The Triangle:
Inherently linked to the number three, the triangle possesses much of the same symbolism and meaning as does the number. For Christians, it represents the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost), while for the Celts it represented the Universe. Most systems recognize it as a symbol of family (Father, Mother, and Child) or balance. For mystics, the triangle can also symbolize ley lines: Those channels of force found in most living things, including the Earth. The three sides are thus positive, negative, and neutral (the three sides together achieving the concept of balance). As long as these forces are in synch, they form a triangle which is not detectable. It is only where the forces are out of balance that manifestations of the energy appear. For ley lines, what you tap into depends upon where you are in the form (positive, negative, or neutral). Note also that "positive" here is not "good," nor is "negative" the same as "evil." These forces are more akin to magnetism. Regarding superstition, this symbol is why you must never walk under a ladder or any such structure that creates a triangle: To walk through it may disrupt the lines of force and bring about bad luck. In the ladder scenario, the ladder is positive, the wall negative, and the ground neutral -- all in perfect balance.
The Circle :
The circle is roundly regarded as the single most powerful symbol of all. It is Infinity and the Universe; Alpha and Omega; Beginning and End; Creation and Destruction; Destiny, reincarnation, and Fortune. The circle stands for the sun and moon, the zodiac, power and protection, the crown of kings, and the tiara of popes (most often depicted as a halo). It is the only single-line diagram that magi use to mark the bounds of their sacred -- and thus safe -- space. In this way, bracelets and rings gain greater significance, especially when and where they are worn and with what inscribed on them. The circle can also represent the eye and, by extension, an omnipotent god. Divine Energy, it is said, always flows in a circular form, giving rise the concentric rings of the Heavens and Hell. Pagans use the circular form of a snake eating its own tail -- a symbol of the infinite depth of Wisdom later recast by the Church as the ultimate symbol of Evil.
The Cross:
Long before its adoption by Christianity, the cross was a symbol of the four-fold world and its various measures: Earth, Air, Fire, Water; North, South, East, West; Birth, Life, Death, Afterlife. With its inherrent link to the number four, the cross is also related to the swastika which, before its corruption by the Nazi party, was a powerful symbol of the Wheel of Fire, or energy in motion. To many mystics the cross represents sex differentation, with the male (upright) and female (downright) forces emanating from a balanced point (horizontal). The Romans, specifically, used the cross to represent reproduction. To be put to death by crucifixion thus came to represent that the person being executed should never have been born in the first place.
The Swastika:
Before its corruption by the Nazi party, the swastika was a powerful symbol for the four-fold measures of the world, as seen in the cross. The only real difference between the swastika and the cross is that the swastika represents the Wheel of Fire, or energy in motion. To the Hindus, the swastika is the sign of Pisces -- the sign later adopted by Christianity for Jesus, who was put to death on a cross. This is but one of many examples where world faiths borrow, one from the other. Unlike the Nazis, however, most cultures that so borrow at least perpetuate the sentiment of the original symbol. To the alchemists, the swastika represents the two principle energies that act in the world: Electrical (upright bar) and Magnetic (horizontal bar). These energies -- like all energies -- are dynamic and are thus represented as being in motion. Were the swastika to spin quickly enough, it would become a circle. One of the goals of the alchemists is to symbolically turn the swastika into a circle: To turn the divergent energies of the world into something truly infinite. Perhaps a lasting testament to the inherrent evil of the Nazi party is that such a sacred symbol should forever now be taboo in the West. Instead of using the swastika, most modern alchemists and mystics will now employ either a simple cross or a cross defined with tiny dots where the swastika's arms would be.
The Diamond:
The diamond is the lasting symbol of purity and incorruptibility, due to its form in nature as a stone that cuts all but cannot be cut itself. This interpretation, however, most likely came as a result of the "drawn" diamond, which represents two triangles joined at the base. The two triangles represent Man (downright) and the Universe (upright), or the Microcosm and the Macrocosm, emanating from God. The symbol reminds us that Man is within the Universe and the Universe is within Man; the goal is to unite the two such that they become inexorably linked -- one whole, which is to say, God. Adopted by mystics and alchemists as the symbol of achievement -- or perfection -- it came to represent what was believed to be the lifestyle necessary to achieve such a level of Unity: One that was both pure and uncorrupt. From there arose the notion that a stone with similar qualities must be the very physical embodiment of the drawn Diamond. The symbol reminds us that we must travel through the Tree of Life to become reunited with the Kether (the crown or God).
The Pentagram :
When drawn correctly, the pentagram represents Man, arms and legs outstretched and head erect. This is the form of the five-pointed star within the pentagram. It is a square representing the four-fold world with a fifth point -- the Manas or spirit -- mid-way to Heaven. Manas is the godhead; the ultimate degree of consciousness; the goal of all magi. The pentagram is thus employed to draw the Manas from around the practitioner -- from the Cosmic and Mental planes. It also reminds us that the Manas comes from within us all; from within our minds and bodies. The five-pointed star has always been used to represent these concepts of Individual and Universal Manas and their relations to each of us. It is thus a very powerful symbol for Human potential. Five itself is linked to Man: Five fingers, five toes, five senses, five main appendages. This reminds us that we have something more than the four-fold world around us: A fifth; a quintessence; Manas. In terms of the physical world, the pentagram is again the four-fold world, plus a fifth: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Ether (or Space). In the Tibetan system we find Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Awareness, linking the symbol again to human consciousness and potential. The pentagram may be the most recognized and potent of all sacred symbols; unfortunately, it is also the most misused. When turned with the Manas down, it represents human downfall, linked by some to Original Sin. In this sense, it has become a symbol of evil, which doesn't do justice to the true meaning behind the symbol. When Peter asked that he be crucified upside down, it was in deference to Jesus, whom he saw as rightfully positioned with his head "mid-way to Heaven." By inverting the symbol, Peter was admitting he had not yet progressed beyond the level of consciousness that kept him trapped in the four-fold world. Those who employ the inverse pentagram are thus admitting they lack greater spiritual insight and base their views largely on what the world around them describes. They are admitting to being material beings in a material world, an attribute often given to the Devil, leading to the adoption of the inverse pentagram by Satanists -- those concerned only with physical and material wealth, gain, and stimulation.
The Hexagram:
The hexagram is the shape created naturally by bees in the hive. The symbology of bees thus becomes linked to that of the hexagram, and by extension, the number six and the Seal of Solomon (or Star of David). The hexagram -- and resultant star -- is the one of the most powerful mystic symbols. It represents the Sixth Principle: That of a consciousness united fully with the Manas or Universe. It is two triangles overlapping -- the balance of Man and Universe, each with its own triangle of balance. Most often the figure is drawn with one triangle white and the other black, to represent a perfect union of the Spiritual and Material, or the Macrocosm and Microcosm. This is the loss of the Individual within the Universal -- the ultimate goal of all Magi often thought of as "Oneness" with the universe. The "magic" of the sacred number seven -- representing complete release from the world, from consciousness, even from the Oneness of six -- comes only from the power of six. Remember: Man is five, the Devil is six, and God is seven. Man must experience the physical to realize His potential within the Spiritual. Without the physical plane, the spiritual would have no meaning. For this reason, Christian mystics believe, God came to Earth and lived as a Man in Jesus.
The Cube:
The cube is little more than a two-fold swastika: A spiritual square and a material square. A squared square, in other words. The cube also contains the symbolism of the number six, since it has six sides. It also represents the "four corners" of the world, or the World Age as defined by the two equinoxes and two solstices and the attendant constellations rising helically thereon. Our current World Age is the cusp between Pisces and Aquarius. To say it Biblically, the world (Pisces) is coming to an end (which is, of course, only a new beginning).
The sphere:
Sphere is a circle any way you look at it. It is the Universal circle, if you will: the True Divine Spirit. It symbolises nothing more and nothing less than complete emancipation from the material/physical world and material/physical law. It is to be so far beyond the four-fold world as to be inconcievable by us now, locked as we are in the physical. It is to be so divorced from the material as to not know anything of such existence. Is it the Greater Oneness; Divinity; the Horizon of Eternity. It is God.
Pythagorean Numerology:
Pythagoras taught that each number had its own peculiar character, virtues, and properties:
The unit One, or the monad is the principle and the end of all; it is the sublime knot which binds together the chain of causes; it is the symbol of identity, of equality, of existence, of conservation, and of general harmony. Having no parts, the monad represents Divinity; it announces also order, peace, and tranquility, which are founded on unity of sentiments. Consequently, ONE is a good principle.
The number two, or the dyad, the origin of contrasts, is the symbol of diversity, or inequality, of division and of separation. Two is accordingly an evil principle, a number of bad augury, characterizing disorder, confusion, and change.
Three, or the triad, is the first of unequals; it is the number containing the most sublime mysteries, for everything is composed of three substances; it represents God, the soul of the world, the spirit of Man. This number, which plays so great a part in the traditions of Asia, and in the Platonic philosophy, is the image of the attributes of God.
Four, or the tetrad, as the first mathematical power, is also one of the chief elements; it represents the generating virtue, whence come all combinations; it is the most perfect of numbers; it is the root of all things. It is hly by nature, since it constitutes the Divine essence by recalling His unity, His power, His goodness, and His wisdom, the four perfections which especially characterize God. Consequently, Pythagoricians swear by the quaternary number, which gives the human soul its eternal nature.
The number five, or the pentad, has a peculiar force in sacred expiations; it is everything; it stops the power of positions and is redoubted by evil spirits.
The number six, or the hexad, is a fortunate number and it derives its merit from the first sculptors having divided the face into six portions. But, according to the Chaldeans, the reason is because God created the world in six days.
Seven, or the heptad, is a number very powerful for good or for evil. It belongs especially to sacred things.
The number eight, or the octad, is the first cube, that is to say, squared in all senses, as a die, proceeding from its base two, an even number; so is Man four-square, or perfect.
The number nine, or the ennead, being the multiple of three, should be regarded as sacred. Finally, ten, or the decad, is the measure of all, since it contains all the numeric relations and harmonies. As the reunion of the four first numbers, it plays an eminent part, since all the branches of science -- all nomenclatures -- emanate from, and retire into, it.
Vitruvian man
From the roots of his hair to the bottom of his chin is a tenth of a man's height; from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head is one eighth of his height; from the top of the breast to the roots of the hair will be the seventh part of the whole man. The figure known as the Vitruvian Man is actually named for the man who created him, the Roman architect Vitruvius. Vitruvius, a proponent of the Sacred Geometry of Pythagoras, designed temples based on the proportions of the human body, believing them to be perfect. This perfection, wrote Vitruvius, was due to the fact that the extended limbs of a perfectly proportioned human fit into both the circle and the square. According to Pythagorean tradition, the circle represents the spiritual realm; the square, material existence, so the human body represented the perfect marriage of matter and spirit, which is reflected in its proportions. Leonardo da vinci was one of many artists who attempted to depict Vitruvius' perfect man, and the only one who succeeded; his version is considered the most accurate depictions of the human body. Leonardo Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man, is one of the most well known images in the world.
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