The Secret Teachings of All Ages

THE LIFE AND PHILOSOPHY OF PYTHAGORAS

Pythagoras and the School of Crotona A Greek colony in Southern Italy where Pythagoras established his famous philosophical and religious community.—Pythagorean fundamentals—The symmetrical solids—The symbolic aphorisms of Pythagoras—Pythagorean astronomy—Kepler's theory Johannes Kepler (1571–1630) was a German astronomer who attempted to relate the orbits of the planets to the Pythagorean solids. of the universe. 65

PYTHAGOREAN MATHEMATICS

The theory of numbers—The numerical values of letters—Method of securing the numerical power of words—An introduction to the Pythagorean theory of numbers—The sieve of Eratosthenes A simple, ancient algorithm for finding all prime numbers up to any given limit.—The meanings of the ten numbers. 69

THE HUMAN BODY IN SYMBOLISM

The philosophical mannequin—The three universal centers—The temples of initiation—The hand in symbolism—The greater and lesser man—The Human Being original: "Anthropos", or Oversoul. 73

THE HIRAMIC LEGEND

The building of Solomon's Temple—The murder of Hiram Abiff original: "CHiram Abiff"; a central figure in the allegorical narrative of Freemasonry, symbolizing the master builder.—The martyrdom of Jacques de Molay The 23rd and last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, burned at the stake in 1314.—The spirit fire and the pineal gland—The wanderings of the astronomical Hiram—Cleopatra's Needle and Masons' marks. 77

THE PYTHAGOREAN THEORY OF MUSIC AND COLOR

Pythagoras and the diatonic scale A seven-note musical scale common in Western music.—Therapeutic music—The music of the spheres—The use of color in symbolism—The colors of the spectrum and the musical scale—Zodiacal and planetary colors. 81

FISHES, INSECTS, ANIMALS, REPTILES, AND BIRDS

Jonah and the whale—The fish as the symbol of Christ—The Egyptian scarab A species of dung beetle revered by ancient Egyptians as a symbol of resurrection and the sun god Ra.—Jupiter's fly—The serpent of wisdom—The sacred crocodile. 85

FISHES, INSECTS, ANIMALS, REPTILES, AND BIRDS, PART II

The dove, the yonic emblem Relating to the "yoni," a symbol of the divine feminine or the creative power of nature.—The self-renewing phoenix—The Great Seal of the United States of America—Bast, the cat goddess of the Ptolemies—Apis, the sacred bull—The one-horned beast original: "monoceros", or unicorn. 89

FLOWERS, PLANTS, FRUITS, AND TREES

The flower, a phallic symbol—The lotus blossom—The Scandinavian World Tree, Yggdrasil In Norse mythology, the immense ash tree that connects the nine worlds of the cosmos.—The sprig of acacia—The juice of the grape—The magical powers of the mandrake. 93