The Kybalion

[Toni]

Hey

Have any of you read the book the kybalion? It is a book on hermetic philosophy, and I think it is a good book. But I don't think there are occult teachings within, just general philosophy. It is a good book anyway

[Papayapple]

Hello Toni
Still on a to-read list! If you say it's just general philosophy then maybe it would serve me as a supplementary reading... what do you think?
Do you have a rich experience studying hermeticism?

[Toni]

First book i ever read about it. Maybe it is not the best book anyway. Just that, general philosophy

[vonkrankenhaus]

It's New Age junk:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kybalion

 

Better to study whatever they supposedly base this on.

 

 

 

 

 

-VonKrankenhaus

[Toni]

Maybe we can advice better books here

[Papayapple]

2 minutes ago, vonkrankenhaus said:

It's New Age junk:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kybalion

 

Better to study whatever they supposedly base this on.

 

 

 

 

 

-VonKrankenhaus

Well, tell us  then please what you don't like about it.

Edited May 25, 2019 by Papayapple

[vonkrankenhaus]

All this & Principles stuff is same everywhere - Gurdjieff, etc, New Age "chakras", etc.

 

But this is just the 5 major visible Planets plus Sun and Moon (the "luminaries").

 

Chinese Wu Xing is same way.

 

New Age obscures this origin and turn it into like "psychology".

 

But the basis was practical calendar making observations.

 

It just people looking at comic book ideas like this. Don't know much better.

 

Better to study calendars and sky.

 

 

 

 

 

-VonKrankenhaus

[rideforever]

Bashar I like a lot, he applies these ideas, and they are powerful.  As long as he isn't talking about ETs.

Also I like Florence Scoville Shinn.

 

https://www.iasos.com/metaphys/bashar/

 

However there are weaknesses to this type of spiritual approach and it can be misinterpreted.

The Kybalion is an interesting text, well there is one interesting chapter (C2)  the rest is just filler.   However it can just end up being lots of ideas and words with no application.

 

In fact these New Thought teachings are supposed to lead you to a revelatory existence of surrender to yourself and the universe.   But often people just use them to endlessly try to manipulate the world and miss the point.   You are the anvil of the world.   Do you know yourself?

[Papayapple]

Thanks for reminding me of Bashar. Very inspiring dude

[Toni]

Yes, it is inspiring

[Mskied]

All is mind.  Nothing else to know from that book but that is a real gem of truth.

[hermes]

 

On 5/25/2019 at 10:53 PM, Toni said:

Maybe we can advice better books here

 

The Kybalion is more representative of the New Thought movement than what has been historically been called "Hermetic". Which is really saying something considering that term is applied to a wide variety of texts! No better place to start than the original Graeco-Egyptian texts. Hermetica translated by Brian Copenhaver and Hermetica II translated by M. David Litwa are the best collections and the Way of Hermes by Clement Salman et al is also high quality. The Egyptian Hermes by Garth Fowden gives some historical context.

[Metadromos]

I'm new here, so please excuse my newness.    I'm going to go out on a limb and say that The Kybalion is a good book.  Here's why I think this:  for many years, I was "in search of the truth".  Probably many of us here are... and for me, this means, a "lack of something" in my life.  Years ago, I would have responded to this line of reasoning with an "obviously, you lack truth".  But over the years I've found something more important that "the truth".  It's "the purpose".  Not the What, but the Why.  So think about this sometime.  Maybe you have a huge appetite for "truth", but don't some people spend their whole lives collecting facts?     Is this quest to read endless books to collect more facts advancing you to your goals?  Maybe it is and maybe you are a scientist at heart.  In which case follow your bliss.  But I'm not a scientist.  I'm more of a creative engineer.  So I think figuring out what type of person you are can help you decide if the Kybalion is a good book.  It is not filled with hard core occult facts.  But if you are trying to create something with your life, then maybe I would say this is a good book to read.  In the same way that SIddhartha (by Hesse) is a good book to recommend if you had a friend that was always following some new fad group/cult.  

 

IMO, the best philosophies will destroy all of your truth tables and force you to rebuild them yourself.  

 

“It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything.”

― Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club

[silent thunder]

On 7/18/2021 at 4:59 PM, Metadromos said:

“It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything.”

When "i" released everything...  in despair and exhaustion from endless seeking

only then...

 

only then was it possible 'for me', for 'local awareness' to experience 'what is'.

what had been underlying all previously propped up and 'sought after' processes.

 

in losing all prior sense of self... authenticity was encountered

experienced.

 

awareness encountered awareness and awakening was spontaneous.

but absolute surrender was a catalyst... for this local awareness (me)

 

and surrender was not an active 'giving up'...

 

it was letting go, allowing, opening, unfolding...

Edited April 22, 2022 by silent thunder

[helpfuldemon]

I too have surrendered.

I too have the feeling of knowing life as it is.