THE KYBALION/PART 12
CHAPTER XII
CAUSATION
"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."—The Kybalion.
The
great Sixth Hermetic Principle—the Principle of Cause and Effect—embodies the
truth that Law pervades the Universe; that nothing happens by Chance; that
Chance is merely a term indicating cause existing but not recognized or
perceived; that phenomena is continuous, without break or exception.
The
Principle of Cause and Effect underlies all scientific thought, ancient and
modern, and was enunciated by the Hermetic Teachers in the earliest days. While
many and varied disputes between the many schools of thought have since arisen,
these disputes have been principally upon the details of the operations of the
Principle, and still more often upon the meaning of certain words. The
underlying Principle of Cause and Effect has been accepted as correct by
practically all the thinkers of the world worthy of the name. To think
otherwise would be to take the phenomena of the universe from the domain of Law
and Order, and to relegate it; to the control of the imaginary something which
men have called "Chance."
A
little consideration will show anyone that there is in reality no such thing as
pure chance. Webster defines the word "Chance" as follows: "A
supposed agent or mode of activity other than a force, law or purpose; the
operation or activity of such agent; the supposed effect of such an agent; a
happening; fortuity; casualty, etc." But a little consideration will show
you that there can be no such agent as "Chance," in the sense of
something outside of Law-something outside of Cause and Effect. How could there
be a something acting in the phenomenal universe, independent of the laws,
order, and continuity of the latter? Such a something would be entirely
independent of the orderly trend of the universe, and therefore superior to it.
We can imagine nothing outside of THE ALL being outside of the Law, and that
only because THE ALL is the LAW in itself. There is no room in the universe for
a something outside of and independent of Law. The existence of such a
Something would render all Natural Laws ineffective, and would plunge the
universe into chaotic disorder and lawlessness.
A
careful examination will show that what we call "Chance" is merely an
expression relating to obscure causes; causes that we cannot perceive; causes
that we cannot understand. The word Chance is derived from a word Meaning
"to fall" (as the falling of dice), the idea being that the fall of
the dice (and many other happenings) are merely a "happening"
unrelated to any cause. And this is the sense in which the term is generally
employed. But when the matter is closely examined, it is seen that there is no
chance whatsoever about the fall of the dice. Each time a die falls, and
displays a certain number, it obeys a law as infallible as that which governs
the revolution of the planets around the sun. Back of the fall of the die are
causes, or chains of causes, running back further than the mind can follow. The
position of the die in the box; the amount of muscular energy expended in the
throw; the condition of the table, etc., etc., all are causes, the effect of
which may be seen. But back of these seen causes there are chains of unseen
preceding causes, all of which had a bearing upon the number of the die which
fell uppermost.
If a
die be cast a great number of times, it will be found that the numbers shown
will be about equal, that is, there will be an equal number of one-spot,
two-spot, etc., coming uppermost. Toss a penny in the air, and it may come down
either "heads" or "tails"; but make a sufficient number of
tosses, and the heads and tails will about even up. This is the operation of
the law of average. But both the average and the single toss come under the Law
of Cause and Effect, and if we were able to examine into the preceding causes,
it would be clearly seen that it was simply impossible for the die to fall
other than it did, under the same circumstances and at the same time. Given the
same causes, the same results will follow. There is always a "cause"
and a "because" to every event. Nothing ever "happens"
without a cause, or rather a chain of causes.
Some
confusion has arisen in the minds of persons considering this Principle, from
the fact that they were unable to explain how one thing could cause another
thing—that is, be the "creator" of the second thing. As a matter of
fact, no "thing" ever causes or "creates" another
"thing." Cause and Effect deals merely with "events." An
"event" is "that which comes, arrives or happens, as a result or
consequent of some preceding event." No event "creates" another
event, but is merely a preceding link in the great orderly chain of events
flowing from the creative energy of THE ALL. There is a continuity between all
events precedent, consequent and subsequent. There is a relation existing
between everything that has gone before, and everything that follows. A stone
is dislodged from a mountain side and crashes through a roof of a cottage in
the valley below. At first sight we regard this as a chance effect, but when we
examine the matter we find a great chain of causes behind it. In the first
place there was the rain which softened the earth supporting the stone and
which allowed it to fall; then back of that was the influence of the sun, other
rains, etc., which gradually disintegrated the piece of rock from a larger
piece; then there were the causes which led to the formation of the mountain,
and its upheaval by convulsions of nature, and so on ad infinitum. Then we
might follow up the causes behind the rain, etc. Then we might consider the
existence of the roof In short, we would soon find ourselves involved in a mesh
of cause and effect, from which we would soon strive to extricate ourselves.
Just
as a man has two parents, and four grandparents, and eight great-grandparents,
and sixteen great-great-grandparents, and so on until when, say, forty
generations are calculated the numbers of ancestors run into many millions—so
it is with the number of causes behind even the most trifling event or
phenomena, such as the passage of a tiny speck of soot before your eye. It is
not an easy matter to trace the bit of soot hack to the early period of the
world's history when it formed a part of a massive tree-trunk, which was
afterward converted into coal, and so on, until as the speck of soot it now
passes before your vision on its way to other adventures. And a mighty chain of
events, causes and effects, brought it to its present condition, and the later
is but one of the chain of events which will go to produce other events
hundreds of years from now. One of the series of events arising from the tiny
bit of soot was the writing of these lines, which caused the typesetter to
perform certain work; the proofreader to do likewise; and which will arouse
certain thoughts in your mind, and that of others, which in turn will affect
others, and so on, and on, and on, beyond the ability of man to think
further-and all from the passage of a tiny bit of soot, all of which shows the
relativity and association of things, and the further fact that "there is
no great; there is no small, in the mind that causeth all."
Stop
to think a moment. If a certain man had not met a certain maid, away back in
the dim period of the Stone Age—you who are now reading these lines would not
now be here. And if, perhaps, the same couple had failed to meet, we who now
write these lines would not now be here. And the very act of writing, on our
part, and the act of reading, on yours, will affect not only the respective
lives of yourself and ourselves, but will also have a direct, or indirect,
affect upon many other people now living and who will live in the ages to come.
Every thought we think, every act we perform, has its direct and indirect
results which fit into the great chain of Cause and Effect.
We
do not wish to enter into a consideration of Free Will, or Determinism, in this
work, for various reasons. Among the many reasons, is the principal one that
neither side of the controversy is entirely right-in fact, both sides are
partially right, according to the Hermetic Teachings. The Principle of Polarity
shows that both are but Half-Truths the opposing poles of Truth. The Teachings
are that a man may be both Free and yet bound by Necessity, depending upon the
meaning of the terms, and the height of Truth from which the matter is
examined. The ancient writers express the matter thus: "The further the
creation is from the Centre, the more it is bound; the nearer the Centre it
reaches, the nearer Free is it."
The
majority of people are more or less the slaves of heredity, environment, etc.,
and manifest very little Freedom. They are swayed by the opinions, customs and
thoughts of the outside world, and also by their emotions, feelings, moods,
etc. They manifest no Mastery, worthy of the name. They indignantly repudiate
this assertion, saying, "Why, I certainly am free to act and do as I
please—I do just what I want to do," but they fail to explain whence arise
the "want to" and "as I please." What makes them "want
to" do one thing in preference to another; what makes them
"please" to do this, and not do that? Is there no "because"
to their "pleasing" and "Wanting"? The Master can change
these "pleases" and "wants" into others at the opposite end
of the mental pole. He is able to "Will to will," instead of to will
because some feeling, mood, emotion, or environmental suggestion arouses a
tendency or desire within him so to do.
The
majority of people are carried along like the falling stone, obedient to
environment, outside influences and internal moods, desires, etc., not to speak
of the desires and wills of others stronger than themselves, heredity,
environment, and suggestion, carrying them along without resistance on their
part, or the exercise of the Will. Moved like the pawns on the checkerboard of
life, they play their parts and are laid aside after the game is over. But the
Masters, knowing the rules of the game, rise above the plane of material life,
and placing themselves in touch with the higher powers of their nature,
dominate their own moods, characters, qualities, and polarity, as well as the
environment surrounding them and thus become Movers in the game, instead of
Pawns-Causes instead of Effects. The Masters do not escape the Causation of the
higher planes, but fall in with the higher laws, and thus master circumstances
on the lower plane. They thus form a conscious part of the Law, instead of
being mere blind instruments. While they Serve on the Higher Planes, they Rule
on the Material Plane.
But,
on higher and on lower, the Law is always in operation. There is no such thing
as Chance. The blind goddess has been abolished by Reason. We are able to see
now, with eyes made clear by knowledge, that everything is governed by
Universal Law-that the infinite number of laws are but manifestations of the
One Great Law-the LAW which is THE ALL. It is true indeed that not a sparrow
drops unnoticed by the Mind of THE AL—that even the hairs on our head are
numbered—as the scriptures have said There is nothing outside of Law; nothing
that happens contrary to it. And yet, do not make the mistake of supposing that
Man is but a blind automaton-far from that. The Hermetic Teachings are that Man
may use Law to overcome laws, and that the higher will always prevail against
the lower, until at last he has reached the stage in which he seeks refuge in
the LAW itself, and laughs the phenomenal laws to scorn. Are you able to grasp
the inner meaning of this?
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