From the book
The Kybalion
Three Initiates · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordThe familiar mineral, plant, animal, and human kingdoms are interpreted as degrees of mentality.
- In The KybalionVIII distinguishes the entities animating minerals from the particles that form their material bodies.
- In this editionThe four kingdom labels and their source capitals are retained.
- A place to readVIII.16: “The Great Mental Plane comprises those forms of "living things" known to us in ordinary life,” …
Meaning
The familiar mineral, plant, animal, and human kingdoms are interpreted as degrees of mentality. Invisible elemental classes are placed between them within the Great Mental Plane.
Use in the book
VIII distinguishes the entities animating minerals from the particles that form their material bodies. Plants are then assigned life, mind, and souls; animal forms are treated as familiar instances of animation; human mentality is divided into further degrees of development.
The chapter uses the continuity to support universal mind and to connect the familiar world with invisible beings. Its numerical ranking places most contemporary humans at a specified intermediate level, while allowing advanced exceptions.
Places to read
- VIII Planes of Correspondence · Block 16“The Great Mental Plane comprises those forms of "living things" known to us in ordinary life, as well as certain other forms not so well known except to the occultist. The” …
- VIII Planes of Correspondence · Block 17“1. The Plane of Mineral Mind 2. The Plane of Elemental Mind (A) 3. The Plane of Plant Mind 4. The Plane of Elemental Mind (B) 5. The Plane of Animal” …
- VIII Planes of Correspondence · Block 18“The Plane of Mineral Mind comprises the "states or conditions" of the units or entities, or groups and combinations of the same, which animate the forms known to us as "minerals,” …
- VIII Planes of Correspondence · Block 20“The Plane of Plant Mind, in its seven sub-divisions, comprises the states or conditions of the entities comprising the kingdoms of the Plant World, the vital and mental phenomena of which” …
- VIII Planes of Correspondence · Block 22“The Plane of Animal Mind, in its seven sub-divisions, comprises the states and conditions of the entities, beings, or souls, animating the animal forms of life, familiar to us all. It” …
- VIII Planes of Correspondence · Block 24“The Plane of Human Mind, in its seven sub-divisions, comprises those manifestations of life and mentality which are common to Man, in his various grades, degrees, and divisions. In this connection,” …
In this edition
The four kingdom labels and their source capitals are retained. The lexicon's collective headword gathers them for comparison without introducing a fifth familiar kingdom.
Reading the argument
Mind has been extended beyond ordinary human consciousness. That extension follows the author's metaphysical commitment; it is not independently established by the observed complexity or activity of a mineral or plant. The terminology also does not supply a biological classification.
Mineral Mind
“Mineral Mind” — 2 occurrences in 2 text blocks: VIII.17–18.
Plant Mind
“Plant Mind” — 3 occurrences in 3 text blocks: VIII.17, 20–21.
Animal Mind
“Animal Mind” — 3 occurrences in 3 text blocks: VIII.17, 21–22.
Human Mind
“Human Mind” — 5 occurrences in 4 text blocks: IV.10; VIII.17, 24, 26.