Rating: 
Summary: Seven Universal Principles - Seven Laws of Nature
Review: A number of other books has been written about these seven principles, using somewhat more modern language, but this book is the classic. This is not just a theory or a philosophy - the principles, being universal, are down-to-earth practical. If you apply them consciously in your life, your life will change.
While in times long gone by, these may have seemed to be only arbitrary spiritual principles, they are in accord with the view of quantum physics. Kybalion states that universe is mind-like in nature; quantum physics states that the universe is composed out of intelligent energy. The rest of the book describes how to manifest anything with one's thoughts - the process of manifestation, and it reminds me of the book "Dimensional Structure of Consciousness" by Samuel Avery.
The most important part of this book - other than pointing out these principles is that they are UNIVERSAL - they allways work, they express throughout nature and if you use them and apply the consciously, you can create whatever you can possibly desire in your life. You will know then that there is a law and that it works with mathematical precision, and that you can ALWAYS count on it.
The moment you grasp this truth, you will never ever again wish or hope for something to happen, you will know that you have the power to create it and you will be certain of it. And when you use this principles consciously and experience the truth of them - no one in the entire world will ever be able to talk you out of fulfilling your heart's desires. Even if the entire world doubts and laughs at you, you will not care because you'll KNOW that you CAN. You will have the "key".
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: Adkins/Ramacharaka's works are all brilliant! Yogi Ramacharaka has such profund insight into the deepest spiritual truths. This book may be the best book ever written (for those of us who are devoted to understanding the laws of reality in this life and beyond). Thank you Ramacharaka for leaving such beautiful pathways for the devoted students to follow. I also suggest his Raja Yoga and Gnani Yoga and Mystic Christianity books.
Rating:
Summary: As Simple and As Beautiful as a Falling Leaf
Review: I always keep a few extra copies of this book on-hand, because I know that if I happen to meet somebody who is genuinely curious about Western Occultism, this is the one book that is most likely to help them find their own way onto the Path. The odd thing is that I don't really expect them to understand much of what they read, at least not initially. That's the marvelous thing about The Kybalion-- it plants seeds. Many of the spiritual truths expressed in this book seem obvious or trivial the first time that you read them, only to gain added significance in future readings.
It's not that any of the teachings in The Kybalion are particularly esoteric or obscure, either. This book is written in plain English. There is no misdirection and there are no blinds. Like life itself, the Three Initiates enunciate simple truths that can only be understood through purposeful reflection.
The Kybalion is essentially an introduction to the Seven Hermetic Principles, which are astute observations about nature: Reality is a mental phenomenon; Man is intimately connected with the universe, and inwardly reflects many of its outward characteristics; There are no constants-- everything is in a state of flux; All things are related in one way or another, differing mainly in increments rather than according to hard classifications; Change tends to follow cyclic patterns; Everything that happens has a cause, and creates other effects, even when immediate causes and effects aren't obvious to the casual observer; Everything that exists can be positive or negative, relative to other things. These truths are simple, perhaps obvious, yet proper understanding of the Seven Hermetic Principles could easily take an entire lifetime to achieve. Though long, the Path begins with a single step-- and the Kybalion is an earnest help to any serious and sincere student who wishes to make that start.
Rating:
Summary: Very profound and wonderfully insightful!
Review: Know now that this is the study of Hermetics in as pure a form as can be found anywhere in the literary world. This book should be read in portions and digested accordingly. This book deals with some of the more abstract form of occult philosophy. This book attempts to explain Hermetics to the layman and does a wonderful job. Anyone who can claim a first read understanding of the principles discussed in this book without having studies philosophy or Hermetics before might be fooling himself. This is a VERY DEEP book for being so small. I found it enlightening and a pleasure to read. Even if this book was a forgery, it still conveys the same principals as would an origional manuscript. This book is believable. I enjoyed it.
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Summary: A key book in understanding Hermetic Philosophy
Review: The Kybalion, originally published in 1912, is a short volume (223 pages, 7.5" x 5" hardcover) that presents, with commentary, the basic Hermetic principles. The author(s) of the book are anonymous.Chapter 1 provides background on Hermetic philosophy, and describes the overall purpose of this book: "In the early days, there was a compilation of certain Basic Hermetic Doctrines, passed on from teacher to student, which was known as 'THE KYBALION,' the exact significance and meaning of the term having been lost for several centuries. This teaching, however, is known to many to whom it has descended, from mouth to ear, throughout the centuries. Its precepts have never been written down, nor printed, as far as we know. It was merely a collection of maxims, axioms, and precepts, which were non-understandable to outsiders, but which were readily understood by students, after the axioms, maxims, and precepts had been explained and exemplified by the Hermetic Initiates to their Neophytes ... We herein give you many of the maxims, axioms and precepts of THE KYBALION, accompanied by explanations and illustrations which we deem likely to render the teachings more easily comprehended by the modern student, particularly as the original text is purposely veiled in obscure terms." (Note: as is common in many books of this era, the author(s) make extensive use of what today would be considered non-standard capitalization and punctuation.) The Hermetic principles, familiar to any who have done basic readings in western esoteric philosophy, are outlined and then examined in depth. (For those not familiar with them, the principles include such ideas as "As above, so below; as below, so above," "opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree," "nothing rests, everything moves," "the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left," "every cause has its effect; every effect has its cause; Chance is but a name for Law not recognized," "the universe is mental, held in the mind of The All," and "the Laws governing the nature of the universe can be used to transmute the undesireable into what is worthy.") Quotations taken from the source material ("The Kybalion") are given, and then explained very clearly. The chapters are as follows: 1. Hermetic Philosophy 2. Seven Hermetic Principles 3. Mental Transmutation 4. The All 5. The Mental Universe 6. The Divine Parodox 7. "The All" in All 8. Planes of Correspondence 9. Vibration 10. Polarity 11. Rhythm 12. Causation 13. Gender 14. Mental Gender 15. Hermetic Axioms. Whether or not you agree with Hermeticism, this book and/or the material from the original "Kybalion" served as important source material for many of the key Hermetic writers of the 20th and late 19th centuries. This book should be included in the library of anyone seriously interested in western esoteric philosophy.
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Summary: THE SEARCH FOR TRUTH
Review: This book is a wonderful place to begin your search for the truth about the micro and macrocosm. Contained in the pages of this book is the universal law. This is the key to true understanding. This key will provide the means to find the truth in every future study on which one should choose to embark.
Rating:
Summary: The Beauty of Nature
Review: This book must be read by any serious student of the esoteric. The way in which the author describes nature and mind, laying out the hermetic ideas in a way that is concise, makes this work an absolute classic of Hermetic literature. Anyone who intends to practice the arts of alchemy, theurgy, high magic, sorcery or even an eastern path of meditation or yoga should read this book a few times. While I don't agree with everything in this book (I never agree with everything in any book), and I have no idea where or from whom it came, I think they were observant of the truths of nature. This is the single greatest contemporary book of hermetic theory/philosophy, and I think it will stand the tests of time where other books will fall by the wayside.
Rating:
Summary: The Beauty of Nature
Review: This book must be read by any serious student of the esoteric. The way in which the author describes nature and mind, laying out the hermetic ideas in a way that is concise, makes this work an absolute classic of Hermetic literature. Anyone who intends to practice the arts of alchemy, theurgy, high magic, sorcery or even an eastern path of meditation or yoga should read this book a few times. While I don't agree with everything in this book (I never agree with everything in any book), and I have no idea where or from whom it came, I think they were observant of the truths of nature. This is the single greatest contemporary book of hermetic theory/philosophy, and I think it will stand the tests of time where other books will fall by the wayside.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing little book
Review: This book provides several general principles of the universe and how they operate--such that one can utilize them in living one's life to the full. It's like a General Systems Theory (GST) approach to metaphysics or an attempt to evolve physics into metaphysics--though that may not have been the authors' intention. General Systems Theory is an attempt to codify basic laws of nature across a multiplicity of disciplines. Certain equations, for instance, are virtually identical (except for embedded constants) in widely divergent fields. This volume provides a number of general principles which it claims to be relevant across highly divergent circumstances. The principles concern both human behavior (at least as a referent or resultant) and the basic laws of nature. They remind me a bit of Activation Theory in psychology (also called Arousal Theory). This involves the application of the Normal Distribution (a general principle of statistics, humans, and life) to human activity and its effectiveness. Maybe that's a stretch in reviewing this book, maybe not. In any case, I usually give away books after I've read them. I keep precious few for reference or loan. I've kept a copy of this book for years, maybe decades. I know of no book like it.
Rating: 
Summary: hermes was no demi-god
Review: This is a MASTER work in the field. If you have an interest in this area, this is the book to read, and read again. I'm a professional astrologer and I teach Tarot and recommend this work often to more serious students who are ready to go beyond the basics and at the same time, more deeply into the fundamentals.
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