Is It Hermetic?

A look at how the ancient hermetic tradition has seeped into modern American spiritual and New Age literature...

The Kybalion is a book that aims to explain the principles of Hermeticism, a spiritual and philosophical tradition with roots in ancient, Hellenic Egypt. The book was most likely written by William Atkinson, (an attorney, author, and publisher) under the nom de plum of a group of authors known as the "Three Initiates". The book is dedicated to the Greco-Egyptian legendary hierophant Hermes Trismegistus, who was considered the patron of Hermeticism.

First edition. 1908

The Kybalion presents seven principles that it claims are the underlying principles of the universe, including the principle of mentalism, the principle of correspondence, the principle of vibration, the principle of polarity, the principle of rhythm, the principle of cause and effect, and the principle of gender.

The book also discusses the concept of the "Hermetic Axiom," which states that "the all is mind, the universe is mental," and the idea of the "Hermetic Philosophy," which is based on the belief that the universe is governed by universal laws that can be understood and applied by humans. In modern times, The Kybalion is often considered a key text in the study of Hermeticism, and its ideas have influenced various spiritual and philosophical movements throughout history.

But is the book actually a Hermetic text? The Kybalion was written and published before the Nag Hamadi library was discovered! The Nag Hammadi texts are our greatest and most informative source of knowledge of what the ancients may’ve practiced that we call Hermeticism. Their discovery spawned a Renaissance of new study into hermetic traditions. Where study and interest in Hermeticism had been all but lost for hundreds of years, the Nag Hamadi Library discovery reawakened exploration into hermetic metaphysics. In them is where we first discovered such hermetic literature as:

• The complete Corpus Hermeticum including the newly added excerpts by Stobaeus, references and fragments in the Fathers, and references and fragments in the Philosophers.

• A compilation of the Hymns of Hermes

How could a book on ancient Hermetic philosophy (i.e. The Kybalion), then, have been written before we knew much of ANYTHING about the true nature and provenance of Hermetic literature? Before the late 16th Century, they were considered holy books written in the time of Moses!

An imaginative 17th-century depiction of the Emerald Tablet from the work of Heinrich Khunrath, 1606. Also known as the Smaragdine Tablet or the Tabula Smaragdina (Latin, from the Arabic: لَوْح الزُّمُرُّذ, Lawḥ al-zumurrudh), the Emerald Tablet is the compact and cryptic hermetic text that first mentions the idea of correspondence (that which is above, is below; that which is below, is above). Islamic and European alchemists highly regarded it as the foundation of their art. Though attributed to the legendary Hellenistic figure Hermes Trismegistus, the text of the Emerald Tablet first appears in some early medieval Arabic sources, the oldest of which dates to the late eighth or early ninth century. It was translated into Latin several times in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Medieval and early modern alchemists associated the Emerald Tablet with the creation of the philosophers' stone and the artificial production of gold.

Hermeticism 101

The origins of Hermeticism are difficult to trace with certainty, but it is generally believed to have emerged in ancient Egypt during the 2nd century AD. At this time, a group of texts known as the Corpus Hermeticum was compiled, which contained philosophical and religious teachings attributed to the god Hermes Trismegistus. These texts, written in Greek, likely had their roots in earlier Egyptian and Greek philosophical and religious traditions.

During the Renaissance, hermeticism experienced a revival, with figures such as Marsilio Ficino and Pico della Mirandola interpreting nearly all of the Corpus Hermeticum (many texts were missing and not discovered for a few hundred years) as a source of spiritual wisdom and seeking to integrate its teachings into their philosophy. This period also saw the emergence of alchemy, which was closely connected to Hermeticism and involved the search for the Philosopher's Stone, a substance believed to be capable of transmuting base metals into gold and granting eternal life.

Marsilio Ficino from a fresco painted by Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Tornabuoni Chapel, Santa Maria Novella, Florence. c. 1433

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Hermeticism continued to be a source of inspiration for figures such as William Blake and William Butler Yeats, and it has remained a popular subject of study and interest among esoteric and occult groups to the present day.

The Provenance of Hermeticism

When studying the historical presence of a concept like Hermeticism, it is helpful to consider different approaches that can provide different insights into its historical existence. One approach is a substantive or essentialist approach, which focuses on identifying the defining characteristics of a tradition and trying to trace its continued existence over time. Another approach is a functionalist approach, which looks at how a concept serves certain functions in specific times and places, regardless of its continuity as a tradition. A third approach is a nominalist approach, which holds that a concept only exists when it is explicitly named or attributed to a specific source.

Substantive Approach

When evaluating whether or not The Kybalion can be considered a hermetic text using the substantive approach, it is helpful to consider the cosmology presented in the Corpus Hermeticum. In this approach, attribution to Hermes and the function of the text are not relevant. Instead, we focus on the similarity of the ideas presented in the text to those found in hermetic literature. While the Corpus Hermeticum does not present a cohesive and unified philosophy, we can still look for common denominators and themes among the texts to understand the general worldview and cosmology presented in hermetic literature. By comparing the ideas and cosmology presented in The Kybalion to those found in the Corpus Hermeticum, we can determine whether or not it aligns with hermetic philosophy and can be considered a hermetic text.

Corpus Hermeticum: first Latin edition, by Marsilio Ficino, 1471, at the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica, Amsterdam.

The substantive approach, which focuses on identifying the defining characteristics of a tradition and trying to trace its continuous existence over time, is often used to define ill-defined and difficult-to-define phenomena. To understand the cosmology presented in hermetic literature, such as the Corpus Hermeticum, it can be helpful to consult the work of scholars who have studied these texts in depth. For example, Garth Fowden, author of The Egyptian Hermes has provided a summary of the cosmos taught in the Hermetica, which may be helpful for those attempting to understand the worldview and philosophy presented in these texts. By drawing upon the insights of experts like Fowden, we can gain a more thorough understanding of the ideas and themes presented in hermetic literature and how they may relate to the concept of Hermeticism.

One issue with using the substantive approach to define Hermeticism is that it may not accurately reflect the complex and evolving nature of the tradition. While the Corpus Hermeticum is considered a key text in the hermetic tradition, there are no clear definitive distinguishing features or doctrines within the texts collected in this compendium that clearly distinguish them from other late antique pagan theological texts, such as the Chaldean Oracles. These texts may espouse similar visions of the world and include many of the same ideas as hermetic texts but are not considered hermetic.

This highlights the difficulty in using the substantive approach to define Hermeticism, as it does not account for the influence of other traditions on Hermeticism or the existence of parallel traditions that developed alongside it. It may not effectively set Hermeticism apart from the traditions that contributed to it or developed alongside it.

The Chaldean Oracles are a set of spiritual and philosophical texts widely used by Neoplatonist philosophers from the 3rd to the 6th century CE. While the original texts have been lost, they have survived in fragments consisting mainly of quotes and commentary by Neoplatonist writers. This is the head in white marble of Plotinus, the founder of Neoplatonism.

Functionalist Approach

The functionalist approach to defining Hermeticism focuses on the purpose and function of a text rather than its content or ideas. According to this approach, a hermetic text is written in an initiatory, esoteric, and didactic manner to teach secrets to a student in a reserved way, hiding as much as it reveals. This may involve using techniques such as exhortations to secrecy, framing the text as a discourse between a master and student, or using allegory and symbolism. It is not the specific ideas or subjects taught in the text that define it as hermetic, but rather how it is presented and its function as a teaching tool.

Many texts that do not necessarily espouse hermetic ideology or dogma can still be considered hermetic due to the way they are written and the function they serve. The Kybalion may be considered hermetic in this sense, as it is written in an esoterically didactic manner and seeks to instruct the reader in a reserved way. The term "hermetic" has long been associated with secrecy and the idea of being sealed or closed off from outside influences. This concept has roots in the teachings of Hermes and the practices of his followers, who believed in preserving the secrecy of their teachings and not revealing them to those who were not ready or worthy to receive them. The term "hermetic" to describe a text that reveals secrets or teachings in a reserved way, as described in the functionalist approach, is based on this longstanding association with secrecy. Based on this understanding, The Kybalion could be considered a hermetic text because it was written to reveal secrets to the reader, regardless of whether the ideas contained within align with those found in the Corpus Hermeticum.

Pages from a 14th-century Arabic manuscript of the Cyranides, a text attributed to Hermes Trismegistus.

The Nominalist Approach

With a nominalist approach, a text can be considered hermetic if it is explicitly named or attributed to Hermes. This approach focuses on explicitly naming or attributing a text to Hermes rather than the ideas or functions it serves. In this sense, a text may be considered hermetic if it bears the name of Hermes or is attributed to him, even if it does not necessarily align with the ideas or practices typically associated with Hermeticism.

This approach was popularized by Ludovico Lazzarelli in the Renaissance, who identified the Corpus Hermeticum with Christ and argued that the first known instance of Hermeticism was his work, even though there were many texts bearing the name of Hermes that predated it. From a nominalist perspective, The Kybalion could be considered a hermetic text if it is explicitly named or attributed to Hermes, regardless of the ideas or functions it serves.

So, Is The Kybalion a Hermetic Text?

When it comes to determining whether a text is truly hermetic or not, it depends on which approach we take. In the substantive approach, we look at the content of the text and see if it aligns with the general philosophical ideas and cosmology found in the Corpus Hermeticum. If we approach the question functionally, we look at the purpose of the text and see if it serves to teach secrets in an initiatory mode, like a master instructing a student. In a nominalist approach, we examine whether the text is explicitly attributed to Hermes or bears his name.

Based on these approaches, we can say that The Kybalion is hermetic in the functionalist sense, as it is written to teach secrets in an initiatory mode, but it is not hermetic in the substantive or nominalist sense, as it does not align with the ideas in the Corpus Hermeticum and is not explicitly attributed to Hermes.