Have you ever noticed that life seems to follow certain patterns? The seasons change on schedule. What we focus on tends to grow. Our choices ripple outward in ways we can see and feel. These patterns are not coincidences. They reflect what many traditions call the Universal Principles, or Universal Laws.
These seven principles are natural truths that have guided people toward self-understanding and balance for thousands of years. You may also see them called the 7 Universal Laws, the Laws of the Universe, or the seven hermetic principles. They all refer to the same seven truths. I prefer the word "principles" when teaching children, because "laws" can sound like rules you get in trouble for breaking. A principle is different. It is simply how things work, like gravity, and understanding it puts the power in your hands.
Their roots trace back over 5,000 years to ancient teachings, including those later collected in a text called the Kybalion. But the original writings can feel dense and hard to apply in practical, everyday terms. That is one of the reasons I wrote Ivy and Kem & the Seven Universal Principles: to make these ideas clear, relatable, and simple enough for even a child to grasp.
In this guide, we will walk through each of the seven principles in plain language, with everyday examples for both kids and adults. If you are wondering why these ideas belong in childhood at all, we cover that in Why the 7 Universal Principles Are Important for Kids. Here, our focus is on what each principle actually means and how to live it. Bookmark this article, share it, and come back to it whenever you need a refresher.
The Principle of Mentalism teaches that everything starts as a thought. Before anything is built, spoken, or done, it exists first in someone's mind. Our thoughts are not just background noise. They are the starting point for everything we create in our lives.
For kids: Imagine a school project. Before the poster board and markers come out, the whole thing begins as an idea. The same is true for how kids talk to themselves. A child who thinks "I can figure this out" approaches a hard math problem differently than one who thinks "I'm bad at this." The thought comes first, and the experience follows.
For adults: Notice your self-talk during a stressful week. The story you tell yourself about a situation often shapes how it unfolds. Mentalism invites us to be intentional about the thoughts we feed.
Try this together: At dinner or bedtime, ask "what is one thought that helped you today?" It builds awareness of the mind as a tool, not just a passenger.
The Principle of Correspondence teaches that patterns repeat across all levels of life. The phrase "as above, so below, as within, so without" captures it. What we see in nature mirrors what happens inside us, and what happens inside us shows up in our outer world.
For kids: Think of a tree through the seasons. It grows, rests, lets go, and grows again. Kids go through the same cycles with friendships, learning, and moods. When children notice these connections, they start to feel like they belong to something bigger than themselves.
For adults: A cluttered space often reflects a cluttered mind, and an inner shift often shows up in outer habits. When something feels off outside, Correspondence suggests looking inside first.
Try this together: On your next walk, ask your child to find a pattern in nature that reminds them of something in their own life. There are no wrong answers, and the conversations can be surprising.
The Principle of Vibration teaches that nothing is truly still. Everything moves, and everything carries energy, including our thoughts, words, and emotions. You have felt this without naming it. Some rooms feel warm and welcoming the moment you walk in. Some conversations leave you drained.
For kids: Have you ever noticed that when one friend is grumpy, the whole group can start to feel grumpy too? Or that one person's excitement can lift everyone's mood? That is vibration at work. Kids who understand this learn to pay attention to how they feel and how their energy affects others.
For adults: A simple daily check-in works wonders. If you had to describe your energy right now in one word, what would it be? Awareness is always the first step toward change.
Try this together: Make the one-word energy check-in a family ritual. It gives children a low-pressure way to name their feelings before those feelings take over.
The Principle of Polarity teaches that opposites are actually two ends of the same spectrum. Hot and cold are both temperatures. Dark and light are both degrees of illumination. Fear and courage live on the same line, and we can move along it.
For kids: When a child says "I'm scared to try out for the team," Polarity offers a powerful reframe. Fear and courage are not separate things. Courage is simply moving along the spectrum away from fear, one small step at a time. The difficulty they are in right now is not separate from growth. It is part of it.
For adults: The next time you are stuck in frustration, ask what the other end of that spectrum looks like and what one small step in that direction would be. Polarity reminds us that we are never locked in place.
Try this together: When your child names a hard feeling, ask "what is on the other side of that feeling, and what would half a step toward it look like?"
The Principle of Rhythm teaches that life flows in cycles. The tide goes out, and then it comes back in. There are seasons of action and seasons of rest, and both are necessary.
For kids: This principle offers real relief to children who feel like something is wrong with them because they are not always at their best. A rough week at school, a slump in motivation, a friendship going through a quiet stretch. None of it means they are broken. They are in rhythm, and the tide comes back in.
For adults: How often do we push through exhaustion because rest feels like falling behind? Rhythm teaches that honoring the quiet season is not laziness. It is wisdom.
Try this together: Ask each other "what season are you in right now?" It normalizes the ups and downs and gives your family shared language for them.
The Principle of Cause and Effect teaches that nothing happens by chance. Every action, word, and even thought sets something in motion. This is one of the most practical principles we can give young people, because it is the foundation of ownership.
For kids: When children understand that their choices ripple outward, they start to take their own power seriously. This is not about fear or blame. A child who studies for a test and does well sees the connection. A child who says something unkind and watches a friendship strain sees it too. Ownership, not punishment, is what builds confidence.
For adults: This principle also transforms how we parent. There is a real difference between delivering punishment and teaching consequence. Punishment focuses on what happened. Teaching consequence focuses on what comes next and why.
Try this together: In a hard moment, resist the urge to fix or scold right away. Ask "what do you think caused this?" and "what do you want to happen next?" These questions move a child from reactive to reflective.
The Principle of Gender is often the most misunderstood of the seven, and I know the name might sound like it means something else. So let's clear it up. In the universal sense, Gender is not about identity. It is about balance. It refers to two creative energies that exist in everything, and in all of us.
The first energy is internal. It is often called the feminine energy, and it is the intuition, the vision, the inner knowing that something needs to happen. It is where everything begins, where ideas are conceived and quietly prepared.
The second energy is external. It is often called the masculine energy, and it is the action, the drive, the outward movement that takes what was conceived internally and brings it into the world.
Neither can work without the other. Inner clarity without action stays a dream. Action without inner clarity loses its way. Every one of us carries both, and think of the balance between them as the balance between doing and being, giving and receiving, action and rest.
For kids: Think about someone who rushes into things without pausing to reflect, or someone who has great ideas but never acts on them. Neither is fully equipped. This principle teaches something beautiful. True strength is not always about pushing forward. Knowing when to receive is just as important as knowing when to act. Sometimes strength looks like speaking up, and sometimes it looks like listening. Sometimes it looks like leading, and sometimes it looks like letting someone help you.
For adults: Most of us lean heavily toward one energy. The doers rush to action and struggle to pause, reflect, and receive. The visionaries have rich inner clarity but struggle to bring it into the world. Gender invites us to notice our lean and practice the other side.
Try this together: Ask your child "when is it brave to act, and when is it brave to wait?" It is a question worth revisiting as they grow.
These principles are not seven separate rules to memorize. They are one connected way of seeing the world. Mentalism shows us that thought comes first. Vibration shows us that thought carries energy. Cause and Effect shows us that energy in motion creates results. Rhythm and Polarity remind us that results move in cycles and spectrums. Correspondence shows us the pattern repeating everywhere, and Gender keeps the whole thing in balance.
Once your child starts noticing one principle, they start noticing them all. That is the moment the learning sticks.
Understanding the principles is one thing. Living them is another, and that is where families come in. If you would like a gentle, story-based way to introduce these ideas, Ivy and Kem & the Seven Universal Principles was written for exactly that. Each chapter pairs a short, modern story starring Ivy and Kem, two lively pre-teens, with a clear, kid-friendly explanation of one principle. Younger children love it as a shared read with a parent, while tweens and teens can explore it on their own and bring the conversations to you.
And if you want to go deeper, the Ivy and Kem & the Seven Universal Principles Activity Book offers over 25 pages of hands-on activities that help children connect each principle to their own lives.
The next generation deserves more than "be kind." They deserve to understand why. These seven principles are a wonderful place to start.
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