The Kybalion: A Study of The Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and GreeceThree Initiates
Religion
The Kybalion: A Study of The Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece
Three Initiates
Hermetism; Occultism
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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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