By Victor M Fontane
"As above, so below" appears on Emerald Tablet which is a hermetic text often attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. Hermetic teachings are linked to alchemy, astrology, and date back to ancient Egypt and Greece. We also often hear about 7 hermetic principles (Mind, Correspondence, Vibration, Polarity, Rhythm, Causation, and Generation), that are pillars of hermetic philosophy. The 2nd hermetic principle according to the book The Kybalion is the principle of correspondence and it is linked to this phrase.
"As above, so below; as below, so above.” This principle embodies the truth that there is always a correspondence between the laws and phenomena of the various planes of existence.
As above, so below; as below, so above. As within, so without; as without, so within. - The Kybalion
The hermetic principle of correspondence represents the interaction between the macrocosm and the microcosm. It is through this principle that we are able to witness the seamless connection between the mental, physical, and spiritual planes of existence. It is the idea or belief that all units in creation are reflections of each other and together make up the whole of the holographic universe.
The Bible echoes this theme In Genesis 1: 26-27.
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
The Bible gives another example of the principle of correspondence when Jesus teaches the sermon on the Mount. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” - Matthew 6; 10
To the alchemist, the principle of correspondence reveals the link between the conscience and sub-conscience mind. The work the alchemist does on the spiritual plane, building a relationship with the divine, moves into the mental plane, as an idea or intuition, then manifests itself on the physical plane. This is where the mastery of the principle of mentalism comes into effect. The alchemist is now able to see the positive and negative effects their thoughts and emotions have on the world around them. Through the principle of correspondence, the alchemist gains the wisdom to cut to the root causes of all things and solve all paradox.
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