This sacred cord is different from the other two of previous initiations. This one is not just a symbol of spirituality but also an ancient tool used by the Egyptians, Greeks and Druids to build their Temples,stone monuments, labyrinths, churches.
“Geometry as we understand it, goes back to the ancient Egyptians. The word itself provides a clue to its origin and use: geo = land; metry = measure. The problem of “land-measure” arose every year because of the flooding of the Nile valley and the Egyptian practice of levying taxes according to the extent of land ownership. Egyptian surveyors evolved the ingenious device of the knotted cord, which led to a way of finding a right angle as a component of a right-angle triangle, making it possible to calculate nearly all sizes and shapes of arable land. But the Egyptians had more complex uses for geometry and the right-angle triangle in the great building and engineering projects of the Pharaohs and in the priestly art of numbers and astrology.
The knotted-cord-and-triangle idea was brought to Greece in the sixth century BC. Geometry was to the Greeks a divine exercise, an absolute and perfect way to create designs that were applicable in the building of temples, making exquisite pottery, creating statues of gods and heroes, and speculating on the essence of matter or the movements of the celestial bodies . . . . ”
[Harlan, Calvin. Vision & Invention, An Introduction to Art Fundamentals. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1986.]
You must Make your own sacred cord. Make it out of black yarn, string or very thin rope. It is knotted with twelve knots evenly spaced following the simple sacred geometry pattern. Black is chosen because it symbolizes the primal material, the unmanifest creation, the depth of wisdom, and even chaos from which God called out shapes, number, organization to create the universe. Your knotted sacred cord is a Creator’s tool. It should be added with solemn understanding to your spiritual “tool-kit.”
You should attach a charm or pendant of the Seal of Solomon(aka Star of David) to your cord. The Seal of Solomon is made up of two intertwining triangles. Its presence on your knotted cord reminds you among many other things, what the knotted cord originally did — opened the mystery of the right angle triangle.
Here are two Seal of Solomon small charms less than$10. We recommend the blue enamel one or silver one. The blue solid enamel one is nice because with the hexagon so eye-catching in the center it shows clearly how geometry is illustrated by the Seal of Solomon, our sacred geometry sigil. That hexagon looks like a cube if you let your eye jump it up to 3D. And the hexagon is the building block of the universe, used in magikal shields, “hexes” since living memory. However, the plain silver one showing two entwined triangles is also suitable for our purpose. You may have a Seal of Solomon in your collection that you can attach to your cord. If not, please order one because another symbol won’t do. We are the Poor Knights of Christ of the Temple of Solomon, built using these exact 12-knotted ropes. The Seal of Solomon is thus the symbol of choice for this special sacred cord. If you order one and it doesn’t arrive before you actually perform the initiation, that is okay, you can attach it to the cord later. The charm goes on one of the tails where the cord is tied together.
HEXAGRAM: The hexagram has deep meaning to the Jews — it was adopted by them as the Star of David circa their captivity by the Babylonians.The hexagram was also used by the Egyptians long before the Jews claimed it for holy representation. The hexagram is claimed to be one of the most potent icons for working magic to call up entities, etc. The hexagram is also known as the Crest of Solomon or Seal of Solomon. It figures prominently in Tarot and is on the lid of many boxes that hold the Tarot deck. It is also the symbol behind putting a “hex” on someone. The hexagram is believed also to protect from fire, deadly weapons, and dangers while traveling. -Adapted from CAP fundamentalist Christian website which claims of course that all the symbols we use are satanic and mock God. <sigh>
The knotted measuring cord of the ancients is somewhat similar to the modern Surveyor’s Chain.
Here’s a fascinating modern use of a simple knotted cord (rope).To make a labyrinth.Read the entire page, especially from the heading “Preparation” on down. Watch the very cool animations show how the knotted cord makes a labyrinth as if by magik.
The Franciscan Order brothers wear a knotted rope cord round their waists. See here. (Scroll down)
Here is a thorough exploration of all the cultures that used the knotted cord or rope, sometimes called the Druid’s Cord, to measure sacred ground and create sacred monuments and temples.
The cord has twelve knots evenly spaced. We make our 3rd degree cords black. Get ready to contemplate the symbolism of this black prima materia cord with magikal creation number 12. Twelve hours on a clock, twelve disciples, gods of Olympus, months, mansions in the sky (zodiac). Twelve this and twelve that…all thru in the universe.
The rope/cord is a circle, yet a triangle. Simple and perfect. Truth is simple, perfect.
This tool conquers, and reins in space, the void, the unmanifest universe, chaos. And the black color reminds us of all that, too.
HOW TO MAKE A 12 KNOTTED “DRUID” CORD
The cord was exactly the same in Egyptian, Greek and Druid use.
Use a “flexible string of quality that does not stretch,” says a Druidry book on my shelf, Druid Magic. The author describes her druid cord as “divided into twelve sections of equal length thru colored markings and knots; it is about a yard long. If you decide to make such a cord, it can be any length.”
Our Templar Order suggests you make yours the same length (or similar) to your other initiation cords; or else make a small one so that it ends up long enough to go around your neck like a rosary or a slightly longer. Your cord should be all black. You can use black cord, string or yarn. If you use black yarn, you will have to braid it to make it thicker like a cord. Remember it is good to use 100% wool (remember,even Wal-Mart has this kind of yarn). Braiding shortens the strands of yarn drastically, so cut your three strands TWICE as long as you want to end up, and then you can always shorten your cord after it’s all braided. You can’t lengthen it after it’s cut, but you can always shorten it;so go ahead and braid up a loooong set of strands to be on the safe side!
There are various ideas for how to make the twelve sections be exactly the same length, the knots exactly the same distance apart. After the cord is cut to its final length (and braided if you used yarn) you could fold it in half, then in half again, etc. But you have to be very precise and it’s hard to get the knots in exactly the right place. Another way is to just lay it alongside a tape measure or yardstick and make sure each section is say, four inches long. Then mark with whiteout or some other method, the spot where each knot will go. Tie them carefully so as to cover up that dot of whiteout.
The Druid Magic book continues, “When held as a triangle with sides of three,four and five sections, the cord creates an exact right angle…The Druid Cord also provides a way of measuring the circumference of cylinders such as tree trunks if one is selecting similarly sized ones to be pillars in a temple or home.” –from, Druid Magic.
As soon as your knots are all tied, you should tie the final knot which makes the cord a circle. The Druid Cord described above apparently is kept straight, not tied into a circle. You can make your final knot in such a way as to be able to untie it, but it should be easy to make it look like the diagram pictured right. When you get your Seal of Solomon chart, attach it to one of the two little tails from tying the final knot, or if you keep your cord untied and straight out, attach it to one of the ends.
