7 is the perfect number

Alchemical Word of the Week

Welcome to JULY, we are truly in deep summer now! According to the Gregorian Calendar (which most of us follow) we are in the 7th month of the year.

I’ll be discussing this alchemical number with my beautiful guest Alison Dale of Living the Spiral on the next podcast episode (which should be published this weekend, so keep an eye out for that!)

The Seed of Life/Perfectio

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” —Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The Seed of Life is a universal symbol of creation, formed from a relationship of 6 circles around a circle in the center. These 7 circles mirror our chakras, the colors of the rainbow & even musical scales. This sacred geometry forms a foundation upon which the infinite, fractal nature of life can be understood. In Hebrew numerology, which is at the heart of western alchemy, 7 symbolized completion or perfection. For example, in the creation story, God created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th. We still enjoy a 7 day cycle before moving into the next week, where the construct of time begins anew.

The seed of life represents the wholeness of a thing, whether it is at the beginning or the end or even the middle. A seed dies when it is buried in the ground and renews itself as a plant in order for the entire process to begin again. The structural information of the great oak tree is contained in a tiny acorn. A human’s DNA, which will push it toward a full, long life with all the developments that will occur at the proper ages is contained in a microscopic embryo. Even the eggs inside a female womb are being formed while she is still developing in her mother’s.

An idea alone carries the creation story and capacity to succeed inside of it, even if it is forgotten or dismissed. The Seed of Life reminds us that everything will come together in its perfect time— if it is meant to. We try so hard to control and manipulate nature, when maybe all we need to do is nurture and water the garden as it grows. Everything urges toward life, but not all things will come to fruition. Still, the genius is in the idea itself. Don’t throw your creation out before it’s had a chance to become what it was meant to be. At least imagine it further. What if failure wasn’t an option? Can you stop to imagine the fullness of this idea’s life, and ask it what it wants to become?

As a bonus, here is my favorite song about this month. Hope you enjoy!