Tetraktys pythagoras quotes

Symbol of ten points laid in four rows

The tetractys (Greek: τετρακτύς), or tetrad,^[1] or the tetractys of the decad^[2] is a triangular figure consisting of ten points arranged in four rows: one, two, three, and four points in each row, which is the geometrical representation of the fourth triangular number. As a mystical symbol, it was very important to the secret worship of Pythagoreanism. There were four seasons, and the number was also associated with planetary motions and music.^[3]

Pythagorean symbol

1. The first four numbers symbolize the musica universalis and the Cosmos as:
   1. Monad – Unity
   2. Dyad – Power – Limit/Unlimited (peras/apeiron)
   3. Triad – Harmony
   4. Tetrad – Kosmos^[4]
2. The four rows add up to ten, which was unity of a higher order (The Dekad).
3. The Tetractys symbolizes the four classical elements—air, fire, water, and earth.
4. The Tetractys represented the organization of space:
   1. the first row rep