What is Sacred Geometry?
The term "sacred geometry" pushes us to look beyond the commonplace conceptions of mathematics taught in schools and investigate the archetypal language and roots of geometry. It explores geometry's symbolic and meaningful elements, looking for relationships between meaning, symbols, and reality itself.
Understanding archetypes—original patterns or models that function as prototypes or symbols—is fundamental to sacred geometry. In this perspective, geometry is analyzed as a bridge between symbols, patterns, and the substance of reality itself, rather than merely as a collection of mathematical operations to produce answers.
Sacred geometry has its origins in the ancient societies of the Greeks and Egyptians. These ancient cultures viewed mathematics as a way to investigate the profound relationships between nature and self-awareness, in contrast to the way math is taught now. Natural scientists such as Pythagoras studied natural science in depth and realized that there was more to math and the natural world than meets the eye.
When we look around, we see a wide range of different forms, yet underneath all of this diversity is a repeating order that is controlled by geometry. Though every pine cone or spider web is different, Plato called forms an underlying order, a consistent and enigmatic pattern. Understanding the symbolic or sacred geometry found in the elaborate patterns, proportions, and numbers that adorn plant and animal life is made possible by an awareness of these constant kinds or shapes.
Renowned Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci highlighted the value of starting any creative project with a solid base in nature. The theory goes that by comprehending the symbolic geometry found in nature, we can apply the same ideas to everything that humans have created, including jewelry, art, textiles, and architecture.
God was frequently shown in ancient art as the great architect or geometer, measuring and drawing circles with tools like a compass—a potent metaphor of geometry's role in creating the universe. Every civilization uses tools like the compass and square, which are employed by artists, craftspeople, engineers, and architects and have significant symbolic meaning in addition to their utilitarian purpose. They remind us of the process involved in creating everything that came before us.
According to many different faiths, humans have the privilege and honor of designing and creating the universe, while the heavenly architect measured, weighed, and put out the blueprints. The global meaning of the compass and builder's square is highlighted by the representation of Fushi and Nua, the brother-sister deities, in Chinese mythology.
The vertical domain is represented by the compass, which forms circles that stand for perfection and infinity. The circle, which is frequently referred to as the mother of all shapes, has the capacity to take on an endless number of shapes and patterns. This theory is consistent with the notion that geometric proportions and patterns are the building blocks of the universe.
Incorporating holy geometry into our daily lives has the potential to be a transforming force. By incorporating these eternal patterns into our surroundings, whether through home design, fashion, or artistic expression, we get access to a universal language of harmony and beauty. Intentionally incorporating sacred geometric forms into our environment allows us to energetically influence our thoughts and emotions, remind us of the interconnectedness of all things, and encourage a mindful, harmonious existence that resonates with the sacred proportions inherent in the very essence of our world.
In the upcoming installments of this sacred geometry fundamentals series, we will investigate the mystical meanings of numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4.