"Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine Principles; Gender manifests on all planes."—The Kybalion.
The great Seventh Hermetic Principle—the Principle of Gender-embodies the truth that there is Gender manifested in everything-that the Masculine and Feminine principles are ever present and active in all phases of phenomena2, on each and every plane of life. At this point we think it well to call your attention to the fact that Gender, in its Hermetic sense, and Sex in the ordinarily accepted use of the term, are not the same.
The word "Gender" is derived3 from the Latin root meaning "to beget4; to procreate; to generate; to create; to produce." A moment's consideration will show you that the word has a much broader and more general meaning than the term "Sex," the latter referring to the physical distinctions between male and female living things. Sex is merely a manifestation5 of Gender on a certain plane of the Great Physical Plane—the plane of organic life. We wish to impress this distinction upon your minds, for the reason that certain writers, who have acquired a smattering of the Hermetic Philosophy, have sought to identify this Seventh Hermetic Principle with wild and fanciful, and often reprehensible6, theories and teachings regarding Sex.
The office of Gender is solely7 that of creating, producing, generating, etc., and its manifestations8 are visible on every plane of phenomena. It is somewhat difficult to produce proofs of this along scientific lines, for the reason that science has not as yet recognized this Principle as of universal application. But still some proofs are forthcoming from scientific sources. In the first place, we find a distinct manifestation of the Principle of Gender among the corpuscles, ions, or electrons, which constitute the basis of Matter as science now knows the latter, and which by forming certain combinations form the Atom, which until lately was regarded as final and indivisible.
The latest word of science is that the atom is composed of a multitude of corpuscles, electrons, or ions (the various names being applied9 by different authorities) revolving10 around each other and vibrating at a high degree and intensity11. But the accompanying statement is made that the formation of the atom is really due to the clustering of negative corpuscles around a positive one—-the positive corpuscles seeming to exert a certain influence upon the negative corpuscles, causing the latter to assume certain combinations and thus "create" or "generate" an atom. This is in line with the most ancient Hermetic Teachings, which have always identified the Masculine principle of Gender with the "Positive," and the Feminine with the "Negative" Poles of Electricity (so called).
Now a word at this point regarding this identification. The public mind has formed an entirely12 erroneous impression regarding the qualities of the so-called "Negative" pole of electrified13 or magnetized Matter. The terms Positive and Negative are very wrongly applied to this phenomenon by science. The word Positive means something real and strong, as compared with a Negative unreality or weakness. Nothing is further from the real facts of electrical phenomenon. The so-called Negative pole of the battery is really the pole in and by which the generation or production of new forms and energies is manifested. There is nothing "negative" about it. The best scientific authorities now use the word "Cathode" in place of "Negative," the word Cathode coming from the Greek root meaning "descent; the path of generation, etc," From the Cathode pole emerge the swarm14 of electrons or corpuscles; from the same pole emerge those wonderful "rays" which have revolutionized scientific conceptions during the past decade. The Cathode pole is the Mother of all of the strange phenomena which have rendered useless the old textbooks, and which have caused many long accepted theories to be relegated15 to the scrap-pile of scientific speculation16. The Cathode, or Negative Pole, is the Mother Principle of Electrical Phenomena, and of the finest forms of matter as yet known to science. So you see we are justified17 in refusing to use the term "Negative" in our consideration of the subject, and in insisting upon substituting the word "Feminine" for the old term. The facts of the case bear us out in this, without taking the Hermetic Teachings into consideration. And so we shall use the word "Feminine" in the place of "Negative" in speaking of that pole of activity.
The latest scientific teachings are that the creative corpuscles or electrons are Feminine (science says "they are composed of negative electricity"-we say they are composed of Feminine energy). A Feminine corpuscle becomes detached from, or rather leaves, a Masculine corpuscle, and starts on a new career. It actively18 seeks a union with a Masculine corpuscle, being urged thereto by the natural impulse to create new forms of Matter or Energy. One writer goes so far as to use the term "it at once seeks, of its own volition19, a union," etc. This detachment and uniting form the basis of the greater part of the activities of the chemical world. When the Feminine corpuscle unites with a Masculine corpuscle, a certain process is begun. The Feminine particles vibrate rapidly under the influence of the Masculine energy, and circle rapidly around the latter. The result is the birth of a new atom. This new atom is really composed of a union of the Masculine and Feminine electrons, or corpuscles, but when the union is formed the atom is a separate thing, having certain properties, but no longer manifesting the property of free electricity. The process of detachment or separation of the Feminine electrons is called "ionization." These electrons, or corpuscles, are the most active workers in Nature's field. Arising from their unions, or combinations, manifest the varied20 phenomena of light, heat, electricity, magnetism21, attraction, repulsion, chemical affinity22 and the reverse, and similar phenomena. And all this arises from the operation of the Principle of Gender on the plane of Energy.
The part of the Masculine principle seems to be that of directing a certain inherent energy toward the Feminine principle, and thus starting into activity the creative processes. But the Feminine principle is the one always doing the active creative work-and this is so on all planes. And yet, each principle is incapable23 of operative energy without the assistance of the other. In some of the forms of life, the two principles are combined in one organism. For that matter, everything in the organic world manifests both genders—there is always the Masculine present in the Feminine form, and the Feminine form. The Hermetic Teachings include much regarding the operation of the two principles of Gender in the production and manifestation of various forms of energy, etc., but we do not deem it expedient24 to go into detail regarding the same at this point, because we are unable to back up the same with scientific proof, for the reason that science has not as yet progressed thus far. But the example we have given you of the phenomena of the electrons or corpuscles will show you that science is on the right path, and will also give you a general idea of the underlying25 principles.
Some leading scientific investigators26 have announced their belief that in the formation of crystals there was to be found something that corresponded to "sex-activity" which is another straw showing the direction the scientific winds are blowing. And each year will bring other facts to corroborate27 the correctness of the Hermetic Principle of Gender. It will be found that Gender is in constant operation and manifestation in the field of inorganic28 matter, and in the field of Energy or Force. Electricity is now generally regarded as the "Something" into which all other forms of energy seem to melt or dissolve. The "Electrical Theory of the Universe" is the latest scientific doctrine29, and is growing rapidly in popularity and general acceptance. And it thus follows that if we are able to discover in the phenomena of electricity-even at the very root and source of its manifestations a clear and unmistakable evidence of the presence of Gender and its activities, we are justified in asking you to believe that science at last has offered proofs of the existence in all universal phenomena of that great Hermetic Principle-the Principle of Gender.
It is not necessary to take up your time with the well known phenomena of the "attraction and repulsion" of the atoms; chemical affinity; the "loves and hates" of the atomic particles; the attraction or cohesion30 between the molecules31 of matter. These facts are too well known to need extended comment from us. But, have you ever considered that all of these things are manifestations of the Gender Principle? Can you not see that the phenomena is "on all fours" with that of the corpuscles or electrons? And more than this, can you not see the reasonableness of the Hermetic Teachings which assert that the very Law of Gravitation-that strange attraction by reason of which all particles and bodies of matter in the universe tend toward each other is but another manifestation of the Principle of Gender, which operates in the direction of attracting the Masculine to the Feminine energies, and vice32 versa? We cannot offer you scientific proof of this at this time-but examine the phenomena in the light of the Hermetic Teachings on the subject, and see if you have not a better working hypothesis than any offered by physical science. Submit all physical phenomena to the test, and you will discern the Principle of Gender ever in evidence.
Let us now pass on to a consideration of the operation of the Principle on the Mental Plane. Many interesting features are there awaiting examination.
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1 gender | |
n.(生理上的)性,(名词、代词等的)性 | |
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2 phenomena | |
n.现象 | |
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3 derived | |
vi.起源;由来;衍生;导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 );(从…中)得到获得;源于;(从…中)提取 | |
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4 beget | |
v.引起;产生 | |
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5 manifestation | |
n.表现形式;表明;现象 | |
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6 reprehensible | |
adj.该受责备的 | |
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7 solely | |
adv.仅仅,唯一地 | |
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8 manifestations | |
n.表示,显示(manifestation的复数形式) | |
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9 applied | |
adj.应用的;v.应用,适用 | |
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10 revolving | |
adj.旋转的,轮转式的;循环的v.(使)旋转( revolve的现在分词 );细想 | |
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11 intensity | |
n.强烈,剧烈;强度;烈度 | |
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12 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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13 electrified | |
v.使电气化( electrify的过去式和过去分词 );使兴奋 | |
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14 swarm | |
n.(昆虫)等一大群;vi.成群飞舞;蜂拥而入 | |
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15 relegated | |
v.使降级( relegate的过去式和过去分词 );使降职;转移;把…归类 | |
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16 speculation | |
n.思索,沉思;猜测;投机 | |
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17 justified | |
a.正当的,有理的 | |
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18 actively | |
adv.积极地,勤奋地 | |
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19 volition | |
n.意志;决意 | |
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20 varied | |
adj.多样的,多变化的 | |
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21 magnetism | |
n.磁性,吸引力,磁学 | |
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22 affinity | |
n.亲和力,密切关系 | |
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23 incapable | |
adj.无能力的,不能做某事的 | |
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24 expedient | |
adj.有用的,有利的;n.紧急的办法,权宜之计 | |
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25 underlying | |
adj.在下面的,含蓄的,潜在的 | |
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26 investigators | |
n.调查者,审查者( investigator的名词复数 ) | |
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27 corroborate | |
v.支持,证实,确定 | |
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28 inorganic | |
adj.无生物的;无机的 | |
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29 doctrine | |
n.教义;主义;学说 | |
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30 cohesion | |
n.团结,凝结力 | |
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31 molecules | |
分子( molecule的名词复数 ) | |
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32 vice | |
n.坏事;恶习;[pl.]台钳,老虎钳;adj.副的 | |
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