Enlightenment

Your own illumination is the greatest service you can render the world.

This quote from Osiris invites us to savour life every time we breathe through the nose. In this way we inhale prana into the very essence of our being—to live with wisdom, love and power. This includes feeling the dazzling beauty of our spirit as we walk the path of enlightenment. It also means listening to the inner stirrings of our souls and living life from our deepest essence.

Through the grace of the divine, we are invited to gaze deeply into the unconditional love that exists at the centre of our hearts that reflects the beauty in all things. As we come to truly recognise ourselves as a flowering being within the Tree of Life we will embody the Fruit of the Holy Spirit.

So the baser instincts within our guts, brains and hearts are slowly refined into the higher elements of energy, spirit and soul. The geometric language was used to establish communication with the archetypal forces of creation, all of which were observed in nature and then applied to human affairs. This pathway required alchemists to recognise, activate and regulate the Nine Eyes of Light:

SOUL-SPIRIT-ENERGY
Spiritual Man

WISDOM-LOVE-POWER
Emotional Man

BRAIN-HEART-GUT
Physical Man

Above: can you see three interlocking equilateral triangles?

Each of these eyes has specific notes that resonate with each other like musical chords. When all three tones are played simultaneously, then we have harmony. Being aware of the atomic ripples within your physicality all the way to the energy waves of your spirituality invites the emergence of divinity. In Egyptian these eyes were called the khat, ka, shew, ren, ab, ba, sekhem, sahu and akhu.

Any potential for transformation occurs through awareness. When reading through each of the Nine, be honest, open and aware. Which do you still need to identify, accept and resolve? What resistance do you have in embodying each one? The awareness that all Nine exist within you, to be used at any time, means that you become a fully responsible co-creator with Osiris, on Earth, now. At their height, this is how the Egyptians lived, creating an awakened civilisation from the basis of the 9/3 enneagram:

This nine-pointed star symbolises enlightenment. One day soon, you will use all of the Nine to regain consciousness. This is also how we are designed to operate: as a co-creative part of Horus here on Earth, understanding that we are each composed of the Nine. You come to “know thyself” by experiencing and becoming the Nine in physical form, with this journey leading into every facet of human and divine awareness so that you may become a Flower of Light.

One way of understanding the subtle energy of the Nine is through the analogy “subtle energy is to electromagnetism as water vapour is to water.” Just as we do not measure water vapour with the same tools we use to measure water, we can’t use the same tools to measure subtle energy we would use to measure electricity. Subtle energy is higher, finer and follows different rules.

Above: can you see five irregular pentagons within?

Above: the geometry of consciousness

This realisation of deeper layers of unconditional love was the basis of Egyptian civilisation at its height. This alchemy of life harmonised the physical, emotional and spiritual bodies to allow the full descent of energy into time and space. Igniting some of the Nine was the way of darkness—activating them all indicated  the way of light:

In the figure above, the enneagram joins the nose, inferring that prana enters the body this way. The star has three points outside the square, implying that spirit, soul and energy are not subject to timespace. Elsewhere, the areas of the circle and the square are the same. So nine vesicae piscis are apparent if we draw nine circles using the enneagram:

The Nine Eyes of Light then, refer to the nine vesicae piscis within the centre circle. In some sense, they are like nine unique lenses through which we can view life—similar to a pair of glasses that filter different spectrums. So nine represents the ability to see clearly, the Three Worlds (physical, emotional and spiritual) and the last number before we return to unity.

Indeed, when it came to enlightenment, Buddha’s revelations occurred beneath a fig tree—the Bodhi. In religious iconography, this tree is recognisable by its heart-shaped leaves which are prominently displayed. So this “tree of awakening” played a key role in the peace of Buddha. This was nirvana—the state of bliss that blossomed from within.

Figs have a rejuvenating effect on the body and combat the aging process because they are rich in flavonoids, polyphenols and anthocyanins. These are also known for their powerful antioxidant effects in neutralising free radicals. Regular consumption improves memory, relieves sleep disorders and works wonders for anemia. Figs are also a strong immune stimulant and have been a favourite of doctors since at least 10,000 BCE.

These aphrodisiacs are also rich in copper and vitamin B6. Copper is a vital mineral that’s involved in energy production as well as the formation of blood cells, connective tissues and neurotransmitters. Figs also improve blood pressure and blood fat levels, which can help boost vascular health and decrease the risk of heart disease. As a “superfood” they have the highest mineral and fibre content of ALL common fruits, nuts and vegetables.

Figs are also symbolic of rebirth but more specifically the human uterus. In ancient Egypt, Ficus sycomorus was associated with the goddess Hathor whose face resembled a womb. The fig was also portrayed as the Egyptian Tree of Life and its timbers richly adorned the tombs of the pharaohs. Later, the fig was reborn in the Middle East within the hamsa—a womb symbol that promoted fertility, lactation and pregnancy:

Figs are technically not fruit—they are actually inverted flowers. So fig trees don’t bloom like apple trees because they flower inside the pod, which later matures. The result is a hard fruit called achene―that’s what gives the fig the “crunch” we love. Certain types of fig are different sexes and require a special breed of wasp to pollinate the females:

Indeed, there is a final triangle—that of the Moon, Earth and Sun. In this case, the Moon infers wisdom (the brain), the Earth implies love (the heart) and Sun refers to power (the gut). This is the Fourth World, or the cosmos reflected in man:

MOON-EARTH-SUN
Cosmic Man

This 9 + 3 format implies a 12 pointed star, referred to as a dodecagram. (This is a 2D representation of a 3D shape: the dodecahedron.) In this case the dodecagram has 12 vertices and can be drawn as FOUR interlocking equilateral triangles:

This 12/4 dodecagram indicates the complete energy system of the human body and the cosmos. Simply put, the chakra system brings forth the vision of our connection to the universe—the premise that all living beings are part of a whole. This can be drawn so:

The microcosm and macrocosm refer to a vision of the universe where the part reflects the whole and vice versa. It is a form of recursion which is a feature present in many esoteric models of philosophy, both ancient and modern. Born in Egypt, this heka was not lost on Pythagoras, who saw the cosmos and the body as a harmonious unity. This idea of “as above, so below” was revived about a century later by Plato and again during the Renaissance by Leonardo da Vinci.

In the figure above, we can see how the dodecagram gives birth to squares, hexagons and hexagrams. The seventh and highest chakra is our connection to the divine. It also allows for energy to integrate into our physical lives. The crown chakra, also known as Sahasrara, is directly aligned to seek an intimate relationship with the cosmos. Emulating the geometry of the heart chakra, it also implies something else—a circle:

In the archetype above, this circle has the same circumference as the perimeter of the square. Also implied is an inverted triangle. Next, we can add an outer circle and square that have the same wavelengths as each other:

A final inverted triangle completes the Eye of Horus:

So the dodecagram invites us to move from one harmonic circle, square and triangle to a larger one—human to divine consciousness (or base metals into gold). While this diagram may seem complicated, we can simplify it into three shapes: the circle, square and triangle. In other words, the complex design above can be reduced to the simple fractal below—the Philosopher’s Stone:

This master fertility symbol (the winged disc) represents the goddess Isis. She is the promise of the return home—immortality. In connection with the physical body, the crown chakra is the entry point for the prana which pours abundantly into the body’s energy system from the universe. She is the “above” that nourishes the “below” and distributes this lotus energy throughout the body.

Where do we find this geometry in nature? You may have guessed it—on a fig. As this flower dries, its natural sugars are secreted to the surface where they turn into white powder. Delicious and safe to eat, these particles appear dodecahedral under a microscope. Also known as Isis crystals, they contain the geometry of life that leads to illumination. Figs then, are the sacred flowers that produce the Philosopher’s Stone.

Lost, I looked into the Eye of God and found my own reflection.
—Richard Donald