Theos-Talk Archives (May 2000 Message tt00035)

Masonic Building
Delivered at the opening of the 11 January 1986 Stated Meeting in Goliad,
Texas.
We know, O God, of the metaphors for building found in the symbolism of our
Craft. We know of rough and perfect ashlars, the Tabernacle of Moses, the
cornerstone, the northeast corner, the oblong square, angles, parallel
lines, the five orders of architecture, the working tools, and the erecting
of King Solomon's Temple. Remind us, Father, as these symbols are meant to
do, of the importance of the spiritual life and of character building. Show
us how to use the proper materials, methods, and influences in shaping our
lives in harmony with Your will and way. Guide us in our deliberations in
this hour, that that which we construct may stand the test of time. For Your
honor and to Your glory we pray. Amen.
http://www.star-telegram.com/np/smithfield455/pray1.htm

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opposites, table of

in Pythagorean philosophy, a set of 10 pairs of contrary qualities. The
earliest reference is in Aristotle, who said that it was in use among some
contemporary Pythagoreans. But Aristotle provided no real information about
its function in Pythagorean practice or theory or about its origin. Some
scholars have detected possible archaic elements in it, but others have
suggested that its originator was in fact Speusippus, Plato's nephew.
Because no statements of Pythagoras have survived, and because Aristotle
customarily accommodated pre-Socratic philosophy to his own terminology and
problems, the problem is difficult to resolve.

Aristotle's table of the Pythagorean opposites is as follows:

Limited Unlimited Odd Even Unity Plurality Right Left Male Female At Rest In
Motion Straight Curved Light Darkness Good Evil Square Oblong

http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/0/0,5716,58653+1+57220,00.html

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In the speculation on odd and even numbers, the early Pythagoreans used
so-called gnomones (Greek: "carpenter's squares"). Judging from Aristotle's
account, gnomon numbers, represented by dots or pebbles, were arranged in
the manner shown in Figure 2. If a series of odd numbers is put around the
unit as gnomons, they always produce squares; thus, the members of the
series 4, 9, 16, 25, . . . are "square" numbers. If even numbers are
depicted in a similar way, the resulting figures (which offer infinite
variations) represent "oblong" numbers, such as those of the series 2, 6,
12, 20 . . . . On the other hand, a triangle represented by three dots (as
in the upper part of the tetraktys) can be extended by a series of natural
numbers to form the "triangular" numbers 6, 10 (the tetraktys), 15, 21. . .
. This procedure, which was, so far, Pythagorean, led later, perhaps in the
Platonic Academy, to a speculation on "polygonal" numbers.
http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/0/0,5716,115424+6+108670,00.html

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The town of Hollewaulee, is on the opposite bank of the river. Continue on
still down the river in all 8 miles X Noocooschepoo. Here we enter the
Toosahatcche & Colooswe fields, (the towns being on the opposite side) and
continue four miles through them, and X a small creek Leecawsah, at the
Colooswe, little village pritly situated on a rising ground to the left.
Here commence large swamps, and between them and the river are some rich
flat canebrake land, where these Indians cultivate their corn, pilae, and
melons. Continue on 2 miles X a branch, rise a hill, where the remains of a
circular mound on the left, the lands thin tho' level. To the right the
descent 20 feet to the swamp land. From this bank arise several springs
particularly one, a large one, half a mile farther, the Uchee village, a
remnant of those settled on the Chattahoochee, half a mile farther pass a
Shawnee village, they speak the language and retain the manners of their
countrymen to the N. W. This town house differs from the Creek, it is an
oblong square building 8 feet pitch roofed on the common mode of cabin
building, the sides and roof covered with bark of pine. Continue on 2 miles
X a small creek, at Mucclassau, continue on in all 18 miles X a creek 10
feet wide. 11/2 mile farther X another small creek and in half a mile arrive
at the house of Charles Weatherford.
http://www.altavista.com/cgi-bin/query?pg=q&stype=stext&sc=on&q=%22oblong+sq
uare%22&stq=150

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For your leaf upon my chest one day will fall so softly proud
In testing of immortal hopes to which I have avowed
Upon the oblong square.
http://members.mint.net/leighton/planting.html

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FOUR

>From very ancient times, it has been the custom of men to refer all created
matter to what they called the " Four Elements ", or the mystical Elements
of Earth, Water, Air and Fire.  We have seen, in our study of the Zodiac,
that the twelve signs can be divided into four triangles which,
respectively, have their "fixed" signs in Taurus, Aquarius, Scorpio and Leo,
and we refer these signs to " the leading standards of the four divisions of
the army of Israel "-to the Ox, the Man, the Eagle and the Lion.  Even in
our Craft Rituals we follow the progression, although by implication; we
refer to the "sand (Earth) of the sea (Water)". to the ... ravenous birds of
the Air and devouring beasts of the field (Earth) ...", and to the "b.b. to
ashes (Fire) ... face of Earth and Water ... four cardinal winds (Air) of
heaven." Thus, the progression is from the dense (Earth), through elements
which progressively become less dense (Water and Air) until we reach the
slate which results in the transmutation of matter-what so many people speak
of as being the destruction of matter, although we now know that this
conception is incorrect; matter, on burning, is transmuted with the release
of energy.

In mystical teachings, we have many examples of the number four: it is
called the number of "completion" and "manifestation of light".  In the
fourth verse of the first Chapter of the book of Genesis, we read that God
divided the light from the darkness.  Pythagoras called the Tetrad "the root
of all things, the fountain of nature, and the most perfect number.  God was
expressed as the Tetrad because the Decad (the Ten) was the sum of the first
four numbers.  It is the centre of the series 1-7, and, as the tetrahedron,
it forms the first geometrical solid.  The faces of the perfect Ashlar are
perfect squares and the form of our Lodges is said to be that of an "oblong
square". It is interesting to note that the reference in the explanation of
the first Tracing Board to the form of the Lodge as a "Parallelopipedon"
assumes that each Lodge is in the form of a solid, bounded by six parallel
faces each, presumably, in the form of a rectangle although this is not made
clear in the definition.  In Hebrew, the fourth letter-the "Daleth"-has the
meaning of a "door", and it seems that this is in good accord with the
object of our Lodge Meetings, which, surely, are the door by which we are
made aware of higher things.  We speak of five steps " . . . as though
ascending and we speak of "raising", or, again, we refer to the "rising" of
that bright morning, star which brings peace and salvation to the faithful
and obedient of the human race.  I want to suggest to you that the "star" is
not the one that we see in the sky, it is the star of our inner
consciousness, whose unfoldment brings that peace which the world cannot
give; it is the symbol of increasing "awareness" which allows us to assess
the things of this world at their proper value.

http://owmg.org/Education/Esoteric/DORM%2394.txt

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In out study of the Square we saw that it is nearly always linked with the
Compasses, and these old emblems, joined with the Holy Bible, are the Great
Lights of the Craft. If the lodge is an "oblong square" and built upon the
Square (as the earth was thought to be in olden time), Over it arches the
Sky, which is a circle. Thus Earth and Heaven are brought together in the
lodge - the earth where man goes forth to his labor, and the heaven to which
he aspires. In other words, the light of Revelation and the law of Nature
are like to two points of the Compasses within which our life is set under a
canopy of Sun and Stars.

http://www.nels.com/mason/sy24m05.html

Pythagorean Figured Numbers:
                   Oblong, Square, Triangular, etc.
                           John Opsopaus

Here we go on Oblong numbers...

The problem is that they are much easier to explain with pictures, as the
Pythagoreans did, than with words, to which ASCII is suited.  But I'll try
to
do pictures.

The easiest to understand are the Square numbers; these are ones that can be
arranged in a square:

 *    **    ***    ****    *****     ...
      **    ***    ****    *****
            ***    ****    *****
                   ****    *****
                           *****
 1     4     9      16       25      ...

Well, they don't look quite square on my terminal; maybe they do on yours!
Mathematicians still call these numbers squares:  1 squared = 1, 2 squared =
4, 3 squared = 9, etc.  There are lots of interesting things about them,
especially from a Pythagorean standpoint, but let's go on to the Oblongs.

An Oblong number can be arranged in a rectangle whose width and height
differ
by one unit; for simplicity I'll make them wider than tall.  So whereas the
Square numbers have sizes 1 X 1, 2 X 2, 3 X 3, 4 X 4, etc. the Oblong
numbers
have sizes 1 X 2, 2 X 3, 3 X 4, etc.  So the look like this:

  **    ***    ****    *****    ******    ...
        ***    ****    *****    ******
               ****    *****    ******
                       *****    ******
                                ******
   2     6      12      20        30      ...

http://www.cs.utk.edu/~mclennan/BA/JO-TAT2.txt









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