Chapter
12 - Causation
'Every
Cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause; everything
happens according to Law; Chance is but a name for Law not
recognized; there are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes
the Law." -The Kybalion.
The great Sixth Hermetic Principle-the Principle of Cause and
Effect-embodies the truth that Law pervades the Universe; that
nothing happens by Chance; that Chance is merely a term indicating
cause existing but not recognized or perceived; that phenomena is
continuous, without break or exception.
The Principle of Cause and Effect underlies all scientific thought,
ancient and modern, and was enunciated by the Hermetic Teachers in
the earliest days. While many and varied disputes between the many
schools of thought have since arisen, these disputes have been
principally upon the details of the operations of the Principle,
and still more often upon the meaning of certain words. The
underlying Principle Cause and Effect has been accepted as correct
by practically all the thinkers of the world worthy of the name. To
think otherwise would be to take the phenomena of the universe from
the domain of Law and Order, and to relegate it to the control of
the imaginary something which men have called "Chance."
A little consideration will show anyone that there is in reality no
such thing as pure Chance. Webster defines the word "Chance" as
follows:
"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." But
a little consideration will show you that there can be no such
agent as "Chance," in the sense of something outside of
Law-something 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 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.
A careful examination will show that what we call ''Chance" is
merely an expression relating to obscure causes; causes that we
cannot perceive; causes that we cannot understand. The word Chance
is derived from a word meaning "to fall" (as the falling of dice),
the idea being that the fall of the dice (and many other
happenings) are merely a "happening" unrelated to any cause. And
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 a law as infallible as that
which governs the revolution of the planets around the sun. Back of
the fall of the die are causes, or chains of causes, running back
further then 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., 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 be cast a great number of times, it will be found that the
numbers shown will be about equal, that is, there will be an equal
number of one-spot, two-spot, etc., coming uppermost. 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 confusion has arisen in the minds of person 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. As a matter of fact, 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.
Just as a man has two parents, and four grandparents, and eight
great-grandparents, and sixteen great-great-grandparents, and so on
until when, say, forth generations are calculated the numbers of
ancestors run into many millions-so it is with the number of causes
behind even the most trifling event of phenomena, such as the
passage of a tiny speck of soot before your eye. It is not an easy
matter to trace the bit of soot back 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. And a mighty chain of events, causes and effects,
brought it to its present condition, and the latter 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."
Stop to think a moment. If a certain 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. And if, perhaps 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 we 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 principle 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. The Teachings are that a man may be both Free and yet bound
by Necessity, depending upon the meaning of the terms, and the
height of Truth from which the matter is examined. The ancient
writers express the matter thus: "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 more or less 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 to do so.
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.
But, on higher and on lower, the Law is always in operation. There
is no such things as Chance. The blind goddess has been abolished
by Reason. We are able to see now, with eyes made clear by
knowledge, that everything is governed by Universal Law-that the
infinite number of laws are but manifestations of the One Great
Law-the LAW which is THE ALL. It is true indeed that not a sparrow
drops unnoticed by the Mind of THE ALL-that even the hairs on our
head are numbered-as the scriptures have said. There is nothing
outside of Law, nothing that happens contrary to it. And yet, do
not make the mistake of supposing that Man is but a blind
automaton-far from that. They Hermetic Teachings are that Man may
use Law to overcome laws, and that 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, and laughs the phenomenal laws
to scorn. Are you able to grasp the inner meaning of
this?