As we dive deeper into August, our month dedicated to “Being Heard” as part of our journey toward Mastery, I find myself profoundly moved by our chosen text: The Kybalion. The more I’m diving into our book this season, the more I’m embracing this aspect of Hermetic Philosophy.
“As above, so below, as within, so without, as the soul, so the Universe”
Hermes Trismegistus
What began as an exploration of ancient wisdom has evolved into something far more personal—a recognition that being truly heard often requires us to first listen to the hidden wisdom that surrounds us. Even more significant… it might not even involve words.
Unveiling What’s Hidden in Plain Sight
I love unveiling these ideas and uncovering things that are not as they seem. For example, the word occultism. What do you think of when someone says the word ‘occult’? Well, I’ve always attached a negative connotation. Yet, it simply means ‘hidden’, ‘in secret’. Nothing related to Satanism or the evil… where did that even come from?
Well, I looked into that too.
The association between occultism and Satanism has deep historical roots that stem from several key factors:
- Christian Suppression of Pre-Christian Traditions
Historically, Western occultism is rooted in pre-Christian pagan traditions, which were largely suppressed during the rise of Christianity. Occultism | EBSCO Research Starters. As Christianity spread, anything that wasn’t Christian doctrine became suspect and was often labelled as devil worship or demonic.
- Medieval Theological Shifts
Throughout the medieval era, mainstream Christian doctrine had denied the belief in the existence of witches and witchcraft. condemning it as a pagan superstition. Some have argued that the work of the Dominican Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century helped lay the groundwork for a shift in Christian doctrine, by which certain Christian theologians eventually began to accept the possibility of collaboration with the devil(s). Witch trials in the early modern period – Wikipedia
- The Witch Trials Era:
The most significant period for this association was during the witch trials of the 15th to 17th centuries. Instead, they became all-out malevolent Devil-worshippers, who had made pacts with him in which they had to renounce Christianity and devote themselves to Satanism. The Witch Trials | Western Civilisation During this period, many Christians engaged in ritual actions, whether for healing, for creating amulets, or for locating lost property, that were outside the remit of the church authorities. Witchcraft | Definition, History, Trials, Witch Hunts, & Facts | Britannica. These practices were then reframed as satanic.
- Historical Context
For most of Christian history, accusations that groups have been deliberately worshipping the Devil have been spurious, with little or no basis in reality. Satanism | Definition, Beliefs, Symbols, & Anton LaVey | Britannica. Most of these associations were created by Christian authorities to discredit and suppress competing spiritual systems.
- The Political and Social Control Aspect
The origins of witchcraft prosecution can be traced back to Europe centuries prior, when pre-Reformation courts first induced criminals to admit to heresy and witchcraft to exert social control through displays of harsh and often violent punishment. Historian investigates the history of witchcraft prosecution | Stanford Humanities Centre
Essentially, the association was largely manufactured by Christian institutions as a way to suppress alternative spiritual practices, consolidate religious power, and eliminate anything that challenged Christian orthodoxy. I can’t say I’m surprised. The word “occult”, simply meaning “hidden knowledge”, got conflated with “devil worship” through centuries of religious persecution and propaganda.
Secrecy as Protection
Why, you may ask, do things have to be in secret or hidden? Well, if we look at the world today, it makes sense that certain things are not meant for power-hungry or superficial people. Some things have to be hidden to preserve them. They are too sacred to be made public and corrupted, and a lot of these things are then turned into ‘evil’ or suspicious.
What makes this tradition so remarkable is how intentionally it has been protected and veiled throughout the ages. The Hermetic teachings have never been allowed to crystallise into rigid dogma or creed, for doing so would kill their living, transformative power. Instead, they’ve been carefully guarded to preserve their purity, shared only with those genuinely prepared to receive them without corrupting or misusing them.
The Hermetic teachings have been intentionally veiled and protected for several crucial reasons:
- Preservation of Purity: The teachings must remain fluid and living, never crystallising into rigid dogma or creed that would kill their transformative power
- Protection from Profanation: Sacred wisdom shared carelessly becomes corrupted, misunderstood, or used for harmful purposes
- Natural Selection: Only those genuinely prepared and dedicated would persist in seeking the deeper meanings
In our current world of instant access and surface-level consumption, perhaps the ancients understood something we’re only beginning to grasp. Some wisdom needs protection—not from us, but for us. It needs to be earned through sincere inquiry rather than casually consumed.
Chiron’s Perfect Timing
Speaking of hidden things revealing themselves. Chiron went retrograde on July 30th, right as we’re diving deep into this month of “Being Heard.” The synchronicity isn’t lost on me.
In mythology, Chiron was the wise centaur who became the wounded healer. Unlike his wild, chaotic centaur brothers, Chiron was gentle, wise, and skilled in the healing arts. But he was accidentally wounded by one of Heracles’ poisoned arrow. A wound that never healed despite all his knowledge and skill. This eternal wound became his teacher, making him the greatest healer and mentor of heroes in Greek mythology.
Astrologically, Chiron represents our deepest wounds – the ones that never quite heal but teach us our greatest wisdom. It shows us where we’ve been hurt. And subsequently where we have the potential to heal others through our own experience of that particular pain.
Chiron Retrograde in Aries: The Wound of Self
Now Chiron is retrograde in Aries until December, asking us to look inward at our wounds around identity. Also, our independence and the courage to be ourselves. Aries is all about the self – the “I am” energy, the warrior, the pioneer. When Chiron is here, it points to wounds around our right to exist. Not just exist, but exist as we are, to take up space, to be seen and heard.
For all of us, this transit is asking: Where have you been wounded in your sense of self? Where do you doubt your right to be heard? What battles around your identity still feel tender to the touch?
My own Chiron is in Aries, and as I’m approaching my Chiron return, I’m not sure I’m up for more healing in the wounding of the self. Perhaps the rhythm will be much easier through conscious awareness. Maybe that’s the gift of studying ancient wisdom alongside these cosmic cycles. We get to meet our wounds with the tools of understanding rather than just raw experience.
The Sacred Principle of Correspondence
This brings me back to that Hermetic principle that’s been threading through everything this month. “As above, so below; as within, so without; as the soul, so the Universe.” This isn’t just ancient poetry. It’s a profound truth that seems to bind all seven Universal Principles together in perfect harmony.
The wounds we carry within us, those Chiron places that ache when touched, they’re not separate from our ability to be heard in the world. They’re connected. The way we’ve been silenced, dismissed, or told we don’t matter… that’s the inner wound that creates the outer struggle to find our voice.
But here’s what The Kybalion is teaching me: if the inner and outer are truly connected, then healing one heals the other. When I tend to my Aries wounds around my right to exist as I am. I’m also healing my ability to be authentically heard in the world.
Being Heard Requires Deep Listening
Before we can truly express our authentic voice, we must learn to listen. Not just with our ears, but with our entire being. We must listen to the patterns that connect the macrocosm and microcosm. The hidden wisdom that our ancestors preserved for us. The voice of truth that speaks beyond cultural conditioning. The sacred within ourselves mirrors the sacred in all things.
There’s something about studying these ancient texts that feels like archaeological work on my own soul. The wisdom was always there, hidden not because it was secret, but because it was sacred. Too precious to be thrown around carelessly, too powerful to be misunderstood.
The Journey of Mastery Through Our Wounds
As we continue through August, I’m realising that mastery isn’t about commanding attention or forcing our voice to be heard above others. It’s about aligning our inner voice with universal principles, allowing our authentic expression to emerge from a place of genuine wisdom rather than ego-driven need. And all of this without judgment. Judgment of ourselves or others.
Being heard isn’t about perfecting our voice or healing all our wounds first. It’s about speaking from the wholeness that includes our broken places. It’s about letting our Chiron wisdom – the hard-won knowledge that comes from our deepest hurts – become part of how we show up in the world.
The wounded healer doesn’t heal despite the wound. The wounded healer heals because of it.
When we understand the correspondence between all levels of existence, our voice naturally carries the authority of truth. We don’t need to shout to be heard. We need to speak from alignment with the deeper patterns that govern both our inner world and the cosmos itself.
Moving Forward
I invite you to join me in this exploration. As you move through the remainder of August, consider:
- What aspects of ancient wisdom have you dismissed based on surface-level understanding?
- How might the principle “as within, so without” be manifesting in your own life?
- Where have you been wounded in your sense of self, and how might those wounds hold wisdom?
- What truths are you ready to speak from a place of genuine understanding rather than mere opinion?
The path of mastery through being heard isn’t about volume—it’s about resonance. When we align our voice with timeless principles and embrace our wounded healer wisdom, we don’t just speak; we vibrate with the frequency of truth itself.
What if being heard isn’t about having all the answers? What if it’s about being brave enough to share the questions our wounds have taught us to ask?
Join our next Seeking Wisdom through Dialogue Call, open to all and free. PLUS, you can come as you are. Let’s explore these concepts together.