The Origins of Atkinson’s Kybalion Solved
One of the things quietly shared within the inner circle of Pansophers is that the famous occult writer William Walker Atkinson was, in fact, a member of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor. This nugget of information unlocks several important forgotten facts of occult history, so I wanted to explore the story by going through the collection of Pansophers HBoL materials.
William Walker Atkinson is largely considered the writer of the Kybalion. While several occult authors have stated that the Kybalion is not representative of authentic hermetic philosophy, one of the oral traditions within Pansophers, as presented in this article, turns all assumptions on their head by demonstrating that the Kybalion is nothing other than Atkinson’s attempt to distill the teachings of the HBoL in a new digestible format!
The Harmonics of Evolution
Three years ago I was informed that the Kybalion was, in fact, based upon Florence Huntley’s book, the Harmonics of Evolution, first published in 1897. Her book predates the Kybalion by 11 years.
Huntley was the talented writer of the Harmonic Series and wife to her initiator John Emmet Richardson. Both were initiates of the HBoL.
The Principles of the Kybalion Revisited
William Walker Atkinson called the principles of the Kybalion ‘a master-key’ with which the student could open many inner doors into the Temple of Mystery.
Essentially the Kybalion is nothing other than a perpetuation of the teachings of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor. Here’s the proof:
The Principle of Mentalism
“The ALL is Mind; The Universe is Mental.” – Kybalion
The Kybalion states that the universe can be considered and thought of as a universal, infinite, living mind and that the phenomenal world is simply a mental creation of the All.
Harmonics of Evolution states:
“The fundamental principle in Nature is an intelligent principle of fulfillment, viz., a principle of equalization of forces through vibratory correspondences. […]
The universal intelligent principle of polarity first raises the individual product to the point of an individual, self-operating intelligence. After this, individual intelligence raises itself by individual efforts which directly assist Nature in the general purpose it has in view for the individual.[…]” – Harmonics of Evolution
Huntley also writes that the universe is intelligent pursuing a specific goal and not the result of blind mechanical forces. She describes a general intelligence which follows a mathematical progress of matter and life with the goal to develop a form capable of individual experience and an individual intelligence that constitutes of an ethical progression of the individual with the goal to come to full self-expression and the development of Love.
The Principle of Correspondence
“As above, so below; as below, so above.” – The Kybalion
Atkinson writes that the principle of correspondence allows man to reason intelligently from the known to the unknown.
The Harmonics of Evolution does not deal with this principle extensively but we find the same idea expressed by Thomas Burgoyne, the secretary of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor, in his 1896 book Celestial Dynamics:
“[…] we desire each reader to repeat, and to meditate daily upon the great Hermetic law, viz.: “That which is on the earth is as that which is above in the sky, and that which is above in the heavens is as that which is below on the earth,” or more briefly stated “as it is above, so it is below,” by correspondence, this law is an absolute truth throughout every department of nature. This explains the law of correspondences, and is the one grand key to all metaphysical problems. “ – Celestial Dynamics
The Principle of Vibration
“Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates.” – Kybalion
Florence Huntley writes in Harmonics of Evolution:
“Everything exists in a state of vibration. Mathematics are involved in the refinement of matter and the increase of vibratory action assisting intelligence to individual expression. […]
The law of vibration has to do with the refinement of matter and its rate of vibratory action. […]
The vibratory action of the spiritual organism is ordinarily lowered or accelerated in just the degree that the physical body is coarsened or refined.” – Harmonics of Evolution
According to Florence Huntley’s writings the difference between the physical world and the spiritual world is also a difference in vibration.
Harmonics of Evolution also suggests that through the refinement of our physical vehicles, we will develop our capacity of finer spiritual perception.
The Principle of Polarity
“Everything is Dual; everything has poles; everything has its pairs of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree, extremes meet; all truths are but half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled.” – Kybalion
The Kybalion states that everything consists out of opposites that are really the same thing, differing only in degree.
From The Harmonics of Evolution by Florence Huntley:
“The process by which physical matter is gradually refined and raised to certain ratios of correspondence with the universal Life Elements constitutes the evolutionary process upon this planet.
The spiritual principle of polarity which inheres in those Life Elements appears to be the agent employed by the Great Intelligence to guide this process. This principle evolves the four great kingdoms in Nature, successively governed by the four Life Elements.” – Harmonics of Evolution
Huntley goes on to explain how subtle life elements on the astral plane form the basis for the organization of matter along the lines of the mineral, vegetable, animal and human kingdom.
These subtle life elements are dual in nature and manifest as positive and receptive polarities. Through a process of attraction and repulsion between these polarities, matter slowly evolves itself to develop forms capable of individual experience.
This raises the vibratory frequency of the different subtle life elements until it becomes susceptible to the essence and activity of the higher life element and become impregnated.
The Principle of Gender
“Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine Principles; Gender manifests on all planes” – Kybalion
Florence Huntley writes that polarity can be seen as consisting of a masculine, projective, and feminine, receptive principle. The affinities that exist between these different masculine and feminine polarities evolve general nature and individual nature to reach their respective goals.
Florence Huntley writes:
“The orderly and sequential development of love under this spiritual law of affinity, constitutes the Harmonics of Evolution. […]
Natural Science, however, finds that if we are willing to investigate the spiritual principle of affinity, we find that human love is essentially a harmonic relation established between two intelligent beings. […]
Only between individuals of opposite polarity can there exist an affinity and union which may be at once physical, spiritual and psychical.[…]
Love has a natural pathway from chemical affinity to psychical affinity. That pathway is an ever ascending scale of vibratory correspondences, known as chemical affinity, physical passion, spiritual sympathy, and intellectual companionship.” – Harmonics of Evolution
The HBoL-Kybalion Connection Restored
Some occultists have suggested that Paul Foster Case, William Walker Atkinson, and Michael Whitty from the Alpha & Omega Temple in Chicago wrote the Kybalion together. However, the Kybalion is clearly based upon the teachings of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor so its content has nothing to do with the teachings of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn!
By comparing the works of Florence Huntley with the writings of William Walker Atkinson it becomes clear that the Kybalion is indeed a perpetuation of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor teachings.
As stated, this nugget of information opens up many doors. Today the perpetuation of HBoL is not fully understood so where else can we find its teachings and what else is hidden within Atkinson’s books?
In the next article I will demonstrate how the sexual teachings of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor was also preserved by William Walker Atkinson. This is another communication quietly shared within Pansophers.
True, Atkinson did blend the HBoL teachings with the New Thought movement in his process of distilling the Hermetic teachings. Yet by bringing them into a new format he appears to have successfully spread the HBoL teachings.
This is the first part of my new blog series dedicated to unveiling the untold stories of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor. Throughout this series I will continue to unpack little known facts from the overall HBoL story, which will conclude in how the teachings of the HBoL entered into the internal alchemies of the German occult orders.
As to how this series started:
Three years ago, I was entrusted with the task to sort the HBoL material held by Pansophers. The collection amounts to over 50 folders of material. My initial task was to arrange it into privately published books and to prepare this series. During our many interesting conversations, subjects like the origins of the Kybalion came up, and we planned out a series of titles to capture that knowledge for the current blog series. This series will continue depending on public interest. Therefore, if you would like to keep this series going, don’t forget to like, comment and share!
