Pythagoras the Mathemagician

by Karim El Koussa

  Previously Initiated by Pythagoras into the hidden knowledge of Sophia, the Sebastikoi devoted nearly all their time to theoria. They indulged, as such, in pure speculations. They spent their time in meditation of the Divine Truth based on the Pythagorean Philosophy that relied on mathematical theories and their direct application to life.

  The Master started. “Before we take on the secret of the two most important Numbers, I should tell you a matter of high importance. Today in the afternoon, one of our brothers died in a tragic accident after falling off his horse and hitting his head on a sharp rock by the side of the road, outside the White City. Now, since you are assuming the role of religious functionaries of the Order, you should carry the body, first thing in the morning, to the Temple of Apollo. In the middle of the terrace, where we raised an altar for the outside religious ceremonies, the body should be placed. Certainly, you should not burn the body of our brother into ashes. It should, instead, be wrapped up with a white piece of cloth for the body to revert back to its first nature. And hence, fellow brothers, you must only burn fire all around and near the cadaver to exorcise the bad spirits! Verily I say unto you; this ritual is undeniably one of the most mysterious of all religious ceremonies, for fire comprises, in fact, the power of the One.”

  A moment of reflection passed before Pythagoras resumed his teachings to his closest disciples.

  “The two most important numbers, my friends, are One (1) and Ten (10). I will explain the reason in a while and elaborate on the hidden properties of all the numbers from one to ten. For now, know that the Numbers are the measure of all things. Each number has its own personality, whether it is masculine or feminine, complete or incomplete.

  “One, the number (1) is the Monad, the Universal Mind that diffuses through everything,” he proceeded to elucidate the symbolic meaning of the numbers. “Ten, the number (10) is the very best number because, not only does it contain the first four numbers: one (1), two (2), three (3) and four (4), it is also the sum of all of them: one plus two plus three plus four equals ten. (1)+(2)+(3)+(4) = (10). Ten is the ensemble of the ultimate Truth!”

  “Listen and heed! The act of Creation occurred by the invisible power of the One. It is a solitary, all-embracing whole in which everything is truly interconnected.”

  He paused for the brief moment it took for him to glance at them.

  “The Ten, or the whole, is the superlative manifestation of this interrelated reality. Adding to that, Harmony is the mysterious binding agent whereby every existing atom, in this vast Kosmos, is related to the other.”

  He waited for them to reflect on the knowledge he had just imparted. He meant for them to absorb the deep meaning behind his statement before he continued.

  “Listen to this and listen carefully. I’m using the word Kosmos for the first time to indicate a well ordered and harmonious universe. The Kosmos is, in fact, an immeasurable musical instrument in perfect tune with itself. Its vibrating numbers produce melodious tones that resound almost everywhere. Hence, both the Universe of gods and Man, Heaven and Earth, the Macrocosm and the Microcosm, are all linked together eternally. They do reflect the same harmonious proportions we examine in mathematics. Yes! But this is only achieved through the Divine Numbers, which are the primal reality.”

  “Now, to really invoke the powers of the Kosmos like an Initiate should, there is no need to perform prayers and rituals. Instead, put thyself in synchrony with them. And so, if you use the same numerical proportions as those of Heaven, then and only then, dear brothers and sisters, would you be definitely able to vibrate in the same frequency of Heaven. Your spirit would call forth the Heavenly Spirit. It would descend upon you like a white dove from the sky.”

  It would descend upon you like a white dove from the sky…

  The sentence reverberated for a long moment in the secret chamber, and deep inside their inner realms. The Philosopher wanted to ensure that they would always, and only, seek and long for Heaven.

  He waited because his next revelation would surely incite, even more, their desires to synchronize themselves with the Numbers that existed behind the powers of the Kosmos.

  “This approach, without a doubt, allows me to hear the Music of the Spheres, and therefore live in Harmony with the universe!” He asserted with great confidence. He read clearly in their eyes a new fiery aspiration.

  “The Kosmic music of the Muses should be imitated here on Earth, starting with our own White City! Only then shall we move on to the other neighboring cities. If this is done successfully, I assure you that we will achieve a state of Homonoia; a true and strong union of minds and hearts among all people on Earth!”

  They were all in wonder for a while, dreaming and imagining that incredible, yet difficult to accomplish, union of all the people of Mother Earth.

  “To finish, for now, our lesson of the day,” he brought them back, not to disturb their imagination but rather to strengthen their dream of a better world. “I tell you this, my friends, be like your Master, act like him. Do not be afraid to approach the gods… Together, let us build a Kosmic Kingdom… here on Earth!” the Philosopher ended his dialogue.

  With this passionate invitation, he had just imparted his Sebastikoi with the keys to the heavenly Kingdom, and moved them into a higher level of intellectuality. Its modus operandi exposed, they should know by now how to live in its replication, which was the Kosmic Earthly Kingdom. His explanation of the strong connection between Heaven and Earth revealed to them a Kosmic Unity. He had managed to artfully sketch the exact trail that joined the above with the below.

  He had widely opened the door of self-realization to his Inner Circle. And he had, unquestionably, made all of this appear to be in alignment with his own philosophy.

  The state of homonoia that he had envisioned, and aimed to create on Earth, could seem an impossible task to achieve. However, the construction of the Kosmic Earthly Kingdom, via mathematics and numbers, would enact nothing more than the reproduction of the Kosmic Heavenly Kingdom with the God Al-Apollo as its Eternal Ruler. How to realize it? That remained, indeed, the biggest question of all.

  However difficult the task ahead, his powerful will and faith never lessened, or halted, in front of the immensity of such a mission. As a matter of fact, the inspiration and the direction of the Divine Hokmah in him worked as his greatest inner allies. They guided him through the right path to ultimately succeed in establishing his White City to be the City of a god.

  * * *

  Two years and a half into the observance period, Aristaeus of Crotona adhered officially to the Pythagorean Secret Society. He earned the right to wear the brass necklace engraved with the distinctive five-pointed star of the Fraternity. With the Preparation period ahead, he readied for that phase, which required three to five years from him.

  Consequently, the time duration of the first degree, known as the Pythagorean Preparation, would firstly vary according to the level of Intellect and the mental evolution of the neophyte. Secondly, it would differ according to unknown variables, uncontainable circumstances, which might play against him along the way, such as infirmity, a death in the family, emotional breakdown, and other things of the sort.

  Throughout the first Initiation level, the novices would not be allowed to see the Master who always conducted his lectures from behind the curtain in the Common Auditorium. The same procedures applied in his cave, set for his lectures, at the right border of the White City. Known as the akousmatikoi, they profiled the Pythagorean Outer Circle as being the Listeners, or the Auditors. Their participation was strictly restrained to only attending the conferences.

  Believed by his followers to be the Son of Hokmah, Pythagoras possessed a true spiritual and religious essence that a student with an exoteric inhalation could not absorb clearly, nor fathom easily. For that particular reason, he chose at will to sit behind the curtain and conceal his physical appearance, so to speak, from his akousmatikoi.

  Differently from the general public l
iving in the White City and to which Pythagoras clearly appeared when addressing them, he deliberately chose to hide himself from the akousmatikoi during his lectures because he mostly communicated with them in parables. His akousmatas, those magnificent symbolical terms and enigmatic allegories, contained double meanings; one exoteric and the other esoteric. The akousmatikoi always struggled to comprehend their significance. Only the Masters, the very few Sebastikoi, and the most excelling members of the Inner Circle, understood, perfectly well, the esoteric meaning behind the symbolism of Pythagoras’ parables.

  From this perspective, when the Master mentioned the Chant of the Mermaids, he in fact meant the Harmony of the Spheres. When he spoke of the Islands of the Blessed, he betokened the Sun and the Moon. When he conveyed the image of the Dogs of Persephone, he certainly implied the Planets. And when he discussed the Lyre of the Muses, he expected the Initiates to fathom his reference to one of the Constellations!

  Therefore, his audience focused completely on his words in order to comprehend the meaning. The akousmatikoi, in turn, were mostly ignorant of the hidden meaning. They, nonetheless, respected at all times the silence required during the lectures. They abstained, no matter what, to contest or discuss the teachings. They acquired a comprehensive knowledge, void of any detailed explanation, demonstration, or even reason – the latter being the most powerful of all human mental abilities. Thus, they meditated upon the parables on their own, or conferred among themselves in groups of two or three members. When it happened that some members of the Pythagorean Outer Circle disagreed over a certain theory of the Master, the debate never developed into a dispute. It quickly ended when any one of them issued the statement Autos epha-ipsi dixit, which meant “He (the Master) said it”. As a result of that conformity, they all strove in maintaining and preserving the testimony and words of the Master.

  In addition to the akousmatas, his lectures to the akousmatikoi contained clear elementary instructions relating to ordinary everyday life. These were subjects he communicated with the general public. In fact, at that time, Pythagoras preferred to abstain teaching them the mysteries of life or what dwelt beyond its physical manifestations. He contented himself to insinuate, and sometimes openly declare, their important connection to the universal laws and fundamental truths upon which the Listeners should base their queries. His words triggered their primordial faculties of intuition and inspiration. With every new revelation, a flicker of light seeped into their psyches for future self-accomplishments.

  * * *

  Early in the morning, when the sun appeared in the East, Pythagoras waited for his disciples in his cave, his head bent in serene meditation. The many apertures of the upper rock that formed the roof filtered in a few warming sunrays. His head now bathed with them. His disciples would be along, any moment now, for their lessons of the early day.

  The birth of every new dawn on the Pythagorean City represented a new prospect of resurrection for the human spirits that longed to hear the Master; the Son of El-Apollo. And every Rising Sun, being nothing less than the rising of the god Apollo, re-creating life in the wide visible Kosmos. Despite being portrayed as the One, the Not Many, Apollo formed all Numbers in the unseen Kosmos.

  In the garden around the Great Temple of Apollo, the young neophytes used the bedecked basins to submit to their washing ritual. They then proceeded, in steadfast reverence, inside the Temple. Whether they belonged to the Inner or Outer Circle, they all undertook the morning exercise of memory recollection as part of their essential training. They were required to recall the events of the previous day in their exact order.

  In truth, the preservation of memory constituted a prime method for the fortification of knowledge acquired over the years. The sciences, experiences, and wisdom bestowed by the Master formed real treasures that required protection and memorization for as long as possible. They certainly recognized that without good memory, everything ended in vain.

  Therefore, deep silence shepherded their prayers and meditation during that inner trip back. On their way out, they gathered in small groups to meander through the alley under the royal gate of the Temple. They discussed some of the imperative social issues related to the teachings of the Master. Others sat on stone benches and chanted hymns to the God. Moments later, they all strolled through the well-structured avenues of the White City. At the intersection of two streets, they met with a group of students coming from the square of the gymnasium.

  All together, they headed now towards the Sacred Garden around the cave, known also as the habitat of the Initiate. For having earned the right to see the Philosopher, only the Members of the Inner Circle outstripped the restriction of the shielding veil of truth, and joined him inside. Members of the Outer Circle congregated outside in patent anticipation of the morning lecture.

  Minutes later, the poised voice of the Master drifted to greet them with warmth. From behind the curtain set inside the cave, his silhouette basked in the sunlight of the Divine Inspiration of the sacred teachings. The Lyre in his hand, he posed like a real musician.

  When he started his speech, his words traveled as swiftly as the speed of Light. He appeared in a transcendental state, like a Son of the Sun – the son of Al-Apollo, whom he confidently called Father. His firm and yet melodious voice resonated loudly to reach the neophytes in the Sacred Garden outside. The magical tunes of his dearest instrument, the Lyre, accompanied his words in tender melodies.

  Pythagoras believed that his music produced a powerful yet soothing effect on both the physical and psychological levels. For that particular reason, he often combined his everyday teachings with the miraculous effects of his music on his audience.

  And as usual, his words began full of wisdom and right to the point. “Verily I say unto you: Women and men are all equal in this Society. Both genders should assume their roles with much tact and efficiency while conforming to our tradition. We should all behave as one family; one for all and all for one! The Truth I tell you. In spite of the many differences between both genders, some women have the ability to become Philosophers, and may undoubtedly join the Inner Circle.”

  “Heed me. I reveal myself only to the members of the Inner Circle for they have succeeded in completing their Preparation period and moved up to the Second Degree that is the Purification. To them only, I communicate the wisdom kept and concealed in my heart for so long. I call them the mathematikoi. These Initiates, men and women, trek slowly and silently beyond the veil and into the secrets before they ultimately start their spiral ascension towards the Divine.”

  He granted to the meditation that followed enough time for his neophytes to ponder on this revelation. The soft tunes of his lyre prevailed under the game of his fingers.

  “Wrong are those who claimed that wisdom could be found by men and for men only!” His voice spoke out what his spirit believed. “Listen to me, and listen well, for I only reveal you with the Truth. Sophia belongs also to women! Alongside the accomplishment of their domestic duties, and their most innate roles as creators of life and mothers, women have all the rights in the world, and all the capabilities, to seek and preserve wisdom. Indeed! For women are known to be wonderful custodians,” he affirmed with the steadfast tone of conviction.

  “Dear brothers and sisters, I end my oration today with an advice that you should consider as essential and carry as holy at all times in the depth of your hearts. Love your parents and honor them for they have always loved you dearly. Look upon your father as you would look upon God; the Creator of the Kosmos. There is nothing more revered than the value of a father. Look upon your mother as you would look upon the generous Nature, the Mother of humanity, and of the fauna and flora. A Mother nourishes her children with deep joy and remarkable care. Mother, what a beautiful phenomena!

  “In Truth, the love you hold for your country, as you must, stems from your primal childhood feelings of love towards your mother ever since she was your guardian.

  “And, to speak with finality, behold
the following important truth. Our parents were not given to us by mere coincidence! Not at all! Only the ignorant deems it a coincidence. In reality, such things do not exist, for everything occurs for a clear reason of the Divine Plan; an Essential Will. Things truly happen, the way they happen, by necessity, and due to a superior order of the Number. Behold that truth, dear brothers and sisters, and behold it well.”

  The Master ended his discourse and disappeared, further into the depth of the grotto… into the depth of his thoughts. He knew that such knowledge remained undeniably difficult for the akousmatikoi to grasp. Even the few mathematikoi, those closer to him, would not understand, but only slightly, the full meaning of his final statement. In fact, that knowledge would remain vague in their minds until they attained the great mysteries, akin to the Sebastikoi; those few leading members of the Inner Circle who had achieved the mysterious path towards the truth.

  * * *

  Later, sometime around midday, the Pythagorean novices offered prayers to their minor deities: the gods and the good spirits. They then sat quietly for their lunch, composed of bread, honey, and olives. Sometimes vegetables, milk cakes, and fruits were added. The non-vegetarians among them enjoyed a meal made up of meat or fish.

  Based on their motto a healthy mind in a healthy body, the afternoon saw them exercising in the gymnasium. Some ran for miles, others built up their muscles by throwing disks and hurling arrows. Some of them engaged in wrestling, which they practiced in the form of Dorian dances. Others jumped with weights in their hands. And, while they considered these sporting activities a must – to train their bodies the way they educated their minds – they reveled in the physical and moral benefits of the games.

  The routine of the day continued, afterwards, with the Pythagorean Listeners devoting themselves to poetry and history, be it individually, or in small groups of two or three. The importance of poetry was ascribed to its mythological context, which contained highly interesting theological and philosophical figurative forms.