When my oldest son was 3, he would only eat off a square plate. Nothing rounded, convex, or (worse) chipped. “Mommy, pointy corners,” he would insist, “not stupid corners.” He would even push away a bowl of ice cream if it wasn’t domiciled in a perfect square.
When it comes to food and kids, parents seldom have a vote, although we like to fool ourselves that we do. By the time my son was 4, nearly every dish in the cupboard was square. It took me a few years to figure out that Michael was on to something—something mystical, scientific, and powerful, and an idea that I incorporate daily into my healing craft.
Historical Perspectives
Across time, and around the world, the use of shapes and symbols has been key in architecture, religious rites, design, communications—and healing. Archaeologists, anthropologists, and geometricians often use the term sacred geometry to describe the meaning and effects of shapes on the human body and psyche, but also on other living forms. After examining a few historical concepts about the power of shape, I’ll turn to the scientific research that supports a practical integration of basic shapes and symbols into your healing practice.
Mircea Eliade, a respected anthropologist, explores several cross-cultural symbols and their meaning in his book Images and Symbols (Princeton University Press, 1991).1 One key image found around the world, including in ancient Babylon, Egypt, Greece, and India and in shamanistic cultures in the Americas and Asia, is the “Center of the World” or “Cosmic Tree.” Often taking some form of a “t” shape, this symbol acknowledges the concrete world but also reflects humanity’s ability to climb to reach a higher realm.2
Virtually every culture has employed a circle or zero shape to represent the origins of the universe.3 Among Tibetan monks, the circle is used in various forms to represent the multidimensional fields of consciousness. To Native Americans, it represents wholeness and healing. Little wonder that many perceive the circle as being linked to basic cellular and atomic functions, and able to produce therapeutic benefits; for example, meditation through drawing or coloring circular mandalas.4
In the West, we must attribute the concept of universal shapes to Plato, who described the five basic shapes now called the Platonic solids. According to Plato, these shapes corresponded to the four natural elements that compose all physical and spiritual reality. For example, the square represents the earth element and is the most immobile and stable of all shapes.5
Many cultures have attributed certain symbols with the ability to create change in the human body.6 One example of this is the seven symbols, or seals, of ancient Islamic magic that were also used in the Jewish Kaballah in the medieval period. Including the shape of a star, these forms were said to mirror the archetypes wired into the human nervous system. To use them was to draw on the power of God to create miraculous change.7
Today’s Research
As healing professionals, we can do much more with shapes than we might imagine, empowering ourselves, as well as helping clients. Modern research is showing that symbols can, in fact, assist with everything from reducing inflammation to addressing disease.
One noteworthy researcher proving this point is Ibrahim Karim, DSc, DiplArch, an Egyptian architect who has conducted clinical research into the beneficial effects of geometric shapes. Through Al-Azhar University, one of the most reputable schools in the Middle East, Karim participated in a hepatitis C research project in 1999. Karim’s geometric-based treatment, other alternative treatments, and various mainstream medical treatments were compared.
Karim’s treatment involved having patients wear a geometric design engraved on an aluminum pendant. These amulets were given to 300 patients in the six-month study. Karim’s design created positive liver enzyme changes in 90 percent of the patients, compared to an average 20–25 percent improvement in the medically treated patients. Other designs from Karim, all based on ancient geometric philosophies, have been studied in universities around the world and have been shown to grow apples with a longer than usual shelf life; cure cows of hoof disease; raise healthier chickens without chemicals; and decrease the effects of electromagnetic sensitivities.8
Karim explained his work by saying he determines the qualities of an organ and creates a shape with the same qualities. The resonance between shape and organ attunes the organ into a healthier state.9
Yet another particularly interesting set of experiments involves a pyramid built in Russia in 1999 by Alexander and Anatoli Golod for the sole purpose of experimenting with the effects of pyramidal design. The ratio used was modified from that found in Egyptian pyramids. As for the pyramid’s effects, observations included increased crop productivity; strengthened immune systems, decreased inflammation, and slowed aging; and the ability to spontaneously charge a capacitor and keep water from freezing, even at -40 degrees Celsius. One unanticipated result was that salt and pepper placed in the pyramid, which was then served to prisoners, seemingly diminished violent crime.10
Recently, physicists have wondered if energies such as shapes are more basic than that of particles and fields, the status quo base units of physics. As explored in an article by Meinard Kuhlmann in Scientific American, physicists are now postulating that bundles of properties, such as color and shape, actually instruct particles and fields, not the other way around. In fact, it is the qualities conveyed that tell particles and fields what to be and when to become.11
Put To Practice
As a practitioner, how can you make use of the power of geometry to help yourself and your clients? I will stick to the basic shapes taught to me by two Siberian shamans a few years ago. These two individuals began their careers as medical doctors. After studying with—and finally becoming—shamans, they devoted themselves to traveling the world and instructing others about the instrumental use of shapes in creating healing. The core shapes and a few of their effects are as follows:
Cross (or X): The cross represents the threshold of crossroads, the power of choice, and the ability to open to other worlds. I have seen misshapen Xs, such as those with uneven legs, cancel out a positive energy and invite negative outcomes or interference.
Circle: A whole circle signifies universality, a new beginning, and healthy relationships. A broken or misshapen circle will cause or indicate an unhealthy bond, miscommunication, or chaos. Other forms of circles include the spiral. A clockwise spiral brings energy into that which it is connected to; a counterclockwise spiral releases energy from what it is connected to.
Square: Squares in any form, including rectangles, represent safety, security, and strength. Misshapen or broken squares cause or reflect insecurity, danger, vulnerability, or powerlessness.
Triangle: As the basic shape of the pyramid, triangles are creative and enable change. Distorted or broken triangular shapes can create or indicate the inability to heal or manifest.
Implementation Ideas
How can you work with shapes in your practice—or life? Here are a few ideas that I use in my own healing practice.
Cross for reflection. I put forms of the cross in my office to invite intuitive flow and insight. After conducting a healing, I sometimes make the sign of a cross or “t” on the area just worked on to seal the changes. I also intuitively check for misshapen Xs on a client’s field or in their energy centers and use these as jumping-off places to figure out where and why their energy is stuck. The types of questions I might ask are: Perhaps a family member is draining their energy? Maybe they are scared of moving forward? Is their painful condition, for some reason, providing an unconscious benefit?
Circles for connection. Putting circular shapes or patterns in the room, which can be accomplished through the use of correctly shaped vases, mirrors, picture frames, and even carpets, enables connection between you and the client and could create “eureka” moments in the client willing to link bodily symptoms with emotional or relational cause. You can also energetically imagine a circle between yourself and the client, if you want to better understand them.
If the client is dealing with a relationship challenge, ask her to visualize how the connection (in the form of a circle) appears between her and the other person. If your client imagines a broken circle, you can ask what might occur if she was to imagine a whole circle. If the client is having difficulties releasing or transforming a finished relationship, you can also suggest she release the interconnecting circle altogether. You can also have a client visualize a clockwise spiral to take in desired energy or a counterclockwise spiral to release unwanted energy, even moving your hands in these motions to support the client’s intention.
Squares for safety. Boundaries are an imperative aspect of being a practitioner. I suggest setting a square rug or cloth under your healing table to help ground and stabilize the client and fix your own boundaries. If you typically pick up clients’ energies and take on their feelings or physical disorders, wear square patterns on your clothing or square-shaped accessories. If you are intuitively visual, know that clients’ repressed issues can be pictured in their body as squares, boxing in a feeling, gift, memory, or desire that has been ignored. Lead a client into these boxes to help them deal with what might very well be the core of physical distress and tension. You can also imagine a square energy around your energetic field to provide protection for you.
Triangles for healing and creation. Use triangular or pyramidal shapes in your office to enhance healing and manifesting work. Make sure the point of a triangle is directed toward a desirable energy. For instance, put a pyramidal structure in plant soil for grounding and aim the point near the window, so you can bring in sunlight and nature. You can also enhance a client’s goals by asking them to imagine what they want coming in through the top of an imagined triangle. You, or they, can also gain perspective on an issue by picturing yourself on the top of a pyramid looking down. Some practitioners even establish a pyramidal structure over their table to enhance energetic shifts.
As you can see, shape is a healing tool that can enhance assessment, boundaries, healing, and creativity—even to the extent of selecting the shape of your dinner plate.
Notes
1. Mircea Eliade, Images and Symbols (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1991).
2. Ibid, 20–48.
3. Scientific American, “What is the Origin of Zero,” accessed January 2014, www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-is-the-origin-of-zer.
4. Mandala Coloring Meditation, “Your Introduction to the Healing Powers of Mandala Coloring Pages,” accessed January 2014, www.mandalacoloringmeditation.com/mandala-coloring/mandala-articles/about-mandala-coloring-healing/.
5. Dartmouth College, “The Platonic Solids,” accessed January 2014, www.dartmouth.edu/~matc/math5.geometry/unit6/unit6.html.
6. Kjos Ministries, “Symbols and Their Meaning,” accessed January 2014, www.crossroad.to/Books/symbols1.html.
7. Academia.edu, Lloyd Graham, “The Seven Symbols of Judeo-Islamic Magic: Possible Origins of the Symbols,” accessed January 2014, www.academia.edu/1509428/The_Seven_Seals_of_Judeo-Islamic_Magic_Possible_Origins_of_the_Symbols.
8. BioGeometry Energy Systems, “Scientific Validation of BioGeometry,” accessed January 2014,
www.biogeometry.com/english/Research.php.
9. Ibrahim Karim, Back to a Future For Mankind—Biogeometry (Cairo, Egypt: BioGeometry Consulting, Ltd., 2009), 24.
10. John DeSalvo, “Pyramid of Life,” accessed January 2014, www.scribd.com/doc117853532/John-DeSalvo-The-Complete-Pyramid-Sourcebook.
11. Meinard Kuhlmann, “What is Real?” Scientific American 309, no. 2 (2013): 41–7.
Cyndi Dale is an internationally renowned author, speaker, and intuitive consultant. Her books include the bestselling The Subtle Body: An Encyclopedia of Your Energetic Anatomy (Sounds True, 2009), The Complete Book of Chakra Healing (Llewellyn Publications, 2009), and Advanced Chakra Healing (Crossing Press, 2005). To learn more about Dale and her products, services, and classes, please visit www.cyndidale.com.
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