The infinite through the eyes of Hermeticism

author Naomi Patricia Corciu

You are most likely reading this in your mind right now. At this moment, who are you? What voice is reading for you? Ask yourself: are you the mind reading…or something beyond the thought that knows you are reading? are you your eyes Are you the one who sees through them? Are you the hands that hold this book?

[...] for that which, in a body, moves the inanimate thing is not the body, but something that moves both the body of the bearer and the body carried [...] (Hermes Trismegistos, ed. Dan and Alexandru 2021, 55).

Most likely, while reading this, you have not even realized the passage of time itself, a beginning or an end. But simply a perpetual present in itself, one moment after another. Like now. And now. And now... and Now.

Similar to the famous moments described by the way "time stands still", and similar to this feeling, the mind can take us as far as we allow it and even beyond what we initially imagine. Somehow, in certain states, both time and space become, for a moment, infinite.

We find that infinity extends not only in physical space as we know it, but also in every moment of consciousness and across different boundaries and dimensions of perception. This deep connection between the mind and the infinite reflects some of the fundamental teachings of the Hermetic principles, which help us better understand the laws of the universe and, by implication, the Infinite through the eyes of Hermeticism.

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What are the hermetic principles

Hermetic principles are described in The Kybalion, a book of essential teachings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. These seven principles explore the idea of ​​universal laws underlying the reality we experience, and each principle helps deepen our understanding of how the world works and how we can live more consciously. The principles are explicitly stated in Kybalion, but their idea is also supported by other writings, such as Hermetic body.

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1. The Principle of Mentalism

TOTUL is mind, the Universe is Mental

As we explored the infinity of consciousness in part one, this principle describes how reality itself is essentially pure consciousness, and matter and the world are an image of it. It states the idea that everything that exists is the result of one universal consciousness, and we, "in its image and likeness," are conscious beings wearing a body through which it manifests.

What we constantly think becomes a belief, a belief becomes a motivation - motivation leads to actions that did not exist until then only in the mind. Similarly, the Infinite unfolds through the lens of the infinity of this consciousness. Through this principle we can understand how the Infinite, as we perceive it, is not only found in the vast space outside, but also in our own mind, always unseen, but always present.

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2. The Correspondence Principle

As in Heaven, so on Earth. As in, so out.

The Principle of Correspondence describes the inseparable connection between microcosm and macrocosm, emphasizing how everything is found in everything and how the universe is built from recurring similarities between its own elements, having a fractal nature. This principle suggests that everything that is small reflects what is big and vice versa, and this repetition continues ad infinitum.

For example, the branches of a tree reflect its own roots. The cells in the body mirror the stars in the cosmos; nerve impulses are similar to lightning, and if we look through a microscope, we discover a whole other universe in miniature. Through these similarities, the universe itself presents itself as an infinity of replicas in continuous development and transformation, each level of reality being only a microcosm of an infinite macrocosm through its own mirroring.

Again, by another principle, we are invited to see how the infinite is not only constantly expanding in space, but also in the depth of its various dimensions, in the remaking, mirroring and transformation of its own nature.

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3. Principle of Vibration

Everything in the Universe vibrates and is in motion. Nothing rests. Nothing is fixed or stable. Everything is either on the way to something or from something.

If you take a moment to close your eyes and just let your ears listen, you'll hear how nothing stands still. The principles reaffirm to us how the only constant is change, and we exist precisely because everything moves and everything is moved. The Principle of Vibration manifests itself in every day aspect, but also in subtle aspects such as wind, sound waves and even your own emotions.
Through current knowledge, we know that our Universe is in a constant and limitless expansion, and modern science, especially quantum physics, shows us that motion exists even at subatomic levels. Thus, not only is the principle of correspondence reaffirmed, but also the connection between movement and the Infinite becomes more pronounced. Infinity is not just a spatial expansion, but a continuous, never-ending movement that governs the entire universe – visible and invisible.

Infinity is found through movement itself, vibrations at various frequencies, and the continuous expansion of all that it encompasses, including us.

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4. Principle of Polarity

Everything is dual. Hot and Cold are identical in nature, but in different degrees. The extremes meet. All truths are half-truths.

One of the most fascinating principles challenges the acceptance that all extremes are, in fact, the same thing, but at opposite poles. Of the same nature, but to a different degree. We understand the world around us precisely by describing something in relation to its opposite. Therefore, Polarity is one of the laws of the universe in which we find ourselves.

When I tried to draw something to represent Infinity, I was drawn to the symbol of the flower of life, representing the endless cycle of life and reincarnation. I stopped to feel that the Infinity of things encompassed not only how everything is born and grows, but also how everything can perish. I tried to integrate opposites on a sheet until I realized that to convey the correct concept, the sheet should have remained white. Otherwise, whatever we draw is the limit of Infinity. I realized by this how even the boundless itself contained finite limits, still being a part of itself.

Our perception understands the Infinite by contrast with what we know to have an end. We often forget, however, that on a larger scale, endings are just the "opposite" of beginnings. In the same way, the Infinite is only the "opposite" of what is finite, and both are parts of the same thing.

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5. The Principle of Rhythm

Everything has a rhythm and a cycle, like the tides

If the Principle of Vibration describes that everything is in motion, the Principle of Rhythm describes the cyclical nature of things and how everything has a period, everything has a season.

Kybalionul relates this principle by exemplifying the movement of a pendulum which through its own rhythm manifests its nature (Three Initiates, The Kybalion 1908, 84).

The realization that much is temporary is both liberating and terrifying, but the realization that both are inevitable in the infinite movement of things invites us to view change as part of what constitutes the Infinite. Accepting this rhythm gives us both the wisdom to embrace the most beautiful moments and the strength to go through the hard times, just knowing that everything has its own time and its own use.

On a larger scale, rhythm is endlessly found in the rotation of the stars, the orbits of comets, the seasons on Earth… and closer to us, we find it in our own breath, heartbeat, tidal flow, musical notes, and more. Good times follow darker times, night follows day, and humans—like nature—rebirth and change endlessly.

In the end, everything is one period that precedes another. Although paradoxical, the world and the Infinite unfold precisely because everything has its own time. Galaxies will continue to collide and renew themselves, stars will die and others will be born. While all this is happening in a vast sky, their essence continues to express itself through its own rhythm, time after time.

Mirroring life, the more something pulls us back, the stronger our momentum can be towards its opposite. Every beginning contains inherently the possibility of ending, but every ending also carries within itself the potential for a new beginning.

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6. The Principle of Causality

Nothing is by chance, everything has a cause.

In Hermeticism, it is believed that just as we originate from a creative source, so everything that exists originates in a prior cause. Even though we will not always know this cause, the law of causality remains fundamental to our reality. We often forget that certain present situations are the result of subtle decisions made in the past, or we notice coincidences without giving them deep meaning. However, they exist precisely because they were caused by something.

Even Carl Jung (1998) argued in his writings that what we call "coincidences" are actually effects of causes we do not fully understand. These connections are not random, but part of a larger mechanism of reality, where each element has its place and purpose. The essence of the Infinite can be understood here by a simple question that humanity has always asked: "why?".

Each answer inevitably leads to a new, similar question, cascading an infinite possibility of answers that can still be asked. Every effect becomes a cause, and every cause was, in turn, an effect. This string mirrors how infinity also reveals itself in our reality as humanity, challenging us to discover, expand, explore and transcend our own condition.

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7. The Gender Principle

Both feminine and masculine qualities exist in everything.

Through this principle, it is important to remember that one of the fundamental laws that govern our reality is polarity—the apparent duality between opposites, which are, in fact, two facets of the same reality.

In this light, polarity also manifests through the Gender Principle, which in the Hermetic view is not limited to biology as we know it, but reflects male and female energy as a universal principle.

Feminine energy is associated with the receptivity, fluidity and adaptability of the world. It suggests and reflects the intuitive and creative character of existence, emotional sensitivity, but also the ability to understand on a deeper level. Associated with development and growth, it inspires the desire for change, transformation and self-transcendence. It sees where there is potential and nurtures through emotion and empathy, thus contributing to the continuity and evolution of things.

Male energy, in its complement, is expressed through the manifestation of potential, action and initiative, being more related to reason and logic. It is often reflected in nature and the world where, by necessity, it expresses protection and the concept of boundaries. It suggests materializing, building, making things stable and creating the solid foundations needed for continued development.

Both energies are found in the very nature of the world; in the presence of mountains, trees and laws – symbols of stability and anchoring – but also in flowing waters, leaves carried by the wind and the flight of birds – expressions of fluidity and freedom. We also discover them in art, sciences, the destruction necessary to create something new and, implicitly, in the continuous process of evolution.

As Trismegistos (2021) mentions, "[...] energy is what produces change, or becoming [...] for beings are continually conceived from it and continually destroyed."

Although different in manifestation they are similar to the Ying and Yang principles. Each energy is present in everything, even its own opposite. It is this presence that gives movement and continuity to all that exists, mirroring the infinite.

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Conclusion

Looking through these principles, the infinity we are in is not limited to what we see outside, but extends into all that we are. Its essence reminds us that it exists within ourselves, in the nature that surrounds us, in memories, in visions, in the dimensions we explore and in thought.

By the very fact that we are, the infinite will exist as long as we continue to search for it – for the search itself is what gives it limitlessness and continuity.

Who are you, the one reading the mind now? Who's listening while you answer this?

Bibliography

Hermes Trismegistos, Corpus Hermaticum: The Foundational Texts and Secret Teachings of Initiation into Hermeticism. Translated by D. Dan and A. Alexandru. Revised and added 4th ed. Bucharest: Ed. Herald, 2021

Main, Roderick, Jung on Synchronicity and the Paranormal. Princeton University Press, 1998.

Three initiates, The Kybalion: A Study of The Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece, Missouri: YOGeBooks: Hollister 1908