term it, the All. Or it can involve deep introspection and meditation, like the text of Poemandres, where suddenly a man is taking out of his body during contemplation, and has the secrets of the universe revealed to him by a figure called Man-Shepherd.

Initiation into Hermetics by Franz Bardon is a manual for practicing along the lines of the Kybalion. He tells the reader to perform all sorts of training, both mental and physical to allow one to control their own energy, and by extension that around them. It's pretty far-out stuff :D

Have I made sense? Because reading back, I can definitely see a lack of sleep showing! hehe

[MutedBlue]

I didn't know that is was written in a ceremonial magikal context. I took it as a kind of philosophical teaching. That does make sense. Thank you for clearing things up, you explained it very well, no worries there. I'll also check out the book you mentioned out of curiosity's sake.

[WhiteLion]

Hey Blue

I read the kybalion some years back as part of a course of study at a wonderful retreat center in the Guatemalan highlands. If the book peeked your interest and you would like to learn more here is the link to the retreat center

laspiramidesdelka.com

It is set in an incredible location and they run firstly full moon courses which run from full moon to full moon and are of a month duration followed by a sun course which is a 3 month program that runs from equinox to solstice or vicaversa.

The setting is on a lake surrounded by three mystical volcanoes and the meditation/yoga temples are built to the same proportions of the Egyptian pyramids (though not the same scale) both of which are made from local hard woods.

The gardens are alive and in the evening filled with glow bugs and the whole place is just enchanting! +the work that takes place on the inner levels is truly transformational :)

Any Questions feel free to ask Best to you

WhiteLion

whhoops cant put w w w in front of the link as I have not made 15 posts just yet

[Swami Chihuahuananda]

I fisrt heard reference to Hermeticism in the music of Bill Nelson , but I didn't know more than vaguely what the occult symbolism meant , or what the roots of Hereticism were . Later , in a very interesting book by Paul von Ward, 'Our Solarian Legacy' (Multi-dimensional Humans in a Self-Learning Universe) , I came across a section that listed the 7 Hermetic Principles. The von Ward book is an adventurous attempt at laying a framework for potential
"cooperation" between science and metaphysics , by considering things viewed from both perspectives . A sort of expansion of science, and refinement of metaphysics , if you will. Anyway , reading about the 7 Principles and how they appear to operate was really interesting , and their universality and core nature really rang true to me, so I poked around a little and found The Kybalion online. Good stuff, Maynard ! . There's a whole lot of esoteric, occult material out there involving the ritual aspect of it, and a lot of it is 'coded' because the people practicing it had to keep a low profile , just for the sake of survival in a Christian-dominated culture .

I never got into things any further than the Kybalion, because to me, it seemed like that itself was the real, deep, universal content . After that it develops and branches into more specific practices and teachings , that I sort of file along with a whole bunch of other kinds of specific practices and teachings . As in, file away and don't pay much attention to, because I'm more into the deep, universal outlook . When someone tells me "you have to do this, this, and this , or you'll never get it" , I tune out , because to me, ceremony and ritual end up being not much more than the tools you use to get to a place where you understand that tools are just tools, and there are lots of different kinds of tools , all designed to do pretty much the same thing. (yes, I like sweeping generalizations :wink: )