magical formula is actually rather vast. In the early 400s BCE, the Pythagoreans (whose "spiritual tradition . . . has been practiced continuously, in one form or another, for at least twenty-six centuries"64) formulated a model for understanding the twofold nature of creation. This model is comprised of two principal elements in the universe, which the Pythagoreans called the "Monad" and the "Dyad." The Monad is the male principle of Unity and constancy. It is the "Primordial One," the Logos or "Word," the embodiment of Love, and the ultimate singularity. The Pythagoreans argued that if there were only the Monad, there would by definition be no such thing as "otherness." As a universe without otherness is considered to be both untrue to nature and uninteresting to contemplate, the Pythagoreans conceived of the female Dyad, the indefinite number Two ("where 'Indefinite' must be understood to mean indeterminate, unlimited, boundless, and infinite" ), which governs the concept of separation. In separating from the Monad, the Dyad, in the Pythagorean paradigm, creates the dual forces of Love and Strife. By establishing the concept of dimension (as opposed to the oneness of the Monad), she carries the Beginning to the End. The Dyad is our path to the infinite, since she introduces the property of boundlessness, in contrast to the strict limit of the Primordial One. The Pythagoreans called the Dyad "the Goddess of Primordial Matter" because her formless fertility provides the foundation of creation -- the generative source of being. She is the preg nant Silence which precedes the Word. Whereas the Monad is "something," the Dyad is "the limitless power to be anything." This power of plurality was also named Rhea ("The Ever-Flowing," hence our word rhythm), because through her tension of opposites she governed recurring motion and thus created a fluid, demarcatable presence known as Time out of the Monad's monolithic, immeasurable Eternity. Consider also this explanation from the visionary philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg: The Divine Itself is one, yet our finite perception of the Divine requires a sense of duality to increase our understanding of it. As with the heat and light of the sun, which is from one source, but is distinguished by us into two distinct energies, light and heat, so we perceive the Divine nature as being both Love and Wisdom. The relationship between the two forms a dynamic, since they work towards unity to provide life. From this come the forms of dualism in creation, such as male and female, symmetry, etc., and the internal dualities of good and truth, will and understanding, faith and charity, etc., which are complementary to one another. The essential balance in all life is a manifestation of this.67 64 John Opsopaus, A Summary of Pythagorean Theology, 2002 Ibid. Ibid. 67 Quoted by Julian Duckworth in "Presenting Swedenborg: A Roadmap for Readers," Swedenborg Association of Australia (2004)