The Pythagorean Brotherhood
A sub-tradition by Anders Sandberg for Mage: the Ascension by White Wolf Games
The Pythagoreans were a minor tradition during the classic
Greek era, an offshoot of Greek philosophy and eastern ideas.
It was founded by
Pythagoras himself around 500 BC. Many
stories have been told about him and his achievements. It is
said that he could do almost anything; He competed and won
prizes in the Olympic wrestling games only eighteen years old.
He travelled to Egypt and Babylonia to learn the ancient
wisdom of the priests. He could tame a bear or stop the eagle
in the air with a few magickal words. He was a masterful
musician and physician. When Polykrates became tyrant on his
native Samos, Pythagoras left and moved to Crotone in southern
Italy (this is a historical fact). Here he founded his school
of philosophy and mysticism, and spent much time in thought in
a cave, discovering the hidden truths of the universe and
writing them down in small legends or laws.
The sect was strict, ascetic and centralised. Members swore an
oath of silence and weren't allowed to say anything until they
had listened to the teachings of the Master for five years. The
authority of the Master was total, his word was not to be
questioned in any way whatsoever (this is the source of the
idiom "Iurare in verba magistri", "to swear on the word of the
teacher"). All results were attributed to the sect or to the
Master, not to their discoverers who remained anonymous. They
were strict vegetarians, and were also prohibited from eating
beans since they were thought to house the souls of the dead.
The students were taught mathematics (mainly geometry, it's
highest form), music, astronomy and magick.
The Pythagoreans taught that the planets (including the
invisible Anti-Earth on the other side of the Sun), the Moon
and the Sun were fixed on great spheres of crystal, rotating
around a central fire. Their motions creates the
exquisite harmony of the spheres, which ordinary people cannot
hear because they are too used to it. The Pythagoreans made no
distinction between music, mathematics and magick. Music was
found to be based upon subtle mathematical laws, and so was
magick. Everything in the universe follows mathematical laws
and is created out of the geometrical interactions of the
numbers, which are the true basis of reality. Each number is
holy and has its own powers. One is the indivisible monad,
creating everything out of itself. Two is the pure duality,
perfect balance between opposites. Three is the number of the
gods, while four is the number of the material world (hence
the four elements). And so on. This became the foundation of
the numerology that the Order of Hermes adopted.
The Pythagoreans believed in the eastern idea that the soul is
divine and immortal, and that it does reincarnate after each death. It
is imprisoned in our imperfect material bodies as a
punishment. The goal for all rational people is to break
free from this prison. The only way this can be achieved is by
seeing and understanding the true reality.
In the tradition of Greek philosophy, the Pythagoreans were
more thinkers and mystics than practical mages. They regarded
the external use of magick (or mathematics) as filthy, and
avoided it at all costs. Instead they turned inwards, studying
the secrets of the universe. They did not want to reveal
anything to the unworthy people outside the group, preferring
to keep silence on the great truth they knew.
The Pythagoreans were mainly interested in the nature of space
and geometry, having Correspondence as main sphere. However,
they studied all of reality with equal zeal. Their interest
was mainly theoretical and directed more towards
understanding the world than influencing it. Most Pythagoreans
learned many spheres, but often just to a basic level, enough
to see the relevant aspect of reality, which they then began
to study. To actually use a sphere to change reality was
abhorrent to them. Instead they turned inwards, trying to
perfect their understanding of the cosmic harmony. To focus
their minds they used music (especially string instruments
like harps and lutes), geometry and meditation.
The Pythagoreans became influential in the politics of Crotone.
Their asceticism contrasted strongly to the hedonism of the
nearby city of Sybaris, which they fought and finally
destroyed. They also strongly supported the aristocracy,
regarding it as self-evident that a few competent people could
run things better than the great masses. As the democratic
movement won power in southern Italy in the 4th century BC,
the Pythagoreans became persecuted. However, they persisted
well into the 3rd century despite the persecutions and the
dissolution of their rigid hierarchy.
Their ideas were adopted by Plato and through him later
influenced the Gnostics and the Order of Hermes (and the
Technocracy to some extent). The sect were never forgotten,
and small groups may have revived its ideas and practices at different times and
places. Its ideas seem to have survived with a surprising
tenacity.
Philosophy
"Everything is created out of the whole numbers. From their
ratios, differences and sums everything is made. The spheres
are arranged by their immutable laws, rotating in eternal
harmony. In the same way we can attain
perfect harmony with the cosmos by opening our minds to the
truth of numbers."
Organisation
The Pythagoreans were probably organised (or disorganised)
like a normal Greek school of philosophy. In the centre was
the Master, which everyone had to listen to and obey. Around
him was a circle of trusted friends and students, which
performed most of the teaching and training. The acolytes and
new students had the least status, and were not permitted to
speak.
Meetings
Whenever the Master called his students, or whenever there was
a particular need. There was no special celebrations or feasts in the
group.
Initiation
After spending five years listening to the teachings in total
silence, the student was left in a cave to meditate. If he had
understood the teachings correctly and had the right type of
mind, he would then be able to hear the harmony of the
spheres. If he succeeded, he was made a full member of the
group, while if he failed he was thrown out or forced to
remain silent for five more years.
Chantry
There were never any true chantry except for the meeting places of
the group in Crotone. However, the caves and beaches nearby
were often used for meditation, teaching and musical
experiments best performed beyond the reach of the ears of mortals.
Acolytes
Philosophers, young nobles, politicians, mathematical cranks
Sphere
Correspondence. The Pythagoreans regarded geometry as the
highest form of mathematics, and the field most worthy of
study. The relations between points, lines, circles and other
figures provided an endless source of mysteries to understand.
However, they also strived to perfect their
understanding of music and acoustics (using Time and Forces),
the mental world and the world of spirits.
Foci
-
All spheres: Geometric constructions.
-
To fully understand
something, the Pythagoreans had to see how it related to the
fundamental concepts creating everything, the numbers and
geometrical objects. Everything they studied was carefully drawn
and analysed. They generally made diagrams and constructions
using ruler and compass in fine sand, sometimes engraving them
in wax.
-
Mind, Time: Meditation.
-
Many Pythagoreans followed the Master
by learning to listen to their inner voices, understanding
their own (and others) minds.
-
Forces, Life, Spirit, Prime: Music.
-
By playing the harp or
lute the pythagoreans could create vibrations showing the
subtle properties of surrounding objects. It also gave them the
ability to see how the vibrations they created interacted with the music of
the spheres. Some music was harmonious with it, and enforced
and healed. Other kinds of music was discordant and could hurt or cause
dangerous effects. Quite understandably the pythagoreans took
music seriously, and couldn't stand if it was played incorrectly or poorly.
Concepts
Philosopher, mathematician, hermit, musician
Quote
"The Golden Ratio manifests in the whole of creation. Take
the ratio of the length of a man and the height of his navel.
The ratio of the sides of the Great Temple. The ratio between
the long and short sides of a pentagram. Why is this? Because
the ratio of the Whole to the Greater is the ratio of the
Greater to the Lesser."
Rotes
The Pythagoreans disliked using magick to influence reality,
so they didn't approve of most rotes except passive methods to
study the world. Only in desperate cases did they use their
knowledge in any direct way. Another fact is that much of
their magick today is coincidental or even considered to be science.
Calculating sizes from a distance using trigonometry is no
longer magick, it is mathematics.
Measurement (Correspondence 1 Mind 1)
By simply watching something in the distance and then perform
a few simple calculations, a Pythagorean could easily count
the number of objects, their distances and relations with each
other.
Absolute Tuning (Forces 1 Mind 1)
By performing geometrical calculations while listening to the
sound of an instrument, the pythagoreans could tune it
perfectly, giving it almost unearthly perfect sound. This was
reputed to be done by calculating how to tune the instrument
in accordance with the harmony of the spheres. This could at least
in theory be done to anything, causing it to resonate with the
spheres.
The Fall of Sybaris (Mind 2 Life 2)
The enmity between the ascetic Pythagoreans in Crotone and the
hedonistic Sybarites of Sybaris led to several wars. In the
end the Pythagoreans won through psychology and cunning. The
Sybaritic army was extravagantly dressed and equipped. The
horses of the cavalry was trained to move to music for use in
the many parades of Sybaris. The Pythagoreans simply let their
musicians play a happy melody, which made the horses dance.
With the cavalry out of the way, the Pythagoreans could easily
capture Sybaris, which they destroyed totally.
Cosmic Meditation (Correspondence 3 Mind 1 Entropy 1)
Pythagoras himself spent much time meditating on geometric
problems, developing elaborate and subtle theories. By
employing his knowledge of the harmony of the spheres in his
work, he could guide himself to levels of greater understanding and
eliminate the chance of making random errors. He could spend
days watching how the pure geometrical relationships which
made up the universe interacted, and extract deep insights
from them. [ The mage enters a deep intellectual trance,
where he is one with the realm of mathematics and logic. He
can see the universe from this point of view, see the deep
mathematical relations making it up, without even moving from
his place. ]
Cosmic Disharmony (Correspondence 4 Entropy 4 Prime 2)
This rote was probably never used, but remained a theoretical
application of the magick of the Pythagoreans. By very
carefully setting up a resonance using music and geometry with
the spheres, a link could be formed between the universe and
an object or person. By suddenly throwing the music into
discord the harmonious link could turn into a most deadly
force, as the forces of the universe rips the object (or
person) apart and spreads it across all of creation in
an instant.
[ The mage colocates the affected object to many places at
once, ties it to them using Prime and then releases it. The
resulting effect will rip it apart using the inertia of the
whole universe. Each success will make 4 damage levels, and
the victim will be spread out over the universe, leaving no
trace behind.]
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Anders Sandberg / nv91-asa@nada.kth.se