THE KYBALION/PART 11
CHAPTER XI
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"—The Kybalion.
The
great Fifth Hermetic Principle—the Principle of Rhythm-embodies the truth that
in everything there is manifested a measured motion; a to-and-fro movement; a
flow and inflow; a swing forward and backward; a pendulum-like movement; a
tide-like ebb and flow; a high-tide and a low- tide; between the two-poles
manifest on the physical, mental or spiritual planes. The Principle of rhythm
is closely connected with the Principle of Polarity described in the preceding
chapter. Rhythm manifests between the two poles established by the Principle of
Polarity. This does not mean, however, that the pendulum of Rhythm swings to
the extreme poles, for this rarely happens; in fact, it is difficult to
establish the extreme polar opposites in the majority of cases. But the swing
is ever "toward" first one pole and then the other.
There
is always an action and reaction; an advance and a retreat; a rising and a
sinking; manifested in all of the airs and phenomena of the Universe. Suns,
worlds, men, animals, plants, minerals, forces, energy, mind and matter, yes,
even Spirit, manifests this Principle. The Principle manifests in the creation
and destruction of worlds; in the rise and fall of nations; in the life history
of all things; and finally in the mental states of Man.
Beginning
with the manifestations of Spirit—of THE ALL—it will be noticed that there is
ever the Outpouring and the Indrawing; the "Outbreathing and Inbreathing
of Brahm," as the Brahmans word it. Universes are created; reach their
extreme low point of materiality; and then begin in their upward swing. Suns
spring into being, and then their height of power being reached, the process of
retrogression begins, and after aeons they become dead masses of matter,
awaiting another impulse which starts again their inner energies into activity
and a new solar life cycle is begun. And thus it is with all the worlds; they
are born, grow and die; only to be reborn. And thus it is with all the things
of shape and form; they swing from action to reaction; from birth to death;
from activity to inactivity—and then back again. Thus it is with all living
things; they are born, grow, and die—and then are reborn. So it is with all
great movements, philosophies, creeds, fashions, governments, nations, and all
else-birth, growth, maturity, decadence, death-and then new-birth. The swing of
the pendulum is ever in evidence.
Night
follows day; and day night. The pendulum swings from Summer to Winter, and then
back again. The corpuscles, atoms, molecules, and all masses of matter, swing
around the circle of their nature. There is no such thing as absolute rest, or
cessation from movement, and all movement partakes of rhythm. The principle is
of universal application. It may be applied to any question, or phenomena of
any of the many planes of life. It may be applied to all phases of human
activity. There is always the Rhythmic swing from one pole to the other. The
Universal Pendulum is ever in motion. The Tides of Life flow in and out,
according to Law.
The
Principle of rhythm is well understood by modern science, and is considered a
universal law as applied to material things. But the Hermetists carry the
principle much further, and know that its manifestations and influence extend
to the mental activities of Man, and that it accounts for the bewildering succession
of moods, feelings and other annoying and perplexing changes that we notice in
ourselves. But the Hermetists by studying the operations of this Principle have
learned to escape some of its activities by Transmutation.
The
Hermetic Masters long since discovered that while the Principle of Rhythm was
invariable, and ever in evidence in mental phenomena, still there were two
planes of its manifestation so far as mental phenomena are concerned. They
discovered that there were two general planes of Consciousness, the Lower and
the Higher, the understanding of which fact enabled them to rise to the higher
plane and thus escape the swing of the Rhythmic pendulum which manifested on
the lower plane. In other words, the swing of the pendulum occurred on the
Unconscious Plane, and the Consciousness was not affected. This they call the
Law of Neutralization. Its operations consist in the raising of the Ego above
the vibrations of the Unconscious Plane of mental activity, so that the
negative-swing of the pendulum is not manifested in consciousness, and
therefore they are not affected. It is akin to rising above a thing and letting
it pass beneath you. The Hermetic Master, or advanced student, polarizes
himself at the desired pole, and by a process akin to "refusing" to
participate in the backward swing or, if you prefer, a "denial" of
its influence over him, he stands firm in his polarized position, and allows
the mental pendulum to swing back along the unconscious plane. All individuals
who have attained any degree of self- mastery, accomplish this, more or less
unknowingly, and by refusing to allow their moods and negative mental states to
affect them, they apply the Law of Neutralization. The Master, however, carries
this to a much higher degree of proficiency, and by the use of his Will he
attains a degree of Poise and Mental Firmness almost impossible of belief on
the part of those who allow themselves to be swung backward and forward by the
mental pendulum of moods and feelings.
The
importance of this will be appreciated by any thinking person who realizes what
creatures of moods, feelings and emotion the majority of people are, and how
little mastery of themselves they manifest. If you will stop and consider a
moment, you will realize how much these swings of Rhythm have affected you in
your life—how a period of Enthusiasm has been invariably followed by an
opposite feeling and mood of Depression. Likewise, your moods and periods of
Courage have been succeeded by equal moods of Fear. And so it has ever been with
the majority of persons—tides of feeling have ever risen and fallen with them,
but they have never suspected the cause or reason of the mental phenomena. An
understanding of the workings of this Principle will give one the key to the
Mastery of these rhythmic swings of feeling, and will enable him to know
himself better and to avoid being carried away by these inflows and outflows.
The Will is superior to the conscious manifestation of this Principle, although
the Principle itself can never be destroyed. We may escape its effects, but the
Principle operates, nevertheless. The pendulum ever swings, although we may
escape being carried along with it.
There
are other features of the operation of this Principle of Rhythm of which we
wish to speak at this point. There comes into its operations that which is
known as the Law of Compensation. One of the definitions or meanings of the
word "Compensate" is, "to counterbalance" which is the
sense in which the Hermetists use the term. It is this Law of Compensation to
which the Kybalion refers when it says: "The measure of the swing to the
right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates."
The
Law of Compensation is that the swing in one direction determines the swing in
the opposite direction, or to the opposite pole-the one balances, or
counterbalances, the other. On the Physical Plane we see many examples of this
Law. The pendulum of the clock swings a certain distance to the right, and then
an equal distance to the left. The seasons balance each other in the same way.
The tides follow the same Law. And the same Law is manifested in all the
phenomena of Rhythm. The pendulum, with a short swing in one direction, has but
a short swing in the other; while the long swing to the right invariably means the
long swing to the left. An object hurled upward to a certain height has an
equal distance to traverse on its return. The force with which a projectile is
sent upward a mile is reproduced when the projectile returns to the earth on
its return journey. This Law is constant on the Physical Plane, as reference to
the standard authorities will show you.
But
the Hermetists carry it still further. They teach that a man's mental states
are subject to the same Law. The man who enjoys keenly, is subject to keen suffering;
while he who feels but little pain is capable of feeling but little joy. The
pig suffers but little mentally, and enjoys but little—he is compensated. And
on the other hand, there are other animals who enjoy keenly, but whose nervous
organism and temperament cause them to suffer exquisite degrees of pain and so
it is with Man. There are temperaments which permit of but low degrees of
enjoyment, and equally low degrees of suffering; while there are others which
permit the most intense enjoyment, but also the most intense suffering. The
rule is that the capacity for pain and pleasure, in each individual, are
balanced. The Law of Compensation is in full operation here.
But
the Hermetists go still further in this matter. They teach that before one is
able to enjoy a certain degree of pleasure, he must have swung as far,
proportionately, toward the other pole of feeling. They hold, however, that the
Negative is precedent to the Positive in this matter, that is to say that in
experiencing a certain degree of pleasure it does not follow that he will have
to "pay up for it" with a corresponding degree of pain; on the
contrary, the pleasure is the Rhythmic swing, according to the Law of
Compensation, for a degree of pain previously experienced either in the present
life, or in a previous incarnation. This throws a new light on the Problem of
Pain.
The
Hermetists regard the chain of lives as continuous, and as forming a part of
one life of the individual, so that in consequence the rhythmic swing is
understood in this way, while it would be without meaning unless the truth of
reincarnation is admitted.
But
the Hermetists claim that the Master or advanced student is able, to a great
degree, to escape the swing toward Pain, by the process of Neutralization
before mentioned. By rising on to the higher plane of the Ego, much of the
experience that comes to those dwelling on the lower plane is avoided and
escaped.
The
Law of Compensation plays an important part in the lives of men and women. It
will be noticed that one generally "pays the price" of anything he
possesses or lacks. If he has one thing, he lacks another—the balance is
struck. No one can "keep his penny and have the bit of cake" at the
same time Everything has its pleasant and unpleasant sides. The things that one
gains are always paid for by the things that one loses. The rich possess much
that the poor lack, while the poor often possess things that are beyond the
reach of the rich. The millionaire may have the inclination toward feasting,
and the wealth wherewith to secure all the dainties and luxuries of the table,
while he lacks the appetite to enjoy the same; he envies the appetite and
digestion of the laborer who lacks the wealth and inclinations of the
millionaire, and who gets more pleasure from his plain food than the
millionaire could obtain even if his appetite were not jaded, nor his digestion
ruined, for the wants, habits and inclinations differ. And so it is through
life. The Law of Compensation is ever in operation, striving to balance and
counter-balance, and always succeeding in time, even though several lives may
be required for the return swing of the Pendulum of Rhythm.
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