Hermetic principles · 19 September 2026 · Charlotte Himsworth
Cause and Effect: Becoming the Cause
Nothing happens entirely by chance. The sixth principle invites us to take up our part in shaping what follows.
“Every cause has its effect; every effect has its cause; everything happens according to law.” The sixth Hermetic principle is perhaps the most practical of all. It asks us to see our thoughts and actions as causes, and our results as their effects.
Effect or cause?
The Kybalion describes most people as being “carried along” by circumstances, while the wise learn to rise above them and become causes in their own right. We all spend time on both sides. The invitation is simply to spend a little more time as the cause: choosing, acting and responding, rather than only reacting.
Small causes, large effects
Causes rarely look dramatic. They look like one honest conversation, one walk taken instead of skipped, one page written, one kind gesture. Their effects build quietly, like compound interest, until one day the results are unmistakable.
This is also why the knowing–doing gap matters so much. Knowing what would help is not a cause. Doing it is.
The impression of increase
Thinking Into Results closes with a beautiful idea: leaving everyone with the impression of increase. It is Cause and Effect applied to kindness. When we add value to every interaction, that value tends to return, not always from the same place, but reliably over time.
A practice
At the start of each day this week, write one sentence: “Today I will cause…”, followed by one small, specific action. In the evening, note what happened. After seven days, look back. You may be surprised how much a week of small causes can change.