As Above, So Below: Correspondence in Brand Strategy
By Nicole, Founder of Mystic Ryst
"As above, so below; as below, so above. As within, so without; as without, so within."
This is perhaps the most famous Hermetic axiom, inscribed on the Emerald Tablet and whispered through mystery schools for millennia. But what does it actually mean for your business?
The Principle of Correspondence states that there's a harmony, agreement, and correspondence between the different planes of existence—physical, mental, and spiritual. What's true on one level is true on all levels. The patterns that govern the cosmos also govern your business. The state of your inner world corresponds to the state of your outer world.
For spiritual entrepreneurs, this principle is both a diagnostic tool and a transformation pathway. When something isn't working in your business, you don't just fix the external symptom—you find the internal correspondence and heal it at the root.
Your business is a perfect mirror of your inner state. Let's learn to read the reflection.
Understanding the Principle of Correspondence
The Three Planes of Existence
Hermetic philosophy teaches that reality exists on three planes:
1. The Physical Plane: Matter, the body, the material world, your business results
2. The Mental Plane: Thoughts, beliefs, consciousness, your mindset
3. The Spiritual Plane: Universal laws, divine intelligence, your soul's purpose
These planes aren't separate—they're different frequencies of the same reality. What happens on one plane corresponds to what happens on the others.
The Four Correspondences
As above, so below: What's true in the spiritual realm is true in the physical realm
As below, so above: What's true in the physical realm reflects spiritual truth
As within, so without: Your inner state creates your outer reality
As without, so within: Your outer reality reflects your inner state
Your Business as Mirror
What Your Business Reflects
Your business is a perfect mirror of:
- Your relationship with yourself
- Your beliefs about worthiness and value
- Your capacity to receive
- Your relationship with money and abundance
- Your boundaries (or lack thereof)
- Your unhealed wounds and shadow
- Your level of self-love and self-care
- Your authentic desires vs. what you think you should want
When you look at your business honestly, you're looking at yourself.
Common Business Mirrors
Difficult clients mirror: How you treat yourself, your own neediness, your poor boundaries
Money struggles mirror: Your beliefs about worthiness, your capacity to receive, your scarcity mindset
Visibility issues mirror: Your fear of being seen, your shame, your belief that you're too much or not enough
Inconsistency mirrors: Your lack of commitment to yourself, your self-trust issues
Burnout mirrors: Your inability to rest, your belief that you must earn love through doing
Undercharging mirrors: Your undervaluing of yourself, your fear of rejection
As Within, So Without: Inner Creates Outer
Your Inner State Creates Your Business Reality
If internally you feel:
- Unworthy → You'll undercharge and attract clients who don't value you
- Chaotic → Your business will be disorganized and scattered
- Scarce → You'll experience financial struggle
- Unlovable → You'll struggle to attract ideal clients
- Unsafe → You'll self-sabotage success
If internally you feel:
- Worthy → You'll charge well and attract clients who honor you
- Peaceful → Your business will flow with ease
- Abundant → Money will flow naturally
- Lovable → Ideal clients will find you easily
- Safe → Success will feel natural and sustainable
Your outer business reality is always corresponding to your inner state.
The Inner Work That Changes Outer Results
Want more money? Work on your internal relationship with abundance and worthiness
Want better clients? Work on how you treat and value yourself
Want more visibility? Work on your relationship with being seen and taking up space
Want more ease? Work on your internal peace and trust
Want more success? Work on your belief that you deserve good things
The external shift follows the internal shift, not the other way around.
As Without, So Within: Outer Reflects Inner
Reading Your Business as a Diagnostic Tool
Your business shows you what's happening inside that you might not be aware of.
Business symptom: Clients constantly crossing boundaries
Inner correspondence: You don't have clear boundaries with yourself
Inner work: Practice saying no to yourself, honoring your own limits
Business symptom: Money comes in but immediately goes out
Inner correspondence: You don't feel safe holding abundance
Inner work: Heal your relationship with having, not just getting
Business symptom: You attract clients who need you to save them
Inner correspondence: You're trying to save yourself through others
Inner work: Give yourself the care you're giving others
Business symptom: Success followed by self-sabotage
Inner correspondence: You don't believe you deserve sustained success
Inner work: Examine your upper limit beliefs
The Business Audit as Self-Inquiry
Look at your business and ask:
- What pattern keeps repeating?
- What am I experiencing externally?
- What does this mirror about my internal state?
- What belief or wound is creating this?
- What inner healing would shift this outer pattern?
As Above, So Below: Universal Patterns in Business
The Laws That Govern Everything
The same laws that govern the cosmos govern your business:
Seasons and cycles: Just as nature has seasons, your business has natural cycles of growth and rest
Gestation periods: Just as seeds need time to grow, your offers need time to develop
Harvest timing: Just as crops are harvested at the right time, your launches have optimal timing
Ecosystem balance: Just as nature requires diversity, your business needs multiple revenue streams
Natural selection: Just as nature evolves, your business must adapt and evolve
Working With Universal Patterns
Instead of fighting seasons: Honor your business's natural rhythms
Instead of forcing growth: Allow proper gestation time
Instead of constant harvesting: Plant, tend, and harvest in cycles
Instead of monoculture: Create diverse, resilient offerings
Instead of staying static: Evolve with changing conditions
Practical Applications of Correspondence
1. The Mirror Exercise
When something isn't working in your business:
- Identify the external issue: What's happening in your business?
- Find the internal correspondence: What does this mirror about your inner state?
- Do the inner work: Heal, shift, or transform the internal pattern
- Watch the external shift: Notice how your business reality changes
Example:
External: Clients keep canceling or not showing up
Internal: You're not showing up fully for yourself
Inner work: Commit to yourself, keep promises to yourself
External shift: Clients become more committed and reliable
2. The Alignment Check
Regularly check if your outer business aligns with your inner truth:
- Does my brand reflect who I really am?
- Do my offers align with what I truly want to create?
- Does my pricing reflect my actual worth?
- Do my boundaries match my internal needs?
- Does my schedule honor my natural rhythms?
Where there's misalignment, there's struggle. Realign inner and outer.
3. The Fractal Principle
Patterns repeat at every scale. How you do one thing is how you do everything.
- How you treat yourself = How clients treat you
- How you manage your personal life = How you manage your business
- How you handle small money = How you handle large money
- How you show up in free content = How you show up in paid offers
Want to change your business? Change the pattern at any scale.
Common Correspondence Mistakes
Mistake 1: Only Working on the External
Trying to fix business problems without addressing the internal correspondence is like treating symptoms without healing the disease.
Solution: Always ask "What's the inner correspondence?" before taking external action.
Mistake 2: Spiritual Bypassing
Doing inner work while ignoring necessary external action doesn't create change.
Solution: Inner work AND outer action. Both are required.
Mistake 3: Self-Blame
Using correspondence as a weapon against yourself: "My business struggles mean I'm broken."
Solution: Correspondence is diagnostic, not judgmental. It shows you where to heal, not what's wrong with you.
Mistake 4: Ignoring the Message
Seeing the pattern but not doing the inner work to change it.
Solution: Your business will keep showing you the same mirror until you heal what it's reflecting.
Advanced Correspondence Work
Your Client Relationships Mirror Your Self-Relationship
If clients are:
- Demanding → You're demanding of yourself
- Never satisfied → You're never satisfied with yourself
- Draining → You're draining your own energy
- Disrespectful → You don't respect your own boundaries
- Flaky → You're not committed to yourself
The shift: Change how you treat yourself, and your clients will change.
Your Money Flow Mirrors Your Receiving Capacity
If money:
- Comes in but goes out immediately → You can't hold good things
- Comes in sporadically → You don't trust consistent goodness
- Doesn't come at all → You're blocking receiving
- Comes with guilt → You don't believe you deserve it
- Requires struggle → You believe you must suffer to earn
The shift: Heal your capacity to receive, and money will flow differently.
Your Visibility Mirrors Your Self-Acceptance
If you:
- Hide → You haven't accepted yourself
- Perform → You don't trust your authentic self is enough
- Inconsistently show up → You're ambivalent about being seen
- Over-share → You're seeking external validation
- Stay small → You don't believe you deserve to take up space
The shift: Accept yourself fully, and visibility becomes natural.
The Correspondence Healing Process
Step 1: Observe Without Judgment
Look at your business reality objectively. What patterns do you see? Don't judge them—just observe.
Step 2: Find the Internal Correspondence
For each external pattern, ask: "What does this mirror about my inner state?"
Step 3: Trace to the Root
Go deeper. Where did this internal pattern originate? What wound, belief, or experience created it?
Step 4: Heal the Root
Do the inner work—therapy, shadow work, belief transformation, inner child healing, whatever is needed.
Step 5: Take Aligned External Action
Once the inner shift happens, take external action from your new internal state.
Step 6: Observe the Shift
Watch how your business reality changes to correspond with your new inner state.
The Sacred Responsibility
The Principle of Correspondence is empowering and terrifying. It means:
- You can't blame external circumstances
- Your business struggles are showing you where to heal
- You have the power to change your reality by changing yourself
- You're responsible for what you're creating
This isn't about self-blame. It's about self-empowerment. If your outer world corresponds to your inner world, then changing your inner world changes everything.
The Invitation
What if you stopped trying to fix your business and started healing yourself?
What if you recognized that every business challenge is showing you exactly where you need to grow?
What if your business isn't broken—it's just reflecting back to you what needs attention inside?
This is the gift of the Principle of Correspondence. Your business is your greatest teacher, your most honest mirror, and your most powerful catalyst for transformation.
As within, so without. Change yourself, and watch your business transform.
What is your business mirroring back to you right now? I'd love to hear what correspondences you're discovering.
