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12

As we make our way through life, we encounter patterns of organization, evidence of structure and order, connections, meaning.
We have a remarkable ability to regulate the vast and chaotic Territory into much simpler Maps.

When doing so, throughout history, we seem to be drawn to the number 12, often arranged in a circle, when plotting out our systems. Consider the following three examples:


1

The Colour Wheel taught to every young artist divides the spectrum of visible light into a pleasing, balanced configuration of 12 hues - 3 primary, 3 secondary, and 6 tertiary colours are identified, based on how paints mix together, and all positions of the spectrum given equal weight and consideration.

Colour Wheel / Chromaticity diagram

In reality, the actual distribution of colour as we perceive it is rather more unbalanced than we might expect. Greens and blues appear to be much more abundant and available to our eyes than, say, a yellow or an orange.

To take it a step further, there's nothing about the arrangement of rods and cones in our eyes that guarantee we're getting an "accurate" image of the spectrum of frequences around us. Colour and light exist relative only to the ocular biology of the obvserver. Take red and green - for how distinct they may seem to most of us, their wavelengths are remarkably close to each other, compared to blue.

Other beings may even have a much more balanced perception of colour - take the wavelength distribution of humans vs finches:

Homo sapien / Erythrura gouldiae

2

The modern Western musical system divides each octave on the spectrum of audible frequency into 12 uniform steps. One of the ways this can be visualized is as the Circle of Fifths.

This is called equal temperament, and it allows us various practicalities and freedoms, such as ease of arrangement, modulation, and composition, simplified notation composition, and standardization among instruments, players, and genres.

Circle of Fifths / Pythagorean scale

This system of tuning is not inherent in the physics of sound, but rather is a compromise between art and acoustics. Equal temperament in fact leads to various subtle dissonances, due to its sacrificing of individual ratios by dividing the octave into 12 equal parts. The alternative system, called just intonation, achieves a richer resonance by remaining true to the pure harmonic ratios of a given interval, while losing the aforementioned ease.

It is common to think of the basic math of music as being quite ordered and straightforward, when the reality is quite a bit more complicated.




3

The Zodiac delineates the annual passage of the sun as it travels through the 12 brightest constellations ringing the Earth's equator.
Though they don't perfectly align, the number of signs do correspond with the roughly twelve lunations, or Moon cycles, that happen in each solar year.

While the constellations themselves have no bearing on our system of time, the degrees of the Zodiacal wheel are precisely locked to the Sun's relationship with the Earth - the very real phenomenons of solstice, equinox, and the seasons that emerge as a result.

The Zodiac / The night sky

Like the colour wheel and the musical scale, with astrology we have patterned a simple system out of an overwhelming field of information in order to help us work with and make sense of the world in which we inhabit.

The systems are not entirely arbitrary, but neither are they a substitute for the ultimately unknowable, infinite Reality.

The systems are not the truth, but they help guide us through it it. The map is not the territory, but without it we'd be lost.




4

In addition to these three ways in which we have organized our various domains of thought, I will mention quickly the realm of mythology. To quote Robert Drews, "the number twelve carries religious, mythological and magical symbolism, generally representing perfection, entirety, or cosmic order in traditions since antiquity."

Those familiar with these various traditions will recognize that there are 12 of each of the following:
Olympian Gods, Titans, Tribes of Israel, Apostles of Jesus, Imams, Adityas, Names of Surya and Hanuman, Nidanas, Heavenly Generals, Knights of the Round Table, Sons of Odin, and petals on the Heart Chakra.

the map / the territory

5

I will leave it to the reader to decide how much meaning to draw from all of the above.
Be well