The Magical Cross, the Trinity, and Crazy Pants

In the process of researching metaphysics and the 36 Lessons and such, I have a tendency to accumulate notes on a diverse selection of subjects. Sometimes I notice connections between those notes, and knowledge (or the illusion of knowledge, which is not without some value) is revealed.

On the whole, this is just some neat things to have fun with. None of this is intended to be combined together to form some incredibly serious system of metaphysics. But it does have links to actual systems that are very serious, so please feel free to explore further, outside this essay.

Okay, we're going to start with somewhat reasonable connections and then we're going to put on our crazy pants.

The Chalice and The Blade

Both given their names via Dan Brown quoting Riane Eisler who made 'em up in "The Chalice and the Blade (1987)" although the symbolism still makes sense: the receptacle and the phallus. The Masculine and the Feminine, Yin and Yang, Anu & Padomay, two opposites. These two ideas can be represented by two shapes, a "blade," which resembles a pyramid, and the inverted "chalice."

Combining the two in a natural way would look a bit like nesting the two together, but that would require rotating one, which we can't do without losing the symbolism. For the two to remain unchanged, they must meet at the points, forming a Cross.

A quick aside: already we're referencing the 36 Lessons, specifically Sermon 13:

> 'The magical cross is an integration of the worth of mortals at the expense of their spirits. Surround it with the triangle and you begin to see the Triune house. It becomes divided into corners, which are ruled by our brethren, the Four Corners: BAL DAGON MALAC SHEOG.'

Okay, back to the symbolism.

It is impossible for these two forces to fully combine in our world for the same reason that the Tao cannot be fully realized. Combining pure Yin and pure Yang after the creation of the universe is impossible. Combining pure Anu and pure Padomay after the creation of the Aurbis is impossible. Hell, just finding pure Anu and pure Padomay after the first Aurbic hiccup is equally impossible.

On a similar note, the symbols, when combined, can be surrounded by a circle (why you would do this varies depending on the system being utilized). Now we begin to form a familiar shape, that of the Aurbic Wheel (albeit with half the gift-limbs). At its center lies Mundus, the Tower, and Lorkhan's Secret.

The combination of two forces via a third "binding" force is also reflected in a Christian spiritual concept called the "Holy Trinity," in which the Triune God (does that ring any bells?) is manifest as the Father, the Son, and the entity that connects them both, the Holy Spirit.

The point at which these two forces intersect can be considered to be the place or event of such great potential that even an impossible event can become reality. To make such a combination possible would require an intense Mastery of both. Oh, hello Vivec. Upon this point, this Tower, we stand and make the impossible statement: "In the face of all reason, I exist."

Now we have a symbol that can be used to represent the creation of the Aurbis. The combination Anu & Padomay to create the known Universe. Or, if you like, the combination of the Anuic gift-limbs and the Padomaic SITHISIT, the wet earth of the new star our home.

This method of symbolic combination is useful if you're ever wondering how to get the Ternary number system based on the Warrior / Thief / Mage system of mysticism to cooperate with the Binary system of Anu & Padomay or the Octal system of the Aedra and Daedra. All these things meet at the center, at the Tower, in impossibility. A good thing to keep in mind, if you're trying to cram some numerology into your writing.

Crazy Pants Time

Okay, having covered that, let's have some fun. The two intersecting lines resemble an "X." In Ancient Greek (EDIT: Classical Latin, thanks /u/myrrlyn), the letter "X" became the 21st letter of the alphabet in or around 1BC. What's the 21st Sermon about? The Scripture of the Wheel. What's it called in Sermon 29? The Womb. What's Vivec's role in C0DA…?

Want another one? What symbol do the Chalice and the Blade (when inverted) resemble? The Roman symbol "V" which is used to represent the number 5. 5, which is half of 10, represented by the symbol "X," as above. What is Sermon 5 called in the Scripture of the Numbers? The Corners of the World, which brings us back to the Aurbic Wheel, as above.

Another one? From John Dee I learned that combining the two lines, horizontal and vertical, and the circle, in various combinations, leads us to the system known as the Monad, a series of symbols that combine elements of these two shapes (the line and the circle) to form symbols of the various celestial bodies. Back in Dee's time, philosophers and alchemists referred to the shape of the known universe (in other words, the observable celestial bodies) in the following formation.

The Egg-Shaped Aurbis. Of course, Dee himself had some choice words about this structure, and preferred a more circular formation without the yolk and shell division. And in case you're wondering, from top to bottom, that's Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, and the moon. At least, I think so.

Okay, last one! The study of the Holy Spirit in Christian and Gnostic belief is referred to as Pneumatology. Pneuma, which is Greek for "breath," is connected to the Holy Spirit due to its role as the "breath" of God, or the binding, living force-energy of the Triune God. Does this remind you of the Lord of the Middle Air? Well, welcome to the deep end, because the divine nature formed by the combination of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, is called the Godhead. Yup!