Amateur Amalgam

July 23, 2025

Hello again! I’m back with another summary of a book I started last year but actually managed to finish at the beginning of this year – A Beginner’s Guide to Constructing the Universe.

I’m not gonna lie to you, I picked this one up cause the cover was very eye catching and the title sounded like a physics text. This however is not the case. Not that it was bad or anything, it just turned out to lean more on the side of metaphysics. Not that I’m upset about it, I’ve wanted to look into sacred geometry anyway so this was a nice surprise.

The writing was a bit long-winded sometimes and I definitely lost my place repeatedly cuase he would talk in circles. The author also gives examples from various cultures and myths for each of the things he talks about, but some of the details he presents are wrong or have been misinterpreted. It’s not a thing you would notice if you weren’t already familiar with the specific examples mentioned.

Having said that – the nature of myth in particular is that they are collections of stories by collections of people that have been told and retold multiple times over millennia, so (depending on the oral traditions of the subject culture) some details are bound to change – I don’t begrudge him the versions he is familiar with. There are quotes by various figures given throughout the book, and at first I thought that was neat, but the quotes are literally everywhere and at a certain point it distracts from the text itself.

Will I read this again – no. Was it worth it – sure. I did get a slightly better understanding of a few things, but I think the scope was a little too broad for me.

Side note – I learned a new word that I absolutely love : Novena – an act of worship over nine days

Fun fact – this book comes with it’s own website

Spoilers Ahead!

It begins with the introduction, which was mostly the author explaining what the book is about and why it matters. Each chapter focuses on a specific number in the sequence from 1-10 (with 0 representing nothingness). Here is the jist of what I understood from each – though you’d have to read it yourself to see it I got it right:

• Monad – ‘1’ and the circle both encompass all things. The circle in particular represents the point where everything begins (its centre) the infinity of its boundary (circumference) and everything in-between
• Dyad – Negative connotation because of its inherent polarity. Known as illusion because of its desire to return to unity. A mirror image of one that births the line by connecting the centre of 2 circles
• Triad – The stability provided by a mediator between the opposing forces of one and two. The first shape, and the one that is stable all on its own in both nature and architecture.
• Tetrad – Associated with physical manifestation, allows for the existence of volume in objects, and thus the existence of objects themselves. Four is also the classic elements and the states of matter they each represent. The square represents earth. Enlightenment can be found by going through the four steps : sensations (earth) emotions (water) thoughts (air) and intuition (fire)
• Pentad – Five is the encompassing of four bringing life (quintessence). This is also where we get the Fibonacci numbers – more a relationship than a specific set of numbers – that is self sustaining and signifies growth, harmony, and balance. The spiral is one of its more famous iterations and is also the shape of energy unbound. As such, things that are in that shape are not static, but ever changing flows of energy, in harmony with themselves (regardless of our perceived speed)
• Hexad – A combination of the monad, dyad, and triad bringing us structure-function-order. Minimum energy, maximum strength. Multiples of six make the most sense
• Heptad – A complete and ongoing process, a periodic rhythm of internal relationships. Both link and chasm for the numbers before and after. Seven is more about processes than a physical shape, as the shape can’t be made of whole numbers. Seven is also where sound comes into play more clearly than with the other numbers
• Octad – Resonance. Moving from one extreme to the other into infinity. The equal without being identical. The eighth step is a return; a periodic renewal to the source. A doubling from unity (1 to 2 to 4 to 8)
• Ennead – The last of the numbers, the end of the earthly sequence. Composed of 3 trinities. Binds all the nine digits together in a enneagram moving 1-4-2-8-5-7 and 3-6-9 with the circle that binds all of them together as 0 (the tenth digit)
• Decad – The culmination of the cosmic process. Passing beyond the horizon into limitlessness. A portrait of all the number archetypes, representing a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. Symbolizes the power to regenerate numbers beyond itself towards the infinite. Fulfillment and new beginnings
• Epilogue
  • Natures
    • designs are best suited to their particular purpose
    • forms are the most practical, functional, and efficient
      • minimum effort, maximum slay
    • forms (all of them) undergo continual transformation
      • geometry reveals the process through which harmony comes about
    • patterns and events that manifest follow natural laws – with or without our understanding of them