The Emerald Tablet of Hermes & The Kybalion

History and Transmission of the Emerald Tablet of Hermes

• Origins and Western Appearance: The Tablet is believed to have first appeared in the West within editions of the pseudo-Aristotelian Secretum Secretorum. This work was a translation of the Arabic Kitab Sirr al-Asar (Book of the Secret of Secrets), a guide for kings.
• Key Translators and Dates:   - Johannes Hispalensis: Translated the work into Latin around $c.1140$.   - Philip of Tripoli: Produced another Latin translation around $c.1243$.   - Other potential 12th-century translators include Plato of Tivoli and Hugh of Santalla.
• Arabic Sources:   - The Kitab Sirr al-Asar is suggested to date back to $c.800$.   - Jabir ibn Hayyan: An early Arabic version was identified by Holmyard in Jabir's Kitab Ustuqus al-Uss al-Thani (Second Book of the Elements of Foundation).   - Ruska found a version in the Kitab Sirr al-Khaliqa wa Sanat al-Tabia (Book of the Secret of Creation and the Art of Nature), also known as the Kitab Balaniyus al-Hakim fi'l-`Ilal.   - This text was likely finished by the Caliphate of al-Ma'mun ($813-33$) and possibly written as early as $650$.
• Attribution and Identity:   - Balinas (associated with the text) is usually identified as Apollonius of Tyna.   - Legend suggests Balinas found the tablet in a hidden chamber in the hands of an old man (Hermes) sitting on a golden throne.   - The text was reportedly written in Syriac, the "primordial language."
• Material Composition:   - The term "emerald" historically referred to actual emeralds, green granites, green jasper, or green glass.   - Examples of famous "emerald" items include the table of the Gothic kings of Spain and the Sacro catino, the dish used at the Last Supper, both confirmed to be green glass.

Comparative Translations of the Emerald Tablet

• Isaac Newton ($c.1680$):   - "Tis true without lying, certain & most true."   - "That which is below is like that which is above & that which is above is like that which is below to do ye miracles of one only thing."   - "The Sun is its father, the moon its mother, the wind hath carried it in its belly, the earth its nurse."   - Newton concludes with the title Hermes Trismegistus, possessor of the "three parts of ye philosophy of ye whole world."
• Sigismund Bacstrom (from the Chaldean):   - Refers to the "Secret Works of Chiram."   - Uses the term "spirituous earth" as the nurse of the one thing.   - Refers to Hermes as "Chiram Telat Mechasot."
• Madame Blavatsky ($1972$):   - Defines the one thing as the cause of all perfection throughout the earth.   - Emphasizes the "fortitude" of the thing which overcomes every subtle thing and penetrates solids.
• Hypothetical Chinese Original (Needham $1980$):   - Frames the text as a "marvelous work of the Tao."   - Identifies the Sun with Yang and the Moon with In (Yin).   - Describes the elixir as the "power of powers."

Philosophical Commentaries on the Tablet Text

• Commentary on Point #2 (Correspondence):   - Albertus Magnus: Argues that the powers of things below originate in the stars and are poured down through a circle called Alaur.   - Hortulanus: Describes the stone as divided into a superior part (spirit) and an inferior part (earth/nurse). Miracles occur when these are conjoined.   - Burckhardt: Relates "above" and "below" to the active and passive poles of existence, where essential form requires passive materia for manifestation.
• Commentary on Point #4 (Sun and Moon):   - Hortulanus: The Sun artificially generates "Sun" (gold) via the stone, using the Moon as a suitable receptacle for its sperm.   - Schumaker: Associates the Sun with fire and the Moon with moisture/water.
• Commentary on Point #5 (The Wind/Earth):   - Albertus Magnus: Interpret the wind carrying the material as levigatio (making lightweight) via evaporation in an alembic.   - Michael Maier: The wind represents the vapor from which water proceeds to mix with earth to create minerals. In chemical terms, it is the sulfur carried in mercury.
• Commentary on Point #13 (The Three Parts of Wisdom):   - Newton: Signifies the "Mercury of the philosophers" having dominion over the mineral, vegetable, and animal kingdoms.   - Schumaker: The traditional view is that Hermes was the greatest philosopher, the greatest priest, and the greatest king.

The Kybalion: Introduction and the Masters

• Purpose of the Work: The book acts as a Master-Key to reconcile divergent bits of occult knowledge and unlock "inner doors" of mystery.
• Hermes Trismegistus: Known as the "Scribe of the Gods," Hermes was a contemporary of Abraham. He is described as the "Great Central Sun of Occultism."
• The Secret Doctrine: Advanced occultists from India and elsewhere traveled to Egypt to learn from Hermes. This knowledge was transmitted "from lip to ear" to keep the teachings pure.
• Secrecy: The Hermetic custom is to reserve truth for the few who are ready. "The lips of Wisdom are closed, except to the ears of Understanding."
• Origin of the Term "Hermetic": Still used today to mean "secret" or "sealed," reflecting the followers' principle of never identified with a specific sect or country to avoid crystallization into a creed.

The Seven Hermetic Principles

• 1. The Principle of Mentalism: "THE ALL IS MIND; The Universe is Mental." The underlying reality of all manifestation is Infinite Living Mind.
• 2. The Principle of Correspondence: "As above, so below; as below, so above." There is a harmony between the planes of being (Material, Mental, and Spiritual).
• 3. The Principle of Vibration: "Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates." Differences in manifestation result from varying rates of vibration.
• 4. The Principle of Polarity: "Everything is Dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites." Opposites are identical in nature but differ in degree (e.g., Heat and Cold).
• 5. The Principle of Rhythm: "Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides." A pendulum-like movement exists in all things. Masters use the Law of Neutralization to avoid being swung by unwanted rhythms.
• 6. The Principle of Cause and Effect: "Every Cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause." There is no such thing as Chance—only Law not recognized. Masters rise to higher planes to become "Causers" instead of "Effects."
• 7. The Principle of Gender: "Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine Principles." This manifests on all planes (Physical, Mental, Spiritual) as creation and generation.

The Nature of THE ALL and the Mental Universe

• Verbatim Definition of THE ALL: "Under, and back of, the Universe of Time, Space and Change, is ever to be found The Substantial Reality—the Fundamental Truth."
• Properties of THE ALL:   - Infinite: It cannot be bounded or restricted by anything else.   - Eternal: It must have always existed; "something can never evolve from nothing."   - Immutable: Not subject to change in its real nature.   - Unknowable: Naught but THE ALL itself can comprehend its own nature.
• Mental Creation: THE ALL creates universes in Its own mind much like a man creates a mental image. This process involves Involution (the "Outpouring" or wrapping up of spirit in matter) and Evolution (the "Indrawing" or return of units of life to the source).
• The Divine Paradox: While the Universe is "unreal" from the Absolute point of view (a dream or meditation of THE ALL), it is very real to the finite minds that inhabit it. The wise "use Law against laws" rather than denying the existence of the Relative world.

Planes of Correspondence and Vibration

• The Three Great Planes: Physical, Mental, and Spiritual.
• The Fourth Dimension: Occultists refer to vibration as the "Dimension of Vibration." The rate of vibration determines the plane an entity occupies.
• The Great Physical Plane Sub-divisions:   - Plane of Matter (A, B, and C): From solids/liquids/gases to radiant and tenuous matter.   - Plane of Ethereal Substance: Science's "Ether."   - Plane of Energy (A, B, and C): Includes Heat, Light, Magnetism, and "Nature's Finer Forces."
• The Great Mental Plane Sub-divisions: Mineral Mind, Elemental Mind (A, B, and C), Plant Mind, Animal Mind, and Human Mind.
• Status of Modern Humans: The average human occupies the $4th$ sub-division of the Plane of Human Mind. The "Super-Man" occupies the $6th$, and the "Over-Man" occupies the $7th$.

Mental Gender and Transmutation

• Mental Transmutation: Defined as the "Art of Mental Chemistry." It is the ability to change mental states (moods, conditions) through the application of the Principles of Vibration and Polarity.
• Dual Mind Theory: Hermeticism accounts for the duality of mind through Mental Gender:   - The "I": The Masculine Principle; the aspect of Being; the worker of "Will."   - The "Me": The Feminine Principle; the aspect of Becoming; the "mental womb" where thoughts and ideas are generated.
• Social Application: The masses are largely "Me"-conscious and lazy in the "I" (Will). Strong leaders use their Masculine Principle to implant "seed-thoughts" into the Feminine minds of the masses via Suggestion and Vibratory Energy.

Essential Hermetic Axioms

• Knowledge and Action: "The possession of Knowledge, unless accompanied by a manifestation and expression in Action, is like the hoarding of precious metals—a vain and foolish thing."
• Polarization: To destroy an undesirable mental vibration, one should concentrate on the opposite pole. "Kill out the undesirable by changing its polarity."
• Neutralization: Rhythm cannot be annulled, but it can be escaped. The Master polarizes themselves at the desired point and "refuses" to participate in the backward rhythmic swing.
• The Mastery of the Wise: "The wise ones serve on the higher, but rule on the lower. They obey the laws coming from above them, But on their own plane, and those below them they rule and give orders."