The principle of Gender in Hermeticism

The principle of Gender teaches that all creation depends on the meeting of two complementary forces. The masculine and feminine are present in nature, the mind and the spiritual planes. They do not represent opposing forces, but aspects that need to cooperate to generate, develop and manifest something.

These principles are not limited to men and women. Every person has masculine and feminine forces acting in their consciousness. One directs, drives and transmits; the other receives, develops and transforms the received impulse into a new manifestation.

Understanding Gender allows us to observe how thoughts, projects, relationships and experiences are created. Every manifestation begins with a force that initiates movement and another that receives this stimulus, develops its possibilities and allows something new to appear on the physical, mental or spiritual plane.

What is the principle of Gender?

Gender is the seventh of the principles presented in The Kybalion. Its central teaching states that gender is present in everything, that all manifestations have masculine and feminine principles and that this law acts on the physical, mental and spiritual planes.

The function of this principle is to produce generation, regeneration and creation. Nothing can be created by an isolated force alone. There must be an energy capable of initiating and transmitting an impulse and another capable of receiving, developing and transforming it into a complete manifestation.

Gender shows that reality is creative. The universe does not merely continue repeating ready-made forms, because new combinations, thoughts, beings and experiences continually arise. Behind every creative process lies the cooperation between these two universal principles.

What is the difference between gender and sex?

In the teaching of The Kybalion, gender and sex do not have exactly the same meaning. Sex is one manifestation of Gender on the physical plane and relates to the reproduction of organisms. Gender is a broader law that is also present in energy, the mind and spiritual creation.

This means that the masculine principle does not belong exclusively to men and the feminine principle does not belong only to women. Every being contains both within its constitution. The way these forces express themselves may vary, but no person is inwardly formed by only one principle.

The study of Gender is not limited to sexuality either. Its central subject is creation. It seeks to explain how complementary forces meet, exchange information and produce something that did not previously exist. Reducing it to sex alone prevents us from understanding its mental and spiritual reach.

What do the masculine and feminine principles represent?

The masculine principle relates to impulse, direction, will and the projection of an idea. It sets a force in motion and gives it direction. It is the aspect that initiates, fertilizes and directs energy toward a specific purpose.

The feminine principle relates to reception, formation, imagination and development. It welcomes the received impulse and works on it until it can generate a new manifestation. Its action is not passive, because the creative process truly takes shape within this principle.

Neither principle completes a creation alone. Direction without development remains only an impulse, while receptivity without direction can be occupied by external influences. Conscious creation occurs when will and imagination, impulse and formation, work in balance.

How does Gender produce generation, regeneration and creation?

Generation is the arising of something new from the meeting of complementary forces. This can occur in the birth of a being, the formation of an idea, the creation of a project or the development of a spiritual experience. Every creation needs an initiating principle and a field capable of developing it.

Regeneration occurs when an existing force is reorganized and receives a new form. A person can transform a thought, recover their energy or change the direction of their own life. What existed is not merely destroyed, but worked on until it produces another manifestation.

Creation is the visible result of this process. A thought fertilizes the imagination, imagination builds a possibility, and will directs that possibility toward action. The principle of Gender acts from the first impulse until the new reality becomes recognizable.

How does Gender act on the physical plane?

On the physical plane, Gender clearly manifests in reproduction and the continuity of life. The meeting of masculine and feminine elements allows a new form to be generated. Each principle provides its own participation, and from their union arises a being with individual characteristics.

The same movement can be recognized in the processes of attraction, combination and formation found in nature. Different elements approach one another, exchange forces and produce new structures. The result is not merely the sum of its parts, but a manifestation with its own properties.

The physical plane makes visible a law that also acts on subtler levels. Bodily creation is a concrete expression of the meeting between complementary principles. On the mental and spiritual planes, the same dynamic remains active, although it manifests through ideas, forces and states of consciousness.

What is mental Gender?

The Kybalion presents the mind as a field where the masculine and feminine principles act continuously. The masculine relates to the “I,” will and the capacity to direct. The feminine relates to the “Me,” the mental field that receives impressions, develops images and generates thoughts.

When an idea is projected by the will, it encounters the field of imagination. In this space, it receives images, feelings and possibilities. The feminine mind develops the received seed until it becomes a complete thought, a decision or a creation capable of being manifested.

A mind without conscious direction can continually receive the ideas, opinions and desires of other people. When will and imagination work together, the individual stops merely reproducing external impressions and begins generating their own thoughts, goals and paths.

How does the principle of Gender participate in creating the universe?

The Kybalion presents the All as a single reality. When the universe is created within the Mind of the All, the masculine and feminine principles appear as aspects of the same process. The masculine projects the creative will, while the feminine develops that will in the form of nature and its manifestations.

This relationship was represented spiritually by the images of the divine Father and the universal Mother. The Father symbolizes the creative impulse, while the Mother represents the field that receives, nurtures and gives form to creation. Both proceed from the same unity and do not constitute separate or rival powers.

Every existing form is born within this movement. The masculine principle provides the seed or direction, and the feminine develops its possibilities until the manifestation is born. Universal creation thus becomes a continuous process of emission, reception, generation and transformation.

How does Gender appear in ancient Hermeticism?

In Poimandres, primordial humanity arises as a reality that originally unites the masculine and feminine principles. This condition represents a wholeness before the separation found in bodily existence. In its spiritual origin, humanity participates in a broader unity.

Hermeticism also presents the human being as a creature of dual nature, simultaneously related to the material and spiritual worlds. This condition allows us to understand why we have different forces in our constitution and why spiritual development requires integrating them instead of rejecting one of them.

Later, alchemy used images of union between masculine and feminine to represent the integration of opposing forces. The androgynous being, the king and queen and other figures symbolized the reunion needed to produce transformation, balance and spiritual birth.

How can we balance the masculine and feminine principles?

Balancing Gender does not mean making the two principles identical. It means allowing each to perform its function without dominating or preventing the other. Will needs to provide direction, while imagination receives that direction and develops the paths needed for its manifestation.

An excess of the masculine principle can produce rigidity, control, impulsiveness and difficulty receiving. An imbalance of the feminine may lead to distraction, receptivity without discernment and difficulty choosing a direction. These problems do not belong to a specific sex, because they can appear in anyone.

Balance occurs when we know how to act and receive, direct and develop, decide and mature. Will plants the seed, imagination gives it form, and action allows birth. When these forces cooperate consciously, we become more active participants in creating our own reality.

About the author

Prof. Tibério Z has more than 30 years of experience teaching spirituality, metaphysics, holistic therapies and consciousness development.