In your early math classes (and art classes), you probably learned about shapes – squares, circles, triangles, the usual. Then in advanced classes, you might have used these shapes to make 3D models like cubes, pyramids, or cylinders. Platonic solids are polygonal 3D objects.
The recognized platonic solids are cubes, dodecahedrons, octahedrons, icosahedrons, and tetrahedrons. These are built off squares, triangles, and pentagons. They’re symmetrical and carry esoteric significance. What’s the spiritual meaning of platonic solids? Let’s find out!
Spiritual Meaning of Platonic Solids
1. They Form the Seed, Fruit, and Flower of Life
Let’s start with some basic math revision. In a regular shape, all the sides and angles are equal. If it has three sides, it’s a triangle. Four makes a square, and five makes a pentagon. You can combine regular shapes to form a solid. You can do this by pouring molten media (e.g. plastic or melted metal) into a mold, or by folding and gluing bits of card stock paper.
When these shapes are flat i.e. 2D, they’re called polygons, meaning they have three or more sides. In solid form, they’re called polyhedra, the plural of polyhedron. If you consider these five polyhedra as a single unit, they form the building blocks of everything around us. That’s why they’re cosmic. You can find all five of these cosmic solids sitting in Metatron’s Cube.
Inside this cube are circles (female) and lines (male). The outer circles are the flower of life, the middle ones are the fruit, and the innermost are the seed. Ancient tales say any human that hears God’s voice will explode, so Metatron speaks as the Voice of God. When God said ‘Let There Be Light!’ that was Metatron talking. His cube is the physical symbol of creation.
2. Cubes Represent the Element of Earth
Platonic solids are named after Plato, the famous Greek philosopher. The Greeks referred to these five shapes as cosmic solids, because they believed the polyhedra were linked to the cosmos. Each polyhedron was thought to represent an element – earth, fire, water, air, and the universe. We can craft these objects with modern tools, but they already exist in nature!
Numerology also comes into it, because the number of sides and angles offer varying levels of spiritual significance. And these shapes and objects are part of an ethereal field of study called Sacred Geometry. If you look at the circles inside Metatron’s Cube, they form fractals. These are never-ending patterns of repeating shapes e.g. the seed, fruit, and flower of life.
These transcendental images have deep spiritual meanings. Let’s start with the cube aka the hexahedron because it’s made up of six squares and has six sides. Its parallel sides express safety and containment. As the element of earth, cubes represent your physical body. They stand in for Mother Nature and your root chakra and are sources of grounding and survival.
3. Tetrahedra Represent the Element of Fire
You can think of Metatron’s Cube as the DNA of energy. This matrix encompasses all the vibrations of existence, and the tetrahedron is its smallest 3D unit. It’s a triangle-based pyramid made of four identical triangles. This means it has the most stable shape of all the platonic solids, so it represents focus, direction, strategy, and the power of soul creation.
Tetrahedra embody the solar plexus chakra, which is the energy center of the self. This chakra lies around your belly button, and it’s the source of your personal power. Because the tetrahedron is a fire symbol, it explains the ‘fire in your belly’ when you’re determined to get something done. Fire brings heat, energy, and light, so tetrahedra are also a sign of clarity.
No matter how you position a tetrahedron, one point will face the sky while one side is flat on the ground. This expresses the grounding ability as well as the heavenly perspective that this platonic solid possesses. It’s crucial both for spiritual awakening and physical manifestation. This sturdy transcendental form can help you find unity in your ethereal and material selves.
4. Icosahedra Represent the Element of Water
Icosahedrons (or icosahedra) are made up of twenty identical triangles. They’re aligned with water, and in spiritual spaces, water is a portal and a carrier of emotional energy. So this platonic solid is the perfect tool when you’re dealing with turbulent feelings and sentiments. It’s a transformative emblem you can tap into when you’re transitioning or shifting phases.
Because of its connection to water, the icosahedron is a powerful partner for creative tasks. It can unlock your muse and remove any barriers or blockages, so it’s a great channel when you need to troubleshoot or solve complex problems. It teaches you how to go with the flow and find inventive answers to your challenges without compromising your ethics or worldview.
While the tetrahedron balances your spiritual and physical selves, the icosahedron brings parity between your mind and your heart. When you can’t decide between your thoughts and your feelings, or when you’re struggling to follow your intuition or your logical reasoning, the icosahedron is the best energy ally. It’s linked to your sacral chakra for emotional expression.
5. Octahedra Represent the Element of Air
We’ve learned that platonic solids are intertwined with the Merkaba. It starts with the seed of life, which expands in fractals to form the fruit of life, flower of life, and eventually, once you connect the dots into lines, it becomes Metatron’s Cube. Octahedra contain eight identical triangles and are connected to your heart chakra. They promote affection and compassion.
This transcendental image gives you inner peace and supports harmony with other beings. It’s the soothing, calming force that integrates your other energies and chakras. It’s a tool for cohesion and forgiveness, first for yourself, then for others. It’s also an essential arsenal for introspection and self-reflection. When you need to go inward, octahedrons are a huge help.
Also, as a personal force for balance, the octahedron can train you to align your inner and outer selves so that you’re congruent in how you face the world. Quelling these internal dilemmas helps you get clear about your priorities and your spiritual mission. It’s essential for self-care, particularly when it comes to accepting yourself and offering unconditional love.
6. Dodecahedra Represent the Element of the Universe
The universe (as an element) is sometimes called prana or ether. Back then, we thought outer space was filled with ether in the same way our planet is filled with air. As for prana, it’s a concept from Hinduism that describes universal energy, the force that gives life to everything. In holistic circles, you learn to harness ether or prana for healing and creation.
You may also think of this element as the heavens, while the other six elements are more terrestrial, meaning they’re linked to our planet. This platonic solid is associated with your upper chakras – the throat, third eye (aka ajna), and crown. We mentioned Metatron’s voice of creation. This one is yours. It facilitates invention by providing transport between realms.
In word form, abracadabra embodies the dodecahedron. It comes from the Hebrew ebrah k’dabri, which translates as ‘I will create as I speak’. It’s literally how the deities formed the world. The element of ether (or prana) facilitates creation and healing, pulling ideas and vibrations from the spirit realm into the physical one. It has a dozen identical pentagons.
7. They Combine to Create the Building Blocks of Matter
The five platonic solids are often described as the building blocks of the universe. This may seem odd because the universe is one of these elements. But if you’re puzzled, think of them as the periodic table of the esoteric world. They may have been discovered by either Plato, Kepler, or Pythagoras. Our current knowledge comes from a mix of these three top scholars.
Johannes Kepler’s theory was based on the six planets closest to the sun. He did some complex math with ratios and realized if you put the polyhedra inside each other (like a Russian nesting doll), they fit in the same proportion as the orbits of those planets. These solids can fit snugly inside a sphere. The sides, angles, and vertices (the sharp points) are identical.
Before we learned about chemical elements, humans believed everything around us was a co-mingling of air, water, soil, or fire, and that they formed a unit we call the universe. Creation myths often talk of deities forming people out of mud and baking them in fire. Or of animals walking out of large water bodies. In this sense, platonic solids make the ingredients of life.
Using Platonic Solids
When you need to harness the platonic solids, you can bless a physical one and place it in your room. Or you can form a visual image in your mind and meditate on it to release its energies. Have you spotted platonic solids in your surroundings? Tell us in the comments!