Septener

The emergence and development of reality (whether we are speaking of the physical world or of cognitive processes) proceeds through stages of unity, duality, the ternary, and culminates in the quaternary.

As we have already noted, Myth holds that the emergence of each subsequent stage does not erase the previous one but rather overlaps it, so that all stages of development “coexist” and interact with one another.

The next step in describing the cosmogonic (and, accordingly, the individual-life) process is to understand the relationship between the Creative Triad and the Forming Tetrad.

The fourth component, as we have already determined, results from the polarization of the Triad’s neutral element. In other words, as soon as the world-process moves from the stage of Creation to the stage of Formation, the Triad is replaced by the Tetrad. Creation and Formation are two coexisting aspects of cosmo- and anthropogenesis. Creation generates the potential for being, creates a field of forces, while Formation brings forth distinct objects. Thus these two stages — Creation and Formation, Triad and Tetrad — can be considered separately, and their sum — the Septener — thereby reflects the full scope of genesis.

In fact, it is the Septener (symbolized by the seven planetary symbols, the seven days of the week) that captures the essence of any complete, cyclic (or spiral) process.

From a practical standpoint it is important to understand that each element of the Septener corresponds to a particular stage of development; for example: the Sun — the first Father, the Moon — the first Mother, Mercury — their androgynous principle. Mars — the second Father, Venus — the second Mother, and the Jupiter/Saturn pair reflect the Permissive and Prohibitive aspects.

This scheme, together with the association of the worship of gods with particular days of the week, helps reveal the nature of the processes that succeed one another in a cyclical flow.

The symbol of the Triangle above the Square, as well as the seven-pointed star, reflects the Macrocosm’s existence under the governance of the Creative Spirit.

At the same time, any concrete system may also be viewed in terms of “three governors” and “four elements.”

The Spirit, located at the center of matter, gives it capacity for motion, development, and transformation.

We must know which element of a system corresponds to which “planetary” principle, since a precise description of the system is necessary to interact with it effectively. Moreover, we must understand which element of the system is most active (the “Father”), which supplies resources, which actually rules the system (its “Salt”), and which serves as its elemental components (“air”, “fire”, “water”, and “earth”).