Sacred Geometry

Any in Creation who have worked with geomancy or artifice, even mundane craft, art, and architecture, know well the importance of shapes and angles. These shapes themselves, and mathematical theories posited to underlie them, have served as core of entire Category:Schools of Sorcery, and even those occultists who do not ascribe to them the status of ultimate truth still acknowledge their power and make use of them.

Circle

One of the most basic shapes in sorcerous geometry, the shape which has no points and infinite point at once. Some say it symbolises Creation, or further still the abstract concept of ‘definition’ that separates Creation from the chaos of the Wyld and Malfeas, while others use the same justification to claim it represents ‘existence’. Some say it symbolizes eternity, for it has no beginning and no end. Almost all mon of the Dragonblooded, for aspect, House, and family, are found within circles, as are most other shapes in sorcerous geometry.

The Circle is oft associated with the element of Air.

Triangle

The Triangle is one of the most basic shapes in sorcerous geometry, three points each connected to all others, without intersection. Even after millennia, its significance remains disputed, with many holding that it is the basic building block from which the remaining geometric shapes are formed, while mathematicians laud it as the perfect assembly of angles. A few even claim it represents the stability and eternal nature of the Imperial Mountain. It is the shape most often used by mortal thaumaturges in their petty spells and summonings, and often appears as a symbol to represent them (often with an eye depicted within it to represent knowledge and its seeking).

The Triangle is oft associated with the element of Fire.

Square

Another basic shape, the square’s four points are connected to two others and its lines are right angles, some claiming this represents the essence of structure, perfect stability. Where the triangle is often used to represent the thaumaturge, the square sometimes sees similar use for architects and geomancers. The diamonds traditionally used to represent the stars on astrological charts are thought to originate with a depiction of the square, and many shrines and small temples use the shape as base for their floorplans, while the Mandarin Squares of the Thousand Scales serve as an identifiable symbol of the Realm’s bureaucracy.

The Square and the Right Angle are oft associated with the element of Water

Pentagram

The Pentagram is five points, each connected to two others. In this era, it is often said that each point represents an Immaculate Dragon, uniting their power in a single mystical diagram (though some in the Immaculate Order look unkindly upon such talk), or that each point is an Elemental Pole and Creation forms in the region betwixt them. The Sidereals maintain the more ancient explanation of the points as the Five Maidens with Destiny itself resting in the space between. This shape is often used in true Sorcery, and in depictions of the Celestial Incarnae on astrological charts.

Some say that the symbol can be rendered more potent still placed within a circle, whose line ensures each point connects with all the others. The power of this symbol is known even to those who know nothing of the occult, for it serves as the symbol of the Realm.

The sacred Pentagon, a shape of five even sides born from the center of the Pentagram, also sees use on its own, particularly in manse construction and Immaculate architecture.

The Pentagram and Pentagon are oft associated with the union of Creation’s five elements.

Hexagram

A shape of six points, the Hexagram is said by some to be the perfect union between two triangles, and by others to represent the body of Sol Invictus shining His rays upon Creation. In the Golden Age it was found frequently, worked into the temples of the Unconquered Sun and the Solar Exalted, and found in sorcerous tomes whose magic continues to defy the comprehension of living sorcerers. In the Age of Sorrows it has fallen from prominence but continues to be seen, particularly prevalent where Sol worship is strong (such as amongst the Cult of the Zenith), or in representing the Unconquered Sun on astrological charts.

The sacred Hexagon, a shape of six even sides born from the center of the Hexagram, also sees use on its own, particularly in manse construction and tilework, such as the paving stones for the streets of Whitewall. It is said that the honeycombs of Bees take this shape to praise the Most High, and that flows of lava sometimes cool to hexagons of basalt when volcano gods bow to Sol’s passage.

The Hexagram and Hexagon are oft associated with the element of Wood.

Knotted Hexagram

A shape of six points, the Knotted Hexagram is a hexagram drawn with a single continuous line, passing over and under itself to complete its shape. Its meaning and purpose have been lost to Creation, the symbol present only in the most ancient of astrological charts and amongst the dark rituals of certain Yozi Cults.

Heptagram

A symbol of seven points, the heptagram is an uncommon geometric symbol amongst occultists, employed in certain sorcerous rituals and appearing in ancient texts concerning bindings and control. In the Age of Sorrows, it is perhaps best known as the symbol of the Realm’s great sorcerous academy, the Heptagram.

Octagram

A shape of eight points and significant occult power, the octagram is little used in the Age of Sorrows… perfecting it is an art now lost to Creation, perhaps along with its significance. At the Heptagram, young students who seek to plumb its mysteries are beaten bloody by their Sidereal teachers for such foolish waste: if the Chosen of the Maidens have not unlocked its secrets through the millennia then what hope do the Dragonblooded have? Those few who continue to try are invariably lost to demons and essence eruptions as they put their flawed diagrams to the test.

The Octagon, a shape of eight sides born from the center of the Octagram, is sometimes found in the most ancient architecture… the Imperial Manse itself is octagonal in shape, as are its Black Jade gates. Adherents of the Cult of the Maker in the Realm whisper that it is a perfected, enlightened form passed on from Pasiap himself, and the shape can sometimes be found within their works, but the deep complexity of the geomancy means such use is oft kept subtle. In mundane buildings, which do not demand careful channeling of essence, it sees more use, though it remains a sign of architectural skill as no structure is free from the touch of the surrounding geomancy.