72 RealityBites #13 The 7 Hermetic Principles of Reality Series #4 “The Principle of Polarity”

Welcome to the fourth episode of a 7 part RealityBites Series featuring and exploring the 7 Hermetic Principles as told in The Kybalion -  In The Kybalion, a book first published in 1908 by the “Three Initiates” the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus are conveyed in the study of hermetic philosophy.

In Hermetic thought, the movements of the planets are believed to have meaning beyond the laws of physics and actually hold metaphorical value as symbols in the mind of the All, or God, which have influence upon the Earth, but do not dictate our actions; wisdom is gained when we know what these influences are and how ...

In the last part of this series we talked about “The principle of Vibration” - 

“Nothing rests; Everything moves; Everything vibrates.”

The principle of vibration states that all things, both physical matter and spiritual energy, hold a certain vibration. 

It’s like the principle that everything is energy, everything has a certain frequency or vibrational signature.

Now lets turn our attention to the 4th Hermetic Principle:

4. The Principle of Polarity:

Everything is dual; Everything has poles; Everything has its pair of opposites; Like and unlike are the same; Opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; Extremes meet; All truths, are but half-truths; All paradoxes may be reconciled.

The fourth principle embodies the truth that ‘everything has its pair of opposites,’ ‘everything has two poles,’ and exists in a state of ‘duality.’ But the true nature of this principle is that ‘opposites are the same, only varying in degree.’

A simple example of this is hot and cold. Cold is just the absence of heat, and they're both one thing: temperature.

The same with light and darkness - which we are being a lot of expressed in the world right now as more and more of the shadow is being exposed by those that are shining a light - and on their own inner awakening journey.

What you really have is the absence of light, or the presence of light, when there is absence is what we call darkness.

Think of the opposing forces at play in the world right now, yet act identical in nature, like love turning to hate.

A coin has two side but its just one thing-

Or the yin and yang symbol - they are opposites of the same thing.

This is the foundation of alchemy, or the ability to "transmute" your experiences at will.

The alchemical process of turning lead into gold, is analagous to  transform an inner wound or pain into wisdom or growth.

The ability through mental stamina or will to shift your perspective or to take a lower vibrational state and transmute it to a higher state.

This principle is important to Hermeticists, because it suggests we can change the polarity of a degree of emotion, by recognising it is the same and choosing the degree which best suits our needs.

This practice is the art of Mental Alchemy - shifting your thoughts from negative to positive, with intention - however as we know this has always been a conundrum, for our very nature is to experience the full spectrum of thoughts, sensations, experiences etc

Story of the therapist: Jeremy Pope was talking to his therapist and he was in a real low, and he said that he really wished he could control it.He says, I hate that my highs are so high and the lows are so low…I just want to be in the middle. His therapist said you have to realise that if you’re looking at a heart monitor its going up and down, and if you were in control you’d put it in the middle and you’d flatline…so you need to remember life is all about the highs and lows and whenever you’re in a high or low, life has told you and will remind you , you will go to the opposite at any given time. 

Indeed, the pendulum does swing back and forth, if it rests it is no longer in movement, flux or vibration…

There is a case for non-duality whereby we recognise our connection to all, the oneness as described by so many philosophies, wisdom traditions and teachings - that our true nature is divine - to transcend above duality to samadhi  In yoga this is regarded as the final stage, at which union with the divine is reached.

This of course is an enlightened state where there is no longer a subject/object split - where self, mind, body are an entangled process with the consciousness of the universe - the all is mind if you like

Coming up in the next part of our RealityBites series, exploring the 7 Hermetic Principles of Reality:

5. The Principle of Rhythm:

Everything flows, out and in; Everything has its tides; All things rise and fall; The pendulum swing manifests in everything; The measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; Rhythm compensates.

 

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