THE KYBALION/PART 6
CHAPTER VI
THE DIVINE PARADOX
"The
half-wise, recognizing the comparative unreality of the Universe, imagine that
they may defy its Laws—such are vain and presumptuous fools, and they are
broken against the rocks and torn asunder by the elements by reason of their
folly. The truly wise, knowing the nature of the Universe, use Law against
laws; the higher against the lower; and by the Art of Alchemy transmute that
which is undesirable into that which is worthy, and thus triumph. Mastery
consists not in abnormal dreams, visions and fantastic imaginings or living,
but in using the higher forces against the lower—escaping the pains of the
lower planes by vibrating on the higher. Transmutation, not presumptuous
denial, is the weapon of the Master."—The Kybalion.
This
is the Paradox of the Universe, resulting from the Principle of Polarity which
manifests when THE ALL begins to Create—hearken to it for it points the
difference between half-wisdom and wisdom. While to THE INFINITE ALL, the
Universe, its Laws, its Powers, its life, its Phenomena, are as things
witnessed in the state of Meditation or Dream; yet to all that is Finite, the
Universe must be treated as Real, and life, and action, and thought, must be
based thereupon, accordingly, although with an ever understanding of the Higher
Truth. Each according to its own Plane and Laws. Were THE ALL to imagine that
the Universe were indeed Reality, then woe to the Universe, for there would be
then no escape from lower to higher, divineward—then would the Universe become
a fixity and progress would become impossible. And if Man, owing to
half-wisdom, acts and lives and thinks of the Universe as merely a dream (akin
to his own finite dreams) then indeed does it so become for him, and like a
sleep-walker he stumbles ever around and around in a circle, making no
progress, and being forced into an awakening at last by his falling bruised and
bleeding over the Natural Laws which he ignored. Keep your mind ever on the
Star, but let your eyes watch over your footsteps, lest you fall into the mire
by reason of your upward gaze. Remember the Divine Paradox, that while the
Universe IS NOT, still IT IS. Remember ever the Two Poles of Truth the Absolute
and the Relative. Beware of Half-Truths.
What
Hermetists know as "the Law of Paradox" is an aspect of the Principle
of Polarity. The Hermetic writings are filled with references to the appearance
of the Paradox in the consideration of the problems of Life and Being. The
Teachers are constantly warning their students against the error of omitting
the "other side" of any question. And their warnings are particularly
directed to the problems of the Absolute and the Relative, which perplex all
students of philosophy, and which cause so many to think and act contrary to
what is generally known as "common sense." And we caution all
students to be sure to grasp the Divine Paradox of the Absolute and Relative,
lest they become entangled in the mire of the Half-Truth. With this in view
this particular lesson has been written. Read it carefully!
The
first thought that comes to the thinking man after he realizes the truth that
the Universe is a Mental Creation of THE ALL, is that the Universe and all that
it contains is a mere illusion; an unreality; against which idea his instincts
revolt. But this, like all other great truths, must be considered both from the
Absolute and the Relative points of view. From the Absolute viewpoint, of
course, the Universe is in the nature of an illusion, a dream, a
phantasmagoria, as compared to THE ALL in itself. We recognize this even in our
ordinary view, for we speak of the world as "a fleeting show" that
comes and goes, is born and dies—for the element of impermanence and change,
finiteness and unsubstantiality, must ever be connected with the idea of a
created Universe when it is contrasted with the idea of THE ALL, no matter what
may be our beliefs concerning the nature of both. Philosopher, metaphysician,
scientist and theologian all agree upon this idea, and the thought is found in
all forms of philosophical thought and religious conceptions, as well as in the
theories of the respective schools of metaphysics and theology.
So,
the Hermetic Teachings do not preach the unsubstantiality of the Universe in
any stronger terms than those more familiar to you, although their presentation
of the subject may seem somewhat more startling. Anything that has a beginning
and an ending must be, in a sense, unreal and untrue, and the Universe comes
under the rule, in all schools of thought. From the Absolute point of view,
there is nothing Real except THE ALL, no matter what terms we may use in
thinking of, or discussing the subject. Whether the Universe be created of
Matter, or whether it be a Mental Creation in the Mind of THE ALL—it is
unsubstantial, non-enduring, a thing of time, space and change. We want you to
realize this fact thoroughly, before you pass judgment on the Hermetic
conception of the Mental nature of the Universe. Think over any and all of the
other conceptions, and see whether this be not true of them.
But
the Absolute point of view shows merely one side of the picture—the other side
is the Relative one. Absolute Truth has been defined as "Things as the
mind of God knows them," while Relative Truth is "Things as the
highest reason of Man understands them." And so while to THE ALL the
Universe must be unreal and illusionary, a mere dream or result of
meditation,—nevertheless, to the finite minds forming a part of that Universe,
and viewing it through mortal faculties, the Universe is very real indeed, and
must be so considered. In recognizing the Absolute view, we must not make the
mistake of ignoring or denying the facts and phenomena of the Universe as they
present themselves to our mortal faculties—we are not THE ALL, remember.
To
take familiar illustrations, we all recognize the fact that matter
"exists" to our senses—we will fare badly if we do not. And yet, even
our finite minds understand the scientific dictum that there is no such thing
as Matter from a scientific point of view—that which we call Matter is held to
be merely an aggregation of atoms, which atoms themselves are merely a grouping
of units of force, called electrons or "ions," vibrating and in
constant circular motion. We kick a stone and we feel the impact—it seems to be
real, notwithstanding that we know it to be merely what we have stated above.
But remember that our foot, which feels the impact by means of our brains, is
likewise Matter, so constituted of electrons, and for that matter so are our
brains. And, at the best, if it were not by reason of our Mind, we would not
know the foot or stone at all.
Then
again, the ideal of the artist or sculptor, which he is endeavoring to
reproduce in stone or on canvas, seems very real to him. So do the characters
in the mind of the author; or dramatist, which he seeks to express so that
others may recognize them. And if this be true in the case of our finite minds,
what must be the degree of Reality in the Mental Images created in the Mind of
the Infinite? Oh, friends, to mortals this Universe of Mentality is very real
indeed—it is the only one we can ever know, though we rise from plane to plane,
higher and higher in it. To know it otherwise, but actual experience, we must
be THE ALL itself. It is true that the higher we rise in the scale—the nearer
to "the mind of the Father" we reach—the more apparent becomes the
illusory nature of finite things, but not until THE ALL finally withdraws us
into itself does the vision actually vanish.
So,
we need not dwell upon the feature of illusion. Rather let us, recognizing the
real nature of the Universe, seek to understand its mental laws, and endeavor
to use them to the best effect in our upward progress through life, as we
travel from plane to plane of being. The Laws of the Universe are none the less
"Iron Laws" because of the mental nature. All, except THE ALL, are
bound by them. What is IN THE INFINITE MIND OF THE ALL is REAL in a degree
second only to that Reality itself which is vested in the nature of THE ALL.
So,
do not feel insecure or afraid—we are all HELD FIRMLY IN THE INFINITE MIND OF
THE ALL, and there is naught to hurt us or for us to fear. There is no Power
outside of THE ALL to affect us. So we may rest calm and secure. There is a
world of comfort and security in this realization when once attained. Then
"calm and peaceful do we sleep, rocked in the Cradle of the
Deep"—resting safely on the bosom of the Ocean of Infinite Mind, which is
THE ALL. In THE ALL, indeed, do "we live and move and have our
being."
Matter
is none the less Matter to us, while we dwell on the plane of Matter, although
we know it to be merely an aggregation of "electrons," or particles
of Force, vibrating rapidly and gyrating around each other in the formations of
atoms; the atoms in turn vibrating and gyrating, forming molecules, which
latter in turn form larger masses of Matter. Nor does Matter become less
Matter, when we follow the inquiry still further, and learn from the Hermetic
Teachings, that the "Force" of which the electrons are but units is
merely a manifestation of the Mind of THE ALL, and like all else in the
Universe is purely Mental in its nature. While on the Plane of matter, we must
recognize its phenomena— we may control Matter (as all Masters of higher or
lesser degree do), but we do so by applying the higher forces. We commit a
folly when we attempt to deny the existence of Matter in the relative aspect.
We may deny its mastery over us—and rightly so—but we should not attempt to
ignore it in its relative aspect, at least so long as we dwell upon its plane.
Nor
do the Laws of Nature become less constant or effective, when we know them,
likewise, to be merely mental creations. They are in full effect on the various
planes. We overcome the lower laws, by applying still higher ones—and in this way
only. But we cannot escape Law or rise above it entirely. Nothing but THE ALL
can escape Law—and that because THE ALL is LAW itself, from which all Laws
emerge. The most advanced Masters may acquire the powers usually attributed to
the gods of men; and there are countless ranks of being, in the great hierarchy
of life, whose being and power transcends even that of the highest Masters
among men to a degree unthinkable by mortals, but even the highest Master, and
the highest Being, must bow to the Law, and be as Nothing in the eye of THE
ALL. So that if even these highest Beings, whose powers exceed even those
attributed by men to their gods—if even these are bound by and are subservient
to Law, then imagine the presumption of mortal man, of our race and grade, when
he dares to consider the Laws of Nature as "unreal!" visionary and
illusory, because he happens to be able to grasp the truth that the Laws are
Mental in nature, and simply Mental Creations of THE ALL. Those Laws which THE
ALL intends to be governing Laws are not to be defied or argued away. So long
as the Universe endures, will they endure—for the Universe exists by virtue of
these Laws which form its framework and which hold it together.
The
Hermetic Principle of Mentalism, while explaining the true nature of the
Universe upon the principle that all is Mental, does not change the scientific
conceptions of the Universe, Life, or Evolution. In fact, science merely
corroborates the Hermetic Teachings. The latter merely teaches that the nature
of the Universe is "Mental," while modern science has taught that it
is "Material"; or (of late) that it is "Energy" at the last
analysis. The Hermetic Teachings have no fault to find with Herbert Spencer's
basic principle which postulates the existence of an "Infinite and Eternal
Energy, from which all things proceed." In fact, the Hermetics recognize
in Spencer's philosophy the highest outside statement of the workings of the
Natural Laws that have ever been promulgated, and they believe Spencer to have been
a reincarnation of an ancient philosopher who dwelt in ancient Egypt thousands
of years ago, and who later incarnated as Heraclitus, the Grecian philosopher
who lived B. C. 500. And they regard his statement of the "Infinite and
Eternal Energy" as directly in the line of the Hermetic Teachings, always
with the addition of their own doctrine that his "Energy" is the
Energy of the Mind of THE ALL. With the Master-Key of the Hermetic Philosophy,
the student of Spencer will be able to unlock many doors of the inner
philosophical conceptions of the great English philosopher, whose work shows
the results of the preparation of his previous incarnations. His teachings
regarding Evolution and Rhythm are in almost perfect agreement with the
Hermetic Teachings regarding the Principle of Rhythm.
So,
the student of Hermetics need not lay aside any of his cherished scientific
views regarding the Universe. All he is asked to do is to grasp the underlying
principle of "THE ALL is Mind; the Universe is Mental—held in the mind of
THE ALL." He will find that the other six of the Seven Principles will
"fit into" his scientific knowledge, and will serve to bring out
obscure points and to throw light in dark corners. This is not to be wondered
at, when we realize the influence of the Hermetic thought of the early
philosophers of Greece, upon whose foundations of thought the theories of
modern science largely rest. The acceptance of the First Hermetic Principle
(Mentalism) is the only great point of difference between Modern Science and
Hermetic students, and Science is gradually moving toward the Hermetic position
in its groping in the dark for a way out of the Labyrinth into which it has
wandered in its search for Reality.
The
purpose of this lesson is to impress upon the minds of our students the fact
that, to all intents and purposes, the Universe and its laws, and its
phenomena, are just as REAL, so far as Man is concerned, as they would be under
the hypotheses of Materialism or Energism. Under any hypothesis the Universe in
its outer aspect is changing, ever-flowing, and transitory—and therefore devoid
of substantiality and reality. But (note the other pole of the truth) under the
same hypotheses, we are compelled to ACT AND LIVE as if the fleeting things
were real and substantial. With this difference, always, between the various
hypotheses—that under the old views Mental Power was ignored as a Natural
Force, while under Mentalism it becomes the Greatest Natural Force. And this
one difference revolutionizes Life, to those who understand the Principle and
its resulting laws and practice.
So,
finally, students all, grasp the advantage of Mentalism, and learn to know, use
and apply the laws resulting therefrom. But do not yield to the temptation
which, as The Kybalion states, overcomes the half-wise and which causes them to
be hypnotized by the apparent unreality of things, the consequence being that
they wander about like dream-people dwelling in a world of dreams, ignoring the
practical work and life of man, the end being that "they are broken
against the rocks and torn asunder by the elements, by reason of their
folly." Rather follow the example of the wise, which the same authority
states, "use Law against Laws; the higher against the lower; and by the
Art of Alchemy transmute that which is undesirable into that which is worthy,
and thus triumph." Following the authority, let us avoid the half-wisdom
(which is folly) which ignores the truth that: "Mastery consists not in
abnormal dreams, visions, and fantastic imaginings or living, but in using the
higher forces against the lower—escaping the pains of the lower planes by
vibrating on the higher." Remember always, student, that
"Transmutation, not presumptuous denial, is the weapon of the
Master." The above quotations are from The Kybalion, and are worthy of
being committed to memory by the student.
We
do not live in a world of dreams, but in an Universe which while relative, is
real so far as our lives and actions are concerned. Our business in the
Universe is not to deny its existence, but to LIVE, using the Laws to rise from
lower to higher—living on, doing the best that we can under the circumstances
arising each day, and living, so far as is possible, to our biggest ideas and
ideals. The true Meaning of Life is not known to men on this plane .if, indeed,
to any—but the highest authorities, and our own intuitions, teach us that we
will make no mistake in living up to the best that is in us, so far as is
possible, and realising the Universal tendency in the same direction in spite
of apparent evidence to the contrary. We are all on The Path—and the road leads
upward ever, with frequent resting places.
Read
the message of The Kybalion—and follow the example of "the
wise"—avoiding the mistake of "the half-wise" who perish by
reason of their folly.
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