this is my image - Sherpretty Lake, near Leadville, CO
A few days ago I wrote my first article on principles derived from the Kybalion: Evolution & Involution. Here is a link to that article.
Since then, I did a little more research to see what's "out there" about the Kybalion and I came upon articles "debunking" the Kybalion, as well as several different translations Emerald Tablets which is part of the source material of which, assumedly, the Kybalion came to be.
Some people believe 2 of the 3 adepts who wrote the Kybalion are William Walker Atkinson, and Paul Foster Case. No one will ever know for sure. One thing that gives the Kybalion a vote of confidence from me is that it was written by Anonymous authors. People not seeking personal gain by putting out Age Old Truths give the Truths more credibility to me - because no one stood to gain by writing that book except in the gain they saw for humanity. Of the translations of the Emerald Tablets, I did resonate with Dr. Doreal's version and read it over and over while I was working a wedding tonight.
Why is that relevant? Well, because the wedding party are the unbegun. It was either read the Emerald Tablet's or watch a crowd of obese millenials get drunk at the Elk's club in Lousiville, Colorado. Is that bad? Is it wrong of me to judge? Yes, it is wrong, but it is difficult for me to people-watch unconsciously, when so much is going on in this world, and so few people know or care. So, I read Doreal's Emerald Tablets instead, and tried to be more gentle as it suggested...
I also started this post.
How to Think vs. What to Think
Most people want to know what to think about these principles. I saw article after article on the Kybalion that just restated what is in the book. I have got a copy of Doreen Virtue's Divine Magic from the library, but I see things in this book that seem like misunderstandings of the principles, oddly with a bent toward the New Age. And then the debunkers - there were 2 of them - who only sort-of debunked the principles but did not give any source-material divised substantiative evidence to really debunk it - just their opinions.
This is a problem in and of itself - as our education system degrades more and more and people do not learn how to debate logic or inevitably how to think and how to apply deductive reasoning. It does not make a good consumer to teach them HOW to constructively think.
That's why I decided to write this article now, early on in this series, because I want to offer ways to think about the principles offered in the Kybalion and ways to test the principles yourself instead of taking someone else's unverified OPINION for their relevency or not.
Learning how to think is a technique that then can be applied in so many ways to many other situations...and so I suggest using the principles in the Kybalion to teach yourself - the trivium... critical thinking skills...
The Trivium (see The Unity Process for more in-depth articles)
The trivium - grammar- logic- rhetoric - or in more modern terms: data input - process- output.
- grammar - Data input: Asks and answer questions of what? (who?, where?, & when?)
- logic - Data processing: Asks and answers questions of why?
- rhetoric - (wisdom) Data output: Asks and answers questions of how?
again, my image
Let's take one of my favorites - "As Above, So Below" - My first experience with it was with people who don't tell the truth. Here's how I processed it through the Trivium.
What? Even though it's no longer "in" to think this, I agree with Nassim Harameen that the Universe is Fractal - which is sort of a visual explanation of this Principle. I have experience with it - If someone is dishonest in one area, I have found that they are a liar altogether. People who lie about one thing - even including something stupid, LIE, PERIOD. Once I catch them in a fib, I know that they lie and that's it. I don't trust them.
Why? If a person feels that it's ok to lie in one instance they obviously don't value their word nor do they constrain themselves to the truth. Also, I have proven this to myself over and over by giving fibbers the benefit of the doubt and then getting really mad when they lie about something big.
How? An untruth is an untruth and size does not matter.
Hence, I proved to myself the principle of Correspondence; As Above, So Below. I have since used the same Trivium method to prove this Principle to myself with regards to other things, such that I now believe this principle underlies all.
"Look thee above or look thee below,
the same shall ye find.
For all is but part of the Oneness
that is at the Source of the Law.
The consciousness below thee is
part thine own as we are a part of thine." - The Emerald Tablets
my image, Leadville, CO
see the Devil in the "disturbed" reflection...I thought it was interesting, given the subject matter
In the Principle of Involution - which I wrote about several days ago - that if things are not evolving - the are involving - I proved to myself tonight when we were setting up the musical equipment. We always joke that the cords twist themselves up seemingly by themselves - they do! They are following the principle of INVOLUTION which is the natural course of things here on planet earth if humans do not assert their will and create order. (And let me just clarifiy that I mean, order that is ALIGNED with that of God's will - Natural Law - taking the Golden Rule into consideration, harming NONE. The New World Order IS NOT what I am talking about...and in light of these principles, the New World Order is the result of a violation of Natural Law - of giving other humans the "authority" (which it is not our right to give) to impose an external order vs. each of us doing our own work being our own inner monarch - but that's a topic for another post.)
Using the Trivium:
What? Do things break down if not maintained by an act of will? YES! Everything is on it's way to death the moment it is created. If something is not maintained it falls apart. If you leave a house closed up for 10 years without living in it and maintaining it, it will fall in on itself, or at least become totally filthy as it heads towards becoming dust again.
Why? Nothing stays the same and things fall apart here. There is dust in the air. It settles on objects. Things that are not maintained and cleaned first become dirty and then start to break down.
How? Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust- if food is left out it will get moldy and goes bad, if no one lives in a house over time the curtains will get burned by the sun through the windows, the dust in the carpet will ruin the carpet, the wallpaper and paint will begin to peal off the walls by themselves, the wiring will become brittle, eventually air will get in the plumbing lines due to none-use - if Order is not maintained, everything falls to Chaos - it definitely is the principle of INVOLUTION at work.
my image, Leadville, CO
"Darkness and light are both of one nature, different only in seeming, for each arose from the source of all. Darkness is disorder. Light is Order. Darkness transmuted is light of the Light. This, my children, your purpose in being; transmutation of darkness to light ." - The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean
Beautiful view
yes isn't it amazing! Thank you for commenting.
Love seeing posts like this on SteemIt. <3
Shameless plug:
Art with eternity in mind (and inspired by this subject matter.)
https://steemit.com/art/@ztetrahedron369/contest-win-an-original-piece-of-art-by-zero-tetrahedron-369
@ztetrahedron369 - with all the spamming going on, I almost flagged your "shameless plug" - I am just letting you know that because others might not be as patient
Instead - reach out...I am going to take this space to comment on your contest and also on your https://steemit.com/art/@ztetrahedron369/evolving-as-an-artist post.
So first of all - I have to ask you - did you cut your own rubber stamps for the rubber stamp print? because if you did not, I would recommend that you do - using an eraser and an exacto knife - and then I think they will be really cool. As it is - right now - if you are using ready-made stamps - it's kinda ready-made stamp looking - I mean you could at least go in and embellish with your own drawing - and make it yours...
2nd - your evolving as an artist post - I do not think you should go to galleries and artists and ask for their feedback AT ALL EVER. You need to develop your art yourself until YOU get comfortable with it.
I mean, if you develop a relationship with some artists or galleries in which you TRUST THEM as HUMAN BEINGS to give you real honest feedback that might help you hone your skills then perhaps - but to just lay your self open to people you don't know just because they have letters after their name or a business running -
NO - not unless you are ready to piece yourself back together if they have a bad motive and slice you to ribbons or give you bad advice - which in the "artworld" is likely.
You can easily call yourself an "outsider or "self-taught" artist and let it go at that. BE CONFIDENT as a SELF-TAUGHT artist!!. There is (or was) a whole movement of OUTSIDER artists and I am sure it is still going strong - although many of those artists got taken advantage of because the galleries are CUTTHROAT.
You must get your confidence level to where NOTHING those buttheads say is going to throw you off your course. I looked at that one piece that you have in that post and it is very cool - I would like to know more about it. Is it like sharpy on wood as a pendant? Maybe just seal it with modpodge or something so it is protected and you could start selling those right away - maybe in an etsy store -
I am sure LA is intimidating. I lived in NYC and upstate NY while I was still struggling with low self esteem about being an artist. Those egos squashed me like a bug. If I had been able to know my worth and value my gifts I would have been able to sell in NY, but I did not at the time. I would also say to look at artist's work on Steemit and approach them frankly in comments - ask them to look at your website - make one at weebly or wix for free - and get their feedback.
I have moved my work to a whole 'nother level with people on here - so that now I do LIVE psychic readings from my work and I do sigil paintings - I might not have had the confidence to move that forward without Steemit peeps - you can definitely check in with me to look at your work if you value my opinion - contact me here or by email at in2itiveart at gmx dot com. Keep up YOUR good work!
This is what I need to hear. Thank you very much for the fantastic feedback.
Yes, as of now my stamps are store bought. Right now my art is more conceptual than demonstrating technical skill. I have only shown one of my rubber stamp pieces on here, there are a lot more profound pieces with higher order complexity that to me the concept overpowered the cheesiness of using store-bought. That being said, I do value originality and I intend on expanding towards creating my own rubber stamps. Hearing this point from you has catalyzed me towards getting there sooner than anticipated.
I would be very happy to help you out in any way I can... If I am hearing you correctly, I understand the dilemma of over-conceptualizing but I think that one piece you were giving away with the pink border seems less conceptualized and more from the RIGHT BRAIN albeit doodley which is what may be making you think it is undervalue-able - NO!!! the RIGHT BRAIN is where the good stuff is - so the sooner you can get out of your left brain and just start doodling the happier you will be. Being as you are in California - you might - if you can afford it - go take a class from Michelle Casseaou - she lives in NORTHERN CA but she does some workshops at Esalen, etc and that might help to free you up and get you connected into the RIGHT BRAIN -http://michelecassou.com/ or her ex husband stewart cubbley - https://www.processarts.com/ - I say this because I took a class from one of their students back in 1989 and it changed everything for me - I was in New york at the time... so that lady is in the Berkshires - anyway it helped me tap into the full on flow of my right brain art - and get out of my head. Now I can just use my head later to figure out what the Unconscious God Spirit had to tell me through the art- I have been doing this since 89... anyway - they will just help you tap what you already have going - just a thought - anyway like I said, I will be happy to help - :)
Thanks for all of your wonderful advice!!! I love Big Sur but have never been.
well, if you get a chance I would highly recommend attending one of their workshops only because for me it was just what I needed and I really haven't done anything since then accept my own thing - http://www.paintingfromthesource.com/ this is the lady I did it with - I will stop harping on this now - because even if you don't do this - you can still gain confidence in your work just following YOUR path - but for me at the time I did - I was blocked - and I got unleashed when I did that workshop - in 1989, but whatever- I don't mean to sound like a total religious fanatic for this workshop - sorry :) but please - in the meantime if you need feedback or anything - please feel free to contact me and I will try to help you - I have been an artist for about 50 years now - I teach intuitive painting myself - now and then - and I still use that method. Now I am using art to teach myself things - I became psychic by doing this type of art - and now I am teaching myself alchemy and the tarot by copying imagesfrom that time period. Blessings to you!
Thank you for your kindness. I'll be taking you up on it . <3
Great advice, I get a too stuck in my head a lot of the time too and tend to over analyse everything. Getting out of my own way can be a challenge at times.
I totally GET IT. It was not until I had done a LOT of spiritual work and started living according to Natural Law that my head would quiet down enough for me to hear the silence. As it turned out, I had lied a lot, stolen, cheated, broken my word, and I needed to make reparations for that - now I have silence upstairs, gratefully.
Excellent post, thank you.
As Above, so Below
As Within, so Without
The Universe is indeed fractal.
Thank you for your comment - it's interesting - I looked that up last night and found that Scientism has recently debunked the fractal universe "theory" - so that's why I wrote that that way - I am not up for arguing with any Scientism-ists about the universe not being fractal - but yes I agree that it is - in fact - As Above so Below proves it! :) Thanks again for commenting! I followed you.
After reading your post I want to react on that quote "An untruth is an untruth and size does not matter" People lie all the time begining right here when they make comments. Some may not have even read your article but reply "great post bla bla bla ..." I call that an untruth, a small one but it flatters you right ? So size definitely matters because "how we think" is not necessarily "what we think".
Thank you for your thoughtful comment...however I am not sure I agree with what you are saying here or better yet I just don't understand it.
I posted this article in "photography" as well as philosophy and occult and some people it seems are commenting on the photographs - which are mine - so is that dishonest if they don't feel like reading the post? It is slightly disappointing but such is the world...
Is it dishonest of the 20 people who upvoted but did not comment? Again, it's on them, and I am not "flattered" or "not-flattered" from comments- I am using Steemit as much as Steemit is using me- I am tearing apart these principles to teach myself more about them by writing articles (I said this in my first post for which I provided a link in the first sentence) and I am hoping people will share their experiences with me of the principles or what they get out of the article but regardless, I am benefiting myself just by writing it - if people lie in the comments - that is on them - it has nothing to do with me -
tons of people use comments to promote their own articles and that is called spam - and I usually flag those people or report them to @steemcleaners -
even you here, if I may be so bold, I am confused when you say "So size definitely matters because "how we think" is not necessarily "what we think". How? - please explain - and I am sorry for my lack of comprehension but - are you referring to our "opinions" vs. "deductive reasoning"? and if so again - How is the size of a lie, small or large, influenced by opinion vs. logic? For me - it is not. A lie is a lie - but here in Steemit Comments - it's fun to just have a discussion with people regardless of where they are at vs where I am at.
To clarify: I do not cut people out of my life just because they lie - instead I just know whether or not I can trust them, and the liars don't get inside the "inner circle" of trustworthy friends and family.
"how we think is not necessarily what we think". What I am trying to say is : "One may think strategy when commenting but may not say what he or she really thinks about your post"
I wasn't talking about spam but about real people in this virtual world. Hope I helped you understand what I ment above. BTW the two first photos are stunning :)
I see - well I am just too straightforward to worry about people who live behind veils like that - :) and thanks! Colorado is beautiful.
As far as "upvoted but did not comment", sometimes people like the article or the pictures, but just don't have anything to say about them. If I don't have anything thoughtful to say, I usually don't leave a comment.
yes @amberyooper - of course - I was just trying to make a point to @hazelnuts comment on my article which I still don't understand what she was getting at... I was asking her if she thought it "dishonest" to upvote without commenting as parallel to her claim that it is dishonest to just say "nice post" - that's all. Have a blessed day!
Great writing, @in2itiveart. This is a fantastic in-depth explanation of some of the stuff you were talking to me about the other day.
Well, thank you @rebelmeow... that's good to know that I am consistent and getting my point across - Gracias!
Love your photos, and I like that you speak from experience about these methods. Good post.
Beautiful views
thank you
Serene.. 😍
thanks!