GENDER
"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 phenomena, 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 derived from the Latin root meaning "to beget; 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 manifestation 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 reprehensible, theories and
teachings regarding Sex.
The office of Gender is solely that of creating, producing, generating,
etc., and its manifestations 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 applied by
different authorities) revolving around each other and vibrating at a
high degree and intensity. 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 entirely erroneous impression regarding the qualities of
the so-called "Negative" pole of electrified 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 swarm 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
relegated to the scrap-pile of scientific speculation. 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
justified 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 actively 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 volition, 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 varied
phenomena of light, heat, electricity, magnetism, attraction,
repulsion, chemical affinity 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 incapable 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 expedient 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 underlying principles.
Some leading scientific investigators 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 corroborate the correctness of the Hermetic Principle of
Gender. It will be found that Gender is in constant operation and
manifestation in the field of inorganic 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 doctrine, 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 cohesion
between the molecules 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 vice 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.