Pythagorean Mysteries

(Greece / Italy)

• Founder: Pythagoras
• Theme: Harmony of the cosmos, soul purification, metempsychosis (reincarnation)
• Practice: Mathematics, music, silence, vegetarianism, sacred geometry
• Goal: Ascend to divine order through number and virtue.

"We must avoid with our utmost endeavor, and amputate with fire and sword, and by all other means, from the body, sickness; from the soul, ignorance; from the belly, luxury; from a city, sedition; from a family, discord; and from all things, excess." — Pythagoras

Pythagoras of Samos stands as one of the most enigmatic and influential figures in the annals of Western thought, often hailed as the bridge between ancient mysticism and rational philosophy. Born around 570 BCE on the Greek island of Samos, he is best known today for the Pythagorean theorem in geometry, but his true legacy lies in founding a mystery school that blended mathematics, music, cosmology, ethics, and spirituality into a holistic system of enlightenment. This Pythagorean school, or brotherhood, operated as an initiatory community, emphasizing secrecy, asceticism, and the pursuit of divine harmony. In the Western esoteric mystery tradition—a vast, interconnected tapestry of occult knowledge encompassing Hermeticism, Kabbalah, Alchemy, Gnosticism, Rosicrucianism, and Freemasonry—Pythagoras and his teachings represent a foundational pillar, introducing concepts like numerical mysticism, soul transmigration, and cosmic unity that influenced later traditions from Plato to Renaissance hermeticists. This in-depth breakdown explores his historical context, the structure and teachings of his mystery school, its profound contributions to esotericism, and the myths and legends surrounding him—many of which, while not literally factual, carry metaphorical power symbolizing deeper truths about human potential, divine order, and spiritual evolution.

Historical Background: The Life of Pythagoras and the Emergence of His School

Pythagoras’ life is shrouded in legend, with reliable historical details sparse due to the scarcity of contemporary sources—most accounts come from later writers like Aristotle, Diogenes Laërtius (3rd century CE), and Iamblichus (c. 245–325 CE), who drew from oral traditions and possibly embellished them. Born circa 570 BCE to a merchant father (Mnesarchus) and possibly a mother of noble descent (Pythais), Pythagoras grew up in Samos under the tyranny of Polycrates. From a young age, he exhibited intellectual curiosity, studying under local scholars like Pherecydes of Syros (a mythographer linking Greek and Eastern ideas) and Hermodamas. Around age 18–20, he embarked on extensive travels, a common motif in ancient biographies of sages, seeking wisdom from distant cultures.

His journeys, lasting up to 30 years, took him to Egypt, where he allegedly studied geometry, astronomy, and priestly rites with the temple priests at Heliopolis and Memphis; to Babylon (modern Iraq), absorbing Chaldean astrology and mathematics; and possibly to Phoenicia, Persia (learning from Zoroastrian Magi), and even India (though this is debated, it aligns with later esoteric claims of Eastern influences). These travels exposed him to diverse traditions: Egyptian mystery cults (e.g., Osiris resurrection rites), Babylonian numerology, and Persian dualism, which he synthesized with Greek thought. 2 8 13

Returning to Samos around 530 BCE, Pythagoras found the political climate oppressive and migrated to Croton in southern Italy (Magna Graecia), a Greek colony receptive to philosophical innovation. There, around 525 BCE, he founded his school—a semi-monastic community that attracted followers from the aristocracy and intellectuals. The school flourished, influencing local politics (Pythagoreans held offices in Croton) and spreading to nearby cities like Metapontum and Tarentum. Pythagoras married Theano, a fellow philosopher who contributed to the school’s teachings on harmony and numbers, and they had children, some of whom became leaders.

The school’s heyday lasted until around 500 BCE, when political rivalries led to attacks: a democratic uprising in Croton burned the meeting house, killing many (though Pythagoras escaped). He died around 495 BCE in Metapontum, possibly by suicide (refusing to cross a bean field, sacred to the school) or assassination. After his death, the movement fragmented due to persecutions, with survivors like Lysis and Philolaus fleeing to Thebes and spreading teachings that influenced Plato (c. 427–347 BCE). By the 4th century BCE, Pythagoreanism evolved into Neopythagoreanism, blending with Platonism, and later informed Roman thinkers like Cicero and the early Christian Church Fathers. 1 0 4

Historically, Pythagoras is credited with advancing mathematics (e.g., the theorem bearing his name, though possibly known earlier in Babylon), music theory (harmonics based on ratios), and cosmology (Earth as a sphere, planets producing “music of the spheres”). However, much attributed to him was likely developed by followers, as he left no writings—his teachings were oral and secretive, passed through akousmatikoi (listeners) and mathematikoi (learners).

The Pythagorean Mystery School: Structure, Teachings, and Initiatory Practices

The Pythagorean community in Croton functioned as a mystery school, akin to Eleusinian or Orphic cults, emphasizing initiation, secrecy, and communal living. It was hierarchical: probationers underwent a five-year silence (echemythia) to cultivate discipline, followed by full membership. The school divided into exoterikoi (outer circle, casual students) and esoterikoi (inner circle, initiates living communally). Members shared property, followed vegetarianism (avoiding beans, seen as souls’ vessels), and practiced asceticism—abstaining from wool, certain foods, and oaths to promote purity and reincarnation beliefs.

Teachings centered on the tetraktys (a triangular figure of 10 dots: 1+2+3+4=10), symbolizing cosmic order: 1 (monad, divine unity), 2 (dyad, duality/opposites), 3 (triad, harmony), 4 (tetrad, material world). Numbers were sacred entities, not abstractions—odd/even, perfect (6=1+2+3), amicable pairs embodied metaphysical principles. Music healed the soul, with intervals (e.g., octave=2:1) mirroring cosmic harmony. Cosmology posited a central fire (Hestia) around which planets revolved, producing inaudible “music of the spheres” audible to enlightened souls.

Spiritually, the school taught metempsychosis (soul transmigration/reincarnation), influenced by Orphism and Eastern ideas—souls evolve through lives, aiming for liberation from the wheel of rebirth via virtue and knowledge. Ethics emphasized the “golden mean,” friendship (philia as cosmic bond), and piety. Rituals included dawn meditations, musical purifications, and mnemonic symbols (akousmata: e.g., “Don’t stir fire with a knife” = avoid anger). Women participated equally, with Theano and others teaching, rare for ancient Greece. 0 6 11 4

As a mystery school, it mirrored initiatory traditions: probation tested worthiness, silence fostered inner listening, and teachings revealed cosmic secrets, promising apotheosis (god-like status) through gnosis.

Contributions to the Western Esoteric Mystery Tradition

Pythagoras’ school profoundly shaped the Western esoteric mystery tradition, providing a framework where mathematics, mysticism, and morality intertwined—anticipating Hermeticism’s “as above, so below.” Key contributions:

1. Numerical Mysticism and Sacred Geometry: Pythagoreans elevated numbers to divine archetypes, influencing Kabbalah (sephirot as numerical emanations), Alchemy (proportions in transmutation), and Hermeticism (Corpus Hermeticum’s cosmic ratios). Renaissance figures like Ficino and Pico della Mirandola saw Pythagoras as a “priscus theologus” (ancient theologian), linking him to Orpheus and Hermes in the Prisca Theologia. Freemasonry’s square and compass echo Pythagorean geometry as tools for moral “building,” with the 47th Proposition (Pythagorean theorem) as a symbol of wisdom. 13 12
2. Harmony and Cosmic Unity: The “music of the spheres” inspired Rosicrucian cosmology (e.g., Robert Fludd’s monochord) and Gnostic ideas of celestial hierarchies. It prefigured Neoplatonism (Plotinus’ emanations) and Theosophy (Blavatsky’s vibratory universes), emphasizing microcosm-macrocosm correspondence central to esotericism.
3. Reincarnation and Soul Evolution: Metempsychosis influenced Plato’s Phaedo and Republic, Gnostic soul journeys, and later traditions like Rosicrucianism (soul’s alchemical refinement) and Anthroposophy (Steiner’s karmic cycles). It introduced ethical vegetarianism and purification rites, echoing mystery cults.
4. Initiatory Secrecy and Communal Esotericism: The school’s structure—probation, oaths, inner/outer circles—modeled later secret societies (e.g., Rosicrucians’ anonymity, Freemasons’ degrees). Pythagorean symbols (e.g., pentagram as health emblem) became occult staples, representing elemental balance.
5. Synthesis of East and West: By integrating Egyptian/Babylonian lore with Greek rationalism, Pythagoras bridged traditions, influencing Hermetic syncretism and Renaissance occultism. His “golden verses” (ethical maxims) guided Neoplatonists and alchemists. 3 14 5

Overall, Pythagoreanism provided esotericism with a rational-mystical foundation, transforming numbers from tools to portals of divine insight, and ethics from rules to paths of cosmic alignment.

Myths and Legends: Factual Ambiguities and Metaphorical Truths

Pythagoras’ life is rife with myths, amplified by later biographers like Iamblichus and Porphyry, who portrayed him as a semi-divine sage. While not literally accurate (e.g., no contemporary evidence), these tales hold metaphorical power, symbolizing enlightenment, harmony, and human-divine potential.

1. Divine Birth and Golden Thigh: Legend claims Pythagoras was Apollo’s son (or Hermes’), born with a golden thigh revealed to prove divinity. Metaphorically, this signifies “solar” wisdom (Apollo as light-god), the thigh as creative force (like Zeus birthing Dionysus)—truths about enlightened beings radiating inner gold (alchemical perfection). 2 8
2. Miraculous Powers: He tamed animals (e.g., eagle, bear), predicted earthquakes, and bilocated (appearing in Croton and Metapontum simultaneously). These echo shamanic abilities, metaphorically representing mastery over nature (inner beasts), foresight (cosmic attunement), and non-dual consciousness (unity beyond space).
3. Reincarnation Memories: Pythagoras recalled past lives as Hermes’ son Aethalides, warrior Euphorbus (at Troy), and others. Factually dubious, but metaphorically illustrates soul continuity, karmic evolution, and the esoteric “memory of the blood”—accessing akashic records for wisdom.
4. Descent to Hades: He allegedly visited the underworld, seeing tormented souls (e.g., Homer punished for slandering gods). This Orphic motif symbolizes initiatory katabasis (descent for knowledge), like Dante’s Inferno—truth of confronting shadows for rebirth.
5. School’s Secrecy and Destruction: Myths of golden automatons guarding the school or members turning into animals highlight exclusivity. The burning of the Croton house (c. 500 BCE) is historical but mythologized as martyrdom, metaphorically the suppression of esoteric light by profane forces, echoing Templar/Rosicrucian persecutions. 4 11 14

These myths, though embellished, convey “higher truths”: Pythagoras as archetype of the philosopher-mage, his school as a microcosm of harmonious society, embodying the mystery tradition’s emphasis on veiled wisdom for the elect.

Legacy and Meaning in the Western Esoteric Mystery Tradition

Pythagoras’ legacy permeates esotericism: Plato’s Academy drew from him, Neoplatonists like Plotinus amplified his cosmology, and Renaissance hermeticists (e.g., Ficino) revered him as a link in the golden chain of wisdom. Rosicrucian manifestos invoke Pythagorean secrecy, Freemasonry its geometry, and Theosophy its reincarnation. Meaning-wise, he represents the “mathematical mystic”—using reason to unveil divine mysteries, harmonizing opposites in a fractured world. In an age of science vs. spirit, Pythagoreanism reminds us of unity: numbers as soul-language, life as symphony, evolution as return to the One. 0 12 13