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 of 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 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.
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 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., 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 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. 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, forty 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 or 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 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. And a mighty chain of
events, causes and effects, brought it to its present condition, and 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."
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
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. 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 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.
But, on higher and on lower, the Law is always in operation. There is no
such thing 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 AL--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. The 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?