Hermetics is the foundation on which our understanding of spiritual healing is built. Originating in ancient Egypt, Hermetics was said to be given to human kind by Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom, whom the Greeks called Hermes Trismegistrus. Hermes was hailed from the earliest times as the "Master of Masters" and, if he did exist, he is truly the father of esoteric wisdom. The details of his life have been lost to us, but one tradition has it that he was a contemporary of Abraham. Perhaps he was the fabled Melchezidec, whom Abraham paid tithes to, or whom Jesus was compared to when he was described as "a priest on the order of Melchezidec." Whatever the truth may be, Hermes gave to humankind a set of teachings, or axioms, which has influenced philosophy and religion ever since. His entire philosophy hinges on seven simple principles and the practice of healing in its many forms is most clearly understood in Hermetic terms. This is most succinctly expressed in the Kybalian. The Kybalian was written in 1912 and has since become a modern classic.

The first Hermetic Axiom states, "The All is mind; the Universe is mental." This doesn't mean that what we see in the material world is an illusion, or what the Hindus call maya. When the Hermeticist or healer says that everything is mental, he means that the source -- the cosmic root of everything animate and inanimate -- is infinite creative mind. (This is succinctly verbalized in Sanskrit as Om.) Human beings, by being sentient and self-aware, can experience infinite mind as it manifests in their spirit through the I AM (or, what is called Atman in Yoga and Tantra), which is at the center of their being.

The second Hermetic Axiom states, "As above, so below; as below, so above." There are planes above us; these higher dimensions would be beyond our understanding, hidden behind the veils, if the second Hermetic Axiom, the Principle of Correspondence, didn't have universal application. Because the Principle of Correspondence applies to all levels at all times, man can begin to understand the higher planes by studying the lower ones.

The third Hermetic Axiom, the Principle of Vibration states, "Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates." Applying the Principle of Vibration to healing, we can see that not only does everything vibrate, but also everything that vibrates has a characteristic rate of vibration, which is its unique mark. This vibration can be influenced negatively or positively by other frequencies of energy within the environment. When a person's vibration is negatively affected, disease results. The process of healing is the process of correcting a person's rate of vibration. We can illustrate this by thinking of disease as a wobble or an unrhythmic vibration. It is usually a more dense vibration, and in a lower range of frequencies than a healthy one. For example, a wobble often develops in a car that has poorly aligned tires; this then affects the steering and, to correct it, a person must have the alignment checked and the wheels balanced. Once the wobble develops, its uncharacteristic vibration can adversely affect other systems in the car. The same thing can occur in the human energy system. Disease in one area can create disease in a related area or in a nearby system. A wobble also can begin on one level and be transmuted to the level adjacent to it. For example, an unrhythmic vibration on the etheric plane, if not corrected, will disrupt the flow of energy on both the astral and physical-material levels.

The fourth Hermetic Axiom is called the Principle of Polarity. It states, "Everything is dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; extremes meet; all truths are but half truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled." From this principle, we can deduce that spirit and matter are simply two poles of the same thing and that everything between them has elements of both, varying from each other only in degree (i.e. vibration). If opposites are really the same, and if spirit and matter are the same thing (differing only in their rate of vibration), then they can be transmuted from one into the other, and spiritual energy can positively affect anything in the physical world, including the physical-material body. It then follows in the human experience that hate can be transmuted into love, pain into joy, and disease into perfect health. Because the healer understands the Principle of Polarity, he can transmute negative energy on each and every level and, in this way, heal the patient.

The fifth Hermetic Axiom states, "Everything flows out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum swing manifest in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates." The healer understands the law of rhythm and becomes attentive. He "pays attention" to the natural rhythms he finds everywhere, especially those within himself. He learns that rhythms compensate. Like the great physician Hippocrates said, "Opposites are cures for opposites." After compensating for his own wobbles, the healer can do the same for his patient by transmuting healing energy into the exact vibration or dosage that will compensate for the disease of wobble he finds in that patient.

The sixth Hermetic Axiom states, "Every cause has its effect, every effect has its cause; everything happens according to the law; chance is but a name for law not recognized; there are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes the law." The most important feature of this principle in healing is that nothing happens by chance. The root of every disease is a chain of events that the ill person participated in, even if his participation was largely unconscious. In the final tally, the ill person is responsible. As a result, he will eventually pay the price for past actions through present disease and pain. This law of cause and effect is also known as Karma. In the book of Galatians, the Apostle Paul tells us, "...God is not mocked, for whatever a man soweth, that he shall also reap."

The seventh Hermetic Axiom is the Principle of Gender. It states, "Gender is in everything; everything has its masculine and feminine principles; gender manifests on all planes." Gender, it should be noted, represents far more than sex, the differences between male and female that are quite clear to us on the physical-material plane. Gender manifests on all planes. On the mental plane, the masculine principle of gender is manifest as the objective, conscious, active mind. The feminine aspect corresponds to the subjective, unconscious, passive mind. On the emotional plane, the masculine principle manifests itself as assertiveness, anger and all extroverted emotions. The feminine principle manifests itself as receptivity, protection, and all introverted emotions. This duality is inherent in all living things, including human beings. It is the healer's job to integrate this dual nature first within himself, then within his patient, and to bring everyone he works with into perfect harmony and balance.

The importance of the hermetic axioms cannot be overstated. With them as a firm foundation, many a healer and student have avoided the false starts and pitfalls encountered along the trek inward through the dimensions of soul and spirit. With the hermetic axioms as their trusted guide, those fortunate ones have moved rapidly forward, becoming more skilled and growing in wisdom while many others with good intentions but lacking a firm foundation have floundered because they were carried away by theories and doctrines that were conceptual constructs rather than based on observable reality. Keith Sherwood is the author of Chakra Therapy and The Art of Spiritual Healing. He is the founder and director of the Center for Inner Awareness in Anchorage. Visit him at www.wholelove.com.