Introduction to the Seven Hermetic Principles

“This esoteric system of beliefs, which dates back to ancient Egypt, is based on the teachings of the mythical figure Hermes Trismegistus. The Kybalion, an occult classic text summarizing these core Hermetic teachings, offers a glimpse into this mystical system. Much like a pendulum swinging between the masculine and feminine principles, Hermeticism finds balance and insight through contrasting forces.”

Let’s look at the definition of the word “occult” to better understand this system of meaning-making. It’s defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as “supernatural, mystical, or magical beliefs, practices, or phenomena.” If we dive deeper, searching the definition of the word “supernatural” we get, “(of a manifestation or event) attributed to some force beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature.”

Science is an ongoing pursuit of truth. It hasn’t arrived at truth yet, as truth is continually emerging. Some scholars find it inconceivable that science will ever catch up to the elusive truth. There’s job security for scientists implied in this. Anything “beyond scientific understanding” doesn’t imply it can’t be true, but just that, due to the limitations of science, it hasn’t been established as scientifically true as of yet. Neither have the theories of evolution or of special relativity, which are current best guesses. This speaks to the nature of science. All the best theories of science present their limitations at their outset, in the form of axioms or premises. These premises can be identified as miracles in the sense that the theoretician asks their audience to “grant them this assumption” when they insert the axioms or premises without proof they are true.

Mystical truths have held steady throughout time because, in my opinion, they come from a place that is beyond duality or beyond the level of that which we can disagree about. They just are, that’s why they’re unchanging. Different spiritual traditions are pointing at the same thing, just using different words to describe it because they came from different environments. The Seven Hermetic principles and A Course in Miracles can both be seen as iterations of the same Truth. So I’m here to point out the overlaps, as more evidence that the Truth is indeed True. In this first part of the series, I’m going to introduce you to the principles themselves and I will connect the dots between each of the seven and ACIM in the articles still to come.

A Course in Miracles has its own take on the laws of nature as they pertain to what could currently, with science at its level of understanding, be called “supernatural”:

It is quite possible to reach God. In fact it is very easy, because it is the most natural thing in the world. You might even say it is the only natural thing in the world. The way will open if you believe that it is possible. This exercise can bring very startling results even the first time it is attempted, and sooner or later it is always successful. We will go into more detail in connection with this kind of practice as we go along. But it can never fail completely, and instant success is possible. [W-4.1.7]

Here is a breakdown of the seven hermetic principles:

1. Mentalism

Consciousness creates our life experiences. The Universe is immaterial. It’s mental and spiritual. Live and enjoy!

2. As Above, So Below (Correspondence)

Fractal Geometry. Cellular Biology, The Power of Analogy rests here because the same algorithms that inform the structure of different systems of thought are projected onto all the various levels.

3. Vibrations

Energy, in the form of waves and ripples, shape reality. Atoms are spinning vortexes of energy, with ripples radiating out from them.

4. Polarity

Opposites are the same. If we look at a wave, points on it sometimes fall above the midpoint, and sometimes below. By striving for the midpoint, we escape the polarity of opposites (good vs. bad, etc.), which often depend on the context of one’s perspective or held beliefs. The location of the particle at this moment establishes its positivity or negativity. You must see both sides to know the whole picture.

5. Rhythm

Brings time into the equation. On a wave, we’re sometimes on the way up, sometimes on the way down. When we’re up, we’re really on the way down, and when we’re down, we’re really on the way up. Cycles exist. We can look at the attitudes towards matter and spirit through history and see the rhythms embedded in the flow of history.

6. Cause and Effect

Everything is action and reaction. Thoughts are energy, and thinking is a creative activity. But it also has the potential to be destructive.

7. Masculine and Feminine

Every cell must have both. The masculine is the growth and the feminine is the support. The masculine emerges, and the feminine folds the emergent back into the whole. Imagine kneading more flour into dough to picture what this looks like.

The truth unfolds and gets folded back in over time in accordance with the present circumstances, which means the truth presents differently in different moments of time. Which means there’s still some space for paradox, even in the realm of Truth. Chaos is true at times, but it’s also true that order always gets restored. The free energy principle, which is another concept which I would like to present as an addendum of sorts to the rest of the hermetic principles, states just that. The Bible, for instance, may have been true when written, but things have changed, and it required an update in the form of A Course in Miracles. I sometimes think of A Course in Miracles as the Newest Testament. The Truth evolves over time, at least in the earthly realm, perhaps because it has duality to contend with down here. The Truth stays consistent as well. Yes, paradox abounds in the mystical traditions.We can use these principles to guide our thinking as well as our actions toward alignment with these natural laws. If not in alignment with nature, we will be trying to accomplish the unnatural, and are doomed to fail. However, we should be grateful we cannot accomplish the unnatural because, if we could, we would have the potential to destroy ourselves. Nature does not condone that sort of fatalistic thinking, so we could look at it instead as we’re blessed to fail!