THE KYBALION --- 12 CHAPTER 12. CAUSATION

CHAPTER 12. CAUSATION

"Every Cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause;
everything happens according to Law; Chance is but a
name for Law not recognized; there are many planes of
causation, but nothing escapes the Law."--The Kybalion.
The great Sixth Hermetic Principle--the Principle of Cause and Effect--
embodies the truth that Law pervades the Universe; that nothing
happens by Chance; that Chance is merely a term indicating cause
existing but not recognized or perceived; that phenomena is continuous,
without break or exception.
The Principle of Cause and Effect underlies all scientific thought, ancient
and modern, and was enunciated by the Hermetic Teachers in the
earliest days. While many and varied disputes between the many schools
of thought have since arisen, these disputes have been principally upon
the details of the operations of the Principle, and still more often upon
the meaning of certain words. The underlying Principle of Cause and
Effect has been accepted as correct by practically all the thinkers of the
world worthy of the name. To think otherwise would be to take the
phenomena of the universe from the domain of Law and Order, and to
relegate it; to the control of the imaginary something which men have
called "Chance."
A little consideration will show anyone that there is in reality no such
thing as pure chance. Webster defines the word "Chance" as follows: "A
supposed agent or mode of activity other than a force, law or purpose;
the operation or activity of such agent; the supposed effect of such an
agent; a happening; fortuity; casualty, etc." But a little consideration will
show you that there can be no such agent as "Chance," in the sense of
something outside of Law-something outside of Cause and Effect. How
could there be a something acting in the phenomenal universe,
independent of the laws, order, and continuity of the latter? Such a
something would be entirely independent of the orderly trend of the
universe, and therefore superior to it. We can imagine nothing outside of
THE ALL being outside of the Law, and that only because THE ALL is
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the LAW in itself. There is no room in the universe for a something
outside of and independent of Law. The existence of such a Something
would render all Natural Laws ineffective, and would plunge the universe
into chaotic disorder and lawlessness.
A careful examination will show that what we call "Chance" is merely an
expression relating to obscure causes; causes that we cannot perceive;
causes that we cannot understand. The word Chance is derived from a
word Meaning "to fall" (as the falling of dice), the idea being that the fall
of the dice (and many other happenings) are merely a "happening"
unrelated to any cause. And this is the sense in which the term is
generally employed. But when the matter is closely examined, it is seen
that there is no chance whatsoever about the fall of the dice. Each time a
die falls, and displays a certain number, it obeys a law as infallible as that
which governs the revolution of the planets around the sun. Back of the
fall of the die are causes, or chains of causes, running back further than
the mind can follow. The position of the die in the box; the amount of
muscular energy expended in the throw; the condition of the table, etc.,
etc., all are causes, the effect of which may be seen. But back of these
seen causes there are chains of unseen preceding causes, all of which had
a bearing upon the number of the die which fell uppermost.
If a die be cast a great number of times, it will be found that the numbers
shown will be about equal, that is, there will be an equal number of onespot, two-spot, etc., coming uppermost. Toss a penny in the air, and it
may come down either "heads" or "tails"; but make a sufficient number
of tosses, and the heads and tails will about even up. This is the
operation of the law of average. But both the average and the single toss
come under the Law of Cause and Effect, and if we were able to examine
into the preceding causes, it would be clearly seen that it was simply
impossible for the die to fall other than it did, under the same
circumstances and at the same time. Given the same causes, the same
results will follow. There is always a "cause" and a "because" to every
event. Nothing ever "happens" without a cause, or rather a chain of
causes.
Some confusion has arisen in the minds of persons considering this
Principle, from the fact that they were unable to explain how one thing
could cause another thing--that is, be the "creator" of the second thing.
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As a matter of fact, no "thing" ever causes or "creates" another "thing."
Cause and Effect deals merely with "events." An "event" is "that which
comes, arrives or happens, as a result or consequent of some preceding
event." No event "creates" another event, but is merely a preceding link
in the great orderly chain of events flowing from the creative energy of
THE ALL. There is a continuity between all events precedent,
consequent and subsequent. There is a relation existing between
everything that has gone before, and everything that follows. A stone is
dislodged from a mountain side and crashes through a roof of a cottage
in the valley below. At first sight we regard this as a chance effect, but
when we examine the matter we find a great chain of causes behind it. In
the first place there was the rain which softened the earth supporting the
stone and which allowed it to fall; then back of that was the influence of
the sun, other rains, etc., which gradually disintegrated the piece of rock
from a larger piece; then there were the causes which led to the
formation of the mountain, and its upheaval by convulsions of nature,
and so on ad infinitum. Then we might follow up the causes behind the
rain, etc. Then we might consider the existence of the roof In short, we
would soon find ourselves involved in a mesh of cause and effect, from
which we would soon strive to extricate ourselves.
Just as a man has two parents, and four grandparents, and eight greatgrandparents, and sixteen great-great-grandparents, and so on until
when, say, forty generations are calculated the numbers of ancestors run
into many millions--so it is with the number of causes behind even the
most trifling event or phenomena, such as the passage of a tiny speck of
soot before your eye. It is not an easy matter to trace the bit of soot hack
to the early period of the world's history when it formed a part of a
massive tree-trunk, which was afterward converted into coal, and so on,
until as the speck of soot it now passes before your vision on its way to
other adventures. And a mighty chain of events, causes and effects,
brought it to its present condition, and the later is but one of the chain of
events which will go to produce other events hundreds of years from
now. One of the series of events arising from the tiny bit of soot was the
writing of these lines, which caused the typesetter to perform certain
work; the proofreader to do likewise; and which will arouse certain
thoughts in your mind, and that of others, which in turn will affect
others, and so on, and on, and on, beyond the ability of man to think
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further-and all from the passage of a tiny bit of soot, all of which shows
the relativity and association of things, and the further fact that "there is
no great; there is no small, in the mind that causeth all."
Stop to think a moment. If a certain man had not met a certain maid,
away back in the dim period of the Stone Age--you who are now reading
these lines would not now be here. And if, perhaps, the same couple had
failed to meet, we who now write these lines would not now be here. And
the very act of writing, on our part, and the act of reading, on yours, will
affect not only the respective lives of yourself and ourselves, but will also
have a direct, or indirect, affect upon many other people now living and
who will live in the ages to come. Every thought we think, every act we
perform, has its direct and indirect results which fit into the great chain
of Cause and Effect.
We do not wish to enter into a consideration of Free Will, or
Determinism, in this work, for various reasons. Among the many
reasons, is the principal one that neither side of the controversy is
entirely right-in fact, both sides are partially right, according to the
Hermetic Teachings. The Principle of Polarity shows that both are but
Half-Truths the opposing poles of Truth. The Teachings are that a man
may be both Free and yet bound by Necessity, depending upon the
meaning of the terms, and the height of Truth from which the matter is
examined. The ancient writers express the matter thus: "The further the
creation is from the Centre, the more it is bound; the nearer the Centre it
reaches, the nearer Free is it."
The majority of people are more or less the slaves of heredity,
environment, etc., and manifest very little Freedom. They are swayed by
the opinions, customs and thoughts of the outside world, and also by
their emotions, feelings, moods, etc. They manifest no Mastery, worthy
of the name. They indignantly repudiate this assertion, saying, "Why, I
certainly am free to act and do as I please--I do just what I want to do,"
but they fail to explain whence arise the "want to" and "as I please."
What makes them "want to" do one thing in preference to another; what
makes them "please" to do this, and not do that? Is there no "because" to
their "pleasing" and "Wanting"? The Master can change these "pleases"
and "wants" into others at the opposite end of the mental pole. He is able
to "Will to will," instead of to will because some feeling, mood, emotion,
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or environmental suggestion arouses a tendency or desire within him so
to do.
The majority of people are carried along like the falling stone, obedient
to environment, outside influences and internal moods, desires, etc., not
to speak of the desires and wills of others stronger than themselves,
heredity, environment, and suggestion, carrying them along without
resistance on their part, or the exercise of the Will. Moved like the pawns
on the checkerboard of life, they play their parts and are laid aside after
the game is over. But the Masters, knowing the rules of the game, rise
above the plane of material life, and placing themselves in touch with the
higher powers of their nature, dominate their own moods, characters,
qualities, and polarity, as well as the environment surrounding them and
thus become Movers in the game, instead of Pawns-Causes instead of
Effects. The Masters do not escape the Causation of the higher planes,
but fall in with the higher laws, and thus master circumstances on the
lower plane. They thus form a conscious part of the Law, instead of being
mere blind instruments. While they Serve on the Higher Planes, they
Rule on the Material Plane.
But, on higher and on lower, the Law is always in operation. There is no
such thing as Chance. The blind goddess has been abolished by Reason.
We are able to see now, with eyes made clear by knowledge, that
everything is governed by Universal Law-that the infinite number of laws
are but manifestations of the One Great Law-the LAW which is THE
ALL. It is true indeed that not a sparrow drops unnoticed by the Mind of
THE AL--that even the hairs on our head are numbered--as the
scriptures have said There is nothing outside of Law; nothing that
happens contrary to it. And yet, do not make the mistake of supposing
that Man is but a blind automaton-far from that. The Hermetic
Teachings are that Man may use Law to overcome laws, and that the
higher will always prevail against the lower, until at last he has reached
the stage in which he seeks refuge in the LAW itself, and laughs the
phenomenal laws to scorn. Are you able to grasp the inner meaning of
this?