The Mathematical and Mystical Meanings
of the Tetractys

The tetractys is one of the symbols in sacred geometry that is made very interesting by its complex layers of meaning.  It is a design that is very mathematical in structure and yet holds mystical significance among the Pythagoreans and the followers of the Kabbalah.

Basically, the tetractys is a triangle composed of ten points rising upward.  Perhaps the best example of the way the tetractys looks like is the way bowling pins are arranged at the end of a bowling lane.

The Pythagoreans’ interpretation of the tetractys is mathematical in nature.  By contrast, its significance to the followers of the ancient Hebrew belief system of the Kabbalah is more mystical.

Just like the Pythagoreans, the followers of the Kabbalah also believe that the tetractys is an illustration of existence, of the way everything is structured in the universe.  However, the followers of the Kabbalah have paralleled the tetractys with the Tree of Life.

tree of life	tree of life - silver

In Kabbalah, the ten points of the tetractys represent the ten Sephiroth or the ten faces of God.  The followers of Kabbalah have also linked the tetractys with the Tetragrammaton, which is the manner by which the name of God is spoken (YHWH).

In this way, each of the ten points of the tetractys is substituted with a letter of the Tetragrammaton.  When the numeric value of each letter is added together, it will yield the number 72.  The number 72 is considered holy for the Hebrews and the followers of the Kabbalah, because it signifies the 72 names of God.

Given these two meanings attached with the tetractys, it can be said that wearing a pendant made in the shape of the tetractys signifies the desire of the wearer to seek divine understanding.  It can also be taken to mean that the wearer wants to attain a close relationship with God.

tatractis - gold	tatractis - gold