In the light of the mythical and divine imagination, numbers are embodiments of qualities or principles rather than simply material indications of quantity or magnitude. From this perspective, the number twelve acts as a universal connector and harmoniser. It is a whole set considered as a balanced process, a cycle of becoming and transformation.

In his book The Laws, Plato describes the ideal city of Magnesia as divided into twelve parts, an expression of harmony that reflects the cycle of the constellations. This twelve-part territorial tradition was widespread in the ancient world. Today, we still count hours, minutes and circular distances using the Babylonian system based on sixty, a multiple of twelve. The archetypal mandala of twelve can also be considered a tool of anamnesis, of ‘not forgetting’ the One and the Oneness of Being.

In this talk, Chrisine Rhone will show how the number twelve is a symbol of that traditional philosophy by which it is possible to see how every element in nature, and every tribe and individual, has a legitimate place within a divine and potentially paradisial Creation.

CHRISTINE RHONE is a regular contributor to the Temenos Academy Review and has organised several Temenos Academy study days on the work of author and geometer John Michell (1933-2009), a Fellow of Temenos, the next one upcoming in 2026. She is the co-author with him of Twelve-Tribe Nations and the Science of Enchanting the Landscape. She is the French-English translator of Sacred Geography of the Ancient Greeks by Jean Richer; Theosophy, Imagination, Tradition: Studies in Western Esotericism by Antoine Faivre; and Saint Francis of Assisi by Jacques Le Goff. She has a special interest in sacred sites and geometry, pilgrimage, and Goddess Spirituality.

Venue & Admission

The King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts, 19-22 Charlotte Road, London, EC2A 3SG. Doors Open 6.10pm, Lecture Begins 6.30pm

£10 General Admission or FREE for Temenos Academy Members/Full-time students with student ID card