Read article below.  Read Bishop Katia’s Commentary at the end, & perform the SenseGod’s Mark on you exercise

The Tau and the TripleTau

By H. Meij, H.P.
Tokyo Chapter #1 R.A.M.
February, 2000

The Triple Tau is oneof the most important symbols of Royal Arch Masonry – but where didit come from, and what does it mean?

The Tau:

TheTau (T) is the19th letter of the Greek alphabet. In ancient times it was regardedas the symbol of life, whereas the 8th letter of the Greek alphabet,theta,was considered the symbol of death. Many say that these two symbolscreated today’s plus (+) and minus (-) symbols. TheTau is a veryold form of the cross, and is also known as St. Anthony’s Cross, afterthe saint that was martyred on a cross of that shape.

The Hebrew form of the wordTau is pronounced tov,which means marking, etching or scrawl. In Pagan times, a warrior returninghonorably from battle could attach a T to his name. An ancient Royal Archlecture explains that those acquitted of a crime, or returning unhurt frombattle could also use the T as a sign. This custom is also illustrated inthe Bible, Ezekiel 9:

“…….the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’sinkhorn by his side….Go through the midst of the city, through the midstof Jerusalem, and setTau upon the foreheadsof the men that sigh and cry for all the abominations that be done in themidst thereof”

In other words, the Taucross was put on men to distinguish those who lamented sin, although newerversions of the Bible have replaced the ancient term“Tau”with “mark.” In imitation of this practice, in the 26thdegree of the Scottish Rite, aTau is put onthe candidate’s forehead after the candidate has been purified withwater on the head, to distinguish himself before proceeding.

[Katia inserts:  The cult of Mithras was said to have marked or evenbranded the Tau onto foreheads of new initiates.  In ancient Sumeriaand Egypt a Tau was marked on the forehead using ashes. In Ezekiel we readof ink being used to make the Tau, God’s official mark.  The Tau stoodfor the Sumerian sun-god Tammuz, a dying resurrecting “good shepherd” solargod.  Tammuz and Jesus embodied the same archetype, as Magdalene andIshtar (wife-goddess of Tammuz) embodied the sacred feminine archetype.]

Triple Tau –Three Taus orT and H?

It has been said that threeTaus come togetherto form the TripleTau,. Others say the TripleTau is originallythe coming together of a T and a H, forming , meaning TemplumHierosolyma, or the Temple of Jerusalem. Christians interpreted the symbolas “Holiness supporting Trinity”. Royal Arch records dating from1767 show this symbol. In addition to meaning Templum Hierosolyma(The Temple of Jerusalem), it is also said to mean Clavis ad Thesaurum -“A key to the treasure” – and Theca ubi res pretiosa – “A place where theprecious thing is concealed.”

The Key becomes apparent in the Jewel:
Freemasons wear jewels not only to denote their status in the respectivedegrees, but also as each jewel is purported to have special symbolism. TheCompanion’s jewel, worn by most Royal Arch Masons, is no different.The Triple Tau is anintricate part of the Companion’s jewel as pictured below:

The jewel incorporates the double triangle, also known as the “Sealof Solomon” with the following inscriptions:

“Nil nisi clavis deest” – Nothing is wanting but the key

“Si talia jungere possis sit tibi scire satis” – If thou canstcomprehend these things, thou knowest enough

“Invenimus cultor dei civis mundi” – We have found the worshipof God, O citizen of the world

“Deo, regi, et fratribus, honor fidelitas, benevolentia” –For God, king, and brethren; honor, fidelity, and benevolence

Significance of Plato and the Jewel:
The studies of Euclid and Plato involved the study of many shapes and forms.In Plato’s studies, he and his disciples noticed that the study of theuniverse involved the study of different volumes, as all that is in thisworld, from the smallest atoms to the largest items, consisted of volume.When they studied each shape (triangle, square etc) they noticed that only5 shapes are completely equal no matter from what angle they are viewed.These shapes were subsequently called “The Five Platonic Solids”and were described in detail in his famous works called “The Timaeus.”The five solids represented the four base elements of this world (fire, air,water, earth) and the fifth, heaven, represented their all-encompassing universe.

The Five Platonic Solids

Plato

Volume

Shape of Face

Faces

Edges

Corners

Degrees

Illus.

“Heaven”

Dodecahedron

Pentagon

12

30

20

5040

1

Fire

Tetrahedron

Triangle

4

6

4

720

2

Air

Octahedron

Triangle

8

12

6

1440

3

Earth

Hexahedron

Square

6

12

8

2160

4

Water

Icosahedron

Triangle

20

30

12

3600

5

Mathematicians have long known that these five shapes are the only shapesthat can equally divide three-dimensional space, and were the pinnacle ofancient geometric and esoteric knowledge (a sphere also equally divides space,but as it has no faces, edges, corners or degrees, was not considered a solid).

The Seal of Solomon and the five elements:
At first glance, one would not see the five Platonic shapes in the Seal ofSolomon, but when one looks at the number of angles, the picture becomesclear. It will be found, that the number of angles in the TripleTau (The key), and amultiple of it, is equal to combinations of the triangles in the Seal ofSolomon. Hence the TripleTau, or key,“unlocks” the Seal of Solomon to reveal the five Platonicshapes!

First, we need to know two pieces of information.Let’s first look at the TripleTau, . We see that there aremade up of 8 x 90 degree angles, equal to a value of 720 degrees. (I havenumbered these 1 through 8 for easy reference), or 8 right angles, asfollows:

Therefore,the number of degrees in a Tau,, is 8 x 90 degrees= 720 degrees.

Second, we can also observe thatthe Seal of Solomon, as shown in the Companion’s jewel, is actuallymade up of several triangles, which we can mark as follows: Traingle A-B-C,triangle D-E-F, triangle G-H-I..

Thirdly, we learn from our Royal Arch ritual the following:

“The equilateral or perfect Triangle is an emblem of the three essentialattributes of Deity, namely, Omnipresence, Omniscience, and Omnipotence;and as the three equal sides or equal angles form but one triangle, so thesethree equal attributes constitute but one God”

With this in mind, we can say that one triangle shownin the jewel, is actually made up of three triangles as follows(triangles a, b, and c), which also forms a fourth in the center(triangle d):

Such a triangle, when looked at it from a geometrical value of its angles,is equal to 60 x 12 = 720 (because there are 4 triangles, each triangle beingequilateral, has three 60 degree angles each)

 

Combine the TripleTau and the Key ofSolomon:

Now we have all the prerequisites to proceed to reveal the five Platonicshapes embedded in the Companion’s jewel with the help of the“Key”, or TripleTau. You will noticethat:

    • Triangle GHI = 1 x. Why? We already know that consists of 8 right angles of 90 degreeseach. Hence = 8 x 90 = 720 degrees. Triangle GHI shows 4 equilateral triangles,which we showed above is also equal a geometrical value of 720, which inturn equals the total degrees of a Tetrahedron, symbol ofFire.

      Triangles ABC DEF = 2 x = 1440 degrees= the degrees in an Octahedron, which is the emblem ofAir.

      Triangles ABC DEF GHI = 3 x = 2160 degrees= the degrees in a cube (Hexahedron), which is the emblem ofEarth.

      Triangles DEF is can also be divided into 4smaller triangles by GHI, add ABC. These 5 triangles = 5 x = 3600 degrees= the degrees in an Icosahedron, which is the emblem ofWater.

We have now found the four elements. What remains is the last,“Heaven.” We find that the intersection of triangles ABC and DEF,form six smaller triangles around the circumference of the jewel, whose baserests on the central triangle of GHI. As one triangle is 180 degrees, andthere are four equal triangles in one (see above), means that one triangleon the circumference is 180 x 4 = 720. There are six triangles on thecircumference, so 6 x 720 = 4320. Add to this the revolving central triangleGHI (720) and you obtain 4320 + 720 = 5040, which is equal to the degreesof a Dodecahedron, which is the emblem of Heaven.

Conclusions:

Through the key , the fivePlatonic solids are revealed in the Royal Arch Companion’s jewel. TheG.A.O.T.U. [Grand Architect of the Universe] created the elements out ofthe void, without which man cannot exist – reminding each of us of HisOmnipotence.

    • Illustration 1 – The Five Platonic Shapes

      Dodecahedron (Heaven, all-encompassing Universe)

       

      Illustration 2 – The Five Platonic Shapes

      Tetrahedron (Fire)

       

      Illustration 3 – The Five Platonic Shapes

       

      Octahedron (Air)

      Illustration 4– The Five Platonic Shapes

      Hexahedron (Earth)

       

      Illustration 5 – The Five Platonic Shapes

      Icosahedron (Water)

      Bibliography:

    • Ritual, The General Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons International
    • Freemason’s Book of the Royal Arch, by Bernard Jones
    • The Mathematical Archetypes of Nature, Art, and Science, by Michael Schneider
    • Dictionary of Symbols, by Carl Liungman

 

Article on the Triple Tau was originally found on this page:
http://www3.tky.3web.ne.jp/~jafarr/The%20Tau%20and%20the%20Triple%20Ta1.html

http://www3.tky.3web.ne.jp/%7Ejafarr/The Tau and the Triple Ta1.html


Bishop Katia‘s Commentary             Top
Daughters of Tsion especially need this Triple Tau information because theyneed to create a set of the 5 Shapes of Plato for their spiritual magiksuse.  When conjuring up something or making prayer or battle magiks,the Daughter of Tsion will actualize the power of sacred geometry, the powerof creation itself, by fingering the facets of the Platonic shaped balls,cube, and pyramids. Hebrew letters of creation or their Greek or Latin alphabetcounterparts, runes, sigils, symbols and / or heiroglyph-like symbols,will be painted or written on the facets.  Have you ever seen a dreidel?It’s the little spinning top used at Hanukkah.  The dreidel islike a cube but has a point on the bottom to make it spin.  It has specialHebrew letters written on its facets (sides). You spin it and see which faceis up when it lands, similar to throwing dice.  Dice are also toolsof sacred geometry, believe it or not. The Daughter/Cleric of Tsionor Knight/ress of the Temple would do well to add a pair of dice to her/hisspiritual toolbag.

Fingering.  Think of how a fluteplayer covers certain holes with hisfingers, using thousands of fingering combinations and patterns to thus createsomething that didn’t exist.  Something beautiful and inspiring.  Likemeasuring land or sacred space for a building.

TAU CROSS: Long ago known as the “Cross of Egypt.” It is shaped like theletter “T”, often with a circle or ovoid above it symbolizing divinity (divinelife, or life itself) — the ankh. The halo is a circle put over someoneto symbolize divinity or sainthood.  The Tau cross with a circle ontop becomes an ankh.  Very potent symbolism there since the ankh isalso called the cross of life.  There is a mixture of claims betweenthe ankh and the Tau Cross being the Cross of Egypt since the ankh is adevelopment of the Tau Cross.  Inductees into the Mysteries of Mithraswere branded with this symbol on their forehead. The cult of Mithras wasa major competitor of Christianity. Mithras was the bull-god worshipped inthe Roman empire about the time of Christ. Mithras was hailed by his believersas the “angel of light” and “heavenly light” and is associated with the sunbecause of its “heavenly” location.  Here’s an illustratedtourof the Tau cross from our friend Jennifer Emick’s immense online archiveat SymbolDictionary.net.

ANKH: This symbol represents life, fertility and is also known as the Keyof Life. As a development of the Tau Cross (after the Greek letter, Tau “T”,also known as the Egyptian Cross or the Crux Ansata, one application of theankh represents the genitals of both sexes: the ovoid or yoni (the symbolof external female genitals and Shakti, the wife of Shiva) and the crossbelow it as the male member. Following Christ’s death, the Tau Cross portionof the ankh was a symbol of death and ending, ostensibly because of thesimilarity of the Tau with the Cross of Christ and the profuse use of theTau (and similar) cross configuration to crucify thieves and other criminals.The yoni or halo atop the Tau Cross represents life and divinity, thus makingthe symbol of life now a symbol of both life and death like the yin yangsymbol.  But originally the ankh meant life and life as even the lowerTau portion meant life in ancient times.  The ankh meant life andreincarnation.


Now perform the following exercise which you should recognize from the Archdiakontechniques lesson.


SensingGod’s Mark on the Forehead and Right Hand (a technique developed here at our Mystery School)   TOP

In Step 1 you sense the subtle circulation of the body (Step 1 is from RichardSmoley’s Inner Christianity)

Pick one shoulder blade and feel it touching the seatback behind you.  Nowclose your eyes and take your mind, and “go” there to that shoulderblade. And just sense it. Feel the contact point it makes with the seatback.Feel it from the inside of your shoulderblade. You are inside sensing thisbodypart. Are you in?  Feel anything moving inside there?  Doesit feel kinda un-solid?  Like maybe something in there is swirling arounda bit?  Some kind of invisible energy moving around inside yourshoulderblade?  Some people feel a tingling, some get a sensation ofwarmth. Or it feels like your shoulderblade is “dizzy” inside. Like someenergy is flowing and moving below the surface.

You could “travel” to your elbow and feel it touching your chair, or youcould go to the heel of your foot and sense where it makes contact with yourshoe.

Do this technique enough and you become aware of a subtle circulating energyin your body. You could call it lifeforce, Ruach, Godforce. We know whatLuke Skywalker would call it: The Force. This invisible energy that you sensejust under the surface of your physical body is called the subtle body ineastern traditions. It is the invisible body you send out sometimes whilesleeping, or in an out of body experience, or in so-called “astral travel.”

What is the Mark of God?

The Creator God in the OT tells us he has marked or sealed his chosen ones,put an invisible seal on their foreheads and right hands. [Deut 11:18, Ezek.9:4] [God marked the righteous on their foreheads: Rev. 3:12; 7:3; 9:4;14:1; 22:4]  Esoteric Christians know that the chosen ones are actuallythose that CHOSE GOD. We have free will, remember so the chosen ones arethose that made an agreement with the Divine Source to work to fulfill theirdestiny, their Purpose of being – to climb that tower, flip that switch,and get to know the Divine intimately. Any person who agrees to be THEIRS- the Godhead’s – will be “marked” or “sealed” somehow by the direct contactwith holiness. You give them your heart and they mark you on the foreheador right hand, says the Bible. The forehead symbolizes thinking-patternsand the right hand symbolizes behavior. The book of Revelation talks of godwriting his name on peoples’ foreheads (and sometimes uses the term puttinghis seal there). No one knows what God’s seal looks like, but Judaism teachesit is the Hebrew letter Tav, because Tav means “seal,” “impression – likean embossed seal,” or “code” and is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet,thus the seal of creation – because God used the 22 letters to create theuniverse.  In Greek — the alphabet of early Christianity — the Hebrewletter Tav becomes Tau, which lucky for us who can’t read Greek, is alsoour capital T in the Latin alphabet.

But God’s actual seal may take different forms. Some people who do this techniquesee the six-sided hexagon, which is considered the building block of theuniverse in Sacred Geometry. The hexagon appears in honeycombs, ice crystals,every snowflake and is the heart of the Star of David.

Whatever form it takes, God’s seal on you can be SENSED by going to the foreheador right hand just like we “traveled” to the shoulderblade a minute ago.Close your eyes again real quick and “go” to the inside of your right hand.With your inner eye have a look around. See what you can see, or just FEELas we did the shoulderblade. Feel God’s mark on you.

WARNING LABEL:  People prone tothe power of suggestion can get all scared they have the mark of the beaston them when doing this exercise. That’s why this one is supposed to be doneunder the supervision of an instructor. Still, you can do this on your ownif you are careful to remember the mark of the beast is taken voluntarilyand only when fully conscious. You have to CONSENT to wear it and have tophysically offer up your right hand or forehead to be marked. And all thisis not going to happen until the apocalypse, so I assure you, you are perfectlysafe.

Because these exercises really are quite potent they sometimes come withwarning labels. Esoteric techniques can and will cause you to ascend – theywill take you up to your beloved (and within, as this is Inner Christianity,Esoteric meaning Inner).

They work because they engage and put to work all four realms of your being- body, mind, soul, and spirit.

Simple is powerful. Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of any given technique.


Exercise:

1.  Draw a Seal of Solomon, aka Star of David.  Notice the hexagoninside.  

2.  Now draw a hexagon by itself.  If you look closely at a hexagon,you see that it is the outline of a cube.  

3.  Draw a cube inside your hexagon.  It is called the Cube ofSpace, and sometimes Cube of Creation.


Daughters of Tsion Only:  You should make the 3D images above eitherout of clay, bake them and paint them, or out of paper.  Some shapessuch as the cube are available for purchase in various places and schoolmath kits have several.  Try an internet search or just get some clayand make your own.