Reimagining the Problem of Evil: What about the Problem of Good? Part 2

Before we begin, I want to be clear that what I’m sharing here is not dogma, nor do I claim it as the final word on the mystery of existence. Rather, I offer it as one logical explanation for why evil exists alongside good. For me, this perspective is deeply satisfying—it ties together what I’ve observed about consciousness, polarity, and the cycles of life. I share it not to convince, but to complete my thought process about the problem of good that I’ve spoken of before. If materialism struggles to explain why good even exists, then perhaps by exploring reincarnation, Hermetic principles, and the nature of consciousness, we can see how good naturally emerges as the highest truth.

Welcome again, friend. I want to continue where my reflections on the problem of good left off, but this time through the lens of reincarnation and the Hermetic principle As Above, So Below. I believe reincarnation is not just a mystical speculation but a deeply logical extension of how reality operates. Everywhere in the material world, I see cycles—seasons rise and fall, rain evaporates only to descend again, planets trace their endless orbits, and life itself moves through birth, death, and renewal. If the below reflects the above, as the Hermetic axiom says, then it only makes sense that consciousness itself is cyclical.

But let’s pause here. Why should we assume consciousness is foundational? Because at the very root, what we call reality is not material at all. The Kybalion makes the profound statement that The All is Mind; the Universe is Mental. You may dismiss the book as a 1908 work by Atkinson, but I see it as a distilled revelation, stripped of superstition and ringing true to the deepest part of me. If the ultimate nature of the universe is mental—if the fabric of reality is consciousness itself—then everything we perceive as “solid” is but a slower vibration of that same universal Mind. Spirit, matter, thought—all are on one continuum. And if Mind is primary, then so too is the experience of Mind, which means life itself is a series of conscious explorations.

This is why reincarnation is not about punishment or reward. I don’t subscribe to a karmic view where you’re sentenced to future lives as repayment for past mistakes. Consciousness is not petty like that. Instead, reincarnation is simply the natural rhythm of divine Mind experiencing itself. Here I lean on Donald Hoffman, whose evolutionary game theory suggests that what we see is not “reality itself,” but an interface designed for survival. He argues convincingly that consciousness is foundational. When asked what consciousness is up to, he pointed to Gödel’s incompleteness theorem, which shows that mathematics—and by extension, information—is inexhaustible. Consciousness, infinite in potential, is endlessly experiencing itself through conscious agents like us.

Bernardo Kastrup takes this further. He sees each of us as dissociative alters of a single universal mind. We are both part of the whole and seemingly separate within it, like waves on one ocean. It’s a paradox that isn’t truly dualistic. In Hermetic thought, it’s not two opposing realities but one reality stretched along a spectrum—from the densest matter to the highest spirituality. So yes, I am in Divine Consciousness all the time, and yes, I am also a unique personality within it. Both are true, simultaneously.

Now, why does this matter for the problem of good? Let’s go back to the Hermetic axiom: As Above, So Below; as Below, So Above. If we look at the “below,” at this material existence, we see that people prefer love over hate, joy over sorrow, goodness over evil. There may be exceptions, but overwhelmingly humanity gravitates toward the higher vibrations. That tells us something about the nature of the “above.” If consciousness is foundational, and if the below reflects the above, then at the highest echelon of spirituality, love, joy, peace, and goodness are the natural state of Divine Mind. That’s why Paul called these the fruit of the Spirit—they are intrinsic qualities of the source itself.

But someone might object: if love is preferred, if good is higher, then why does evil exist at all? Why must sorrow, hate, and suffering be part of the experience? To that I answer with the law of polarity. Polarity is not merely an abstract idea—it’s embedded into reality itself, from quantum fields to electromagnetism to the moral fabric of life. To truly experience and appreciate peace, one must know what strife feels like. To understand the depth of joy, one must have walked through sorrow. To value love, one must see the absence of it. Polarity isn’t a cosmic accident; it is the necessary contrast that makes conscious experience meaningful.

Now, let’s return to reincarnation. Some lives are filled with beauty, love, and peace. Others are marked by tragedy, trauma, and darkness. How can that be fair? How can we reconcile the child who suffers in war with another who grows up in abundance? The only answer that resonates deeply with me is this: over eternity, the experience is egalitarian. Over infinite lifetimes—or perhaps outside of time altogether—each conscious agent experiences both poles in equal measure. I have known great suffering, but across the vast tapestry of existence, I have also known great joy. Over the long arc of eternity, it all balances.

This is not to diminish the pain someone feels in a single lifetime. From within time, trauma is real and devastating. And I would never add insult by telling a victim they chose their suffering. No—choice isn’t the right word here. Instead, consciousness, in its infinite nature, allows for all experiences, not to punish but simply to be. And while it’s no immediate comfort, the greater picture reveals that suffering doesn’t define the whole of who we are. We are eternal. We are divine. We are part of the ongoing creativity of universal consciousness.

So how does this tie back to the problem of good? Materialism struggles to explain why good even exists—why love feels inherently higher than hate, why joy is preferable to sorrow. But in the framework of consciousness, it makes sense. Good is not an arbitrary preference. It is the highest vibration of the universal Mind. Evil and suffering are the shadows that make the light visible, but they do not endure. Over eternity, love is what remains, because it aligns with the source.

Reincarnation, then, is the cycling of conscious agents through experiences of all polarities, until every potentiality of consciousness is known. But ultimately, what stands at the top is love. Not because a deity demanded it, not because of moral dogma, but because consciousness itself prefers it. As Above, So Below. As Below, So Above. The fact that we, in this material plane, instinctively value love over hate is proof that at the highest level of reality, love is the essence.

So when I reflect on the problem of good, I see no contradiction. Good exists because consciousness is foundational, and consciousness at its purest vibration is good. Polarity allows us to experience its opposite, but only so that we can truly know what good is. And over eternity, no one is cheated. Every soul, every fragment of the divine mind, experiences the full spectrum, until it all balances and returns to the oneness from which it came.

This is why I reimagine reincarnation not as a prison of karmic debts but as an endless dance of exploration, a celebration of infinite potential. And this is why, even in the face of suffering, I hold to the quiet assurance that love, joy, and peace remain the highest truth.