24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Connecting Pieces, May 15, 2009
This review is from: The Kybalion (Tarcher Cornerstone Editions) (Mass Market Paperback)
As a teacher of the mysteries I always offer a list of suggested reading for the seekers attending the workshops. The Kybalion is always near if not actually the top of the list but I've never had an ISBN for the book since my copy is a 1908 original. In preparing my workshop on Transmutation and Change I decided to search for one of the more current editions of the book to have a standard book number. However finding the listing on Amazon is not as much a difficulty as finding a newer edition that follows the original publication.
The portions I read in this Tarcher/Penquin Ed edition follow word for word the writings I have in hand. It will be the edition that will be noting on my list of suggested reading.
As Lori in Florida wrote in her review; this is not an easy book to read. I cannot recall the number of times I have read and mediated on individual chapters, finally teaching the material at free workshops in an effort to assimilate the information. Yet, the effort is worth the time. The giant picture which is Truth, devoid of egotistical labels such as religion, politics or science has been fractured and scattered all over the planet. Each of the above mentioned disciplines holds one or more pieces of the puzzle and often believes that their small portion alone, is the key to viewing the entire picture. The Kybalion (1908) connects the pieces and allows one to see the greater picture.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Intriguing, May 14, 2010
This review is from: The Kybalion (Tarcher Cornerstone Editions) (Mass Market Paperback)
This little treasure is something to savor just like fine red wine. The ancient principles explained are principles that we are born knowing - you can just feel it. It is very comforting to be reminded of just where we came from, just why we are here and (thank God) that we will return. It also offers a sort of "road map" for navigating through the human experience by compelling the reader to come up with a personal set of coping skills. Who doesn't need that for living in this place????
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must-Have Book about Hermetic, June 9, 2009
This review is from: The Kybalion (Tarcher Cornerstone Editions) (Mass Market Paperback)
After reading this book, I can say this is very insightful guide to the principles underlying hermetic. Each of the seven principles is presented and discussed in an easy to understand manner. However, to apply these principles to your life is another matter. This book is not about the practice of hermetic, but about the primal philosophy that transcend mysticism and religion. It is an invaluable addition to your library, but only if you are ready for it.
The author(s) of this book, who we know only as Three Initiates, starts out describing the fundamentals of the hermetic history and philosophy. Then it briefly introduces the seven principles of hermetic, setting a framework for further discussion:
I. The Principle of Mentalism
II. The Principle of Correspondence
III. The Principle of Vibration
IV. The Principe of Polarity
V. The Principle of Rhythm
VI. The Principle of Cause and Effect
VII. The Principle of Gender
Prior presenting each principle, Three Initiates builds up the necessary knowledge to understand it better. For example, concepts of "Mental Transmutation" and "The All" are discussed before starting with the Principle of Mentalism. Each principle is explained with some detail, and multiple examples.
Finally, Three Initiates advices us against the pursuing Knowledge without expressing it into Action, which otherwise becomes a vain affair. In the last chapter, it summarizes the previously presented principles and briefly explain how to approach them.
This is a book that belongs to every mystical library, but paradoxically, not the first that a new student of hermetic should approach. For that purpose, I would recommend
Initiation into Hermetics by Franz Bardon or
The New Hermetics: 21st Century Magick for Illumination and Power by Jason Augustus Newcomb. However, the philosophical content in this book is approachable from any mystical foundation, not just hermetics. As such, buy it because eventually you will find it in your path to mysticism.
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