Why do you arrange the virtues in circles the way you do?
As we were discovering the virtues, a friend told us about Metatron's Cube, a shape important in sacred geometry. He felt that the symbolism of this shape would help us in our journey for the Good Society.
Josh began looking closely at Metatron's Cube (pictured to the right). It has thirteen circles which could correspond to the 13 virtues. He felt that the thirteen circles could represent the thirteen virtues and their relationship with one another.
​
He prayerfully considered which virtue would correspond to each circle. One day, at the end of a work day, he got out a piece of paper and drew the 13 circles as arranged in Metatron's Cube and then, using his spiritual senses, labeled each one with the number of each virtue group and ended up with something that looked something like the second picture to the right.
​
A friend pointed out that this arrangement follows mathematical patterns:​
-
Each pair of circles that is opposite one another adds up to 13 (the total number of virtues!)
-
Each row of circles adds up to 39 (13 times 3!)
-
If you ignore the middle circle and start with the circles on the left and move toward the right, the numbers in the circles in each row ascend.
It was amazing to Josh that these mathematic patterns appeared in the arrangement he did his best to receive by spiritual means! What a confirmation that we were on to something important!
​
Metatron's Cube is usually depicted with the top circle facing upwards. We turned it on its side as we considered the symbolism of the sun traveling east to west across the sky. Putting it on its side so the top and bottom circles are pointing east and west on a modern compass reminds us to be united with what's happening in the sky and in nature as we pursue virtue.
​
Josh and his friend have put in plenty of hours studying the symbolism of laying out virtue on Metatron's Cube in this fashion. And they've learned tons. If you desire, you might read up on how different thinkers view Metatron's Cube and then consider what this can teach you about these 13 virtues. Consider each virtue's position on the cube in relation to the others and what that can teach you about their nature:
-
Why are certain virtues next to each other?
-
Why are certain virtues opposite each other?
-
Why do certain virtues share a row?
-
What can we learn by the sequence of virtues in a row from left to right and right to left?
​
Journaling and talking about questions such as these have proved very fruitful for us. Give it a try and see if it helps you!