Vibration: The Third Hermetic Principle

“Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates.”

The Kybalion

I’ve covered the first two Hermetic Principles in order – from the ALL-Mind, to the Correspondence that takes place within the ALL-Mind, and now let’s move on to the third principle–the constant vibration within the ALL-Mind. As I go through the 7 Hermetic Principles, I’ll focus on the flow of the order as I go along. The Hermetic Principles flow from the core of Hermetic ALL-Mind or “Mind at Large” according to modern idealist philosophy. 

Alignment of Scientific and Hermetic Perspectives

There has been a scientific element involved with the principle of vibration since 1908 when the Kybalion was written. And only came into closer focus between 1908 and 2023. Of course, the system of scientific modeling was more primitive at that time. Today, through materialism/physicalism, matter can be broken down to atoms and subatomic particles. Subsequently, all point particle conceptions can be further reduced to “fields.” All “fields” can be reduced again to a holistic “unified field.” The particles are viewed as “excitations” within the unified, holistic field. These “excitations” of the unified quantum field are part of the deeper perspective presented by today’s science. This constant vibration is where materialism, through the focus of quantum mechanics (QM), aligns with what the Kybalion stated in 1908. 

21st Century Analytic Idealist Metaphysics

However, today’s leading 21st-Century Analytic Idealist metaphysics delves much deeper. The current model of QM, as it stands, lacks the explanatory power needed to account for the very existence of consciousness. This deficiency extends to explaining the only thing that we cannot reasonably doubt: that awareness and experience exist. 

Addressing the “Hard Problem of Consciousness”

Modern idealist philosophers have zoned in on this “explanatory handicap” within materialism/physicalism as a red flag. It’s been called “The Hard Problem of Consciousness.” No one can explain how something as non-material as consciousness can arise from not-conscious energy-matter. It’s just assumed that even though it can’t be explained and has no formal theory, it must be that way. But what if it isn’t that way at all? And the fact that it isn’t that way at all is WHY it can’t be explained “that way.” 

To get away from “The Hard Problem of Consciousness,” some idealist philosophers have changed perspective to account for necessary adjustments that can allow consciousness to be explained. It requires adding some missing ingredients to the accepted “fields” and “unified quantum field” model of QM. The unified, holistic quantum field in which all vibration/excitation occurs has been corrected to read as follows: 

“A spatially unbound unified field of core subjectivity, with constant excitation of the field.” 

It looks something like this: 

Consciousness-Energy > Vibration/Excitation of the unified field > finite minds/dissociated alters

As I pointed out, the very existence of conscious-experience right now, in the moment, cannot be explained via materialism and the order that follows from it’s first premise:

energy > matter > emergent mind (from not-conscious energy-matter)

So, the accepted current fields model has been corrected to place Consciousness-Experience at the irreducible level, where no further reductions can be made. This is known as the irreducible “Ontological Primitive.” The unified quantum field has to be viewed as the “core” for all existing “subjectivity.” 

At least it has to be viewed that way to make this necessary correction and open up better “explanatory power” that doesn’t exist without making the new correction! Hopefully, I’ve simplified this and made it easy to follow along. This removes the “Hard Problem of Consciousness” from the currently accepted “fields” model of QM so that a coherent explanation of the very existence of conscious-experience can be made. 

Ancient Wisdom and Modern Insights

Meanwhile, the ancient mystical Hermetic Philosophy tradition, allegedly coming out of pre-dynastic Egypt and then spreading to the whole of western society in esoteric symbolic and occult form, has known this the entire time! The forefront of today’s best attempts at 21st Century metaphysics were already known by the Hermetic initiates throughout the entire course of history of modern civilization! Heavy duty stuff! When you begin to understand that these deep truths that cross science, philosophy, and mystical spirituality are arising now in today’s advancing society because they appear to be Eternal Truths that just simply are, then it’s not too far left field to understand why the same Eternal Truths were somehow known in the distant past as well. Eternal Truth in and of itself, always simply “IS.” It’s knowledge that’s always there to be understood by anyone capable of understanding it. 

According to ancient reports, “knowledgeable teachers” were responsible for the acquisition of ancient knowledge. It’s described in different ways by different cultures. Some were described as coming to the earth from the other star systems. Others were described as transitioning into the physical plane from a non-physical plane of existence. An advanced human civilization from the distant past, pre-dynastic, is alleged to have been in community with the non-material crossover beings and the space travelers from the stars and constellations. That would lead to myths of Atlantis and similar great myths of old. This goes back to the last “Golden Age” conditions and the “sacred science” of the ALL-Mind and the ALL-Seeing Eye of iconography. Pure Awareness.

These reports, obviously, are systematically “wave of the hand dismissed” by most materialist academics within the soft and hard sciences. And always pretty much have been, at least in recent centuries. Their first assumption is that the ancients themselves must have been “mistaken.” This is predicated on the materialistic worldview that dominates the hard and soft sciences and has been incorrect in myriad ways! This is exactly the opposite of what strong-minded objective and analytical thinking has revealed in recent years. The materialist worldview is weak footed in reality. Materialism has blind spots penetrating to the foundation of the first sets of modeling assumptions. These errors reverberate throughout the sciences, holding back the true potential of the sciences, in my opinion. These errors hold back the true potential of the intellectual mind balanced and in harmony with the emotional and spiritual mind (+/- > =).

Once the new corrections to the accepted quantum fields modeling have been made, in order to account for the very existence of something as non-material as consciousness, and by rearranging the system of first assumptions, then pretty much everything is up for reconsideration. What we consider the history of modern civilization keeps getting pushed back! They keep finding historical anomalies and older evidence of civilizations prior to when we previously thought civilization existed through the materialist worldview. 

Consciousness-Based Reality (CBR)

The history of civilization, the backstory behind the observations of red shifted light and cosmic microwave background radiation, all of it, needs to be reconsidered through an idealist based system of 21st Century metaphysics underlying the currently accepted unified field model of QM. Which, in all honesty, can only reasonably be viewed as our “modern creation myth,” or new scientific metaphor for the mystery of creation. It can’t be the literal truth, it can only be a metaphor that can try and explain how a necessarily Consciousness Based Reality (CBR) would look like from our dominant perspective within modern society today! 

What it presents us with is an image of the Universe that is Holistic, fully interconnected, spatially unbound, and Conscious-Experiential at its Core. And the only reason that any energy, frequency, or vibration exists at all is because it’s the very nature of Conscious-Experience to produce “Mental” energies, frequencies, and vibration within ITSELF, with the ALL-Mind of Hermetic Philosophy. This is Mind at Large (MAL) within modern Analytic Idealism Philosophy.  

Essence of Reality as Pure Awareness

This is why I feel that we, as a species of Human Beings, should never lose sight of the fact that everything in existence flows from the very Nature of Reality as Pure Awareness, as they say in the East. It’s Primary Consciousness, as we say in the West. Other similar names for a Primary Consciousness based ontology are “Spirit,” “Source,” or simply “God.” 

Spinoza is quoted as saying: “Except God, no substance can be conceived.” 

At this level of consideration Spinoza’s meaning becomes clearer. In the Hermetic Kybalion, chapter 2, p.18, it states that there’s a scale of “vibrational intensity and rapidity” between “Pure Spirit” and the grossest form of matter. At each of these extreme ends of the visualized vibrational scale, the infinitely high rate of vibration would appear at rest because it’s vibrating so fast. The lowest rate of vibration would also appear to be at  rest because it’s vibrating so slowly, when neither end of the vibrational spectrum actually could be resting in any literal sense. “Spirit” is Infinitely high Conscious Vibration. 

Mental Alchemy and the Impersonal “God” of Pantheism

Whatever we consider any “substance” to be, it can only be Conscious-Energy-Vibration at the “core” of its existence. Welcome to taking a much deeper look at Alchemy! And why it has to be viewed as “Mental Alchemy,” as taught in the Hermetic Kybalion. It couldn’t be anything other than “Mental.” 

“Substances” break down to what the symbolic terms “God” and “Spirit” actually point to.That  context is evident in the tone and speech of Spinoza. This is the impersonal “God” of “Pantheism,” which  is what Hermetic Philosophy has always been. It’s what ancient Alchemy is predicated upon because there’s literally nothing else to predicate it on! It wasn’t predicated on materialism, obviously. It goes deeper than that framework for understanding the Nature of Reality. 

Everything that is “perceived,” everything that has shape and form, all geometry, all fractals, the entire dynamic universe that appears to be “out there” outside of us with material and voids in between the material, IS vibrational, meaning that it’s the “excitations” within a unified field of “constant excitation.” 

That is exactly the Nature of Reality to the best of our ability as human beings to describe. For aeons and centuries! To the best ability of the Hermeticists, who have preserved ancient high knowledge from remote periods according to lore. The best ability of the materialist scientists without utilizing the benefit of primary Consciousness still lands on constant vibration/excitation and nothing ever being truly at rest. This is in agreement with the 3rd Hermetic Principle. 

Agreement Across Philosophies on the Nature of Reality

Moreover, the new forefront of idealist philosophy and 21st Century brand metaphysics not only agree with the same but greatly expand on the agreement that metaphysical materialism/physicalism has with ancient Hermetic Philosophy on the point of constant vibration. That’s just great, in my opinion! When it comes to the 3rd Hermetic Principle of Vibration, it looks like everyone across the board agrees to agree! 

Stephen Wollard, 

The Hermetic Idealist

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