“I will tell you why, brothers and sisters. Your goal now is absolutely akin to mine when I first embarked on my spiritual journey. It is to revert back to your original state – to the primordial unity with the Monad – and that, by ending the material and instinctive evil elements within yourselves. When we, humans, entered the Tryad, we subsequently lost the vision of the Sublime Reality that is the One. As a result, we have remained stuck between the divine world that seeks to absorb us upwards in its perfection, and the natural animal-human world that pulls us downwards into the depths of the ground.”
“Verily I say unto you! Man resulted from the smart evolution of the animal. Divinity surged from the smart evolution of man. Thus, in order to attain that sublime state of holiness, you must break out from all the evil deeds of the dyad, or dualism. You can achieve it by uniting your three dimensions with your psyche, which is nothing more than your Individual Monad. When you accomplish that state of concordance, your Individual Monad will finally come to unity with the Great Monad.”
With this new revelation, the Master concluded another important session of his esoteric teachings.
The minds of the mathematikoi set to work, once again, on their individual contemplation of the Sacred Discourse of the Master. Weariness took over and they decided for a long respite in the garden of the temple to ease their mental strain and refresh their vigor.
Their thoughts blended with the fresh air as they absorbed the peaceful mood of nature around them. They wondered, inwardly, if they would be able to accomplish that harmony with the Monad, and regain their alleged lost vision. When, hours later, they headed to the cave, one common question escorted them inside. Would they ultimately evolve into a god-like state of perfection and power?
Determined and highly motivated, they convened, for weeks, in the secrecy of the cave for magical rituals. They utilized, accordingly, the power of the Tryad for their own sanctification and purification, which they performed with profound dedication.
* * *
Every Initiate of the ancient world had, at some time in his or her life, experienced a different method of Initiation. Yet all these great systems, and most importantly the ones of the Phoenicians and the Egyptians, encompassed relatively similar meanings, and identical understanding of the True Sophia.
These mystics had discovered, through Initiation, the basic and most essential elements of all the sciences in general. They had definitely grasped the law, which governs the existence of the various living forms, and their way of evolution. These sages had gravitated around, and inside, the Inner Circles; and rotated away from the profane world to come to recognize that the essence of all religions was the One Superior Reality: the Divine Hokmah!
A full moon reigned in the sky above. Its silver rays teased the game of the waves below, fighting against the shadows of the night. They bathed the couple that ambled on the beach. Their feet left their prints on the sand, side by side, yet not touching. The White City, on the hill above, loomed with majesty over the shore and witnessed, in silence, the peaceful walk and private conversation of the twosome. The Master and his beautiful disciple discussed life and the role of its Mysteries in their being together.
“I strongly believe that our encounter has not been the deed of coincidence, my dear,” the voice of Pythagoras floated melodiously with its statement through Theano, the ocean, and the air. “Believe me, it is rather, how shall I put it,” he paused for a while before continuing. “It is a static probability of the Divine Will; a necessity in the world order of the Number….”
Whatever personal matters they shared remained secret to their surroundings, for his voice became a declaration murmured to her ears, and Nature witnessed her smile of utter happiness.
Their promenade conveyed them to the Temple of Ceres-Astarte where the young mathematikoi gathered for the session of the nightfall. Poised and composed, Theano joined them while the Master took his stand to start his lecture. A stillness of anticipation prevailed, broken only by the sound of the waves pounding their rhythmical tempo on the high walls that held the terrace of the temple. He bent his head for a minute of reflection, in which he gathered his thoughts to focus on the lesson he was about to contribute. He then looked at them with a warm grin of greeting.
“Good evening, my friends.”
“Good evening, Master,” all the ten disciples replied almost in one voice.
“Tonight, I shall unveil the number Four, the Tetrad or Tetraktys. It symbolizes the Kosmic Creator embodied by the Logos; the hidden archetype of the universe. The number Four completes the process of Creation because it begins with the One – being the point of Fire – then moves to the Two that epitomizes the line of Water. At this point, the process shifts to the Three – being the surface of Air – to finally reach the Four that portrays the solidity of Earth.”
“The Tetraktys is, in reality, the true Sacred Decade, for the basic principles do exist in the first four numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4; the sum of which is equal to 10, which stands as the best number. Thus, I have arranged them for you in a way that forms a triangle with the One at the top, then the Two, the Three, and finally the Four at the bottom.”
“Here it is!” He unrolled a large papyrus to disclose the sketch of the triangle.
“The number (4) is the most important key in Nature. In fact, it is the Key-Keeper. Many important natural phenomena come in groups of four. The most significant one describes the four levels of existence, which are: Being, Living, Feeling and Realizing. Another major group of four forms Nature itself, and it comes in the four elements of Fire, Air, Water, and Earth.”
“Four is the Perfect Square of equality and regularity. It is the symbol of Moral Justice. It stands between the subject and the object in a horizontal direction. The vertical line describes the Divine Laws in a conscious and energetic method. Hence, all powers and vibrations of the physical and spiritual planes are engraved within the Perfect Square. And the name of Him, Alim, or Abba – the Logos – is equal to the sacred number Four. I therefore have dedicated it to the Sun!” The Grand Hierophant of Sophia proclaimed with finality.
Silence prevailed in their current state of awe. He anticipated a reaction from them. None came for as long as their eyes reflected their personal rumination on these vital teachings. With the confident patience of a true Master, he waited quietly for their eyes to lighten up in comprehension.
When they all did, one after another, he indicated his satisfaction with a smile. He invited them then to stand up and proclaim the most requisite and solemn oath of all times. And so, under the faint phosphorescent light of the celestial stars, and the infinite kingdom of the Most High, the mathematikoi swore in a unanimous voice:
“I swear by him who has transmitted to our minds
the Sacred Four, the Tetraktys, High and Pure,
the Root and Source of ever flowing Nature,
The Model of the gods.”
Their affidavit resounded all over the terrace of the Temple. It reached high above the hill, and inside the White City. It resonated with the waves of the Mediterranean Sea and the Ether of Space. To them, this sworn declaration constituted the supreme affirmation, for it determined, without a doubt, their religion and faith.
The soft breeze of the Divine Spirit entered their realms.
Calm was the night.
* * *
From behind the hill, early the next day, the sun soared up in radiance and warmth. The place of the meeting had changed for the new lesson. Inside the crypt of the Temple of Apollo this time, the mathematikoi gathered in a half circle. In front of them, the Master smiled to the Sun, and then at them.
“Good morning, my friends. Today, we proceed with my Theology of Numbers,” he announced at once. “The number Five (5), the Pentad, is in truth the most important and powerful number of them all. It stands in the middle of the number Ten. It is central in its position, a circular number that comprises five circumscribed circles. The Five, in fact, characterizes the
return of everything. And by that I mean the return of the Psyche into itself, there where purification and knowledge abide to the Cycle of the Pentagon; A Great Cycle that rotates in harmony, and commands the movements of the Kosmos[40].”
“The Five is the symbol of the five atomic shapes that exist hidden in Nature. They consist of the Pyramid, the Cube, the Octahedron, the Icosahedron, and the Dodecahedron. These geometrical shapes represent, in a systematic and respective order, the five elements of Fire, Earth, Air, Water, and Ether. However, nothing is really pure of the existential matters, since Earth partakes in Fire, Fire in Air, Air in Water, and Water in Ether.”
“As we know, there exist, aside from the sun and the moon, five other spheres that float with affinity in the small visible space. Accordingly, five major zones divide our Sphere: the Earth. We have the north cold zone, the south cold zone, the summer zone, the winter zone, and finally, the equator zone.”
“The number Five is a merger. I have named it marriage for it contains a male-odd number, the Three, which is limited and determined, and a female-even number, the Two, which is unlimited and undetermined. The sum of these two numbers, 2 and 3, equals 5.”
“Now, here comes an important point,” Pythagoras took a step forward. He then looked at his ten disciples standing in a half-circular formation in front of him with great honor. “Heed me,” he uttered. “The esoteric and spiritual symbol of the number 5 is the five-pointed star. It is the Pentagram of our Great Society. It is, de facto, the sign on your chests denoting your official adherence to the first degree. In our secret language, it means death to reveal; a term that connotes the death and resurrection in our system of Initiation. Each line of our star intersects with another line in the proportions of macro to micro. Five, my friends, is dedicated to Hermes-Enoch, to Mercury!”
“It symbolizes, mainly, the Kosmic Man that is the Microcosm of the Macrocosm; the thinking and conscious man. Therefore, drawn on a Pentagon, Five epitomizes, in my perception of matters, harmony and health. In accordance, I have selected it to be the secret sign of our Fraternity!”
In a unanimous reaction, the disciples hailed their Master with enthusiasm. Hymns resounded in honor of the Fraternity to which they proudly belonged. Pythagoras let it be, happy with the general mood that lifted their spirits in glee.
Amidst their cheering, he marched to the entrance of the Temple and they followed him. He raised his hand to command their silence to which they abided at once. The mid-day carried to them the caress of the breeze and the sound of the waves. A solitary eagle glided high in the sky with its long broad wings spread out. It claimed, by such display, the magnificence of its flight. By his will and mathemagical supremacy, the Master summoned to him the predator. His hand in a fist, he extended his arm firmly. At once, the Eagle revolved on its circumnavigation, and vocalized a faint screech in response. To his disciples’ bewilderment, it scudded down in a plunge, directly towards them.
At the darting of the powerful raptor, they swiftly stepped back in an instinct of survival. They exclaimed in rapture as the Golden Eagle slowed down to land smoothly, like a messenger of God, on the arm of their equable Master. Pythagoras caressed it gently. He then whispered some mystical words close to its small head that bent to heed the message of the Master. When he looked into its golden eyes with a smile of complicity, the Eagle responded with a repeated screech. The Master then raised his arm and commanded it to freedom. The subdued predator fluttered his wings widely, lifted in the air, and took off to its realm, high above in the sky.
In the days that followed, the mathematikoi performed several religious and magical ceremonies inside the Pythagorean sanctuaries. They employed the power of the Number Five, drawn inside a circle, to beckon the good daemons. In a similar manner, they would often exorcise the bad ones; those non-human disembodied souls from around them to impede their many disturbing interventions in their lives.
* * *
Vibrations of excitement swelled up inside the crypt of the Temple of Apollo where the members of the inner Circle convened. On his stand, in front of them, the Master readied to reveal the next teachings of his hieros logos.
“Good morning to all of you, dear brothers and sisters,” he greeted them.
The usual kindness in his voice blended with a tone of authority that only great Masters like him knew how to employ with effective tact.
“Today, we move up to the Hexad, the number Six (6). It is the primary perfect circular number. It is the regular figure for marriage. Why? You must wonder,” he tempted with a smile, then, lifting a sketch to their attention, he explained, “Look at these figures. Six is the Union between the male and the female. The male has for sign a downward triangle in the following shape (▼). The female is represented by an opposite triangle in this upward shape (▲). Together, they form the six-pointed star[41].”
“In concordance, the triple spirit descending from Heaven (▼) interweaves with the triple receiving matter of Earth (▲). The Six is sacred to the goddess Astarte, known also as Aphrodite. It is Venus which, as we know, is the morning and the evening star. For that reason, the holy day of Venus is Friday; the sixth day of the week.”
“Now, Six is also an important number for it represents the six levels of natural life. The first level encompasses the seed and starts from the bottom. The second level takes in the plant life. The third comprises the animal life and the fourth the human life. The fifth is the angelic life, which profiles the mediators between men and gods. And finally, the last and sublime echelon at the top of this hierarchy is the godhood life.”
“Listen and listen well! Six cubed (6×6×6) is equal to two hundred sixteen (216). In truth, it represents a very mystical number, for it is a generator principle of the spirit! It repeats itself by its spherical structure that produces an eternal recurrence of approximately the same events in both the spiritual and physical worlds. Matter is not at all infinite in the Kosmos! Know thyself! So, in fact, every two hundred sixteen years, the spirit of man travels around the Circle of Necessity in order to incarnate a new and different body. The Truth I tell you! That Cycle of Reincarnation commands the state of being of every mortal!”
This outstanding conclusion ended his discourse. Without further comment, he reached for his Lyre, and settled on his chair to play a sacred tune while his disciples were absorbed in due reflection. His voice soon drifted soothingly as he chanted the Homeric verses VII, 5-60 from the Iliad to illustrate the reality of Reincarnation.
The song related the death of Euphorbus, one of the previous Avatars – or lives – of Pythagoras himself! A brave warrior, Euphorbus had fought and perished in the Trojan War.
The Master intoned beautifully:
“He fell, thunderously, and his armor clattered upon him
and his hair, lovely as the Graces, was splattered with blood, those braided locks caught waspwise in gold and silver.
As some slip of an olive tree, strong-growing, that a man raised in a lonely place, and drenched it with generous water, so that it blossoms into beauty, and the blasts of winds from all quarters tremble it, and it bursts into pale blossoming.
But then a wind suddenly in a great tempest descending upon it wrenches it out of its sand and lays it at length on the ground; such was Euphorbus of the strong ash spear, the son of Panthoos, whom Menalaus Atreides killed, and was stripping his armor.”
When Pythagoras ended chanting the death of his own prior existence, Myllias of Crotona, one of the exceptional mathematikoi in the group, argued in doubts at the reality of reincarnation.
Pythagoras looked at him sternly and declared patiently, “Verily I say unto you, brother Myllias, that in your previous life, you were a King, and not just an ordinary King, but the legendary Phrygian King Midas.”
Myllias gawked at him for a moment of wordless astonishment then managed to exclaim in a faint voice, “A King! A legendary King… me?”
“Yes!” Pythagoras did not soften the look he pierced Myllias
with. “And honestly speaking, I strongly urge you to take that long trip to Asia one day soon, and perform the expiatory rituals at your previous tomb!”
Wordless, indeed, Myllias remained all day. He tried to deal with the shock of such an astounding revelation. He wondered painfully what great sins he had committed in his former life that required from him a due expiation!
That same day, the disciples came to know that their Master considered of essential that his disciples understood the great law of reincarnation. At their queries, he revealed four of his Avatars. As he declared, he had lived as Aithalides, the son of Hermes; then Euphorbus, the Trojan hero. He had incarnated, as well, as Hermotimus[42], and finally as Pyrrhus, a fisherman from Delos.”
Fascinated and excited, the disciples asked him if he could see into their spirits and tell them of their former lives. To the delight of some, and the consternation of others, he did. In fact, considering the time appropriate to teach them the secret process of Anamnesis, he caused many to recollect the memory of their previous incarnations!
* * *
Walking together on the beautiful sandy shore at eventide became a pleasant habit for Pythagoras and Theano. They both enjoyed these private moments in which they shared their past, present, and potential future. They delighted in knowing about each other on a more personal level. When Pythagoras deepened his conversation with her on the nature of the number Six, he certainly meant to prepare the ground for the realization of his aspiration, and ultimately, the last wish of his late mother. The prospect of marriage between them materialized, in fact, in her mind the way he saw it; the perfect alliance of the manifested natural life. As she rejoiced in the thought, their conversation dragged, until dusk caught them, still together, on the shore.
Pythagoras the Mathemagician Page 28