| Quotations
. . . numbers are the thought of God. . . The Divine Wisdom is reflected in the numbers impressed on all things . . . the construction of the physical and moral world is based on eternal numbers.
For Pythagoras, mathematics was a bridge between the visible and invisible worlds. He pursued the study of mathematics not only as a way of understanding and manipulating nature, but also as a means of turning the mind away from the physical world, which he held to be transitory and unreal, and leading it to the contemplation of eternal and truly existing things that never vary. He taught his students that by focusing on the elements of mathematics, they could calm and purify the mind, and ultimately, through disciplined effort, experience true happiness.
. . . Pythagoras was deeply influenced by doctrines that he had encountered on his travels, and by the writings of Orpheus, which were circulated widely in the philosophical schools of Ionia. But perhaps most important was his own discovery that harmonious musical intervals can be expressed by perfect numerical ratios, a finding that led him to the realisation that all sensible phenomena follow the patterns of number.
— John Stroheimer and Peter Westbrook, in Divine Harmony: The Life and Teachings of Pythagoras, p. 66-67.
In the known civilizations of antiquity, as China, Babylon, and Egypt, the canon of number was venerated as the source of all knowledge and a guide to rightful conduct. Its influence extended from art and music to affairs of state. Every branch of science expressed its theories and observation in terms of that same small group of numbers . . . One numerical code has fashioned the whole of ancient mathematics, music, astronomy, chronology, metrology and every variety of craft. It has left its mark on every relic and tradition of ancient cultures.
— John Michell, The Dimensions of Paradise, p. 7
Symb. IV. from the Doctrine of Pythagoras
Concerning the gods, disbelieve nothing wonderful, and concerning divine doctrine.
. . . One thing is constitututed before all; that we disbelieve not any thing, either concerning the nature of the Gods, or their Essence, or their Power; not of those Pythagorical Doctrine, which seem monstrous to persons, not-initiated into Mathematicks: Thus disbelieve not, is equivalent to, acquire and possess those things, by means whereof you shall not disbelieve; that is Mathematicks, and Scientific Demonstration.
— From Pythagoras (1687) by Thomas Stanley, p. 558
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From the Author
This website honors those of the Orphic tradition — Orpheus, Apollo, Hermes, Pythagoras, Jesus, and all those before and after — whose lives were and are dedicated to communion with the Gods through contemplation and study of number; music (number in time); geometry (number in space); and astronomy (number in time and space).
This website is the result of my own contemplative explorations of the relationships between number, music (harmonics), geometry, astronomy, and color.
In recent years, serious scholars have investigated the use of number symbolism and gematria in ancient religions, through a careful and rigorous analysis of historical sources. (See resources, for a listing of some studies.) While this work has provided an inspiration to me, my approach is different. While founded on the objective patterns in number and mathematics, my approach is not historical, but aesthetic and mystical. I do not seek to advance any historical or scholarly arguments, but take great joy and delight in exploring the beautiful patterns that exist between between number, music, geometry, astronomy, and gematria.
Throughout my life, I have been fascinated and enchanted by the logical beauty of mathematical equations, geometric drawings, and scientific diagrams — from the Pythagorean equations of musical proportion to the DNA model of 64 triplet codons. I began to see the universality of number and pattern in reading Arnold Schoenberger’s The I Ching and the Genetic Code: The Hidden Key to Life, in which he linked the 64 triplet codons of DNA with the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching. The connections were clear between ancient and modern, between East and West; and the links were number and pattern. I began color coding the hexagrams and codons to help me identify patterns. Color became my beloved friend, and that relationship with color continues to this day to be utterly invaluable to me in all that I study.
The models and diagrams I am presenting, based on mathematics and harmony, reflect a type of aesthetic truth, rooted in the exquisite harmony and proportion from which all beautiful creations arise. These explorations have exposed me to a type of beneficial, mathematical beauty, which I hope other readers will also enjoy.
Because the website is very extensive, the complete set of color diagrams is available for downloading in each section in Adobe Acrobat format. The entire collection of diagrams is also available for download at the link provided below.
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