THE KYBALION --- 07 CHAPTER 7. "THE ALL" IN ALL

CHAPTER 7. "THE ALL" IN ALL

"While All is in THE ALL, it is equally true that THE
ALL is in ALL. To him who truly understands this
truth hath come great knowledge."--The Kybalion.
How often have the majority of people heard repeated the statement that
their Deity (called by many names) was "All in All" and how little have
they suspected the inner occult truth concealed by these carelessly
uttered words? The commonly used expression is a survival of the
ancient Hermetic Maxim quoted above. As the Kybalion says: "To him
who truly understands this truth, hath come great knowledge." And, this
being so, let us seek this truth, the understanding of which means so
much. In this statement of truth--this Hermetic Maxim--is concealed one
of the greatest philosophical, scientific and religious truths.
We have given you the Hermetic Teaching regarding the Mental Nature
of the Universe--the truth that "the Universe is Mental--held in the Mind
of THE ALL." As the Kybalion says, in the passage quoted above: "All is
in THE ALL." But note also the co-related statement, that: "It is equally
true that THE ALL is in ALL." This apparently contradictory statement is
reconcilable under the Law of Paradox. It is, moreover, an exact
Hermetic statement of the relations existing between THE ALL and its
Mental Universe. We have seen how "All is in THE ALL"--now let us
examine the other aspect of the subject.
The Hermetic Teachings are to the effect that THE ALL is Imminent in
("remaining within; inherent; abiding within") its Universe, and in every
part, particle, unit, or combination, within the Universe. This statement
is usually illustrated by the Teachers by a reference to the Principle of
Correspondence. The Teacher instructs the student to form a Mental
Image of something, a person, an idea, something having a mental form,
the favorite example being that of the author or dramatist forming an
idea of his characters; or a painter or sculptor forming an image of an
ideal that he wishes to express by his art. In each case, the student will
find that while the image has its existence, and being, solely within his
own mind, yet he, the student, author, dramatist, painter, or sculptor, is,
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in a sense, immanent in; remaining within; or abiding within, the mental
image also. In other words, the entire virtue, life, spirit, of reality in the
mental image is derived from the "immanent mind" of the thinker.
Consider this for a moment, until the idea is grasped.
To take a modern example, let us say that Othello, Iago, Hamlet, Lear,
Richard III, existed merely in the mind of Shakespeare, at the time of
their conception or creation. And yet, Shakespeare also existed within
each of these characters, giving them their vitality, spirit, and action.
Whose is the "spirit" of the characters that we know as Micawber, Oliver
Twist, Uriah Heep--is it Dickens, or have each of these characters a
personal spirit, independent of their creator? Have the Venus of Medici,
the Sistine Madonna, the Apollo Belvidere, spirits and reality of their
own, or do they represent the spiritual and mental power of their
creators? The Law of Paradox explains that both propositions are true,
viewed from the proper viewpoints. Micawber is both Micawber, and yet
Dickens. And, again, while Micawber may be said to be Dickens, yet
Dickens is not identical with Micawber. Man, like Micawber, may
exclaim: "The Spirit of my Creator is inherent within me-- and yet I am
not HE!" How different this from the shocking half-truth so vociferously
announced by certain of the half-wise, who fill the air with their raucous
cries of: "I am God!" Imagine poor Micawber, or the sneaky Uriah Heep,
crying: "I Am Dickens"; or some of the lowly clods in one of
Shakespeare's plays, eloquently announcing that: "I Am Shakespeare!"
THE ALL is in the earthworm, and yet the earth-worm is far from being
THE ALL. And still the wonder remains, that though the earth-worm
exists merely as a lowly thing, created and having its being solely within
the Mind of THE ALL--yet THE ALL is immanent in the earthworm, and
in the particles that go to make up the earth-worm. Can there be any
greater mystery than this of "All in THE ALL; and THE ALL in All?"
The student will, of course, realize that the illustrations given above are
necessarily imperfect and inadequate, for they represent the creation of
mental images in finite minds, while the Universe is a creation of Infinite
Mind--and the difference between the two poles separates them. And yet
it is merely a matter of degree--the same Principle is in operation--the
Principle of Correspondence manifests in each--"As above, so Below; as
Below, so above."
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And, in the degree that Man realizes the existence of the Indwelling
Spirit immanent within his being, so will he rise in the spiritual scale of
life. This is what spiritual development means--the recognition,
realization, and manifestation of the Spirit within us. Try to remember
this last definition--that of spiritual development. It contains the Truth
of True Religion.
There are many planes of Being--many sub-planes of Life--many degrees
of existence in the Universe. And all depend upon the advancement of
beings in the scale, of which scale the lowest point is the grossest matter,
the highest being separated only by the thinnest division from the
SPIRIT of THE ALL. And, upward and onward along this Scale of Life,
everything is moving. All are on the Path, whose end is THE ALL. All
progress is a Returning Home. All is Upward and Onward, in spite of all
seemingly contradictory appearances. Such is the message of the
Illumined.
The Hermetic Teachings concerning the process of the Mental Creation
of the Universe, are that at the beginning of the Creative Cycle, THE
ALL, in its aspect of Being, projects its Will toward its aspect of
"Becoming" and the process of creation begins. It is taught that the
process consists of the lowering of Vibration until a very low degree of
vibratory energy is reached, at which point the grossest possible form of
Matter is manifested. This process is called the stage of Involution, in
which THE ALL becomes "involved," or "wrapped up," in its creation.
This process is believed by the Hermetists to have a Correspondence to
the mental process of an artist, writer, or inventor, who becomes so
wrapped up in his mental creation as to almost forget his own existence
and who, for the time being, almost "lives in his creation," If instead of
"wrapped" we use the word "rapt," perhaps we will give a better idea of
what is meant.
This Involuntary stage of Creation is sometimes called the "Outpouring"
of the Divine Energy, just as the Evolutionary state is called the
"Indrawing." The extreme pole of the Creative process is considered to
be the furthest removed from THE ALL, while the beginning of the
Evolutionary stage is regarded as the beginning of the return swing of
the pendulum of Rhythm--a "coming home" idea being held in all of the
Hermetic Teachings.
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The Teachings are that during the "Outpouring," the vibrations become
lower and lower until finally the urge ceases, and the return swing
begins. But there is this difference, that while in the "Outpouring" the
creative forces manifest compactly and as a whole, yet from the
beginning of the Evolutionary or "Indrawing" stage, there is manifested
the Law of Individualization--that is, the tendency to separate into Units
of Force, so that finally that which left THE ALL as unindividualized
energy returns to its source as countless highly developed Units of Life,
having risen higher and higher in the scale by means of Physical, Mental
and Spiritual Evolution.
The ancient Hermetists use the word "Meditation" in describing the
process of the mental creation of the Universe in the Mind of THE ALL,
the word "Contemplation" also being frequently employed. But the idea
intended seems to be that of the employment of the Divine Attention.
"Attention" is a word derived from the Latin root, meaning "to reach out;
to stretch out," and so the act of Attention is really a mental "reaching
out; extension" of mental energy, so that the underlying idea is readily
understood when we examine into the real meaning of "Attention."
The Hermetic Teachings regarding the process of Evolution are that,
THE ALL, having meditated upon the beginning of the Creation--having
thus established the material foundations of the Universe--having
thought it into existence--then gradually awakens or rouses from its
Meditation and in so doing starts into manifestation the process of
Evolution, on the material mental and spiritual planes, successively and
in order. Thus the upward movement begins--and all begins to move
Spiritward. Matter becomes less gross; the Units spring into being; the
combinations begin to form; Life appears and manifests in higher and
higher forms; and Mind becomes more and more in evidence--the
vibrations constantly becoming higher. In short, the entire process of
Evolution, in all of its phases, begins, and proceeds according to the
established "Laws of the Indrawing" process. All of this occupies aeons
upon aeons of Man's time, each aeon containing countless millions of
years, but yet the Illumined inform us that the entire creation, including
Involution and Evolution, of an Universe, is but "as the twinkle of the
eye" to THE ALL. At the end of countless cycles of aeons of time, THE
ALL withdraws its Attention--its Contemplation and Meditation--of the
Universe, for the Great Work is finished--and All is withdrawn into THE
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ALL from which it emerged. But Mystery of Mysteries--the Spirit of each
soul is not annihilated, but is infinitely expanded--the Created and the
Creator are merged. Such is the report of the Illumined!
The above illustration of the "meditation," and subsequent "awakening
from meditation," of THE ALL, is of course but an attempt of the
teachers to describe the Infinite process by a finite example. And, yet:
"As Below, so Above." The difference is merely in degree. And just as
THE ALL arouses itself from the meditation upon the Universe, so does
Man (in time) cease from manifesting upon the Material Plane, and
withdraws himself more and more into the Indwelling Spirit, which is
indeed "The Divine Ego."
There is one more matter of which we desire to speak in this lesson, and
that comes very near to an invasion of the Metaphysical field of
speculation, although our purpose is merely to show the futility of such
speculation. We allude to the question which inevitably comes to the
mind of all thinkers who have ventured to seek the Truth. The question
is: "WHY does THE ALL create Universes" The question may be asked in
different forms, but the above is the gist of the inquiry.
Men have striven hard to answer this question, but still there is no
answer worthy of the name. Some have imagined that THE ALL had
something to gain by it, but this is absurd, for what could THE ALL gain
that it did not already possess? Others have sought the answer in the
idea that THE ALL "wished something to love" and others that it created
for pleasure, or amusement; or because it "was lonely" or to manifest its
power;--all puerile explanations and ideas, belonging to the childish
period of thought.
Others have sought to explain the mystery by assuming that THE ALL
found itself "compelled" to create, by reason of its own "internal nature"-
-its "creative instinct." This idea is in advance of the others, but its weak
point lies in the idea of THE ALL being "compelled" by anything,
internal or external. If its "internal nature," or "creative instinct,"
compelled it to do anything, then the "internal nature" or "creative
instinct" would be the Absolute, instead of THE ALL, and so accordingly
that part of the proposition falls. And, yet, THE ALL does create and
manifest, and seems to find some kind of satisfaction in so doing. And it
is difficult to escape the conclusion that in some infinite degree it must
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have what would correspond to an "inner nature," or "creative instinct,"
in man, with correspondingly infinite Desire and Will. It could not act
unless it Willed to Act; and it would not Will to Act, unless it Desired to
Act and it would not Desire to Act unless it obtained some Satisfaction
thereby. And all of these things would belong to an "Inner Nature," and
might be postulated as existing according to the Law of Correspondence.
But, still, we prefer to think of THE ALL as acting entirely FREE from
any influence, internal as well as external. That is the problem which lies
at the root of difficulty--and the difficulty that lies at the root of the
problem.
Strictly speaking, there cannot be said to be any "Reason" whatsoever for
THE ALL to act, for a "reason" implies a "cause," and THE ALL is above
Cause and Effect, except when it Wills to become a Cause, at which time
the Principle is set into motion. So, you see, the matter is Unthinkable,
just as THE ALL is Unknowable. Just as we say THE ALL merely "IS"--so
we are compelled to say that "THE ALL ACTS BECAUSE IT ACTS." At
the last, THE ALL is All Reason in Itself; All Law in Itself; All Action in
Itself--and it may be said, truthfully, that THE ALL is Its Own Reason;
its own Law; its own Act--or still further, that THE ALL; Its Reason; Its
Act; is Law; are ONE, all being names for the same thing. In the opinion
of those who are giving you these present lessons, the answer is locked
up in the INNER SELF of THE ALL, along with its Secret of Being. The
Law of Correspondence, in our opinion, reaches only to that aspect of
THE ALL, which may be spoken of as "The Aspect of BECOMING." Back
of that Aspect is "The Aspect of BEING" in which all Laws are lost in
LAW; all Principles merge into PRINCIPLE--and THE ALL;
PRINCIPLE; and BEING; are IDENTICAL, ONE AND THE SAME.
Therefore, Metaphysical speculation on this point is futile. We go into
the matter here, merely to show that we recognize the question, and also
the absurdity of the ordinary answers of metaphysics and theology.
In conclusion, it may be of interest to our students to learn that while
some of the ancient, and modern, Hermetic Teachers have rather
inclined in the direction of applying the Principle of Correspondence to
the question, with the result of the "Inner Nature" conclusion,--still the
legends have it that HERMES, the Great, when asked this question by his
advanced students, answered them by PRESSING HIS LIPS TIGHTLY
TOGETHER and saying not a word, indicating that there WAS NO
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ANSWER. But, then, he may have intended to apply the axiom of his
philosophy, that: "The lips of Wisdom are closed, except to the ears of
Understanding," believing that even his advanced students did not
possess the Understanding which entitled them to the Teaching. At any
rate, if Hermes possessed the Secret, he failed to impart it, and so far as
the world is concerned THE LIPS OF HERMES ARE CLOSED regarding
it. And where the Great Hermes hesitated to speak, what mortal may
dare to teach?
But, remember, that whatever be the answer to this problem, if indeed
there be an answer the truth remains that: "While All is in THE ALL, it is
equally true that THE ALL is in All." The Teaching on this point is
emphatic. And, we may add the concluding words of the quotation: "To
him who truly understands this truth, hath come great knowledge."