Seven Principles of Hermeticism

The Seven Principles of Hermeticism as found in The Kybalion feature prominently in some modern Rosicrucian material. These are my own brief observations concerning them.

Principle of Menalism

Although this is philosophically debatable, I will treat it as axiomatic in order to explore the succeeding principles.

Principle of Correspondence

Here I must point out the elephant in the room : any notions concerning souls which can exist outside our bodies, or higher planes of existence, are speculation. They may be true ; but without any way of objectively falsifying them, we can't possitively assert them. We can, however, focus on this principle as a symbolic idea which can help us in our meditative practice.

Principle of Vibration

Here we find at least a degree of objective truth, in that we know that nothing in the observable universe is ever completely at rest, but that does not necessarily imply that everything that is in motion has consciousness or is connected to broader consciousness. Under the Principle of Mentality, let us allow the possibility.

Principle of Polarity

As with the Principle of Correspondence, what we are dealing with here is an unfalsifiable philosophical concept. I think it would possibly be better expressed as the Principle of Spectrum, given that theoretical opposites usually exist at any given moment on closer points that than those of infinite extremes.

Principle of Rhythm

This is perhaps the most self-evident of the hermetic principles, almost to the point of not needing to be specified.

Principle of Cause and Effect

Here I find myself most at odds with the principles of hermeticism, given what we now know about randomness at the quantum scale, de novo genetic mutations, and so on. I admit that, in my case, I have not achieved any satisfactory understanding of how to view or incorporate this principle, except perhaps to say that is the most unknowable. It may be that I simply find too much scientific evidence pointing to an unguided universe for me to work with this in any meaningful way. Even if God exists, it appears that he is completely incognito, and therefore our practice can proceed unimpeded under the assumption that he may not.

Principle of Gender

I don't really agree with the way in which "masculine" and "feminine" qualities are defined in hermeticism, which I find culturally antiquated. I'm by no means opposed to the principle itself, but I think it could also be linked closely to my proposed Principle of Spectrum, and at the same time separate from it. For me, this is the most mysterious and personal of the hermectic principles, almost impossible to define for anyone else, but unlikely to remain unexperienced in some form by individual seekers.

In summary, while I find the principles of hermeticism to be interesting, I consider them peripheral rather than central to my practice.