Mental Gender is a Hermetic concept which relates to the masculine and feminine principles. It does not refer to the physical gender of someone, nor does it suggest that someone of a certain physical gender necessarily has a certain mental gender. Ideally, one wants to have a balanced mental gender. (Three Initiates pp. 193-211) This is similar to the Taoist concept of Yin and Yang, and one may have been created from the other. The concept is practically universal in the occult scene worldwide. Hermes Trismegistus depicted as Caucasian in a medieval rendering. ... Sex, in the scope of this article and category, refers to the male and female duality of biology and reproduction. ... For other uses of the words tao and dao, see Dao (disambiguation). ... Taoists Taijitu The concept of yin and yang (Traditional: 陰陽; Simplified: 阴阳; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Korean hangul: 음양; hanja: 陰陽; revised: eumyang; McCune-Reischauer: ŭmyang; Vietnamese: Âm-Dương) originates in ancient Chinese philosophy and metaphysics, which describes two primal opposing but complementary forces found in all things in the universe. ...

The Masculine Principle

Key Words

• Active
• Creates Impressions
• Related with Fire
• Drive
• Will
• "I"
• The Sun
• Gold

This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Description

The Masculine Principle is relatable to the Yang principle in Taoism. It is that of action which seeks to change the world with will, drive, and determination.

The Feminine Principle

Key Words

• Passive
• Receptive
• Recieves Impressions
• Related with Water
• Reflection
• Thought
• "Me"
• The Moon
• Silver

Water is one of the four classical elements in ancient Greek philosophy and science. ...

Description

The Feminine Principle is relatable to the Yin principle in Taoism. It is that of thoughtful reflection which provides vision and direction.

Balance of Masculine and Feminine

It is said that there must be a balance in these two forces. The Masculine is apt to acting without restraint, order, or reason, resulting in chaos, without the Feminine. The Feminine, on the other hand, is apt to constantly reflect and fail to actually do anything, resulting in stagnation, if the masculine is not present. With both the masculine and feminine working in conjunction, you get thoughtful action that breeds success. (Three Initiates pp. 203-4)

Represented in the Ankh

The ankh has among it's many meanings, a display of the joining of the Masculine and Feminine principles. The top part of the ankh, if openned up, makes a Ω-like shape, representing the feminine, crudely symbolizing the female genitalia. The shaft of the ankh represents the masculine with a phallic symbol. Together, they are joined to represent, among other things, the joining of the masculine and feminine principles. Other meanings include: life, divinity, immortality, the universe, and power. The ankh (pronounced ahnk, symbol ) was the Egyptian hieroglyphic character that stood for the word , which means life). ... Human female internal reproductive anatomy. ... The Latin word phallus (from the Greek phallos) and its derived adjective phallic, adopted in English and in many modern languages, refers to the penis. ...

Contemplating this within the Hermetic conception of The All, could provide a common link unifying all of these ideas together. The All is the Hermetic version of God. ...

References

Three Initiates (1912). The Kybalion, Chicago: The Yogi Publication Society Masonic Temple.

See also

• Corpus Hermeticum
  
• Hermes Trismegistus
  
• Hermetica
  
• Hermeticism
  
• Hermetism
  
• Kybalion
  
• Taoism
  
• Yin and Yang
  

Hermetica refers to a category of popular Late Antique literature purporting to contain secret wisdom, and generally attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. ... Hermes Trismegistus (Greek for Hermes the thrice-greatest, Greek: Ερμης ο Τρισμεγιστος) or Mercurius ter Maximus in Latin, is the syncretism of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian Thoth. ... Hermetica refers to a category of popular Late Antique literature purporting to contain secret wisdom, and generally attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. ... Hermes Trismegistus depicted as Caucasian in a medieval rendering. ... Hermetism refers to a Greco-Egyptian pagan mystical sect, based on the Hermetic Corpus, also known as the Hermetica, a group of 18 tracts composed in Hellenic Alexandria in the first century C.E. To be distinguished from its Renaissance and modern offshots, generally known as Hermeticism. ... The Kybalion is a mystical, hermetic book that was authored by the Three Initiates. The content of this book is generally believed to be the essence of the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus and outlines The Seven Hermetic Principles as: 1. ... For other uses of the words tao and dao, see Dao (disambiguation). ... Taoists Taijitu The concept of yin and yang (Traditional: 陰陽; Simplified: 阴阳; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Korean hangul: 음양; hanja: 陰陽; revised: eumyang; McCune-Reischauer: ŭmyang; Vietnamese: Âm-Dương) originates in ancient Chinese philosophy and metaphysics, which describes two primal opposing but complementary forces found in all things in the universe. ...

External links

http://www.gnostic.org/kybalionhtm/kybalion.htm — Online Version of The Three Initates' The Kybalion