One of the great writings in history which some say contains much hidden truth is The Enneads by Plotinus, a founder of Neoplatonism. It consists of 54 treatises in six sets of 9 treatises each. The first set deals with humanity and ethics; the second and third with cosmology; the fourth with the soul; the fifth with knowledge; and the sixth with Being and number. For those with a metaphysical bent, I recommend it highly.
(available at Amazon)
Recommended Reading: J. G. Bennett, Enneagram Studies, Weiser Books, 1983.
(available at Amazon)
Students of metaphysics may remember the enneagram as a sacred symbol brought to the West by the mystic G.I. Gurdjieff. A very thorough analysis of its meanings and functions can be found in a book by one of his pupils, P.D. Ouspensky, entitled In Search of the Miraculous: Fragments of an Unknown Teaching.
(available at Amazon)
AL's Sacred Geometry Corner by Alan S. Glassman
This month we welcome back Alan Glassman for the Seventh Part of our popular series of Sacred Geometry articles. To all of you who have expressed your concern for Alan and missed his articles, Alan has been on hiatus since last summer due to some very pressing family matters that necessitated much attention and travel. So, finally after the wait, let us now pick up where we left off. (Review the last article, Part 6, Segment III.)
The Basics - Part 7: The Sacred Number 9 as Completion
Curious Mathematics of the Number Nine
9 is indeed an interesting number from a mathematical standpoint for three simple reasons:
(1)
Every time it is multiplied, the resulting digits add up to 9. For instance, 2 x 9 = 18 and 1 + 8 = 9. Or, 13 x 9 = 117 and 1 + 1 + 7 = 9. And, so on. (Because of this, the Hebrews called nine the Number of Immutable Truth.)
(2)
Every number above 9 minus the sum of its digits is a multiple of 9. For instance, 11 - 2 = 9. Or, 185 - 14 = 171 = 19 x 9. And, so on.
(3)
Every three-digit number minus that same number in reverse is a multiple of 9. For instance, 753 - 357 = 396 = 44 x 9. Or, 169 - 961 = -792 = -88 x 9. And, so on.
9 is the highest single digit number in the decimal system. It is also the third square number: (1) 1 x 1 = 1, (2) 2 x 2 = 4, and (3) 3 x 3 = 9.
Nine in Geometry
A 9-sided polygon is called a nonagon or an enneagon.
Each of the enneagon's 9 interior angles is 140 degrees.
If we connect all vertices of the enneagon, we get a graphic figure that looks like this:
Note the smaller upside-down enneagon produced in the middle.
From Wikipedia, we find “The regular nonagon also contains 3 star figures, the third being the compound of three equilateral triangles:
The third figure above is often called an enneagram. Shown here it is made of three interlocking triangles. But, it more commonly appears within a circle:
Students of metaphysics may remember the enneagram as a sacred symbol brought to the West by the mystic G.I. Gurdjieff. A very thorough analysis of its meanings and functions can be found in a book by one of his pupils, P.D. Ouspensky, entitled In Search of the Miraculous: Fragments of an Unknown Teaching (as shown at left.)
If you trace a path along the lines that are not part of the triangle 9-3-6, you can move through the numbers 1-4-2-8-5-7 and repeat. Wikipedia calls 142857 “the best known cyclic number” and shows you why at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/142857_(number). You may be surprised at what is said about that number, its multiples, and how it is derived from the number 7.
Some have noticed if you produce the shape of a limited Fibonacci spiral you also produce a figure approximating the digit 9:
(Image Source: www.aliensurgeon.com)
Examples of Nine in Architecture
The famous Mayan Pyramid of Ku'Kulkan at Chichen Itza on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico has 9 levels:
“The magic square is … considered sacred and full of power in the Islamic, Tibetan, Buddhist, Celtic, Indian and Jewish traditions. A magic square is when each number is used only once, but the horizontal, vertical and diagonal sums are all equal. The Chinese have patterned their architectural temples along the harmonious principles of the magic square.”
(Text and ImageSource: www.greatdreams.com)
In fact, the Chinese repeatedly use 9 in their sacred architecture. It is a Yang (masculine) number designating “heaven.” Yin (feminine) numbers are “earth” numbers. Those Chinese emperors who called themselves a “son of heaven” were thought to communicate with heaven in a world composed of nines.
The Circular Mound Altar at Beijing's Temple of Heaven is a prime example of the use of 9 in Chinese architecture. Each of the three tiers has staircases of 9 steps at its four corners:
The Circular Mound Altar at Beijing's Temple of Heaven (Image Source: www.chinatourdesign.com)
Around the central round stone of the Mound Altar radiate 9 fan shaped stones, beyond that 18 fan shaped stones, 27 fan stones, etc.
Altogether, there are 9 rows of fan shaped stones, the last row containing 81 stones. The total number of stones is 3,402. Using the numerological method of addition shown previously in this article, 3 + 4 + 0 + 2 = 9.
The central round stone of the Mound Altar (Image Source: http://coolinsights.blogspot.com)
The original Temple of Hera at Paestum (550 B.C.) is an example of a Greek structure in southern Italy with 9 exterior columns front and back and 18 (2 x 9) columns at the sides.
Temple of Hera at Paestum (Image Source: http://sacred-destinations.blogspot.com)
Plan of the Temple (ImageSource:
http://sights.seindal.dk)
Symbolism of the Number Nine
The Chinese underworld has 9 rivers and a 9-headed dragon. The Chinese also talk about 9 parts of the sky, 9 countries of the earth, with 9 mountain ranges in each country. The Aztecs talked about 9 layers of the underworld and its 9 rivers as well as 9 hours of darkness with its Nine Lords of Night. And, Dante talks about 9 spheres of Heaven and 9 Circles of Hell.
Many religious traditions talk about the Hierarchy of 9 who rule the earth. In the Buddhist tradition, important rituals usually use 9 monks. In Islam, Ramadan, the month of prayer and fasting, is the 9th month of the Muslim calendar. The United States Supreme Court consists of 9 justices. In Greek mythology, there were 9 Muses who were the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (memory). And, for the Mayans, there were 9 Lords of Time---the Galactic Masters.
In ancient Egypt there were 9 gods and goddesses who passed judgment upon the newly deceased. Collectively they were called the Great Ennead: Ra, his children Shu (air) and Tefnut (water), their children Geb (earth) and Nut (sky), and their children Isis, Nephthys, Osiris, and Set.
There are said to be 9 orders or choruses of angels with distinct attributes: Seraphs (fire, light, and love), Cherubs (wisdom and intelligence), Thrones (force and life), Dominions (liberty), Principalities (eternity and memory), Powers (holiness), Virtues (humility), Archangels (justice), and ordinary Angels (innocence). Of course, the Hebrews refer to the 72 names of God (8 x 9), and there are 99 names of God in the Holy Koran (11 x 9). Norse and Celtic mythologies are replete with the number 9.
Sketch of Ark of the Covenant with Cherubs
9 has long denoted completion in many cultures. It signifies the end of an era and the beginning of another. It can be thought of as a transition number---the last period of work before the end and starting over. In French the word neuf means nine and new; in Spanish the words for nine and new are nueve and nuevo; in German neun and neu.
Continuing with our numerological addition, we note that the Hindu cycles of time are measured as multiples of 9 whose digits add up to 9. For instance, the present cycle is called the Kali Yuga and is 432,000 years long. It is part of the Great Epoch, or Maha Yuga, which is 4,320,000 years long. 4 + 3 + 2 = 9. In the myths of Babylonia, it was said the time between the rise of the first Babylonian city of Kish and the coming of the Great Flood of Noah was 432,000 years. In fact, in Sumero-Babylonian cosmology, entire universes emerge, flower, and die in seasons of either 43,200 years or 4,320, 000 years, only to repeat again.
In Europe, when the Angelus bells toll on Catholic churches, they ring three times a day to celebrate the Virgin's conception of the Savior. On each occasion, they ring 3 + 3 + 3 times and then 9 times. In fact, the number 9 relates to all the great goddesses in history: Inanna, Ishtar, Astarte, Artemis, Venus, etc.
In astrology, one complete cycle or Great Platonic Year through the heavens of the 12 Signs of the Zodiac takes 25,920 years. Dividing 25,920 by 360 degrees of a circle, we get 432. And, 2 + 5 + 9 + 2 + 0 = 18 = 2 x 9. Remembering our dictum “As Above, So Below”, we find that Yahoo says a well-tuned athlete's heart rate is about 60 beats per minute. (See: http://answers.yahoo.com) 60 BPM x 60 minutes per hour = 3600 beats per hour. 3600 BPH x 24 hours = 86,400 beats per day. That's 43,200 beats for each 12 hour period of night and day. Again, 4 + 3 + 2 = 9.
Could these symbolic attributes of the number 9 throughout so many different world cultures just be coincidence?
A Few Common Uses of the Number 9
In ancient times, it was thought there were 9 elements of the body: bones, brain, nerves, veins, blood, flesh, skin, nails, and hair.
Until very recently when Pluto was downgraded, there were 9 planets in our solar system.
There are 9 months in a normal human pregnancy, 9 openings in the human body, 9 innings and 9 players on a baseball team, and 9-Ball is the usual game of billiards played in the U.S. It is said that “a cat has 9 lives”, that if you go “all the way” in some effort you have gone “the whole 9 yards”, and that if you are dressed to the hilt you are “dressed to the nines.”
An Example of Nine from History
There were a total of 9 Christian Crusades to the Holy Land in Medieval times, and it is said the Knights Templar provided the original 9 knights to guard the pilgrims going to Jerusalem. Only 9 knights to provide safety for pilgrims over such a large area? I suspect “9 knights” may have been a secret code signifying some deeper esoteric knowledge the Templars either carried with them or gained while in the Holy Land. It is recognized that while there, they indeed learned many things from Islam, including knowledge of how to later design and successfully build the magnificent Gothic Cathedrals in Europe.
In coming months, look for Part 8 of AL's Corner where we'll continue our study of the number 9 and how it is related to the next number, 10, by the Pythagorean tetractys.
Copyright Alan S. Glassman, 2009 (all rights reserved)
