In
all ages and by all peoples the number seven has been regarded as a symbol of
perfection.
The
word mystical comes from the Greek adjective mustikos,
which is derived from the noun mustes, which literally means close-mouthed.
The noun is closely associated with the verb muo, which literally
translates as “I shut my mouth and close my eyes” and hence
signifies secrecy. In ancient times mustes was the
word used to denote an initiate into a religious sect. The Greek word mukos
and the Sanskrit word mukas are associated words that both mean dumb,
whence the English word mute was derived through the Latin word mutus.
In its original usage the word mystical was applied to any
language, symbol or ritual that was only understood by those who had been
initiated into sacred rites by the priesthood. The early philosophers adopted
the word mystical, using it to designate the inner or esoteric
doctrines of their schools. The symbolism derived from numbers probably is the
oldest and most widely diffused of all arcane methods used to communicate
profound concepts. A belief in the power of numbers, sometimes for good and
sometimes for evil, was the foundation of many superstitions. Numbers are used
symbolically in nearly all religions and references abound in the sacred
writings. The doctrine of numbers was fundamental to the philosophy of
Pythagoras. He was born at Samos in about 582 BCE and studied extensively
in Egypt and the Near East, where numerical symbolism had long prevailed, from
whence he brought the theories that were the basis of the system he taught in
the school he established at Cretona in Italy.
The
eminent American masonic author, Dr Albert G Mackey, was one of the most erudite
scholars, renowned for the extent of his research. Of the many books he wrote,
his Encyclopedia of Freemasonry is still regarded as a standard
reference work, almost a century after it was first published. He summarised the
universal interest in numbers and their relevance to freemasonry in the
following words:
“Among
the Greeks and Romans there was a superstitious veneration for certain numbers.
The same practise is found among all Eastern nations; it entered more or less
into all the ancient systems of philosophy; constituted a part of all the old
religions; was accepted to a great extent by the early Christian Fathers;
constituted an important part of the Cabala; was adopted by the Gnostics, the
Rosicrucians and all of the mystical societies of the Middle Ages; and finally
it has carried its influence into Freemasonry. The respect paid by Freemasons to
certain numbers all of which are odd, is founded not on the belief of any
magical virtue, but because they are assumed to be the type or representatives
of certain ideas. That is to say, a number is in Freemasonry a symbol and no
more. It is venerated, not because it has any supernatural efficacy as thought
by the Pythagoreans and others, but because it has concealed within some
allusion to a sacred object or holy thought, which it symbolises.”
Numbers
played a very important role in the ancient Egyptian culture that prevailed for
almost four millennia. Richard H. Wilkinson defines that role in his book
entitled Symbol & Magic in Egyptian Art, when he says:
“Just
as verbal and “visual” puns were felt to reflect an important aspect of
reality, the relationships between the abstract numbers found in myth and in
nature were also seen as meaningful patterns reflecting divine planning and
cosmic harmony.”
Although
one was a symbol of individuality and pre-eminence, it also had an
element of plurality reflecting the Egyptian belief that, when the creator saw
his own image in the primordial darkness, he beckoned it with the creative word
and produced his offspring, from whence the world was populated. Thus one
also represents the male and female duality of the deity. Two is
the number of duality, which is a fundamental concept in the Egyptian view of
life and the universe, thus complementing the unity in duality expressed in one.
The combination of one and two produces three,
the number of plurality that is reflected in the concept of body, soul and
spirit and the triune essence of the deity. The number four
signifies totality and completion and it appears repeatedly in Egyptian art and
ritual, especially in relation to the four cardinal points, the four pillars of
the sky and the four quarters of heaven. Seven is the sum of three
and four and thus connotes plurality, completeness and totality,
which symbolises perfection.
Because
the initial letter of the Tetragrammaton or Ineffable Name
is Yod, the Hebrews have always regarded it as a symbol of the
Deity. As Yod has a numerical value of ten, the number ten
has always been regarded as an important number. Another significant number in
the Hebrew traditions is fifteen, which is revered as sacred. This
is because the word Yod He is the two-lettered name of God
translated as Jah, but usually rendered as the Lord
in English language Bibles. Jah has the numerical equivalent of fifteen,
as Yod is ten and He is five.
In reverence for the two-lettered name of God, the number fifteen
is usually written as Teth Waw, Teth being nine
and Waw (or Vau) being six. In their
original sense Yod signified a hand and He
signified the window of God’s house, suggesting the dedication
of human endeavour to God’s service. Teth signifies a snake
or serpent, an ancient Egyptian symbol of Divine Wisdom
when extended and an emblem of eternity when looped with its tail
in its mouth.
Another
meaning of Teth is the building material clay,
whilst Waw is a symbol of unity, so that these
characters also imply dedication to the service of the one true God. The
character Teth is generally regarded as a mystery letter, because
it has the same sound as Taw (or Tau), the
twenty-second and last letter in the Hebrew alphabet. Moreover, Taw
signifies a cross and it was the “mark of Cain”
placed on Cain’s forehead to indicate that, although guilty, he was to be
spared. Like the Hebrews, most of the ancient mystics held the number fifteen
in the highest regard, because it is the product of three and five.
In this context three is regarded as a perfect number and a symbol
of completeness, whilst five signifies unity in diversity and
represents the number of manifest planes of existence, or divisions of the
material nature of the universe, usually described as the physical, the
subconscious, the mental, the spiritual and the heavenly.
The
esoteric teachings of Judaism are encompassed in the Kabbalah (or Cabala).
Tradition says they were revealed to Adam in their perfection, but were lost and
again revealed from the time of the second Temple of Zerubbabel. The teachings
are founded on a contemplation of the transcendent yet all pervasive nature of
God when considered in relation to ten sefiroth, which are the
divine emanations of Ein Sof, the infinite God in his
transcendence. The interactions of the sefiroth are often
portrayed diagrammatically as an intricately interlaced tree of life,
in which the three highest sefiroth are an ethical triad
comprising the supreme crown, wisdom and intelligence. The lower seven
constitute the trunk and branches of human reality and comprise love, power,
beauty, endurance, majesty, foundation and kingdom. The teachings of the Kabbalah
were produced in a literary form during the Middle Ages, when many of the most
important aspects were set out in a collection of books referred to as the Sefer
ha-Zohar, which is the Book of Splendour. It is a mystical
commentary on the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Hebrew
scriptures, also on some of the Hagiographa, the third section of
the Hebrew scriptures.
Three
sections of the Book of Splendour are important in the present
context. They are the Three Strands of Spirit and Highest
Grade of Faith, which are doctrinal discourses on the book of Genesis,
in conjunction with the related Three Aspects of the Soul, which
is a doctrinal discourse on the book of Exodus. Briefly, the three strands or
aspects of the mortal soul are regarded as separate entities, each with its own
abode, but linked to form a unity. The Neshamah is the innermost
or holy soul, which is the vehicle through which one strives to achieve a pure
and saintly life. It is associated with the Ruah or spirit that
shall return to God who gave it and also with the Nefesh or
natural soul that resides in every human being. Closely associated with these
three strands of the mortal soul is a fourth or heavenly component, called the
supernal soul. The supernal soul is related to the Sepharim and
may be regarded as a part of them. The Sepharim are the three
creative attributes of the self-existing, almighty and everlasting God. The
three Sepharim are derived from the root word Samech Pey
Resh, or Sephir, which means to count or to tell. The
three Sepharim literally signify firstly number or concept,
secondly the word and thirdly the writing of the word. However, it is said that
to the Creator these three aspects actually are the entity itself, for which
reason some ancient Rabbis said that:
“Idea,
word and work are one and the same to God”.
According
to the cabalistic teachings, when the body dies the Ruah ascends
to a holy place that is called the Lower Garden or Mount Zion, while the Neshamah
ascends to the higher domain from whence it emanated, but that the Nefesh
must hover over the body for seven days to consummate its transition. If the Neshamah
is found to be unfit to be readmitted into its domain, the Ruah
cannot enter the Lower Garden and the Nefesh cannot reunite with
them, so that all three continue to float in space and undergo suffering.
Immortality can only be achieved if the Neshamah achieves a
sufficiently holy state to allow it to unite with the Nefesh after
mortal death and ascend to the heavenly abode with the Ruah, where
all three unite with the supernal soul. This concept is very closely allied to
the ancient Egyptian beliefs concerning death and resurrection, from which it
most probably was derived. The ancient Egyptians believed that when the divine
spirit Ka left the body, it released the soul Ba to
begin its life in the hereafter. If the deceased had led a blameless life, the
divine spirit Ka and the soul Ba were ultimately
reunited in the hereafter with the eternal and intangible sheath Khu
and the shadow or umbra of the body, the Khaibit, before ascending
to the heavenly Duat.
Another
important exposition on the cabalistic teachings that is given in the Sephir
Yezirah, or Book of Creation, concerns the use of numbers
as symbols. The creation is discussed having regard to the ten sefirot,
or divine emanations from Ein Sof, as well as the derivation of
the cosmos as reflected in the Hebrew alphabet. Some of the alphabetical and
associated numerical symbolism will now be examined. Seven consonants in the
Hebrew alphabet may be aspirated to produce a hard sound, or not aspirated so as
to produce a softer sound. They are Beth, Gimel, Daleth,
Kaph, Pey, Resh and Tau.
These seven double consonants are said to serve as models of hardness and
softness and of strength and weakness. When written, the letters are
distinguished by a dot if a hard sound is intended. When aspirated to produce a
hard sound they are said to symbolise wisdom, wealth, fruitfulness, life,
dominion, peace and beauty in that order. When not aspirated they are said to
symbolise the opposite characteristics, which are foolishness, poverty,
barrenness, death, dependence, war and ugliness. These seven double consonants
are also said to designate a host of other well known things that commonly are
referred to in groups of seven, such as worlds, heavens, seas and days of the
week.
The
three Hebrew letters Aleph Mem Shin are of special significance,
because they are taken together to represent the three primary elements of air,
water and fire, with the hissing fire above, the still water below and the
breath of air between them to establish and maintain equilibrium. The twelve
simple letters of the alphabet are arranged in four groups of three, which are
said to represent the functions of the human organs in various groups. In this
context four is a symbol of the material aspects of the body and three is a
symbol of cohesion within each of the groups. The four groups of letters are He
Waw Zayin, Heth Teth Yod, Lamed Nun Samech
and Ayin Sadeh Qoph, to which are assigned the following
interpretations. The first group is speaking, thinking and walking, or creative
activity. The second group is seeing, hearing and working, or responsive
activity. The third group is coition, smelling and sleeping, or survival
conduct. The fourth group is anger, swallowing and laughing, or reactive
behaviour.
The
number seven was venerated in all of the ancient mysteries, which suggests some
common basis for its distinction. The Pythagoreans called seven the perfect
number because it was made up of three and four, representing the triangle and
the square, which they considered to be two perfect figures. The number seven is
revered among Jews and Christians and is frequently alluded to in both the Old
and New Testaments of the Bible. The first reference is in Genesis, which
records that after the six days of creation the Lord rested on the seventh day
and declared it holy. The traditions recorded in the Old Testament include the
ritual sprinkling of a bullock’s blood seven times and the burnt offering of
seven lambs. From when it was first used in the tabernacle in about 1280 BCE,
during the Exodus under Moses, the menorah or golden candlestick
of seven branches has been a symbol of the Israelitish identity. The Pesach,
which is the Jewish Passover or Festival of Unleavened Bread, originally was two
separate festivals, one for the flocks and one for the harvest. In about 620 BCE
King Josiah combined the two festivals as a pilgrimage festival lasting for
seven days, during which mazzah or unleavened bread must be eaten
at least on the first night.
The
Sukkot or Feast of Tabernacles also lasts for seven days and is
intended to be a reminder that the Lord required the Israelites to dwell in sukkah
or booths when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. It is
significant that Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, begins at
sunset on the ninth day of Tishri, which is the seventh month of
the Jewish ecclesiastical year. According to the aggadah, or
rabbinical teachings, this was the day when Moses received the second tablets of
the law. When King Solomon built the first temple in Jerusalem it was completed
in seven years. The miraculous feeding of four thousand by Jesus was achieved
with seven loaves and a few fish, but seven basketfuls were collected
afterwards, signifying that Jesus can completely satisfy. The early Christian
church had seven deacons and the Revelation to John was addressed to seven
churches. The seven golden candlesticks, seven seals and seven stars mentioned
in the Revelation signify the consummation of God’s plan.
Referring
again to Dr Albert G Mackey’s Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, we
find the following summary of the use of the number seven among the ancients:
“It
is singular to observe the important part occupied by the number seven in all
the ancient systems. There were, for instance, seven ancient planets, seven
Pleiades and seven Hyades; seven altars burned continually before the god
Mithras; the Arabians had seven holy temples; the Hindus supposed the world to
be enclosed within the compass of seven peninsulas; the Goths had seven deities,
namely the Sun, the Moon, Tuisco, Woden, Thor, Friga and Seatur, from whose
names are derived the days of our week; in the Persian mysteries there were
seven spacious caverns, through which the aspirant had to pass; in the Gothic
mysteries the candidate met with seven obstructions which were called the Road
of Seven Stages; and finally, sacrifices were always considered as most
efficacious when the victims were seven in number.”
In
classical mythology, the Pleiades were the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione
and sisters of the Hyades. They were transformed into stars, but one of them
became invisible out of shame because she married a mortal. The Pleiades is a
star group is in the shoulder of the constellation Taurus. It is from this story
that the name pleiad is frequently given to groups of seven,
especially illustrious persons. The Hyades were seven nymphs, also the daughters
of Atlas and Pleione, who like their sisters were placed among the stars in the
constellation Taurus and supposed by the ancients to bring rain when they rose
with the sun. The Hyades is a V-shaped cluster of stars that form the face of
the bull in the constellation Taurus, but only twelve of more than two hundred
stars in the cluster are visible to the naked eye.
Among
the ancients, three was a number of perfection and completeness. It is for this
reason that the equilateral triangle or sacred delta has always been a symbol of
the deity, being said to typify the self-existent, all-powerful and eternal
aspects of the deity. The Yod within an equilateral triangle also
signifies the deity, but it has the additional significance of service to the
deity, because the Yod in the Hebrew alphabet represents a hand.
The All-seeing Eye is often substituted for the Yod.
These symbols and also the radiated triangle, which is a triangle placed within
and surrounded by a circle of rays, are all used in speculative freemasonry. In
religious applications the rays usually surround the triangle without entering
it, when it is called a Glory and is an emblem of God’s
Eternal Glory. In masonic applications the rays often emanate from a
small circle in the centre of the triangle, so that the triangle appears to be
enshrouded in the brilliance of the rays, when it is a symbol of the Divine
Light. In Christianity the triune aspects of the deity are the Father,
the Son and the Holy Ghost, called the Holy
Trinity. In Hinduism the equilateral triangle is revered as a
personification of the Trimurti, the creative, preservative and
destructive aspects of the one true God that is without form or quality,
eternal, unchangeable and occupying all space. These three aspects of the divine
are known as Brahma, Vishnu and Siva.
The
material world is typified by the square that represents passive matter, which
is in contrast to the force that is symbolised by the triangle. It naturally
follows that the square is an emblem of the earth and humanity, whereas the
triangle is a symbol of heaven and the Deity. The square, when surmounted by a
triangle, depicts the elevation of a cubical stone that has a pyramidal apex.
This is the form of the broached thurnel depicted on the earliest
English tracing boards of an apprentice. The broached thurnel is
still shown on French tracing boards and is called “la pierre cubique a
pointe”. When seen in elevation the shape of the broached
thurnel resembles a mason’s apron with the flap turned up, as worn by
operative freemasons. The broached thurnel symbolises the union of
force and matter and the oneness of God and man, which implies perfection.
It has nine solid angles, which are one at the apex, four at the junction of the
pyramid and the cube and four at the base of the cube. Because nine
is the square of three, the number nine was
especially revered by the ancients, who considered it to signify the attainment
of perfection on the three lower planes of existence, these being the body, the
mind and the natural soul.
In
speculative freemasonry three, five and seven
are numbers that are of special significance, each having its own interpretation
as well as sharing interrelated characteristics. An axiom of the ancient Roman
Artificers especially relevant to freemasonry is that “it requires three
to make a college”, from whence was derived the requirement of three
to form a lodge. These are the three principal officers, who are the master and
his two wardens, all of whom must be present for the opening, working and
closing of the lodge. The ancients regarded the number five as
representing the five elements, the five senses and the five divisions of the
material nature of the universe, but five also was considered to
signified incompleteness because it did not include the two latent spiritual
planes required to complete the planes of existence. In freemasonry five
are required to hold a lodge, without which number a lodge cannot exist. The
five required are the three principle officers and also two fellows of the
craft, because the latter are experienced craftsmen and therefore are symbolic
of the material world. Because the number seven includes the
latent spiritual planes, the ancients considered it to be a perfect number,
signifying the completion or consummation of life. This is why it is said that seven
members are required to make a lodge perfect, these being the three principal
officers and two fellows of the craft already mentioned, together with two
entered apprentices whose initiation is symbolic of rebirth and entrance into
the spiritual plane. There also are the seven liberal arts and
sciences called Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Arithmetic, Geometry, Music and
Astronomy, the study of which tend so effectively to polish and adorn the mind.
Although
it is not a universally accepted concept, many consider that the winding
staircase is comprised of three flights or sections, respectively
having three, five and seven steps,
making a total of fifteen steps. This aspect is referred to in
several Scottish tracing boards where various explanations are given, including
an allusion to the three required to rule a lodge, the five
noble orders of architecture and the seven liberal arts and
sciences. Among the early ritualists of speculative freemasonry, several were
erudite scholars who were knowledgeable in the Hebrew scriptures. This is one of
the reasons why many Hebrew words and concepts are of special significance in
the rituals of speculative freemasonry. It is beyond question that those early
ritualists were well aware of the significance of the number fifteen
in relation to the sacred or two-lettered name of God that is translated as Jah.
For
this reason it is logical to assume that a total of fifteen steps would have
been chosen specifically for the winding stair leading to the middle chamber,
where certain Hebrew characters signifying God immediately arrested the
craftsman’s attention, nowadays represented by the letter G in
lodges of speculative craft freemasonry. Those Hebrew characters comprise the Tetragrammaton,
being the Yod He Waw He that signifies Yahweh, the
great and unpronounceable name of God that is usually rendered as Jehovah
in English language Bibles. It is important to note that although Yah
or Jah comprises the first two characters of the Tetragrammaton,
it is not an abbreviation but a name in its own right, which is called the
two-lettered name of God. It is also significant that three
parties each of five trusted craftsmen were chosen to search for
the missing master, because their efforts resulted in the establishment of a
substitute word.
The
numbers twenty-seven and eighty-one also are symbols
used in speculative freemasonry. Twenty-seven was important to the
ancients because it is the cube of three, which they considered to
be a perfect number. In Hebrew twenty-seven is
represented by the characters Kaph and Zayin, which
respectively represent the palm of the hand and a weapon.
These are appropriate symbols for the degree of Excellent Master, in which twenty-seven
is a significant number, although there is no known record of twenty-seven
being chosen as a significant number for the degree because of those characters.
Eighty-one derives its importance from being the square of nine,
which itself is the square of three. Coincidentally, eighty-one
also equals twenty-seven tripled. Although nine is a
significant number in some of the advanced degrees, the ancients considered it
to be a bad omen. They regarded nine with terror and called it the
fatal number. To them nine was a symbol of
versatility and change, as well as being an emblem of the frailty and
uncertainty of human existence, on which account they avoided all numbers that
are derived from nine. The Pythagoreans also detested the number eighty-one.
