Below is the complete set of the seven Hermetic principles from The Kybalion, with the proposed Principle of Multipolarity appended as the eighth principle, presented in English. The original seven principles are reiterated for clarity, followed by the new eighth principle.
The seven Hermetic principles form the foundation of Hermetic philosophy, primarily outlined in The Kybalion (1908), a text attributed to “Three Initiates” that claims to distill ancient wisdom from Hermes Trismegistus. These principles are said to originate from or align with earlier Hermetic texts, such as the Emerald Tablet (a singular, ancient alchemical text often dated to the 6th–8th centuries CE, though its roots may be older), which explicitly embodies the second principle (“As above, so below”). The Emerald Tablets of Thoth (a 20th-century interpretation by Maurice Doreal, presented as a series of 13 tablets) expands on similar esoteric teachings but does not list the seven principles verbatim; instead, it echoes themes of unity, vibration, polarity, and causation through its narrative of cosmic laws and spiritual mastery. The principles are universal laws governing the physical, mental, and spiritual planes. Here’s a description of the seven original principles, followed by an eighth proposed principle: the Principle of Multipolarity.
1 The Principle of Mentalism: This asserts that the universe is fundamentally mental in nature—“THE ALL IS MIND; The Universe is Mental.” Everything that exists is a creation or manifestation within the infinite mind of THE ALL (a supreme, unknowable intelligence). By understanding this, one can master mental phenomena and realize that thoughts shape reality.