René Guénon
Chapter 24

19 § The Letter G and the Swastika

IN _The Great Triad_ in connection with Polar symbolism and the Chinese word _i_ designating unity (the Pole Star is called _Tai-i_, that is, the 'Great Unity'), we mentioned the Masonic symbolism of the letter G. The normal position of this letter is likewise 'polar', and is to be compared with the letter I which represented the 'first name of God' for the _Fedeli d'Amore_.[1] The letter G could not in itself be considered a true symbol inasmuch as it belongs to modern languages that have nothing sacred or traditional about them; but it 'stands for God' according to the English Masonic rituals, and is in fact the initial letter of the word God itself. Moreover its comparison with I is justified by the fact that, in certain cases at least, it has been considered as a substitute for the Hebrew _yodh_, symbol of the Principle or of Unity, in virtue of a phonetic assimilation between God and _yodh_.[2] These few remarks of ours were taken as the starting point for researches that have resulted in some new findings of the greatest interest.[3] This is why we think it worthwhile to return to this subject in order to complete what we have already said.

First of all, it is to be noted that in a very old catechism of the Companion grade, the question: 'What does that G denote?', is answered, 'Geometry, or the Fifth Science' (that is, the science that ranks fifth in the traditional enumeration of the 'seven liberal arts', the esoteric transposition of which in medieval initiations we have pointed out on other occasions). This interpretation in no way contradicts the affirmation that the same letter 'stands for God', God being specially designated in that grade as 'The Great Geometer of the Universe'; and on the other hand, what gives it all its importance is that in the oldest manuscripts of operative Masonry, 'Geometry' is constantly identified with masonry itself. There is thus something here which cannot be considered negligible. Besides, as we shall now see, it appears that the letter G, as the first letter of the word Geometry, has assumed the place of _gamma_ (Γ), its Greek equivalent, which the very origin of the word 'Geometry' sufficiently justifies (and here, at least, a modern language is no longer involved). Furthermore, this letter I has in itself a certain interest from the point of view of Masonic symbolism, by reason of its form which is that of the set-square[5]—obviously not the case with the Latin G.[6] Now, before going further, it might be asked if this does not contradict what was said about G being a substitute for the Hebrew _yodh_, or at least—for this substitution did in fact take place also if in these circumstances the idea might not have been introduced after the event and more or less belatedly; and in fact, for those who follow the most current opinion on the origin of the grade of Master it must indeed seem to be the case inasmuch as this substitution does appear to have belonged strictly speaking to the grade of Master. But the whole question is seen in a quite different light by those who, like ourselves, refuse for more than one reason to consider this grade as the product of a 'speculative' elaboration of the eighteenth century, and who see in it a kind of 'condensation' of the content of certain higher grades of operative Masonry, contrived to fill as far as possible a gap due to the ignorance of the founders of the Great Lodge of England regarding these grades. It becomes then a question of the superimposition of two different meanings that by no means exclude one another, something that is in no way exceptional in symbolism. Furthermore (which no one seems to have noticed up to this point), the two interpretations, respectively through Greek and through Hebrew, are in perfect agreement with the specific character of the two corresponding grades, 'pythagorean' for the second and 'solomonian' for the third; and perhaps, after all, it is especially here that we find what is necessary for an understanding of what is really involved.

Let us now return to the 'geometric' interpretation of the grade of Companion, and what we have said so far is not the most interesting part of that interpretation as regards the symbolism of operative Masonry. In the same catechism that was cited above, the following kind of enigma is also to be found: 'By letters four and science five, this G aright doth stand in due art and proportion'.[7] 'Science five' here obviously designates the 'fifth science', that is, Geometry. As to the significance of 'letters four', at first sight and by symmetry we might be tempted to suppose that there is a mistake and that 'letter' must be read in the singular, so that it would be a question of the 'fourth letter', that is, in the Greek alphabet, the letter _delta_, which in fact is interesting symbolically by its triangular form; but since that explanation would have the great defect of showing no intelligible relationship with the letter G, it is much more likely that it is really a question of 'four letters' and that the irregular expression _science five_, instead of _fifth science_, has been placed there intentionally to make the statement yet more enigmatic. Now the point that might seem to be the most obscure is this: why are four letters spoken of, or if it is really still a question of the initial letter of the word Geometry, why must it be quadrupled to stand aright in due art and proportion? The answer, which must be related to the 'central' or 'polar' position of the letter G, cannot be given except by means of the symbolism of operative Masonry; and, moreover, it is here that it becomes necessary to take this letter in its Greek form, _Г_, as indicated above. In fact, four _gammas_ joined together at right angles form the swastika, 'symbol, as is also the letter G, of the Pole Star which is itself the symbol, and for the operative Mason, the actual throne of the hidden central Sun of the Universe, Yah[8]', which obviously calls to mind very closely the _Tai-i_ of the Far Eastern tradition. In the passage from _The Great Triad_ which we cited at the outset of this chapter, we had already called attention to the existence, in the operative ritual, of a very close relationship between the letter G and the _swastika_; however, we did not then have the information which, by introducing the Greek _Г_, makes this relationship still more direct and completes its explanation.[9] It is well to note further that the bent part of the arms of the _swastika_ is considered in this context as representing the Great Bear seen in four different positions in the course of its revolution around the Pole Star, to which the centre where the four _gammas_ are united naturally corresponds, and that these four positions are related to the cardinal points and the four seasons; and it is well known how important the Great Bear is in all the traditions in which polar symbolism plays a part.[10] If we consider that all this pertains to a symbolism which may truly be called 'ecumenical' and which by that very fact indicates a rather direct link with the Primordial Tradition, we can understand without difficulty why the 'polar theory has always been one of the greatest secrets of the true master Masons'.[12]

Footnotes

[4]See especially, 'White and Black', [49 below].
[5]See 'The Cornerstone', [45 below].
[6]See The Great Triad, ch. 16.
[7]See 'The Seven Rays and the Rainbow', [59 below].
[1]The Great Triad, ch. 25.
[2]The author of a work on Masonic symbolism saw fit to address to us a somewhat discourteous criticism on this point, as if we were responsible for this phonetic assimilation; nevertheless, we are not anymore than we are for the fact that formerly the English Masons also identified the three letters of the same word God with the initials of the three Hebraic words Gamel, Oz and Dabar (Beauty, Strength, Wisdom). Let everyone think what he likes of the value of such parallels (and there are still others), but we are obliged in any case to take note of them, at least historically.
[3]Marius Lepage, 'La Lettre G' in _Le Symbolisme_, November 1948; article in the _Speculative Mason_, July 1949, which was written in connection with the previous article and from which the greater part of the information used here is drawn.
[4]Prichard, _Masonry Dissected_, 1730.
[5]Let us recall that the set-square, of unequal branches, which has precisely the form of this letter, represents the two sides of the right angle of the 3–4–5 rectangular triangle which itself has, as we have explained elsewhere, a very special importance in operative Masonry (see 'Paroles perdues et mots substitués' in _Etudes Traditionnelles_, December 1948).
[6]All the considerations which some have sought to extract from the form of the letter G (its likeness to a knot, to the alchemical symbol for salt, etc.) are manifestly quite artificial and even fanciful. They have not the least relationship with any recognized meanings of this letter, and they are not based on any authentic data.
[7]Incidentally, we must not forget to mention that in response to the question 'Who doth the G denote?' (who and not what, as previously, when it was a question of Geometry), this catechism further contains the following phrase: "The Grand Architect and Contriver of the Universe, or He that was taken up to the Pinnacle of the Holy Temple'. It will be noted that the 'Grand Architect of the Universe' is identified here with Christ (and thus with the Logos), himself placed in relationship with the 'cornerstone' understood according to the sense that we have explained [below. 45]. The 'pinnacle of the Temple' (note the curious resemblance of this word with the Hebrew _pinnah_ which signifies 'angle') is naturally the summit or the most elevated point and as such it is the equivalent of that which is the 'key of the arch' (Keystone) in Arch Masonry.
[8]In the article of the _Speculative Mason_ from which this citation is taken, the _swastika_ is inaccurately called the _gammadion_, a designation which, as we have noted on different occasions, was in reality long ago applied to quite different figures (see '_Al-Arkan_' [47 below], where we have reproduced the figure); but it is none the less true that the _swastika_, though never carrying that name, can also be regarded as formed by the union of four _gammas_, so that this rectification of terminology does nothing to alter the relationship between the figure and letter in question.
[9]We will add that the divine name Yah, which was just mentioned, is placed more especially in relation with the first of the three Grand Masters of the seventh degree of operative Masonry.
[10]It might perhaps be objected that the unpublished information given by the _Speculative Mason_ about the _swastika_ comes from Clement Stretton and that it is said that he was the chief author of a 'restoration' of the operative rituals in which certain elements, lost as the result of circumstances never completely clarified, would have been replaced by borrowings from speculative rituals, borrowings which cannot be guaranteed to conform with what existed of old. But this objection is pointless in the present case because it is a question of something of which there is no trace whatsoever in speculative Masonry.
[11]See likewise _The Great Triad_ ch. 25, about the 'City of Willows' and its symbolic representation by a bushel measure filled with rice.
[12]It may be interesting to note further than in the Kabbala, the _yodh_ is thought of as formed by the union of three points representing the three supreme _middoth_ arranged as a set-square, turned in the direction contrary to that of the Greek letter [*gamma*], which would correspond to the two opposite directions of rotation of the _swastika_.
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19 § The Letter G and the Swastika - Fundamental Symbols: The Universal Language of Sacred Science