Three Initiates - The Kybalion

In 1908, a book was published that has gone on to sell millions of copies and influence countless readers. Titled The Kybalion, this book was said to contain the teachings of Hermeticism, that is, the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus, the thrice-greatest Hermes, a god connected to Hermes in the Greek tradition and Thoth in the Egyptian tradition.

The author of The Kybalion? The book was published by The Yogi Publication Society of Chicago under the pseudonym the Three Initiates. Who are the Three Initiates? There have been many guesses and much speculation over the years, but most modern scholars believe that the book was authored by William Walker Atkinson, a popular New Thought teacher around the early twentieth century. Atkinson founded and owned The Yogi Publication Society, and the books they published were mostly (if not all) by Atkinson, often using pseudonyms such as Yogi Ramacharaka, Swami Bhakta Vishita, Swami Panchadasi, Theron Q. Dumont, Magus Incognito, and others. There is some speculation that he was aided in writing The Kybalion by metaphysical teachers of the time, including Paul Foster Case, Claude Alexander, and Elias Gewurz. In my opinion, as a longtime student of The Kybalion, I believe that the book was indeed written by Atkinson, and I believe he wrote it by himself.

In any case, authorship of the book is less important than the material the book contains. The book contains seven basic principles, which were said to have been passed down from teacher to student for centuries. The seven transformative principles, or laws, are:

Mentalism: Everything is mind

Correspondence: As above, so below

Vibration: Everything vibrates with movement

Polarity: Everything is dual

Rhythm: Ebb and flow

Cause and Effect: Every cause has an effect, every effect has a cause

Gender: Everything has masculine and feminine energy

These principles mirrored the work of popular New Thought teachers at the time, including Thomas Troward, Emma Curtis Hopkins, and Ralph Waldo Trine. The book arrived at a time when readers were open to sacred teachings from around the world, discovering books like the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, and other works that were being newly studied in English.

The seven principles create a bridge between ancient mystical teachings and the teachings from the Transcendentalist movement happening in New England. Its no wonder that readers devoured the teaching in this bookdeep, essential truth-teaching put into clear language that made the ideas accessible. The Kybalion went on to influence New Thought teachers such as Ernest Holmes and Emmet Fox, as well as modern-day teachers such as Rhonda Byrne and Wayne Dyer.

The language of The Kybalion is one of secret teachings that the reader has discovered, at the exact right moment, when the reader was ready for them. As the book states, The Principles of Truth are Seven; he who knows these, understandingly, possess the Magic Key before whose touch all Doors of the Temple fly open.

I first discovered The Kybalion back in the 1980s, a little blue hardcover with gold type on the cover, found in a small metaphysical bookstore. I had no idea what a kybalion was, or who the Three Initiates were, but something about the book called to me. Maybe it was true that I was ready for those particular teachings. I began the book and could almost feel the wisdom of it become imprinted in my mind. It made a difference in my thinking and my actions. Finally, a book of deep spiritual wisdom that I could dive into and begin using in my life immediately. Truthfully, when I read the book that first time, I didnt care who wrote it. I only cared if the material was true or not, and for me, it contained Truth.

Since that first time, Ive read the book many times over the years. When I read other books, published after The Kybalion was in 1908, I can see the influence of this book in those. Also, learning these universal seven principles allowed me to have a language to understand other spiritual teachings and wisdom.

If, like me, you have studied The Kybalion before, then you already know the delicious reading that is ahead of you. And Im glad you have a copy of our Essential Wisdom Library edition, which contains the complete, original text.

If, however, you are new to The Kybalion, I am excited for you. Technically you can dip into the book at any point, start reading any of the principles in any order. I would suggest, though, that you begin at the first page and read through it start to finish. Jump in and see where this journey takes you.

The mere fact that you are reading a copy of The Kybalion tells me that there is something in this book that you need, and you need it right now. It has an answer for you, maybe more than one. And if you read with an open mind and with eagerness, that answer will make itself known to you. It may pop out at you immediately, or you may need to search for it, but its there. It absolutely is there.

JOEL FOTINOS

New York, 2020