Cultural Reference of #7 List

Alchemy

• There are seven metals involved with the Work.

Astrology

• There are seven stars of the Great Bear which are indestructible.
• There are seven Pleiades--sometimes referred to as the, Seven Sisters.

Buddhist

• Seven is the number of ascent and of ascending to the highest; attaining the center.
• The seven steps of Buddha symbolize the ascent of the seven cosmic stages transcending time and space.
• The seven-storied Prasada at Borobadur is a sacred mountain and axis mundi, culminating in the transcendent North, reaching the realm of Buddha.

Chinese

• The meaning and symbolism are intertwined throughout in their myths and legends of fairies and animal spirits.

Christian

• Seven is ideology.
• God is represented by the seventh ray in the center of the six rays of creation.
• There are seven sacraments; gifts of spirit; the seven of 3+4 theological and cardinal virtues; deadly sins, tiers of Purgatory (in metaphysical belief this would be one of the lower astral planes - or in Buddhism, one of the Bardo planes).
• There are 7 councils of the early church - crystal spheres containing the planets - devils cast out by Christ - joys and sorrows of Mary the Blessed Virgin, mother of Jesus - liberal arts - major prophets - periods of fasting and penitence - seventh day after the six of creation.

Old Testament

• There are the seven altars of Baalam; oxen and rams for sacrifice; trumpets; circuits of Jericho; seven times Naaman bathed in the Jordan.
• Seven is the number of Samon's bonds; the child raised by Elisha sneezed seven times.
• The Ark rested on the seventh month and the dove was sent out after seven days.

Revelation

• The number seven is used 55 times in Revelation.
• It usually means fullness or completeness as in seven days of the week.
• God rested on the seventh day.
• Examples abound: seven churches, seven trumpets, seven seals, seven bowls, seven eyes etc.

Egyptian Mythology

• There are seven Fates and the priestesses of Hathor have seven jars in their seven tunics.
• Ra has seven hawks representing the seven Wise Ones.
• Six cows and a bull represent fertility.
• There are seven houses of the underworld, as depicted in Egyptian myths, with three times seven gates.
• Seven is the sacred number of Osiris.

Graeco-Roman

• Sacred to Apollo, whose lyre has seven strings, and to Athene/Minerva and Ares/Mars; Pan had seven pipes (again a reference to seven musical notes and frequency); there seven Wise Men of Greece.

Hebrew

• Seven is the number of occult intelligence.
• There are seven Great Holy Days in the Jewish year; the Menorah has seven branches; the Temple took seven years to build; and there are seven pillars of wisdom.

Hinduism

• There are Seven Jewels of the Brahmanas and seven gods before the floods and seven Wise Men saved from it.

Islamic

• The perfect number is seven.
• In Islamic tradition there are references to seven:
• Heavens,
• Climates,
• Earths,
• Seas,
• Colors,
• Prophets,
• (Active powers) States,
• Stations of the heart.
• The Ka'aba is circumambulated seven times representing the seven attributes of God.

Magick

• There are seven knots in a cord for "spellbinding" and incantations are sevenfold.
• Certain orders of Brotherhood use theme of tying seven knots in their rope sash worn around their waist.

Mithraic

• The cave of Mithras has seven doors, seven altars, and a ladder with seven rungs depicting the seven grades of initiation into the mystery schools.

Pythagorean

• Seven is a cosmic number with three of heaven and four of the world.

Sumero-Semitic

• There are seven lunar divisions and days of the week.
• "Thou shalt shine with horns to determine six days and on the seventh with half a crown.", the seventh thus becomes opposition to the sun and symbolizes darkness and balefulness and therefore is dangerous to undertake anything on the seventh day because that is the day of rest.
• We can see here the influence of this belief in other religious contexts.
• There are seven zones of Earth; heavens, symbolized by the planes of ziggurat.

Tree of Life

• There are seven branches to the Tree of Life each having seven leaves.
• Leaves are symbols of fertility, renewal and growth.
• There are seven gates of hell, seven demons of Tiamat and seven winds to destroy her---interesting to note that in many belief systems it is said that the astral plane has seven levels to it--one sound on one of those levels is "wind".
• In all cultures, myths and legends seven represents... completeness and totality macrocosm perfection plenty reintegration rest security safety synthesis.
• The writings about the seven-headed dragon appear throughout India, Persia, the Far East, especially Cambodia, but also Celtic and other Mediterranean myths.
• The seventh ray of the sun is the path by which the human beings pass from this world to the next.
• Seven days is the period for fasting and penitence.
• The seventh power of any number, both square and a cube and thus was given great importance.