Saturday, November 15, 2014

All Things Six

Cardinal: SIX
Six
Hindu-Arabic: 6
Ordinate: Sixt
Roman: V
Greek: Digamma
Pythagorean number: the hexa
1+5, 2+4, 3+3, 2x3

The Roman word for six is sex (sextus) which gives us sextant, sextuplets, and sextet which shouldn't be confused with the one on one unless it is a double ménage à trois.

Greek has hexa, which gives us the hexagram or the six-pointed star also known as the Seal of Solomon. We also have a hexagon in geometric shapes, and hexapods, which are insects.

June is the sixth month, and Saturday is the sixth day when the week starts with Monday. Saturday is named for Saturn or the Titan Cronus in disguise which ties six to time in another way. Cronus controlled generation as in when the weekend begins or the turning point for a new week,  and dissolution as when the work weekends or the end of the current week, and later became tied to time itself.  So even if it is the fifth or sixth day, it is in keeping with Cronus's control. Six am and six pm mean a quarter and three-quarters of the day is done. Six has been an important measure for a long time whether in time or quantity as a half-dozen.

In science, Carbon (C) has the atomic number six and is the sixth element on the periodic table.

Six is the Christian number of creation and order as God created the world in six days. It is also symbolic of the ending of effort, but six is also a day of imperfection as it is one day short of a complete week. The Sixth Commandment is ‘Thou shall not kill.’ In the Bible, the manna fell from heaven for 6 days; Jesus changed six pots of water into wine for his first miracle. Six, as already mentioned represents the Seal of Solomon and the six-point star of Judaism. Three sixes, 666, represents the devil. The Hexateuch is the first six books of the Old Testament. By the 9th Century, Sext was a canonical hour for mid-day prayer services.

A sixte in fencing is the sixth defensive position, and in cards, we have a six-spot or sixer, and in dice Captain Hicks.

Numerology assigns the number six to the alpha letters f, o, x. Six’s Astrological association is the House of Virgo. Six represents the human soul because six is symbolic of the union between fire and water, and is the number of ambivalence and effort. It is a 'perfect number' because it equals the sum of its divisors and is divisible by both a 3 (odd) and a 2 (even), thus harmoniously combining the elements of each; this leads to it becoming a hermaphroditic number. Six is the number of love, marriage, and domestic happiness. The Pythagoreans referred to this number as 'the perfection of all points.' They considered six the form of forms, the maker of the soul, and the articulation of the universe. Its keywords are time, panacea, the world, overabundance, and being indefatigable. Its associated deities are Orpheus, the Muse Thalia, and the Fate Lachesis.

Again, come up on the bad side of six and you earn the negative connotations of being unfinished or imperfect in business, and projects, while conversely, becoming a workaholic. It might mean you have lost your sense of time and place because you are in want or exhausted. Worst of all, it can mean you are working for evil.

In Tarot divination, the sixth card is the lovers. This card represents knowledge of the super-conscious by seeing through the subconscious. The card indicates choice, temptation, attraction, and the struggle between sacred and profane love. One positive aspect is harmony between the inner and outer aspects of life.

Venus, Diana, Janus, and the heart are symbols of six. Venus governs love, harmony, artistry, feminine sexuality, attractions, affection, physical beauty, and art. A double triangle or circle divided into six parts represents the unity of spirit and body and harmony between man and God.

In common usage, you have a half dozen, a six-shooter or six-gun, a six-pack, a six-penny, six fold, or a six-footer.

There you have it, all things six. For more on six check Wikipedia.
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Sources used for information:
The Discoverers by Daniel J. Boorstin
A Complete Guide to the Tarot by Eden Gray
The Numerology Workbook by Julia Line
The Dartmouth Number Symbolism in the Middle Ages site offers much info on numbers in Christianity.

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