"As above, so below"

is there any offical mainstream stance as to what it means, or is it just one of those things people try their best to have an educated guess?

because i would laugh so hard if there was nothing meaningful about it at all and it was just a reference to hair.

To me, what has helped me to arrive at my answer to this is the Star of David.

The upright triangle layered upon an inverted triangle. I suspect the triangles themselves are representative of the male/female balance and union. The phrase itself addresses the masculine and feminine balance of the universe. It's also represented by Baphomet who has the male penis but also has female breasts. Look at it as light and dark, ying and yang.

reply to post by cry93

It is simply a term to allow you to understand yourself, your environment and your reality.

Yes

As above has always meant the planets and stars in the sky reflecting their energy onto us on the earth below for me.

Yes

The upright triangle layered upon an inverted triangle. I suspect the triangles themselves are representative of the male/female balance and union. The phrase itself addresses the masculine and feminine balance of the universe.

and Yes.

The sooner people understand the holographic and multilayered nature of esoteric wisdom the closer they will get to understanding that it can be all of these things at the same time.

Originally posted by coyotepoet
reply to post by cry93

 

It is simply a term to allow you to understand yourself, your environment and your reality.

Yes

As above has always meant the planets and stars in the sky reflecting their energy onto us on the earth below for me.

Yes

The upright triangle layered upon an inverted triangle. I suspect the triangles themselves are representative of the male/female balance and union. The phrase itself addresses the masculine and feminine balance of the universe.

and Yes.

The sooner people understand the holographic and multilayered nature of esoteric wisdom the closer they will get to understanding that it can be all of these things at the same time.

But how is this kind of thing taught? I ask this of you because maybe you know an easier way?

I grew to learn and appreciate my understanding. It wasn't easy and I don't recommend it for the average person. I don't even know how I arrive at some of my conclusions, just that they feel true to me and I share them.

Let me also explain that I personally believe that this age represents the absolute last path to understanding this on a fundamental level.

reply to post by cry93

But how is this kind of thing taught? I ask this of you because maybe you know an easier way?

I think people come upon it in different ways. It used to be the domain of mystery schools and secret societies. Certainly some of my understanding came from these venues or their analogues. Independent study if one is so inclined can be useful. Intuitive insights. True spiritual teachings. I have been studying the esoteric in one form or another for the better part of 20 years and I still get new insights from time to time. It has always been my experience that when I am ready for another layer of understanding of something it comes to me be it through teacher, book, or internal insight.

Originally posted by coyotepoet
reply to post by cry93

 

But how is this kind of thing taught? I ask this of you because maybe you know an easier way?

I think people come upon it in different ways. It used to be the domain of mystery schools and secret societies. Certainly some of my understanding came from these venues or their analogues. Independent study if one is so inclined can be useful. Intuitive insights. True spiritual teachings. I have been studying the esoteric in one form or another for the better part of 20 years and I still get new insights from time to time. It has always been my experience that when I am ready for another layer of understanding of something it comes to me be it through teacher, book, or internal insight.

I concur and also agree.

My concern is what replaced the mystery schools and who are the modern day initiates? I know many people don't want to hear this but I haven't found an answer outside of The Blood of Christ removed the veil so that we all have access to the lessons taught in mystery schools. The Bible can be symbolic though I believe much of what is reported did indeed happen, be it in the time frame referenced or through retelling of tales of old.

Thank you for your answers here. I don't recall "seeing" you around here before. I have enjoyed your answers in this thread.

Originally posted by lifeform11
is there any offical mainstream stance as to what it means, or is it just one of those things people try their best to have an educated guess?

because i would laugh so hard if there was nothing meaningful about it at all and it was just a reference to hair.

Funny. Seriously though, it isn't very hard to understand. It's like looking at a Yin and Yang and asking what is the mainstream meaning of it. Above and below is kinda like the first step to understanding. There are different schools of esoteric thought (and mainstream faith) which use idea to explain their faith. But every school have the same understanding of it, which is the duality of the universe, right down to the atoms in your body to the super massive black holes in the center of the Milky Way.

(Please note I'm Goatman, just a new account to change my name - sorry for any confusion)

"As above, so below" is a mathematical equation of sorts; a societal barometer, if you will.

It means that if a society is corrupt "at the top" it will be just as corrupt at the bottom.

This is the example coming to the forefront in our day and time.

reply to post by cry93

My concern is what replaced the mystery schools and who are the modern day initiates? I know many people don't want to hear this but I haven't found an answer outside of The Blood of Christ removed the veil so that we all have access to the lessons taught in mystery schools. The Bible can be symbolic though I believe much of what is reported did indeed happen, be it in the time frame referenced or through retelling of tales of old.

There are those like myself and other "white hat" teachers of the light who work to share information for the upliftment of humanity and there are those like the illuminati/PTB that know the information and both work to keep it hidden from the masses as well as using the knowledge to manipulate for power and control.

I have a slight shudder to the term "The Blood of Christ" but essentially yes. I consider myself to be a Mystic Christian with Buddhist, Pagan, and New Age aspects of belief (really just percieving the commonalities within all of those systems.)

There is a Rosicrucian teaching regarding Christ that makes sense of that for me. Christ is the energy and Jesus was the man. The Christ energy came down to earth and Jesus raised his energy up to meet it, thereby providing a bridge to all of us in physical form to that Christed energy, essentially making it possible for all of humanity to awaken. Awakening was possible prior to that, but on an individual level, not on the level of the whole of humanity.

Indeed the Bible is symbolic, as are all of the important sacred texts. But, as was said before, they (sacred texts/esoteric teachings) can be read in many different ways as there are many layers of understanding inherent in them.

reply to post by BirdOfillOmen


The easiest way for me to understand it is
As above, So Below = Mirror Image.

The above true image is one of light and purity.
The below reverse image is one of darkness and chaos.
But they each have the same order to them.

LOTZA LUV
I hope it helps LOL, I am new to the esoteric wisdom stuff.

reply to post by Mividau


I'm not sure why exactaly, but you all seem to just dance around the core of this, like a bunch of children who want to know but can't seem to get it together enough to learn.

Anyway all of yall need to read more. Try this: The KYBALION; by Three Initiates. Here is a link: www.hermetics.org...

Read this document, then continue your discussion. Please! You are all so close, yet so very wrong.

ETA: I should also thank all of you. I've wanted the KYBALION in electronic form for so very long ... and yall made me go find it. THANKS!!!!!

I appreciate you guys' input. This is finally starting to go how I originally intended it to. The link you posted, AnthraAndromda, is really interesting. I'll make sure I finish through this.

Originally posted by AnthraAndromda
reply to post by Mividau

 

I'm not sure why exactaly, but you all seem to just dance around the core of this, like a bunch of children who want to know but can't seem to get it together enough to learn.

Anyway all of yall need to read more. Try this: The KYBALION; by Three Initiates. Here is a link: www.hermetics.org...

Read this document, then continue your discussion. Please! You are all so close, yet so very wrong.

ETA: I should also thank all of you. I've wanted the KYBALION in electronic form for so very long ... and yall made me go find it. THANKS!!!!!

edit on 18-8-2011 by AnthraAndromda because: (no reason given)

I've been reading the link you provided. Thank you for the link and you earned a star for it.

However, much of what I shared in my postings here is indeed covered in this link. To be honest, although the work itself isn't very long I do find it to be entirely too "wordy" for lack of a better description. I would rather read the core teachings of Kybalion in it's original format and without all the additional wording. Again, I don't find it (additional explanations) to be false but I do believe that it is repetitive and that can lead to dogma.

Can I have the original lessons without the explanations, please?

reply to post by AnthraAndromda

So is the phrase used to say that "God" and "Satan" are the same entity? Or that heaven and hell both represent states of mind you can achieve on earth?

Or does "above" refer to the universe outside of Earth and "below" is below the stars on Earth's surface?

I still don't get it...

Tree of Life...

Study that and report back with your findings!

It is as such:
Good and bad, up and down, over and under, right and wrong, black and white, yes and no, here and there, right and left, this way and that way, earth and sky, air and water, do and dont, take it or leave it.

In all things...all have their equal opposites. That it a basic description. Positve and negative karma will get you what you wish.

Far more antiquitous than the New Age Movement, and more trancedental than Hermeticism.

"As above, so below."

Exoteric: Micro = Macro / Subatomic Particles = Cosmic Bodies / Fractal Infinities

That is the easy part to understand, and even in it many are bewildered. One esoteric principle of the infamous phrase can be understood a bit better with a slight change of wording; "As within, so without." Let those with eyes see, and those with ears hear!

I finally got around to typing in "as above, so below" into the Youtube search bar and I happened to stumble across this:

Pretty fascinating stuff, actually.

reply to post by BirdOfillOmen


As I've been trying to explain the meaning differs from which school you choose to follow or learn from, the basic idea is black and white, in / out, good / bad. etc.
With your question in regards to God and Satan, some schools go beyond your concept of God and Satan, some say that they are one, other say that one is the creation of the other.

It comes down to what you want to believe.

I would define above as a nonphysical place resembling the physical and below would be this earth. Another definition would be above refers to heaven and below refers to hell. In any case as above so below can be easily turned around into as below so above, doesn't matter which came first, we can only be sure of what's below.

To me it's an obvious mindcontrol statement allowing someone to gain power over another's mind and through that the whole of one's reality. Above there are no limits, the physical universe is said to be infinite but since no one can leave this planet, below is actually finite. This is very important in establishing or claiming one's nonphysical space above. Without a space, one is mentally a wanderer, homeless, all kinds of difficulties would be created. Why someone would do this is because this space is finite, then it's resource are also finite and the less competition there is the more resources are available for whoever wins. Of seen from a different perspective, someone who has a house has an advantage over a homeless, might even lead to giving the homeless a room in a metaphysical house but only if that homeless works for the houselord.

Below, there is money, above everything is free. If above is the same as below then there must be a currency, there must be wealth and a distribution method, so this must mean there is the rich and poor and as below so above, the rich must be the most powerful. Money in this case would be merits from good deeds or simply the idea of 'one source' which gives more energy to one than another because as below so above, in the basis we might be equal but relating to eachother we are not. I could go on all day listing what is wrong with believing in 'as above, so below'.