This article is taken from the December 2022 issue of Fraternal Review titled, “The Hermetic Mason”.
Published in 1908, The Kybalion: A Study of the Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece is a book that aims to “place in the hands of the initiate a master key with which he may open the many inner doors in the Temple of Mystery.”[1] (The author himself used the nom de plume “Three Initiates.”)
The Kybalion elucidates seven principles allegedly described in ancient and medieval Hermetic texts (e.g., Corpus Hermeticum). These include mentalism, the concept of “as above, so below,” and the idea that everything consists of gendered polar opposites. However, in The Kybalion—an early 20th century work—these traits are presented in a more accessible way to the modern seeker. By looking at the seven Hermetic principles, we may more clearly understand the basis of the entire Hermetic philosophy and how they connect to teachings and wisdom within our Masonic body of knowledge.
These seven principles are quoted from the book, and featured a series of Masonic questions for reflection. To deepen this connection between the Ancient Wisdom of Hermeticism and our modern practice of Freemasonry, I encourage you to speculate on how you might observe these Hermetic concepts within your Masonic experiences inside and outside the Lodge.
1. The principle of mentalism: “The All is Mind; the Universe is Mental.”
a. When we think of the all-seeing eye, do you see a relationship to the mental observance we bring to the Great Architect during our ritual?
b. In what ways does our memory work to aid in a shared universal mind with our Brethren and our Creator, now, before, and forever?
2. The principle of correspondence: “As above, so below; as below, so above.”
a. How might the “microcosmic” circumambulation of Lodge Officers within the Lodge room relate to the movements and cycles of the universal Lodge room in heavenly “macrocosm”?
3. The principle of vibration: “Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates.”
a. Do we not see this vibration in the opening and closing of Lodge? In the rising and sitting in our chairs? Or, perhaps in the perpetual cycle of raising candidates to the sublime degree of Master Mason?
4. The principle of polarity: “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.”
a. Do we find examples of polarity, or two things, becoming one within our Lodge and ritual? Some examples of this might be the Mosaic pavement, or being brought from darkness to light.
5. 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.”
a. Aside from the movement of the officers and candidate through the Lodge, where else do we find the principle of rhythm in Freemasonry?
6. 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.”
a. We came to Freemasonry of our own free will and accord, but what was the original cause of this; is it perhaps internal or external? What has been the effect of Freemasonry, as a cause, on your life?
7. The principle of gender: “Gender is in everything; everything has its masculine and feminine principles; gender manifests on all planes.”
a. Gender is an important characteristic found within our obligation; why is this principle of gender so important to Freemasonry?
Sources:
1. Three Initiates, The Kybalion: A Study of The Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece, The Yogi Publication Society, Masonic Temple Chicago, Ill, 1908.
Written by Ian Evenstar Laurelin