Three Initiates's Biography(Books)(Photos)

The "Three Initiates" who authored The Kybalion chose to
remain anonymous. As a result, a great deal of speculation

A common theory is that Atkinson co-wrote the book with Paul

has been made about who actually wrote the book.

Foster Case and Michael Whitty. This theory is often held by
members of Builders of the Adytum, the Mystery School later

The most common proposal is that The Kybalion was authored
by William Walker Atkinson, either alone or with others.

founded by Case, though the group doesn't publicly make this
claim itself. In fact, this story appears to have originated

Atkinson was known to use many pseudonyms, and to
self-publish his works. He was also the owner of the "Yogi

Publication Society of Chicago", the publisher of The
Kybalion.

Along these lines, much has been made about the fact that

Also suggestive is the fact that, among his earliest

Paul Foster Case was a Freemason, and that The Kybalion's
publisher, the Yogi Publication Society, gave its address as

published pseudonymous and anonymous works may have been a
series entitled The Arcane Teachings, which bears many

"Masonic Temple, Chicago IL" in the book's frontispiece.
However, Chicago's "Masonic Temple" was also the city's

superficial similarities to The Kybalion — The Kybalion
explores seven "Hermetic Principles" while The Arcane

first skyscraper, housing dozens of stores and small
businesses without any Masonic affiliations, and named for

Teachings examines seven "Arcane Laws", The Kybalion claims
to be an elucidation of an ancient, unpublished Hermetic

the Masonic Lodge which financed much of its construction
and met in its top few floors.[22]

text of the same name, while The Arcane Teachings claims to
reveal the wisdom of an ancient, unpublished scroll of

Other names speculatively mentioned as co-authors of The

occult aphorisms, and both books describe three "Great
Planes" of reality which are further subdivided into seven

Kybalion include Harriet Case (Paul Foster Case's wife at
the time), Ann Davies (who succeeded Paul Foster Case as

head of the b.o.t.a.), mabel Collins (a prominent
Theosophical writer), Claude Bragdon (an architect,

Theosophist, and writer on "mystic geometry"), and Claude
Alexander (a well-known stage magician, mentalist, proponent

of crystal gazing, and New Thought author). However, given
Atkinson's prolific output under almost a dozen pseudonyms,

Atkinson's "first draft" of material which later became The
Kybalion.

it is debatable whether he would have needed or sought a
co-author for the book.