The Kybalion Book Summary - The Kybalion Book explained in key points

Listen to the Intro

00:00

The Kybalion summary

Name: The Kybalion
Rating: 4.5 (30 reviews)
Author: Three Initiates

Three Initiates

A Study of Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece

4.5 (30 ratings)

20 mins

Topics

Spirituality Wisdom Western Philosophy Inspiration Alternative Perspectives

Table of Contents

The Kybalion
Summary of 7 key ideas

Audio & text in the Blinkist app

Key idea 1 of 7

What’s in it for me? Discover the text that shaped the New Thought and Science of Mind movements.

The Kybalion, published under a pseudonym in 1908, claimed to bring ancient wisdom into the modern era. Drawing on Hermetic principles, it presents seven basic laws to empower the mind and transform one’s life. For instance, the Principle of Mentalism asserts that All is Mind – that thought underlies all reality. The Principle of Rhythm explains the natural cycles directing events. Correspondence reveals the interconnectivity among all things: “As above, so below.” Polarity and Gender remind us that apparent opposites – like masculine and feminine – contain and complement each other.

By understanding these philosophical keys, the text asserts, individuals can harness and direct the energies of the universe through focused thinking and willpower. The Kybalion’s confident claim that we can master circumstance through positive mental states meshed well with early New Thought trends. Its distillation of occult concepts helped pave the way for New Age spiritual ideas and popular psychology movements.

The Kybalion offers the vision that we can create our inner world and, in turn, manifest improvements in outer conditions. So, if you’ve ever been curious about the ideas that went on to inspire generations of New Age and self-help philosophies, read on.

The central sage

The central figure inspiring the Kybalion’s teachings is Hermes Trismegistus, a legendary sage associated with ancient esoteric wisdom. The name Hermes Trismegistus represents the fusion of Hermes, the Greek god of knowledge, with the ivine understanding from multiple traditions. Hermes Trismegistus is credited with founding the philosophy of Hermeticism, which focuses on unveiling spiritual truths about God and the cosmos.

According to legend, Hermes Trismegistus possessed complete knowledge of the universe. The Emerald Tablet and Corpus Hermeticum, influential Hermetic texts on alchemy and magic, were said to have been authored by Hermes Trismegistus himself.

Academic consensus suggests these works actually originated between the first and third centuries AD within Hellenistic Egyptian circles. But the mythical status of Hermes Trismegistus enhanced their prestige.

The Kybalion, however, claims its principles descend directly from this great teacher Hermes Trismegistus, who mastered all divine laws of nature and consciousness. This positions the Kybalion’s teachings as part of a secret oral tradition guarded by ancient masters and handed down through the centuries.

Each principle offers a lens into the whole of reality. As facets of a jewel, they provide perspective on the integrated mystery of life. The Kybalion invites the reader to synthesize the principles into a holistic philosophy in which Universal Mind manifests through Vibration, Polarity, Rhythm and the rest, together crafting an ordered and profound cosmos.

By attributing their insights to Hermes Trismegistus, the Kybalion’s authors sought to validate their modern interpretation of Hermeticism as aligned with true ancient wisdom, not just a product of twentieth-century New Thought.

Regardless of legitimacy, this sense of timeless knowledge appeals to spiritual seekers. The Kybalion promises access to enlightenment given as a gift by a legendary sage, giving readers tantalizing insight into how past masters viewed the workings of the universe.

The first principle: thought is everything

The Kybalion’s first principle, The Principle of Mentalism, boldly declares that all is mind. This means the entire universe emerges from thought and consciousness. According to this idea, reality is fundamentally mental, not physical. The Kybalion calls this originating mind The All – what some might call God, or Universal Intelligence. But this is not a traditional anthropomorphic deity. Rather, the All is an infinite creative force of pure thought and will. The All dreamed up the cosmos through its divine mental activity. Therefore, all matter and energy are actually just projections of this primordial consciousness.

For individuals, this implies that your subjective mental states shape what you perceive as the objective world. In other words, your unique version of reality is filtered through your attitudes, beliefs, and expectations. To change the outer world, you must first change your inner world. The Kybalion insists that individuals have the power to transform their lives by mastering their personal universe of thought.

Principles of correspondence and cause

The Principle of Correspondence reveals the ancient Hermetic maxim As above, so below at work in the universe. This means that patterns on the macrocosmic scale of the heavens echo at the microcosmic scale of individual humans. According to the authors, all layers of reality synchronize in harmonic alignment, too. That means it is equally true to say, As within, so without.

The Kybalion suggests a single eternal truth manifests in infinite physical forms – even more, that all dualities are ultimately unified through this principle of correspondence.

Rhythm and vibration: the music of the universe

Digging deeper into the nature of existence, the Principle of Vibration asserts that motion and change empower reality – that at the core of everything lies inexhaustible energy vibrating at different rates to produce the spectrum of creation. Forms like rocks or iron vibrate slowly, while lighter elements like gas vibrate rapidly.

In this cosmology, thought itself flows as shimmering vibrations in the mental plane. By raising your vibratory rate, you uplift consciousness to loftier planes. Lower vibrations manifest depression, fear, and weakness. Through focused intention, you can shift disruptive vibrations into harmonious alignment with your higher Self.

A universe of opposites, through polarity and gender

The Principle of Polarity teaches that all manifested reality exists in pairs of opposites. Like poles of a magnet, contrasting energies attract and complement one another. Light needs darkness to be known, sorrow needs joy.

Yet these seeming opposites are identical at their core – differently proportioned manifestations of the same essence. Just as heat and cold differ only by degrees on the thermometer, all binaries share source and space. Through this paradox, polarity reveals unity.

The planes of existence

In addition to the seven principles governing the universe and reality, the Kybalion teaches that layers of reality extend from the physical plane up through subtle mental and spiritual realms. Each plane operates at a different vibratory rate, with physical matter vibrating most slowly and spirit vibrating most quickly.

As consciousness expands, individuals can ascend these planes into higher states of perception and power. The principles provide tools to elevate minds trapped in materialism to a level of mystical illumination.

The deeper teaching: a final metaphor

While this work is likely the product of a single writer, the term “Three Initiates” is used to reflect the fundamental human metaphor of body, soul, and spirit.

Mastering the seven principles helps unify body, soul, and spirit into a holistic being. The principles align matter, energy, and consciousness within us. Applying the principles harmonizes these components into a conduit for sacred wisdom.

Want to see all full key ideas from The Kybalion?

Key ideas in The Kybalion

More knowledge in less time

Read or listen

Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.

Find your next read

Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.

Shortcasts ^New

We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.

What is The Kybalion about?

Kybalion (1908) is an occult classic of the New Thought movement that claims that mind and thought are the ultimate powers of the universe, and human beings can harness those primal forces – like thought, rhythm, and polarities – for health, wealth, and influence.

Who should read The Kybalion?

History buffs curious about the foundations of the New Age and self-help movements
Esoteric thinkers seeking out the texts that shaped modern occultism
Anyone wanting to expand their perspective on metaphysics and consciousness

About the Author

Though published anonymously by “The Three Initiates,” there is strong evidence The Kybalion was authored by William Walker Atkinson – a prolific writer in the New Thought and early self-help movements of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Atkinson’s body of work emphasized spiritual self-empowerment through the mind, drawing on his studies of ancient Hermeticism and other esoteric traditions to make arcane knowledge accessible to the common person seeking self-improvement.

Categories with The Kybalion

Motivation & Inspiration Philosophy

Books like The Kybalion

You Will Own Nothing

Carol Roth

Your War with a New Financial World Order and How to Fight Back

17 min

3.3

The Warren Buffett Way

Robert G. Hagstrom

Investment Strategies of the World's Greatest Investor

The Official Unrepentant, Ass-Kicking, No-Kidding, Change-Your-Life Sidekick to Unfu*k Yourself

Enjoy Your Favourite Food and Boost Your Gut Health with The Diversity Diet

18 min

The 50th Law

50 Cent and Robert Greene

50 Cent's Secrets to Fearlessness and Success

18 min

4.3

How to Be a People Magnet

Leil Lowndes

Finding Friends – and Lovers – and Keeping Them for Life

16 min

4.6

Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus

Ludwig Wittgenstein

Unlock the Secrets of the Universe with This Intellectual Masterpiece

The True Teachings of Bruce Lee

18 min

4.6

Feeling Is The Secret

Neville Goddard

Ideas that Shape the World

The Jaw-dropping Tragedy That Shocked Ancient Greece

20 min

4.6

How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World

Francis Wheen

A Short History of Modern Delusions

16 min

3.3

Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Friedrich Nietzsche

The Classic That Will Challenge Everything You Know

17 min

4.4

All the Sinners Bleed

Tiffany Clarke Harrison

A Novel

16 min

Primed to Perform

Neel Doshi and Lindsay McGregor

How to Build the Highest Performing Cultures Through the Science of Total Motivation

16 min

4.3

Capital in the Twenty-First Century

Thomas Piketty

Groundbreaking Research That Unravels Economic Disparity in Our World Today

How to Work Hard, Outlast, and Keep Hammering

Unlock the Secrets of Existence and Transform Your Perspective

14 min

3.8

The Mental Toughness Handbook

Damon Zahariades

A Step-By-Step Guide to Facing Life's Challenges, Managing Negative Emotions, and Overcoming Adversity with Courage and Poise

The Bulletproof Plan to Age Backward and Maybe Even Live Forever

24 min

4.2

Seven and a Half Lessons about the Brain

Lisa Feldman Barrett

Have Your Understanding of Consciousness, Emotions, and Memory Revolutionized

20 min

4.1

Allen Carr's Easy Way to Quit Emotional Eating

Allen Carr

Set Yourself Free from Binge-Eating and Comfort-Eating

Why It's Not Always Rational to Be Rational

The 7 Things Resilient People Do Differently (And How They Can Help You Succeed in Business and Life)

20 min

4.5

The Web That Has No Weaver

Ted J. Kaptchuk

Understanding Chinese Medicine

18 min

4.7

Waking the Tiger

Peter A. Levine with Ann Frederick

A Brief History of Humankind

28 min

4.4

Never Split the Difference (New Version)

Chris Voss and Tahl Raz

Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It

19 min

4.5

Emotional Intelligence

The Simple Path to Wealth

J L Collins

Your Road Map to Financial Independence and a Rich, Free Life

8 Intentional Strategies for Women to Emerge as Leaders at Work

19 min

When You're Ready, This Is How You Heal

Brianna Wiest

Inspiration to Begin Your Journey of True Transformation

18 min

4.6

It Takes What It Takes

Trevor Moawad with Andy Staples

How to Think Neutrally and Gain Control of Your Life

16 min

4.3

American Prometheus

Kai Bird & Martin J Sherwin

The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer

Rediscover the Meaning of Life With This Classic

21 min

4.6

Gaslighting

Stephanie Moulton Sarkis

Recognize Manipulative and Emotionally Abusive People - and Break Free

18 min

4.4

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Stephen R. Covey

Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

23 min

4.7

Conscious Capitalism

John Mackey & Raj Sisodia

Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business

Leading for Hypergrowth by Raising Expectations, Increasing Urgency, and Elevating Intensity

17 min

Mastery

Robert Greene

Myths about genius and what it really means to be great

A Critique of Political Economy

19 min

4.4

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

Mark Manson

A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

An Award-Winning Reporter Exposes Falsehood, Distortion, and Propaganda in the Global Media

A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder

19 min

4.5

Innovation in Real Places

Dan Breznitz

Strategies for Prosperity in an Unforgiving World

How to free yourself from philosophical dogmas and assert your own values

25 min

4.7

The Law of Attraction

Esther and Jerry Hicks

The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

14 min

4.2

Impromptu

Reid Hoffman with GPT-4

Amplifying Our Humanity Through AI

17 min

4.3

People ❤️ Blinkist

Sven O.

It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.

Thi Viet Quynh N.

Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.

Jonathan A.

Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.

Renee D.

Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.