Welcome to the Inspirational Living podcast, brought to you in part by Book of Zen, makers of wearable inspiration for a better world. Today’s podcast has been edited and adapted from The Kybalion, published in 1912 by the Yogi Publication Society.

The Principle of Cause and Effect embodies the truth that Law pervades the Universe; that nothing happens by Chance; that Chance is merely a term indicating a cause that exists but not readily recognized or perceived; that phenomena is continuous, without break or exception.

The Principle of Cause and Effect underlies all scientific thought, ancient and modern, and was enunciated by the Hermetic Teachers in the earliest days. While many and varied arguments between the numerous schools of thought have since arisen, these disputes have been principally upon the details of the operations of the Principle, and still more often upon the meaning of certain words.

The underlying Principle of Cause and Effect has been accepted as correct by practically all the thinkers of the world worthy of the name. To think otherwise would be to take the phenomena of the universe from the domain of Law and Order, and to relegate it to the control of the imaginary something which people have called “Chance.”

A little consideration will show anyone that there is in reality no such thing as pure Chance. Webster defines the word “Chance” as follows: “A supposed agent or mode of activity other than a force, law or purpose; a happening; fortuity; casualty, etc.” But there can be no such agent as “Chance,” in the sense of something outside of Law — something outside of Cause and Effect.

How could there be a something acting in the phenomenal universe, independent of the laws, order, and continuity of the latter? Such a something would be entirely independent of the orderly trend of the universe, and therefore superior to it. We can imagine nothing outside of THE ALL being outside of the Law, and that is only because THE ALL is the LAW in itself. There is no room in the universe for a something outside of (and independent of) Law. The existence of such a Something would render all Natural Laws ineffective, and would plunge the universe into chaotic disorder and lawlessness.

A careful examination will show that what we call “Chance” is merely an expression relating to obscure causes; causes that we cannot perceive; causes that we cannot understand. The word Chance is derived from a word meaning “to fall” (as the falling of dice), the idea being that the fall of the dice (and many other happenings) are merely a “happening” unrelated to any cause. And this is the sense in which the term is generally applied.

But when the matter is closely examined, it is seen that there is no chance whatsoever about the fall of the dice. Each time a die falls, and displays a certain number, it obeys a law as infallible as that which governs the revolution of the planets around the sun. Back of the fall of the die are causes, or chains of causes, running back further than the mind can follow. The position of the die in the box; the amount of muscular energy expended in the throw; the condition of the table, etc., etc., all are causes, the effect of which may be seen. But back of these seen causes, there are chains of unseen preceding causes, all of which had a bearing upon the number on the die which was cast.

If a die be cast a great number of times, it will be found that the numbers shown will be about equal, that is, there will be an equal number of one-spot, two-spot, etc., coming uppermost. Toss a penny in the air, and it may come down either “heads” or “tails”; but make a sufficient number of tosses, and the heads and tails will about even up. This is the operation of the law of averages.

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