Cause and Effect

The Sixth Hermetic Principle is the Principle of Cause and Effect. It says:

• nothing happens by Chance
• Chance is merely a term indicating cause existing but not recognized or perceived
• phenomena is continuous, without break or exception.

It underlies all scientific thought, ancient and modern. It was enunciated by the Hermetic Teachers in the earliest days.

Many and varied disputes between the many schools of thought have since arisen. These disputes have been:

• principally on the details of the Principle’s operations, and
• more often on the meaning of words.

The underlying Principle of Cause and Effect has been accepted as correct by practically all the notable thinkers.

To think otherwise would be to relegate phenomena out of the domain of Law and Order, and into the imaginary something called “Chance.”

There is no such thing as pure chance.

Webster defines “chance” as:

• “a supposed agent or mode of activity other than a force, law or purpose”
• “the operation or activity of such agent”
• “the supposed effect of such an agent”
• “a happening”
• “fortuity”
• “casualty”
• etc.

There is no such thing as Chance because there is nothing outside of Cause and Effect.

How could there be a something acting in the phenomenal universe, independent of the laws, order, and continuity of the latter?

Such a something would be entirely independent of the orderly trend of the universe, and therefore superior to it.

We can imagine nothing outside of THE ALL being outside of the Law, and that only because THE ALL is the LAW in itself. There is no room in the universe for a something outside of and independent of Law. The existence of such a Something would render all Natural Laws ineffective, and would plunge the universe into chaotic disorder and lawlessness.

“Chance” is merely an expression relating to obscure causes that we cannot perceive nor understand.

“Chance” is derived from a word meaning “to fall” (as the falling of dice). The idea is that the fall of the dice (and many other happenings) are merely a “happening” unrelated to any cause.

This is the sense in which the term is generally employed.

But when the matter is closely examined, it is seen that there is no chance whatsoever about the fall of the dice.

Each time a die falls and displays a certain number, it obeys gravitation.

Back of the fall of the die are causes, or chains of causes, running back further than the mind can follow. The position of the die in the box; the amount of muscular energy expended in the throw; the condition of the table, etc., all are causes, the effect of which may be seen.

But back of these seen causes there are chains of unseen preceding causes, all of which had a bearing upon the number of the die which fell uppermost.

If a die is cast many times, the numbers shown will be about equal.

Toss a penny in the air, and it may come down either “heads” or “tails”. But make a sufficient number of tosses, and the heads and tails will about even up.

This is the operation of the law of average.

But both the average and the single toss come under the Law of Cause and Effect, and if we were able to examine into the preceding causes, it would be clearly seen that it was simply impossible for the die to fall other than it did, under the same circumstances and at the same time.

Given the same causes, the same results will follow. There is always a “cause” and a “because” to every event. Nothing ever “happens” without a cause, or rather a chain of causes.

Some people are confused has arisen in the minds of persons considering this Principle, from the fact that they were unable to explain how one thing could cause another thing—that is, be the “creator” of the second thing.

But no “thing” ever causes or “creates” another “thing”.

Cause and Effect deals merely with “events.” An “event” is “that which comes, arrives or happens, as a result or consequent of some preceding event.”

No event “creates” another event. But is merely a preceding link in the great orderly chain of events flowing from the creative energy of THE ALL.

There is a continuity between all events precedent, consequent and subsequent. There is a relation existing between everything that has gone before, and everything that follows.

A stone is dislodged from a mountain side and crashes through a roof of a cottage in the valley below. At first sight we regard this as a chance effect, but when we examine the matter we find a great chain of causes behind it.

In the first place there was the rain which softened the earth supporting the stone and which allowed it to fall; then back of that was the influence of the sun, other rains, etc., which gradually disintegrated the piece of rock from a larger piece; then there were the causes which led to the formation of the mountain, and its upheaval by convulsions of nature, and so on ad infinitum.

Then we might follow up the causes behind the rain, etc.

Then we might consider the existence of the roof.

In short, we would soon find ourselves involved in a mesh of cause and effect, from which we would soon strive to extricate ourselves.

A man has:

• 2 parents
• 4 grandparents
• 8 great-grandparents
• 16 great-great-grandparents, etc

40 generations have millions of ancestors. So it is with the number of causes behind even the most trifling event, such as the passage of a tiny speck of soot before your eye.

It is not easy to trace the bit of soot hack to the early period of the world’s history when it formed a part of a massive tree-trunk, which was afterward converted into coal, and so on, until as the speck of soot it now passes before your vision on its way to other adventures.

A mighty chain of events, causes and effects, brought it to its present condition.

The later is but one of the chain of events which will go to produce other events hundreds of years from now. One of the series of events arising from the tiny bit of soot was the writing of these lines, which caused the typesetter to perform certain work.

The proofreader to do likewise; and which will arouse certain thoughts in your mind, and that of others, which in turn will affect others, and so on, and on, and on, beyond the ability of man to think further-and all from the passage of a tiny bit of soot, all of which shows the relativity and association of things, and the further fact that “there is no great; there is no small, in the mind that causeth all.”

If a man had not met a certain maid, away back in the dim period of the Stone Age—you who are now reading these lines would not now be here.

If the same couple had failed to meet, we who now write these lines would not now be here.

And the very act of writing, on our part, and the act of reading, on yours, will affect not only the respective lives of yourself and ourselves, but will also have a direct, or indirect, affect upon many other people now living and who will live in the ages to come.

Every thought we think, every act we perform, has its direct and indirect results which fit into the great chain of Cause and Effect.

We do not wish to enter into a consideration of Free Will, or Determinism, in this work, for various reasons.

Among the many reasons, is the principal one that neither side of the controversy is entirely right-in fact, both sides are partially right, according to the Hermetic Teachings.

The Principle of Polarity shows that both are but Half-Truths the opposing poles of Truth.

A man may be both Free and yet bound by Necessity, depending on:

• the meaning of the terms
• the height of Truth from which the matter is examined.

“The further the creation is from the Centre, the more it is bound; the nearer the Centre it reaches, the nearer Free is it.”

The majority of people are the slaves of heredity, environment, etc., and manifest very little Freedom.

They are swayed by the opinions, customs and thoughts of the outside world, and also by their emotions, feelings, moods, etc. They manifest no Mastery, worthy of the name. They indignantly repudiate this assertion, saying, “Why, I certainly am free to act and do as I please—I do just what I want to do,” but they fail to explain whence arise the “want to” and “as I please.”

What makes them “want to” do one thing in preference to another; what makes them “please” to do this, and not do that?

Is there no “because” to their “pleasing” and “Wanting”?

The Master can change these “pleases” and “wants” into others at the opposite end of the mental pole. He is able to “Will to will,” instead of to will because some feeling, mood, emotion, or environmental suggestion arouses a tendency or desire within him so to do.

The majority of people are carried along like the falling stone, obedient to environment, outside influences and internal moods, desires, etc., not to speak of the desires and wills of others stronger than themselves, heredity, environment, and suggestion, carrying them along without resistance on their part, or the exercise of the Will.

Moved like the pawns on the checkerboard of life, they play their parts and are laid aside after the game is over. But the Masters, knowing the rules of the game, rise above the plane of material life, and placing themselves in touch with the higher powers of their nature, dominate their own moods, characters, qualities, and polarity, as well as the environment surrounding them and thus become Movers in the game, instead of Pawns-Causes instead of Effects.

The Masters do not escape the Causation of the higher planes, but fall in with the higher laws, and thus master circumstances on the lower plane.

They thus form a conscious part of the Law, instead of being mere blind instruments. While they Serve on the Higher Planes, they Rule on the Material Plane.

There is no such thing as Chance. The blind goddess has been abolished by Reason.

Everything is governed by Universal Law. The infinite number of laws are but manifestations of the One Great Law-the LAW which is THE ALL.

Not a sparrow drops unnoticed by the Mind of THE ALL.

But this does not mean that Man is but a blind robot.

Man may use Law to overcome laws. The higher will always prevail against the lower, until at last he has reached the stage in which he seeks refuge in the LAW itself.