Callie Reads... The Kybalion 🤮: 1, the introduction
2024 October 14So, the Hermetic House of Life discord server is doing a weekly read-along of The Kybalion. And I have been press-ganged into participating.
If you don't know, this book is complete dogshit. Written in the early 20th century by a sales guy, William Walker Atkinson, it's a New Thought book pretending to be ancient wisdom from Egypt. It's most likely the reason why the random occultist you thought of just now is a sexist asshole. Or, really, the reason why they believe their culturally-inherited sexism is a fundamental building block of the universe.
Should you wish to join us in this foolhardiness, the book can be read here.
Here, for your delectation, are the things I said when I read the title page and introduction.
Dedication is an appeal to authority
I'm not even sure what to call the graph about the master key except obvious hokum. It can't be philosophy because that would require rigor and open him to criticisms from philosophers, but somehow it will reconcile all the reading one has done like it's a philosophy.
It's interesting Atkinson shows his hand in this graph though: he can't build anything, just try to raid what's already been made.
They are of course sheer fiction but still. This works to both impress fools and also protect Atkinson from people asking why they've never heard of this "ancient" stuff before now.
And the quoting of the text we were supposed to be reading begins in earnest. Althusser he isn't.
Ok. Sure. But that line implies people would hear the wisdom wherever the elect go
Additionally, if virtue was in keeping silent, what idiot is writing this book?
I am somewhat affirmed in my moral judgment of Kybalion stans. This is the intro and it's revealing Atkinson's true colors (whether it's true or not, we're all aware of his sales tactics). If you read this and think it's the book for you, you either skimmed this part or you're an asshole.
Oh, and also special pleading. Again.
A dodge to explain why this isn't the book you just tried to buy, but instead someone constantly quoting it.
Which is somewhat clever, as the book doesn't exist, so now you're criticizing his quotation of it rather than its fraudulent nature.