The Principle of Mentalism – Hermetic Principle Explained
The Principle of Mentalism is the first of 7 Hermetic principles, which aims to provide the seeker with a mental model for understanding the nature of reality.
This principle is often explained with this Hermetic axiom.
“THE ALL is MIND; The Universe is Mental.”
— The Kybalion
the student must accept the idea of a mental universe and an infinite ‘THE ALL’.
Before diving deeper into the mental universe, it is wise to gain a better understanding of THE ALL.
THE ALL – Hermetic Philosophy Explained
THE ALL, as explained by The Kybalion, should not be mistaken for the personal God of many organized religions.
“…still more presumptuous are those who attempt to ascribe…THE ALL the human emotions, feelings, and characteristics, even down to the pettiest qualities of mankind, such as jealousy, susceptibility to flattery and praise, desire for offerings and worship…”
— The Kybalion
The Hermetics believed THE ALL was largely unknowable.
They called THE ALL the ‘Substantial Reality’.
The hidden force behind all creation.
A few things are believed to be true about THE ALL.
- Everything happens within the mind of it.
- It is infinite through time and space.
- It cannot be added to or subtracted from.
- It cannot be confined or expanded.
- It is absolute.
Much like the Dao of Taoism, THE ALL is the great mystery.
“The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth.”
— Lao Tzu
THE PRINCIPLE OF MENTALISM – The Mental Universe
The Hermetics believed all of existence happened within the mind of THE ALL.
They believed the material universe of energy, matter and life were all a lower vibration than spirit.
The principles which govern the higher plane of spirit are similar to those which govern the lower plane of matter.
‘As Above So Below.’ (The Principle of Correspondence)
The difference comes in magnitude.
When an architect designs a building, he might first visualize the ideal in his mind.
He entertains the image in the spiritual dimension of thought and his subconscious mind fills in the gaps.
Through physical work with engineers and builders the idea can be manifested into its physical form.
The spiritual prototype becomes realized in the real world.
“THE ALL creates Universes in its own Mentality. But your Universe is the mental creation of a Finite Mind, whereas that of THE ALL is the creation of an Infinite. The two are similar in kind, but infinitely different in degree.”
— The Kybalion
This process of mental creation is the only way THE ALL can create without subtracting from itself.
When a man creates the physical manifestation of his mental image, he needs to subtract from himself in terms of energy and effort.
Even the reproductive process between men and women requires a subtraction from both parties.
The sperm from the man and the egg from the woman.
The only way to create without subtraction is through thought which needs no material.
Parallel Universes
“Do not make the mistake of supposing that the little world you see around you — the Earth, which is a mere grain of dust in the Universe — is the Universe itself. There are millions upon millions of such worlds, and greater. And there are millions of millions of such Universes in existence within the Infinite Mind of THE ALL.”
— The Kybalion
Many scientists have theorized the existence of parallel dimensions.
The Multiverse has become an increasingly popular theme in blockbuster movies due to the increasing acceptability of other planes of existence.
Science is slow.
The mystics have talked about such concepts for thousands of years.
What we see with our senses is one reality.
Through holotropic breathwork, psychedelics, meditation, initiation ceremonies, and other consciousness altering activities one can experience different worlds and subtle energies.
The Hermetics believe all these worlds are happening within the mind of THE ALL.
Every universe of dimension is a subset within THE ALL.
“There are beings with powers and attributes higher than Man has ever dreamed of the gods’ possessing. And yet these beings were once as you, and still lower — and you will be even as they, and still higher, in time, for such is the Destiny of Man as reported by the Illumined.”
— The Kybalion
Perhaps aliens are not out of the question?
This viewpoint on reality explains some of the odd cases of psychic channeling such as the RA Materials.
Many mysterious psychic phenomena such as clairvoyance, telepathy and astral projection can be explained if we are all connected to THE ALL.
Man’s Spiritual Destiny – THE ALL IN ALL
“Death is not real, even in the Relative sense — it is but Birth to a new life — and You shall go on, and on, and on, to higher and still higher planes of life, for aeons upon aeons of time…”
— The Kybalion
To the Hermetics, death is simply a phase in which the spirit moves on to other planes.
The destiny of man is to become spiritually mature.
The lessons learned during life are meant to help in your spiritual development.
“…And at the end of the Grand Cycle of Aeons, when THE ALL shall draw back into itself all of its creations — you will go gladly, for you will then be able to know the Whole Truth of being At One with THE ALL. Such is the report of the Illumined.”
— The Kybalion
The cycle will likely repeat if we can apply the principle of Rhythm.
But THE ALL is also above all laws, so this fate is unknowable.
The Knowledge of THE ALL is believed to have come from advanced students of Hermetic philosophy or perhaps Hermes Trismegistus himself.
These ‘illumined’ are thought to have had direct experience with these truths through spiritual development.
THE PRINCIPLE OF MENTALISM – The Divine Paradox
The Mental Universe can be a confusing place, so let us try to simplify things.
THE ALL is in all, but it is also true that all are in THE ALL.
When Shakespeare creates a drama such as Hamlet, a bit of himself is in each character.
Shakespeare is in Hamlet, Horatio and King Claudius.
Those characters are also in Shakespeare’s mind, however, it would be foolish to say,
“Hamlet is Shakespeare”.
“THE ALL is in the earth-worm, and yet the earth-worm is far from being THE ALL.”
— The Kybalion
The Hermetic sages looked with sorrow at those who screamed out,
“I AM GOD”, as they ran down the street.
Something which is still common today.
Many residents of L.A. who obtained an oceanic feeling after taking psychedelics have been known to believe they were indeed GOD.
You have the essence of THE ALL but are not THE ALL.
Don’t let this disappoint you.
All is not lost and there is a benefit.
You are able to create on your plane of causation using the power of thought (something NPCs don’t realize).
Through the principle of Correspondence, you will use the same power used by THE ALL to influence things in your life.
“The Masters do not escape the Causation of the higher planes… While they Serve on the Higher Planes, they Rule on the Material Plane.”
— The Kybalion
This is done through mental transmutation (a story for another day).
Do this, and I promise you will be one step closer to living and dying well.